Wednesday, July 17, 2019

Summer Moments

Summer is in full swing around here. The days are SO exhausting right now, and I'm in need of a little positive thinking! So I thought I'd post some of my favorite moments lately to remind myself how good life is with these 6 little people, and how grateful I am that I get to stay home with them every day.


Kate is 5 months old. How did this happen? You'd think I would be used to how quickly they grow, but I'm just not! She is so darling and smiley. Having babies in my home is my favorite thing ever.


Whenever we drive around Ellie reads aloud to the boys. It's a win for all of us! She gets in some voluntary reading time, and the boys get a story, which they love.


Nathan lost his top two teeth, and he's just about the cutest thing ever. Actually, just a few minutes ago he pulled out another tooth! When did he get big enough for this whole tooth-losing thing?


Ellie loves to grab my phone and take selfies whenever she gets a chance. There are about 4 million just like this. Her just-home-from-the-splash-pad hair is cracking me up.


Ellie did Lydia's hair and the resemblance is striking, if you ask me!


Speaking of Ellie and hair, she's very into trying new hairstyles right now. She was quite proud of this bun she did and asked me to take a picture so she could admire her work.


Jonah sure loves his littlest sister! All of the kids do, really. Seeing their budding relationships is one of my greatest joys. They genuinely love each other and it shows in their interactions.


Sweet little Lydia! I love when she falls asleep like this.


Warming up on the concrete at the splash pad.


Sweet Kate watching her siblings play in the water.


Tommy's silly face,


and Lydia's attempt at copying him.


Lydia begs to sit here instead of her seat. Silly girl!


Kate's first time putting her feet in the water at the splash pad, plus my awesome hair. I love introducing my babies to the water and seeing their reactions. (Can you tell we spend a lot of time here during the summer? Also note how ragged I look. This was when Sam was on a work trip for a few days. Why is it so hard when Daddy is gone?)


More splash pad shenanigans. I love that my bigger kids like to play with the little ones.


Another carseat picture of my darling baby. I can't get enough of her sweet, round face.


Another selfie by Ellie. She's such a good big sister. I will miss her and all of her help when she goes back to school!


Lydia insists on holding Kate's hand whenever we are in the car. It's the cutest thing in the world!

I am trying my best to enjoy doing all of the little kid activities this summer because I can feel my stage of motherhood shifting from all tiny kids to some "big" and some little, and it's a little strange to me. I feel semi-confident with my ability to parent toddlers (most days! ha!), but bigger kids are new territory for me.

The days drag on, yet are whizzing by. I know before long the older kids won't want to hang out at the park or splash pad all day, and things will change. It makes me a little sad. But for now, I am so grateful for my family and all things SUMMER!

Tuesday, April 30, 2019

Kate Colwell

The end of January was spent in anticipation for little sister to arrive in February. These 3-D ultrasounds are so cool! I loved looking at her little face and looking forward to meeting her.


January and February were snowier than any winter I have had here in Rexburg, and they seemed to drag on FOREVER. 

But our little Kate Colwell was finally born on the evening of February 15th! 6 lbs. 12 oz, 19 inches long. 


About an hour after her birth Sam went down to the cafeteria to get dinner, the nurses left the room, and I got Kate all to myself for a little while. She was so calm, and as I talked to her she peacefully looked up at me and seemed to be listening. It was such a sweet experience that I will always remember.



The first thing I noticed about little Kate as they brought her to my chest was how bald she seemed compared to my other newborns. That seems funny looking at these pictures now, since most of her hair has fallen out on top and she has rubbed the typical bald spot on the back of her head, so she has a full head of hair in these pictures compared to now!



I love spending that first day of my babies lives in the hospital just the three of us - Sam, me, and the new baby.



We are so grateful for the safe arrival of our beautiful Kate. The sweet spirit she brings to our family is such a blessing.

Monday, April 29, 2019

September 2018 - January 2019

Well, it has been awhile! I have not been good about keeping up here on the blog for a million reasons, one of them being a keyboard with broken p and quotation/apostrophe button, so I have to copy and paste those every time I want to use them. (We have some very enthusiastic pretend typers around here!) 

Anyway, recently I have been looking back on past posts and missing the memories stored here. So though I wont be able to perfectly capture all of the missing memories since I last posted, I have to start somewhere!

So here we go!


Car wash helper.


Apple picking. I love this picture of Sam with Lydia. He genuinely enjoys being with with the kids, and this picture shows it!


Park time while Ellie was at ballet.


Tooth-brushing and Bible Videos.


Trouble-makers!


Fun trip to Grandma and Grandpa Tucker's while Sam was on a work trip!





We love having Lily close!


Ellie being the great big sister that she is!



BYU homecoming parade in Provo.


Tommy's face cracks me up in this one!


Just a cute girl on the slide!


Helping Lydia color.


After no-hands, donuts on a string.


Ellie and Lydia love to dance together.


Hayrides at the pumpkin patch behind our house.


Halloween monster-making.


Halloween cuteness.


More shenanigans...


Handsome boy all ready for church!


Open gym.


Beautiful princess and gallant knight escorting her.


My three favorite super heroes!


Uh.... I think you've got a little something in your teeth there.


Every-day life at our house!


Nathan turns 6!


Gratitude for a mantle full of stockings.


Ellie was a clown in the Nutcracker. She was so proud of her costume!


New blankets for the Christmas season. It's a tradition!


Watching Christmas movies in our room.


Reading Tommy's new birthday book from Grandma.


Sledding accident!


More messes by our cute little Lydia!



Puzzles over lunch.


Another visit to Grandma and Grandpa Tucker!


Watching "Man from Snowy River" with Grandpa.


World's best (and cutest!) husband making dinner. (Notice the open peanut butter jar in the cupboard... Silly little toast-makers!)


Hugs!


He fell asleep while we were reading. And HUGE 9-month pregnant belly!


Buddies.


Aaaand, more reading with Dad! 

The end of 2018 and beginning of 2019 were a little bit of "survival mode" on my part since I was in my third trimester, but it was so good! I love looking back on pictures and remembering these little snapshots of our life!

 
Images by Freepik