Halle is 5!

Halle had a really fun birthday. We had a mermaid party with her friends and she loved it. She also got a special surprise when her cute little friend, Grant, showed up with flowers for her. She has always loved this boy and it was so adorable that he came over with flowers. 

Halle is still such a sweet little peacemaker in our family. She's a patient, helpful big sister. She had a great time doing preschool this year at Miss Kass's house. She was really shy at first, and some days she was afraid to go in, but she always came home happy and couldn't wait to show me everything she made. She is warming up to the idea of all- day kindergarten in fall. I think she'll do fine, but it will definitely be a big adjustment. We are so lucky to have a brand new K-2nd grade school that she'll be attending. Kate will be there with her. I'm looking forward to it. 

We love Halle so much!!

Easter 2017

We spent Easter at Grandma and Grandpa Carter's house this year and the kids had fun. They have a big, wooded yard, so lots of places to hide eggs. Luke was really into it. He didn't want to let go of his basket, for fear that someone would steal his candy.

Here are a few pictures I took after church. Nate wasn't home yet, so he's not in them. :(

Kate is 7!

For Kate's borthday this year, I took her and her sisters to Chuck E. Cheese. They loved it. Not my favorite place to hang out, but a big part of parenting is doing things you don't really want to do, right?

I'll be honest, this wasn't Kate's favorite birthday. She wanted to throw a party with all her friends, but I decided to keep it simple and do a family party this year. Maybe kids shouldn't expect a friend party every year, I don't know. I'm still deciding what to do about that. My kids really look forward to playing games and having fun with their friends though. I think it makes their day feel really special. Anyway, she still had fun, but we'll probably stick to friend parties for a few more years. 

Kate had a great 1st grade year! Her teacher has repeatedly told me how hard she works, and how bright she is. She got above average grades on most of her report card, and we were so proud of her hard work. She really strives to do her best, and I love that. She loves writing, math, science, PE and especially recess. Kate is really social and makes friends easily. She is easy-going most of the time and gets along with her peers really well. However, she shares a room with Paige, and that doesn't always go smoothly, but I think they're learning to get along better these days. If they could just get to sleep at night, things would be great!!

We love you, Kate!! 

I made this cake and it took me forever! Also, it didn't taste very good. So that was lame. But Kate was happy with it. haha

December 2016

I took the girls to our local library to see Santa Claus a few days before Christmas. We waited in line for an hour and a half! But he was a super nice guy and I'm glad we did it. Our love our cute little library.

We also did the Cruise to the North Pole on Coeur d'Alene Lake. I don't think I would do it again. It was freeeeezing cold on the boat, and it's just not really worth it. I'm glad we did it once though.

One Saturday we hit up the Breakfast with Santa deal at MAX Restaurant. It's a really good restaurant. Kids eat free that day, so you know we had to take advantage. They probably won't be allowing us back in next year with our 5 kids. :)

I like how Kate is forcing Luke to look at the camera. 

Hawaiian Christmas!

In mid-December Nate and I helped plan our ward Christmas party, along with another couple. We decided on a Hawaiian Christmas theme. It was so much fun! The other couple did all the food, which was amazing. I did the decorating. I pretty much felt like I did nothing but shop, shop, shop for 2 weeks before the party. It was a lot of work and I was stressed, but it turned out really well. We had a beautiful family of Polynesian girls come and do a hula performance, and several talented people in our ward performed musical numbers also. I thought it was a great night.

We got to hear from the missionaries from our ward, who are serving around the world. Really neat.

Noah- 4 months

I adore Noah so much. He is a sweet, happy baby. At his 4 month check-up he weighed 15 lbs and he was in the 93rd percentile for height. I'm pretty sure he's our biggest baby. He seems to be growing faster than the others. Maybe it's just because I want him to stay little forever.

He's not a great sleeper during the day. Naps are a real struggle. He actually does pretty well at night though. Probably because he sleeps with me. Ugh. I can't believe I'm co-sleeping again. I know he should be in his own bed. One of these days, I will transition him to the Pack 'N Play. Hopefully soon.  

Noah- 3 months

School Pictures

I was so happy with Paige and Kate's school pictures this year. Cute girls. I really can't believe that they're in 4th and 1st grade. I swear I just barely graduated from high school.

Twinsies!

We've decided that Noah is Halle's little twin. It's so fun because when I was pregnant with Noah, I secretly hoped he would be blond with blue eyes, just for some variety. Turned out perfectly! :)

Noah's Blessing

Noah was blessed on October 9th, 2016 by his dad. It was a great blessing, and thankfully, Noah was very well-behaved. I think he slept through it. After we got home from church that day, I was devastated when I realized that we forgot to take any pictures. I really wanted a family photo. So lame!! I feel like my mind is always in a million different places. 

We love our sweet Noah so much. He truly is a little ray of sunshine in our family. 

October 2016

Fall is so much fun. I love the weather, the food, the clothes, the decorations, everything. Here is a recap of October...

My parents came to town for Noah's blessing in early October, so we took a trip up to Greenbluff. 

 Paige made some cute cupcakes at Activity Days

The girls borrowed costumes from Grandma Bev. I told Paige that when I was about her age, I was a
"dead bride" for Halloween. She found a bride costume at Grandma's house and she got really into acting the part.

Our Anna costume and chicken costume have both been used several times. But hey... they still work. 

We had a fun ward party.

Paige eating a donut on a string

Halloween night was pretty dang cold, but we survived. We have a great neighborhood for trick-or-treating. Lots of friendly people, with homes pretty close together. 

This is at Paige's class party.