{ROCKY POINT} 2015

 We did it!

Our annual trip to Rocky Point did not disappoint this year. 

It was WONDERFUL.

Perfect weather, perfect company.  Very relaxing and most definitely not long enough!

So grateful my parents put forth the effort every year to make this happen.  

In no particular order.....lots of sand; lots of water; lots of eating.

And yes.  I recognize that most of these are of Ivy.  

She's my last baby.  

It's inevitable.

 

Kate decided she wanted to be a surfer and gave Em her first lesson.

 

Em rode this slide no less than 3,000 times.  

It was exhausting.  

For Clint.  ha!

I attempted to take beach pics to use for our Christmas card this year.  

I should have taken them on our very first morning there, instead of our last.  The girls were exhausted and sun burnt and just not happy campers.  Their eyes were basically swollen shut.   Ivy was especially crabby.  She was a pill!  Oh, well.  Next time.

I didn't even photoshop people out of the pics.

Ivy finally started smiling and cooperating when I handed the camera off to my dad and danced around.

October Conference

 I always look forward to conference.

It's hard with kids to focus during the entire weekend of talks, but for the most part my girls do great.  As always, we set up our tent and prepped our activities with coloring and writing and snacks.  It lasted about ten minutes.  Basically a waste of paper.  But whatever.  

There were so many talks that were meant for me this time.  I cried.  A lot.  I felt the spirit a midst my kids climbing all over me.  I felt physically pained watching our sweet prophet struggle to remain upright as he spoke to us.  I love that man.  I am so grateful for my Savior and for the gospel.  I'm so grateful for a living prophet who gives us inspired messages straight from our Heavenly Father.  I always feel so rejuvenated and inspired after conference weekend, and I am grateful.

{Charly}

Our little C is awesome.  

Despite her extreme mood swings that seem to occur more and more frequently.  

When she was at QCE, her teacher informed me she was to be student of the month- but we moved schools before she could get the award.

Her first month at ALA, and she was awarded student of the month there.  What a little champ!  

{GIRLS} night!

 Clint went to California for a school/work convention for four days last week.  While he was gone, I had a few night time visitors.

Notice the amount of space left for me.

 We also had a late-night party, complete with chocolate chip cookies, nail polish and glitter with Kidz Bop on the radio.  We danced and partied hard till like 8.  Ha!  

That's a late night in our realm.

September

On our way to school one morning, Sage got to sit in the front seat because the back seat was full of moving boxes.  She had her window down and was completely oblivious to my watching her as she danced and sang at the top of her lungs and smiled non stop.  Sage is without question, the HAPPIEST person I've ever been around.  She is just genuinely happy.  All the time.  She is such a joy to be around and Heavenly Father sure knew what he was doing when he had her be my first child.

 One of the MANY trips to Home Depot.  We had happy campers, and not so happy campers.

I thought my hair this particular morning was pretty indicative of how the previous day had gone. 

 I posted this on Instagram, and it's noteworthy enough to be talked about twice.  Somehow they are all smiling and happy  here, but seconds prior, I'd about got us kicked out of the store for screaming.  I mean....leave each other alone for two seconds people!

{EMERY}

 This soon-to-be four year old started pre-school this month!  She is going to a gal in our neighborhood with some of her little friends and is loving every second of it.  Sage and Charlotte both went to one year of preschool, but I felt like Emery needed a little outing twice a week this year.  (ok ok.  this was more for my benefit than hers.)  As silly as it might sound, I can already tell a difference with her.  She sits still while we read stories now, is a better listener at church, and is just happy to have a "big girl" activity.  She goes for two hours twice a week, during nap time.  Which works out really well because every-other-day naps is better for her right now.  She was trying to reject naps and now goes down much better on her non school days.  She loves to tell me she isn't my best friend and if I say anything she doesn't like, she lets me know she doesn't love me.  This used to really bug me but now it doesn't faze me too much.  For example.  If I tell her she has to eat her sandwich before she gets a piece of candy, she will say, "fine the.  I don't love you anymore".  Exactly like that.  The little turd.  She tries really hard to keep up with her older sisters and has started to play really well with Ivy.  She loves to play tag and have one on one time with Clint and I.  She's got the sweetest little voice that I wish I could capture and keep forever.  We sure love our sassy-frass.

{IVY}

 This kid.  

I feel like I haven't written down enough about her.  She is two and I am still trying to wrap my head around the fact that I'm out of the baby stage and my youngest kid is two.  It breaks my heart but at the same time I KNOW I am done having kids and pray almost daily that I don't have an "accident" baby.  That sounds really awful.  I realize that.  But I know my limits and I know I've hit it.  Anyway.  

At TWO,

Ivy is most definitely my most spoiled child.  She gets away with way more than my other girls ever did.  Probably because she SCREAMS until she gets her way.  She gets tossed in her bed a lot to cry it out.  She is unbelievably picky.  She will eat yogurt, cereal, granola bars, and toast.  That's it.  She'll eat an occasional sandwich, but for the most part she licks the mayonnaise off and eat the cheese and calls it quits.  I am constantly trying to force good food down her, but she just won't have it.  She is addicted to her pacifier and blanket still.  About a month before we moved, we were pug free except for night time.  And then for some reason she started reverting back to needing her pug at all times.  It was about the time I started packing and I honestly feel like she just knew changes were happening and she needed that extra comfort.  So, at some point we will take it away again.  But for now, I'm spoiling my last baby a little longer.  She can be a BRAT.  Often.  She LOVES to pull her sisters hair and thinks it's funny.  She gets in trouble a lot for that.  She loves to run on her tippy-toes and swings her arm back and forth big time when she walks.  It's hilarious!  She is always putting on a show for us and keeps us laughing constantly.  She gets woken up every morning around 6 because her sisters are getting ready for school, so by noon--she is out like a light.  I kid you  now.  If it's 12:02 and we are almost home, she can't last.  She snoozes a 12 on the dot.  I love my little Ivy so much.  She completes our family and makes us so happy.