{iPhone Rewind} :: February

The men's ministry hosted a chili cook-off, and Mike was excited to submit an entry!

I don't know how he's comfortable, but he sits like this ALL the time...

41: birthday signs, cookie cake, homemade cards, vouchers for mommy getaways, brunch with sweet ministry women, lunch at McAlister's, ice cream samplers, birthday messages, adorable handmade gifts from talented friends

Family game night started with Jenga :)

The girl is obsessed with bacon

Enjoying the warm up before another round of snow

Celebrating Chinese New Year!

We had the good kind of snow- enough to build a giant snowman!

{iPhone Rewind} :: August

We worked on a puzzle together over the course of a few days, and Eli was really focused on it!

We wrapped up our Summer of Fun! We didn't quite get to all the things on our list, but we still did a lot and had a great summer!

"Look, Mommy! I made a rocking chair for Norm!" Haha- I love this cute boy :)

We started reading The Wingfeather Saga and apparently there's a lot of suspense for Aiden haha

"Look, Mom! I can do a turban like Maddie!"

"You survived the first week back to school" flowers from Mike :)

We have been learning the books of the Bible {in order}, and the kids have done so great!

Aunt Vi sent some more beads to make bracelets, and the kids wasted no time making more!

Maddie wrote her first book! There are chapters and pictures, and she did such an amazing job. It was not a school assignment {she actually strongly dislikes writing haha}. She just decided one day she was going to write on her own and she sat down with her own creative mind and did it all herself. I'm so proud of her!

He has always made this face LOL

We found a fox hanging out in our backyard! He/she was there for quite awhile, and it was so fun to watch it.

Aiden lost another tooth! We were so glad when this one came out, because the adult tooth had already started coming in behind it!

Since my mom was in town, she got to join me for our Women's Fall Welcome Dessert :)

I love getting to serve alongside these ladies! {Bible study, retreat, MOLO leaders}

Grandma crocheted Aiden a blanket for his birthday, and he has carried that thing with him everywhere. Anyone surprised by the colors he chose?

Just a few days after Aiden lost his top tooth, he lost another tooth, completely unexpectedly! He as eating a hard cookie and it just popped out. He was not a fan, but it saved us a little bit of the anxiety leading up to the loss, so I'm grateful it came out the way it did.

I love when Maddie and I get to go for haircuts :)

Maddie's drawings make me happy :)

I made an apple pie with the apples we picked at Stribling Orchard. It didn't turn out half bad!

We had a cookout with our community group, and Eli really loved playing this game with Mike

The kids loved painting rocks at Mrs. Celeste and Mr. Matt's house! (And it was a HUGE win that Aiden did so well with Ellie - their dog - so close to him)

{iPhone Rewind} :: March

Maddie and I got to enjoy a fun girls' lunch at Panera :)

Baby shower for our sweet friend Hannah

While Maddie and I went to lunch and the baby shower, the boys enjoyed their own lunch at Pot Belly!

Sometimes I wonder if they're actually listening during school...but then I'll find random notes taped to the wall and realize that they are listening and that they believe me LOL! {this is what they learned in sinsse = science}

We got to serve with Generosity Feeds again, helping to pack 10,000 meals for our community!

We said goodbye to my Honda Pilot, so I needed to clean it out. Definitely a past life, in more ways than one! I also cleaned out CD's haha!

I went looking for the second set of keys to the Pilot, and came across an extra set of keys from one of my brother's old trucks. It was also from a past life, when we were all back in Dallas, and we saw him more often, and it just made sense for us to keep an extra set for him. I sat in my basement reminiscing sweet times, crying over a silly set of old keys. It hit me like a ton of bricks. I know grief does that, but it definitely came out of nowhere and derailed my afternoon. 

We bought a new {to us} Telluride! Considering that the Pilot sounded like a tractor and barely made it to trade-in...we're thankful for the Lord's provision.

A Portrait of Aiden, age 6. A hat from the local garbage company. Orange glasses. A Blippi shirt. Pooh Bear by his side. Holes in his pant knees from lots of play. #timeslowdown

The kids are loving the new ride...especially the sun roof!

Our Community Group had a Pi Day celebration- complete with pizza pies, dessert pies, and Frito Pie!

Sweet gifts from Maddie, left on my dresser :)

We drive by this spot multiple times a week, and we are always on the lookout for this gopher/marmot/groundhog friend. The kids were so excited to finally see him again and asked for me to pull over so they could watch him eat!

Showing our St. Patrick's Day spirit! We learned the legacy of St. Patrick and made green smoothies.

I absolutely LOVED studying Revelation with these ladies {not everyone is pictured}. I was so proud of them for sticking with it!

They did a 2-week project to repave the cul de sac, and it was EXCITING entertainment around our house!

Having lunch on the porch, watching the repaving project :)

Aiden and Maddie finished their first grade math book! They'll finish out the year working through their second grade math book!

Mike found Maddie's doll house family arranged in a family hug. And I love everything about this.

Telling Daddy about his library book. With his upside down dress up hat.