This is Our Life

Yesterday I decided it was time to get a new picture for the blog header. Never an easy task to get my terrible threesome all in one picture let alone to all smile nicely for the camera. As you can tell I was unsuccessful getting a wonderfully posed, smiley picture of all 3 of our beautiful blessings, however what I captured was our day in the life, a real picture of our kids, doing what they do best, being silly. While I didn't capture my nice posed picture I did capture a few good ones. My boys love their sister and she loves them:)

Happy Valentines Day

Daddy made some heart shaped pancakes!(with M&M's for Gabe)

and for some reason I decided that Callie should try out her first piggy tail on Valentines Day(if you look closely you can see it sticking straight up on the top of her head, the dark couch was not the best background to try and get a picture)
We also decorated cookies for our friends but I didn't take any pictures, too busy trying to keep little hands out of the frosting:) We met my parents for lunch ant Perfect Games and the boys got to play the games for their Valentines present from them...they had lots of fun!

Winter Boredom Beaters

Wow this seems like a loooooooong winter. We have had to create our own fun more then once to try and quash those winter boredom bouts.
Activity #1 Showing off our muscles

Activity #2 Shaving Cream Fun(and the clean-up that followed shaving cream fun)

Activity #3 Making Callie Grin(and one without the fingers in the mouth:)

Activity #4 Watching Daddy make Pancakes...lots of pancakes! He tried out chocolate pancakes and cinnamon bun pancakes the other day...they were gooood.

Hopefully this lovely, mild Winter will depart from us soon but in the meantime we will have to think up some more winter boredom beaters. Any suggestions?

4 Months!

Callie turned 4 months old yesterday. This picture captures her well right now as she discovered her thumb and hasn't looked back since. She started sleeping through the night this month(with a little help from Mom and Dad) and became our smiling, jabbering baby girl! Callie loves her excersaucer and and will stand in it for long periods of time. She also gives the biggest open mouthed grins every time you pick her up out of her crib. She has become a pretty happy baby girl and loves to be entertained by her big brothers!

Mirror Mirror on the Wall and Other Random Silliness

Callie has found a new form of entertainment...a mirror. Carl held her up in front of the mirror the other night while I was at work and she grinned and almost laughed at herself for a long time. I captured it on camera the other night, even when she is super tired like in this picture she manages to smile at herself. Gabe had school spirit week this past week(although he only got to go to school one day because he was sick and then the lovely weather) so on Friday it was design a costume with garbage bags. We kind of waited until last minute, as in the morning of but we ended up using the garbage bag as a super cape and fashioning a super headband to go along with it and he went as Super Gabe, he actually left the cape on all day and not to be outdone Ty donned a cape and became Super Ty as well...who knew garbage bags could be so much fun.
Carl has been busy over at clarkumentary. He has updated several times and has been joined an online food community(Tasty Kitchen) and has even been published twice, he loves it and will most likely submit even more recipes. He snapped these pictures of the boys the other day to use on his blog but I thought they were so cute I am going to steal them and use them on here too, just this once though(and please excuse the snot nose we like to keep it real around here:)

A Whole New World

It is a whole new world for Miss Callie. She loves to stand, doesn't like to sit or be in the bouncy seat but with the help of a towel for support she is digging the excersaucer. She stands in it for long periods of time just staring at everything from her brothers to the TV( I know but I figure she just likes the pretty flashy lights:) Her brothers seem to enjoy some of the "new" toys on it as well. Her cute little headband is what I won on a blog giveaway in November! Isn't it cute:)

30?...How did this Happen?

Wow I've finally reached the age that when I was in high school I thought was old! How did this happen? Seriously it seems like I was just turning 21 and now all of the sudden I'm 30. Looking back over my last 30 years I can truly see how God has blessed me. 30 years ago despite the odds being against them he blessed me with the most wonderful parents a girl could have, who support me, help me and love me unconditionally. Growing up I was blessed with wonderful grandparents and a close extended family as well. We had a great church where I had many friends and great memories of church potlucks and Christmas parties and pillow fights in the furnace room:) In high school I met my best friend, someone who would be with me through the ups and downs of my upper teenage years, would see me through college and after and who ultimately would become my husband. I graduated from college with a degree in something that I loved and while wasn't able to get a full time job teaching had so many wonderful and many not so wonderful experiences all of which I learned so much from. A few years later God placed great friends in our lives who helped us find a relationship with Christ, not just a weekly visit to church, but a desire to be in the Word and pray and from that stemmed some of our best friends and long lasting relationships that I don't know what we would do without. We were able to buy our first house and learn all the lessons that go along with home ownership. Gabriel Quintin blessed our lives shortly after that and taught us the true meaning of the unconditional love a parent has for their child, taught us the value of a good nights sleep and made us appreciate the peace and quiet:) Titus Zachary came into our lives 2 years and 2 months(and another new house) later and taught us all about cleaning up atomic vomit, how to deal with babies with colds and what it was like to have a sweet, sweet, baby boy who rarely cried and how to open our hearts to love each child for who they are and all the joy they bring into our lives. 2 years and 2 months after that(and yet another new house) God gave us our precious baby girl. The baby girl my heart had been desiring forever really. Callaghan Grayce brings to our home lots of pink, drama and a great big temper but we love her so much and she melts all of our hearts with her big goofy grins(even her big brothers) So now as I turn 30 looking back at all God has done in my life I praise him for all the blessings he's given, lessons he's taught, relationships he's put in my life but most importantlly that he loves me so much that he sent his son to die on the cross, to forgive me my sins, a sinner saved by grace and if God blesses me with another 30 years I will reflect back on my 60th birthday and marvel at all God had given me.

On a random note I have to brag on my wonderful husband a little bit. He surprised me all week long with a haircut on Thursday, a manicure and makeover on Friday and then a wonderful dinner out and whirlpool suite Friday night. He truly made me feel special and pampered and loved and I appreciated it so much! I snapped a picture of myself Friday after the makeover so I could prove yes I do wear makeup every once in awhile!