Spring Intersession

We just finished enjoying the last of the breaks before school is out for the summer. Tanner enjoys a few of these two week intersessions throughout the school year and this one was fun of fun. I planned a different activity for each week day. It was so fun. 

To kickoff his break from school, we invited our Furhiman friends over for homemade pizza and an epic water balloon fight. The kids loved making their own personal pizzas. 

Tanner and Annalise were professionals and took their jobs as pizza chefs very seriously. 

Next up, Bailey and Karina. They were a little less professional but hysterical to watch and they really enjoyed the job. 

Tucker helped Daddy and I make our pizza and he thought it was a fun sensory experience. 

I found my inner pizza chef and tried tossing some dough in the air. Jessica, the talented photographer that she is, caught this picture. So funny. 

These kids ate so well and really loved the pizzas they made. There is something to be said for letting kids help make their dinner, they seem to really eat better when they get to help. 

Then it was time for a water balloon fight. 

These cute kids had the greatest time. It was so fun to watch. 

Bailey adores Annalise and Karina. They are so cute together!

Snuggles with my baby, he was so cold after playing in the water. 

It was a blast and we feel lucky to have such fun friends to play with. 

Tuesday we met some other friends at a creek at a nearby park and searched and hunted for crawdads and minnows. All the kids enjoyed this and came home covered in mud and dirt- a sure indicator of a good time.

Tanner and Ryan Christensen are completely adorable together. The cutest little kindergarten buds. Ryan also attends Elm Tree Elementary and so we get to enjoy the intercessions together. 

Tanner was thrilled they found a crawdad to hold. He's kinda fearless. 

We ate a picnic together and then we all headed home for naps. The kids had a great time and took amazing naps. 

Even when Tanner is out for breaks, Bailey still has preschool, so one day when Bailey was at school, we went to Dad's office for lunch. Tanner loves Sam's club pizza. 

He also loves his Dad, so it's a good combination. 

On Thursday, Daddy took a half day and we drove over to Silver Dollar City. We love this park and always have a great time. We discovered that Bailey was big enough to ride "Thunderation" this time and so that was an awesome adventure. She loved it and wasn't scared at all. 

And of course, we had to take a train ride for Tucker. It's the only thing he wants to do when we go to Silver Dollar City. 

The carousel is also always a big hit. 

Then it was over to the "Grand Exposition" area to ride the swings and other rides. 

On Friday I asked Tanner what he wanted to do for fun and he requested a solo bubble bath.

That's was the easiest request ever, so we filled the jacuzzi and he hoped in and played. He's so funny.

After the weekend, we were back at it. We met some more friends at the "Amazeum Children's Museum" and the kids played for a couple hours. 

Tucker's favorite part was definitely the little stream outside. He loves his "gone gone"- which is what he calls water, milk- any kind of liquid really. 

Bailey enjoyed climbing on the spiderweb playground the most. 

Tucker and Tommy Fuhriman are so cute together. These little boys have an equal love for trains and they are so cute when they play together. 

Tuesday we ventured out to try the new food truck in Centerton. "The Royal Egg Roll" was deemed a huge success and given 6 thumbs up by these kids. We loved it!

Wednesday was the 4th of May and it was "Star Wars Day."

We decided to celebrate with a fun themed dinner and movie night.

We were lucky enough to have a storm trooper join us. 

The biggest hit from our dinner was the "Death Star pizza". The kids loved it and ate it all up. 

The kids were very excited for our Star Wars party and they couldn't wait for Dad to get home so the party could start. 

Thursday morning we went on a walk over to the creek that runs behind our neighborhood.

This place is so fun. The kids love to walk around in the water and cool off. 

Tucker especially loves the water and could play here all day. 

Its always so fun to play in the creek and its so convenient to just walk over their from our house.  

Friday was the last day of our break and we ended it with going to pick strawberries at a local farm. 

The kids loved it. It was so hot, but the strawberries were amazing. 

These kids were expert strawberry pickers. Although, Tucker may have eaten more than he actually picked. They all had a good time. 

We are so lucky to have these amazing friends to play with and hang out together. Good friends are invaluable and we are very grateful to have such a wonderful support group.

Tanner started back to school today and although I'm excited to have my routine back, it was so fun to play with the kids these last two weeks and put all the day-to-day stuff aside for a while. 

Now school is winding down and I can't believe it. Stay tuned. 

Bailey's First Primary Talk

Yesterday Bailey gave her very first talk in primary. We've been waiting for a long time for the chance to give a talk, but because our primary is so large, it takes a while for each kid to get a turn.
When I told Bailey it was finally her turn, she got very excited. 

Her topic was "The Restoration of the Gospel" and she did a great job.
We stacked cups to show how the gospel builds on different principles but the restored church is comprised of all the true principles. She loved stacking the cups. She also loved speaking directly into the microphone with her lips touching it at all times. Silly girl!

She did great and didn't want to sit down when her turn was over. 

We are so proud of this big 4- year old girl. It's so fun to watch your kids beginning to understand basic gospel truths and learn how to share those truths with others. It's amazing. 

Great job Bailey!

Mother's Day 2016

Today is Mother's day and to celebrate, Bailey and I wore matching dresses. She loved it so much. Who am I kidding? I loved it too. It was pretty dang cute.

True to form, my dear husband and kids spoiled me.
I got to sleep in, I ate breakfast in bed. I napped. I got presents and treats. Chris helped each kid make a mold of their hand print with their name and the year. It was all very cute and sweet.
Daddy also made a delicious dinner and dessert for me. 

I am one lucky girl and I thoroughly enjoyed my Mother's day. 

Oh also, about a month ago my dear friend Tori asked the kids and I to model for her for a "Mommy and Me" session so she could use the pictures to advertise for sessions. We happily agreed and had the best time.
Pictures aren't usually fun. Especially planned sessions with three young kids. None of which can figure out how to look at the camera and smile for more than 1.2 seconds at a time. It's near impossible.

But this session was just about the bond between moms and their kids. It was so special. 

We did candid pictures , some with each child and a few all together. But the session was full of laughter, smiles and giggles. We had genuinely had fun and that's why I will always cherish these pictures. 

First up, pictures of Tanner and I together. This boy will always hold a special place in my heart since he was my first babe. He stole my heart and has forever held a piece of it. I love this sweet boy and his tender heart. 

While Tanner and I did our pictures, Tucker and Bailey played in the flowers. Tori was able to snap these cute pics. 

Then it was Bailey's turn. Her session was probably the most fun. She loves having me all to herself. We told each other secrets, we exchanged pretty flowers, played hand clap games and just laughed together. She's my girl and we will always stick together. 

Last but not least, Tucker and I had our pictures taken together. This boy. Oh man. This kid is a joy of a boy. He is such a happy kid but he's also a mischievous little stinker. 

We snuggled, we tickled, we found bugs and we did airplane rides. Tucker loved it. 

Looking at these pictures reminds me how truly blessed I am. Motherhood is so very hard. It's exhausting and wearing. It's the daily demand for attention from three little people who always want more than I have to give. But it's also so beautiful. I have to remind myself often that I will never be more loved than I am right now. I am the center of their universe. I am the person they turn to for any and every reason. I am the one they want when they are sick or sad and I'm the first one they want to share good new with. In the quiet moments when their little hands find mine or they press their lips to my cheeks for kisses, I know that there is no greater work I could be doing. I love being a mom. It's beautiful and amazing and I'm so very blessed. 

Color Vibe 5K

To kick off my Mother's day weekend, the kids and I ran a color vibe 5K. The race was in Fayetteville so we drove down that morning and got all checked in.
 Tanner and I ran the whole thing, Bailey only ran the last part. Tanner loves to run and after our glow run last year, he's been asking to do more races. This was the perfect opportunity because kids got to run for free.
Tanner was so excited!

Here is a before picture or the kids and I. All nice and clean. 

We ran/walked the whole thing. Here we are crossing the finish line. 

So proud of my littles!

Here is the after picture of the kids. 

And an "after" picture of all three of us. 

Tucker didn't run with us, but we shared some of our color bomb with him so that he wouldn't feel left out. He loved his blue skin. 

We had to get back to Bentonville for Tanner's soccer game, so we didn't stay for the color dance party, so I'm not that colorful. Tanner got most our color. lol. But we had a great time. 

This kid was a champ. 

I love him so much. 

It was a great way to kick of my weekend of celebrating motherhood.