Ideas

This post is mainly for my sisters who have been asking to see pics of the new place we moved into (well 8 months ago now). I would love any ideas or advice on how to decorate better. :)

Master Bedroom





Kitchen



Girls' room



Little Man's room


Living room

Enjoy

Inseparable sisters

The child above likes to get as sandy (and dirty, sticky, messy...) as possible...

and the one below, not so much. :)

Why can't life be so simply enjoyable for all of us?

Exploring the world around him.

Things I Love

*Peanut butter
*Spring blossoms
*Fall leaves
*Homemade bread
*Listening to my girls sing "Can You Feel the Love Tonight?" over and over in the car
*Pickles
*Journal writing for myself and kids
*Spinach fruit smoothies
*Fall decorations
*Tuna fish sandwiches
*Taking walks on the trail
*The sound of running water: water falls, rivers, streams, creeks...
*"Reading Rainbow"
*Reading books to my children
*Listening to my girls play together
*Sunsets
*The tide pools at the beach
*Ice cream (a little too much of a love there)
*Drawing
*Having picnics
*Snuggling
*Books, books, books
*"Pottery Barn" magazines
*Shopping for vintage and antiques
*French bread pizza
*A slight breeze coming in the window
*Cheese
*Thunderstorms
*The scriptures
*Birds chirping
*Movie night with hubby
*The Cheesecake Factory
*Camping at Hobble Creek
*The sound of my sisters' voices on the phone
*My one-toothed 27 lb 8-month-old
*All the cuddles and kisses I get from my little 31 lb 3-yr-old
*My singing, dancing, non-stop talking 5-yr-old
*My strong, hard-working, teasing 28 yr-old
*There is so much to cherish in this life. My list could go on and on. What else could I ask for?

Updates

This year has been very busy so far.

Here are the Hawks family updates:

SICKNESS, SICKNESS, SICKNESS! So far this year it has been never-ending runny noses and coughs, not to mention stomach-flu (the above pic), pink eye, and neck yeast/bacterial infections (the below pic, the latter taking a month to clear up). It is so fun being a mom sometimes.

We moved to a new place last month and have been enjoying the third bedroom (we finally have our room to ourselves!), and the walking trail just outside the front door. The girls were "sore" from walking up the stairs all the time, but are used to it now.

Ambyr turned 5! She really wanted a cheetah cake, so that is what she got.

She is obsessed with wild cats these days and is constantly stalking and pouncing on her stuffed animal muskox. She likes being a leopard and ocelot the best. She loves to draw and color and spent 3 straight hours coloring Easter pictures the other day. We read together a lot and she is so great at watching over Braeden when he needs some attention when I am in the middle of something. She is still in the 90th + percentile for height and is going to be taller than me before too long. Looks like she might have her dad's genes for height. What an awesome big sis!

Our 3 year old likes to "read" to herself these days and was so into reading "Jane Eyre" that she didn't even notice me taking pics of her. She sat there for a good 10-15 minutes reading outloud to herself as she made up a story to go along with the words. McKenna is our shy one but is very silly at home and likes to crack jokes and say funny things. She loves to play with her big sister and loves everything pink. She will eat anything and everything and is hungry all the time. She likes to do "Mommy-and-McKenna preschool" whenever Ambyr is at her preschool.

At 8 months, Braeden is as smiley and chubby as ever. He is sitting really well on his own now and can roll over both ways. We really had to work with him on rolling over as he lays there like a "beached whale" as Michael calls him, and didn't have a whole lot of desire to get moving on his own. He is loving eating solids and looks like we are on the way to having another good eater. What a cutie!

I have been enjoying going on outings with the kids: library, walks on the trail, park, etc. We went to the zoo last week and Ambyr couldn't wait to see her tiger.

So, I had some requests to show the latest projects I have been working on lately. I love to draw but haven't had much training, so those of you who are experts, don't look too close. The pic of the old barn is my latest drawing which I completed a few months ago. The one of the horse, I did a while back. I also like to do a little photography every now and then. But I don't know a thing about it yet, so buying a nice camera and maybe taking a class is next on my list.

Michael is busy with work and studying for CFA #3 on the weekends. He still enjoys watching sports in his free time and keeping up with all the political junk going on. He grilled up some delicious chicken and sausages for dinner last night! Gotta love CA weather.

Finally a post

Braeden's 6 month stats:

23 lbs 2 oz (off the charts)

28 3/4 inches tall (99th percentile)

The doctor was concerned about my back. I wonder why?

Enjoying playing in the snow for the first time. The girls went crazy about the sledding, even with the rocky terrain. I got a nice bruise on my bum from running over a big one.

Opening stockings Christmas morning.


In Moab, spending time with cousins, making gingerbread houses (these little guys are actually Michael's cousins). The roof on Ambyr's wouldn't hold, so Michael "fixed" it so they had a house with a false front.

One of Braeden's favorite spots (at my folk's house).

Braeden at 5 months with cousin Carolyn at 2 months. Don't they look so cute together?

Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Lice

Fleet Week

Enjoying Ghirardelli Square after the air show. Too bad it got foggy and the Blue Angels were cancelled. It was sooo cold!

Clayton Valley Pumpkin Patch: We went there with a bunch of moms and kids and they all loved chasing eachother around in the hay bale mazes (until Ambyr ran into another child and got a bloody nose) and jumping in the lima bean pools.

Showing off the pumpkins they helped carve.

Lookin' beautiful as Cinderella and Little Red Ridinghood... and so cute as a cow.

4 mos. old already!

19 lbs 3 oz

26.5 inches

Just chillin' in the bath (he may be a bit too big to bathe in the sink, it is just easier on my back :)).

All three of us girls had lice, but I don't look as cute in a shower cap as the two girls, so I opted not to be in the photo. Three weeks later and hours of vacuuming every inch of the house and all furniture, including mattresses almost daily (as well as the car several times); countless loads of laundry, picking nits (louse eggs) out of hair daily, bagging all dress-ups, stuffed animals, pillows that we can do without, washing all hair accessories (combs/brushes daily), keeping our hair up in buns, the list goes on....and we're almost rid of it. Pray you never have to deal with this. And for those who have, you can understand my plight. (It has become an epidemic in our ward). At first I was rather embarrassed, but considering 5+ families had it at the same time, I didn't feel as bad. Plus the lice actually prefer clean hair (who would have thought, but it makes sense considering that is where they lay their young).

THANKSGIVING!!!

It was just our little family this year and I think I got a little over excited about the food. What do you think?

Turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, homemade crescent rolls, candied yams, cranberry jelly, green bean casserole, stuffing, and four pies (2 pumpkins, 1 apple, and 1 banana cream).

Change

1 week

1 month

6 weeks

2 months

Here are some pics of Braeden. I can't believe how fast he is changing and growing.

2 month status:

Weight: 14 lbs 13 0z. (97th percentile)

Height: 24 inches (90th percentile)