Full Hearts!

This post will highlight some of the events since February. Excuse the many captions, but I want to remember what was going on when we look back at these pics in the future! March 12 marked one year since we moved into our house, and my heart is SO FULL when I watch the kids growing up here. I'm so thankful to be with these four little pumpkins every day.

Daddy's shadow and tractor buddy

Plenty of sandy dirt around here for everyone.

We discovered rag curls in February. :)

Bethany's first "Valen's Time" party

If you give a 4 year old a temporary tattoo to apply by herself, she might forget to shut the water off afterwards.

Hm... potential copperhead habitat?!

More rag curls

They started a running club together!

Helping in the kitchen

Bethany the photographer.

Lego garden

Our friend Erin came with her three babes, including newborn baby Emily!

One of several recent trips to the vet with Bogey. He's getting so old and his health is declining. :( We're on a waiting list to adopt a lab puppy in hopes that Bogey will teach the pup some manners while he's still kickin'!!

We had a great visit with Granna & Uncle Jon in Feb.!

I always wanted a little girl who would arrange her clips like this!

These two are sweet buddies all cuddled up.

Bubs and I have fun together while the girls are at music.

All packed up to go to Uncle Pete & Aunt Sally's house for a FULL weekend so Mike and I could celebrate our anniversary! Pete & Sal were very brave, and Figgy & Pop came for much needed support.  Shortly after taking this pic, I had the kids and backpacks all loaded into the van. I got gas, got a car wash, and WRECKED the van. Totaled it. Thankfully FiggyPop saved the day and crammed all the kids and their stuff into Pop's truck for the road trip! I pretty much just sobbed under my sunglasses like a baby for a few hours, but the weekend ended up being wonderful.

THIS was our anniversary weekend project. A play set.

Cousin camp at the park

Uncle Pete is a fun babysitter

Sally tie dyed matching shirts, had a flashlight dance party, an obstacle course, and all kinds of other fun planned.

Love!

We can't believe this was already TEN years ago! By God's grace we're still goin' strong. Tired and old, maybe, but still totally in love ;) I'm so disappointed we didn't get a picture of the two of us on our anniversary weekend! Oh well.

Field trip to Colonial Williamsburg!

She came back with a bonnet. And pink eye. I kid you not.

Hannah's princess drawings melt my heart. "Byoode Duz not men nis" (Beauty does not mean nice) Love it. Sorry it's upside down.

Sewing a sleeveless dress together for C's doll. My crafty girl.

Every now and then Charis will sneak off and write a story all by herself.

Our "baby" turned THREE in March! Shortly thereafter I buzzed his hair and he declared that he was growing up. I'm trying not to baby him so much anymore, and he's becoming Daddy's shadow.

He's all about trains these days.

Playing with the new toys Daddy bought for them at Walmart.

Uncle Jon brought these amazing cousins to see us for the weekend! Rudy is precious!

Max was so much fun! The kids had a blast together.

All crammed into our new minivan for a trip to the park.

Alllll about lipstick, just like her Mama was.

We spent another fun weekend in Harrisonburg in March. Uncle Steve was amazing and brought his big rig for Bubby to take a ride to the farm in New Market! It was so cool.

We got to see Uncle Ben's project (the van)...

They gathered the most delicious eggs and saw the Jones' chickens.

Pop, Uncle Steve, & the kids enjoying the farm tour. It couldn't have been more beautiful outside.

We got to help feed the cows and learn about them.

Uncle Steve even brought out a cooler with snacks and juice for the kids! He was super sweet. After the snack we all got to ride in his big truck. The kids were squealing & cracking up.

New birthday suspenders, all tucked in. (How else could you see the cool cowboy boots?!)

Our favorite hike at Zoar State Park

Pretty lady

Mike let them get into the water because they wanted more adventure that day. I stayed on the bank waiting for someone to fall in and get soaked.

Sweatshirt, vest, & undies!

Splashing. How did they get so big??

Wrestling.

Playdate with some of our best friends, the Mercers. She has a ton of kids.

Checking out those tonsils at the ENT. The doc extended his hand to shake hers, and she slapped it with a good old fashioned "high five". :)

Beautiful day for our first picnic of the season.

Hors d'eovres under the new play set!

We finished building it on our third day of work as the sun went down. The kids had to eat dinner in the dark at the picnic table, thus the flashlights.

And they've been out there every day since.

Another of Hannie's comics.

We got a beautiful new addition to the family in April! Mary Kendrick Acker! So proud of my bro and sis-in-law. WHO looks this beautiful right after having a baby?! Seriously.

Meeting sweet Mary!

It's weird seeing my kids being the "big kids" now. Sniff, sniff.

Sally took this one.