Christmas...in April

No, we didnt actually celebrate Christmas in April. I used to be so on top of things...so punctual...so caught up! What happened to me? Well, it is what it is. Im going on 4 months ago, so my memory is a little fuzzy. Heck, lets be honest...I have a hard time remembering what happened last week. So your going to get the short and sweet version, where we skip all the middle stuff and go right to the end. 

First off, the Christmas Eve P.J.'s. I have really been wanting some stylish footie pajamas to take me back to my childhood...when I used to remember things. 

Even Jovi got a new outfit, since she outgrew last years. Shes a pig. Actually she looks more like Yoda, but she is supposed to be an elf. And she is soooo happy about it too! 

Now for a quick highlight of some of the favorites. (Guess Im not actually skipping all of the middle after all.)

Alissa made the good list again, so Santa brought her what she asked for...a saucer chair like Madi got last year. Now she can stop hogging Madi's.  

Brylee really loved the Vet kit that Katelin picked out for her. 

Zack wasnt expecting this one, but when I saw (and heard) it, I could resist getting it for him. This little minion actually talks, laughs, burps and farts. Isnt that against all of Gru's house rules? I love his satisfied smile. 

Our giraffe lover got a new giraffe for her room. She preferred it be real, but I already have enough poop to clean up around here.  

My mutual BYU fan brother hooked us up with this super soft and warm blanket. We all still fight over it.  

Now we skip to the end. Here are all of Katelins gifts. She really loved the new I-Home. (If only she would use it to wake her up in the morning). 

Brylees gifts... 

Zacks...I wasnt thrilled about the toy gun, but Dad and Madi thought it was a great idea. I had to remind him to stop pointing it at people a few times. Hmmmm....

(Minion not pictured here) 

Alissa's. 

Madi's. That box behind her contains a new desk for her future finished basement room, and the book she is holding is actually a secret box for "hiding her candy". She actually asked for it in those terms. :) Its hard having younger siblings. But I wouldnt know. 

And Ours (which is mostly family gifts). 

Half a decade of cuteness

Its hard to believe that our baby is already 5. I feels like with every kid, the birthdays come faster. Alas, here we are, celebrating another one again. Blogging all these birthdays together is kind of bitter sweet. It feels like life is stuck on the fast forward button, and theres nothing I can do about it. So we do our best to enjoy the moments as they speed past us, and hope to keep a hold onto them as long as we can. I remember each of their first birthdays like it was yesterday, but all of a sudden we are celebrating number 5. Before we know it, it will be 10...15 and then 20. So if my baby wants to be a princess, Im going to let her because it wont always be that way. The other girls are already past that, and moved onto cell phones, I-Pods, and drooling over boy bands. 

We already have more than a few barbie movies, but they are some of Brylee's favorites so she was ecstatic to get another one!

Zack got her a crown and a magic wand, because every princess also apparently possesses magical powers as well. She was happy to put it on right away. Another thing she is passionate about is puppies. I am surprised she hasnt suffocated ours yet with her tight hugs, similar to how she is hugging the new stuffed puppy and candy that Alissa got her.  

 Take note...puppies and candy. Thats how to get on her good side!

Katelin also knows this, and combined her love of princess' and candy. She got her a giant princess lollipop. 

 And, Madi has also taken note and got her a gumball machine filled with skittles. Thats one happy girl right there. Candy heaven. 

To encourage the developmental side of her brain, as well as church reverence, Mom and dad opted for a more practical gift. Princess lacing cards. She still liked it, even though there was no candy attached. 

At this moment in her life, she was going a little crazy for the newer Disney princess, Sophia. Currently, her interest has faded a bit. The excitement about this doll lasted about a week.  

She said she like this dress, but refused to try it on. Maybe she was just being nice? 

And since all her sisters and brother have their own robe, she determined she needed one too. Maybe she will wear that to church instead. 

Thats our princess, with her princess. 

You might actually be surprised to hear that after 3 other girls, Brylee is the only one to have a barbie cake for her birthday. I thought it turned out pretty good for my first try at it.  Just dont analyze it too closely. 

Since Brylee started pre-school, she has actually made a few cute little friends, so I felt kinda bad that she didnt get a party (nor has she ever had one). But we had to stick to our guns, since it was her odd birthday. I didnt want a revolt from the other kids. So, in lieu of a party, she chose to go and see Frozen. Of course she loved it and cant wait to own it! 

She will always be our pretty princess!

Halloween 2013

We have been trying since practically the beginning of our families life, to get the kids to all agree to dress up together in a common theme. We finally prevailed this year! Thanks to Despicable Me and its irresistible minions, we got the kids to each pick a character from the movie. Katelin was Margo, Alissa-Edith, Brylee-Agnes, and Zack the "Beedo minion". I thought it turned out pretty good, and it was so much cheaper!

This was taken before our ward trunk-or-treat.

Madi decided it would be cooler to match her friends, so her and two of her friends dressed up as Toddler's in Tiara's contestants.

We were so happy that the city finally decided to make trick-or-treating on Halloween this year, as opposed to the normal Sunday afternoon time. This meant we could actually go real trick-or-treating in our own neighborhood! We invited some friends who lived in the next city over to join us, since they werent as lucky to have the change made where they lived. Madi decided to join in on our theme this time, and become a minion as well. Ryan of course was Gru, and I was Lucy. Even Jovi dressed us as Kevin, the dog?

When we got back from trick-or-treating, we enjoyed a warm dinner of soups, chili, mummy dogs, rolls, and hot cocoa with our friends. And we cant forget about Ryans birthday, so we threw in a cake with some candles as well.

I dont know what this face was. Im sure he was just being Ryan. 

He got tickets to the BYU vs. Wisconsin football game this year, with a new BYU hat to show off his loyalties. It was a great time...cold...and they lost, but still a great time.

It was so busy, we almost forgot about our pumpkins this year. A quick photo shoot with those, an inventory of candy, and it was off to bed.

Madi carved the batman symbol.

Katelin made an owl.

Alissa, a traditional face.

Brylee chose Tinkerbell. 

And Zack's was of Perry the platypus. 

And for the grand candy finale...

The kids dumped all their candy out and then commenced the trading negotiations. I ended up with a reasonable supply of almond Joys. Yummmm....

Brylee refused to give anything away. Its like her dream come true!

Look at that stash!

I cant believe they actually ate all of that within a short period of time, and we didnt even end up with any cavities! Yay us! Now on to Thanksgiving pies, and more Christmas treats than our stomach's have room for. Gotta love this time of year. 

Another Birthday

One month after Madi's birthday, it was time to celebrate again. This time, it was for Alissa. She had an odd birthday this year, turning nine, so we celebrated as a family. She was excited to open the gift from the kids.

She got nail polish from Katelin,

a necklace from Madi,

and all the kids got her a box of some of her favorite candy with cute sayings tied in and written on them. For example, the Reses Pieces said "We love you to PIECES!" Its been too long for me to remember the other ones. Thats what I get for being a late blogger. I guess you can use your imagination. : / 

 Since Madi chose to get started on a room of her own in the basement, Alissa got the idea to do a room makeover. She felt she was getting too mature for her Disney Princess room. She decided to go with a theme of one of her favorite things, giraffes. Had I known how rare giraffe patterned decorations were, I may have talked her into something else. I did get lucky and found this brand new giraffe picture frame for cheap at Good Will. She loved it.

 She also had mentioned that she loved this rug at Target when we were there, so I got that for her and used the colors on it for inspiration.

 I was happy that Alissa chose a pretty simple cake this year. Just chocolate with peanut butter frosting and reses cups. We added twisty candles to make it cuter.

 Then she opened a gift that came in the mail from her Grandparents and Aunt. 

She got another necklace, 

 the Teen beach Movie,

 and a shirt.

And now for the room reveal. 

I couldn't find any older girl style giraffe quilts, so I decided to make them. Brylee shares a bunk bed with her, so I actually had to make two. Between school, the holidays and everything else, it took me 4 months to complete, but I finally got the blankets done. I used the colors from the rug to pick out the fabric. Its hard to tell, but the pink material is the giraffe pattern. Here is Alissa's blanket.

and Brylee's. As you can see from Brylee's bed, she still wanted to hang on the the Disney Princess theme. 

And her rug and newly painted wall. The giraffe figure and the chair were added from Christmas.  

Since I had a hard time finding giraffe pictures, I asked an atristically talented young women in our ward to paint us a couple. Here are the finished paintings. This one goes with the room colors. 

 And this one is more realistic.

  She gives it all a thumbs up.

How did our little girl get so big!?