Valentines day

This year for Valenitines day I decided not to be lame and have a little party for the kids. Mostly because we actually have a dollar store so decorating for these little events is easy and cheap!

Cannon went all out this year and bought some lovely tuna which he seared with sesame seeds on top. 

He made a beautiful glaze and a pomegranate salad dressing. We finished off the dinner with a t-bone steak....grass fed of course. It was amazing!

Levi's birthday!

Levi also had a birthday in January! He turned 7!

I was so excited to finally be able to have an outdoor party for him since the weather was in the 50's but of course it rained that day so we had to move things inside. 

Of course the game they were playing turned into a wrestling match. 

Happy birthday little man! He has grown so much. It is so fun to see who he is becoming which is a little braniac who loves facts and numbers. He is obsessed with Jack and Annie books right now and will read for long stretches each day. We love you Levi!!

Elyse is 12!

Elyse turned 12 in January! It was a sleepover and I made all of her favorite foods and they stayed up way too late, but it was fun! We went to the temple with her a few weeks later and it was a really great experience for everyone. Sadly the temple is about 2 hrs away. We were used to going any time we wanted and now it is definitely harder. This girl of mine is getting so grown up! She loves Young Women's and is babysitting a lot for us. It's hard to believe that we only have 6 more years with her in the house. I have had that on my mind a lot lately and I really hope that I can treasure these next years even though I know they will bring with them the challenge of having a teenager. 

New Years Eve

This New Years was the best yet! We had a party and since it wasn't freezing and we have a driveway we shot off fireworks. It was awesome and made me love SC that much more! The winter this year was the most mild I have ever experienced. There were 2 ice storms but most of the winter was in the 50's and would get up to 60's and sometimes 70's. Not too shabby!

The Yorktown

In January we went to see the air craft carrier in town. I know, exciting stuff, right? But it was free so we took advantage!

Definitely one of the most exciting parts for August. 

Elly was cool with it. 

Awesome family pics eh?

Christmas

Better late than never! 

We had dinner on the floor in front of the fire on Christmas Eve. 

Christmas Jammies! 

Even for the parents!

Then we took these silly pictures which were way better (or so we think) than that other Christmas Jammies family. 

Christmas morning. Tired face and binky face.

Life lately

Life lately has been hectic. Motherhood has been at an all time challenging high. August is beyond rambunctious. I can't take my eyes off of him for a second! Yesterday he took off while I was busy juicing. I heard him in the garage and when I went out to check on him he was gone. I hopped on my bike and checked in the cul de sac where he would normally go if/when he takes off. He wasn't there so I started calling his name and getting more panicked. I turned at the top of our street and saw his little scooter parked on a sidewalk that leads to a pond. PANIC set in! I threw my bike down and ran to the pond and there as my little boy, only wearing a shirt and a dracula cape and that is it! He was running back and forth talking to the geese (thankfully they didn't peck him!) Life is just exhausting lately. Elly won't nap and the only time I can take a deep breath and relax mentally is when August is in his room with the door closed. I know I'm preaching to the choir, but for me this is new. Elyse was 5 when Levi came along and Levi was almost 5 when August came along. This baby toddler thing ain't for the faint of heart! I don't think I really understood how hard it is for moms with a lot of little kids that are close together. Now I know how incredibly chaotic and stressful it is to be taking care of 2 little ones who need me completely all the time! Phew!