Evy Kay {10 months}

My baby girl is getting oh so close to 1!

Some of the highlights from the past month:

loves to play peek-a-boo

has started a bit of stranger danger

said her 1st word...Dada (I'm telling myself it was a bday gift for her daddy since she did it the day after his birthday)

loves to tease us (i.e. won't perform her tricks when asked, just smiles and looks away)

is ticklish

chews on everything

has learned how to clap

mimics things we do

loves to climb (specifically on top of the crash pad then on top of the bench in the living room)

blows raspberries all the time...and not always at appropriate times

takes 2 naps a day and sleeps well...though she still wakes in the middle of the night for a little snack

loves to watch her siblings play

started eating Cheerios

as long as she is in the mix of activity she is a happy camper

Fourth Fun {KS style}

During the 4th of July week we spent a few days in Kansas!

We went to my Dad's house and got to see my brother and his family. We took a few family pictures, went to a BBQ and swim party, watched fireworks, set off our own fireworks and went to the waterpark. Evy even said her 1st words there...Dada. It was a lot of fun packed into a few days!

Family selfie at the waterpark

Always up for a snack!

The kids weren't tall enough for the bigger slides, but Kolter loved this one and went down it approximately 12,893,567 times. Sawyer and Nora loved the lazy river (which they are not very lazy in) and the wave pool.

Snack break

Setting off some smoke bombs, parachutes, firecrackers and snappers

My perpetual sparkler with a sparkler

Searching the skies for a parachute...in their pj's

On July 5th the boys headed to Smith Center. Sawyer and Kolter stayed at the farm and the timing was perfect because it was harvest and everyone loves a combine ride! Kyle dropped them off and headed to CO with his high school buddies for a week of fishing!

The girls spent another day in KS visiting Papa and Tache. Then we headed back to OK for a week of girly fun.

Baseball Boy

Sawyer's 1st season of machine pitch baseball is over. Honestly, it was a rough season. Sawyer enjoyed playing the game and being with friends, but he struggled with batting. Thankfully, it didn't seem to phase him much at first, but by the middle of the season he realized his lack of hitting skills and he started to put pressure on himself.

His fielding improved and he did a great job at different positions. He practiced hard (extra batting practice with daddy, batting cages, lots of hard work, etc.) but he still struggled. The last week he practiced batting everyday and we are so thankful that the hard work paid off because in his last at bat of the season (the only time he batted in the final game) he hit the ball on the 1st pitch! We were all so surprised and excited that he got a hit and got on base, but I'm even more proud and excited for his hard work and perseverance. Now that the season is over and I reflect on it I couldn't be more proud of Sawyer!

After the game we were gushing about his hit and his hard work leading up to it and his reply..."Yeah, I hit it on the 1st pitch! I didn't even have to get mad at the ball!"

So excited to get on base (he made it to 3rd before the inning was over)

Hustling at 1st base

This was also Kyle's first foray into the world of coaching his kids. Sawyer loved having Daddy out there!

4 Firecrackers & a Neon Rainbow

It's a little late but here are my 4 firecrackers (3 little, 1 big) and a neon rainbow (because she always has to be different) wishing everyone a happy 4th of July!

Children of DIY

If you've been reading here awhile you know we are currently renovating our house. You also know we have 4 children from age 7 down to 9 months. If you're not into DIY you may wonder how we do it...what do we do with the children? Well here's a look into the lives of our children during our recent sunroom renovation.

Let me in!

Lets gather all the pillows and blankets in the entire house and make a fort...sounds like a good idea...don't lose the baby in the mess...mom and dad won't care

Oh there's mom...happy day!

Wait, I can't get to her!

Evy's feelings after Mommy spent the day tiling a floor in the glass room (and not snuggling with her)! Ironically, after 12 hours of laying floor tile that's a good depiction of how Mommy feels too!

Then sometimes you have the most adorable DIY "helpers"

I didn't get a picture of it, but Sawyer actually was helpful picking up and installing electrical covers

They also provide much needed entertainment!

Party Planning

One day Nora decided she wanted to plan a party (for no reason). She chose the color scheme (red, white and blue). She picked out outfits that match the color scheme...fancy dresses for the girls and pajama's for the boys (???)! And she insisted on tie dye ice cream cone cupcakes. She is a girl after my own heart.

We started with the cupcakes.

She helped with the whole process and even frosted most of them by herself (see the finished product in the videos below).

She wrote an invitation with no help at all. Translation: You're coming to the party. We are going to have treats.
Plus a little bling never hurts ;)

I should have gotten a picture of everyone in their party attire, but alas all I got was this cute picture of Evy in her red, white and blue.

Nora also did the decorating and set out party favors! Then we invited a few friends over and they were kind of enough to come over on very short notice to fulfill a little girl's dreams of party planning!

iPhone Unload {June 2017}

Pictures (top to bottom, L to R): Kolter pulled a stool to the middle of the floor and proceeded to eat his sandwich; someone thought playing in the toilet was a great idea; sliding sisters; cute Kolter; when you're trying to eat a healthy diet but your oldest son takes you on a date and wants to get you something...you eat the cupcake; standing and into EVERYTHING; she is 9 months old and crawling everywhere, pulling up on everything, climbing stairs, chewing on electric cords with her 2 razor sharp teeth, opening cabinets and pulling out the contents, putting everything in her mouth...but then there's this moment of peace and I'm reminded to cherish her littleness whether she is destroying the house, melting us with her smile or sleeping peacefully in my arms; biggest + littlest #twins; cart cutie; Mommy & Evy; Daddy with Sawyer and Evy

Pictures (top to bottom, L to R): Evy loves her sink baths; Evy also loves pulling things out of the cabinets; movie night with Nora; Kolter being ornery and cute all at the same time; baby bird opens wide for the food; that pencil behind the ear!; sister twinning in dresses mommy made; Father's Day fun; everyone pile on Daddy is a favorite around here; you know just a morning bowl of Cheerios and orange gatorade; so happy while she waits for food; this makes my heart happy #thebigthree #readersmakeleaders