It’s been far too long since I’ve taken pictures of these two together. These two are the very best of friends. And they couldn’t be cuter together. Truly, they have been friends since birth and all that time together has paid off. They play SO well together. They are kind to each other and have so much fun that it makes it such a joy when we are all together. We love our surrogate daughter Livi! I’m telling you, this girl is HILARIOUS.

Telling me a story.

Sadly, the best picture I got of Livi was caught right when Isaac had some freak accident and smacked his face on the floor. After he stopped crying, they thought it was pretty cool that I got a picture of it.

I love this holiday! Mostly because it involves my favorite color, red, but also because it’s a day solely devoted remembering those you love. I was happy to spend it with a lot of the people I love the most; my own family, and my family of brothers and sisters and their families. We made the most delicious dinner, followed by a nice walk to see the neighbor’s horses, and then my first attempt at molten lava cakes, which were heaven in chocolate form. Happy Valentines Day!

Lucy took a pavement dive yesterday on the way to the BYU basketball game. So sad!
Isaac’s bowtie was made by my friend, the very talented, Likely.

Today was kind of a downer day, but one that made me extra grateful for my darling kids and even sweeter husband.

(taken for a project my little sister was doing)

He asked me to take a picture of him being a walrus. Classic.

to my home.

Geoff’s building some cool numbers for the front of the house that I’m excited about. Nerdy, I know.

She’s back to taking naps (when there aren’t workers pounding on something), not waking up at nights (well, mostly), and is on day #3 of only wearing big girl undies with no accidents! As the mom of this two year-old, I’m breathing a big sigh of relief. Her life seems to be the one that was the most upset by all the moving around and changing of routines.

After her nap yesterday, she woke up cranky, which baffles me. I asked her, “Why are you so happy, and then so cranky?” She looked at me with a very serious face and said, “I Batman girl mom.” Well then, no explanation necessary.

Isaac could not have been more excited to FINALLY get to celebrate his birthday. He requested a Batman theme (who in reality he knows next to nothing about), so we obliged. We had a Super Hero training course, a Batman throwing star game, and a lunch filled with yellow and black items (sandwiches cut into a bat, blue corn tortilla chips and queso dip, pineapple and olives) and of course, a Batman cake. We love our big five-year-old!

Isaac and Owen before the training course.

Lunch.

The throwing star game.

Estee showing off the water bottles.

About to blow out his candle.

Lucy in her princess dress that my mom made her and she insists on wearing every day.

Lucy with her Uncle Jared and Aunt Laura who were our very first guests to stay in our home! Our kids are borderline obsessed with them.

Laura and I took the kids on a walk down our street before church on Sunday. It was a beautiful day.

Caught another smile, victory!

It ended in a snowball fight. The kids loved it, Laura, not so much. And yes, they did have gloves on originally.

Laura and Jared came to surprise Isaac for his birthday celebration today. So here’s some pictures of them enjoying our new house with us (pictures of the festivities to come). And yes, these are the only rooms that are close to being done which is why I keep posting them. I’ll post a picture of the outside as requested on Monday when they finish the last of it.

(couch was a Craigslist find that Geoff and I painted and had upholstered, green chairs are a Craigslist find as well)

(All the chairs and stools are from the Sundance Outlet. I collected them through the last year as they went to their As Is Section. Saved a TON of money that way! I have what I call, a healthy obsession with the Tolix brand.)

Sunday night was our first night in our beautiful new home. We’ve been giggling like school girls ever since. We love, love, love it. And because we love it so much, I’m biting my lip that we still have workers doing all kinds of things to it still. All those last little things add up I’m finding. I wish I could go *POOF* and it would be finished being decorated, painted, and dust free, but in the real world, those things take time and I just have to remind myself of that. I’m still making some decisions with the interior paint (we had them do it all white, and I must say it’s quite glorious), but the major paint dilemma was conquered (the outside color), and I have to gush for a second and tell you that I think it’s quite possibly the most perfect mix I’ve ever laid eyes on. Good thing it’s my house, because it’s definitely not for everyone!

Anyways, here’s some pictures of the kids in our bathroom. Penny rounds, clawfoot tub, my cute kids and a whole lot of white = my kind of heaven.

More to come.

I realized the other night when I saw through the sliver of his doorway, him turn off his reading light and settle in to sleep…he’s not a baby anymore. While his real birthday was on Christmas Day, we celebrate on January the 25th. He’s five. My baby is five! When did this all happen?