We gave our kids their valentines gifts on Sunday so Jordan would be able to celebrate Valentines Day with us even though it was really the next day. We just gave them some chocolate(of course) and a small gift.
Then on Monday (the actual Valentines Day) I made my Mom's famous sugar cookies, I don't think mine will ever turnout just like hers, but they were still yummy and we all sat down to decorate!
This is one of the great benefits of living closer to family! We can be apart of events like this, and it gives my kids a chance to get to know the cousins they haven't really had a chance to get to know because we only see them once a year. Now that my kids are getting older they are keeping better memories of people and it is fun to hear them talk about all of their cousins, Aunts, and Uncles!
Easton sees me (I'm taking the picture), and he is not crying!! This is a few seconds of progress for him, although he was in the process of reaching for me.
The exhausted Grandparents
The next weekend they got to see a few of their cousins again because one of them had a dance recital in Utah, and my brother and his family were on their way back from Disneyland and spent the weekend, so we had a house full! One of the first weekends we were got here to Utah, my parents and my sister with a few of her kids came down to help us get a little more settled in, and we had Jordan's brother and his family stop for the night before heading back to Michigan. My kids were showered with Aunts, Uncles, Cousins, and Grandparents our first few months in Utah! Oh the joys of not living 25 hours away!
My boys look so big here sitting with their cousin!
My sister had been trying to explain these car seat covers to me, I had never seen them before and when I finally got a chance to see hers, I thought they were such a great Idea! I have 6 friends/family that are having a baby either a month or 2 before me or after me, so I decided to make these for them! They have been a lot quicker to make than the blankets.
Of course Easton saw me taking pictures and had to get that cute grin in it!
So, Ava cracks me up! I am sure a lot of little girls and little boys dress up like this and think it is so fun, but for me this is a first and it is so fun to watch.
Ava was watching her Disney Princess sing-a-long show and she was being so funny. She does a great job of trying to copy all the dance moves and sings each song as best as she can! She even gets the owl "hoo hooing" in the middle of the sleeping beauty song "I know you I walked with you once upon a dream..." She is hilarious!
She plays so well, especially when everyone else is asleep and it is only her. When the boys are up she gets overwhelmed with them telling her "No" all the time and taking things from her that her concentration gets a little shorter and the whining comes in!
Ayden and Ava are very much alike, very active and wired!! They play really well, for the most part and have a lot of fun rough housing. She really gets along with all them well, she is the leader of the pack and is also always trying to wrestle with Gavin. Gavin does really well with trying to play and read books with the younger ones. They do always have their moments, that is for sure!
Ava has been wanting to wear hats all winter, so I have been trying to do hair du's that don't give her crazy hair as soon as she takes it off. We tried braids on this day, I thought they turned out pretty cute, but as soon as she had her nap it was over!
Easton kills me with his squinty little smile, I can't get enough of it!! He is a very funny boy that definitly has determination just like all my other kids. "This is his climbing in everything that looks like a bucket stage", so here he is in a wagon full of legos!
This picture I thought was so funny. I was trying to get a picture of Ava with her braids, and there Easton is int he background smiling for the picture!
We are living on a hill and It is hard for the kids to go out in the slippery snow in the front yard, and really i didn't know if I wanted to deal with all 4 kids in the snow, but they really wanted to be outside, so we gave it a try. I didn't have a snow outfit for Easton, so he wore Ava's old one, nice and PINK! As long as it kept him warm I am sure he didn't care.
Easton loved the snow, his favorite thing to do was eat it!! He would come back in with a bright red mouth from all the snow going in!
Easton was sitting on the stairs giving a big "Cheese" smile and Ava wanted to get in on the action
This dang hat is going to kill me. She loves hats and wears it all day long. We can hide it and sometimes she won't ask for it, but other times she whines all day until you give it to her, so this winter I will just have to live with her matted hair!
Easton started loving bananas, but it was actually short lived
We have bar stools in this house and the kids really love them. Ava and Easton are showing off their sweet little smiles!
Easton Loves Elmo, LOVES him, and a few other of the Sesame Street characters! And like my other kids really enjoys books, especially with animals. His favorite is this reptile book, it is so hard to read to him, what noise do you make for turtles and lizards?! It has been his favorite for a long time, since before he turned 1, and he still freak out and wants it every time he sees it.
Easton loves climbing into boxes of any kind, it is amazing the things he thinks he can fit into, it is a struggle every day with this dang drawer. Anytime I am in the kitchen trying to cook, he empties out this drawer and tries to climb in, I can't wait to baby proof again!
Jordan and I have been married for eight years and through out those years we have been pretty busy. I received my cosmetologist license and Jordan Graduated with his bachelors from BYU and recently finished his MBA at the University of Michigan. We met in NY and have lived in Utah, New Jersey, California, and Michigan and now back to UTah since we have been married. We adopted our three adorable children and are grateful for each one of them and the joy they bring into our lives. We were surprised to find out we were expecting our 4th child 10 days after little Ava came into our lives and another one 18 months later. We are enjoying life and all the jumps and turns it has given us along the way. We are excited for what ever life has coming our way next.
