Photo Shoot...

My sister-in-law, Jessica has a business on Etsy.  Earlier this year she asked Drew and I if she could use our kids as models for some of her products.  This is the result!  We had soooo much fun together!  Her website is positivelyoakes.com.  

Onesies

Headbands

Bowties

Leggings with lace

Screen-print tees

Let's Go Fly a Kite

Matt bought a $0.98 kite and he and Riley took it out a few days ago.  She loved it! It was definitely worth the investment.

Tiny Dancer

Tonight was Ava's dance recital and it did not disappoint!  She was fantastic and the cutest one out there, of course.  Her class performed two dances - a hip-hop and a lyrical.  This is her hip-hop costume with the other girls.  These recitals are so much fun!  They make my heart happy.

A BIG thank you to all of our family members who came to support Ava.  It meant a lot to me and I know it meant a lot to her too!

Singing in the Car

You wouldn't think there are advantages to having a glitchy cd player in the car.  But turns out, it's really been a sweet little blessing.  We have been singing in the car and I must say it just makes my heart happy.  I remember singing all kinds of "Grandpa-pa," "Kookaburra," "Horsey-horsey," primary songs, hymns, and other things in the car as kids.  And now, my kids have been doing that in our car --esp. to and from picking up Jake from school.  Granted, I do like it when our cd player works--definitely helps calm down baby Suzy and its nice to just relax and listen.  However, there is something very special about teaching and singing goofy little songs from my childhood with my kids.
Jake and I can actually do the "Kookaburra"and "Row your Boat" rounds and sing the "Horsey-horsey" partner song together.  And we all like to sing "I am a Child of God" and the "Nursery Rhyme/Threw it Out the Window" alphabet song.  Brooklynn and Ethan especially excel at "ABC's"-- at home you can always tell when Brook is done eating because she will sing the alphabet song at full volume at the table.  I think my very favorite though, is the "You are my Friend" song from Daniel Tiger--based on Mr. Rogers.  It's so sweet and always seems to stop the whiny grumpies that are present in any car carrying more than one child.  The lyrics go like this:

You are my friend you are special.

Special my friend.

You're special to me.

You are the only one like you.

Like you my friend.

I like you.

You are my friend. You. Are. Special.

Babbling Brook

So the other day I heard this:
Brook:  "Eeeeetaaaan.  Eeeeetaaaan."   "Where ahh you?"
Ethan: "Oh! I comin' Book!" (he trots over to her)
Brooklynn then gave him a big hug and kiss and said:  "You're my best friend ever."

Talk about melt.my.heart.  It was so precious.  I tried to find my camera--no luck.  But I winked and gave them a thumbs up, and for a few minutes it became a game-- kindof like mom greeting dad home from work.  Brooklynn would look for Ethan, he would come to her, and then they would give hugs and kisses!

Yes, my twins scream and hit and fight with eachother just like any other siblings.  But they also have a very special bond.  Ethan is always taking care of his sister and Brooklynn loves to play with him.

This picture was taken the morning after a special "movie and popcorn" night that Jason did with the kids while I went to a bridal shower for Whitney--Uncle Jesse is getting MARRIED!!!  (More on that come August!)  Brooklynn had been munching on the day-old popcorn all morning.  Then later, I came into the family room to see this.  Again, too precious.  Love these kids.

Goodbye Clark HS

Rob West choir director parapro

Smiling with Suzy!

She's SMILING!!  This little girl makes us so happy.  Every day we are rewarded with the sweetest smiles and coos.  The kids are always trying to get her to look at them and she gladly rewards them with a grin.

Baby Suzy's Blessing

We originally planned to have Suzy's blessing about a month ago.  But, between Nana and Papa getting a nasty cold, and me and the kids passing around an intense 24 hour flu bug, we decided to reschedule.  It worked out that Jesse was coming home and Shauna and Colby would be coming into town for the weekend of April 27, so we worked it out with Nana and Papa (so sweet of them to make the trip!) and that was our day!  So blessed to have so much family around us.

Grandma Dawn gave us this beautiful dress and the sweetest lace booties!  I made it my goal to make a headband to match.  With a little help and instruction from Shannon, I think it worked out pretty good.  I even used some extra beads to make a tiny pearl bracelet for her. :)

Held by her namesakes on her blessing day-- Susan (Nana) Dawn (Grandma)

Love my sweet baby.

The Baker's are. . . stuck. But they're stuck HERE!

So, what was originally supposed to be an Easter weekend trip, turned into a WEEK of fun in Vegas.  John dropped off Sharie and the girls here on his way through to California for a conference.  However, once he got there, their car broke down and ended up taking a week to fix.  Bummer for them, but great for us!  And it just happened to be Spring Break--serendipity!!  We went to the park, the museum, played at our house, did dinner at Macayo's, and just had a wonderful time with them.  We miss our cousins!  Here's a few fun picts.

 I have another shot of this exact pose when Jacob and Mylie were about 18 months old.   Brings back memories.  So grateful for their friendship!

 Ethan's favorite things at the park is the swings.  He just giggles!

 Braden and Brynlee were such cute pals this trip.  Love their silly faces.

 Suzy pretty much napped the whole time.  Yay!

Sharie and Baby Suzy having some snuggle time.  (Sharie's warming up for her own new baby coming) We recently found out-- ALL THREE MacKay sisters are expecting in October!!  We are SUPER EXCITED!

Yes, this is our clan dominating an entire table in the arts section of the Children's Museum. (thank you Remi for helping us all get in with your pass!)  The only ones missing are Becca and Harper--they had to go on vacation to Hawaii--boo.:)  It was so cute watching everyone work and play together.  My favorite was Bella and her first time trying scissors.  Adorable.

 Ya, we kinda took over Jamba Juice and the Vet Clinic for a little while too.:)

Sharie was sweet to take baby duty while I helped some of the older kids on the stairs/slide area.  She even got re-initiated into motherhood with a nice juicy blow-out all over her shirt--sorry Sharie!

I love it when Brook and Ethan hold hands! You might think we pose them like this for pictures, but honestly we don't.

Happy Easter & Riding a Bike!!

We were so excited this Easter to have ALL of our MacKay cousins in town.  The kids HAD to have an egg hunt!  They were so cute.  Besides the picts of them all lined up, my favorite shot is of little Bella and Harper playing with all the eggs.  Now that is baby bliss!  Haha--adorable!

A little later this same afternoon, with a little instruction from Grandma, Jacob . . . learned how to ride a bike!! (love the tongue sticking out in concentration)   LOVE IT!  He is so proud!