{11.15.2021-11.21.2021}

Oh my goodness, he is such a character! // This was a fun burn for me! My mom asked me to burn on these spoons as a Christmas gift for their relief society! 

 

{12.7.20 - 12.13.20}

There's always entertainment in the house with these kids! //I love Axel's puppet shows. 

I am so excited for this update we are doing in our house! 

I am loving my Christmas memory games! 

"Don't Destroy Please. CLOSED." The girls didn't want anyone in their bedroom. 

I have been looking forward to this ever since the day they were all born! Haha!! Just kidding...but don't miss Lyla's approach to cleaning the butter dish...

 

{11.2.20 - 11.8.20}

It's starting to get cold up here where Dad's working! // Peek-a-boo Eli! 

I love those big brown eyes! // This is such a fun little spot to come and hang out for a little bit! We get to go on a little drive, we get to see Dad, we get to do a little "hike" around the lake...it's definitely something I have been looking forward to everyday.  

A friend of mine was doing a giveaway for some of her followers/clients that she works with. (She is a life coach for parents who have lost babies due to miscarriage or still birth, etc.) She asked me to provide one of the prizes for her giveaway. I was so happy to get to make this special piece for one of the moms. Each of the flowers represents the birth month of each of her babies and I hope she loves it! // I love moments like this so much! 

I have no words! Haha! // He must have been a little bit sick this week because I got lots of snuggles from him. But man, I love these snuggles. 

Who knew these kids could get along!! 

I asked the girls to go out and rake some leaves for me. There were lots of leaves left  on the ground when they were "done" but it kept them busy and they really did do a good job! // He stole my butter...and I think it's safe to say that he enjoyed it. Bleh!! 

I left the girls coloring at the kitchen table while I ran to get myself a drink. When I got back they had set up their blankets and Halloween hats to look like they were still sitting at the table. I walked in the door and saw their set-up and laughed because I knew they weren't actually hiding under the hat...but I may or may not have had to just take a closer look to be absolutely certain! It was so funny! And look how proud of themselves they were...you can see it all over their faces! 

{8.24.20 - 8.30.20}

It was this crazy kid's birthday this week! 

He had the best reaction to all of his gifts! He was just so excited to be turning four!!

He asked for a crocodile cake this year. He loved it, but I love that he just loved that there was a "4" on the front! 

He is so excited for his new Spiderman suit! // He got some Lego sets and was very patient working with Sarah to put some of them together. 

Axel's little frog! // Lyla was most excited to make this little sea horse. 

Alya was very excited to make up her own little under the sea creation. // We went to the Grazing Pasture with Matthew to check some cameras for his upcoming elk hunt. The kids, of course, found as many grasshoppers as they possibly could and were very upset with me for not letting them keep them as pets. 

Soccer game side-line selfies! // This little boy is so busy and all boy. Any stick he picks up becomes some kind of weapon.

More soccer game side-line selfies with Alya! // I love that Lyla loves rocks the way that she does. She is very good at seeing the beauty in ordinary things...even if that means there is a small pile of rocks in every room of my house. 

This is one of my favorite views as we come down into the Grazing Pasture. All of a sudden you come into this open space at the top of the hill and as you can see, the view is amazing! It's beautiful in all four seasons! 

Eli has been a rockstar on his strider on this bike track. // Why is this kid so stinkin' cute!! 

My little soccer star! Running is not her favorite, heat is not her favorite, but I'm proud of her for trying something new! // I made these cute little hall passes for my sister-in-law's classroom this year! She is doing llamas for her decor. I think they turned out darling! 

My little cruiser on the bike track! He does such a good job! 

{6.15.20 - 6.21.20}

These kids are troopers! Sure there is some whining and complaining, but they hiked a long way today to go look at Dad's trail cameras! 

Such a pretty view! // The kids and I built a cute little tee-pee! It was very difficult to fit all four of them in at the same time, but we were pretty pleased with how it turned out! 

Eli was a great little helper! 

I love these people! 

I love these cactus flowers! I think they are some of my favorite "wild flowers." (Are they even considered a wild flower!?)  

I love this dirty face! He's such a handsome boy! // My little hiking buddy doesn't actually love the walking part. I don't blame him. There are lots of rocks for tripping on and the sagebrush is just about as tall as he is! It makes hiking difficult! 

This is his favorite seat in the car! Haha! // I did a thing! I have been debating for years about cutting my hair and I decided to go for it! I am so glad I did, I love it so much! 

Sometimes I am a fun mom and pull out the paint and some random wooden blocks I have stashed in the basement. This kept Eli entertained for a long time! 

Lyla turned her "S" into a snake. 

Axel's just kept adding more and more layers to his little ghost! I love this artistic child of mine! 

Alya's little witch boot turned out pretty cute, I think! 

I got out of my comfort zone this week! Because of Covid, the Scandinavian Festival that our little town puts on every year was basically cancelled. The city still tried to do some events and feature some "booths" virtually. So I signed up to do a "burn with me" type of activity. I think my family and close friends are the only people who saw my video, but it was a good learning experience for me and I am pretty proud of the piece I designed! 

I love this tree climbing Spiderman! // Peek-a-boo Eli! 

I know she's holding a hand in this picture, but Lyla actually got brave and hung herself upside down for a second! 

I love that their big teeth are coming in! They look so different without their baby teeth! It's crazy to me how big they are getting! 

I love this picture! I love that these girls have each other - I hope they always have this bond and have each other's backs! They will! They have to!! 

I don't know what these two talk about all the time, but they seem to have a lot to say to each other. Especially at 10:00 at night when they are supposed to be sleeping. 

 

{5.25.20 - 5.31.20}

 

I am so excited for this little sign to hang in my kid's bathroom! I need to make a few cosmetic changes before I hang it so it might take a minute before I get it hung up...but one of these days! 

Matthew and I were headed to bed one night, and I walked downstairs to check on the kids and Axel wasn't in his bed! I panicked a little bit and came upstairs and Matthew was taking a picture of something under the entryway table. Thank goodness he found Axel so I could calm down! 

Just hanging out with my cute boys while we wait for everyone to be ready! 

We had quite an adventure! We met up with Matthew's family for Memorial Day to go visit graves. The girls got to ride with Jeni and Crystal and after we had lunch we all got back on the road. We got split up a little bit and when Matthew and I turned to get to the freeway entrance we noticed a wreck in front of us. I realized it was Jeni and Crystal with my girls and it was a horrible feeling to drive up to! Thank goodness it wasn't anything too serious. They were rear ended and Jeni and Crystal had some pretty good whip lash, but my girls were just fine, thank goodness! Crystal's car had to go to the shop after the weekend, but I am just so glad it wasn't worse! What a way to start the weekend! 

Grandpa and Grandma Great. This is the grandma that I was named after. 

My nana! 

Grandma and Grandpa Barnes. 

So grateful for good family! 

Grandma and Grandpa Sorenson. 

We went up to Grandma and Grandpa Barnes's house to help clean some things out. Eli was a busy body and loved "riding" the four wheeler! 

I wish these pictures were bigger, but I love them so much. 

Just some of the buildings on the farm. 

This is the old house that burnt down. It's still on the property and I'm pretty sure some cool treasures were found in this old house. 

Eli was a trooper getting in and out of the car so many times to look at graves. It was a beautiful day to do it, though! // Axel is just too cute exploring the tree in Grandma and Grandpa Barnes's yard! 

He's quite the little gatherer! 

Beautiful peonies! // And a beautiful sky!

The girls came up to the grazing pasture with me while I cleaned. They had so much fun! // I love this tan little baby of mine! 

We went for a drive today just to get out and explore! You wouldn't know it from this picture, but it was fun, and oh so good to get out of the house! 

We plan to go on lots of hikes this summer! We found quite the college student hangout spot on one of our hikes. 

This is the top of Ephraim canyon. I just think it's so pretty! 

He's just so cute!! (I know I say that all the time, but it's true!) // Axel and his overalls kills me! He is so stinkin' funny!!! 

We tried to get to a waterfall up Manti canyon but there was still too much snow. It was still a gorgeous drive, though! // Obviously I wasn't prepared for us to get out and explore...no jackets, everyone is in flipflops. But it was still fun! 

This was a long hike! // The beautiful river at the grazing pasture. Can you see the girls back there? 

See...long hike. Eli was done! // Axel just taking a break...picking up rocks! 

I love how he runs to me on those little legs of his!