Red, Green And Everything Inbetween

 This long quiet weekend was just too tempting

to ignore the pestering desire to put up

all of the Christmas decorations.

And as Larry brought down

 6 Tupperware boxes, 1 tree stand 

and 1 prelighted outdoor tree

from the attic,

I was appalled at all the decorations

we've acquired over the years.

Although I do want a few more

lighted decorations for outside!!

It was at this point in the trimming

that I had epiphany and a quiet confirmation.

I brought Larry in front of the fireplace

and said...
"See!  We definitely can NOT

have any more kids because

they won't fit on the mantel."

Although we both agreed on this point,

Larry was quick to remind me there

are many more other reasons

considerations

why we won't be adding any

more cute, cuddly babies to our family.

Then I felt the warmth of the Holy Ghost

fill my heart.

No matter how hard it will be to snuff

out that desire to snuggle squishy soft babies,

it must be done.

Not just for my sanity, but for the kids we have

already been blessed with.

They deserve our attention and love,

and parents that have patience

for them all.

So here it is in writing.

We're done.

Keira, The Cherry On Top

 She's our little honey bee.

Keira is sweet and yummy

just like honey.

But on the other hand

she can be as painful as a bee

with that darn stinger.

Hopefully the "bee" part

is just one of those toddler phases!

Because we sure love

this sugar pie!!

 

Meet A Boy Named Ben

 He is a walking contradiction.

If I could describe this boy of mine,

it would be like this...

Loud, but quiet

Silly, but emotional

Talkative, but shy

Messy, but organized chaos

 Ben

in a nutshell

Abundant Amounts Of Emma

 On one particularly sunny November day

we had some spare time to

snap pictures of our kids.

Who seem to be growing quicker

then I would like.

I always find myself saying things like...

"Wasn't it just yesterday that...."

Gobble 'til You Wobble

I just blinked and Thanksgiving has come and gone.
  I don't know if it's the handful
of young kids or what,
but time is on hyper-speed at our house.
  Lately we find ourselves up to our eyeballs in
diapers, wipes, potty-training, burp up & naps
that fill almost every moment of our days.
But with team work, Larry and I made a
delicious meal including homemade rolls
and banana cream pie.

The weather brought in some seriously
cold temperatures for November
that kept us indoors most of the day.
So we settled in with good movies,
a warm fire and thanksgiving crafts.

I wish I could report getting this little woman
to potty train over these last few days,
but to no avail she spends most of her day
eating snacks, watching TV and sitting on her new favorite chair...

 ..."the potty"!!

 It's a work in progress.

Photo Overload

 I have an illness.

It's called the "Photo Bug".

Apparently it's hereditary.

I've been itching to do this

photo shoot with Sydney

for weeks.

I debated whether to take her to a

studio or do it myself.

But when push came to shove,

I couldn't deny my itch

to do the photo's myself.

Promising if it didn't work out,

I'd go to a studio the next day.

So I ironed the dress,

borrowed accessories from friends

fixed her hair and dragged 4 other kids

in the car with us.

I had a few spots in mind,

but recklessly pulled over on busy streets

to grab a few shots by classic,

rustic mother nature relics!

And wal-lah!!

Sydney's "PRE-baptism" photos

Good night Sydney!