A couple of weeks ago, it snowed during the night. For our extremely mild winter, this felt like the first good snowfall. I had almost forgotten how much I love waking up to a perfectly beautiful snowy morning like this:
I love how the snow and frost clings to every last detail...not that you can see with my picture...but the frost will attach to even a string of a spiders web. It is so beautiful!
I love the different seasons of the year. They present something just new and fresh that I love.
I've been thinking lately that our family is in a new "season" of life now too. We are getting older....
we run the dishwasher every day
we very rarely have leftovers
we have 4 children that attend classes at church
if I don't run the laundry daily, I'm in trouble
we are extra busy with callings
the milk to sustain our family for a week and a half doesn't fit in the fridge. I have to use the chilled garage.....but that's not going to work come summer...
more running the kids to and from
Sometimes I wonder how did we get here? I remember as if it were yesterday, just having one child. Having playgroups to add a little spice to my daily routine. Actually wanting to go to Wal-Mart, to get out of the house for an outing!! Things change so quickly. And I love the here and now too. But just so I can remember what the here and now is like:
Lily is so cute right now. She loves to snuggle at times and likes to say "my momma" and give me hugs. She loves to be with me almost all of the time. But I know now that it won't last forever and I'm pretty good about having her with me, most of the time.
Madelyn just soaks up books. The school allowed her to get a library card and be part of the AR program and she eats that all up. She reads so much I have to tell her to stop and finish with her other "to-do's" before she reads for recreation.
Lily has unfortunately not given up her violent ways. She has kept up this biting stage longer than any of my other children, and it sure can give me gray hairs. I have tried multiple disciplinary techniques to try to put this to rest, to no avail. Hannah has probably lost 1/3 of her hair to Lily pulling it out. Sad! She has very fine hair as it is.
Drew and I are reading the Book of Mormon together. I have loved it. We don't read it together, but we are reading in the same general vicinity and are trying to keep each other on top of it. We're just starting Mosiah, and we started at the end of December. I think we're doing pretty good!
Madelyn and Drew have taken turns being little babysitters for short periods of time. They love the responsibility and I love the teeny bits of freedom.
Drew is preparing to be baptized in April and is very excited about it. He can't wait to join cub scouts and has passed off his bobcat already.
Hannah started Sunbeams at the beginning of the year. She seems to really like it. She loves to participate and volunteer. She even was quite disappointed when she was not chosen to come up and say something in the microphone, so the Primary Pres. made a special exception for her, and came up with something for Hannah to say. I think Hannah was quite pleased with herself.
Hannah is starting to not loathe work so much. She has a list of things she needs to do before she can use the computer (which she is adept at) and somedays she even tackles the list of her own accord. Rare-but I cheer her on when she does!
I am already getting ancy for summer. School takes too much time away, and the kids are already asking to do some things that we implement in the summer months. It's not the summer weather I'm ancy for, it's wanting more time with my kids!
Drew has created his second pinewood derby car, and even though he is not quite 8 they are going to allow him to really race this year!
I am not going to be able to go to Girls Camp. I was planning to work around taking a baby, but it is stake camp this year and they will not allow babies! I was disappointed at the news...big time.
We are working on getting our family mission statement all printed up ready to hang up on our wall. I just don't know where....I am crazy. I never can make up my mind about where to put things, so I end up putting up nothing. But I am determined to get this up and somewhere important in our house!!
I've been doing preschool with Hannah and Lily. Hannah and I usually take turns being the teacher (her idea of course). So far it has really been a fun way for me to spend special time with them when the others are away.
We have been busy with callings. We see more and more of a need to get with our children one on one. We're working on that.
When we have gone with the children one on one it has been wonderful. Madelyn still thinks fondly of our mommy date a month ago where I took just her shopping and then we shared a Jamba Juice. It is times like those, nothing out of the ordinary--except the jamba--made special because it is just them.
Lily finally loves books. It has taken her this long to not just push them away when I bring them out. I enjoy that. I love reading to my kids.
I love when I need a rest in the afternoons, Hannah will bring her blanket and snuggle with me. She is not a napper, but every once in awhile she will fall asleep with me.
All of the kids are excited for this new baby. Lily loves babies--I sure hope she is out of this violence by the time she comes.
I am already started to swell up, I still have a ways to go. I feel like it is way too early!!
Jed and I still try hang out and unwind together after a big day, but sometimes it just doesn't happen with all the things that need to be done. We do still try to make a weekly date mandatory.
Young Women is going really smoothly right now. The new class presidency has learned their duties pretty well and they are taking charge and it has relieved a lot of stress from me. We were without a class presidency for months, so this is like heaven!
Drew is very self-motivated and does his homework without my asking and pushes himself academically just because he wants to.
Madelyn is a good friend. She really tries to be a peacemaker with her friends and work things out.
I'm still trying to find the perfect solution for the kids to be more in charge of themselves as far as their daily responsibilities are concerned. I have tried a few different things.....maybe there isn't a perfect solution and I just have to keep re-working.
I have discovered that kindergarten for girls is like mini-high school. The drama begins!!
I love how Hannah and Lily pretend to do their "homework" with Drew.
Lily adores Drew. She loves it when he gets home from school and often calls for him when he is home.
Madelyn loves to be in charge of getting outfits for her younger sisters ready. I appreciate the help!
I'm sure there are lots more things I would like to remember, but that is a start. I'm sure it is mostly of interest to me, and that's ok. :)
We drink pink milk, which by the end of the day, the remainder looked like pepto-bismal. The color strengthens in time I learned! The kids love pulling out our "fancy cups" and just having a special out of the ordinary breakfast. 
I love waffles with fruit and whipped cream, so naturally you have to have strawberry sauce for Valentine's Day.
All of my pictures are really smudged, I think I have a child to thank for that!!
Jed surprised me with my favorite non-healthy foods!
Valentine's Day is just a lot of fun, we pretty much enjoy it around here.
Valentine's Day is just a lot of fun, we pretty much enjoy it around here.
We began our celebrations on the first Saturday of the month. The kids were really excited to heart attack the house and make heart-shaped cinnamon rolls, so after we spiffied up the house we did it.
Mmmmmm....these are just too darn good. I should not make them when I am pregnant and seem to have more sugar cravings than usual!!
and extremely soft!!! So far we love it. So here's to long lasting carpet!! (fingers crossed)
