making valentines.

yes, we made valentines this year.  just wanted to document that this happened even if valentines day was like 2 months ago.  they were made on a sunday afternoon while still dressed in church clothes. on a side note,  my kids stay in their church clothes almost the whole sunday. not because i make them but because they want to. ohkayy.  when i was a kid, i couldn't wait to get home and rip my dress off and put on my boxer shorts and t-shirt.  it's funny how opposite they are from me.  anyway, i just have to say that i am liking how my children are becoming more independent.  valentines aren't as near painstaking as they used be.  jack can pretty much do the whole process himself and ava is on her way there.  eden is the only one who needs some help but she is so "let-me-do-everything-myself" that i have to kinda step back and let her do her thing even if it's not what i think is perfect.  jonah stood by for moral support and to sneak a piece of candy here and there when no one was looking.  what he didn't know was i was looking ;)  but then he had to come ask me for help to get the wrapper open.  so i guess that makes me a co-conspirator.

a christmas get-together.

we got together with jason's family on the sunday evening before christmas.  those cousins always have a good time when they're with each other.  they decorated some cookies for santa and by the time the decorating was done there was enough sugar and sprinkles on those cookies to put even santa into a sugar coma.  but the creativity was definitely present.  the cousins also acted out the nativity.  ava and eden were the sweetest angels, jack was joseph, and, well, jonah was a shepherd who kept sneaking away to the bowl of peanut m&m's up on the counter.  that's my boy.  we ended the night with a little gift exchange.  jonah received a remote control lightening mcqueen car that sort of made his day.  we had a great time visiting with family and eating lots of delicious mexican food and reflecting on the true meaning of christmas.  love the holiday season.

christmas sunday.

christmas sunday.

december 22, 2013.

christmas sunday is one of my most favorite sundays of the year.  and i was really hoping that we could be on time to church since this was going to be our last chance to try and make it to 8am church before the opening prayer.  (we haven't been on time the whole year that i can remember, minus maybe the one time when we had to say the opening prayer).  well, it didn't happen this sunday either.  we were all ready to go but of course we had to stop and take some pictures in front of the tree in our sunday christmas best.

i am so blessed to call these kids mine.  they are great kids all with great personalities.  jack had just gotten glasses and was so excited to wear them and show them off to the world.  it's funny because now that the newness has worn off, i barely see him in them at all.  anyway, we were again late to church, only by a few minutes, but i don't regret it.  having pictures of my kids together (looking happy) is a little more important in my book than saying we were on time to church.  and now it's a new year and we have 10am church so our goal of making it to church on time might be a bit more achievable.

sunday afternoon at the jacobson's | polaroids.

a couple of sunday's ago we took the kids over to our old side of town, tempe.  jason and i both grew up there....me my whole childhood and jason his teenage years.  jason's aunt and uncle still live there and we like to go visit them because there nice and they have a kid friendly backyard.  it was a great afternoon.  the kids ran around the backyard talking to the horses and picking fruit off all their trees.  some for them and some for the horses.  the fresh fruit was delicious and the kids got a lesson on how to cut grapefruit.  who knew our visit would be educational too.  then uncle sonny/grandpa jacobson won all the kids over his snow cone maker.  they kept coming back for seconds and thirds and even fourths. there would've been fifths but i had to cut them off at some point.  when it was time to go, nobody wanted to leave.  jonah just sat on the riding lawn mower and kept saying "ride" until we had to pry his little body from it and the other ones kept running away from us.  after leaving their wonderful home,  it made me long for life on a ranch.  at least we always have one to go visit ;)

easter sunday.

yes, i know easter was a month ago but that's just how i roll lately. so, here are a few pictures of my littles on easter sunday all dressed up and ready for church.  i think jonah may have stole the show with his bow tie and facial expressions.  he may have been on something. (that something was probably sugar from all the easter candy he kept shoving in his mouth all morning long).

another easter in the record books.