Four weeks to go.

My skin is always freckled. A fact that I like.  

However, with the darker pigmentation and swelling accompanied with pregnancy it's hard to feel

like taking photos.  I finally gave in, grabbing the cutest girls and kindest man I could find.

We couldn't get one family photos where we all looked relatively good.

I'll leave perfect family photos for someone else.

I wouldn't want anyone to feel like we have it all together.

And so this moment in time has been caught.

I'm glad I have these photos even if I am swollen and freckled.

We took some pinking sheers to fabric.

Made enough fabric strips to tie around plastic wreaths for some kid made decorations.

So pensive.  Love her eye lashes .  

She moves constantly so I love photos that don't have blurry movement. 

People often make comments about her acting like a little boy. Because she moves a lot?

  I'm not sure what they mean.

Truthfully, I don't like comments like this.  I know these ladies don't mean anything bad.  

And I know that she isn't the easiest kid, so I'm glad she is with me.  I have the patience to outlast her.  And the respect for her little soul not to label her with unpopular attributes. 

 

Pretzel snack while staring out the window.

Found this sick girl laying on the chairs under the table.  

She is resting but still with the family.

We picked up some blood oranges.

For a guy like Colin, he can't wait to make his own Iron Chef challenge with new ingredients.

The girls squeezed the left overs into some juice.

Katie joined the ranks of baby-wearing mamas all over the world with this home made carrier.

I bought a fabric place mat and sewed some ribbon on. Viola.

It's made this little girl very happy.

When Emily was Katie's age, I put together a co-op with some awesome moms. 

Now it's Katie's turn but I'm just not up to adding another thing to our routine.

So we have stepped up her "lessons" at home.  Lot's of art, creative things, observation time, etc.  She stamped some fingerprint animals as a gift for daddy.  I helped with the drawing because she asked so nicely.

She is so proud of her little animals.  I find the pictures squirrel away in a favorite purse or her baby stroller.

Crayon rings.  

So cool.

This girl loves to sing.

I'm not sure where she has seen people hold books/hymnals and belt out tunes but she picked it up somewhere. When she walks through the house, things that catch her eye are suddenly part of her song.  I'll miss her songs when she grows up.

This is a little embarassing...

...it's not cool to be this excited about a worm composter.

Seriously. 

We love to grow our own food and I'll let you into the secret of yummy food: the soil.

It's true.  I could bore you with details of soil science but let's just skip to the point.

Good soil has a lot to do with worm castings.  That's a fancy way to say worm poop.

People pay good money for worm poop.

Well not us now that we have this:

We set it up today.  A big thanks to whom ever sent it to us.

We don't know who to thank.  I hope you let us know who you are!  

And next time you are over, we'll send you home with a bag full of yummy food.

More crafts

Water color dogs from around the world.

You can't go wrong with that.

Thanks Maggie!

Chalk looks like more fun that it was.

It's just not their medium of choice.

Melty beads!  

Very fun. 

I found myself joining them. 

 It was surprisingly calming.

Seriously, try it.

 Bitty Baby is doing great.  These girls love their babies.

 Woosh, woosh, woosh, and under!

Even the dog tries to play.

Special moment for me: taking Emily to pick Valentines for her class!

I was ready to do some pinterest worthy crafty valentine but realized I love these perforated cards.

She had many choices but I am glad she is still in the baby animal phase.

Our big girl turned six.  Wow.

We love the celebration that goes along with birthdays.

There is an option to go all out, matching decorations, lots of food and people.

We love having a lot of people that love us.

But this year, I wanted to keep it small.

We opted for multiple small celebrations that felt just right.

I asked Emily what she wanted for her birthday.

1. A chain. 

She explained it was to pull things up to her fort.

Daddy and Poppa went above and beyond with a pulley system, heavy duty rope with a clasp for a bucket.  These girls can now haul anything they want up to the fort.

2. An ice cream cake.

 Oreo ice cream. Check. That was easy.

3. A gymnastics studio. 

 Uh... we'll wait  a bit for that.

We made rice crispy treats and fun napkins for a small class celebration. 

 Some how sprinkles make them taste better.

Katie gave Emily an animal balloon making kit.

Grammy and Grandpa brought cupcakes for the final celebration.

Homemade with just the right amount of frosting.

Translation: the best.

We walked dogs on balloon leashes.

It was a blast.

While we generally don't give a lot or big toys, it was time for E to have a bike.

This is her year to learn.

So we opened the training wheels, she pulled out her tools and she put them on herself.

Grammy supervised with a little help to make sure it was done right.

I am proud of this girl who knows what nuts, washers, bolts are.

Happy Birthday 6 year old.  It's going to be a great year.

Guess what...

This girl held out her hand staring at the little thing she spit out.

It was a tooth!  

She had loosened it a couple days before with the help of Mars' knee.

Look who still has all of her teeth.

Crafting.

Crafts are often messy and sometimes frustrating.

Especially to two little rule followers.

Yet, the chance to create something is an opportunity to feel accomplished.

Maybe to feel difficulty, plan, re-plan, desire to complete the task or pride.

So while I will sometimes shy away from crafts so I don't have a mess to clean up,

I try to keep perspective on the good that comes from crafting.

 We hit the local Hobby Lobby to pick up supplies.

E was so careful to match her horse with wings (aka a unicorn with out the horn) the picture.

K on the other hand went for a different look. It was hard for her to get all of those beads to do exactly what she wanted.

I helped a bit under her direction.

They both feel a lot of pride in their creations.

Happy Birthday to a special 6 year old!