{1.27.20 - 2.2.20}

Matthew and I took our annual Vegas trip with Shane and Marlene and as always we had so much fun! I made everyone go back into the M&M Factory again this year...I'm pretty sure none of them were all that happy about it! Haha!  

We went to the Belagio to check out their botanical garden. It's so amazing to me! // I figured the kids would love this disco ball horse! It was HUGE!  

Some of the flowers made of flowers hanging about our heads in the garden. // The coy fish. Again, it was so big! I wish you could see the size of these things in the pictures.  

I love going into the garden to escape the smoke and fogginess of the casinos. It's like a breath of fresh air for a minute! And I think it's really pretty! // This fountain in the Belagio was just gorgeous! I loved the tile in the ceiling above it. 

A view of our hotel from the strip. // Eli has found my camera!  

The kids were so excited to get M&Ms with their names printed on them!!  

Sorry these pictures are so blurry! The kids got to hang out with Grandma and Grandpa while we were out of town and their aunts got to come down for a bit to play too! (Thanks for letting me steal your pictures! Haha!) 

Man I love these kids. No matter how my day was with the kids...pretty good or pretty bad...I love that I can look at these cute pictures of them and feel nothing but an overwhelming amount of love for them! They really are the best thing that has ever happened to me!  

So, it is currently the end of April while I am writing this blog post...we are in the middle of social distancing for COVID-19 and everyone is being encouraged to wear masks when they leave the house. Who knew Eli was going to be so ahead of the game way back in January! (wink, wink) // Sorry I accidentally posted this picture twice. It's late and I'm apparently tired! But he's still cute! And I love that he's even holding the camera right...his finger already knows where to go to click a picture!  

I wish I was better with my words. I just don't even know how to put into words how happy this picture makes me. I mean, I love that he's sitting reading his scriptures, but I also just think this would be darling with any book in his hands. Just to capture a moment of stillness makes me so happy, I guess! // Potty training the baby is still in our very distant future, but he is obviously watching us work with his big brother and I think he understands what he is supposed to do, but for now it's just fun to sit on the toilet and pretend. And that's fine with me! Maybe he will get comfortable on the throne so that when the real thing comes around maybe he will catch on pretty quickly. 

I thought this was fun while I was in the M&M Factory. I kind of forgot this was there, but when you ride up the escalator all the M&M guys are painted on the wall and it's just fun to see how they have changed over the years. 

{1.22.20 - 1.26.20}

This boy is not at all afraid to climb whatever he needs to climb to reach whatever he wants to reach. And he's a darling little climber! // I love this boy and his sweet smile and his bright happy eyes. He is just full of so much joy and I love him so darn much! 

Axel is so good at pushing Lyla's buttons, and he bugs her constantly because he always gets the (over)reaction that he wants from her! So when moments like this happen it makes my mama heart happy. // Eli is in his happy place helping Dad in the basement! I love his dirty socks and shirt and that big ol' smile on his face!  

The cutest boys enjoying some of mom's chocolate chips!  

Progress on the basement! Matthew is working hard on the mudding and taping! He also has textured the ceiling!  

Eli loves to play with Matthew's tools! It's so cute!  

Matthew got the beautiful accent wall up! I can't wait for the bookcases to go in! 

I think Matthew was given this little rubber-band powered plane for Christmas and he and the kids had fun outside flying it! 

I'm loving all the bows in his hair! Haha! Oh man, he makes me laugh!

The girls are reading so well! Alya loves her new Frozen book and I love listening to them read!

{1.13.20 - 1.19.20}

Bedtime she)nanigans. So funny-we were reading our bedtime story and Eli was just thinking he was so funny and making all kinds of horse sounds. I looked up to see him trying to ride this barbie horse. He is the best kind of character! // I knew Alya wouldn't be too far behind her sister when it came to loosing that second front tooth! She was also very excited to get a visit from the Tooth Fairy and I love her toothless grin just as much as I love her sister's.  

Eli just thinks he's as big as his siblings, and I just really want him to stay small-ish...for a minute! // I am told that one day I will miss the fact that my little tornado runs around my house pulling dishes out of cupboards and banging spoons on pans while wandering through the house...I'm not so sure! (Just kidding, I actually believe that I am going to miss it, but some days the peace and quiet sounds nice! Haha!) But seriously, I need time to slow down so my kids stop growing up so fast! 

The girls drew the Easter Bunny a picture...yes it is January. You think they are excited for Easter? I am so impressed with their artistic abilities, though! And I think we will find some ways for them to develop this interest/talen! // Is he attempting a somersault or does he just like looking at the world upside down? Your guess is as good as mine! 

 Dying!!! Cutest triceratops I ever did see! I love everything about this picture, including the green dinosaur running around in the background! 

Dad took the girls fishing and I always look forward to the sleeping pictures he sends me on their way home! And look close at Alya...true to her creepy sleeping self, her eye is open!!!

{1.6.20 - 1.12.20}

This kid know where and how to get anything he wants. // Lyla is so excited for a visit from the Tooth Fairy! I love her toothless grin!  

Axel very happily volunteered to pull Eli around in his wagon. I love listening to these two laughing and running and playing together. // I love this face he's making! I have no idea what or why he is making that face, but oh my goodness it is funny! 

Axel has really taken a liking to drawing lately. Here is a self portrait. I'm pretty sure the wave on top of the head is hair and the two lines pointing straight up out of the head are the ears. // Such a little stud!  

Shenanigans during scripture study...because of course!!  

Matthew has started work on our basement!! I am so excited and I think he is a little bit nervous! Haha! I will post more pictures as it progresses. 

{12.30.19 - 1.5.20}

We were given a "Family Puzzle" for Christmas and it was a lot of fun to put together with the girls! There were some really big pieces that made it fun for the girls and some small pieces to get mom and dad involved. It was pretty cool! The girls were so excited when we finished it!  

We have started a Pizza night tradition. Every Friday we go get some pizza and eat dinner in the front room watching a show. It's my favorite because first, I don't have to cook and second, when everyone is done eating is usually leads to some snuggles on the couch until bedtime. I love it! // Axel enjoyed our family puzzle too...his favorite part was taking it apart.  

Pizza night = snuggles with kiddos! I love it!  

Eli wanted to go out and play so bad and he couldn't wait for me to finish whatever I was doing to get his snow pants on. He tried and tried so hard to do it himself! // He is just getting so big! He sees his siblings using the toilet and wants to figure it out for himself too. The only problem is that he doesn't usually want my help with any of it. 

Some day I'm sure there will be a camera phone that takes excellent low light pictures, but for now I will just enjoy this fuzzy picture of my peaceful boy. He likes to come snuggle with me in the middle of the night and some nights (especially if Matthew is out of town) he doesn't make it back into his own bed before morning. // I love these almost toothless grins! She is a wild child for sure! I'm sure she was laughing at how messy she got during dinner! (Lyla) 

I brought Eli downstairs for his nap one day and Axel followed with a handful of chips. I must have started doing something else, like maybe getting Eli a new diaper and the wipes out so I could get him clean and when I turned around they were both just sitting in this little nook between Axel's bed and the dresser snacking on Axel's chips and laughing at each other. So cute. // Axel loves to paint and he likes to use all the colors in the tray in order so all of his paintings are some form of a rainbow. I love it! He's got an artistic little soul.  

Eli thought it was so funny to be trapped underneath the laundry hamper!  

I made this sign for my dad for Christmas. Yes, he got it a little late, because of course it wasn't done by Christmas! Haha! I am so happy with how it turned out though! This John Wayne is my first portrait and I love how it looks and I hope I try more! 

{12.23.19 - 12.29.19}

I love this picture so much! Eli has never been nervous about going up to Grandma Barnes to give her a hug and I am so glad! She has always mentioned how my kids don't like her because the other three have always been a little bit more shy when it comes to passing out hugs. Luckily they are all getting better, but Eli has always just been so willing and excited to hug her!  

Lyla and Nana built a little snow man! // This is Axel with his snow t-rex...this is about the extent of my snowman building skill. 

These are some of the Christmas ornaments I burned this year. Most of them were neighbor gifts and some of them were the ornaments I gave my kids this year.  

Grandma got the kids their own dinosaur costumes like the ones that Axel wore at the dinosaur museum with Jeni. Lyla got the purple Kosmoceratops, Alya was the blue Triceratops, Axel was the green Triceratops and Eli got the red Kosmoceratops. (And yes, I did have to ask my girls what kind of dinosaur each of them were!)

I love Eli's little mowhawk! 

My sisters gave my kids a fun game for Christmas. It's a Bed Bugs game, the bed vibrates so all the little rubber bugs bounce around the bed and they are supposed to catch them with their tweezers. It was pretty fun to watch them play it! Axel loves it! 

{12.16.19 - 12.22.19}

Today's post is pretty wordless, but I don't think words are really necessary for these pictures! I will say that Eli couldn't get enough of his soup, though! Haha! 

The girls also had their Christmas program for school this week and I am so sad that I wasn't able to upload a clip of their song! It was a lot of fun to watch them. It is still just so crazy to me that they are in Kindergarten and participating in things like Christmas programs with their school! They practiced and practiced "Oh Tannenbaum" for weeks at home and did so good with the other kidnergartners!

{12.9.19 - 12.15.19}

I love when we get to decorate our tree! And it's always so great to see how the kids decide to pose with the tree! 

Axel got to go to the dinosaur museum with Jeni and a friend this week! He loved it and still talks about it a lot!  

Axel and Sadie are some fierce looking dinos! // Alya being a good little mama snuggling her baby! 

I love snuggling my baby! He is a cuddle bug and I love it! I need to take more time to snuggle him! // Rudolph Lyla.  

How Alya sleeps! // How Lyla sleeps! So great, so funny!  

Santa was clearly a big hit at our Sorenson Christmas party this year!