Crazy

Isabelle got make up for her birthday.

Me: "Come on Isabelle, it's time to go."
Isabelle: "Wait!  I have to finish putting on my make up so I don't look crazy."

I wish I took a picture of the final product.  It was all the way up to her hairline on her forehead too.  Hilarious! I let her do her own thing.  Mike finally intervened a couple of days later (after full facials each day) and showed her how to put on make up correctly.  Haha!  Isabelle's dad taught her how to put on make up.  So many funnies about that sentence. Especially if you know Mike.

Isabelle is 5*

When talking about the move, Isabelle was really excited, until her birthday came up (which is next week).  I wasn't planning on doing a friend birthday party, but it was the one thing she asked for.  "What about all my friends?"  "Can I have a birthday party here? or do I have to have one in Florida before I have friends?"  The day we had this conversation happened to be one of "those" days.  The ones where just about anything makes me emotional about all the change right now.  So I agreed to let her have a party here before we leave.  Well things got tight with scheduling, so I had to do it during the day without Mike, which actually was perfect.  I asked her what she wanted and she wanted a party just like Camille's.  Chuck E. Cheese and cake.  With everything going on, I could handle that!  I decided to buy her a cake.  We stopped at Costco, got the only one without old lady roses, and called it good.  Sometimes money is worth time.

Anyway, the night before her birthday party, when I was putting her to bed, she said something about turning 5 tomorrow.  I almost corrected her, but then thought, "why not go with this? I have no clue where we will be on her birthday.  We can get it over with here, pack all her presents and not have to figure out how to celebrate a birthday in Kansas or an extended stay hotel."  SO, we went with it.  My mom was still here for the morning, I texted Mike's mom so Isabelle wouldn't hear the plan and she called and sang just like it was her birthday.  It was fabulous!  So if anyone asks, Isabelle is 5!  So nice when they don't know what day it is!

Good morning birthday candle and book.



Chuck E. Cheese.  I did a horrible job with pictures!  I completely didn't get a picture of her with her cake. Birthday picture FAIL!!! I forgot candles so we just sang.  We dropped my mom and Luke off at the airport just before, so it was so stress free without Luke.


Michael and Emma.  You would think they got alot of tickets....no.


Who needs tokens when the screen does stuff on it's own?  Michael and Hudson sat here for over 10 minutes with no tokens.  haha!


Gabe.  His sister Kyla came and I didn't get a picture of her!


The girls....Josie, Isabelle, Abigail, Camille


Isabelle and her other friend Kyla from up the street.


Isabelle with Roxie and Hudson


She insisted on fixing her own hair for her birthday, she looked like a homeless child.  Oh well.

That afternoon we came home, I got more moving stuff done while her and Michael watched some TV.  We went to the Kellogg's for a final dinner and games night.  It was delicious and fun.

After we got home, we did the family presents to Isabelle.  She gives the best reactions to even the smallest presents.  She got make-up and a Playmobil dollhouse with a few accessories.


Yes, that is the 1/2 eaten cake from earlier in the day.  I got a picture of the back half of a colorful caterpillar.   And we didn't eat any.  It was super late and bedtime, but we had to do candles!



Happy Birthday to my big 5 year old!  She continues to amaze me with how helpful she is with the boys.  She is very independent in her clothes and hair.  She is still hilarious and says the funniest things.  She is definitely the bossy big sister even when playing with her friends.  She's learning how it affects her friendships. She loves to read, help me cook, play outside, and is getting more and more into make-up, princesses, pink, sparkly things, and is just getting girly.  It's so fun!  Her favorite color is starting to shift from blue to purple.  She still chooses blue, but really likes things when they have pink or purple too. She's also getting more interested in coloring.  My favorite thing about Isabelle right now is how pleasant she is.  She rarely wakes up on the wrong side of the bed and is just happy most of the time.  Love this girl!

My Mom is Better than Yours

So my mother is fabulous, amazing, wonderful....there are not enough words.  We flew my mom up here completely last minute, 7 days notice. She came willingly. I picked her up at 10:00pm Wednesday, and she dropped me off at the airport the next morning. She came up here and watched all three of our kids for 4 days while I met Mike in Jacksonville to house hunt kidless.  Luke happened to start weaning himself just after we found out the time table and I just progressed it along faster than either of us liked, but for the short amount of time we had, I'm so glad I did.  We were super successful on our trip and it almost felt like a mini honeymood with no kids.  Even though I missed my kids horribly, it's so fun to just spend time with the hub.  We drove around in the car (and it was quiet!), chatted, laughed, ate out, and just got to hang out a little.  Trips like these, working or pleasure, just make me remember what I love so much about him.  Sometimes we get so caught up in life that we forget what's important. Anway, I digress....then I came home, and my mom kept me on track.  She kept me level headed in my silly brain.  She reminded me when even the best, most detailed lists were apparently not enough.  I got A LOT done while she was here.  Then to top it all off, she took Luke back to her house until we make the final move to Florida and drive through Houston.  Luke is "that" kid.  The one that either sleeps or screams in the car.  If you haven't had one yet, you haven't had enough kids yet. ;)  The fact he gets to miss out on 3 of the 4 LONG days in the car is fantastic, not to mention it's already made one less thing to worry about.  I know he's in good hands and will be happy and spoiled when I get him back. 



I dropped them off at the airport and totally teared up. It's not like I'm not going to see him again, but still. It's hard to say goodbye to your Mom at an already emotional time. It's hard to say goodbye to your baby anytime. Put the two together....

And I was almost as bad as these two.  They were out of control crying for almost 15 minutes as we drove off from the airport.  It was funny.


Just goes to show, no matter how old you are, you're never too old to need your mom.  Thanks Mom!!!!

Great Soccer Season

So glad we got Isabelle in soccer.  IT's been a great experience. We do have to move before the last game.  This year, Mike's parents came to one game, Mikes' mom came to another, my mom came to one, and Mike began his soccer coaching career.  He helped coach a couple of games when the coach couldn't be there.  Such a fun experience.  We all loved the games and practices!




The cute little Snow Leopards!  Josie, Brooklyn, Lucia, Isabelle, Kaylyn, and Chloe.  SO dang cute!

Cookies, Cars, and a Friend

At one of Isabelle's soccer games recently, Michael and Lincoln (or ween-ton, as Michael says) were adorable.  Every game, they play cars.  This specific game I brought animal cookies.  They snuck them over to an area away and devoured them.  So adorable.  These two are so adorable together.  One of Michael's favorite people.

Let The Toddling Begin

What point do they go from baby to toddler?  I never really know but one day they wake up and are all of a sudden all toddler, no baby.  It might have to do with the fact Luke started walking last month, or maybe it's that he's now 100% weaned so we could go kidless on our house hunting trip, or maybe it's the amount of trouble he gets into daily....

What happens when I have everyone dressed for the gym, and I run to throw my clothes on and someone abandoned their oatmeal on the edge of the table?  I'm late for the gym cleaning up this monster.


What happens when he realized he could climb my chest of drawers and get into Isabelle's art stuff?  I have a big mess to clean up.



What happens when a stool gets left next to the washer with clothes on it?  There are clothes all over my hallway.


What happens when the computer sticks out just so?  It's the prefect stool.


But this kid can never get in trouble.  Look at that face!







Luke is at the magical age of 12-14 months.  I absolutely LOVE this age.  Granted I say that about every age, but seriously, he's so stinking cute.  Smiles all around, curiousities, and personality is in full force.  He LOVES remotes.  He is always trying to steal them from us. He is the quiet observer.  He's not much of a talker still but the next door neighbor can hear when he's not getting his way. He is my snuggliest baby and I could just hold him for hours.  He loves books, balls, and cars, Hot Wheels specifically.  He makes the cute little sound effect as he drives them on the carpet.  Cannot get enough of this cute cute age!  Love my little Luke!

We're Moving!!!!

So, our next adventure? We are moving. Not just a hop, skip and a jump either.  Spokane, Washington to Jacksonville, Florida.  Quite a cross country trip.  It's going to be quick too. We got the official paperwork on October 2 and he reports on Oct 22, but worked all last week in Jax. Mike has gotten a promotion and is moving from being a sales rep.  His new job will be the Business Segment Manager for PSS with the Lab companies.  He's excited.  It's going to be a huge change of pace.  No more working from home and driving all day long and in and out of dr. offices. Now it's an 8-5 desk job.  Huge difference!  Mike has worked so hard for this and I'm yet again humbled at how much the Lord blesses me and our little family.

Last week was "the" day.  I had one when I found out we were moving to Spokane.  The one where I cried almost all day long and I may or may not have consumed all of the junk food in the house.  I'm over it now, and excited for the next chapter in our family history.  I'm so sad to leave Spokane.  I have met some amazing people.  More of "those" friends.  The ones you just don't want to leave.  You hang out with all the time, you're comfortable with them.  They love and appreciate you, flaws and all.  The ones you just love and appreciate so much you can't imagine your life without them.  So I add them to the list of amazing Eagle Mountain, BYU, and Texas people I have left behind over the years.  I am a different person because of these great people.

I've learned alot about myself in this last chapter and hope to be able to live what I learned.   I had some strong testimony building experiences and saw so many miracles in my life.  In Spokane, I was pregnant with and had our 3rd.  I was a busy mom of 3 little bitties. As a family we have really pulled together.  Without other family, and few friends for the first year, we really leaned how to be our own family.  I love what it's done for us.  Spokane is absolutely beautiful and amazing for outdoor recreation.

Some things I won't miss about Spokane.
The roads, and road system.  Impossible to get around here and a gazillion potholes
The super super cold winters
Getting dark at 3:30 in the afternoon during said cold winters
Getting light at 4am in the summers
The constant of Mike's job, always something that should be done....all the time, evenings, weekends, and on vacations
No fence and Jake running away ALL THE TIME
Living behind a highway

What I will miss about Spokane:
My amazing friends
The North YMCA and all the fabulous people there
Greenbluff fruit and northwest produce in general
Spokane summers are fantastic
Spokane falls are even more amazing
The flexibility of Mike's job
ALL the rocks and the dirt hole our kids have spent hours entertained by
Among other things I'm sure.  It's late....

Anyway, we went on a house hunting trip and I immediately felt at home.  I think it is largely due to the fact it feels like my childhood home, outside of Houston, Texas.  The grass is the same, the ant hills in the grass are the same.  The humidity is the same.  The trees look the same (except there are some palm trees in Jax).  It just feels like home.  Mike, however, I think might not make it here.  He's already hot and missing snow....So here we go on a new adventure for our family.  I'm sure we will have hard trials, happy times, and make unforgettable memories.

Jesus in Your Heart

So many things to catch up, not to mention the 1/2 finished "We're Moving" post, but this was adorable and I don't want to forget it.  Driving in the car, Michael was being his often disagreeable self and talking with a mad voice "no like"ing everything.  Isabelle said, "Michael, right now you have Satan in your heart.  You need to have Jesus in your heart so you can be nice."  I was trying so hard not to laugh. It continued, "When you have Satan in your heart you are naughty and not nice.  Jesus likes us to be nice and happy and that's how we have Jesus in our hearts." It was so cute!  We then had a cute conversation on other ways you get Jesus in your heart and how to push Satan out of our heart.  She told me she likes how it feels to have Jesus in her heart.

Yet another grumpy faced Michael. (yes, those are STILL the pink leggings, he LOVES them! haha)  Cannot get enough of this kid and his personality!  He cracks me up!


Love this girl with Jesus in her heart.  So sweet and helpful.

Happy Birthday Mike!

Mike had a birthday!  We celebrated his birthday the day earlier because we went to Bart and Kellie's on his birthday.  We had the best meal I could put together out of what needs to get eaten before we move.  Then instead of cake we had homemade icecream.  He got a game, water filter thingy for camping or emergency preparedness, socks, and I'm getting him a tool chest thing when we finally move into our new house.  Then on his birthday, we went out to the farm.  I didn't take a single picture!!!!!  We pet the pony, got some apples, roped Bart's brother into babysitting all but Luke and the adults went to Moses Lake for dinner.  Always a great time with them.  We took Jake to let him run around like crazy and came home with a huge flat of apples!  They are absolutely delicious!

"I'm Supposed to be Asleep"

Isabelle and Luke share a room.  Some nights I hear giggling for quite a while after bed time.  It's harder to get them to go to bed, than to just ignore them.  I checked on them before bed and found this