Santa Claus

Here is our most recent photo. At Trevor's school, they hosted "Breakfast with Santa." It was really well done. Delicious food, photos with Santa, and lots of different crafts. The kids had a blast. I was a bit worried Mikey might not like Santa, but he and Allie both sat on his lap for a while and told him their whole life stories. They didn't ask for anything, just kept wanting to tell him everything. They continuously hugged him and told him they loved him. It was so sweet. They know how to melt my heart!

Since we don't have television, our kids never see commercials. They have little knowledge of the toys that are out there. They understand that you get toys and gifts for Christmas, but they don't seem to be aware that you ask for those things. That's fine with me. I know that won't last forever, especially with Allie starting school. They also don't fully grasp who Santa is or what he does. We've never really gone over it or emphasized his role in Christmas. So it didn't occur to them to ask for anything. But, a few days after we visited Santa, Allie finally did present us with some wants for Christmas.

"Mom, Dad, I want a piggy bank and a kitten for Christmas."
"Oh, honey, I don't think we can get a kitten for Christmas. I'm sorry."
"But we NEED to! It's part of my plan!"

Happy Pi Day!

I'm about to put my Chicken Pot Pi in the oven. Happy Pi Day!

Today. Right now.

Love that girl!

Just try not to smile when you watch this. I dare you!

Miss Maya

I haven't posted much about the life of Miss Maya, so here she is over the course of her lifetime. She's sweet and charming and happy. She's been a tremendous blessing in our lives. You would think that adding a third kid to our already hectic life would add to the mass chaos going on. She doesn't. There is something about this girl that has calmed us all down. She has the sweetest, most serene presence. Something about her reminds me to stop and smell the roses, and don't sweat the small stuff. When we chose her middle name (Grace), I told Trevor that I had a feeling she was going to be our saving grace. In many, many ways, she has been. I needed her. She wasn't in our plans for a few more years, but I am certainly grateful that God had his plans. He knew this family needed her and we needed her now.

Merry Christmas and a happy New Year!

We had a wonderful Christmas. Trevor and I were so excited to see Allie's face with her new kitchen that we slept on the couches just in case we'd miss it. I woke up way before them, though, so we could've just slept in our bed. Either way, we had a beautiful Christmas morning. The kids got spoiled, I got to relax, and we all got to enjoy good friends and wonderful kids.

Poor girl

Some of my favorite and most cherished times are in the morning when we all hang out in bed. I get the feeling it isn't always Maya's. Poor girl is never left alone. She's always bombarded.

4th child or 2nd 1st?

We've been keeping a secret; Trevor was expecting. But he gave a beautiful and easy birth to a gorgeous toddler girl. We're not sure what to call her. For now, we've been calling her goofball.

Can you blame them?

*Objects in pictures may appear much cleaner than they actually were


Is it just me or does Mikey's left hand in the last picture look like it has frostbite?

Allie or Maya?

One is Allie. One is Maya. Which is which?

Allie's Third Birthday

Allie had her third birthday! I can't believe we've had her for three years! She turned three smack dab in the middle of moving, and we just had Maya, so I wanted to keep it very simple, but also wanted to make it special. I was a little sad not to throw her a party with her friends. I know she would have loved that, but I had enough on my plate. To make it special, my mom, Trevor, and I snuck in her room the night before while she was sleeping and put balloons and streamers everywhere. My mom taped a crown and a new princess dress to the side of the pack and play so she saw that first thing when she woke up. When she woke up she was very excited and kept exclaiming "It's my bird day! It's my bird day!" She immediately put the dress and crown on. As soon as that dress was on, she looked at me and said "I need to dance." So, we put some music on and danced. After breakfast, we all headed to the children's museum and spent most of the morning there. After naps and dinner, Tristan and Tiffany also joined us for cake and presents.





If you want to hear the cutest way to say "Tinkerbell" then this movie is for you!

We sure love our little princess. She has been a tremendous blessing and a joy every day.