Yesterday morning I told the kids to go upstairs and get dressed. As they ran up the stairs, I yelled, "It's supposed to be cold so don't put on shorts or dresses or skirts."
Mick, being typical Mick, just had to do what I told them not to do and came down dressed like this.....

It will make awesome photos to share with his fiance someday.

New Winter Dress Clothes

I just wanted one good picture of the kiddos in their new clothes before we headed to church. Unfortunately, we couldn't get them to cooperate and smile at the same time, but I do love their outfits and wanted to remember them down the road.

24 weeks and counting

I really don't like to show pictures of myself, but it's tradition to take pictures of the belly at 6 months and 9 months with my pregnancies. I am feeling great and the baby seems to be too, if the kicking all night and keeping me awake is any indication. I feel so blessed lately. I love my family and am very excited for it to to be added to.

Happy 5th Birthday Party, Victoria!

Tori's real birthday is December 22. It is a really hard time to try to have a party. I am exhausted, it's overshadowed by Christmas coming, and the few times we've tried to have a party, snow storms have kept most of the family from coming. So this year, I decided to do it a little earlier. I must say that I liked that a lot better. I think she did too because it was way more focused on her than it has been other years.
I can't believe my baby girl is 5! It feels like she was just barely a baby. I feel like I missed her first year of life because I was suffering from post-partum depression so badly. I just stumbled through the motions and it will be something I feel sorrowful about the rest of my life. I wish I could have that time back so much, but I hope I have made up for it since then. I do love her so much. She is everything, EVERYTHING, I hoped a daughter would be. I enjoy getting to hang out with her everyday and I am in no hurry for her to go to school this year. She's my best girlfriend.
The party turned out awesome. All the neighbor girls that came were such nice, sweet, well-mannered ladies. I love that I live somewhere that my kids can have such good friends and influences for friends. I also love all their mothers for teaching them to be that way and for being dear friends. It makes me so hopeful for the next generation to see these sweet girls.
The party was a Tinkerbell theme. I thought it turned out pretty cute. Note the placecards that Tori asked me to make at the last minute. She's funny. I made them thinking that they were cute, but the girls weren't going to notice or care or sit where their names were. But those little princesses ate the placecards up and were so excited to sit in their own spot.

Thanks, Victoria, for coming to be part of our family. We love you so much!

Halloween Happenings!

To start off this holiday, my cute friend, Lily, made us these darling cupcakes. I thought they were so cute, it was hard to eat them. Well, not that hard. LOL!I missed the actual Halloween holiday because I was in the hospital with pnuemonia, but thankfully my mother-in-law came out to be with the kids so Adam could stay with me a lot at the hospital. He did take a few hours break and him and his mom took the kids to a school carnival and trick or treating around the neighborhood. It looks to me like they had a good time. Tori is supposed to be Tinkerbell, but she wouldn't wear her tutu and Mick was supposed to be a skeleton but wouldn't wear his mask, but they were happy and that's all that matters. Tori got her hair painted green at the carnival.