sunshine + snow

highlights of the week:

- james having monday off! we went to see the greatest showman again, this time with brooklyn and kendall in tow. to say they loved it is an understatement! we listen to the album in the car, at home, and their grandparents' houses as well.

- i accomplished something at the gym that seemed impossible to me a few months ago.

- i lucked out and got to go see it again a third time with chelsea late tuesday night. such a fun movie to go to again and again!

- brooklyn had monday and tuesday off from school and i loved having her home!!!

- thursday i went to a girls' night with friends i haven't seen in forever!

- friday night we went up to coalville to support the lady braves + coach holmes and have a sleepover at my parents'. the girls had been begging!

- my mom spoiled us with crepes saturday morning that were too too good!

aside from all the good stuff, the younger two girls have been fighting the worst coughs. they sound horrible and i know they've been a little miserable. not to mention, adalyn is getting teeth and has an ear infection. i kept them away from people as much as possible and i'm hoping they'll be able to join regular society in the next couple of days.

unfortunately, i caught their cough and was down and out most of the weekend. moms should not get sick! that's the second saturday in a row james has had to step up and take care of all of us. i'm so grateful to him for that!

one of the highlights of the week not mentioned above was going to the park thursday afternoon. it was the most beautiful day! my girls were in heaven swinging, climbing, and running outside.

fast forward to the weekend's snow storm!!! my girls were even more excited about the snow than they were the sunshine. they definitely don't have spring fever like their mama. they could hardly wait to be suited up in all their snow gear and go out and play in the white stuff.

this was adi's first time and we loved watching her try to maneuver in that snow suit. cutest thing!

she loved eating the snow and being pulled around in the sled with her sisters. then, her daddy pushed her in the swing and it was all belly laughs!

the veterans: brooklyn and kendall had a blast making snow angels, also eating the snow, and just being outside playing in it! they were so happy!

then, it got dark and cold. james took them to nana's for some delicious hot chocolate and the night was perfect to them. it's all about the simple things!

so while i'm jonesing for spring to get here quickly, i'm also super happy for the moisture and the joy this snow brings with it! i imagine i'll be suiting the girls up a few more times this week and that effort really is all worth it. 

christmas cheer.

i really feel like we've done a pretty good job this month at not doing too much. we've really not over planned or overbooked ourselves and we've just been able to enjoy the season. the past two decembers felt crazy. christmas came and went and i felt like i had been holding my breath. we were trying to fit "it" all in and it really wore me out. but this year has been different.

(the girls in their christmas dresses from grandma)

the snow is partly to blame. the huge snow storms we've had days in a row have really forced us to stay in, sit by the tree, drink hot cocoa, snuggle up and watch christmas movies, and get wrapping done. i've really loved it. but i've also not had to go anywhere in it so that makes it different. the snow has also made my girls so happy. they want to be outside playing in it all the time! how can i say no to that?

their elf, dandy, brought them a snow man kit the day of the first real big storm and brooklyn was stoked to put it together. it was a fun little craft to do after playing so hard in the snow.

it really has been a winter wonderland and it brings the excitement of christmas!

brooklyn (and no help from kendall) made a 'snow volcano' one day and she was so proud of it. she kept looking out the window to make sure it was still there. it's things like that, simple memories and joy from building a snow man that are so important to me as a mother.

we did have one more big football game to get through this month and it was not a happy one for james. lucky for me, during the first quarter, my friends and i left and headed for the salt+honey market in slc. it was so fun to get out and do something fun with friends that was easy, no stress, and mostly just relaxing. it was an awesome handmade market set up at the old anthropologie at the gateway. i didn't plan on buying anything but couldn't help myself and bough a couple things. the best part was the free hot cocoa bar at the end, and sadly, the only thing i got a picture of that day.

we've gotten more snow in the past couple of days and that's meant more time playing outside. brooklyn really can't get enough. and here she is, doing what she loves in a nice fresh pile of snow, making a snow angel.

kendall loves brooklyn to pull her around in the sled. she gets in, lays flat on her back, and enjoys the ride. sometimes she dips her glove in the snow so she can have a little treat. it's the cutest thing to watch and brooklyn doesn't mind the hard work. 

james built brooklyn a tiny little sled hill right outside the front door and the night they were out there doing it, kendall got out one of my serving platters, hopped on it, and let me know that she'd like to be out there sledding too. it was the cutest thing. and i definitely got the hint!

james has come home every day in the last week and either snow plowed the driveway and sidewalks or played in the snow with the girls. i'm so grateful to him for that. he loves spending as much time as he can with brooklyn and kendall and they absolutely love when he plays with them. the snow just makes it ten times better!

the highlight of the weekend for the girls was probably their visit to santa. while we were waiting in line to see him, the girls could see him in a tiny window and were just shaking with excitement. i thought once kendall actually got in there that she'd freeze up and be terrified of him. but that wasn't the case at all. she dove right into his lap and started touching his beard. james and i (and mrs. clause) were all laughing!

i'm so sad this picture is so blurry!

we asked mrs. clause to join them for some pictures and she obliged. the girls just talked their ears off and then were so happy to get a candy cane at the end. it was so fun to see their eyes light up and really feel that excitement and magic of christmas. these two have made this christmas season one of most magical i can remember.

now we're two days away and i'm hanging onto every minute, listening to every christmas song, and really just trying to enjoy the last of it all. i can't wait to see the girls' reactions on christmas morning and spend time with so many that we love!

m e r r y  c h r i s t m a s !

p.s. i invited some friends over for a wrapping party one night and it was so much fun! i'd definitely recommend it. no one wants to sit and wrap presents alone. why not do it with friends and treats? i'm hoping to make it an annual thing, and you should too!

snow in april.

waking up to a blizzard outside in the middle of april was unexpected, but when you live with a three year old, there was definitely some excitement over it. kendall woke us all up a little earlier than usual so we had a nice slow morning to get ready and brave the snow for story time. brooklyn was literally the only kid there until half way through. that meant she had a lot to say to the librarian reading the books and she wanted all of the turns. oh that girl has a lot to learn about classroom etiquette. and kendall, she slept through all of it.

we got home and had lunch, and then brooklyn promptly asked to paint. i asked her what she wanted and we found a few pictures she was excited about. she took her time painting the three that are pictured. paid attention to detail, though i'd have to tell you those details because you'd never guess. ha. she couldn't wait to show her daddy when he got home.

i felt guilty not encouraging brooklyn to play outside in the snow, or not even bringing it to her attention. i wanted to do something she'd be excited about. so we made cookies. her job was to roll them into little balls before going in the oven. she wanted to make baby ones. so we did just that.

kendall watched, and waited. she couldn't wait to get her hands on a cookie.

 they turned out cute and delicious. though brooklyn only wanted to eat two. who's kid is this?

james was a very grateful guy to get home and have homemade cookies waiting for him.

i also wanted to make something warm and cozy for dinner, so i decided against my originally planned meal and made something i saw on studio 5 this week.

grilled cheese and tomato soup bake.

you guys. it was good. with some green beans on the side. it totally hit the spot. try it. 

the past week

weeks when james has school feel so busy. i feel more tired and i feel like there's more to do. we definitely miss having him around for those two nights during the week. lately i've been trying really hard not to let brooklyn have much screen time. it's been going well, but we definitely have more messes on our hands. she loves being creative and doing "arts and crafts" so that makes me happy.

here she is practicing her name.

after story time at the library it was raining like crazy, so we set up a little water color word station and she loved it.

because sunday was the first day of march, i felt like dressing my girls in spring dresses. i'm getting anxious for spring and everything that comes with it.

kendall in brooklyn's first easter dress. she looked darling!

brooklyn had her first time at participating in opening exercises in primary on sunday. she gave the scripture. we practiced for two weeks. she had it memorized and nailed it. james and i were so proud of her. it was surreal watching her do it though. i can't believe she's old enough to be doing that!

so much harder to get a good picture of a three year old than it is an eight month old.

it was our turn to host family home evening with my family. i served hawaiian haystacks and these killer coconut cupcakes my aunt holly sent me the recipe for this past week. they were delicous! maybe it's because they have six sticks of butter in them. yep. six!

cute little cutler!

monday afternoon i got to accompany kayla to her twenty week ultrasound. lucky me! i loved being able to go and watch and ooh and ahh over that cute little boy who's going to join our family this summer! kayla and judd are going to be awesome parents.

tuesady, we woke up to a snow storm. it was beautiful and white outside and brooklyn was so excited! so i promised her that after breakfast, some quick chores, and baths, that she could go out and build a snowman. she's been dying all winter to. 

these pictures are of  the girls fresh out of the shower. yes, they shower together, and they love it. kendall is in the bumbo for now, not sure what we'll do when she won't stay in it.

a three year old in heaven!

i quickly put kendall down for a nap and ran outside to help brooklyn build a snowman and shovel the walks. we built this guy in about four minutes. he's pretty pathetic but brooklyn loved him.

we're supposed to get a little more snow tomorrow, but hopefully it's sunshine and spring after that. and tomorrow night is disney on ice. we bought the tickets in december and brooklyn has been anxiously waiting since. next time, we'll probably tell her the night before. that's a long time to wait for a little girl. she was willing to go to bed tonight because she knows what's happening tomorrow. funny. 

h a p p y  w e d n e s d a y

p.s. i found this candle at target that smells EXACTLY like the capri blue volcano candle from anthropologie. i love it!