Month Four

Let me just start out with a HUGE shout out to Heather (aka KickButtMommy) for suggesting I use Picasa to upload my photos, don't know why I didn't think of it. 

But, indeed, I do believe it is saving my sanity!

Welcome to Month Four!

These two little sugar lumps are just too sweet for words.

Noelle wanted to take pictures and they turned out pretty cute.

My lense is broken and, therefore, I cannot properly meter my pictures.

Come February and we get out tax return...

I get a new one! 

Pictures will hopefully improve.

After the babies she turned the camera on us.  :)

Courtney girl is not the most 'smiley' baby.

And she cries.  A lot.

But here I got lucky!

Doing a little tummy time.

Someone decided she'd rather chew on her hands.

Noelle is the most wonderful little Mommy.

She is crazy about her babies and helps her Mama so much.

♥ my sweet, special girl.

Look!!!

It's me!  For real.  I am not a figment of your imagination.

I hate that there are so few pictures of my with my kids.

I am working on it. 

Regardless of how I look now,  I will look at these pictures in

20 years I will long for the old me.

One morning the power was out...so we took pictures.

Here's a motion shot.

Sorry if it grosses you out.  I think it's funny!

And sang and danced and all other sorts of fun.

After taking the babies for their 4 month shots,

we ran over to the school to join Noelle for their Thanksgiving feast. 

Here she is with her friend Emilee.

Me again! 

With my little Cranky just where she likes to be,

Attached to Mama!

Daddy came home with a huge cake,

And let the girls eat it on the floor.

In their pajamas.

After they brushed their teeth.

With fake knives.

Such a mess.  Ugh.

My handsome, handsome son.

Let me tell you how unprepared I was for the love of my boy.

Everyone told me, but until you experience it...

And my darling Courtney girl.

I think of her as my bonus. 

Mrs. Berglund also put on her own Thanksgiving feast.

Cornbread muffins and vegetable soup, the kids made themselves!

Noelle was devastated that I had to leave before we ate,

 but the babies were done.  At least we got to see the songs

that she practiced and practiced.

Here is our Thanksgiving table.

Several families from our ward got together and we had our meal at the church.

So paper goods it was.  :)

The food was yummy (albeit a little cold) and the kids loved having free

reign of the entire building to run, play basketball, and whatever else...

Not sure I will do it again though.  Ha!

The Drakes brought kids Thanksgiving Bingo, complete with toys.

Such a great idea, it was a huge hit.

The next day was someone's birthday!

So excited to be THREE!

After a breakfast of what they call 'oven pancakes'

off to the nail salon we went.

She loved getting pampered,

although it was hard to stay still.

After a late lunch of her requested

Pizza and bread sticks we headed over to

Itz for some games and fun.

Then finally home for cake.

The Bakers joined us.  Steph was home with napping babies

The Bakers have 18 month old boy/girl twins.

It's fun!!!

Madeleine was insistent on a pink dinosaur cake from Costco,

rather than Mommy making her one.

Ya, I am sure Daddy had a little bit to do with that.

I love my sweet Madeleine.

She sure keeps me on my toes but

I am eternally grateful that I get to be her Mommy.

We started off the holiday season by decorating a gingerbread house.

It sat there for two days and I thought the anticipation would kill them.

Then there's the not being able to pick off all the candy and eat it.

Early December brought us our big first snow!

And along with it 3 whole days off of school.

Just one more post and we'll be all caught up. 

Thanks for sticking with me. ♥

Month Three (part II)

Face painting from the State Fair...

They were in heaven!

Morning jammies!

Got Noelle out the door to school and came back to this... 

Madeleine and Britton at Carter's baptism lunch.

Wouldn't they have the cutest blue eyed babies together? 

Balloon Fiesta!

By far my favorite time of year around here.

It always begins the first Saturday in October and goes until the following Sunday.

8 whole days of balloons!

We got everyone bundled and loaded in the car way before the sun came up.

Noelle's very favorite is the bee family.

There is every type of balloon you cannot even imagine!

Too bad the winds picked up and they all just had to deflate.

Such a disappointment. :(

The second weekend Grandma and Grandpa Jones came for the babies' blessing.

We went to the last glow of the Fiesta but got stuck in traffic, had to park really far away,

and got there just to see the last few light up and everyone start taking everything down.

Another disappointment!  But what we did see was beautiful.

 But, Sunday morning the wind was in our favor.

All the balloons were blowing right in our direction.

This picture does not even do it any sort of justice...

hundreds of balloons flying right over our house!

Everyone is always so friendly up in the sky,

they all wave and say, "Good Morning!"

Then we were off to church where Aaron got to bless two babies. 

Talking about amazing. 

There are times where I can't help but wonder who's idea this was...

it's so hard!

But more often times I wonder why I am so blessed.

 That afternoon we met up at the park with our great friends

and had a wonderful lunch.

The food was yummy, the company was great,

the kids ran around having a blast without restrictions.

Best of all? 

I did not have to clean before everyone came

and again once they left!

Month three also included lots of smile, coos,

and conversations with Daddy.

When Daddy has to spend nights away from home we

pile on the big bed and do bed time together!

And just because he I can never get enough of his cute face.

I need to figure a way to make them stop growing!

The babies also got their first bottles.

It was a hard day, honestly, a really hard few days

and I thought the exhaustion would do me in.

The babies had been nursing all afternoon and were so unhappy.

I had somehow gotten dinner on the table,

but now the sink was full, the counters dirty,

and I was about to lose it.

So, I gave in and used some of the formula samples...

I cried the whole time.

But, this little ray of sunshine lightened my heart.

"Mama!  These bottle things are soooooo cool!"

The tooth fairy also came.  Twice!!!!

The bottom teeth had already started to grow in before the others fell out,

so no gaps in her smile as of yet.

But the top two are loose and should come out soon.

 The babies had their first hotel stay. 

Daddy had some work in Pagosa Springs, Colorado.

He hates leaving us and since there was no school that Friday, we tagged along.

 Then went to explore the town.

Once again with a dead camera battery.

Ugh!

The fall colors were stunning and

we had fun exploring the town while Daddy finished.

 October is also when we get to visit Noelle's ballet class.

Because it's in Miss Carrie's loft area that she turned into a ballet studio,

there is not room for visitors, so once a year Mommies get to go watch.

She's a perfect ballerina!

We're getting there!  Month four and we'll be caught up and I can start blogging in real time.

Yea!!!