Picture Dump December 2016

 My three beautiful girls.

 Waiting at the church while the kids practice for their piano recital.

 We keep buying random articles of clothing because they are fun to put on and take pictures in. 

 Cannon and Lyla

Thanksgiving 2016

This year was my first ever Thanksgiving that I did all the dinner myself. I had it all mapped out so I could have it all done at the same time and not need everything in the oven. I found new recipes for slow-cooker sweet potatoes and one for ham. They both turned out amazing. I did a ton of the prep work the day before. I found the best recipe for the turkey brine and had it soaking over night. I got the turkey from Tamara and it was amazing. After the brine I stuffed the skin with butter...mostly just giving myself soft, buttery hands! The Newville's had been working on their house all week trying to get the kitchen ready for them to move in so all the men were super tired. Phil went and played in the Turkey Bowl with Cannon. Miya helped me get everything done that morning and we had an amazing dinner before everyone went home to sleep. So many blessings in my life and so grateful for my family and some amazing friends to spend the day with, a warm home and more than enough food on the table.

Dress Up Doll

 Nona is the world best dress-up doll. We all need to put her in something just to see how cute it will be. She is a good sport to put up with all of us.

Cannon and Lyla made a little pull cart/box for Nona to take her around the house. She liked it, but also wanted to eat the box. Miya and Cannon did this for Lyla when she was a baby so they thought they should try it for Nona. It was another great success.

Miya turns 14

Miya turned 14 this December so we took Tenli and Alexis with us to get pedicures. Miya wanted her eyebrows waxed so I let her do that this year. It made her look two years older, but she was really excited to not have bushy eyebrows that she got from me. Miya has been such an amazing helper this year with Nona and has always been my responsible kid. She is always the one to make sure we have snacks, diapers and toys for everyone. She is smart, funny, thoughtful, competitive, and tries really hard at everything she does. I am so glad she is my first born and I am so grateful for all the joy she bring to our family.

Bath in the Sink

Trust me I know this baby is way to big for baths in the sink, but this mom's older back isn't ready to wash a baby in the bath. Plus I am super cheap and hate the idea of filling up the tub with enough water for just one baby to take a bath. 10 years ago when all three of my older kids were getting in the tub it was a fun and easy way to keep everyone happy and entertained during those evening hours. Yes we had a few mishaps with a baby pooping in the tub and everyone getting out so I could scrub the tub and everyone off in the shower. It was such a fun time and this is such a fun time, but different this time around. All the older kids tease as I scrunch Nona in the sink to give her a bath. They all stand around and watch her play around and laugh at all the funny things she tries to do. She is the fun and entertainment of our evening hours now. Life is so wonderful even in it's great surprises.

Fall 2016

It is always nice to get a day with sun when the kids are out of school. I don't remember what the reason was for this day off, but we took a little hike down to the water in Dupont and enjoyed time together outdoors. These four little people are such a blessing and we are all enjoying these days watching everything and anything Nona does.

Slobbery Kisses November 2016

Had to take all the kids in to the doctor for sports physicals and things. This is how we entertained ourselves in the waiting room. Nona loves sucking on anything, including our faces. We have decided to call it giving kisses.

Sitting Up

Nona learning to sit up at 7 months. She always wanted to be grabbing stuff to put in her mouth so she would topple over.

Katrina's Kids November 2016

 Nona loves Holly, but can be a little rough so Holly likes to keep her distance.

Phil had a work dinner in Bellevue so we took the kids up with us to Katrina's house. They watched Katrina's kids so they could go out with Ethan's mom for a birthday dinner while we went to the work dinner. My kids love watching Katrina's kids and think they are so fun and funny. We always get a great recap of the night after they are together. Nona screamed for a long time when they laid her down on the floor, but then they put her in her car seat and she went right to sleep. This was the first time I wasn't there to put her down and I was super nervous about leaving her. She was already 7 months at the time.