Ta da!

Before

The handsome beast at work

Ta da!

Tumbling Weed

Any time she become inconsolable due to an inaccessible mother or restrictions are put in place due to the fact that she's not 3 or 8 years old we throw her on the couch and let her roll.

This time she found a friend.

And they started smooching...

"I think someone is watching us..."

"Oh the shame!"

Playset

When we first moved in Audra gifted us her playset.  It got moved every year as the grass died around it and it got used a LOT.

So many memories!

Very typical scene

The neighborhood played on it HARD. Little by little things broke.  A swing rubbed through the metal ihooks.  The bench swing could no longer be repaired.  And then one day three big kids decided to all swing together.  Since we never anchored it- the swing set lifted, swayed and permanently angled to where it could no longer be used. 
Luckily,  your daddy and I had been plotting for months on a replacement.  We talked about what we wanted (staked, closer to the house) and what was used the most (cross bar as a pull-up bar, swings and the bench swing). 
Your daddy spent mother's day giving me an awesome gift building your new set from scratch while I kept everyone else alive and fed. 

We added little by little after the frame was done but we desperately needed those swings back up.  You and Charlotte both spend HOURS swinging every day when it's nice.

Slide and swing used from original set!

Also- SHADE!!!  It's shaded for most of the day now!

Not a bench swing, but the best we could come up with!

Two pieces still missing (balance beam and monkey bars) but we're calling it good for this year!  We're pooped!

The neighborhood is very happy once again.  And sweaty!

Lepper Child Iniciation

Falling in love with Daddy's spaghetti sauce!

Games

A New Family Favorite- Get Bit

Valentines

This year I had a random moment of inspiration, followed by a weekend of enough energy and managed to put these together with the girls.  It helped that Sam could man the glue-gun, Charlotte could stuff balloons and put on stickers.  We really need to get a working printer again, though!

Hershey Kisses are in the balloon! 

My other minion who helped write all 200  labels!

10 Years

Jeremy and I got to spend a quiet evening and morning together, pretending to be parents of one child.  Strange how much easier the third child is by themselves than the first was by themselves!

She got lots of extra attention from strangers and fell in love with my water bottle.

Seriously, she would NOT let go.

Grins at dinner!

Happy Anniversary to us!

Snow

Jeremy wanted a board game playing day for his birthday, so I took the girls across the street to go sledding!  It's on top of the most perfect hill...where we might build someday??

Making snow cookies

Making tracks

Charlotte made about 11.

Merry Christmas!

I've got some serious catch-up to do that I hope to get done over our (short) break.  In the meantime, I got my Christmas gift from my sister- our family photo shoot!  I told her ONE frosting-free doughnut for the girls to split.  She arrived and said, "Yeah, right!"

One of my FAVORITES 

Story of our life, right here.

Hot dang, is she beautiful or what?

Such a GOOF.

Attack of the Charlotte

Melt my heart!

All cleaned up!

Telling Amanda about her "antenna shoes" (Tennis shoes)

Queen of her kingdom

So handsome!

Attack of the Charlotte, take 2

Story of our life, take 2

Right at Charlotte fell...

So many tears!

What IS that?

Charlotte was still recovering.

Starting to come out of it to be silly...she can't resist!

How to calm Samantha:  Place baby in her lap.

South Paw

Book Worm

Cutest tushie on the block.  Don't tell Jeremy I posted this one!!

"Why did you put me down?...seriously, what IS that?"

This one makes it look like we live in a castle.

Merry Christmas!