{4.23.18 - 4.29.18}

The girls like to pretend this broken thermometer is a clock. They always run to it to check the time, and Axel loves to do everything his sisters do! And he's so cute! // This is what happens when your dad has been working out of town all month and you don't want him to leave again. (Alya) 

Picnics outside are so glamorous! (Lyla) 

Alya // Axel is just so cute, I can't even stand it!  

We are finally prepping for the new baby at our house. The kids loved helping me clean the bassinet and car seat!  

38 weeks. I love that Alya is showing off her little "belly"!  

Matthew got me and the kids out of the house for what feels like the first time in a really, really long time. We took the kids fishing and they loved it! The girls looked for crawdads and snail shells and they made sure to find some for Axel, too!  

She's beautiful! (Lyla) // This little fishing pole she's using caught the biggest fish! 

Alya has the cutest smile, but she doesn't know how to smile when I pull out the camera! It's so funny to me! // Axel enjoyed his hot dogs by the fire tonight! He is such a cute kid! 

These are just a few of the crawdad claws they found.  

(Alya) // Lyla is pretending to be a crawdad. Because I thought she was so funny, so found a bird feather and made me take a picture of her being a bird...then she found a rock and wanted a picture of her being a rock...then she found a snail shell, and -- you guessed it -- wanted a picture of her being a snail shell. She's such a goof ball!  

This is the fish caught by Lyla's tiny little pole! He was so big!  

Axel loved it!!!!! When Matthew noticed the pole was in the water, he ran over to grab it, and while he was reeling in the fish Axel was running back and forth along the shore line. It was so funny! I love this look on his face!!

I love this picture! Axel thinks the fish is the coolest thing ever, Lyla can't focus at all on me because she's upset I asked her to stand in the back where she couldn't see the fish very well, and Alya is giving me one of her on-demand...smiles...? 

This was such a great night! It was fun to sit and watch the kids playing together. I don't think we've ever been fishing where I was able to sit for as long as I sat tonight. We enjoyed our campfire and our campfire dinner, but most of all, it was just great to be out as a family doing something we love! 

A beautiful Otter Creek sunset! 

{4.16.18 - 4.22.18}

This kid is hilarious! I have no idea what he was doing, but he sure thought he was funny - and so did I!  

I love these kids! Dirty faces and all!  

I love that it's been warm enough for us to have picnics! We have been outside for lunch almost everyday this week and it's been wonderful! 

Lyla is pretty proud of the fact that she can wink both eyes, and Alya is getting really good at winking her one eye!  

Axel goes outside for five minutes and he is beat red! He loves his truck and playing in the dirt! Also, the girls have finally figured out how to pump on the swings and that makes me so happy! 

I don't remember what they were playing...but I could hear them whispering but I couldn't find them...until I looked in the washer. // Axel is just too cute for his own good!  

37 Week baby bump. I'm feeling large and ready whenever this baby is! // Axel's hair is getting really long, so we gave him some pigtails. Now, when I do the girls' hair he usually brings me a rubber band and asks for a ponytail.  

We made it up to the Jordan River Temple open house. We were kind of rushed through, so I don't know how memorable it will be for my kids, but I think it was fun and I think they enjoyed themselves. While we were in the Celestial Room I kind of explained to the girls that it was a room where you can sit and feel close to heaven. Alya's response was, "I don't feel that." Haha! It made me laugh! It'll be good when she can go back and feel that Spirit. 

{4.9.18 - 4.15.18}

The girls were given umbrellas and rain boots for their 4th birthday but we haven't really had a chance to use their umbrellas yet. We finally had what I thought was going to be a warm-ish spring rain so we thought we'd go play! We took a walk around our little half-block and while we were out it started snowing and got pretty cold. Someone even stopped and asked us if we needed a ride! Haha! I felt like a terrible mother! But it was still fun and the girls were stoked to finally use their umbrellas! 

Axel loved jumping in the puddles!  

Axel is mid-jump trying to splash the miniscule amount of water in that "puddle."  

Lyla layered a whole bunch of her dress-up clothes and it was so funny! She was extremely willing to pose for a picture! She's such a ham! // It was a really chilly morning and Alya came upstairs in her striped shorts and star tank top.  I asked her to go back downstairs and put on pants and long sleeves - so she did! Haha!

Matthew has been working out of town basically all month and most nights Alya ends up coming into my room asking if she can cuddle with me. She came up really early one morning and I didn't want her to wake Lyla up by sending her back to her room so I let her stay. The next thing I knew, Lyla was also climbing into my bed and I thought for sure we'd have an early morning since they can't seem to sleep next to each other without getting frustrated with one another. I was very pleasantly surprised when they both fell back to sleep!  

36 weeks with this little one! I'm honestly not sure how I feel about it! 

{3.26.18 - 4.1.18}

Axel woke up from his nap one day and wanted me to pull down this blanket, then he wanted me to put his soft blanket over him and then he started pointing out the pictures. It was so cute!  

I'm all heart eyes over this picture of Axel and Lyla!  

34 week bump. Baby is getting so big, and this big mama is finally starting to feel like nesting... 

We got to spend the Saturday before Easter with Grandma and Grandpa and the aunts! It was so fun to decorate eggs with them, but of course the girls were too focused on their project and not at all interested in paying attention to the camera!  

Axel had so much fun! He cracked almost all of his eggs dropping them into the dye, and he flipped water all over the place trying to stir his eggs! It was fun to watch him! 

The girls posed with their "favorite" egg. (I'm not sold that these were their favorites, I think they just grabbed the first egg they saw, haha!) 

Matthew and I woke up on Easter morning to the girls coming in our room to inform us that the Easter Bunny had been there...and he "even brought flip flops!!!!" They were so excited! They had fun searching for their eggs, and whatever eggs Axel hadn't broken while dying them, he broke dropping them into his Easter basket! Haha! 

Lyla, Axel and Alya in their new Easter clothes. The girls' shirts say "Part...Unicorn, Dinosaur, Puppy, Princess, Fairy" which is so fitting to them! They love to pretend to be anything they can think of. 

Bubbles!! 

We watched conference on mine and Matthew's bed (so we could watch on the computer since we don't have television) and the kids did so good! Matthew and I each got to have a chance to cuddle with our kiddos, but I love this picture of Axel...hugging the bubbles he got in his Easter basket and his little crossed legs!!! So cute!

{2.26.18 - 3.4.18}

The girls made their decision about whether they wanted to go to the Dollar Store or fishing...Lyla decided on fishing and Alya chose the Dollar Store...????? I was shocked! I would have guessed that fishing would win, hands down. So the night before they went, Alya's mind was made up that she didn't need to go fishing. I hated the idea that she wouldn't get to enjoy the day fishing with her dad...especially because she had so much fun last time they went! I ended up giving in and telling her that she would get to do both...so she agreed to go fishing, and I'm so glad she did! I think she is, too! // 30 week baby bump 

Axel has been so clingy to me lately, so I love these moments - not only because it means he doesn't need me at the moment, but I think it's so fun to watch him spend time with his dad! I think it's good for him, too!

My favorite part of this video is the end... this kid is so funny! 

{2.12.18 - 2.18.18}

 I love that Axel wants to take these belly pictures with me! He's just so darn cute! The girls, unfortunately, were not interested in being in the picture. // 28 weeks! 

Lyla is in love with this card she got for her birthday! She dug it out the other day and asked if she could use my camera!  

It's probably good that the girls want to take pictures, because I haven't been great at pulling out my camera these days. I found six pictures of Lyla making a silly face very similar to this one!  

My poor little man has been so sick this week! He had such a hard time napping in his bed, so I was able to enjoy some pretty great snuggles...I just wish he hadn't been sick, poor boy! // He must be feeling better, though! He really enjoyed these sprinkles! 

{1.29.18 - 2.4.18}

My little photographers are at it again! Here are a few of my favorite pictures they took this week:

...Dad and Lyla...

...Dad and Alya... 

...Lyla... 

This boy has a serious shoe fetish. Anything can become shoes in his mind. // I kept telling him he couldn't have any snacks because I was making dinner. I turned around from the sink to find that he took matters into his own hands.  

Dad took the girls on a fishing trip! They had so much fun! 

Maybe we need to start doing a Mohawk on occasion! Haha!

26 Week baby bump // We ran out of diapers for the girls and Matthew and I decided we didn't want to buy anymore, so we put the girls to bed and told them if they woke up dry we could make a trip to the dollar store. They obviously woke up dry! (Lyla picked a pink plastic baseball bat and Alya picked an Easter egg that she could paint.) Hopefully things continue to go well for us!