my girls.

elsie had gotten pretty upset about who knows what a few nights ago. she was pretty much hysterical and couldn't communicate what she wanted/needed. sadly, my patience seems to run out by 8 o'clock  these days and i wasn't getting anyway with her as far as settling her down. the only thing that calmed her down was laying with her mae mae. after she laid in the bed with mabel, she calmed right down. 10 min or so later, i went to check on my sweet girls and this is what i found.  

it probably will get interesting in the teenage years down the road, but i hope that they always close as sissy's and friends.

mabel is such a beautiful, happy girl. she's the best helper around the house, she loves to organize. she loves to dance and tumble. i love to watch the daily shows she puts on for me. and beautiful elsie with more personality in her little finger than many people have, always keeps us laughing! she has a unique deep voice that i always love to hear. she loves to play and is quite the helper around the house also.

such sweet, beautiful girls i have.

love them!

the trap.

this year connor was bound and determined to catch the leprechaun. he thought for a few days about what kind of trap he would do to catch him. he decided to use lincoln logs to make a tower. then he made a ladder putting pennies on each step to lure him in and cause him to fall inside the tower and be trapped! he thoughtfully put a glow stick in the bottom of the tower so he'd see where he was going. a pretty good plan i'd say. 

that night he prayed he'd be able to catch a leprechaun...he also added that if he couldn't catch one, that the leprechaun would build "something cool" with the pile of lincoln logs next to the trap. such a cute boy. well, sadly, the leprechaun got away, but his construction skills did not disappoint!!

the original trap, the pennies were replaced with gold nuggets. he left the pennies in the bottom of the tower and that sneaky leprechaun built a door and snuck out the back!

he even left the door open on his way out!

my lunch buddy.

thursday night connor asked if i could come to lunch with him the next day. i asked him if little brothers and sisters can come too. he said usually its just the mamas. i told him probably not tomorrow, we'd have to plan a day to do it when i can find a baby sitter. i could tell he was disappointed, but i didn't know what else to do on short notice. he didn't mention it in the morning, i hoped he was good and had forgotten that i couldn't come that day. cory called mid-morning saying that he could come home a little early {he only works half-days on fridays} and that i should go and surprise connor at lunch. so that's what i did. i stopped by and picked up a sandwich and cookies to share and met him at the cafeteria door, just as his class was heading for lunch. his smile was so precious. he has this shy smile he does when he's excited. it was such a treat for me. we talked, ate, and traded treats with his friends. so precious! then he asked me to stay for recess. of course! it was such a treat and gave me a little window into his "world" at school.

who needs to sliding handle when you can just climb across the top?!?

thanks for my lunch date bud, it was just what i needed. love you.

nine years.

{beautiful tulips cory brought me home}

cory and i celebrated our ninth wedding anniversary yesterday. what a wonderful nine years it has been. it has been filled with many, many memories. i made a slideshow for cory with pictures over the years. at first i started out thinking i'd just include the pics of me and cory, but soon realized that pics of me and cory don't tell the whole story, and plus, quite frankly, there's not many of them! i had to include pics of those precious babes that Heavenly Father has entrusted us with. we are nothing without them. cory and those four kiddos are the very best part of me for sure. i got really emotional {cried like a baby} as i watched it with cory. i was overcome with gratitude for our beautiful life and family. we have had our own struggles and hardships as any family does, but the best part about those struggles is that we go through them together and they continue to make us stronger.

happy anniversary to my sweetheart. 

here's to many, many more years to come.

an afternoon walk.

lovin' the warmer weather!

years ago, for cory's first father's day being a new daddy, i got him a chariot {one of those bike trailer/jogging strollers}. it was quite an investment, but it has been well worth it throughout the years! each child has taken turns riding in it. will took his first ride today. he wasn't sure at first, but quickly fell asleep along the way. elsie was pretty excited that it was her turn to be the 'big kid' in the stroller!

i don't know about anyone else, but i am loving this warmer{ish} weather! bring on spring!!

chalk.

{connor got all the ingredients ready this morning}

for breakfast almost every morning for the last 6 years this is what connor drinks. we call it chalk {named by connor when he was 2 or so}. it consists of about a cup and a half of milk, a cup of baby oatmeal and 2 spoonfuls of nesquik. one must combine these ingredients in such a way as to not get clogged. he drinks it from one of those nalgene water/sippy cups. i personally have not tried it. maybe tomorrow... not quite my idea of a yummy breakfast, but this is by far what connor prefers to have! 

love you conna-man!

ski buddies.

love these two boys. 

it warms my heart that cory has a buddy to go skiing with. i'll be honest, skiing makes me pretty uptight. i'm not sure if it's because i've never had anyone really teach me how to ski or feeling like i'm out of control or a bit of both. but i've always felt bad that cory doesn't get to go up the mountain as much as he'd like. so it makes me so happy that he has a little buddy. they headed up on saturday to snowbasin. the weather was beautiful, perfect for skiing. cory said it was a breakthrough day for connor. he also said that my boy is pretty fearless and loves going fast! who needs to turn when you can go straight down!!

hopefully my lessons are soon to come. 

cory is a great teacher!