Justus is 5!!!

 

It's hard to believe our "Little J" is 5 years old today!

 

5 Reasons I'm glad to have him in our family:

 

1.  His hugs are the tightest and most enthusiastic.

2.  He smiles a LOT.

3.  He gets excited over the tiniest things (like the boxes his gifts come in or a special snack)

4.  He's always thinking, creating, and conquering.  He taught himself to read last week!

5.  He keeps us laughing with his funny statements and outrageous antics.

 

 

Ali made him a birthday hat that says, "Sir Justus the First."

 

One day, when checking on the kids in the backyard, Josiah and I found Justus launching buckets of water on a make-shift catapault.

 

Justus wears swimming trunks every day in the summer!

 

Always climbing, running, jumping, biking, or scootering around!

 

When we celebrated his birthday a few days early with his grandparents from MN, he plugged his ears for the birthday song.  Typical Justus!

 

 

He was thrilled with some cool, new shoes that light up.

He needed some new shoes!

 

A blue hat with a bear on it, from Yellowstone.

 

Justus requested sprinkled donuts for breakfast, Ham n' Cheese Pockets for lunch, and Chili for supper for his birthday.  He wants a Spiderman cake for the family party tonight.  My folks went in with us to get him a Ziggle for his birthday, which I know he will love!

 

10 Years!

 

Yesterday was our 10th anniversary.  We spent 4 kid-free days celebrating this milestone in beautiful Yellowstone National Park.  I have tons of pictures to share here!

 

Next to Lower Falls....though it is summer, it's still chilly in Yellowstone!

 

We had a wonderful time away without kids, but we were soooo excited to see them when we got back and spoiled them with rock candy suckers and new t-shirts!  They missed us a lot but had fun camping with Grammy and Boppa.

My Tiny Ones

Some days I can't wait for the diaper deluge and teething and tantrums and interruptions and crying and enormous food messes to be over.  But other times, as I'm snuggling little bodies, rocking my chubby toddler or kissing my little blonde boy and reading them nursery rhymes or listening to them say a new word or dance delightedly over a thrilling discovery, I am sooo thankful to still have tiny ones in the house.  They enrich our lives so much!

Katri tried and tried to put on her shorts by herself, falling down several times.  She finally just gave up and hugged her shorts.

Dancing together

Katri and Justus fight all of the time but for some strange reason she loves him more than the other kids, even though he treats her the worst and doesn't give her everything like the older two!

It's all fun and games until the baby poops in the pool!

So much energy!

Little ones have the CUTEST clothes!!!  Even Ali complains about this and wonders why Kate's clothes are prettier than hers!

Snuggle bug wrapped in a towel after swimming

Teeny tiny pigtails

Stuck through the rails....again.  This time, though, she figured out how to get herself out.

Covered in dirt and remnants of sticky sweets and ready to head to bed on the 4th of July

Enjoying a popsicle with her buddy Abigail

Showing off her very first manicure!  Using this polish, I did her toes and fingernails before church one day after she saw Ali get painted and (of course) wanted to copy big sis!

She loves to get wet as much as the rest of our brood!

The older kids were told she could only go outside if they watched her carefully and didn't put water in the sandbox.....sigh....

Taking a picture of Mommy, with the camera upside down and backwards

Justus was so proud of himself for climbing a huge rock on our family hike.

I was proud of him for hiking 3 miles with us, in the afternoon, with no snacks!

She loves to hug her babies.

This little man always has a smile for us.  He's definitely the most cheerful member of our family.

So happy to be swimming on a hot day!

She's a wild woman in her little boat!

KK has claimed this bike for her own and screams loud enough for the whole neighborhood to hear if her brothers even try to touch it.

In addition to splashing in the toilet (eeeeewwwww!) one of Katri's latest things is to find sister's markers around and color her face.  She's been brown, green, and purple in the last week!

Life is never dull when you have tiny ones around!

An Education in Fun

Summer is a time for Bible clubs in the park and having young missionaries over for meals...

...a time for lifelong friendships to form...

 ...a time for learning to share with cousins.

Summer is a time for coloring pictures for your Mommy, just because...

and for putting together cool puzzles.

It's a time for chasing Daddy when hiking in the mountains.

Summer is sisters, little and big, doing everything together...

...and a young son assisting Mommy on a photo shoot...

...and catching his first fish with Daddy.

Summertime means fun and food with friends on the 4th...

...it's a season for getting to know your uncles...

...and remembering our history...

...and celebrating what's beautiful.

Summer is larger-than-life...

...a chance to come together with your neighbors...

...and enjoy your family.

It's a long, cool swim and a water fight with Grammy in her creek...

...and jumping on your friend's trampoline until your shorts fall off!

It's discovering what Mrs. Amy's homemade ice-cream tastes like...and going back for seconds...and thirds!

It's hanging out for hours in your friends' back yards, having BBQs, water balloon fights, and swapping tales of yard sales, or coupon deals, or mommy meltdowns.  It's pool parties and picnics at the park.

It's the perfect time to kidnap your nephew and spoil him rotten.

Summer is definitely the season for getting an education...in fun!