Presents!

Sara even wrapped her gift - which, incidentally, turned out to be Will's favorite of the day - a small dagger and gun from the dollar store!

Posing with the Casebolt presents.

Cupcakes - what a mess ;)

I love this cool skulls bandana, it really completes the pirate look for him!

More cousins!

We spent Sunday lunch at the Casebolts to celebrate Will's birthday - we were happy to find even more cousins there. . .

This is a tough one cause they look super-alike in this photo. I have to think about it!

Here all the boys, and Sara, gathered around to say good-bye to little Anthony.

Ben is becoming a bit aggressive with the babies (he's already taken a bite out of Hudson and he was attacking a poor little doll just the other day.) We had to keep a close eye on him around the twins, although it seems that Anthony is safe for some reason. He is a bit smaller and less threatening I suppose!

Handsome Fellas!

Ben and Hudson are hanging out in the nursing room together! They are really growing fast!

Party with the cousins!

Will, Madison, and Ava have birthdays within 6 days of each other! We used to take the tour to each other's houses to celebrate, but now we have streamlined birthdays to our usual Sabbath Night gatherings. So, we had three little people to shower this time around! I remember celebrating little Ava's first birthday and then going into labor with Will the next night. They are all pretty close in age. . .

The birthday kids! Waiting to blow out candles on their individual cakes.

Will's was an oreo cookie ice cream cake!

Opening the birthday gifts is like a mini-Christmas morning. They don't mind at all sharing their day with their cousins, I think they prefer it that way! I know for sure that Kayte wishes she had a February birthday (Well, at least in February that is what she is thinking. She doesn't mention it come October! :)

Snuggle Bug

Ben was in the mood to snuggle on Saturday night, and he snuggled with anyone who held him! Must have been tuckered out - he usually saves all his cuddling just for me!

Happy Birthday Will!

He sure is getting big! (And handsome!)

Will is always fun to be around - you just never can tell what he might say next! But he makes us laugh all the time!
He takes his role as a protector very seriously, although he isn't really big on the idea of letting girls go first all the time. But he is very fast with the spider-killing or holding his little sister's hand when we cross the street.
I love watching his imagination run wild, he is always on some kind of adventure, like hunting "Jumpy the squirrel" in the back yard. He can be a pirate, Peter Pan, a cowboy, a super-hero, a dragon, a lion, a car. . .whenever he likes. He is hardly ever just a boy!
He easily makes friends wherever we go, but he is terribly shy when he is put on the spot.
He gives the best hugs.
He sleeps super-hard, it is almost impossible to wake him before he is ready. And if you succeed, he needs an extra half-hour to become fully concious.
I love it when I'm getting ready to go somewhere, he is full of compliments on my dress, my hair, or my shoes. I asked Joe one time if he thought I should go back to being a real brunette, and little Will was shocked, "No, I love your hair - it is beautiful!"
He dreams of being as tall and as smart as his Dad. He is already well on his way. I'm always shocked by the way his mind works and he can always come up with a solution to a problem.
He loves it best when he has your undivided attention.
He is full of life, tender-hearted, sweet and loves to test his limits. We are so blessed that he is ours!
Happy 5th Birthday Will! We love you!

Happy Birthday Ava Blythe!

Love the sweater Ava, very chic!

Miss Ava turns 6 today - I can't believe it! I remember the day she came into this world, all rosy red. She has always seemed so grown-up, but this year she has really matured into a kind and friendly person! She is always interested in every little story that the kids have to share and she always asks the most thoughtful questions. She has been so fun to watch as she grows up, a little bit like her dad, and a lot like her mom! I love seeing the two of them show up in her!
Have a wonderful birthday Ava! We love you!

When daddy's away. . .

. . .the kids will play!
I had all the kids all to myself this evening while Joe was meeting with the school board, so we were just playing around in Ben's room and I happened to have a camera, so. . . I decided to get all of them squeezed into the same frame for some candids!
It is so much easier without the coordinated clothing (or a hairbrush for that matter!)
And actually kind of fun!

We did lose Sara about 30 seconds into my little project. Notice she is still dressed as Belle. She wears this dress every day over whatever I originally put her in that morning.

Will, running the show!

At some point in the evening Sara asked me where Joe was. "Is he at work?" says she.
"Um. . .yeah." says I, not wanting to take the time to explain about where he was exactly.
"No he's nooot!" says she, "He's at schooool. . .silly milly!"

No matter what they may say. . .

. . .they really are best buds!

Fuzzy, but totally worth it!

Big Sis

Sara is always begging to get into Ben's crib to play. I finally gave in. . .

She taught him all kinds of tricks, like jumping up and down. . .

. . .and the most useful trick of all - escaping!

She was my only child that ever managed to get out of the crib on her own before we moved her out. . .so she probably has some good tips.
He obviously thinks so!

Happy Birthday Madison!

My little niece, Madison Georgia, turned 5 on Monday! She was born 6 days before Will in a hospital on the other side of the country! We didn't meet her until months later, but we are now lucky enough to get to see her all the time, and Will will get to be in kindergarten with her next year. I love her enthusiasm for people and her excitement for any social activities. She is a bundle of energy and I know she is probably going to be a stellar athlete (maybe volleyball, like her mom)!
My kids are so blessed to have so many cousins so close by - they are already the best kind of friends!
Happy (belated!) Birthday Madison! We love you!

And Sisters. . .

These two have never really looked much alike. . .

But there may still be a bit of the family resemblance in both :)

Lion King. . .again

So Will was watching Lion King today and of course, he is then a lion for the rest of the day.
But a lion needs prey.

And that is how they ended up here. . .

Joe suffered some clawing injuries.

And then he went after Sara.


But all the lion stuff is a little too real for Sara. Hopefully she won't have bad dreams. . .

Time with Dad

It was Sara's turn for a date with her daddy. As he was getting her shoes on, she scrunched up her little shoulders and whispered, "I'm so sweet!"
And she really really is!

Growing pains woke her up the other night so she got some extra snuggle time.

Time for a haircut

She has started giving me hugs and saying, "I loves ya!"

Isn't she cute?

Valentine's Day

This is gettin' fun!!!

Everybody is working very hard on their Valentines for school. This is our first time!

I found these ballons at the dollar store, and they were a huge hit! And of course, there was candy and stuffed animals - we like to do it all!
We spent the morning at the Breakfast Club with the kids eating heart-shaped pancakes. In the evening Joe and I headed to dinner and a movie. (That turned out to be a tad bit of a disaster and we will never again dine at the Red Door, but we were glad to be out on our own - that is always a good time! :)

It was a low-key, relaxing day and the kids have found a new favorite holiday!