Do you like silly faces?

Mikayla has a million goofy faces.  Here are just a few.  Oh, and I couldn't resist a few silly faces too.  We have a lot of free time on our hands.  

Oh, and I swear I brush her hair some days but she really doesn't like it.  So some days I don't.  It's easy that way.

Sounds like trouble...

What a little mess maker.  That boy is into everything!  If it's not the tupperware, it's the pot lids.  If it's not the lids, it's cereal.  Today, it was a new box of sandwich baggies.  

I'm sure he's learning something.  Right?  At least he's cute.  ;)

Phone takes a dive...

Mark threw my phone in the tub!  Mikayla was in the tub, figured that wasn't good, and pulled it out like a good girl.  I was out of the room at the time.  When I came back and saw the phone sitting on the edge of the tub, still dripping, I hurriedly pulled off the case, powered it down, and threw it in rice. After 24 hours, I tried to turn it on.  It was acting a little strange.  It would work while plugged in but when I disconnected it from the charger, it would immediately go dead.  I figured there was water trapped inside, found a YouTube video explaining how to take it apart, and proceeded to do just that.  Woah, it was way more layers than I thought.

Things were looking grim.  After pulling it all apart, water was discovered in the battery compartment.  I dried it all out and put it back together.  It totally worked!  I've been using it for a few days and nothing appears to be wrong with it!  I can't believe it!  Now I don't need a new phone!  Yeah!

Hot Air Balloon Festival...

Ever since our hot air balloon ride in December, I've wanted to show the kids about hot air balloons.  Mesquite holds a an annual hot air balloon festival every January.  When I saw the signs, I knew we needed to go.  I asked the kids and Jack wanted to go do something with Dad so I just took the girls.

We raced down to Mesquite by 7:30 a.m. only to learn that they were setting off any balloons that morning because the winds were unpredictable.  Bummer.  Several balloon owners inflated the balloons to show them off.   The girls couldn't believe how huge they were!

It was chilly but clear and a beautiful morning.

Julie said, "It probably would've been way more fun if we got to actually see the balloons take off."

After we looked at balloons, we went to breakfast.  It was packed!  But we had fun with crayons and once the Mickey Mouse pancakes arrived, everyone was happy.

Mikayla Mermaid...

We have a whirlpool tub in the master bathroom.  Mikayla HAS to have a bath every.single.day.  Over the winter, she's become pretty darn brave and swims with her face in the water.  She floats on her stomach and flips around in the water, holds her breath well, and seems very confident.

In this pic, she'd come up with all her hair in her face and flipped it back, resulting in this odd, halo frame.  I think she's going to become a great little swimmer this summer.  Maxine was always a little fish, Mikayla will be just the same.

Toga party...

Maxine is studying ancient Greece and she got extra points in her Language Arts/History class if she dressed up for school in a toga.  She also said that she just wanted to.  

That kid is brave.  I'm sure I dressed up in things but I think I might've chickened out on the whole toga idea.  We were able to rustle up a pretty good toga outfit from things we had around the house.  Good deal.

Loving my baby Marco...

Mark's ability to walk is improving!  He's going everywhere and it won't be long before he leaves me behind!

I stuffed Mark in the stroller with Mikayla and told her to hold on tight to him so we could get across the street.  Does this count as a double stroller?

It's funny how your life can change unexpectedly.  Even though I feel like a loony every time I tell a new acquaintance I have 5 kids, I wouldn't trade a single one of them.  I am especially loving my time with Mark.  He is the biggest snuggler, loves hugs (he holds me tight around the neck), and warms my heart every time he smiles that happy face.

Marco, don't ever grow up.

Playing in the snow at Jacob Lake...

It's been the most pleasant winter I can remember.  However the kids wanted some real snow so we went to Jacob Lake.  We bought some sleds at Ace and headed out.

We have a bunch of pictures but hardly any are in focus.  :/  Rather, it's just focusing on the wrong part of the frame.  Mark was kind of cold and sad so I wasn't paying attention to the camera as much.  But the kids played in the snow and had a good time.

 And we ate cookies.

I can't believe this shot of Mikayla.  She'd walked off and sat down in the snow.  Then she turned and looked at me, her face was perfectly matched with a sliver of sunlight coming through the trees.  I snapped it, even though I should have been fixing her boot, which had come off.

I love that bunny hat.  I wish she'd never grow out of it.

Family Motto Poster...

I like New Year's resolutions.  Start fresh, make goals, improve one's self.  So I read an article that listed habits of a happy family.  Things like eat dinner together and have family council.  Creating a family motto was one of the habits.  For family home evening, we sat together and listed attributes that we consider important for our family.  Then collage framed it with several of our favorite family pictures.  We are going to focus on one attribute per week for the next 8 weeks.