Cadie Valentines Day Party

I was excited to attend Cadie's class valentines day party. Cadie and Peyton made pink rice krispies for the party snacks and I added some carrots and ranch dip to everyone's plate as well. We were all surprised that so many of the kids ate their carrots along with their treats.

I wasn't looking my best because I was working from home and had to scoot out the door at the last minute, but I was so glad to be there with Cadie. Cadie looked adorable in a new sparkle shirt and pink pants that were a gift from Peyton.

Slumber Party

While the adults played at King Spa, the kids had a great time at their slumber party. Peyton reported that they all went down without too much trouble. Hudson slept on the mattress in Cadie's room on the floor and Jory slept in the bunk bed in the boys room with Ranger. On Saturday morning we went to breakfast at Bubba's and then just relaxed and hung out until the Wills needed to leave around noon. Sutton joined in on Sat. morning for the fun. When they had to leave all the kids were begging to know when we were all going to get together again. A great time was had by all!

PS - Cadie seemed to be getting a little cozy with one particular handsome young man. She didn't want to give him an inch of personal space and at breakfast I almost had to move her over so he could eat his eggs!! hmm...

King Spa

Grant and I had groupons that were about to expire so last Friday we had a King Spa party with Donnie and Tiffany, Chad and Jaime (sadly, they left before our group pic) and Paul and Deanna while sweet Peyton stayed at home with our 3 + Donnie and Tiffany's 2! Peyton did awesome with 5 kids and she did a get a bit of extra "hazard" pay. We ate dinner, hit the water slide before it closed at 9pm, enjoyed the pools and then did a round of the saunas. Time flew by and at midnight we had to drag ourselves outta there!

Low class hot tubs

Definitely an easy way to kill a few hours. The kids loved the kiddie hot tubs and played for almost 3 hours and only came inside when it got dark and cold. Plus I got good exercise with tons of trips outside with buckets of warm water. This crazy fun attracted quite a few neighborhood kiddos.  It started with one bucket and grew to include coolers, rubbermaids and wheelbarrows. We love having the most fun on the block!

Jack Ranger Pulls My Heartstrings

Jack Ranger is my baby that reaches right into my heart and melts it with his sweetness, snuggles and desire to be known. He is also my baby that drives me crazy with his need for attention and pushing all his limits. He is either the most engaging little boy you have ever met or he makes you wonder if he is being raised by wolves. There is no in-between with him. He challenges me to be a more patient mom and he makes me feel special because he is always on "Team Mom."

I love that he asks me every single night to tickle his neck and I get frustrated that he won't eat enough. It makes me smile that he wears those boots 100% of the time and that he looks amazing in everything he wears, but I don't understand why he can't keep his hands to himself in the car. I adore how articulate and curious he is, but he gets under my skin when he asks me the same question 10 times in a row.

Jack Ranger, I love you more than words can express. You are smart, handsome and just plain awesome. I am not sure where you got all your coolness - your style, dance moves and charisma are nature, not nurture. We are so blessed to be your parents and I will always be on "Team Ranger."

Colton Gets Opinionated!

Our little mister has his own point of view on most everything these days. He wants to sit on the heater-grate under the kitchen island to warm his hiny, he wants to be covered up under a blanket on the couch to relax with his lovey, he wants the little bath animals lined up just-so on the edge of the bathtub and he has no trouble raising his voice above Cadie and Ranger's so he can be heard. It doesn't seem to matter to him that we really can't understand him much, he is willing and able to be just as loud as the next guy!

One of his biggest sources of frustration is food. He wants granola bars all the time and he is only allowed one per day. When he wants a "baaa" he will stand and point at the cabinet and get very frustrated when he has used his one allotment for the day. He also get very frustrated when we put biscuits in the oven and he has to wait for them to cook. He fusses at the oven for the full cook-time. I have to try to sneak any baked goods into the oven without him seeing or he will be upset until the cooking is done.

Oh my little Colton. I love you so very much! You fit right in with your opinions, laughs and independence.

My Baby Girl

My baby girl is getting too big! She is so proud of herself because she recently moved up to "Reading Level C." She is reading and writing and we get awesome little notes from her all around the house. I am sad because she is too big now for me to hold her in big church when we are singing songs. But Grant can still hold her, and she loves coming to big church with us and getting held by Dad and snuggling with us during the sermon. This little one lives life on her own terms and I simply adore her.