Animals!

Playing catch-up as usual! Earlier this month we helped celebrate Carter turning 2. The boys had a great time with the petting zoo Cori had for the party. All the baby animals were so cute!

Noah loved this baby pig. He is still asking for us to get one. Ummm, no.

This baby cow was only 3 weeks old. So cute!

Caleb really loved this fluffy guy.

I think they could have held these bunnies all day!

Finally!

On 1/27 Caleb finally lost his first tooth. He was so excited! I thought that would appease him, but he is already frustrated again that he doesn't have another loose tooth. Patience is not a virtue he posesses at this age!

Haley and Maddie

Our adorable niece Haley at her 2nd birthday party.

Little Maddie-Bear!

Night Out

Some of my favorite people!

Zoo With Friends

Poor Mags, the sun was so bright. She was timid at first with brushing the goats, but saw this guy all by himself and she seemed to really take a liking to him.

Cute little Jack and the boys.

Marina (aka Karen Jr.) kept asking to have her picture taken.

I asked Gianna if I could take her picture and expected the famous dirty look as she walked away, but she actually posed for me! Such a cutie!

Caleb wanted a picture with Jack but said he had to act scared that they were going to be eaten by a giant clam.

Noah apparently thinks you need to simulate having a lasso when riding a lion.

Love her!

The adorable couple.

Happy Birthday Caleb!

My final catch-up post for December! Our little guy, Caleb, turned 7 on New Year's Eve. 7! It's so hard to believe! Caleb is in 1st grade and is an awesome student. The little boy who stunned us by walking at 8 months and then had me scared to death when he wasn't talking at 2, has turned into one smart little cookie! He is one of the best readers in his class, is a little math wiz, and is such a perfectionist about his writing looking absolutely perfect that the teacher sometimes worries about him being a little OCD. (One of my kids? Never!) He still doesn't like to sit still for very long, occasionally gets in trouble for doing one-handed cartwheels in the hallways and has a little temper when things don't go his way. His current source of irritation is that everyone in his class are constantly losing teeth and he still hasn't lost his first one. But overall he is such a funny, handsome, and crazy boy that we just can't imagine our lives without him. Happy Birthday Caleb! We love you!

Posting pictures of the kids throughout their years on their birthday has become my thing and in doing that, so has posting pictures of Erin with them sleeping on his chest.

Already posing at 3 months.

6 months and look at those curls!

He is a picky eater, but put any sweets or junk food in front of him and it's on. Here he is at 2 enjoying some cake.

He is such a ham! Here he is at 4.

One of his many amusing faces at 5.

My sweet boy at 7!

My "New" Sister

Some of you may know that I have been looking for my 1/2 sister from my Dad's second marriage (got that?) for several years now. In September I found her! Long story short, we began speaking by email, progressed to phone, and over the kids' winter break we went to New Mexico to meet her in person. It was a short, but wonderful visit. I feel so lucky to have found her and have her in my life now. And I have a handsome nephew and 2 beautiful nieces!

My sister, Stephanie.

Our niece Jillian is 4. She absolutely adored "her Erin".

Our nephew Branden is only a few months older than Noah.

Our niece Jacey is almost 2.

What great kids!

I told you she loved him!

Cousins are the best!