bless her heart

My little Payton just never stops. :) We call her 'Curious Payton'...very much like Curious George. She will accomplish great things in life because she has no fears and loves exploring new territory!

Her 'territory' this time was with gum. I don't think she has ever had gum or really even knows what it is. We don't really chew it that much, but Daddy had a pack in the drawer that she somehow got a hold of. 

 This was the result.

 What awesome little wrappers.

She loves her messes.

friends

Addison and Lydia are some super close buddies right now. :) And...I just love that they play so well together. Lydia came over after church this past week and they played together for hours.

I got some pics of them (and me) coloring a playhouse.

 

 What fun!

 

Two peas in a pod.

They changed their clothes about 5 times...dressing up in different outfits. They told me they had to be in "good fashion." :) I love seeing kids playing together I'm just grateful that Adders has Lydia and Kylie that she hangs with all the time.

baby chicks

We went to Rural King the other night and boy were these kids excited about what they saw!

 Payton especially enjoyed watching these critters moving around.

 They really are so stinkin' cute.

 Addison wanted to take this white, fluffy goodness home with her. She now keeps asking for a bunny. I'm not a big 'animal person' so for now we will just stick with the fake ones.

 They had some cute little ducks too...very tiny.

 

What a fun, little thing for them to see. Payton literally just stood there watching them forever.

puzzle fun

I got a cool puzzle for the kiddos for Christmas this year...and we just got it out for the first time yesterday. (Maybe a sign that they got too much stuff if we aren't even opening it till March!)

 They sure did enjoy it though...and it shows an example of just about any occupation or activity that anyone may ever choose to do in their life. It's called 'Who Am I?'

 

 

 They all worked so hard trying to find the pieces that went together.

 

 These were of course Addison's favs...pretty princesses and ballerinas. 

 Kaden did pretty well with his too. :)

 

Fun little activity to fill the morning.

classic!

I put Kaden on the pot yesterday...trying to bribe him with M&M's if he would go potty.

That didn't really work out, but I think he enjoyed his time there anyway. :) Just enjoying his little book while he waited.

little hangout

I remember when I was a kid just loving little spaces to hang out in...and the kids found one at our house too. It's behind the recliner. Just a little area where we throw all of our blankets. They LOVE to play back there.

Here they are just chillin' and laying...love how Payton is laying. :) I just had to get a pic because I knew how much I loved places like this when I was little. 

ant unit complete!

So proud of my little Sparky for all of her hard work...and Kaden too of course. He scribbled colored his way through and sat and looked at a couple of the books we read. And they both are noticing the ant hills right and left these days. Kaden comes running in the house saying, "Ants, ants..." And Addison always says, "And they are working very hard Mama." And...I smile and thank God that she remembered something! Ha! Just kidding....she is as sharp as a tack and remembers crazy details that I told her about ants. 

 She knows Proverbs 6:6 and recites it to everyone...literally. She can tell you anything you may want to know about these little guys. And...

 she learned what we can learn from the ants: Do your work without being told to do it. She tells me she is doing what ants do if she decides to unexpectedly pick up toys for me or clean her room. That's my girl. :)

 

Her writing was short and sweet about these guys she knows so much about, but I know her brain is full. :)

This is Kaden's take on all of it. :) He did a good job!

lucky shot

I got lucky with one of my pics today. A sleeping baby.

 I don't have many of these anymore. She is normally the first one up every morning, and wakes up as soon as she even thinks someone might be coming to get/rescue her from that terrible crib. I think her motto is: When life is so much fun to live, why waste it sleeping. :)

But...she must have been really tired during her nap this time. I had to wake her up to leave and found this sweet sight. Nothing sweeter than a sleeping baby.

aunt ash and aunt nat

Such crazy little aunts these kiddos have. :) 

 They would do anything to keep their nieces and nephew happy.

 And the kiddos love every minute of it.

 Especially being suspended in the air.

Cheese!

plantin' seeds

I took the kids out to my Mom's last week. She was going to keep them overnight because I had a workshop I had to work that night and the next day, Keith had K-9 training, and we needed a place for them! :) Mom told me to come out early because she wanted to plant some seeds with the kids...some flowers as well as some starts for some veggies she wants to grow. I packed everyone up and headed that way!

Mom was great about explaining everything to them and helping them.

 This little guy was loving it!

 Mom gave them each their seeds and told them to push them down just a bit.

 

 Taking her job VERY seriously. :)

Adders and Kylie

 Allie was a pro.

 Mom very patiently helped them water their 'seedlings.' :)

 Every kid got to plant several different things...here is Kaden with his batch.

 

 Addison watering hers.

After the 'planting' they played and ran around for a bit.

 

 Then they all had a little picnic lunch...love these pictures of them. Just chillin' in the sun.

We have been out to Mom and Dad's several times since the seed planting so they have been able to observe the growing of their little fellas. :) They are so excited about it. Can't wait to see the finished product of a lot of these.

supper with great-grandpa

Keith's Grandpa lives right around the corner from us, and you would think that we see him more than we do...and I hate that we do that. Life just gets busy and takes over sometimes with our little munchkins. And...some nights (like tonight) dinner is nothing fancy to invite him over for. :) However, the other day I made a big roast with potatoes and carrots. I told Keith to call his Grandpa and tell him to come over for dinner. I didn't think he would turn down a homemade roast dinner...and I was right! :)

 He probably would not appreciate the fact that I took a pic of him at the dinner table, but oh well. :)

 After dinner, we headed into the family room and just chatted and hung out. The kids kept crawling all over him...Kaden especially wanted to sit right next to him.

 Just had to get some pictures of them with their Great-Grandpa.

 Chillin' in her pj's right before her bedtime.

 Poor guy was probably ready to head home after being attacked by these kiddos. :)

We loved spending the evening with him...such an amazing man. And just so glad that I can capture these memories.