Hola!

Well, it's official...i'm super bad at blogging. But that aside...here's a quick catch-up to life in the Collins household...

~Christmas came and went! Loads of fun over Christmas break...i love having my kids home. I so wish they didn't ever have to go to school. I just love being with them!
~January was snowy snowy snowy! Loved it! It is so rare that we get snow around here. It was just so much fun. My sweet Caeden turned 8 this month, Jan. 24th. Where the time goes, i'll never know. He's just excited that he can officially be out of a booster seat in the car. Caeden still has that tender, sweet spirit and is so full of love. He constantly teaches each of us about grace, as he gives it so abundantly. Such a caring little boy. He's going to make an awesome husband some day!
~February blew in quickly and with news that this baby in my belly is another Collins BOY! Now i just need to figure out how to change the name of this silly blog that i can't keep up with, to say Five Boys and a Girl. Hmmm...any ideas? Baby Boy Collins, yet unnamed, is healthy and is growing. I'm due June 26th and i'm hoping this one doesn't feel the need to "hang out" in my belly any longer than necessary.:)
~March has been crazy so far! I'm the Chair for Auburn Young Life's big fundraising dinner this month and phew...it's been crazy. But it's this week and i'm so excited about it! Brady turns 11 in a week and i'm just at a loss for where the time went. He is such an amazing young man and although he gives us a run for our money, his personality shines thru and he is such a good kid. We are so blessed by him. He continues to thrive in school, even though it is not his favorite thing in the world to be doing every day. We are so proud of him and what he has accomplished. Tate, my little Tate....he is so full of energy. I believe he runs everywhere. Not quite sure what he's running for or from but he's always on the go. I'm pretty sure he's the reason i've managed to not gain much weight this pregnancy. He is just a sparkly light in our lives. He has taken to calling me his "sweet buggy" and he has named the baby "Bubbles." Interesting. He is doing so well with school...i homeschool him for preschool...and he loves our time together. He is a little sponge and is excited to learn. He loves his MOPS group and his friends there and all the kids have loved being in AWANA this year.
~We've been sticking close to home these few months and it's been really good. No big vacation plans in the near future, as we prepare for our family to become a family of 6.

When i find the cord for my camera to download pics, i'll get some updated photos on here. And, once again, i'll try and be better about updating this blog thingy.:)

Oh my....way too long....

Once again, i'm failing at this blogging thing...oh well. At least i've changed the background to something christmasy.:) Let's see...what have we been up to? Christmas is in full swing at our house. The Collins' 25 Days of Christmas is fun each day. Today is Brady's Christmas program at school and dessert afterwards. Yesterday we were supposed to drive around and look at christmas lights and eat christmas cookies but the weather and icy roads thwarted that adventure. We are doing things each day as a family to help us slow down and enjoy each other and it's so much fun. Honestly, my kids think about the 25 Days of Christmas all year long. Those are the memories they have and i love it! I'll post some pics later with some of our activities. I just love this time of year!!!

The bearded boys

This week at AWANA, it was beard and mustache night. They chose to do both. So silly. And so stinkin' cute!

Tater Funnies....

In the car yesterday, we were talking about when I homeschooled Brady and remembering how I was pregnant with Tate when I did it. Brady had said something like "Was Caeden or Tate in your belly when you homeschooled me?" I said it was Tate. Then very quietly, Tate says "Momma, did you eat me?" And I paused and said "No, I didn't eat you. Why?" And he responds with "Then why was I in your bewwy (belly)?" Makes sense.

Bad blogger....

I am so bad at this thing. Oh well, I'm quite sure it's not read by many so no biggie.:) Here's what we've been up to lately....

~soccer, soccer, soccer. We have soccer 2 nights a week and games on Saturdays. The boys' practices are on the same night, which makes those nights crazy but it's better than having soccer every night of the week.
~Homeschooling Tater. We've got one month under our belt and he is loving it. I hope it stays that way! It was just a blink ago that he was this little. So cute!

~MOPS: mops kicks off this week, although we've been getting ready for it for a month. I'm so excited about this year!
~My brother turned 35. Old man.

~Our backyard is beautiful and we love playing in it.
~We had a blast at the Puyallup Fair! We took the boys out of school for the day, bought dizzy passes and rode the day away on the rides and eating scones along the way. It was so much fun! And we had beautiful weather, as a bonus!
~The band Stu plays in has been doing some "gigs" at Calvary Church and Younglife started this week so they are playing there too. He loves playing guitar and I love that he has this opportunity to do it.
~Went car shopping. Fun at first, draggin' at the end. No decision yet.
~I agreed to make yet another Halloween costume for my youngest brother. He's 6'5 and just a kid at heart. His work has a contest for costumes. Last year, with my broken leg and all, I (and my mom) made him a Cookie Monster costume. This year, he wants to be a puppy. Seriously. But how can i say no to him? He's so cute!


Hmm....not much going on but for us, it's busy as ever. I'll try and be better about posting. No promises though.:)

Malibu part dos...

Ok, I finally downloaded my 400 pics from Malibu. Don't worry, i'm not going to post all 400 of them. Here is a glimpse of our time up at Malibu....















So there's the glimpse. A good sampling of all the things we did up there and the fun we had. It's the most beautiful place I've ever been too. Simply amazing.

Ridiculous...

It's ridiculous how much i love this man!