Karly Update

Oh my Karly baby - why is time going so fast?!  This girl is 2 going on 16.  She has been a very good talker and has a mature nature so she has seemed so much older than she really is.  But then she grabs her binki and her blankie and snuggles up to me and I remember that she is my tiny baby girl.   I love her snuggles and can't seem to get rid of that pacifier just yet because it is so darn cute!

She loves Elsa and wants to wear her costume every single day.  We go lots of places in this dress because it's just too hard to get her to take if off most the time.  She knows all the words to "Let it Go" and she likes to belt it out really loud for everyone to hear.

Don't let that tiny little body fool you, she has a huge personality and loves to run the show.  She likes to have things her way and isn't shy about telling everyone what they should be doing, and that includes strangers too.  If she is in a grouchy mood you better watch out!  But when she isn't grouchy, you will fall in love.  She says the funniest things, loves to laugh and sing, and she is so fun.

She is roomates with Eden right now and I hear them in there together chatting and reading and it's the cutest.  From day one, her and Bentley have always had a very sweet bond.  They are similar in many ways, and he has a way of calming her that nobody else does.  Then there's the combo of Karly and Olive which can be the most fun and hilarious show, and also the most shrieking and cat fighting you will ever see. I do love though that Karly is learning to follow along with Olive in her extrovert ways and the two of them together are quite a force to be reckoned with.

Karly is so fun and entertaining.  She is just a little sponge right now and is soaking up everything around her.  She is learning quickly and loves to follow along with her siblings and do all the things they are doing. She has a very quick mind and surprises me daily with her knowledge and how quickly she is learning and how well she processes things.  It's so fun to watch how quickly the developent is happening.  Stay small though baby girl!  I don't know if my heart can handle not having a little baby around anymore.

Olive Update

Fun, fiesty and so full of life!!  We sure love you Olive.  This girl really brings so much excitement and joy to our family.  Whatever she is feeling, she is feeling it very strongly and I love her passion.  She has the cutest laugh and most genuine smile.  I love that her eyes sparkle and you can just see that she is full of life, and that there is a good chance she has something a little crazy she is going to try to get away with.

 She has always had a natural confidence that I have admired.  She loves people and wants to talk to everyone.  She is always quick to make a friend wherever she goes.  She is also a natural leader and kids end up following her and looking to her for what's going to happen next.

She loves to dance and sing and perform for whoever will watch her.  She loves dresses, shoes, jewelry and anything sparkly.  The fancier the better!

She is trying really hard right now to stop sucking her fingers at night and she is so cute about it.  I knew it had to be her decision and I've just tried to help guide her to the idea that it was a good thing to stop.  She is on board with that now and is doing her best.  She listens to all of Eden and Bentley's good advice about how they stopped.  She lets Bentley tape her fingers, and she worked with Eden to make a sticker chart to get a prize at the end if she got a sticker everyday for a couple weeks.  Some nights she would be sad, but would choose to not suck on them because she really wanted to pick out a prize.  It's been so awesome to see her older siblings really bond with her over this.  I have pretty much completely stayed out of it this time and it's all working out so well! She realized that if she tucked her hands under her cheek it felt comfortable and helped keep her fingers out of her mouth.  I find it incredibly adorable.

She picked out a new Moana doll after two weeks of no finger sucking.  I'm happy to report that it really has stuck and she isn't doing it anymore.  What a great little team those three kids made to help her to stop.  She is so happy about it and feels like she can do hard things.  :)

Olive loves to have lots of clothes to choose from and she does good about rotating through them and picking new outfits often.  Sometimes she comes down with the cutest combinations, and other times it's the cutest because it is so random and hilarious. 

She is like a magnet.  People are drawn to her and I totally get why.  She is awesome and so much fun to be with!  Watch out world - Olive is coming for you!!

Bentley Update

Is this not the cutest boy ever?!  I love this guy.  He is a really good mix of Brad and I.  Honestly I'd say he got the strengths from both of us which makes him one pretty awesome kid.  

A couple months ago Bentley decided to start reading the Book of Mormon.  He is making his way through it.  I think he is currently reading in Mosiah now and he likes to tell me about what's happening.  I am kind of blown away by it because I certainly wasn't reading and comprehending scriptures when I was 6 years old.  I love that he wants to learn about this.

He is loving school this year with Mrs. Wong.  He is in kindergarten but pretty quickly moved up to the 1st grade curriculum.  I love this school and the opportunity to be in mixed grade classes.  It is the best scenario for him because he can be with his age kids for his social development, but he can work with the older grades in the curriculum to help challenge him.  It is a blessing.  He brings home some pretty cool projects.

He is a lego king and loves to build new creations.  He can follow the directions and build these huge things all on his own.

He really loved soccer this season.  He had a fun team and was so excited to get a soccer trophy. I love watching him play and increase his skills.  It's also been so fun to play a lot of soccer with him in the backyard.

This boy is amazing at pretty much everything, but he also has such a loving and kind heart.  He is so sweet to his sisters, and so patient with them.  He likes to read them stories and help them however he can. 

I sure love you Bentley boy.  I'm grateful you are my son.

Eden Update

Eden Noelle - how I love this girl.  She is an introvert and it takes a bit to get her comfortable, but once she is, this girl is the life of the party.  She is so goofy and silly, and she can really chat my ears off.  She has been rockin' it in 3rd grade and is exceeding her goals and expectations for the year.  She is doing really well in piano and is a very dedicated and self-disciplined student. She LOVES to read.  Harry Potter and Chronicles of Narnia are her favorites right now.  It's been fun to put the little ones to bed and cozy up with her at night to watch the movies for the books she has finished.  I really enjoy hanging out with her, not just as her mom, but as her friend.

She is entering into the "tween" phase and is starting to take selfies and pose with a serious face.  Oh dear.....

They had a Dr. Seuss day at school and she picked this book as her favorite of his books.  I loved that she wanted crazy hair this year too.  I think we pulled of the look pretty good.

And speaking of hair - Eden's grows so fast!  She has always preferred it to be really long and I just keep trimming it like crazy.  This time around she decided to cut off quite a bit and try out what she thinks is short hair.  She loved the outcome!

She loves to be in the kitchen cooking or baking and I LOVE having her in there with me.  She is getting quite good and handling a lot of it on her own.  I love having her help and keep me company in there as I make dinner.

She is happy, dependable, confident, wise, kind, peaceful, strong, amazing, etc.  I love her so much.

She is still a trooper with the medical things we have to continue each year.  They continue to monitor her intracrannial pressure through eye exams every six months.  She is still taking daily medication but things have been looking so good lately that we are going to start weaning her from that again and see how it goes.  The staff there all loves working with Eden.  She is so cooperative and fun and just giggles like crazy through her appointments.

I love you Eden - thank you for being you.

Making a Floor Plan!

Plans are well under way for #CasaFiesta!  The dream house floor plans are coming along!  We started the process in February by "interviewing" a few builders.  We settled on Candelaria Homes and we are enjoying the process so much so far.  We are getting this floor plan to fit our everyday lives and I cannot wait! While we are working on the floor plan, the work on the land is being done.  We bought three lots and are combining them, restructuring them and getting it all settled for when we are ready to start building.

Often times I can arrange a babysitting trade, but sometimes the littles have to come with us to our meetings and they love the extra screen time.  :)

When I say we started the process in Feburary, that isn't totally acurate.  Brad and I have dreamed of building our own house for years.  We have kept lists, talked about the wants/needs, and I have been pinning images I loved, and learning about interior design to prepare for this.  It is a dream come true!  I have been loving every minute of it!

Cute Karly

Most of the time Karly is attached at the hip and is wherever Brad or I go, but occasionally she will wonder off alone and it's adorable to capture moments of her cute little self just talking away.

Selfies with Dad

No caption needed for these.  Enjoy.

Park Day with Friends

I love the beautiful sunshine and our ability to be out at the park for hours with friends.  Life doesn't get much better than this.

Of course the 2 year olds found the only puddle in the whole huge park.  We couldn't keep them out of it!

And this is the crazy girl biker gang.  Watch our for them, the sass factor is high is this crew.