Four Little Monkeys....

First Day of School 2013

Madeline, 2nd grade

Zella, 1st grade

School Shopping

When Madeline started school we started a tradition of going on a "special day" to go school shopping.  It is something we all look forward to each year!  We get to shop, eat lunch, laugh and just hang out together.  Oh, and we ALWAYS take lots of photos. 

Thomas enjoying his first Icee and silly straw.
He is not old enough for preschool (thankfully!) but he got to get a treat on a recent trip to Target.

Madeline is going into second grade this year.  She is excited for art class and being in the same class as her best friend.  She is a little nervous about homework.

Madeline and Mama on our lunch date.

Two goofballs.

 

 

Zella will be in first grade.  She is excited about, well, EVERYTHING.  Because Zella that is just how Zella is.  She is nervous about not having her best friends (cousin Gracie and Kiera) in her class.



Zella and Mama

Rock stars!

Violet will be in four-year-old preschool this year four mornings a week.  She is excited to see her "boyfriend" Riley almost every day.  She is nervous about being away from mama because she wants to stay with me FOREVER and never ever move away.  She had very specific instructions for our photos:

Cheers Violet!

Silly faces

Now show me angry!

"Now eat French fries!"

This summer has been a little crazy to tell you the truth.  There have been moments when I have been ready for school to start.  But now that the time is here I am going to miss them like crazy!  What a privilege and honor to get to stay at home with this four crazy kids.  Thomas and I are not going to know what to do with ourselves during our quiet mornings.  (On second thought, *I* will still be here and I'm not that quiet.  Neither is Thomas for that matter!)

Good luck girls!

Songs In My Head

Five Things

Five things we loved this summer...

1. Watching the sunrise over the pasture and cornfields.  Somehow the light seems more golden at our new place.
2. Cuddling with our four new kittens.
3. Spending HOURS in our l a r g e driveway riding bikes, playing with sidewalk chalk and putting on various "shows".
4. Playing on the big new swing set.  It even has a tornado slide!
5. Picking and eating raspberries and mulberries.

Time Flies

Someone once told me that when you're a parent the days are long and the years are quick.  They were right! Our long summer days have flown past and school is about to start soon.  I looked around this blog last night trying to find a particular photo and I got sucked into the past.  It was so fun to read all the little things about daily life with the kids.  It made me want to blog again to document this awesome time in our lives so here I am.

I am just going to pick up where I am instead of trying to play catch up.  But I WILL tell you one major thing that has changed since I blogged in January.  NO, we are not having another baby. :)  We MOVED to an acreage on the edge of town in Britt.  That is right, people.  A FARM in town.  Best of both worlds!  We moved in April/May and it has been crazy busy.  We love it at our new place!

A blog comeback would not be complete without photos...

So what's new with you?

Family photos

This sweet, goofy family of mine has been very busy.  Thankfully we took time for some family photos.  (We haven't had our family photo taken since Violet was three months old!) 

Travis & I celebrated our 13th wedding anniversary! 

 Mama and her girls. :)

 

 

 

 

 

More photos to come...

 

 

Happy New Year

Thirteen things I'd like to do in 2013:

1. Show in actions and words how much I care about my family and friends.
2. Remember to reply, not react to stressful situations.
3. Take better care of myself so I don't get as easily frustrated or overwhelmed.
4. Take more pictures!
5. Blog more.
6. De clutter my house (the children keep growing but the space does not).
7. More dates with my cute hubby.
8. Do a better job of keeping in contact with my friends.
9. Get more sleep.
10. Say YES to playing with the kids more.
11. Raise even more money for Prevent Blindness Iowa's Vision Walk.  Can't wait to join in this cause with my family again.  The kids really got into it and I am so proud of them!
12. Play the piano more.
13. Persevere when I want to take the easy way out and give up on these goals!

Remembering Summer 2012 Part 1

Madeline got to play t-ball again this year and this time they had a few actual games.  She had a lot of fun and we all enjoyed watching her play.

Madeline

Thomas, Violet and Zella hanging out

 

 

We spent a lot of time outside playing (especially in the tree house). 

The girls also love to play tea party.

Our dog Josie is always near by in case someone drops a cookie.

Thomas loves walks with Papa.

 

 

The girls picked flowers almost every day and love to arrange them for me.



 

Zella snuggling with Thomas.

We made a  "Summer List" this year of fun things (big and small) that we wanted to do.  We almost finished the list and had a lot of fun doing it. 

More later,
Lori

Turns Out

having four kids makes life really busy. So busy I haven't updated this blog all summer. There has been lots of change since I wrote last.



For instance:

• Zella got to quit patching her lazy eye for 8 (!) hours each day.  Woo hoo!  Her vision improved by two lines.  Her opthamologist was very surprised and happy with the results.  And so were we!!!  I am very proud of her for sticking with it and having a great attitude about it.
• Thomas patched his lazy eye for two hours a day.  Patching didn't improve his vision or eye turn so he got glasses when he was ten months old.  (Much more on this subject later)  He looks adorable in his blue glasses and keeps them on for the most part.
• We had a crazy busy summer...t-ball, arts and crafts, fishing vacation at the cabin, week at Grandma's house complete with annual trip to the zoo, bible school, county fair, Hobo Days, etc. etc. etc.
• Madeline Zella had their dance recital.
• We participated as a family in the "Light the Night for Sight" vision walk for Prevent Blindness Iowa.  We raised $750 in three weeks to help screen kids for strabismus and amblyopia (cross-eye and lazy eye).  It was an amazing project and we plan to participate next year.
• Zella caught a pig in the greased pig contest at the fair and won five dollars. :)
• A new school year started.  Madeline is in first grade, Zella started kindergarten, and Violet is in three-year-old preschool two mornings a week.  It has been an adjustment for all!!!  My house is VERY quite during the day now and I am still not used to it.  (Quite being a relative term, of course.  Violet and I are still here and we both are loud and talk a lot.  Ha!)
• Madeline lost her first tooth.
• Zella learned how to tie her shoes.
• Thomas has seven teeth, learned to walk, talk and turned ONE!!!!

I have a lot to catch up on and I hope I get the chance to.  If not, I want to pick up where I left off before my days as a mama to little ones passes me by too quickly.  This blog is my personal memory keeper and scrapbook. 

And if I were to remember the summer of 2012 in one word it would be "WHIRLWIND".

More later,
Lori

Songs In My Head

A combination of two of my favorites:  Mumford & Sons and one of my fav hymns.  Love it!

Tree House

When we bought our house almost six years ago we were excited the back yard had a tree house.  Travis has done a lot of work fixing it up and it looks great.  The only think left to do is paint. (Unfortunately he won't get a lot of help from me...I am afraid of heights!)  The deck and staircase he built is awesome.  (I forgot to take pictures but will soon.)

The kids have been spending hours playing in their tree house since summer vacation started.  I know they'll make a lot of great memories of their tree house clubhouse this summer.

Madeline sweeping the deck.

Zella giving her doll the tour.

Ta-da!

Violet loves how part of the tree shows.

How cute is this? 

Zella taking a turn with my camera.

Photo by Violet