Latest Projects

Taking care of four boys takes up about every minute of the day. But occasionally, I push aside the cleaning and cooking and knock out a project or two. I am always happy that I did. And the housework and cooking is still always there, patiently waiting for me. :)

I have been dying to make some pillows for our couches since we moved it. I finally got these done. I'm pretty happy with how they turned out, although now I want more springy colors. I got some tips from my fabulous SIL Laura. She rocks the sewing/crafting world.

 

I busted out this spring wreath over the weekend.  I used a swimming noodle that I got at the dollar store for my form, and wrapped it in ribbon that I got from the ribbon outlet. For the bow I tied it with more ribbon from the ribbon outlet (I love that place). The whole thing cost me less than 2 bucks! I was going to put something Eastery on it, but decided not to. I think the colors speak for themselves.

I finally finished binding Israel's baby blanket a few weeks ago. Better late than never right?!?  Gouverneur really wanted to be in this picture. 

 I have a million more things on my list. As much as I love projects, nothing beats spending time with my sweet boys!

Wrestle Fest

I have to admit that having a house full of boys can be pretty rowdy at times. Ok so it's pretty rowdy all the time and I love it. This winter had been pretty cold, so we have spent a lot of time indoors. Staying active hasn't always been easy. One thing that the boys can always count on is Wrestle Fest. This happens most nights, but especially on Sundays.

New to Wrestle Fest, is arm wrestling. I grew up with my brothers arm wrestling all the time. (They still do when we get together.) So it's only natural to have my boys wanting to arm wrestle too. This was their first real arm wrestling match. So intense.

Here are a few action shots from Sunday night Wrestle Fest.

I love how even little Gouverneur wants in on it. It's just a matter of time till Israel will be joining in.

I really do love my life!

ISRAEL TURNS 4 MONTHS

I cannot believe for even one second that this little tub of love is already 4 months old. He is an absolute dream baby.
He is happy and sweet and has started laughing.
He loves to look and and smile at me while he's nursing, and it melts my heart every time.
He is the sleeping champ. He sleeps 8-12 hours at night and take lots of naps still.
He is my best nurser.
He is still in a pack-n-play in our room. He's so quiet, that we just might keep him there forever.
He is wearing 6-9 month clothing. 

4 MONTH STATS

Weight: 15 lbs. 14 oz. (70%)

Height: 26 1/4 inches (95%)

Head: 16 1/2 inches (50%)

He is adored by his older brothers. They all love him and love on him often. They all love to hold him. Dellin asks the most, but they all love it.  He is one lucky little brother to have these three to look up to.

We sure love you Israel!

OUT AND ABOUT WITH A 1-TO-1 ADULT-T0-CHILD RATIO = HEAVENLY

On the first night that Jen and Eliza got in, we headed to the monuments. We had a great time. The boys were all strapped into strollers which made the whole thing pretty easy.

The next morning, we headed straight to the Museum of Natural History. This is always a favorite. It's fun to go on the off season when it's not super crowded. It's even more fun to go with four adults.

I tried to convince the girls to cover their heads for this picture. Funny. Right? Little Man had a blast walking with aunt Jen.

On Friday night we headed to the mall. I haven't been to the mall with girls in a while. It was fun to shop and look at lots of girly things. Gouverneur wanted to be held towards the ends so I strapped him into the Ergo carrier. I need to do this more, he loved it!

All set and ready to shop.

On Saturday, we hit up Georgetown Cupcake first thing. We then headed to the zoo. It was super cold, so we hit all the highlights and headed home.

That night, my good friend Sarah came over to watch the boys while we went out. We ate at a yummy Thai restaurant. We got Mr. Yogato for old times sake. Still the best frozen yogurt around. We then headed to Target, looking at nail polish and clothes for a good two hours. It was a fun night!

WE LOVE VISITORS

Sterling was out of town this past weekend. But we were lucky enough to have grandma Hawkins, my sister Jen, and my niece Eliza come and visit. Grandma Hawkins came in on Wednesday and Jen and Eliza got here on Thursday evening. We had the best time.

We started things out right by putting on mustaches. (They're all the rage right now.) The boys loved them. My mom will kill me when she sees this picture but I couldn't resist! Plus, its not like I look amazing with a towel on head.

We spent a lot of time out and about, but also were home a lot. The boys loved spending so much time with family. Book reading and game playing was a daily occurrence around here.

Eliza was so much fun with the kids. She came up with lots of fun new games to play with the boys. They had a blast with her. She was very patient and super helpful. Miss you, Eliza!

 

Jen in my oldest sister. There are ten years between us and we are amazing friends. I use to fly out and see her all the time when her kids were young. It's fun to have her out here with me and the boys. She makes everything fun. Love you Jen!

 

We got a good little blizzard one day. We made sure we got this California girl out in the snow with the boys.

More reading with Eliza.

Grandma got lots of snuggle time with this little cub.

Watching a show with aunt Jen.

Pajama snuggle time.

Ready for church. Eliza let me do her hair for her everyday. I was in heaven. In return she taught me the ways of nail stickers and One Direction. Girls are so fun!

The last morning with all of us together. We went to church and then dropped Jen and Eliza off at the airport. My mom left the next morning. Luckily Sterling got home that night to cheer us all up.

Thanks for coming to see us Grandma, Jen, and Eliza! Thanks for all your help and for being so sweet with my wild boys!

Valentines Day 2013

Valentines Day has become one of my favorite holidays. I started a few new traditions this year that the boys just love. I stole this mailbox idea from my friend Blythe. I got these at Target. I put them out on Feb. 1st. with a little treat inside. Each day they got something small like a chocolate, fruit snack, or small toy. Every morning they ran out to see if the flag was up.

I made a few new heart garlands and some bunting.

Sterling Henry was so excited to take valentines to his preschool. They had their party on the 13th. Dellin got to take a few valentines around to some friends. Gouverneur just wanted to show off his legs.

We did a scavenger hunt on the morning of Valentines for the boys to get their last surprise. The first clue was in their mailboxes.

Next they headed to dad's drawer...

And then off to look in Gouv's bear boot..

Then to the spoon drawer...

Which led them to find their gifts under Israel's bed. 

The whole thing was fun to prep for and even more fun to watch. The boys loved running from place to place. They big boys each got a Imagenext airplane and pilot.

Gouverneur got this darling doggy that he immediately started snuggling with. Hopefully dad doesn't kill me for putting this picture up, but Gouv's face is priceless.

We were lucky to have Grandma Hawkins with us for Valentines Day this year. We had a special breakfast with crepes, strawberries, and pink milk.

Valentines was a complete success! Sterling flew out that night to go on a trip with his high school pals. My sister Jen, and my niece Eliza flew in that night for a fun girl's weekend.

The Klondike

Sterling has been serving as the Scoutmaster for the last year and a half. The scouts go on campouts about once a month. We are usually bored out of our minds on the weekends when dad is gone. This weekend, we got to go out and see him in action.
The Klondike is one of the biggest scouting activities of the year. The boys race on a course, pushing a sled, and performing all sorts of scouting tasks. We went out in the morning and spent the day with dad while the scouts were on the course. The boys were in heaven. So was I.

The boys made breakfast in the dutch oven with dad. He even let them crack the eggs. Something that mom never lets them do. They got to stir the eggs and sausage, and did most of it themselves.

We walked over and looked at the course a bit, but spent most of our time around the campfire with dad. It was chilly and windy, but the sun was shinning. It was a perfect day.

I get the feeling that we will be doing a lot of scouting in the the future. And I get the feeling that the boys are going to have a lot of fun with their dad.