I found all these photos from this summer on a random memory card last night.

Ahhhh, makes me dream of warmer weather & fun times outside with the girls. Of course I find them all on  day when we're getting slammed with a big snow storm!!!

 I just love the highlighted hair {from the sun} and big smiles. I hadn't seen these photos since I took them. A day of fun at Bay Beach sometime this summer! I remember the day but couldn't tell you what month they are from!! I do know that it was Maeve's first time going on the rides. It was such a fun day...

How cute are they on the Merry-Go-Round???

 The big girls just loved helping Maeve & seeing her face as she rode the rides for the first time. Margaux, Daddy & Maeve on the helicopters...

 Marin... you're not paying attention to Maeve! She's about to crawl out of the ladybug!! 

And here is Miss Maeve seeing the ponies for the first time. She just stood, stared & pointed to them saying "pony" I remember it like it was yesterday. Such a cute little thing.

I can not wait to see what she'll do this coming summer when we go. A whole year makes such a difference. 5 months until summer! {but who's counting?!?} For now, we'll just continue to enjoy winter & how beautiful it is outside with all the fresh white snow. xoxo

You'd never know it looking at these photos of our happy little M...

But this poor little girl had a trip to Urgent Care just before these shots were taken. She and daddy were playing & he was swinging her around. Soon after, he set her down & she started to cry. Gary thought he could see her favoring her left arm, but went to change her diaper. After crying through the entire diaper change, Gary realized there was probably something wrong. Poor Daddy felt terrible but we were pretty sure her arm was out of socket. We even tried dangling a pacifier in front of her & she wouldn't grab for it! That's when we knew something was really wrong :)

Grandma Jean came over to watch the other girls & we took her in. She was in so much pain, we were so sad for her. The good news is the doctor was able to rotate it just the right way & it {turned out to be her elbow} popped back into socket. She was back to her normal silly self not 30 seconds later. Talking & asking for a sticker! Poor baby girl, but she's all good now. Still walking around with her onsie unsnapped from her urgent care visit. The doctor did reassure us that it happens all the time {which made Gary feel a little better I believe} and that she may be prone to it happening again. We'll just have to be more careful with this one. We're just so thankful she's feeling better! xoxo

She can not even get her pants on correctly with out them being backwards {oh, how I wish I were that thin that I could wear my pants backwards w/o it feeling any different!!} and she LOVES to dress crazy & mismatched. Here she is the other day. She had NO IDEA her pants were on backwards until I started snapping her pic. Then she went into her room & came out looking like the pic on the far right. She's got great style, there's even a jean skirt peeking out from underneath that dress!

And today on the way home from school she says to me from the back seat...

"Mommy, when I get big & get my drivered license can I drive Maeve to school? PLEASE??!!"

It was so funny! We have had zero conversations about driving or getting her license. I have no idea where the thought came from but it sure made me laugh a bit! Sure honey, ask me again in about 12 years. I can't even think about that right now.

Marin had career day at school a bit ago & when she grows up she wants to be a ballerina!!!

 I asked her why she chose a ballerina & she told me because she likes to dance & they are pretty!

Good enough. She has never taken a dance class in her life but it sure looks like she's {somewhat} got the right idea! lol

She definitely is cute! xoxo

These kids are growing up WAY too fast for my liking. 

Today Maeve said to me "I want some juice please!!!" I couldn't believe it. I've heard her put 3-4 words together {"I love you Mommy, I want juice, I want some chicken, etc."} which I thought was pretty darn good, but never five words together. She's so cute, full of words & all of the sudden speaking in full sentences?! Crazy, but then there's this...

 One of the only things that still makes her my baby... the beloved pacifier{or paci as she calls it}! She would suck on this thing all day long if she could. But since she's turned one, it's limited to bed time only. {and yesterday while I did a photo shoot!!! In my defense, it was close to nap time!} I am cherishing her "baby-ness" while I can, soon enough it will be gone & she'll be big too!

Then there's this one...

 Cute as ever & turning into a little girl {v.s. a toddler} so quickly. She all of the sudden enjoys dancing around the house with this little attitude that makes her seem like she's 16. Flipping her hair & shaking her booty...Cute as ever! She's always got this little spunk to her that will never grow old. I hope she never outgrows that... it's just hilarious. She is also very into pleasing mom these days. She'll come into the room & say to me "mommy, would you like it if I cleaned up my room right now?" but the next minute she's telling me I make her do too much & she's tired! lol

And then there's Marin who made us so proud today...

No cute black & white photo for this one... she learned in about 10 minutes how to tie her shoes! We were anticipating a struggle but Gary sat down with her & minutes later she was running in all excited telling me to watch her as she tied her shoe! She was so proud of herself! Earlier yesterday while I was getting her ready for the bus, she told me that her teacher wouldn't tie her shoes at school. I asked her "Well then who does it?" She told me that she asks one of the few in her class that know how to do it. I felt bad! She asked me to get her velcro shoes! I called Gary during the day & he said, "well then we'll have to teach her tonight." I thought much easier said than done & I was wrong. She picked it up so quickly & this morning she was asking  me to wear her tennis shoes even though it was a non-gym day. Love her!!! xoxo

Happy {Belated} Birthday to my hubby...

I think it's safe to say he had a good birthday! 

He celebrated at home on his actual birthday {Saturday} with good friends visiting from Madison, a Packer victory & too many adult beverages! The celebration continued {above} with his co-workers @ Texas Roadhouse while out of town for work. Looks like he's having WAY too much fun for work!

Today officially ends the week-long birthday stretch for our family. The sun is shinning & I'm having a great birthday so far. Had lunch with some of my besties & now looking forward to celebrating with the little chicks this evening. Our mouths are watering for the yummy cake pops that are waiting for us on the counter! Happy Birthday to me!! xoxo

Happy 4th Birthday Margaux!!!! {I can not believe it!}

 Since everyone was off Jan. 1st we celebrated a whole bunch one day early. She was thrilled that she got to open gifts a day early!! She decided that she wanted to open some on Tuesday & the rest on Wednesday {her actual birthday} But once she got opening, she quickly changed her mind & wanted to open them all. I held her to her original plan! She got so many great gifts. {Below with her Strawberry Shortcake car & one of her fav. movies Mirror Mirror}

 Aunt Katie is the best & got her a new bike!!! What a lucky girl! She was excited, but not nearly as excited as we thought she'd be because she just wants to ride it!!! She also got more Lego Friends, a Lite Brite, a few games, a puzzle, etc.

 We took her a few days before to pick out her cake. After many decisions & then mind changing, she finally settled on a snowman cake with matching cupcakes. She was very proud that she's the only one that can have a snowman cake because Marin & Maeve have summer birthdays. So cute!

 We invited a few of her neighborhood friends over to enjoy cake with her. How cute are they???

 And here she is on Wednesday, Jan. 2nd. Our big 4 year old enjoying her cinnamon roll breakfast on the special plate. Yes, she's still in the "birthday girl" shirt from the day before. She insisted on sleeping in it!

For dinner we went to Texas Roadhouse {we thought it was the perfect place for our little peanut lover!} Such a fun time together. Today was her first day back to school after Christmas break. She & I made popcorn balls covered in colorful sprinkles for her birthday treat together yesterday. It was fun & sooooo messy! She is such a happy, loving & funny little girl. We love you so much Miss Margaux! We hope you enjoyed your special days!

 Yesterday we went sledding at my mom & dad's house with a few of our neighbors. Such a fun time. I can not wait to do it again & again with these kids. They all had so much fun & I just love their little faces while flying down the hill!

Above is one of Gary's runs down... doing okay, then mid-air & snow in the face!

Below the girls are on the toboggan with their friends. So many giggles!

 Our little Columbia model covered in snow!

 Our neighbor Cooper & all the ladies! lol I am so happy my parents kept the toboggan. So many great childhood memories on that sled & now our kids will have the same.

 Daddy & Margaux taking a rest at the top of the hill. Of course her eyes aren't looking at the camera!

 It's been forever since there have been people sledding at my parent's house. It was so fun to see my dad sledding & giving pushes to all the kids at the top of the hill. He even made paths with the 4wheeler for the kids before we got there. Next time we're having a fire too!

 Love this picture of Marin. Her little smile is just priceless.

 I believe the adults had just as much fun {if not more} than the kiddos. I'm pretty sure Gary was using some choice words in this photo!

And little Maeve stayed in the house with Grandma. It was soooooo cold out {15 degrees} so I thought it was best for her to stay inside. She had just as much fun hanging with her Gama! We're prepping for New Year's Eve tonight. The kiddos are excited! xoxo

 Miss Margaux's 1st Christmas Program! It was cute as ever! I look forward to watching it on dvd once things slow down a bit. She did a fantastic job & sang right along. So fun to see her with her classmates. I can't believe how big she's gotten. {almost 4...insert my sad face!}

 Here she is with her friend Karis after the concert. They  have so much fun together & are SUPER goofy. Totally make us all laugh when they're together!

 Margaux telling Karis all about her Candy Cane Garden that Merry brought. She was soooo excited!

 I was so glad I was standing by with the camera to hear the story & snap her excitement. It was so cute. Love her!

 Santa surprised us all & Maeve just happened to be standing right where he walked in. She was TERRIFIED! Shaking & screaming. I felt so bad for her. Once she calmed down, she wouldn't go near him. Here she is standing back with Gary...

 And here is Margaux with Santa. She was so great this year with him. She never wanted to sit on his lap but she loved talking to him about her elf Merry!

She's growing up so fast & really enjoying school. We're so proud of her! xoxo

Christmas Morning... so much excitement! Look what Santa left in our Candy Cane Garden!

 The girls were sooo excited to start opening gifts. Marin esp. had a hard time waiting 10 mins. for Grandma & Grandpa to get here. {they wanted to watch the girls} The one day a year they could care less about breakfast!

 Maeve's first present was a new outfit for Lily, her Bitty Baby. Once she opened it, she didn't care about anything else. She was soooo happy!

 Then the big girls went straight for the big gifts that Grandma & Grandpa brought. American Girl bunk beds for their dolls Samantha, Lanie, Darby & Lana! They look amazing, my dad made the beds & my  mom sewed all the bedding. The girls were thrilled, they just love them!

 One little one not so thrilled was Maeve. She cried so hard because she didn't have one! Who would have thought? We all felt so bad... My dad wanted to make three of them but where on earth will we put all the beds??!!! Maeve may be getting a bed of her own sometime soon :)

 Another big hit was the microphone. It's pretty cool.. hooks up to the ipad & ipods so the girls can sing away to all their favorite songs. Maeve was the first one to give it a try. She was singing 5 Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed. It's been fun watching them sing & dance! Lots of concerts over the last few days!

 Maeve with her ELMO slippers! Her favorite!

 Sweet little Margaux in her Christmas dress...

 Love this sassy little face....

 All three of the chicks dressed & ready for dinner at my aunt/uncle's house.

We had such a great time. The girls did so well in church & are really enjoying all of their toys {scooter, Lego Friends, games, jewelry boxes, slippers, charms, Cabbage Patch dolls, etc!}

Hard to believe it's all over. I have some more to post from the past week - stay tuned! Up next on the calendar.... Margaux's Birthday!!!

Look what our cute little elf Merry brought for the girls this morning...

 A Candy Cane Garden Kit! 

The girls were thrilled when the woke up this morning & saw that she brought us this kit. Margaux was overly excited because her friend Karis's elf also brought a magic garden to her house. {thanks for the idea Kari} M & M couldn't wait to get their garden planted...

 Little Maeve missed out on the planting because she was still sleeping. I think something may grow for her anyhow! Here the girls have already dumped out the magic "dirt," added the magic "fertilizer" and are planting the candy cane seeds...

 The garden will only grow if the girls show good behavior & go to bed well. We'll have to wait and see what happens/grows from this magic garden.

Fingers crossed that we have good little girls here this week! xoxo

 The Australians are here! My great friend Shanna & her son Brody are visiting for the holidays. The above photo was taken before they got here, the girls were just waiting for them to arrive & love wearing their I {heart} Melbourne t-shirts.  We look forward to their visits & enjoy the time we have with them while they are here. Friday we took the kids {minus Marin} to the public museum to see the holiday windows from the old Prange's store. These are Shanna's photos from her phone...

 The exhibits were very old but the kids LOVED them. Brody & Maeve couldn't get enough of the moving animals dressed up like people. It was a great place to let them get a little energy out! The two of them are only a month apart & have a great time together.

And then there is this little one who thought it would be fun to draw on her face...

 I tried so hard not to laugh at her but it wasn't an easy task. She's just too darn cute! They've all done it, so it was only fitting that she gave it a try as well!

 She is getting a bit naughty at times {mostly throwing things & climbing up on the counter where she shouldn't be} so we've begun giving her time-outs in the mud room where the big girls have their time-outs. This photo was taken a few weeks ago during her first ever time-out. I felt like I had to take her picture & love her serious face. After I snapped the photo, she got right up & followed me out like it was no big deal. I had to sit her back down & tell her to sit there for a minute... and then the tears started!

She's had her share of time-outs since then...she's such a busy little thing. Always into something & definitely making us laugh. Such a cutie! 9 days until Christmas! xoxo