Hannah Turns 11

Hannah was lucky enough to have her cousins in town for her birthday so it felt like something very special! She asked for a lunch date with me to Firehouse Subs and then she came home to find the house decorated by her siblings and cousins. The adults planned a Harry Potter themed escape room/scavenger hunt for her that led to a Pinata. Then she had her traditional ice cream sundae bar where she helps me cut up an endless amount of toppings to put on ice cream because she doesn't love cake!

She kept saying she was hoping the day would go slow because she was having so much fun. Clearly from these pictures she also loved her brand new robe so much she didn't take it off. This girl is the most gracious and well mannered. She is the first to say thank you for every little thing. She is growing up fast and I pray that she will stay as low maintenance as she is right now. I adore her!  

Cousins

While we lived in Minnesota we were so blessed to have Jeffrey and Debbie living just two hours away in Blue Earth. We saw them almost every other month and the kids grew even closer. 

Here they are at Hannah's birthday party.

Doing home church on Mother's Day!

Playing out back!

Exploring the river. That's Wisconsin on the other side.

Mallie and Knightley loved baking together. 

We love that the kids played all day together and never got tired. We adults would play endless amounts of board games into the wee hours of morning. We had to pace ourselves that we didn't need to stay up all night because we would be exhausted the next day. We love Jebbie and kids!

Turning 35

Mallie is always baking at our house and always wants to practice. When my friend Harmony (who is a skilled baker) heard this she invited the kids over to bake cakes for my birthday. She sent David and I off to lunch and to have some peace and quiet for a few hours in our home. The kids were especially thrilled because with the lockdown they hadn't gone anywhere fun for weeks. What a gift. I love getting older and having wonderful people in my life!

Eating out

So many pictures to describe the happiness of something so simple. We went on a family hike and then came home and roasted hot dogs and marshmallows. These kids make stuff like this seem like an event with their enthusiasm. They were so grateful for Cheetos and for the whole family just being together. We're starting to count down our weeks in Minnesota. 

Pictures too good to get lost...

Over Valentine's Day I had the idea that everyone should write a heart/vday message to everyone else in the family. The kids loved getting them from each other. I think we'll do this as a new tradition.

Hannah bought a drawing tablet for herself. We love seeing her drawings go digital. I know I say this all the time but she spends at least an hour a day drawing.

The kids conned their Nana Jake into buying the game of Life for them. Then they played all afternoon.

Randomly I'll find pictures on my phone like this. Love her creativity.

One day I bought them all new bubble wands and they were so happy!

This little girl gave up her naps and has adjusted pretty well. But once every couple of weeks we'll find her passed out somewhere right around the 2-3pm hour.

The girls and I had a water color Sunday on Easter as we tried to paint the Resurrection.

Sophie Turns 1

I failed at documenting Sophie's first birthday. Mallie baked her cupcakes and we gave her a toothbrush that she loved and crawled around with for the rest of the day!

Here's a picture my friend took of the kids through the front door. I love that Sophie is smack in the middle.

She's 1 though! She's a really great sleeper, has no interest in walking and loves when her siblings spoil her with attention. She is probably my most needy baby so far but that's okay because she's the last and I think she knows it! We love her and I love seeing these big kids adore a little baby. It's so weird to think I was the Sophie of my family. Happy first birthday Soph! Now please walk!

Our New Normal

With official word that school is canceled at least through May (probably longer but MN hasn't made the call yet) we are getting used to a new normal. I am grateful that Corona has freed up some time to blog.

We've developed a new routine around here.  In the morning the kids hop on their Ipads and Chromebooks to do their assignments from their teachers while I try to help them with assignments they don't understand. David is usually on Zoom meeting with his fellow residents doing some sort of online classes. After a couple of hours he's done usually helps one kid or another finish with their homework and we all eat lunch. When Sophie wakes up from her afternoon nap around 3 we all go on a family walk down to Bailey lake that just happens to be border the backside of our neighborhood. It's beautiful and yesterday I took pictures of what this looks like.

The kids cruise in front of us on their rollerblades while David and I lag behind with the double stroller chatting and the littles ride beside us on plasma cars. Rachel rode her bike one day and for a 4.5-year-old on two wheels, she gets where she needs to go without falling but man she scares the daylights out of us.

Heading down to throw rocks in the lake.

Lucy decided not to get her shoes wet.

I dressed Sophie up all warm and clearly didn't want to waste time on socks. She must be the 8th.

All the kiddos smooshed on the bench.

 I tried desperately to beat the timer while David was pretending to swing the plasma car while I was running. We both lost.

Minnesota's beauty takes out breath away even in the winter. Spring will come soon and really blow us away.

And then on the walk home, this little gal decided she was done and put on her best pout face. We were enjoying a week of sunny 50 degree days and I knew the weather was going to turn. Sure enough, as I type this the kids are out playing in a dusting of ice and snow. I'm crossing my fingers that it's our very last for the year so we can enjoy the outdoors while we are all at home