November 2017

November was one of those months that felt super busy, but once you look back on it there doesn't seem to be much to show for it.  Still, it seemed to pass by super quickly, which I appreciated in my current pregnant state.  Here's what our November looked like...

At the beginning of the month Tess hit her chin on the corner of a bookshelf and ended up getting 3 stitches.  She was so brave throughout the whole thing!

For her a class project, Addie participated in the Science Fair.  She decided to test if muffins made with healthier ingredients could taste as good as muffins made with sugar.  She baked 6 different muffins and then had people test the muffins and rate them.  She worked really hard and I am so proud of her!

Dad took the older girls on a date night so Tess got her first baking lesson.  She loved it and asks me all the time now if we can bake something.  

 She loves this wind tunnel at the Curiosity Museum!

 I took Tess and her BFF Kassidy to Kangaroo Zoo one day and they had so much fun!

Tess and her cute friends playing in the leaves!

During the kids thanksgiving break we went with our friends, the Rinkes, to see the movie Coco.  It was such a cute movie and the kids love spending time with these good friends.  

My first time baking pies from scratch was for this Thanksgiving.  They turned out pretty well for a first timer.

Spent Thanksgiving with the Payne family and it was such a good day.  Delicious food, wonderful company, and so many cousins to play with... we stayed all night and it was so nice.  

Once Thanksgiving had passed, it was time to decorate for Christmas.  This year, being fully pregnant, I decided to relinquish all control to these 3 little ladies.  We kept the 9 ft tree in the box, pulled out the 6 ft tree (that they usually decorate downstairs), and let them go at it.  My OCD was completely screaming inside me and I almost wanted to take over, but they were so proud of themselves it was totally worth it!

30 Weeks pregnant.  It's pretty common knowledge that I am not a huge fan of pregnancy and this one has been no different.  Being that this will be the last time I have to be pregnant I was determined to enjoy it more... I failed.  I do not enjoy being pregnant... it is difficult, to say the least, and even more difficult when you are keeping up with 3 other kids and maintaining a household.  I am constantly exhausted, my legs and feet swell from this point on, I haven't been able to eat like a normal person the entire pregnancy, heartburn is in full force, I also can't sleep like a normal person, and I have pain in places I didn't know existed.  However, I know that the blessing of another child far outweighs all the complaints I have about being pregnant.  Every time I feel her move, I am reminded of that and I am so excited to meet her.  Hard to believe that we are so close!

This picture makes me laugh.  I bought these cute overalls for after the baby is born but decided to try them on to make sure the legs would fit.  I just look like a redneck with a beer belly!

Cute Quincy decided that she wanted to give basketball a try.  I love how she is so willing to try new things.  She doesn't always end up loving it, but I know she is learning and growing from every experience. 

Activity Days Talent Show.  It was fun to see all the girls doing the things that they love.  Addie decided to play the piano for her talent and she did such a great job!

And with that November ended and we are looking forward to the eventfulness of December!

October 2017

 October was such a fun month!  Not only was it jam-packed with all the Halloween fun we could squeeze in but we also took a small vacation over the girl' Fall Break!  

To start the Halloween festivities, we found a small pumpkin patch called Jaker's.  It was simple and cheap and the girls had a great time.  Win/Win!

 After one of our chairs broke, we decided to get a new table.  The night before it was delivered we started moving the old table out.  The girls had fun with that.  

Project #2 for Baby Girl.  I saw a tutorial for this wooden Baby Gym and decided to give it a go.  It was a lot of fun and I got to do a bit of everything: woodworking, painting, and even hand stitching the owl.

 Decided to go for a run with my running sisters down AF canyon.  Staci and I (top picture) are both well into pregnancy so we were dropped off at the 6 mile marker, whereas the others did around 11 or so.  And boy did we still struggle!  It was freezing, we both kept cramping up, had to stop to pee a couple times and by the end decided that this was probably our last run during this pregnancy.  We all met up at Kneader's for breakfast afterwards!  Love these ladies!

Bethany, Me, Staci, Tracy

Ward Halloween Carnival: 

I wonder what the popular costume was this year?

Quincy and Sienna as Evie and Mal

Little besties! They really are the cutest little friends!

And just like that it was Fall Break and time for our trip back to the Bay area in California.  This was the first vacation we have taken without any set plans.  We knew we wanted to spend time with our friends who still live in the area, but other than that we were open to anything.

Can't help but miss the sunshine and palm trees...

Already worn out and the trip had just barely begun...

 Our first stop was Stanford University Campus, which is always beautiful!  Our good friends, the Villamizars, live on campus and we couldn't wait to see them!

The next day we headed out to my favorite stop Half Moon Bay.  The little beach town is so quaint and fun and of course the beach is my heaven.  We played in the sand, collected shells, watched the giant waves come in, and just enjoyed the beauty and smells and sounds.  

After that we met up with the Villamizars at Lemos Farm Pumpkin Patch.  I love watching all these kids play together!  Even though we have been gone for 2 years they still are the best of friends.  We sure love this family!

And that night we were so blessed to meet up with the rest of our friends for dinner, games, and chatting.  This is the most amazing group of people and we are so fortunate to call them our friends.  

Families that were there: The Derhams, The Villamizars, The Savages, The Dix's, The Johnsons and The Montgomerys.  And of course we did the Junior High style of girls on one side, boys on the other!

And they all got together to give us a gift card for our new baby girl.  They really are the sweetest most thoughtful bunch!

The next day we headed into San Francisco for a quick lunch stop at Pier 39.  Such a beautiful city, you just can't help but love it!

 After that we met up with The Villamizar's to hike up to Point Bonita. It ends up at a lighthouse that is no longer used.  It was a fun little hike for the kids and what a gorgeous scene.  We had never done this before and we are so glad that we did!

The friend pairs:  Sofia and Addie

Vicky and Quincy

Lucia and Tess

On Sunday we decided to drive up to see the Oakland Temple.  Such a beautiful place!  We are so blessed to know the truthfulness of the gospel and know the importance of these beautiful temples.

 Every time we got in the car these 2 were fast asleep!

It's never easy saying goodbye to your besties!  We had such a great time with this family and we love the continued friendship we have with them.  They really are the best!

 Completely worn out as we headed back home!

Tess has been really interested in all things baby.  She loves to hug and rub my belly and talk to the baby.  She gets really excited whenever I make or buy something for the baby and talks about what will happen when she is born.  It is so cute!

 Quincy decided that she wanted to try out basketball.  I love watching her try new things! 

Such a funny kid!

On the last weekend before Halloween we decided to hunt for witches at Gardener Village.

Crazy hair day was little rough this year.  We hadn't planned anything and had about 15 minutes to pull something together.  Addie got a doughnut and Quincy got some cupcakes. 

 I decided to take these little friends back to Jaker's one day for some Halloween play.  They had a blast and each wanted a green pumpkin!

Ever since we found out that we were having a girl the "nesting bug" kicked in to full gear and I have been consumed with getting the nursery ready.  It's basically ready now (just a few final touches once we decide on a name and its closer to her arrival) and I am so happy with how it turned out.  Sometimes I like to just go sit in there and enjoy it.  

And suddenly it was Halloween! Parade in the morning, parties in the afternoon, a spooky dinner, and then off to trick-or-treat!  

Bad parenting move... after EVERY store was sold out of purple hairspray I decided to grab some temporary hair color.  I'm still in awe that I basically dyed my 9 year olds hair.  I didn't think it would be too big of a deal and that it would wash out easily.  I was wrong.  So my child will have purple hair for a little while!

Devin got us these awesome shirts for Halloween.  After he tweeted the picture we even ended up in a Deseret News article!

Evie, Shimmer, and Mal ready to get some candy!

This was the first year that girls really wanted to go out on their own.  We are lucky to live in such a great neighborhood where they are safe, but it is still so hard just letting them go!

 Tess said to me, "Thank you for trick-or-treating with me, mom!"  She is really the sweetest girl around!

 Later in the evening it got pretty cold and she needed my coat...

At the end of the night the girls and Devin had a silly string fight (thanks to Grandma and Grandpa Payne)!  Perfect way to end the night! 

 Some years I love Halloween.  And some years... well let's just say I wasn't sad when it was over!  October was such a great month and its hard to believe how quickly it passed.