Favorite Moments of 2011

As I sit here reflecting on 2011 I am reminded of ALL the blessings that this wonderful year brought to our family.  
What a gift each and every day is!

Here is our year in photos...

January
 La Habra Children's Museum...
 

February
Playing soccer with Daddy...

April 
Ethan turns 4...

April 16th, The boys meet their new sister...

 
Ava Marie, 1 day old...
 

Happy Easter!!...

May
 Ava is 3 weeks old & her brothers adore her.. 

June
Ethan starts preschool at home with Mommy... 

Ava's first smiles...

July

The boys played in the water every day!...

Drive-in movie in cardboard boxes...

August

 Ava's 4 months old. Look at those dimples!!...

Ethan learns how to ride his bike...

Owen "helps" Daddy frame the windows...

September

The super heroes...

A bunch of Bishops...

October

A nature walk with my kiddos...

Daddy & his little men...

Ava is crawling!...

Tanaka Farm tractor ride...

Owen the maniac, leaping off a hay bale... 

Happy Harvest sweet Ava...

Favorite picture of Owen from 2011, hands down!...

Favorite picture of the boys EVER! My sweet boys enjoying a hotdog and each others' company. Love this one so much...

November

Ava is fearless and adorable...

Wearing Mommies pearls...

 

December

Special time with Daddy...

Ethan loves to do crafts...

Great Grandma Fitz and Ava at Christmas...

I love that I am a Mom and that I have been given the great blessing of sharing Christmas with my children. 

I am one happy Mom!!...

O-man and his new Big-Boy bed!!!...

My New Years resolutions: 

Spiritual~Live fully for the Glory of God.

Physical~Signed up for the Camp Pendleton Mud Run in June 2012. Going to start working out so that I can be healthy & fit again!

Practical~Be more efficient with my time. Redeeming the time!

Share your resolutions with me below...
Praying for you all to have a Blessed & Happy New Year!

our BIG boy!

Our little Owen is growing up and not so little anymore! 

Boo-hoo (Mommy tears!!!)

He is now in a BIG-BOY bed! 

We moved the boys into the corner bedroom that we just finished redoing. We painted, replaced the electrical, replaced the ceiling fan, finished the trim around the windows, doors and baseboards, and also replaced the air vents. 

Chad and I moved the bunkbeds into the room. We set up the beds next to one another just until Owen gets used to sleeping in his new bed. Don't you LOVE the new bedding I bought for them at Ikea...

E and O seeing their new bedding for the first time...

Then when it sunk in that this was Owen's new bed and there was no going back to the crib, he needed some reassurance...

All in all, they LOVED the new room and bedding...

Tomorrow I'll hang up all the decorations!! :)

Side Note:
There is an awesome Silhouette give-away happening at...

Click on the link and enter to win!!!!

Grandma's little sluggers

The boys learning to play baseball with Grandma...



Owen, our little left-handed slugger!...

waiting for the big day!!!

Decorating Cookies With Kaleb

Fun with Blocks

  
Making Graham Cracker Gingerbread Houses

Ethan & His Friends Perform at Church

preschool this week (in pictures)

Our letter of the week was "j"...

Coloring only the "j" jellybeans...

Owen colored his lips with the orange highlighter when I wasn't looking...

A lesson on opposites...

Daddy time...

Such a maniac, but we love him...

Making pine cone bird feeders...

Spreading peanut butter on the pine cones...

Rolling it in bird seed...

Ta-da! This is from inside our living room window. We are waiting for the birdies to come enjoy...

Owen painting his pine cone Christmas tree...

 E painting his "tree"...

Owen's tree...

Ethan's tree...

It's been a fun and challenging week all rolled together. I am posting this photo journal of the past week to motivate myself to keep going! 

Also, so that I will remember that my kids are benefiting from all the sacrifices we are making financially so I can stay home with them :)

My prayer is that I would always be close to the heart of God listening to what He feels is best for each of my kids...and that can change from year to year, kid to kid, season to season. 

Right now, I am home with them and will do everything I can to build into their little hearts, character...into their minds, knowledge...into their souls, an opportunity to know Jesus...and into their bodies, strength through play.

Mark 12:30

"And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment."