Wintering

   About this time of winter we start getting an itching for Spring! This winter has felt very long but as I look back, it's somehow gone fast too. Allie received the Accountability award during her school assembly. She is such a great example to her classmates. We're so proud of her!

Loren has come up with a chore system that has been working great. The girls earn beads and money and then can spend them on different things. Lydia chose a daddy-daughter-doughnut-date and got a cute little unicorn pig.

    Sometimes it still blows my mind that these four kiddos are mine. All through college the only thing I really wanted to be was a mom. These kids are my dream come true. Motherhood is the most fulfilling, stretching, exhausting, selfless and truly joyful thing I've ever done. I look at Lydia and instantly panic lately. She's seriously growing too fast. We watched Inside Out the other day and it always makes me bawl. I don't want her to grow out of playing horses or stuffed animals with Allie. Or stop creating shops or writing stories about fairies.  But ironically, every year she grows older just becomes better. Its so much fun to watch grown up movies together or go to plays or shows. We have many meaningful conversations and she genuinely makes me laugh every day with her funny stories. Although I love so many things about having young kids, I seem to be really thriving in and enjoying this big kid stage.

She's such a great big sister. I think in about a year she'll be ready to babysit for us. Never thought that would happen!

My mom, Mary and I celebrated my Mom's birthday with lunch at Tandoori Oven. It was delicious and even more fun to be with these amazing ladies. 

This was my anniversary gift from Loren. He bought me a little printer that I can print photos straight from my phone. I love it sooo much! 

Cute cousins Adeline and Greyson with Hudson and Lydia

The girls love their mermaid tails Adeline and Greyson gave them for Christmas. 

This was a semi-disturbing find the other day. 

Lydia opened a shop called The Advice Place. As a wedding present we were given a book called How to Do Just About Anything. We took turns asking Lydia questions and she would, sometimes using the book, give us her advice. It was the cutest thing. Her sign says, 'The Advice Place, Get Advice for Free!'

I've wanted a book wall for the kids for ages. I find that they read more often when they can see the cover of the books. And it just looks fun! Loren made my dream come true by installing one upstairs. Yay!

Allie and Hudson made a boat out of an Ikea box. They were sailing to Lagoon!

We love our Uncle Nate! Especially Jace.

A couple weeks ago it was frigid. The temps got down to -25! I can't ever remember it being so bitterly cold. School was delayed for two hours three days in a row. Our pipes froze and both our dad's came to help us thaw them out so Loren could shower before his deposition. This was ice on the inside of our front door.

Ice on the entire inside of the sliding back door. 

Our Jace boy is almost seven months! He's sitting up and has two teeth. He's the happiest, most smiley baby. 

Loren has a different theme every Saturday for the kids' chores. These were pretty creative! I'm so glad he does this because my creative capacity is not online very often.

Lydia and Atticus love playing games with anyone who will play but especially grandpa. 

Jace isn't too sure about food just yet. 

Lydia came up with an idea to leave a note and a few pieces of chocolate on the mailbox for our mail carrier. She was thrilled to see it gone later that day. A few days later she got this note in the mail. So fun!

My amaryllis is blooming in all its gorgeous glory! It's been so fun to have a pop of color through this grey winter. Landon made the vase for me and it's seriously amazing. I can't wait to use it every winter now. 

Jace loves pretty much everyone but I love watching his bond with my dad. Everyone tells me he looks a lot like him and I have to agree. Soooo sweet. 

Lydia made Allie a dragon costume. Pretty creative!

Oh Valentines Day. One of these years I'm going to make a beautiful, heart shaped themed breakfast with little notes and gifts for the kids all set out on a clean table in the morning. That was not my reality this year. But the kids still had fun at their class parties and got more than enough candy to last awhile. 

At 4:30 pm the day before Valentines Day, Lydia asked if we could make a Valentines Box. I thought she was going to use a bag I bought the year before at the dollar store so I didn't have any supplies or ideas of what we could do. I searched "really easy valentines box ideas" on google and found this cute little Penguin. We called Loren and asked him to bring home some googly eyes and construction paper. He actually turned out pretty cute! I told Lydia next year maybe we could start a few days earlier. She named him Richard.