Weekend with Friends

Last weekend, our good friends (the Lloyd's) came for a visit from Chicago.  The weather was beautiful and we started our time off with a trip to Krekel's...and sat outside!  Between all of our families (Colliers, Lloyds, Taltys and Koskinens) there are 22 of us!  It made for quite the line up on the picnic tables :)!  After we finished lunch, we headed to the park.  It's so nice how well all of our kids play together!

YUM!

Best buddies!  Ethan, Brennan, Camden & Soren

Ethan climbed up to the top!

Ethan and Nora

She loves swinging!  And she's really good at it!

Love these girls!  (Erin, me, Emily, Jessica)

On Sunday, we all planned to go to the late church service and stay afterwards to eat lunch at the church (there are too many of us to go to a restaurant).  So, we ordered pizza, ate, talked and let the kids run wild around the church lobby and in the play place!
This was the only picture I have from Sunday.  Nora and Mayleigh telling each other good-bye.

Such cute girls!!

Around Home

So sorry for the lack of blog posts...We've been busy with normal, everyday life ;).  I have been active posting pictures on Instagram (so check there on occasion).  Anyway, I have a few pictures from the last couple weeks to share.

Nora D

So pretty!

Atley has been loving her exersaucer time lately!

Ethan still loves to hold his baby sis 

Something was funny

Atley and Ethan

Atley has been getting stronger and stronger.  Today she really showed off her sitting up skills!

Big girl sitting up all by herself!

She is growing so fast!

Snow...Round 2

We got another 8 or so inches of snow last night...on top of the left over 5ish inches from last weekend.  We braved the weather and made it to church.  After lunch, I bet you can guess what happened.  Yep, we suited up and headed out to play.  Ethan and Jared are going on 3 hours outside!  They have shoveled, made huge snow mounds, dug a tunnel through the snow, sledded, rolled around and threw countless snowballs.

Rolling around in the snow tunnel

Jared couldn't quite make it ;)

Ethan could!

Ethan & Nora with our new neighbors and friends, Zach and Elizabeth

Nora and Ethan on the snow mound

Atley's 5 Months!

Since Atley was born on the 30th of the month, she doesn't have a "real" 5 month birthday.  So, with this being the last day of February, I'm considering her 5 months old today!

• She is a happy girl! 
• She smiles and giggles a lot
• She loves to sleep- she still takes 3-4 naps/cat naps a day
• She sleeps from about 9pm-7:30am (yay!)

• She's content sitting in someones lap and looking around
• She's trying more and more to sit up on her own

• Looking like a tripod (this doesn't last long)
• And eventually folding in half ;)

• She loves rolling over to her tummy
• She won't stay on her back for long (except while sleeping)- basically rolls over immediately 
• She's a drooling, wet, teething mess!  (Notice the slobber above)
• She has found her toes (but only while getting a diaper change- since she doesn't stay on her back long enough)
• She is really getting the hang of chewing on anything she can get her hands on- but still needs a little help getting a hold of toys.
• She eats about 5 times a day (every 3.5-4 hours)
• Rice cereal is still her only solid food and she gets that around 8pm before her last feeding of the day.
• I forgot to weigh her today so I'll hopefully update soon ;).

We love you Atley Jane.  And are loving watching you grow and learn everyday!  Happy 5 months baby girl!!

Snow!!

We finally got some real snow in these parts!  We've been dying to get out and sled, shovel and play (ok, maybe not the shovel part).  We were forecasted to get 4-7 inches and ended up with 8.  8 inches of fluffy, beautiful, white snow!  I'm pretty sure half of that fell in the first hour and a half of the snowfall!  There were some HUGE flakes coming down last night.  Our good friends, the Koskinen's came over to sled and play this morning.  It was a fun time; even if I was only out briefly to take a few pictures- next year Atley and I will sled :)!

Jared and Ethan

Soren and Ethan heading down the hill

Rolling in the snow= Happy kid!

Nora's ready!

Josh and Kelton

He fell off his sled

She had a blast too!

Love this boy!

Nora, taking Daddy down the hill

The 3 sledders! (It was bright and this was the best I could get)

I love this girl!

Date Night Photos

Last Friday Jared and I went on a date!  Our church was having a babysitting fundraiser, so we dropped the kids off, made our donation and headed out!  Our MOPS program also had a fundraiser.  We had a photographer donate her time to take date night photos of couples in her studio.  Jared and I got some taken and I'm really happy with how they turned out.

I love this man! And I'm so lucky to have him!!

After pictures, we met our good friends, Brian and Jessica for a delicious dinner!!

Major Phone Dump

I was looking through pictures on my phone and there are A LOT!  So, here they are :)!

These 2 were up too early one morning this week.  And they were happy about it :).

Just a little cuddling with Minnie (or maybe some wrestling).

Minnie taking a ride on Nora's back!

Atley, always flipping over to her belly!

Sisters!

We went to the museum last weekend.

American Gothic kids!

Good thing these are just for play!

Jared and I had a date last weekend too!

Date night selfie!

Ethan wanted to take a selfie!

Photo of the photographer

Little mama, Nora

Bubba is all ready for school