this little piggy . . .

. . .had a rough day:(

autumn

it's a little bit of a picture overload. i just love lydia in this little red pilot cap. it frames her little round face just perfectly. i couldn't help sharing a bunch . . . i guess i am a little crazy for this girl:)

Golden

Eleven on the eleventh makes this a golden birthday for Miss Gracie. Some of her favorites are:

food: chicken pillows

dessert: dirt cake

candy bar: twix

color: lime green

movie: Avatar

activity in my spare time: getting together with friends

subject in school: art

best friends: Sydney & Isabelle

primary song: "I like to look for rainbows"

Happy Birthday Gracie!!

September Birthday's

Carter and I celebrated another year older at the end of September! It was a great celebration. The kids do such a great job of making it a special day for the both of us. Abi made "dutch babies" for us all for breakfast, a recipe she learned in Home Ec. Because Carter and I share the same birthday, this year we had a party for him on Monday night and we all went out for dinner for my birthday on Tuesday night. It was quite a treat! We have just loved having my brother Dave and his wife Kelli living here in Boise with us. It is so fun to celebrate birthday's and other holiday's with family. They are like celebrity's around our house:)

jump for joy!!

look what happened to come to our town. you can imagine my joy as i was driving down the road and saw the "coming soon" sign!! i love this place . . . if you live in boise and haven't eaten at cafe rio before you are in for a treat. it is similar to costa vida, but in my opinion much better. you'll have to give it a try. my favorite is the pork salad with the tomatillo dressing . . . and for dessert, the tres leches. yum!

seven months

oh how i wish there was a way to slow down the clock. isn't it funny how seven months of pregnancy lasts forever, but the first months of life are gone in the blink of an eye! we are crazy for this girl, what a treat she has been.

101%

we all celebrated when abi brought this paper home from school last week. spelling is something she has to work really hard at . . . it doesn't come easily to her. i love to see my kids work for and accomplish hard things. way to go abi!!

for the love of peaches

one of my favorite things about fall are the peaches. this year i went to a church orchard here in the valley and picked peaches right off the tree with my kids. first, we filled a bin for the church, and then we picked for ourselves. we came home with so many peaches, once you start picking it's hard to stop! we have been pounding down the peaches around here - peaches for every meal. i wish they would just last forever, but we have to eat them while they are good. i made peach leather with the bruised peaches, and we've had peach cobbler, peach pie and of course peach smoothies. i love that the kids come home from school and grab fresh peaches for after school snacks. we are almost through the last of our peaches for the season, they have definitely been a real treat.

yesterday i was trying to get some pictures of the little lady and she was not cooperating. abi, was helping me and gave lydi a little taste of her peach. she quickly took over and i snapped a few of her juicy and sweet.

back to school

every year i try to take back to school pictures of the kidlets. here they are - another year older and wiser too . . . except for the littlest lady, she's still working on her first year:)

8th grade

ready or not here we come!

thirteen

i have a teenager now!! the three girls and i went shopping on her birthday . . . she was in heaven. while my second daughter and i stopped to get a bite to eat, oldest dashes into a shoe store to see what she can find. she joins us while we eat and is preparing me for the news . . .

oldest:

"i found a pair of high heels! they are so cute, i can't wait for you to see them."

me:

"you don't want high heels, you'll tower over everyone"

second daughter:

"you just don't want her to be any more taller than you"

me:

"no, that's not it"

oldest:

"you just don't want me to grow up"

we finish eating and i reluctantly go into the shoe store to see the shoes my birthday girl has fallen in love with. i like what she has chosen, but i am still on the fence. she excitedly tells me all the reasons why she should have these shoes and that she will be happy to pay for them.

"you are a teenager now" i say. "how about you pay half"

its a deal. she walks up to the register with her shoes and the clerk informs us that it is buy one get one free. second daughter picks out a pair of cute little flats and i decide to foot the bill.

oldest:

"are you sure mom, i am happy to pay for them"

me:

"i'll get it, you save your money. both you girls get a cute new pair of shoes"

doesn't she have good taste? look how cute she is in her grown-up shoes.

a couple more . . .

five months

here is the latest of my little lady. just look at that sweet baby face. i can't seem to get enough:)

oh what do you do in the summertime . . .

do you swim in a pool to keep yourself cool? my kids have been spending a lot of time keeping cool in the pool! turns out this little lady loves the water . . . luckily she has big sister's who love dressing her up in her suit and taking her out for a dip!

and a fun daddy to launch them high into the air so they can flip, dive, or cannon ball.

oh, how we love the summertime!

home again

vacation: anticipated with pleasure, experienced with joy, and remembered with nostalgia

loved it all . . . the company, the location, the weather, the food. it was perfect!

my darlings

abi {twelve}

gracie {ten}

carter {eight}

nate {six}

mitchie {three}

lydia {four months}

in the alley

a few days ago i met my photography buddies downtown and snapped a few pictures of lydia in this alley way. i feel like a little girl again playing dolls as i dress little lydia up in these cute little numbers and take her picture. we sure have fun!! thanks laura and audrey for a fun night and for sharing your fun props and adorable clothes. i always love these little outings:)

lydi love

i just love these pictures. they capture just the way i feel about my babies. i just love kissing those soft little cheeks and squeezing that cute little body. thanks laura, for snapping these for me. i love them!

my first born

A daughter may outgrow your lap, but she will never outgrow your heart.

little miss lydia

three months old already! oh how the time flies. this little darling has been a little piece of heaven. i have just been savoring every moment. isn't she just precious?

a little opera

i love running into these little treasures abi has created. she makes me smile.

in the orchard

perfect parts

i just can't seem to get enough of this little one . . . her sweet baby breath, her grunts and sigh's, nuzzling my nose into her little neck. she is perfect and pure. i am doing the best i can to memorize every bit of it . . . to stamp it on my heart forever.

a rough day