Our March

 March was a total blur for me. As I type this we are already halfway through April and so much has happened I can hardly remember my life last month. I am going to try and piece this story together the best that I can!

First, we got out and shot the bow. It was so beautiful out that I took the opportunity for a nice photo shoot:

It was a gorgeous day out and we spent most of that day outside, just enjoying life. So excited for summer.

                                                         

The boys pulled out their St. Patrick's day crafts and got those done, we're just a month behind. At least they do get done though. All in good time. 

This month, little Avery got very sick. Most of the pictures on my phone were of her sleeping or being held (as she wanted constant love and we were all about that). But, we have a few pictures of her happily playing with her siblings. 

                                                    

She loves being outside and, when she has to be inside, she loves a good book:

This is the month she also turned 11 months old:

We are so happy for her happy little face. It has been a hard month seeing her so ill. We are glad to have our sweet little baby mostly back to herself as I type this post. 

We had one last beautiful winter storm!

It was so much snow and brought us a few days off of school and even one day off of work for my husband. We did a ton of baking during this time! 

We made sourdough bread.

Whipped up some homemade runzas.

And made some sweet monkey bread.

I soaked up my time with my kids while they were all home. They were mostly ready to head back to school though as the storm passed. They only went a part of a week and then it was Spring break! We stayed home (due to illness) but made the most of it. We headed to our favorite local coffee shop for one morning of fun:

I also captured some moments of the kids reading, a pastime we all enjoy:

And then it was Easter at the end of the month! The kids were so excited to get up:

Easter morning was so good to us. The kids spotted eggs all over outside and couldn't wait to get out there. So we did their egg hunt on the cold Easter morning. Monte even helped Avery get some eggs:

We took the kids to church and several Easter egg hunts, but this is the only picture that I took:

Avery loved her first egg hunts! She didn't really understand and was satisfied with an egg or two. She really came to people watch. 

We are so thankful the month of March (even with sickness) and this blessed life God has called us to. We are even more thankful for Easter and that God sent his son to die for our sins. I hope your month has gone well. Happy March!

Avery turns 1!

 My littlest baby is officially 1!

Fastest year of my life ever! I literally blinked and we went from baby to one year old. I am so, so thankful for this life and to be Avery's mom. 

The kids helped me set up the night before, right after Avery went to bed. The nice thing about a baby is that you can really do this stuff whenever and they don't care. The kids wanted to make sure she was asleep though and she is currently going to bed first in the house so we could roll with that naturally. 

Payton made Avery a special sign and was so excited to put it up for her! We also all participated in making a smash cake. 

We all had a fantastic day celebrating our sweet little girl. And she loved being doted on!

She was definitely a mess after eating her cake, but she cleaned up easily enough with a quick bath.

She opened presents. This mostly meant her siblings opened her presents as she was easily distracted by the packaging, bows, and previous gift she opened. 

Payton really wanted to be sure to get a picture of her with her sign she made. I think Avery loved it.

Avery, 

We are so thankful for you. You were one of the greatest surprises we have ever received and our family cannot get enough of you. You are so close to walking, in fact on your birthday you started using a walking toy and went back and forth across the room. You say mama and dada and hi. There are so many foods you love and not many that you don't (depends on the day really). You make us smile so much. Outside is your happy place. If you are inside, looking out the windows and seeing animals (horses, chickens, birds) are your favorite. You get so excited by animals! 

We can't wait to see where the next year takes you and will be there to guide you every step along the way.  

Love,

Mom

February 2024

 February came and went in blur. As I type this, we are entering April! I don't even know how we got here. Also, the baby will turn one in a week! And my biggest baby turns 11 in April. Fastest year of my life. So, let's speed through this month. 

Father daughter dance. My daughter looks forward to this each and every year. It's the best time for her! The other kids and I get out, too and do something special. This year we grabbed dinner out and came back home to eat it and then turned on a movie and cuddled up. The weather wasn't nice enough to get outside unfortunately. In the end, a date at home works easiest with the baby anyways. 

We did a cute little bun. It gave a chance for her beautiful bow detail on her back of her dress to really shine. 

Payton even helped to decorate for this dance, making signs as a volunteer:

A sweet neighbor dropped off sourdough bread for our family and we felt so blessed:

This bread was delicious and by the end of the month, I began dabbling in sourdough bread making myself. 

The 2 big kids took archery this year. Their dad challenged them to get so many arrows in the bullseye and he would buy them their own bow. Both kids completed the challenge successfully! 

Just some random pictures of me with our sweet baby this month:

At home!

At the park! We love getting out to the park for a walk and a chance to see the ducks. Sometimes we don't see the ducks as she falls fast asleep, so I just walk until her nap is over.

Avery also doesn't sleep well for nap time in her crib any more. So many times this month she napped in the vehicle:

A random picture I found on my phone from one of my kids during a said drive for Avery to nap:

We had a wedding anniversary! 15 years of marriage. The kids made the day extra fun. Payton made this sign:

Of course, we ate some good food:

I pulled out the packnplay to try and get things done occasionally. It doesn't work the greatest as Avery doesn't love being contained but it does buy me a few minutes here and there. And sometimes I catch this face:

But mostly, I spend my days with Avery while the kids are at school. 1 on 1 time has been the best. I am so lucky to have her:

And our sweet girl turned 10 months in February!

Another random photo I found on my phone. This one a sweet selfie of my oldest:

She has also been working hard on learning how to propagate plants. And she was successful with one so far! She is so proud of herself and plans to give this to her teacher as an end of the year gift:

We ended basketball for Riley this month. I didn't get hardly any pictures of him actually playing but I did get this picture of us going out for ice cream to celebrate. It was a great time!

And this was our month! Not as many pictures as in the past but that's on purpose! I mentioned last month I am trying to be more present. This has meant keeping the phone down and staying in the moment. It goes fast regardless. I just want to soak up and love on my babies as hard as I can. Before I know it, I will blink and they will be grown and gone. 

It was a great February!