um...

How 'bout that photo challenge?? hahah.

So, the last several weeks have been super busy with a valentine's day party at our house, a valentine's day party at school, lesson planning for sunday school and lots more. This past week was supposed to be my relax-and-catch-up-week BUT I hurt my back on Tuesday. I was pretending to to a Macho Woman Fire Wood Chopping Lady and I HURT MY BACK! Seriously, I kind of feel like a sissy-pants. What in the world. Anyway, I've quite literally been lying on the couch all week. I can't even sit. If you know me at all you know that I don't very much like to sit still. Crocheting while lying on my belly has proved to be quite difficult but that's what I've been doing and now the girls have some cute beaded socks that they love to slide around the kitchen floor in.

I will post my pictures of the "challenge" gradually. but I'm not finishing it. I'm kind of glad that my life is too busy for a photo-a-day challenge to actually work out for me. But I'm not glad my back hurts...

Here is a cutest picture that I meant to post several weeks ago. Oh, how I LOVE these children!

love day

"Love demands action if it is to be continuing. Love is a process. Love is not a declaration. Love is not an announcement. Love is not a passing fancy. Love is not an expediency. Love is not a convenience. 'If ye love me, keep my commandments' and 'If ye love me feed my sheep' are God-given proclamations that should remind us we can often best show our love through the processes of feeding and keeping."


Love Takes Time- Elder Marvin J. Ashton



 photo of the day {heart}:

I don't mind telling you that these are the best sugar cookies that will ever touch your lips or anyone else's.

and the cutest valentine ever (thank you pinterest)

here is the original photo. well... almost.

Riley is Three

This little birthday crown came attached to a card that my Grandma and Grandpa Howe sent. She was in loooove with it!

I think Riley grew an inch the day she turned three because right up until that point she was wearing size 18 month clothes! She is a tiny girl and I always tell everyone that she made it easy to wait a little longer to have another baby. She's just so little! While I was pregnant with Mallory I didn't know what I would do when Riley wasn't my baby anymore!! but I love this little girl more than ever. Everything that comes out of her mouth is the funniest thing I've ever heard and I find myself laughing uncontrollably when really I should be disciplining her! She's definitely still the "baby" in that she gets away with wayyy more than she should. She is a stinker but she is also my sweetest. She's always hugging and kissing and i-love-you-ing. She makes life wonderful.

outtakes

{I made some orange juice from concentrate and Kaylee wanted to taste it before I finished putting the water in.
"It tastes like table... like sour drink table."}



{Lily showed me how hard she she can bite her finger and it doesn't even hurt!
"Mommy, see that bark mite?? ...I mean... bite... mark?}


{Lily: "Mom, where are we going today?"
Me:  "Nowhere. but guess what? Ella's coming over!"
Lily: "Who's Hella?"
Me: "It's ELla."
Kaylee: "ELLA!? The one who tea partied us!!"}


{While reading the Book of Mormon:

Michael: "Tell me what you know about Satan"
Lily: "Um, he's mean... and he drinks alcohol."}


{Lily sat on the potty and Riley sat on a stool in front of her as they had a sisterly conversation:

Lily: "Doesn't it bug you when you have to go potty right before you eat breakfast??"
Riley: "No. 'Cause I went potty on Sunday and Tuesday and Nine and Seven and Ten."
Lily: "and eleven?!!?"}

{Lily: "I'm sooo cold! I'm one hundred feet cold!"
Kaylee: "Well I'm sixty feet cold!"
Lily: "That's a little number! One hundred is bigger than sixty."
Kaylee: "I'm sixty seven ninety-nine one hundred twenty ninety seventy cold!"
Lily: "Well I'm one hundred seventy six eight hundred thirty twenty seven ninety eight hundred sixty nine cold!"
Kaylee: "Wow. You're that cold? I'm that cold too."}

{After several tears and lots of pouting.
Michael: sternly "Lily, come here and sit on my lap so I can talk to you."
Chloe: "oooh, this is gonna be a good fight."

Chloe is our neighbor friend. She's five just like Lily. AND they have the same birthday.}


{Lily was late to tumbling and I sat down to put the socks on her feet that she had been insisting on wearing (so her feet didn't get stinky!). Michael had just finished telling her that she didn't need socks.

Michael: "You guys need to listen."
Lily: "You're not the boss, Dad. Mommy is."}

{Kaylee walked up to the chalkboard and started to read the email address that Zach had written a few minutes earlier.

kaylee: "Peeeeeee..."

lily: "NIS! Penis!!"

kaylee: "penis? why did you write penis?"

Zach's email is c h e o w e [a t] g m a i l. and Lily knows how to read. I'm a little concerned...}

Days 6 and 7 {dinner and button, respectively}

 Pizza Bagels, a favorite; For me because it's EASY and for the girls because they get to make their own dinner!

and the cutest button you ever did see.

Day 5 {10 am}

yes I skipped day 4. maybe I'll get around to it before the month is over...

Here are Riley and Kaylee at 10 o clock this morning. Church starts at 11:00  and we usually let them watch "church" videos (aka Living Scriptures) before we leave. We couldn't find one today so we let them watch The Snowman. 

Today I realized that every time the girls watch that show I suddenly feel very sad and depressed.

Do any of you remember it from when you were little???

Day 3 {hands} and more mallory

I know I'm late, but I'm a busy mommy!

 Mallory's newest thing is her fascination with her hands. It's sooo very amusing to me and when I saw that day three's theme was "hands" I knew that I wanted to photograph her admiring her darling little extremities. Every time I catch her looking at her hands I squeal with delight. I'm glad I was able to capture it:)

also, yesterday was Mallory's 3 month birthday! so here are some more pictures of the baby babiest.

Day 2 {words}

These are Lily's "sight words"

They are words that she is supposed to recognize without any hesitation.
and she knows them all.
yay!

I had Lily's parent/teacher conference today. My second one ever! I can't believe I'm a big enough girl to be doing such grown-up things!! 

Can I boast for a sec? 

Of course I can. This is my blog!

Lily is doing really well in school. Her teacher, Mrs. Rudd, told me that Lily is a very bright little girl and a joy to have in class. She talked a lot about how well-behaved she is. Mrs. Rudd said that Lily always minds, she never talks too loud or out of turn. She said that she is very friendly toward the children and she treats them all very kindly. She told me that Lily is especially nice and a wonderful friend to a little handicapped girl in her class. Lily loves this little girl (she talks to me about her all the time). She plays with her and helps her and pays a lot of attention to her. This little girl is very aware and very grateful to Lily for being such a good friend. Mrs. Rudd seemed very impressed with what a "sweetheart" she is.

It makes me such a happy mommy to hear that Lily treats others so well and that she is such a good friend to the little girl in her class. It is of great importance to Michael and myself that our kids learn compassion and that they treat one another and other children kindly. I am so grateful that Lily is such a good and caring little girl! I'm so blessed to be her mama.

photo a day- Day 1 {my view today}

This looked fun. I thought I'd take it on. YOU should too!!!

We are reading the Book of Mormon to our children. They get to color designated areas on their charts for each portion they read. They are really excited about it and have been begging us to read to them. So this was one of my first "views" this morning, and it will be my last before I go to bed tonight:)

Let me know if you decide to take the challenge so I can follow along!

excellent news

my 50mm lens is back in commission.

and LOOK at this cutest baby!