209/365

say hello to our little friends.  when we moved here, we brought a hanging plant with us.  then we discovered it had a nest in it.  then we found eggs.  and, over the weekend, we have been able to watch those 4 eggs hatch these sweet little birds.  what a sweet blessing to witness!  the kids have loved checking on the baby birds and watching the mama bird come feed them.  there is a 4th one in there somewhere, but he's hiding amongst all the fuzz.  how cute are they?!?!

208/365

 4 wheelers and pop guns.  the perfect summer evening.

207/365

206/365

meet treyson.  he's my 4th child for the weekend.  his parents are going on a cruise and he will join our family until monday.  we are super excited.  he's 2 years old, but he's the most well behaved kid ever.  he fits right in.  the girls absolutely love him too, which make sit easier.  we have big plans for the weekend with this guy.

205/365

this little mommy has become the biggest help around the house lately.  she helps me with jaxton all the time, giving him snacks, playing with him, occupying him while i'm changing his diaper.  her attitude has changed and she's been so good.  i'm loving it, but it makes me realize how quickly she's growing up. 

204/365

i always have big dreams about summer.  i have big plans in my head.  and those plans usually don't go accordingly.  things come up.  other ideas happen.  friends come visit.  mama needs a lazy day.  and the days keep passing by so quickly.  the last 2 days have been wonderful.  we had 2 friends with us for 2 days and all 5 kids have played and played and played.  this is what summer is supposed to be.  they are in and out.  guzzling water.  enjoying popsicles.  sliding down the slide in their swimsuits while they squirt the water hose all over the yard, and shooting water guns at each other.  seriously, all. day. long.  they rode bikes, 4-wheelers, played guns, played cars, and hide and seek.  all. day. long.  i think i've enjoyed it more than they have!

203/365

we have friends over to play today and we went exploring.  we found a cool trail really close to our house and just had to go check it out.  i think i had more fun than they did.

202/365

i love that, every summer, my family gets to enjoy fresh corn from my poppy's garden.  it's the only corn we ever eat.  and it's absolutely delicious. 

201/365

want an activity that will occupy a 4 year old for a whole hour?  give them a bike, a sponge, soap, and water.  she washed and washed and washed her bike. 

200/365

199/365

look at his teeth!  i crack up everytime i see them.  seriously.  his first tooth was the bottom one.  then the opposite top one came in.  hysterical.  now the other bottom one and top one are coming through and will hopefully even them out.  what a goofy grin, but i absolutely love it.

198/365

i'm well aware that HE looks like a SHE in these pictures.  it is a boy onesie though, with a pink alligator on it.  and the purple and green snack cup is leftover from the sisters.  it's a given.  he's the third child, plus a brother with 2 sisters.  he even uses pink forks.  sorry kid.

197/365

i absolutely LOVE bright green grass.  and since we figured out how to work our sprinkler system, plus it's been raining off and on, the grass is VERY green.  and tall.  and these little white mushrooms keep popping up in this same spot.  karsyn likes to squish them.  mykah likes to kick them.  and if jaxton were on the ground, he'd probably eat them. 

mushrooms or not, we're loving our backyard.  we can walk anywhere and everywhere without shoes and the grass feels almost padded under our feet.  it's heavenly.

196/365

We've done a whole lot of this lately.  This boy LOVES to be outside.  And he LOVES to swing. 

195/365

my view today.  he wants to be down, but he wants to be right by me.  i love these times.

194/365

what a special, special memory this is now.  today was my granny's birthday.  and she likes to be pampered.  so my girls did just that.  they painted her fingernails and toenails.  they brushed her hair.  they put lipstick on her.  and who knows what else.  while mykah finished up, karsyn sat down and read granny a book.  i will cherish this picture forever and ever.

193/365

this is kind of one of those "outtake" type pictures from our weekly session where i take his picture in the same outfit / same chair each friday.  it's an awkward picture, but i had to share it.  check out those lashes?  and that hair?  he has more hair already than the girls did when they were 2.  seriously.  and he lays his head down on everything, all the time.  way too cute!

192/365

i've said it a million times, but i still just can't get enough of this little guy.  he's the sweetest baby ever.  his new favorite thing to do, which just started this week, is to snuggle in our bed.  we just sit there and he'll lay down, lay his head on me, or just sit there.  i've fed him a few bottles in bed too this week and when david fed him today, he fell asleep.  sweetest. thing. EVER. 

i did end up moving him to his bed, which didn't phase him at all, but i just wanted to cuddle with him for hours.  do you blame me?

191/365

clearly i need to do a better job of taking pictures of my girls.  i do have 3 children, ya know.  he's just the only one that i don't have to bribe (yet) to snap pictures all day long. 

our life these days consists of raising the blinds each morning (we have 4 big windows in our living/dining area that have low sills), tying up the strings, and the curtains.  it's not what i like, but it's what's safe at this time in our life.  he has discovered it all.  plus nightlights and door stops.

190/365

is that RED hair?  in some light, his hair looks red, which is how karsyn's hair used to be.  sometimes it looks dirty blonde.  sometimes really blonde.  i'm curious to see how it all comes in. 

also, as i tell everyone these days, he's EVERYWHERE and into EVERYTHING.  this was taken after the exploration of the window sills, blinds, and curtains.