Vinny's Big Week

It all started with getting her ears pierced. She's been waiting pretty much since she was born for this day. She felt so grown up and glamorous, as you can see in the picture. Then she picked "Wed Wobin" to go and have a celebratory lunch. I love spending time with this little lady!  

 She started PreSchool Again :) She missed the age cut off for Kinder by one day, and they make no exceptions what so ever! So another year of Pre-K, but it's ok. Between preschool and gymnastics, she stays busy.

Then she turned 5!! She was so excited to be 5. I love to see how fun birthdays are when you are little and get so excited about everything. I love to celebrate my babies and make them feel special.

We had a RAINBOW PARTY!! 

She has wanted a rainbow party for a few months now, so she's been planning her little heart out. We put it all together, and had a blast. 

 By the time this week was over we all felt a little like this...

But it was so worth it!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY VIVIANN!!

 We just love our little Vinny (nickname affectionately given to her by Isaac)

So I have been meaning to blog for like a year now. haha Here's a recap of our favorite things we've been up to. 

Family and Coeur d'Alene, Idaho

We all got together this July. It was so nice to spend a few weeks together. It's been too long. The girls had a blast with their cousins, and it broke my heart to see them all say good-bye. 

 My parents are pretty darn amazing. They just celebrated another anniversary (36th, I think. I can't even remember how old I am). Anyway, they are so fun and welcoming. We just love to visit them. Kayaking with Grandma and golf cart rides with grandpa, were some of the fun memories they made. 

 Isaac: 

My little buddy. He is growing up so fast. He is always making us laugh. We just love watching him learn and grow. He loves his motorcycle and airplanes. Anything that goes. He's all boy, but loves a good cuddle. He melts my heart everyday. We just love him!!

 The girls started snowboarding more this winter. They are excited to get to start up again here in a few months. 

 Riley loved taking them out to explore with the snowboards. He also got to be the chairlift. These are some lucky girls.

Riley and I got to sneak away and do some of our own snowboarding. It was fun. It's been a while since I have been snowboarding and it didn't come back as easily as I thought it would. I'm getting old :) But I can't wait to try again this winter. 

 Vivi: 

She is almost 5! She is a girly girl and thinks she's the boss. She is such a fun girls to have around the house. She's been loving gymnastics and is really good at it. She is kart wheeling and hand standing every chance she gets. She's a strong-willed little lady, but as long as we can focus her in the right direction, I think she will do great things! "Though she be but little, she be fierce."

 Ava:

My oldest baby started second grade. I cannot believe it! She's speaking Chinese like crazy now, and she loves school. She is such a great example to her younger siblings. She can't wait until she can start babysitting and be in charge. It's like her dream to be left in charge. I fear for Isaac and Viv when that day does come. haha. She is just such a great kid to have around. I really miss her now that she is gone all day again. She's also loving gymnastics. This girl can bend. It's great to see her finding things she loves and going for them. 

  

{Pure Love}

This is not the most flattering picture of me. I had just finished my workout and was taking a moment to sit with my kiddos. They both fell asleep on me in a matter of minutes and I was left quietly thinking about my blessings. I was overwhelmed with the love I felt for these kids. I realized how much I will miss this, and how moments like these will not last forever.

My kids are growing up. 

It's killing me a little bit. 

Somedays it kills me a lot. 

Today, it was a lot. 

I really love to see them experience new things. Ava is in a Chinese immersion program, and is loving it, and picking it up much faster than I ever imagined she would. She already passed off all her reading requirements for the end of 1st grade (In English), and she's only 3 weeks into the year. Viviann is wanting to be in school with Ava so badly. She asks all day, "Is it time to pick up Ava yet?" Poor kiddo. And Isaac wants to do whatever his sisters are doing, which may or may not include painting toenails and playing with barbies. 

My kids amaze me everyday. They frustrate me, too. Some days I can't wait for Isaac to stop getting into EVERYTHING! But today I am ok with the tupperware on the floor and all the cabinets open at once. He's learning and exploring, and I love watching how curious he is. 

I think of how selfish and silly I get sometimes and how I just want to get out of the house and talk to an adult. But then I realize, my little ones are growing up and these times are going to be gone before I know it. I am so blessed to spend my days with them. I am blessed that they get to teach me patience, and love. They teach me how to be softer, and how to sit and snuggle. They teach me to enjoy little things. 

I feel like such a lucky mommy! 

Vivi had a birthday!

This little Mermaid had a birthday! She wanted a mermaid pool party, so we made it happen. The weather held out for another swim day at grandpa Steve's pool, thank goodness! 

  She  had a vanilla with strawberry filling and a chocolate hazelnut cake. They were my first try at dairy free cakes, and they turned out pretty good! She even helped make the chocolate seashells for the decorations. 

 Grandma Evelyn came, and it was so nice to chat with her. It is always heartbreaking to see people getting older, but she is such a great example of having a good attitude through any trial. She shared her crackers with Isaac, which made him pretty happy. This guy loves food!

And a party just wouldn't be a party with out some kind of crazy family fun. 

Viviann got a venus fly trap from Max and Brandy. So naturally we fed it every single bug we could find. This included a gem of a spider that Cheri found in the basement. It was HUGE!! 

Riley thankfully stayed calm and caught the spider, killed it and then stuffed it inside the biggest plant there was. Here's the proof. Riley and Venus fly trap 1: Giant Brown recluse spider 0!

Viv, we sure love you baby! You're a joy to have in our family. So spunky and fun. We are better with you here! 

Isaac Is One!

He's one! We made it! We did it, and he still has all his eyeballs and extremities! That's quite the feat, considering he has two VERY "doting" older sisters! It's crazy how quickly they change at this age. I'm still amazed that he was so little not too long ago!

A little bit about Isaac as a One year old: 

He has 9 teeth, He has had 8 haircuts, he's 19 lbs (5th percentile) He LOVES food. He will eat all day long if I let him. He loves the Marry-go-round at the zoo. He loves legos and blocks and especially messing up what his sisters build. He loves outside and will sit in the yard and look for airplanes fly by for hours. He hates to come in. He's such a fun kid, and I love having a boy. He just melts my heart! 

 For his party we had a Little Man Mustache Bash! It was fun! He loved his cake and made a great big mess! 

Happy First year little buddy! We love you!

Stella the Fella

Stella is our cat. 

We thought she was a "she"

Turned out she was a "he"

Viv is still confused.

It was funny though, because Riley is the one who noticed that she had some extra parts down below. He said, "I think the cat is a boy. He has testicles!"

Ava was confused and thought Mr. Stella had octopus tentacles. 

She was horrified. 

Riley and I were laughing about it for a few hours. 

Can you imagine the vivid imagination of a 6 year old thinking her cat had octopus tentacles? 

Stella went to the vet the next day and was turned into an "it." 

So no more tentacles for Stella.

Ava's relieved.

In Other news....WE BOUGHT A NEW HOUSE!

 We are really liking it. 

The girls love the backyard. Behind the fence is so more of our property, but it is a big hill up to the golf course. It's so nice and private. I love it.

We just got some patio furniture and a fire pit and have enjoyed a few evenings by the fire looking at the stars. 

It makes such a difference, liking your home. Plus we are not very good at fixing things up. This house is all done. Basement and everything. 

It's nice.

A lot to clean, but nice. 

Easter was fun, except that Viviann HATED her Easter dress that the Easter bunny brought. She cried about wearing it for a good hour that morning. As soon as we got home from church it was off! Poor Easter Bunny tried hard...At least I can still get Isaac to wear anything. Even his nerd shoes (as Ava calls them)

 The girls have become Ute fans. Here we are at a Gymnastics meet up at the U. 

The other day I was wearing my BYU-Idaho shirt and Ava started Booing me!?! 

I was like, "are you booing me?"

And she said, "YES! GO UTES!!"

haha 

Truthfully I could care less, and Utah beats BYU on the style factor. (sorry dad)

I think I have mentioned on here before that I got to be Ava's room mom this year. It has really been fun being involved. For Teacher Appreciation week we got to decorate Miss Thomas' door in a super hero theme. Ava loved helping and I think it turned out pretty cute for my first door decorating experience.

That's all the new stuff for now. Till next time....