Easter Holiday

We spent Easter with my (Amber's) family. It sure was fun. We actually spent over a week with them so Jesse could hunt. But alas! The closest thing to a dead turkey Jesse will get to this year is named Butterball. It wasn't for trying though. He went out in the woods twice a day every day. He saw lots of birds at one point, but happened to spook them since he accidentally walked through their nesting spot.

Anyways, the girls really enjoyed their Easter. Sydney couldn't get over the bubbles (so much joy for so little!), And has wanted to read "George" every night since (Thanks Nana & Papa!). Kiera only cared about the grass and eggs. She tried to eat them both. And I have to brag a little bit...I made the dresses and the shrugs! I couldn't find any matching dresses, since the girls have such different sizes. So i just whipped up something simple.

Later we went to Uncle Troy's and Aunt Mel's for Easter Dinner. After dinner we had the egg hunt followed by the traditional 4-wheeler rides! YAY! (yeah I know we're rednecks.......) This time, since there were so many of us, we got out the trailer and the 4-wheeler rides ended up being a hay ride (without the hay).

We love spring!

It's been a busy few weeks! We went ahead and moved the swings out to Nana's and Papa's.
Picked daffodils in Bluffton.


And got our seeds ready to plant in the garden. And we're steady going! This family refuses to slow down! (scroll down to see Pics of our gardening in action!)

S & K Farms

Here's our little Garden! Ok, so it's not so little. It's about 1/2 acre. We've just gotten everything planted. We're going to have corn, tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, squash, butter beans, green beans, and WATERMELON!!! That's the best part, of course.

Here's our tractor. Syd will only ride with Mommy so far.

And this is what we do when it starts getting dark: Hang out in the back yard with Daddy.

We'll put up some more pictures as our crops grow!

Neglected!

There is no other word for it....My poor blog has been sadly neglected! In my defense we have been very busy, and hardly ever home. So here are some pics of what we've been doing the past few weeks:

Learning to sit up! Now Mom can sit me on the floor and let me play by myself so she can clean!


I've discovered how soft puppy-dogs are, and I LOVE THEM!!!!



Sydney's Trying more and more to be a good Big Sister. Including: Feeding Kiera, picking up all the toys and helping Mommy clean!

We've also been to Bluffton, and to Meme's farm and been sick for the majority of this past month! We're getting better though, and hopefully (if we slow down any) We'll get to blog more.

All Worth While

The kids have been driving me crazy! Kiera is very clingy, and despite my almost constant use of the sling, I can rarely get anything done. Sydney on the other hand will go right behind me and make everything Jesse or I have spent hours cleaning an absolute disaster area. Or throw a ball and it lands on the baby. Or squeeze out all the juice from her juice box all over the couch.....you get the picture. We used to joke about having a Velcro wall and suits so we could just stick the kids there. Of course that would never happen, tempting though it is. I think Sydney would be less destructive if she could go play outside, but alas we have no fence to keep her in the yard and off the train tracks, and it's too cold for the baby to go out for long periods. I still work nights and don't get off until late. This makes for a tired and grumpy mommy. I need a vacation, or just a couple hours by myself with no kids or husband so I can feel like I'm getting something done. Even if it's just a nap!

Then Syd snuggles up to me and says "I love you Momma!" or


Kiera gives me one of her infectious giggles (complete with toothless grin)
and it makes my life and all the craziness that goes with it all worth it.

Lights @ the Zoo

It was really warm the other night, with temps in the low 60s. So we decided to take Sydney to see Christmas lights. The zoo always does a great job decorating and lets people come in after dark to see their lights. Most of the animals were tucked into bed but we did get to see the fish and farm animals and ride the carousel. Sydney had a blast. They even had fake snow falling all over the place!
Syd and her daddy

2 monkeys!


Giraffe rides are the best!

Thankful.......

This year had been hard. Trying desperately to get out of debt and seeing such little progress. Losing our nanny (and half a paycheck in the process). A difficult pregnancy, during one of the hottest summers of the past decade. The terrible two's!!!! Tragedy in our family, and for our close friends. There isn't a friend or family member who hasn't been impacted by a difficult hardship, that we know of. And yet through all this crud we've had to wade through this past year I find myself reflecting on the things I'm thankful for. They seem little when you look at them separately, but the little things add up. The ones that stand out most are a little obvious: My sweet hubby and wonderful girls. And some that aren't: that my relationship with my siblings has grown a lot over the past year. And the ones that make me laugh: I'm truly thankful for sweet pickles being there for a crazed pregnant woman with cravings! My list this year is truly too long to type up. So I'll just post a few pictures of my fav's:

Loving and supportive friends

The sweetest sisters!

The best Baby-daddy any baby-momma could ask for!

There are dozens more, but mostly I am thankful to be where I am, with people I love. (P.S. I'm thankful for blogs too *wink-wink!*)