BIG news!

It was like deja vu when I took a pregnancy test on the eve of Brody's birthday only to discover a big, blaring positive.  :)  The exact same thing happened two years ago right before his second birthday!  This round was a little bit more of a surprise.  We had talked about a fourth child, but hadn't really started planning for one yet.  But God already had plans for this sweet baby and we can't wait to meet him/her!!

Random Moments Captured

Some of my favorite random moments lately....

Lincoln playing Ninja Turtle.

Protecting his toothbrush from thieves with a hulk glove.

Three little monkeys.  

Buzz and Woody.  Those Buzz PJ's have been moved from big brother's drawer to Lincoln's.

Snuggles with my baby.

Learned to climb the table, now no one's food is safe.

Sitting like a big kid in the booth getting ice cream!

SNOW days!

We didn't get a lot of snow this year, but the kids LOVED the snow we got.  Lincoln was really quick and as soon as I opened the back door sprinted onto our first "ice" of the season.  Praise the Lord, he didn't fall and crack his skull!

Once he got over the sheet of ice and onto more of the slush I relaxed and took some pictures.  This one will keep us on our toes.

So, it wasn't much snow the first time, but that didn't keep the littles from "sledding" and spending hours outside.

It also provided for some great nap time snuggles.

And some fun cookie baking and hot chocolate drinking with them!!

Not long after ice storm 1 we got a big snow day.  That was a lot of fun and provided the opportunity for fantastic pictures!

When Mike got home from work he pulled out some supplies and helped the kids sled down our big hill out back!  It was a lot of fun but only lasted during little munchkin's nap.  We all know the trouble he would have brought trying to zoom down that hill.

When he woke up he was ready to play.

I love waking up and seeing this in our backyard.  It's so serene and reminds me to be thankful for every season, in life and in nature.

After a few days, though, we went a little stir crazy.  It all turned to ice and we were no longer able to play in it, so we were just stuck.  

Thankfully it all went away after a few days!!

I was wrong

I thought surely Lincoln would be our first emergency trip for an injury.  But, Logan decided that she was the oldest and needed to set the stage.  And set the stage she did!!  In true fashion, she was putting on some sort of show, closed her eyes, turned around and tried to dramatically fall onto a bed behind her.  Only, the bed wasn't behind her.  Somehow in the chaos she threw her arm behind her and landed on it hard!  We went in for x-rays and, thankfully, nothing was broken, but she had a bad ligament strain so they put her in a sling for 10 days.

She's taking it well, though the more she learns she can't do, the worse it becomes.  Thank goodness it's only 10 days!

This is Lincoln saying, "don't worry, I'll be next."  

Big Birthday Gift

Logan's big birthday gift this year was a ballet barre installed in her room.  She had no idea it was coming and hadn't even asked for one, but with as much time as she spends dancing around, we thought it would be a fun addition.  So, Brody and daddy spent an evening working on it while she was at dance class.

And she was BEYOND thrilled when she got home and found it!!

Here's to years of wearing that barre out with all of the dancing.  

Logan is SIX!

I'm not quite sure how this happened.  She was a baby not even an hour ago, it seems.  But, here it is. Her sixth birthday.  I'll admit, this one has not been as traumatic to me as five was, but it's still another year older, another year passed, another year closer to being fully independent.  Parenting is so bittersweet.

Logan's been up to a lot this year!  Here are a few of the highlights.

Logan "officially" started school, as in, she was of age to start kindergarten, even though we finished that last year.  She learned to read and is reading longer books (and starting chapter books), she can do double digit addition, and has learned to do subtraction in her head.  

Her favorite subject, currently, is science.  We're doing a study on the solar system and it seems to be one of her very favorite things to talk about.  She soaks the information up like a sponge and knows more facts about the planets than I ever knew.

She loves to play outside.  Her favorite toy to play with outdoors is her bike.  She learned to ride a two wheeler this year and is so proud!  It's fun to watch her excel.

She also loves to play inside with her American Girl dolls and her brothers.  They love to play "secret spy" and sneak around taking notes on different subjects.  

She loves to dress up and play princess.  Her favorite princess right now is, of course, Elsa from Frozen.  

Her favorite food is mac and cheese.  Her favorite veggie is broccoli.  She's learning to love a variety of foods though.

She LOVES to help me bake.  Her favorite thing to bake is probably banana bread, though it may be a tie with chocolate chip cookies.

Her favorite color is pink, but she's expanding her color palette and will wear other colors now.  (does anyone remember the phase she went through where if there wasn't pink, she wouldn't put it on?)  

Her favorite movie: Frozen

Her favorite toy: Isabelle, her AG doll.

Her favorite game: Uno

Her favorite pasttime: dance

Her favorite book: The "I can read" Tinkerbell books.

Her favorite TV show: Sofia the First and Wild Kratts.

Her favorite restaurant: Chick-fil-a

What she wants to be when she grows up: a dance teacher

What she looks forward to this year: Losing more teeth (she has two that are really, really ready to come out)

Logan is a huge help around the house.  She is especially helpful with her baby brother.  I'm so thankful for her maturity and willingness to help when it comes to him!!

Logan is a joy.  We have moments.  We butt heads.  But she is so much more than I could ever have asked for or wanted in a daughter.  She refines me daily as a mom and as a child of the Lord.  She shows me beauty in things I wouldn't otherwise see as beautiful.  She loves passionately.  She is joy embodied and I'm so thankful for her.

This year, I learned to relinquish control of the birthday traditions.  We've always gotten whole food cakes for birthdays because they're a special treat, they are SO yummy and it's easy.  But, Logan really wanted a Frozen barbie cake.  So, I stepped out and made it happen.  It wasn't beautiful to me, I saw all of the flaws, but she didn't see any of them.  All she saw was the cake she asked for and was as excited as I've ever seen her.  

Happy Birthday, little love!!