Colorful Life

When we were in SF getting photos with Jaime we stopped at Ghirardelli Square for a "family sized"  ice cream sundae.  

Unfortunately, a whole memory card got damaged and a lot of the photos were lost BUT, here are the fun ones we have!

Mailee was warning Jaime not to put anymore ice cream on her nose...She's got ammo on her finger prepped for retaliation.

Cait was beyond done at this point:)

Thoughts on Homeschool and This Season Mixed With A Few Photos

Hi!  Welcome to the "new blog look"!  It was time for a change and I have all these fantastic pictures to work with from our photo shoot with my friend Jaime so it was really fun to switch it up.

More of the pictures in a minute but first, a few thoughts if you don't mind...

This week was packed with finishing up school, a visit from Amber (our supervising teacher),  a *few* shopping trips to get Christmas gifts, enjoying the KCS Christmas concert and a couple other fun events.  I am thankful for a few weeks to rest, hang out and celebrate with our family.

I have to be honest, homeschooling is much more difficult than I had anticipated.  Completing the schoolwork is just a tiny piece of the puzzle that makes up a successful home school.  Juggling the home life and the school life, dealing with attitudes, looking at the strengths, the weaknesses, the character growth of each child and addressing each of those while managing the others' needs AND having 3 meals and a few snacks on the table, it's just a lot to fit in.

We are driving less.

We are rushing less.

I didn't have to bring 3 fruit platters to 3 Christmas parties today. 

I didn't have to cringe at the amount of junk my kids were allowed to eat.

We didn't change out of our jammies until well after 9am.

There are a lot of perks to our new circumstances for sure and I am so thankful.

When I look at the big picture I see an opportunity to embrace this life that we have been blessed with; the big family, the God who loves us and has a purpose for each one of our children. I have an opportunity to turn the rat-race induced auto pilot off and dig deep: invest in their precious hearts, their keen and curious minds... to make sure that HIS words are written on their hearts and that they feel secure in who they are in HIM. 

Wow!  What a big task but so worth it!

How can I not give these sweet kiddos my very best?  

They will be grown before I know it.

THIS is the time.

This is my season!

If I begin to lose heart or start to sound whiny, can you please just link me back to this post so I can have a friendly reminder of which direction the ship is supposed to be sailing? 

Ya? K, 

Thanks!

Now, on to the photos!!

 5 girls = one serious collection of nail polish, an abundance of PINK, GLITTER and DRAMA!

The three M's.

 Sister-girls

 I look at these 4 girls, each created completely unique regardless of their similar upbringing.  They have the same two parents, many of the same experiences, yet they have been fearfully and wonderfully made to be individually perfect just as they are.  What a miracle!

I pray this Christmas is an opportunity for you to love the people in your life, to find meaning in the lights, the carols, the original and most significant gift that we could have ever received, Christ Jesus, sent to earth to save YOU and ME!

A Little Taste

A few photos from our shoot with my friend Jaime in November.  The disc finally arrived today!  Yay!  Lots more to share but I have to save the best ones to quickly do up a Christmas card:)

Christmas Tree!

 All the trees I saw at Macy's this year had fun things exploding out of the top.  I liked it!

We all love this "believe" sign.

 My favourite wrapping paper purchased this year...It's textured!!

 The girls' favourite wrapping paper.

 Wishing I had purchased a bunch of these letters @ Pottery Barn to spell something fabulous like "peace".  I grabbed this one to top one of Mikayla's birthday packages.  

Wasn't thinking about Christmas yet!!

 My Mom gets each of the kids one of these fantastic ornaments every year.  One year each girl got a light bulb like this with their middle names (Grace, Joy, Faith, Hope) and the year on it.  I think they are some of my favourites.

 Another fun ornament from Scribbles in California.  

Mailee got this the year she had a cheerleading birthday party.

 Miss piggy was given to me by my Grandma when I was little.  My mom and I disagreed every year over her placement.  I thought she deserved a place front and center, Mom did not share that opinion.  I still think she is beautiful but now I have my own tree and she gets a place of importance:)

 A newly acquired ornament from this year's ornament exchange.  I think she's cute!

 More personalized ornaments.  Love them!

 My treasure from the Macy's baking tree in Dallas!

Lots of girly ornaments on our tree!!

Let's see your tree!  

Do you have a kid tree with lots of fun and crazy ornaments like us or a picture perfect pretty tree?

Share a link!!

Weekend In Dallas

Mike and I had the opportunity to go to Dallas ALONE for the weekend.  OH MY!  How fun!  

My amazing sister in law took care of her 3 children and our 5 for the weekend.  What an angel.  (She even let Caiters sleep in her bed a bit and play with her hair:)

I didn't pull my camera out very much but I did get a few photos to remember the trip.  

Here ya go:

Texas flag.  

Excited to be here:)

You can read more about this HERE.

Mike was a trooper, he obliged my need to shop like a champ.  Even helped me pick out fabric for two blankies. (a boy blankie and a girl one, since we are not going to find out the gender of baby C)

We enjoyed some awesome meals.  

Adult conversation.

Uninterrupted. 

Texas De Brazil

Oh my!  This place is unreal.

We had such a great time and I am fully convinced that this going places alone thing should be happening more often in the future!!  It was fantastic to be able to appreciate each other for who we are and not just operate in the normal teamwork mode that comes naturally when you have a large family!

I love this man and I am so thankful that God placed us together and has continued to bless us with children, family, a home, love and health.

Birthday Dinner With Fresno

 While we were in Fresno, (I know, I know, I am going backwards...I just have to document these events!!!) we celebrated Mikayla's 11th birthday with my favourite Fresno crowd.  (my best friends, their families and my parents)  It was fun to get all the kids together.  Our little group is multiplying!!

 Caleb and Cohl...the lone rangers in the sea of girls.

 Jen's precious new baby Jett.  He brings the boy count up to three:)

 We picked Devon up when we rolled into town and she slept over and came everywhere with us almost the entire time we were in Fresno.  

These girls met in Preschool and they are so similar it is amazing.  Over the past 6 years we {Devon's Mom and I} have helped them maintain their friendship and it is such a precious connection that they have.  God blessed me with a friend like this in Gretchen and I am so thankful for my daughter to experience this kind of bond as well.

I am praying for this kind of special friend for the rest of my kiddos...

 Pizookie!  

If you have never heard of Pizookie, it is a freshly baked chocolate chip cookie with a scoop of ice cream on the top.  

Seriously?  

SO GOOD!

 Two of my very best friends in the whole wide world.  I have been friends with Erin and Jen since junior high and high school {respectively}.

I wonder why I am the only pale girl in every crowd I roll with?!?!?  

 The fruit of the last 11 years

{L-R} Devon (friend of Mikayla) Mikayla, Mailee, Cohl, Maddie, Kirra, 

Caleb, Jenna, Tanner, Caitlyn and baby Jett

So great to catch up with great friends!

California Redwoods

We took the long way down to San Fransico on our trip so that we could see the large California Redwoods.  Wow, they are amazing!  The kids are going to create reports on what they saw and learned in the Redwood Grove.

Here are some of my favourite photos...

 Beautiful sunlight peeking through the trees.

 Showing baby the big trees.  It's funny, we don't use a stroller very often with Caiters because she has soo many people to hold her!

 Supersized clovers! So pretty!

 The big girls located some fungi.  It looked pretty yucky!!

 Having fun int he forest.

 Caleb found a "gun".

 One of the girls captured Mike and I surrounded in God's amazing creativity, sun shining thru the trees.  So beautiful.

Little Cub in the big big forest.