Happy Birthday, Aunt Cathryn! - March 20

We went to Lubbock for Aunt Cathryn's birthday party today. The kids especially enjoyed hanging out in the extra-large hammock Uncle Jerod and Aunt Cathryn have in their backyard!

Happy St. Patrick's Day! - March 17

We celebrated with some special green "fun dip" (actually leftover from Valentine's Day) that turned everyone's tongues a pretty shade of green!

Girls Weekend - March 13-15

Danny took the boys backpacking this weekend, so the girls and I stayed home for our first "girls only" weekend. We...

watched "Sleeping Beauty"...

scrapbooked...


ate Oreo cookies and milk...

practiced dancing and gymnastics...


and painted our toenails! So much fun!

Winter or Spring? - March 14

Snow and pear blossoms...is it winter or spring? Right now we aren't sure, but it is beautiful and we're glad to get some snow, even if it is just a trace!

His Favorite Present - March 11

Without a doubt this is Wyatt's favorite birthday present. It is a digital weather station from Noni and Papa. He loves that it measures the wind speed - something that can get pretty high around here! Wyatt has a reputation, even among his friends, for his love of all things science and almost all of his presents were related to science or nature in some way. He really is a little scientist!

Birthday Boy - March 9

Happy Birthday, Wyatt!

Wyatt's Birthday Party - March 8

We had all the makings for a wonderful "tree" party for Wyatt's sixth birthday...

a pile of presents...

a very excited birthday boy...

tree cupcakes...

a backyard scavenger hunt...

six candles...

camouflage blowers...

and lots of friends and family!

Monique's New Bike - March 6

Even though she's only three years old, those long legs let us know that it was time for Monique to get a big kid bike like her brothers and sister. She loves riding around the driveway. Now if she can just learn how to use the pedals to break instead of dragging her feet!

Painting - March 5

Noni bought the kids some new paint brushes during our trip to Lubbock today. As soon as we got home they pulled them out and we had a painting party before supper.

Sandbox Play - March 3

The kids can't get enough of their new sandbox! We ordered it online from Frame-It-All. It is a wonderful cross between a traditional wooden sandbox (like the one Danny built for the boys when we lived in Waco) and a plastic sandbox. The kids used their Christmas money to buy it, which makes it even more special to them. I love the fact that there is plenty of room for all of them, Danny loves the cover to keep out the neighborhood cats, and the kids just love the sand!

Gymnastics Meet - February 28

The kids and I went with Noni to Aunt Cathryn's gymnastics meet. This is something I've done before, but that was back when she was competing. Now she is coaching! It was fun to see her interacting with her girls and the kids all enjoyed seeing the gymnasts up close.

Spring Has Sprung - February 24

Signs of Spring

1. sparkly pink sandals

2. new green skort

3. yummy frozen go-gurt

4. cute butterfly clips

Aunt Megan's Shower - February 22

I took the girls to Abilene for a bridal shower for Aunt Megan. They both enjoyed going to such a "grown-up" party. Their favorite parts were watching Megan open her presents (although they really wanted to help her!) and eating all of the yummy food (especially the chocolate covered strawberries!).

Baba and Zay - February 20

Noni and Abi drove up to play with us on Friday. Isn't she just the cutest!?! All of the kids had fun with her, but Zane especially loved having someone his own size around.

They are now 19 months old and love spending time together. Zane calls Abi "Baba" and Abi calls Zane "Zay". So sweet!

Earthworms - February 19

I love this picture of Sabrina! When I was little I would always play with the earthworms when I would go fishing with Dad. That is definitely my little girl out there digging for earthworms with her brothers!

Happy Valentine's Day! - February 14

Valentine's Day was a special celebration for our family. One year ago today we met our girls for the first time. Such a special reminder of how far we've come and how much love we have for each other.

red velvet heart cupcakes

homemade valentines for each other

pink heart pancakes for breakfast

Today - February 12

Today...

Wyatt and Colter blew bubbles from the fort in their pajamas...

Sabrina climbed a tree for the first time...

Monique was sick...

and Zane got into the markers!

Valentine's Party - February 11

The kids and I had so much fun at their school Valentine parties today. Wyatt, Zane and I went to each of the classes and enjoyed all of the celebration!

Sabrina's heart cupcake

Monique and a yummy cookie

Colter, the Valentine's Day alien

Los Angeles, El Paso and Dimmitt - February 5-8

This was a crazy weekend for our family. We were in three different locations and three different time zones!

Gigi came down from Colorado to stay with the kids while Danny and I were traveling.

I was able to sneak away for a couple of days to attend a Beth Moore conference in El Paso with some other ladies from our church. It a wonderfully refreshing and energizing weekend.

While I was in El Paso, Danny was attending a medical leadership conference in Los Angeles. Not quite as enjoyable as my conference, but he did get to stay with our friends the Griffins. Playing with their kids helped him not miss ours quite so much!

"This is the day..." - February 4

I love this picture! Everyday after lunch and before naps we do "calendar time" together. After we sing our days of the week and months of the year songs we always sing "This is the Day." The kids get up and dance and Wyatt plays his guitar. I can't watch them without smiling and it is always a good reminder that each day is special and full of joy!

No Training Wheels Required! - February 3

About a week ago, Wyatt decided he was ready to ride his bike without training wheels. We have been practicing with him for over a year, but true to his strong-willed personality he doesn't do anything until he is good and ready! After a couple of hours trying to figure it all out (on his own, of course!) he was zipping around the driveway.

The next day Sabrina was outside with the training wheels off her bike determined to ride like her big brother. It took her a little while to figure out how to get started by herself, but after that she was off and riding.

The funny part is that they aren't riding their new big kid bikes, they are riding their smaller bikes because they decided it was easier to balance on them (and a shorter fall to the ground!).

Happy Groundhog Day! - February 2

We certainly saw our shadows on this beautiful, sunny day! Happy Groundhog Day!

Happy Birthday, Noni and Papa! - February 1

We went to Lubbock today to celebrate Papa's birthday (which was today) and Noni's birthday (which was on Thursday). Our kids are blessed to have such wonderful grandparents (and I'm blessed to have such wonderful parents!).