I am super excited

because of this...

Our new dining room table!

The kids love it too.

They got to sit there and eat their "pops" that the nice guy at the bank gave us.

On another note. The kids are having a good spring break. Yesterday we slept in, hung out in our jammies, and watched the rain pour outside. We even heard some thunder off and on! Today we slept in again and then we got to watch a movie on tv before running some errands. We ran by the bank and the library to return our books and get some new ones. I LOVE library books. My mom took me all the time as a kid and I remember being so excited about it. I love to read, and am so glad my kids like it too. We got a bunch of fun new books that we have already been devouring!

When we got home, the furniture guys were delivering our new dining room table! Woo hoo! We can't wait to eat our first meal on it tonight. :o) I think Ya Ya and Granddad are going to join us too. Tomorrow we have a play date with some of our favorite mommies and friends. We are looking forward to that! It is supposed to be sunny and warmer, so hopefully it will be dry enough to get some good outside play time in.

Another exciting thing that we have been doing this week is Mary-Kate has been wearing some big girl panties. I don't think she is totally ready to potty train, but I figured we might as well try our luck since we would be home this week. The reason I was inspired to try is that as soon as she goes tee tee in her diaper, she tells us and takes it off and runs to the bathroom. I swear, every time I turn around she is naked from the waist down! I was tired of wasting so many diapers!

She did great the first day and stayed dry until lunch when she had an accident. She only had one other one that afternoon. She has had a few more accidents today but she has also run to the bathroom when she knew she needed to go. I am setting the timer for either 15 or 20 minutes, and when it goes off we run to the bathroom, sit on the potty and try. :)

Here is MK in her panties, and brother's flip flops and hat. She looks like a little gangster throwing signs. Lol!

Why are little baby cheeks and thighs so cute?

Let's see...it's been awhile since I have updated. What else is going on with us? Of course, the kids are getting so big. It's hard to believe. Kaden likes to tell us he is going to be 4 soon. Man, that is so old! We will have one more year with him at home before he is in kindergarten. How did this happen? He is still such a sweet and good child. He loves to help and has learned certain chores that he does without being asked. I am so proud of him. He likes to set the table, and always clears his dishes and puts them in the sink when he is done. He also likes to be the one to pray at every meal. The other day we had a very serious conversation about Jesus. He told me that he wanted to meet Jesus, and I said I did too. He said, "I want you and Daddy and Mary-Kate to come with me to meet Jesus." I told him that I hope for the same thing one day. I long to see him have a relationship with the Lord that is his own.

I am also proud of how much he is learning lately. He is starting to spell and write some words out. He mostly enjoys writing his name though. We have also been working on math and counting. Things that he has an interest in and is learning include; his left from his right, days of the week, and telling time. He is a little sponge and is picking up on everything. Right now we are trying to decide if we will keep him in Mother's Day Out next Fall, or put him in preschool.

Mary-Kate is talking up a storm and we understand most things she says now. She is mostly talking in sentences too, which blows my mind. When did my little baby grow up? It is less than 2 months until their birthday! Another new thing Mary-Kate is doing is giving up her nap. I am beside myself most days with the question: to nap or not? If she takes a nap, she can't fall asleep until late at night. (And I do mean LATE! Sometimes it's 11 or 12!) If she doesn't nap, she can barely stay awake until her bedtime at 8pm and she can be a bear in the afternoon! Or, she would crash at like 4:30 or 5, which would make her super grumpy when we woke her up, and obviously she would be up even later.

My mom said I was the same way as a baby, and I still am today. I somehow function on very little sleep most days. You would think that she would be tired, whiney, and grumpy late at night, but she isn't. She is cheerful and happy, and actually very pleasant to be around. She likes to play and snuggle and talk your ear off! Every day I try and make the decision of which would be most beneficial for her. Lately I have been making her nap, but I think Bryan is going a little crazy with our little night owl staying up with us.

Here are some pics of the kids from the other day when they crashed while watching a movie one afternoon.

Aren't they precious?

So things are good for us. Just staying busy, as usual. I have another trunk show of sorts, coming up in San Marcos in a couple of weeks. I am also excited to see my brother while we are there. The kids love him so much and have enjoyed getting to skype with him lately. (For those that don't know, Skype is a video chat thingy.) We also have a Spring Retreat for the college group at the beginning of April, a big birthday bash for all of our May birthdays (MK, Kade, my mom, and Bryan) at the beginning of May, and are planning our annual trip to Marble Falls with our favorite people, Steve and Debbie at the end of May! So much to look forward to!

I have been thinking a lot about family lately and just how great it is to be surrounded by our loved ones. I think this is the biggest blessing in our lives. If you took away all of our wordly possessions, the success of my business, and Bryan's job security, we would still have each other, and that is worth more than anything!! We are building such great memories that I will always treasure. Can you imagine choosing not to have this if you had the opportunity? It makes me wonder what could make you so bitter and cold-hearted that you would decide not to be apart of something so great. It's definitely NOT our loss though!!!

Anyways, I guess I will end my long update there! If you made it this far, I will give you a little sneak peek from the Dimples & Dots photo shoot. More to come soon!

Kaden loves his superhero cape.

The girls in their tutus, playing with the maypole that Bryan made.