day 364

marlee intense with this very loud piano. sometimes it is watching her bounce off the walls, other times it is watching her move her hands and face in great expression. love her enthusiasm for anything she does.

day 363

naomi has taken on the big sister role very seriously lately. she dresses marlee a couple days a week. naomi will match marlee to herself as close as possible. it is usually the type of clothing-like a shirt and skirt with leggings for the both of them or a fancy dress. today naomi put all the play necklaces on her little sister. marlee loves the attention and it touches my heart to see naomi take care of her.

day 360

we had christmas with our meyer family today. the kids were pretty excited because santa showed up unexpectedly. the story behind this is dad only told me that he had this costume. so, he disappeared for a bit and everyone was asking where grandpa was because the kids were ready to open presents. santa made his grand appearance and gave everyone a fun suprise other than levi and jackson(who cried). dad was really excited to give this suprise the kids and mom as he is a big kid himself!

day 355

uno with marlee. i had been playing with the big kids and she couldn't wait to play with mommy. by her rules of course. havin' fun with her silly little personality.

day 351

the kids are getting very creative in their indoor play. love hearing their giggles and little talks of where they are going to hide or what they are coming up with next to do to keep them busy.

day 349

these two crack me up. i found max helping marlee brushing her teeth and talking with her how to do it right then watched him grab her toothbrush and do it for her. love these kids.

day 345

we all went to jack's birthday party at chucky cheese. the kids all had a great time playing around the whole place. marlee had fun whacking these guys down.

day 342

marlee loving the snow and the sled rides around the yard. mommy having a great time pulling her around and capturing this crooked smile of hers.

day 341

our fully decorated tree and the little helpers who made it perfect.

day 339

cutting down the christmas tree. this year we went back to our old place but were very sad that there were not many good trees to choose from. we searched through it all and came upon our short plumpy tree which brought smiles to everyone but naomi and marlee.

day 337

my little marlee girl. we were telling you your full name the other day and you proceeded telling us it was marlee girl. i love the spunkiness you add to our lives.

day 336

marlee helped me make my first batch of caramel corn this year. she was fascinated by how the popper worked. and she loved how it tasted too. it is a joy teaching the kids how to cook.

day 335

first big snow. this photo is the story of our backyard. max and noah building the pile of snow up to sled off the deck. marlee helping or copying anyone she can. naomi chillin' making angels in the snow. lovin' every minute of it.

day 334

marlee is very intrigued with the paint brush lately. she first started "painting" the walls and doors and tables and ended happy with everyones fingers. everyone plays along very well and says how nice of a job marlee is doing. she will blow on them when she is done. if anyone else blows on their nails or says "oops" she will say "now stop it" and repaint those fingernails. funny little girl.

day 333

pebble jars. we use pebbles to "pay" the kids for jobs done around the house and when their resposibilities are fulfilled. the kids can earn money or an experience as a reward when they get a certain number of pebbles. it took us a while to come up with a concept that would work with our family and so far this has paid off for several months so i think it will stick. it is fun to watch the kids count their pebbles and ask to do extra things when they get close to their reward.

day 332

thanksgiving dinner at grandma and grandpa collin's house. it was a beautiful sunny cold day. the kids love helping grandpa outside and he enjoys driving them around in the trailer.

day 323

i woke up to max reading to marlee on the couch. they are my early risers and two of a kind.

day 321

marlee's first nite in her big girl bed. the crib is still up so we had to squish her next to the dresser for a couple days. she is so proud of herself.

day 320

last nite of marlee sleeping in her crib. lots of transitions this week.

day 315

oh, so this is where your pretty little fingers go:)