The Lilly Pad

This past fall has been a really busy and exciting time for us. We are all studying Genesis through Bible Study Fellowship. If you're not familiar with this organization you should really check it out. I can not speak highly enough of how they encourage and challenge you to go deeper in your walk with the Lord. And their children's program is amazing!   Adelyn started a combination ballet, tap, and tumbling class. She loves it and I'm a little jealous!   Caiden thinks it's pretty great too.   In September Matt and his brothers took a hiking trip in Zion National Park. This was actually their second year to go and they had a great time!    While Matt was vacationing, the kids and I went to the beach. It was Caiden's first time to play in the sand and see the ocean. He loved it!   Adelyn and I had a girl's night while we were at the beach. We watched a movie about a frog and ate popcorn and M&M's. She had so ...

Party Planning...   Me: "Adelyn, what do you think we should do for your 4th birthday party?" Adelyn: "Let's get the Snakeland guy to come and we can all hold snakes!" Me: "Hmmm, what if we have a rainbow sprinkles party and make necklaces with fruit loops?"     I think that all of Adelyn's friends and their mothers were on board. ;) 

Awhile back, like in August, we had a party to celebrate Caiden's 1st Birthday.               Caiden really appreciated that his friends and family came to help him celebrate but his agenda was pretty clear...       Happy 1st Birthday Buddy Boy!  

Merry Christmas! We had a great Christmas and hope that you did too!     I have got to get back into blogging and thought this would be an easy post to start with - funny things Adelyn said during the Christmas season...   Singing to the tune of Solid Rock, accompanied by a jingle bell:   "And the angel said peace on earth, good will to men. Except for King Herod."     Matt: "The parking here is ridiculous." Adelyn: "Oh frankincense!"   Me: "Adelyn, do you want to go see Santa Claus?" Adelyn: "Nah, I'll just write him a note."   More posts coming soon! Hopefully...

  Do you ever feel stuck in a rut?   Like no matter what you do it's 2 steps forward and 1 step back?   Me too, bud.   Me too.

FOUR!!!     Adelyn turned 4 on Friday. I can hardly believe it. This birthday can pretty much be summed up in 4 pictures....       The beautiful princess lion frog gets a bike.   I told Adelyn that since she's turning 4 I'm turning 4 too. I've been a mommy for 4 years. The sweetest and most challenging years of my life.       Happy 4th Birthday sweet Adelyn! We love you more than you'll ever know!   

I know it's cliche, but I don't care...I can't believe that Caiden is 11 months old! This year has gone by faster than any other year of my life but I've really tried to savor the sweet moments and enjoy each stage while also looking forward to the next because I know it just gets better and better. Of course it goes without saying that there have also been a lot of hard moments, tears shed and sleepless nights. The last time I blogged about what mr. Caiden has been up to he was 6 months old and toothless. Since then he cut 4 top and 4 bottom teeth and is currently working on molars. When I'm all done having children and that child cuts the very last tooth, I'm throwing myself a party and all my mommy friends are invited!! He's also started doing all the things you'd expect - sitting up, rolling both ways, eating solid foods, and army crawling. He's not crawling on his hands and knees yet or pulling up on anything. Regardless of t...