TWO MORE MONTHS!!!

Two months from today and KAMI WILL BE HOME!!!!!!! 

Also, after months of never seeing a picture of her, she sent these this week! 

We are so excited about the new missionary announcement that missionaries can call home on -
p-days, too.  I don't know that this will affect Kami since she is generally sleeping when we are awake and vice versa.

She has been a sister training leader for awhile now and is LOVING her mission, but she told me that she is "excited to feel human again".  She can't wait to be able to fix up -and stay looking nice once she does- and to get her hair cut! I'm sure she won't complain about having running water for showers, not having to do her laundry by hand, and a rat-free house, either! She can go back to BYU when she gets home, or transfer to BYU-I.  Shawn and I applied for school there for her just in case she wants the option.

February little things

Pace draws and colors most of his days away:

We have THE BEST sister missionaries right now; Sister Geigle from Arizona and Sister Larsen from Idaho:

I don't know what Pace was upset about in this picture, but I came home to find all of the kids piled into this chair and everyone was pretty jolly except for him:

I have never seen my girls wrestle before and had to document it.  It was all in good fun - Isabelle took Maddie's phone because she had lost her tablet and said that Maddie knew where it was.  She is a HUGE tease.  

Isabelle said she needed a nap one day and I found her in Anni's bed:

Someone sent me this picture of Caden this week and I almost fell of my chair because he looks so big!  He has completely filled out and looks like a man! He looks so grown up that it also makes me kind-of sad.  I feel a little bit like I didn't get to see him grow up all the way.  

And this handsome fellow is growing up way to fast as well.  We drove over to the Tri-Cities yesterday with the specific objective of finding a suit for Nolan.  He had completely outgrown his Sunday shoes and his other clothes were suddenly too small.  He looked so sharp today while passing the sacrament!:

I have a fantastic cleaning crew:

So thorough and everything:

Anni was pretty happy with this bucket and kazoo that the Wares sent up:

Today when Emma Ware brought up MORE toys for her:

Shawn has done all of the cooking the last two Sundays while I catch up on this blog... Why does the food always taste way better when he makes it?!??

swimming

We go swimming about once a week and Anni loves it.  She isn't the least bit afraid of the water and will put her face under, float on her back and everything else.  She's a complete fish!! Shawn and I love to soak and she keeps us hopping because she is constantly on the go.  In other words, we don't soak anymore while at the pool:D

I can't handle getting into the cooler part of the pool anymore and Shawn is so nice to get in there every time she gets the whim.

My swimming babes:

Finally some snow!

I walked to the park that is one house over from our house and I got a kick out of watching the boys sled.  When they reached the bottom of the hill they would jump off of their sleds and tackle each other and wrestle around in the snow for awhile before climbing the long hill again.

Now that we had a good snow, I am ready for spring.  The boys, however are hoping for more snowfall!

This is a lot of snow for Pendleton and scored the kids two snow days from school!:

One night after a fresh snowfall we sent the boys to bed and when we went upstairs 30 minutes later they admitted that they had been outside doing "snow challenges". They had been outside in pajamas and bare feet making snow angels...:

Before and afters for my hair cut

I hadn't done anything to my hair for a year and really wanted a change.  I like the beautician that I go to a lot and I told her that I couldn't decide if I should grow it out or cut it off.  She didn't even hesitate and said, "cut it off!"  Then she cut it shorter than I have EVER had it.  Everyone in the house loves it; I am trying to get used to it. 

Isabelle took some "before" pictures before I left:

Me trying to take a selfie of the after:

Eli asked for a picture of it while I was at the gym, so I got to send a gym pic, haha.  I can't even put it in a pony tail anymore. 

I think I am liking it short...

love and stuff

The month began with Isabelle getting all excited about the Valentine theme for potential cakes that she could make:

One day she dipped a bunch of strawberries in chocolate and drizzled white chocolate over the top of them.  The next day she decorated cupcakes for our New Beginnings for Young Women since it was the day before Valentine's:

For Valentine's Day, Aaron Ware paid her to make a cake for Brittany:

Some little loves with our traditional Valentine poems on the window in the background:

Some samplings of our poems this year:
From me to Shawn:
There lives now a comforting man,
For his fam he does all that he can.
"You're the love of my life!"
He hears from his wife
And she prays that his life has great span.

From Shawn to me:
Amy has emerald eyes
She also makes really good pies.
She goes to the gym and she plays on a whim,
 and she always is just the right size.

From me to Kami:
There once was a girl named "sister"
No man in the world had yet kissed her.
She lived in some flats
That were filled up with rats
 and the sun caused her skin to blister.

Maddie wrote a poem about Caden about how he is tough and "bough" again:D

Shawn to Isabelle:
Isabelle snuggles and hugs
she likes her chocolate from mugs
Her siblings she teases, she giggles and wheezes,
 and watches her movies from rugs

Maddie to Nolan:

Oh handsome boy with blonde, bright hair, and natural athleticness.
Nolan is sweet and pretty darn neat.  Girls cant resist his HEAT.  Oh Nolan James, Oh Nolan James, you are such a fun, smart boy!

Pace to Abram:

"I love Abe so muj"

Maddie to Abram:

Doubt not that Abe is funny,
Doubt not that he is fast
Doubt not his enthusiasm and
Never doubt his SMILE AND OPTIMISM!

Abram to Pace:
Pace has a good face, if he runs he always wins the race
and he always makes sure to brush his teeth with toothpaste

Shawn to Pace:
Pace's eyes twinkle like a star
Like Davy Crockett, he can wrestle a barr.
His heart is tender as his muscles are strong,
Give him some paper and he'll color real long.

Isabelle to Anni:

Anni is my chubby dumpling
She loves to swim
And we lover her so much
She will never be dim

Maddie to Anni:
Anni is a cutie
Anni is a HOOT...EE
Anni is SMART and MISCHEVIOUS and SPUNKY
 Anni can climb like a monkey

Me to Anni:
Precocious and darling,
 Charming and fun,
Anni is loved by everyone!!

I decided to help Anni make a Valentine to give to Joleen at visits:

What a fortunate thing that Isabelle steals my phone and documents my life so well🤣