To the contrary. Lucy is no longer 10 months old and the warm, sunny weather I was pictured in with my children has passed. Life is busy and like most moms, I feel spread very thin. Motherhood leaves you with the constant turmoil of how to make best use of your time. Oh, how I wish I was a better friend and multi-tasker. Although there are times I'd like to freeze my days of having young kids, I also look forward to days of them being more self-sufficient. As I was wading through pictures this evening, I came across this picture I snapped this fall of the front seat of my minivan. (While waiting at a red light of course--I may text while I drive, but I don't snap pictures.) It summed up some of the craziness of my life so nicely.
Blogging has sunk low on the priority list, which makes me sad, because I know I'm allowing memories to escape me. And I'm depriving far away grandparents and other loved ones to peek into our lives. So here it goes again.Below is an update covering the last 4-months...somewhat. I'm committed to finishing this post tonight, so I will try to restrain myself in writing much text. Feel free to skip over this-- as this is really more for our record keeping.
Another soccer season passed.
Ella turned 7.
Complete with a Harry Potter themed birthday party. (Ideas compliments of Jenn Kirwan.) My attempt at a snitch cake.
I realized I failed to get many pics, but wizards in attendance were taught Quidditch, herbology, potions and defense against the dark arts (pictured below).
And they reaped the fruits of their hard work with the destruction of Lord Voldemort.
Ella's actual birthday was several days later--
And was a little upset that her big day was the same day as the school fun run. Each class runs a mile through the surrounding neighborhood.
Samantha was insistent on holding the sign while clapping at the same time. She was a devoted cheerleader.
And Ella of course did great--and crossed the finish line with her best friend.
I realized I failed to get many pics, but wizards in attendance were taught Quidditch, herbology, potions and defense against the dark arts (pictured below).
And they reaped the fruits of their hard work with the destruction of Lord Voldemort. 
Ella's actual birthday was several days later--
And was a little upset that her big day was the same day as the school fun run. Each class runs a mile through the surrounding neighborhood.
Samantha was insistent on holding the sign while clapping at the same time. She was a devoted cheerleader.
And Ella of course did great--and crossed the finish line with her best friend.
We returned to school a couple of hours later to eat lunch with Ella and bring cupcakes for her class. She was allowed to buy lunch that day and I tried not to be too disgusted with the pizza and strawberry milk.
And her evening celebration with her grandparents was a success.
Her main gift being a new bike (without training wheels!!!) which she learned to ride on the field near our house. Hooray!
And my birthday. 
We contributed the Hermione and bumblebee.
And the butterfly.
And her evening celebration with her grandparents was a success.
Her main gift being a new bike (without training wheels!!!) which she learned to ride on the field near our house. Hooray!
The passing of Ella's birthday means raking leaves
And my birthday. But...hmmm, I can't seem to find those pictures. Maybe it never happened. That would be okay.
And then of course Halloween. Halloween festivities this year consisted of a ward Halloween party on Saturday in place of trick-or-treating on Sunday.
We contributed the Hermione and bumblebee.
And the butterfly.
Thanksgiving was a blast as we got to spend it with the Kirwans. We drove 12 hours over two days to Champagne, Illinois. They stuffed us with way too much food and they showed us around their new environs, which includes a fun college town.
The weekend included chocolate pilgrim hats
Wrestling matches
a trip to a children's science museum
and ice skating--not pictured. Thanks again, Kirwans for a fun time. We'd do the drive again and again.
And then Ms. Lucy...is now our big 1 year old.
She refused the bib, and turned out to be our most aggresive one-year old cake eater yet.
It was a huge success--we made more than ever this year and experimented with some new recipes, which were great. It was chocolate heaven. We decided that when you combine the $400 worth of ingredients and all the air fare of the women, these are pricey chocolates. That could buy a lot of Godivas. But we're quite proud of our creations and love the time together.
Plus...we have another generation to train.
Our chocolate making was the kick-off to our Christmas season, and just the beginning of the sugar consumption. Below is Ella and her good friend who lives two houses away.
This Christmas may have been our best yet--I'm a HUGE fan of staying in my own house for Christmas. My parents also stayed in town and spent the night at our house so they could be there for Christmas morning. Lucy awoke an hour before everyone else and we found ourselves watching the clock, waiting for Ella and Sam to wake up.
I made an ABC scrapbook for Sam which was a huge hit--pat on the back to me.
Lucy enjoyed the destruction of the morning and her sisters' things more than her own. Santa did bring her a new carseat which she loves.
I failed to take a picture before the destruction, which is too bad because it was quite lovely.
Christmas breakfast is only complete with our traditional orange rolls.
And we did get a pic before gifts at my parents' house. Sam is sporting one of the three princess dresses that Santa brought her, which she rotated through that day.
The weekend included chocolate pilgrim hats
Wrestling matches
a trip to a children's science museum
and ice skating--not pictured. Thanks again, Kirwans for a fun time. We'd do the drive again and again.And then Ms. Lucy...is now our big 1 year old.
She refused the bib, and turned out to be our most aggresive one-year old cake eater yet.
Lucy's birthday happened to overlap with our big chocolate making weekend. My sister, Jen and sisters-in-law, Janene and Chloe all flew in for the weekend. Here we are watching the head chef do her thing.
It was a huge success--we made more than ever this year and experimented with some new recipes, which were great. It was chocolate heaven. We decided that when you combine the $400 worth of ingredients and all the air fare of the women, these are pricey chocolates. That could buy a lot of Godivas. But we're quite proud of our creations and love the time together.
Plus...we have another generation to train.
Our chocolate making was the kick-off to our Christmas season, and just the beginning of the sugar consumption. Below is Ella and her good friend who lives two houses away.
This Christmas may have been our best yet--I'm a HUGE fan of staying in my own house for Christmas. My parents also stayed in town and spent the night at our house so they could be there for Christmas morning. Lucy awoke an hour before everyone else and we found ourselves watching the clock, waiting for Ella and Sam to wake up.
I made an ABC scrapbook for Sam which was a huge hit--pat on the back to me.
Lucy enjoyed the destruction of the morning and her sisters' things more than her own. Santa did bring her a new carseat which she loves.
I failed to take a picture before the destruction, which is too bad because it was quite lovely.
Christmas breakfast is only complete with our traditional orange rolls.
And we did get a pic before gifts at my parents' house. Sam is sporting one of the three princess dresses that Santa brought her, which she rotated through that day.
New Years was spent at our temple visitors center for a chinese dancing program--the girls were thrilled--our y chromosome friends and fathers, not so much.
Ella-bless her heart, was a trooper. December 28 she had her tonsils out and we dragged her out. She wanted to be out and about, but could still barely talk. Winter break was the perfect time to do the tonsils and she's glad its behind her.
We've had 4 snow days so far this year. I don't win any awards for creative entertainment for my children, other than helping them into their snow gear. However, the girls took matters into their own hands and figured out that with some re-arranging, the hall linen closet served as the perfect hide-out, with built in bunk beds. Blankies, pillows, books and flashlights were gathered to complete the fun. 
Snow days also mean lots of pajama time and hanging out in Mom and Dad's bed.
Although not pictured, our front yard was the sight of the fort which all the kids on the block worked together to build. Our last snow fall was extremely wet, great for packing and the kids spent hours and hours outside over several days. The last snow fall also brought ice, with many downed trees and branches. Our power went out for 3 days. We toughed it out the first night and slept in the house--which was cold, cold, cold. My parents fortunately got their power back late that night and we moved in with them until our power came back. Miserable.
Ella-bless her heart, was a trooper. December 28 she had her tonsils out and we dragged her out. She wanted to be out and about, but could still barely talk. Winter break was the perfect time to do the tonsils and she's glad its behind her.
In more recent news...
Lucy finally started to pull herself up at 13 months. She is now showing a little courage in letting go, but I still think we've got another month or two before walking is a reality. My girls are slow movers.
We've had 4 snow days so far this year. I don't win any awards for creative entertainment for my children, other than helping them into their snow gear. However, the girls took matters into their own hands and figured out that with some re-arranging, the hall linen closet served as the perfect hide-out, with built in bunk beds. Blankies, pillows, books and flashlights were gathered to complete the fun. 
Snow days also mean lots of pajama time and hanging out in Mom and Dad's bed.
Although not pictured, our front yard was the sight of the fort which all the kids on the block worked together to build. Our last snow fall was extremely wet, great for packing and the kids spent hours and hours outside over several days. The last snow fall also brought ice, with many downed trees and branches. Our power went out for 3 days. We toughed it out the first night and slept in the house--which was cold, cold, cold. My parents fortunately got their power back late that night and we moved in with them until our power came back. Miserable. This crew is not only the source of my busyness, but also the source of my happiness. I adore them.
Brian tells me Ella looks just like me. But...
And Samantha spends a lot of time as a princess hosting tea parties. She is a board game addict--and her favorite line of conversation is, "when I'm a mom"... I'll drive, I'll put the soap in the dishwasher, I'll wear those earrings, I'll read the newspaper, I'll have a cell phone...
Lucy, although still a mama's girl, is beginning to lighten up a little. She will now tolerate my mom and ventures out of my sight a little more. Although she has a total of 12 teeth, she still prefers soft, pureed stuff, which I don't get. Her words are "Uh-oh" and "Ma Ma". And she is a total poser for the camera--
And I'm realizing that she is really starting to grow into her own distinct look.
There you have it...the Bowcut Bulletin is back.
And Samantha spends a lot of time as a princess hosting tea parties. She is a board game addict--and her favorite line of conversation is, "when I'm a mom"... I'll drive, I'll put the soap in the dishwasher, I'll wear those earrings, I'll read the newspaper, I'll have a cell phone...
Lucy, although still a mama's girl, is beginning to lighten up a little. She will now tolerate my mom and ventures out of my sight a little more. Although she has a total of 12 teeth, she still prefers soft, pureed stuff, which I don't get. Her words are "Uh-oh" and "Ma Ma". And she is a total poser for the camera--
And I'm realizing that she is really starting to grow into her own distinct look.
There you have it...the Bowcut Bulletin is back. 
