Friday, April 22, 2016

Baby Girl Turned ONE!

How Did 365 days pass so quickly?!?!

Birthday Girl!

 I spent the entire time I was pregnant with Brooke in a panic about how we would possibly handle 3 kids, since it seemed pretty certain we had reached max chaos level with Brianne and Bryce.  It still boggles my mind how from the time she arrived she fit right into our family and things seemed to continue on quite smoothly.  

Life with 3 little ones....it's busy, it's crazy, it's hectic, it means the house is always in shambles, the laundry is always piled high, the question of 'what's for dinner - can it just be pizza night?" is asked far too many times...yet amid all that juggling and exhaustion - it's beautiful, it's fabulous, it's fun - and I love it.

Brooke's Birthday Adventures at the Zoo






I love how one minute he's being the loving big brother - then the next he's made a bow and arrow...

Birthday Cake!





Our Little Sunshine Birthday Party!

We had a great time celebrating with friends for her birthday shin-dig!


This was pre-party...she was napping so she'd be ready for all the festivities!















Someone scored a lot of presents!  One spoiled little girl!

I might have melted when she gave her first dolly a big hug.

How perfect is a sunshine CareBear for our little sunshine!?!

 As for our family motto...for a long time I was saying that it was simply "we thrive on chaos"...but I think the real truth is "we thrive on chaos and love" in this house.

Little Brooke, I'm so lucky to be your mommy and absolutely adore seeing the sibling bond between you and Brianne and Bryce....and you certainly have your daddy's love too.



Happy Happy One Year Birthday to this little sunshine of mine!

Friday, February 26, 2016

Soaking Up These Moments

Date Night With Bryce


Since Bryce is a pretty huge Wild Kratts fan, when I heard they were going to be in town for a live performance, I splurged on tickets and realized it was worth it when I told him about it and he was counting down the days and anxiously awaiting when he'd get to see the Kratt brothers and wishing for a ride in the Tortuga.  


Dinner before the show at a little pizza restaurant.  He was a wonderful date and exclaimed that it was the BEST PIZZA EVER.
 Definitely the best chocolate cheesecake ever...split evenly.
 Bass Hall is such a beautiful place to see a show.  It was packed full of Wild Kratts fans, and much fun was had by all.


This one-on-one time is something I treasure and try to do with each of the little ones.  But even when we don't have the chance to get away on our own - I am trying to focus on being present and in the moment.

This weekend it was gorgeous outside.  Spent Saturday at the zoo, and Sunday was the lazy-around-the-house day.  While outside in the backyard I started to ask "What should we do today?" and i stopped myself and said "This is it - this is what we're doing today"....soaking up the sun and enjoying the time together.




Snapshots of some of the Memorable Moments Lately:

Wild Child that can't be left alone for a moment...
Rough housing with Big Sister and Falling off the bed = 3 Weeks In A Boot.

First Cozy Coupe Ride
Terrible picture - but this is when we watched Momma Gorilla cuddling with her baby, then putting them on her back for a piggy back ride.  So excited about this new addition to the Fort Worth Zoo!

"Mommy, Look at me.  I build a helicopter." - He sure did...this little master builder is always impressing me.

This book was one of my favorites when I was younger.  So neat to see my kiddos enjoying it!
 

Sisters Shopping at Aldi

Lil Lamb on the Run
Stars Game - Courtesy of Variety



Bryce's First Letter that he wrote and proudly took to the mailbox.  'Dear Caden, I am Feeling Better" - it was so sweet of his friend to send him a Get Well soon card when he hurt his foot, and I love that Bryce wanted to write back to him.  Snail mail is the best!

Valentine's Day Fun!

Bryce worked hard on Valentine's cards for all his friends.   "Hayden likes airplanes, so I'm putting a lot of airplane stickers on his....." - so sweet!
Valentine's Day 2016 - Everyone Smile......classic.  :)  Brianne was giving an uber cheese and Bryce was not feeling it...at least Brooke was happy.  

Two crazy pugs contribute to our constant chaos... 
Monster Truck Jam!
 I won 4 tickets to the Monster Truck Jam from a simple "like this photo" contest on Instragram for Metroplex Baby and Kids.  We debated if we should take Brianne since loud noises aren't her favorite thing....but finally opted to just take her and the ear protection and to try it.  So thankful that we did because after she got used to the crazy loud noise she was clapping and exclaiming "Let's do it again!!" - such a fun night....and very thankful Grandma Suzie kept Brooke with her at home!

Brooke's First Drum Lesson....

Flashcard fun - she loves her letters!


Brooke is getting close to taking her first steps (it's possible daycare tried to tell me she took her first 2 steps today but I'm choosing to believe it will be this weekend when Mark and I are watching her)...  :)
  
That's a glimpse at what we've been up to thus far this year....staying busy and soaking it all up.  They grow too fast!!!