We're still here!

Well, to say it's been quite a year would be a huge understatement!  2014 proved to be extremely busy, hard work, expensive, stressful, and wonderful all at the same time.  We saw so many blessings, and I can definitely say that I saw the hand of the Lord in our lives.  I really am wishing I would have stuck with the whole blogging thing......there is just so much I don't want to forget.  So, I am going to try and remember a few of the highlights.  Here we go!

November of 2013 we started searching for a home to buy.  This may seem fun to some, but can I just say that shopping for a home in Utah was a COMPLETELY different experience than shopping for a home in Arizona.  What started as fun quickly faded into frustration! After many many houses, we closed 4 months later on a home. We were between a new home farther from town, or an existing home in town. Location won out, and we ended up with a fixer upper. The first week of moving in consisted of moving in, and ripping out the kitchen. After the kitchen update, it was on to the laundry room.  A new roof came the end of May along with tons of landscaping. Painting and more painting, two almost finished bathroom remodels, countless light fixtures replaced (can't forget the ceiling needing painted white:), the door and wall to the basement being removed to make more open, and getting our garden in just in time for summer. (That was a little jumbled) This doesn't even begin to give credit for everything.......can I just say my husband is Amazing!  The work continues!

The kids grew up so much! Eloise changed a ton this past year, and really isn't a baby anymore. She is acting so much like a little girl now. She will be three in May, and just hit 21 lbs! She may be tiny, but she has a giant spirit! She loves everything princess and girly these days. Alexander Started Kindergarten in September. He is getting so big, but to me he is still my little guy. I am loving having him home still for half days. Maxwell and Mackay are both getting to be such big guys. All of the boys are still loving legos and playing outside in nature.  They are such a joy, I am one lucky Mama! And I can hardly believe that Noelle turned 12 in October. I was not ready for this! She is acting so grown up, and looking that way too! Can't believe she is in YW's now. I am one Blessed woman!!

In September we had a bit of a scare when I discovered a large lump on Maxwells upper under arm. I honestly don't know how I missed it, because it was quite large. Yes, I panicked! After seeing his pediatrician and two bone specialists, it was determined to be an osteocondroma. They are usually not a problem, but his was causing him discomfort because of the location and it rubbing against his ribs. He had surgery to have it removed the day before Halloween. Everything went very well, and he had only the best taking care of him at Primary Childrens in Salt Lake.
We had a beautiful holiday season. I don't ever want to forget the sound of the children Christmas morning. There is no better sound to be awakened by!

In all, though it was a difficult year in many ways, we saw the Lords blessings upon us in so many ways. We have been so very blessed!

The year of the Apartment.

Well, this past year has been so crazy to say the least!  I don't even know where to start.  I really wish I would have kept up on blogging over the past year, as we have had such a crazy one!  Last April we made the decision to move to a little townhouse apartment in hopes of saving up more money so we could buy a home again.  It was such a good experience for our family, but I now I was not the only one that was thinking we had made a crazy decision to do it.  It was challenging for our family of 7 to live in 1200 sq. feet! I think I always had a bruise on my arm or leg from hitting something or tripping over something.  Just three months into our adventure, Aaron got really sick, and we thought he had a terrible flu bug. We had just been sick with the flu a couple of weeks earlier, so I was determined to stay clear...... I even slept on the couch:) I felt really bad, when Aaron told me he needed to go in, and that he thought it was appendicitis.  Sure enough, he has surgery that afternoon to remove his appendix.  I don't think I won the wife of the year award with that one:).  August came, and we were in full swing of birthday season.  Eloise started walking I think it was the 9th.  She was so so tipsy with walking. I think her tiny mere 15lb. petite frame made it so hard to keep stable.  She has not slowed down since, and she is so fun and such a blessing to our family. The holidays were lovely as always, but by this time I was feeling quite anxious for some space, as were the kids. We started looking for a home to buy in November. I thought it might take some time to find the right home, and that became an understatement! Buying a home in Utah proved to be a test of my patient and our families.  We closed on our home in Orem on March 3rd. We are in full swing of trying to make this a beautiful home. It has been so crazy. The kids are able to stay in their same school, and we are so happy about that. Having space again is amazing! I hope to get some new pics posted soon, and update more often.  The kids have grown so so much, and I can hardly believe it is spring and Eloise will be two next month!  Good times ahead! We have been so very blessed, and I have seen the Lords hand in my life during this crazy past year.

Family Pictures May 2013

This was our best attempts at family pictures with the tripod this year. We got some great shots that I love, but as you can see, we are missing a couple kids personal shots. We meant to go back a couple days later to attempt try #2, but life gets so busy sometimes! I will forever treasure these ones! I Love my family!!

My baby turns 1!! (I am way behind!)

Well, once again time has gotten away from me and it is September 1st!! I can't believe I have let blogging get away from me again! I don't want to miss out on recording these precious memories and our fun summer, so I am going to attempt to catch up as quickly as possible.  May was a big month for us, our little princess turned one! I can hardly believe how fast time has gone since we first found out we were expecting again. It has been a wonderful year filled with so much love and joy.  I am one blessed woman to have this little lady in my life! Eloise has so much spunk and personality. It must be that beautiful red hair! Eloise was still crawling on her first birthday, and got her first two teeth the week of her birthday. Just a little thing still, I think she was a whopping 15 pounds at her one year appointment! We had a fun party at a beautiful park, and yummy cake. She sure loved those fondant strawberries! I love this girl! 

My wonderful life

Once again the month has gotten away from me. I meant to write about so many things over the past month....... Mackay's awesome pinewood derby car, Eloise learning to stand up against furniture and even take steps behind her dolly stroller, Noelle mastering another beautiful song on the piano, Aaron getting his new app update out at work, Alexander breaking his nose on the stairs, and we are moving once again. So much has happened this past month, and as I was tucking each of my sweet children into bed the other night, I felt so blessed for my life and the experiences I get to have everyday, I had wonderful memories of each of them flood my mind. I am so very blessed. I could see Noelle running as fast as she could with her kite flying behind her, I could see Mackay so tenderly loving on his baby sister, Maxwell's huge smile, Alexander quietly playing while the kids are at school and asking me so sweetly to go to the donut shop, and little Eloise crawling all over the house and eating any crumb she can get those sweet fingers on. These are the things I want to remember. I love being a Mother.

February

Well, the time has gotten away from me again, and I can hardly believe February is over and we are on into March.  I love February, not just because it is my birthday month, but I love Valentines day and all the pink and red is so fun. Tax returns are a bonus as well:)  We had a great month.  Valentines day was fun as always.  I decided to throw a little Valentines day party with Alexander. The kids always come home with gobs of treats and stories all about their exciting day and Alexanders day is usually less than exciting. So we had over his little cousins for a party. We made heart pizzas and heart cookies for dessert. Lots of pink and red and of course, Valentines. I think they all had a good time. Later that night Aaron and I got to go out again this year which was so nice. We opted to go to Panda Express because the lines were the shortest we could find. It's not about the food right?? We had a nice time together just talking and enjoying each others company. Eloise slept through dinner, so that was a bonus. We stopped for frozen yogurt on the way home. Aaron's parents threw their annual Valentines day party again, which made our date possible. The kids had a great time as always. Grandma made each of the kids a little monster out of felt with a matchbox bed. So, so cute, Wish I would have thought of that one!  The kids loved it all, especially the fact that they served fish sticks for dinner!
 I turned 30(that is not the great part) and my family spoiled me like they always do. Noelle was so sweet and brought me breakfast in bed. I had an early meeting for RS, so I spent the morning at the church. Aaron bought me a 1000 piece puzzle that we worked on in the afternoon, then Nicole and the kids came over for dinner. I made my favorite, strawberry pie for dessert. All the kids made me the cutest cards, I loved them all! Aaron gave me a vintage shelf that was his grandmas, he is going to refinish it for me. I love it!  He also bought me a new bathrobe, pjs and an ipad. The ipad went back since the new updated one comes out in March.  I really do have the most thoughtful husband, he always does such nice things for me. I am a blessed woman! It was a nice relaxing day, I love days like that. I guess I am easy to please. Eloise took her first crawls on my birthday as well, what a fun treat! She is now unstoppable and can find any microscopic thing that you may be missing. The kids are loving that she is mobile! This is definitely a super cute stage and we are enjoying every moment. Eloise also had her nine month appointment and she is still a tiny little thing. She weighed in at 14lbs 4oz. and was 25 inches long. She is now in the 2nd % for weight and .8 % for height. We are sure loving her!  I can't forget that Noelle got her hair cut, she looks so beautiful and so grown up. She had been asking for about a month, so I figured she was sure. She is loving it, and is feeling so stylish!  Mackay and Aaron  had Blue and Gold for scouts, and I stayed home with the other kids. It sounds like it was a success. Aaron made the movie for the program and did a great job as always.
I finally got back to my sewing machine. I made a baby boy quilt for my sisters baby. He is 9 months like Eloise, and did not yet have a quilt of his own. I forgot to take a picture, but it turned out so cute. I think I finally have mastered binding. It was my best binding job yet! So exciting for me!!
I hope I did not forget any of the highlights, hopefully this month I will be better at writing down things as they happen.

Chore Chart

Time for accountability:)