September

September 2015!!
Yikes!! I am so used to my phone, which isn't a great blogger, all of the sudden it feels like walking into the computer room is so far away. So lots of pics on my hard drive and instagram posterity, in case you are missing this past year. So things have been really really good. Rowdy got baptized this past month. We are trying to read the scriptures together. Cody has been working in town, Ollie is becoming more independent. Elliot is being nicer to everyone, Ezra is also coming into his own, and being more happy. I have been trying to be a more patient mom. We have been getting used to our schedule. I just keep thinking I need to write this down. Because it truly is a happy Time. Heavenly father is definitely blessing us. But I also think we are trying harder.... To recognize & snatch the happiness, To keep the sabbath day more holy, be more grateful, read the scriptures, have dinner together, do Family Home evening. I can definitely feel a difference in our home. I can feel a difference in me. Thank goodness too. I am so much happier with the person I am becoming than I was at eh beginning of the year. Things were a little harder then, but maybe that why I feel a burning need to document this happy time. It really is a time of peace and prosperity. and I don't think it will always be this way, I want to remember. So much about life is so fragile. Thank goodness God make us resilient and adaptable. We can be tough cookies. even though sometimes its uncomfortable.

Man! My babies are growing up so fast.

Ollie is the cutest little guy already. Cruisin right into toddler hood. He imitates EVERYTHING! We have to be very careful. and we are fairly sure he threw away out dvd remote. We always have to check the trash before we put stuff into it. He mostly throws away dirty diapers but also shoes and other items laying around. He loves to have all the doors closed on everything. He is picking up words here & there but it is still super exciting to hear him try and say something! HE loves walking around with our phones. The best is when we call him to make the phone ring. He does his awesome surprise face and then starts laughing. HE is our constant entertainment at meals. We love watching him try to run. Rowdy, Ezra and Elliot are all so darling to him. HE is starting to really love them. You can tell because he goes after them to give them kisses and hugs, which he does not freely give away.  He is a pretty patient kid. He is a joy Can't imagine life without him.

  

under the bridge painting a mural w Mom. He would throw rocks in the creek all day

Elliot started preschool 2 weeks ago and is pretty stoked about it. She goes to the little baptist preschool for 2 days each week. All her buddies have moved on to kinder, so we are  on the scout for new daytime buddies. She is playing soccer too! She is on the dragonflies. She has become a best bud and helper. She also has started drawing beautifully, and not even whining when its laundry time. She is a good chicken mom. Takes care of them everyday. She stuck a ball in her shirt and innocently said look mom I have boobs, and balls! She just keeps getting better. She asked about states yesterday and wanted to know which ones touched Texas, and asked if Old Mexico also touched. Will work for candy. I fall in love with her more and more everyday. What a doll.

above painting chicken toenails. below seaweed in Santa Monica CA

above=jet pack plus gear plus fruit snack marshmallow sandwich Rowdy made her

 We went to Oklahoma to visit Dad & drop off skin medicine for him. and maybe do a little exploring. 

Elliot flexing her muscles

 Ever the adventurer

 

A girl and her Papa. 

Papa always asks her to flutter her eyelids, and also spoils her w sweets

Ezra is so fun. He has started loving to quote movie lines and is pretty good at imitating voices. Our favorite and Goofy and Mr. Cat man. Still totally into legos, although not so much mixels. But he could be fine playing with them almost all day. He loves to help change dirty diapers. He can be loud and fun with a contagious laugh, or grumpy with a gathered brow and no sunshine. He pays attention to detail, and always gives warm hugs. He has a tender heart. Cant believe hes already in first grade!

 sweet brothers. They ride their bikes to school everyday

 Santa Monica, CA...the waves were crazy

 Elliot got a hold of them....they loved it

 great at making crazy face

 first trip to dentist. No cavities!

 

Rowdy. Is such a go getter. We got him an alarm clock this year. He is up dressed and reading his scriptures by the time I am coming out. I think he's a morning person. He is also very goal oriented though. The kids have to read scriptures do a chore and their laundry before screen time. So he likes to get his stuff done early so he can have his screen time. School had been causing a little bit of a disconnect, so I'm very grateful for the weekends. and I am grateful scouts has started for him, and the faith in God, so he is getting other good people in his life throughout the week besides boring ole Mom. He is my activities director, and occasional babysitter. He is a great leader, and many times watching out for his younger siblings. He was baptised in September, and it was a really cool experience for all of us. I love him so much and am so proud of him!

 CA hike w Mom

 CA beach, not feeling so good

 Hike to Rowdy Rock with Yaya

Rowdy and I had to photoshop all the mosquito bites out of this picture for his baptism invite because he slept on the trampoline the night before and got eaten alive!

Holy Moly what great kids. 

 and I love their Dad

Spring Break 2015

Our quickie art project at Hope park in Austin

Spring Break 2014

 Saturday Cody was in Temple stuck in a motel teasing me that I liked candy more than him. So I tried to go on a sweets fast and discovered I am probably addicted to sugar. I felt like the world was so un-fun! and I was so grumpy! We needed camp treats anyway so I did a portrait of Cody out of candy with the kids

Sunday we had post church dinner at Nan & Pop's new house. The kids used their moving boxes to make an awesome little house. We then went home & started to pack for our camping trip.

 

We went to Lake Ray Roberts. We've been a couple of times & were thinking about trying another part of the park but we've got a good thing going. The weather was amazing and our site was backed right up against the lake. My kids love sand which is part of the reason I wanted to come to Ray Roberts/ the sandy beach part.

It sounded like we were camping near the beach all night, with waves from the lake. I loved it. ITs even prettier in the spring when all this stuff is green, but you can't beat the no bug weather we had.

1 o clock vs 2 o clock ...Rowdy started digging, discovered mud. Cody suggests filling it w water, then helps them make a mud slip n slide. They were joined by other crazy campers too.

Thank goodness there were warm showers. Elliot wasn't into the mud. She liked the worms we brought for fishing though. Her "pet worms"

 The kids had fun in their own tent, and just running around exploring. but mostly eating camp snacks. I feel like Ezra had his hand in a Doritos bag or cheese it box most of our camping trip :) One of their favorite things was riding our scooters up to a park in the evening/ night where we played flashlight hide and go seek. Rowdy also loved the shower with a bench in it. Elliot is crazy good at riding her little scooter and was always excited to scoot to the bathrooom or on camp errands with me.

I am 7 months pregnant and was worried about sleeping and peeing and all that, but with our air mattress and my outdoor "skills" I got a pretty OK nights sleep. No worse than any other camping trip.
We made bacon in the morning....and honey buns... by default. I had so much fun planning the meals then forgot an ingredient from almost every meal :) but we ate well. Cody was the pit master. & pretty hot chopping wood & fishing with our kids. We went to a kids fishing pond & the kids helped with the worms & made "happy habitats" for them. The weather was so perfect it made for a brilliant camping trip.

We did decided to cut it a little short because of Cody's work, but felt like we got a solid 2 days of fun. We really would've only stayed to sleep n clean up the next morning. The children all had meltdowns when it was time to go.  Guess we need to do it again. We'll soon be needing a bigger kid tent.

Wednesday We went to Joe T Garcia's with the Bowler Adults. It was nice to laugh with everyone. Bobby and Tiffany had come up from Round Rock for the week. Then Rowdy spent the night at Nan's with the 5 boy cousins.

Thursday cousin Jill & Letti stopped by with just enough time for Lucy to hurt her foot on our trampoline :/ (first accident) then Tiffany Nan and I took a bunch of the kids on a hike to Eagle Mountain Lake. Another gorgeous day. Elliot did good! She was slow but never asked to be held. Ezra was cracking us up because on the way out I had grabbed a bunch of Peanut butter crackers for lunch only to discover Andee was allergic to Peanut butter. Ezra saw she didn't have to eat them so he decided he was allergic to Peanut Butter too. Andee was telling us about hives and goosebumps and Ezra somehow ended up telling Aunt Tiff all about he had eaten peanut butter and now his feet were "puzzled." which I think he was trying to say allergic or hivey or something. I don't even know but now he and Aunt Tiffany are best friends. The kids were all really good on the hike even on the hike back with wet jeans.

Later I went to pictionary at Letti's and had a great time. Cody and the boys went to a boy barbeque/ swim party at Uncle Tad's, where Rowdy ended up spending the night again.

Friday we had a family Soccer game.

 Go gett'em Ezra

Rowdy was loving it. He played the whole game. Even after getting pegged in the face

 Then we went to Chik-Fil-A

Saturday Cody was in OKC. I worked on a petition and flyers because I'm grumpy they may be building low income apartment in front of our neighborhood. Then right as a thunderstorm began Locke & Katie blew in. We ate chicken tortilla soup, caramel and made a sign for the Anderson house. The kids had fun jumping on the trampoline together in the rain and out of the rain. and sweet Katie did my laundry while I painted. I definitely got the funner job.

Sunday my sunbeam Elliot was cray cray in class. We ended up at Nan & Pops house after church. It was nice visiting w Jill & Letti & Kellie. Nan was with the Carmacks in Temple because Craig's leg landed him in the hospital :( 

 Looking back on this week I already feel the gratefulness of keeping a record. These are sweet sweet times. Couldn't have asked for a nicer week.

Tomorrow I have a sonogram, protest to organize, and a St. Patrick's day to make magical...Its going to be hard to wake up.