4th of july 2014

We had a very relaxed 4th.  Spent some time at the pool.  Took naps!  BBQ'd some hotdogs.  And then we decided to brave the crowds and check out the fireworks up the street.  Since we'd never been there before and weren't sure if the show would be any good, rather than get tied up in major traffic at the actual venue, we sat across the street in the grocery store parking lot.  I've never sat in a parking lot, on the small grass area next to the cart return, to watch fireworks before.  There is a first time for everything though.  The show was awesome and surprisingly very loud.   Finn had to sit in the car with Jason for about half of it.  Good thing we didn't park far away....

Next year we might try the fireworks downtown again.  And we can re-introduce the kids to another first, the smell of marijuana.  Oh Austin.

Thankful for the low key, non pot smelling, first time 4th we had this year!

The big kids jumping in together

Finn, jumping in, doing his own thang

"CANNONBALL!" Liam

Finn feeling braver

My version of wearing red, white and blue

Dinner

Parking lot fireworks! 

mother's day 2014

"I shall call him Squishy and he shall be mine and he shall be my Squishy."

Times 4.  They're all my squishy's.  

Mother's Day flowers, my favorite, peonies   

easter 2014

Easter was the day after Finn's birthday this year.  So it was a busy weekend!  My parents were down from Dallas and it was a treat to get to worship with them at church that morning and then have brunch here.  Here are some snapshots from Easter Sunday.  (Please excuse the 2 or 3 of just me.  I hate how I look in most photographs, but the ones Jason took that day made me feel really pretty.  So I posted them for future "I feel ugly" days.)

Time to eat!

Ummm, they never get candy.  This was like the.best.thing.ever if you can't tell by their expressions.

Homemade cherry and apple, cream cheese, strudel/coffee cake deliciousness! 

christmas "letter" 2013

As much as I would like to send every-single-person I know an actual Christmas card every-single-year, I just can't.  So while a few of you got a real life card, most of you will have to settle for this.  And by "this" I mean a few pictures.  I wanted to write a short blurb about each of us and get it up on here by New Year at the latest, but then I got sick a couple days after Christmas and now it's January 10th and I just don't have it in me.  But the great thing about a blog is that YOU can go back and see all my old posts and catch up with our new nothings.  Tada!

We did our own pictures this year.  I went into it with Mary Poppins positivity, a $15 tripod and some staging ideas from Pinterest.  Getting 6 people to all look at the camera and smile on cue for a timer is not easy.  Folks, we got this money shot on the 3rd try!  As soon as I saw it I shouted out, "WE DID IT!" and there was joy in the land.  

For about 3 seconds till I told the kids I wanted to get a few shots of just them.  There was some initial moaning and groaning but then I explained I wanted them to stand on the couch and jump.  That was more up their alley and the four of them happily climbed on-

I neglected to mention that I just wanted a little jump.  When I told them to sort of bounce, this is the reaction I got-

Deciding this was not working out I told them all to sit and first we made funny faces to lighten the mood-

Then we tried some nice smiles-

The boys were up next-

Then I asked Liam if I could take one of just him-

For some reason this was the only one I took of the girls together-

Jason and I used the tripod, just give us a barn and a pitchfork-

Then to make up for shed tears in the couch jumping debacle, I told Liam to hop on and show me what he's got! After I cut off his head (the kid can JUMP!) and a photo bomb, we got a good one-

I took individual pictures of the girls at the park because I also wanted to use them as "school" photos.  (I decided not to buy pictures from the school this year.)  We got some lovely shots!  I also asked permission at the library to take a photo of the girls as they both have quite a passion for reading and I thought it would be a nice addition if I wrote a Christmas letter-

That wraps up our card creating adventure and if you're wondering where Finn's individual pictures are, so am I.  Did you know I have 4 kids?  Because I apparently forgot.  Hopefully I haven't scarred him for life.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year everyone!  Keep up with us here because you'll probably just get another picture card again next year...