Valentine's Day

We had a really fun Valentine's Day this year.  The girls have started doing lunch bunch at school on Tuesdays.  They love packing a lunch and going a bit early to see their friends.  Their friend, Barrett, is always there and the 3 of them have been having a blast together.  They were told to dress up on Valentine's Day and the girls chose these outfits.

They were so excited to share their Valentines with their classmates.  I saw so many cute Valentines ideas on Pinterest but I couldn't pull it together in time so we just wrote out some cute store bought ones. They came home with bags full of candy that I ended up throwing out.  I felt bad about it but it causes way too many problems when we have all that sweet stuff lying around.

Cory and I were lucky enough to get Grandma & Grandpa to watch the kids and we went out for sushi that night with our friends, Lori & Sean.  I have officially decided that Mikado has the best sushi in Chandler and the prices can't be beat.  We ordered a huge boat of sushi and it was delicious.  It was a great day filled with lots of love.

Cory's birthday weekend

Cory turned 38 this past weekend and we have been celebrating all week.  This should probably be divided up into three different posts because so much went on but I'm lumping it all into one.  We had such a fun weekend with our friends in town--Brian, Claire, & their boys, Devin & Curtis.  They flew in around 1pm on Friday and the fun started that night with dinner and drinks at San Tan Brewery.  That place has become our little Cheers bar where we always run into people we know.  We had waaaay too much fun that night!

Saturday was a bit more tame.  We hung out at home and the kids played and played and played.  We couldn't get over how awesome it was to just spend time with our friends, enjoying the gorgeous weather while our 5 kids played together so nicely.  We made a scrumptious dinner of chicken & beef fajitas and then called it a night since the guys were golfing early in the morning and Claire & I were taking the kids to the zoo.

We got to the zoo pretty early and beat most of the weekend crowd.  Devin & Curtis are animal lovers and Reese & Ryan were so excited to show them around and tell them where all their favorite animals live.  I had to include this photo below because Ryan insisted on dressing like Devin.  We scoured the closets and dressers for a red shirt, plaid shorts, and a black baseball cap.  She was so happy that we found a close match to his outfit :)

 After a nice afternoon of naps we had all the family over for pizza, cupcakes, and ice cream. 

 We all helped him blow out his candles.

It was such a great weekend with family and friends and I know that Cory had so much fun.  We are so blessed to have such wonderful people in our lives.  Happy Birthday to my wonderful husband.  I hope your 38th was one of the best yet!  We love you SO much!

Another haircut

Ryder boy got another haircut and he did SO much better this time.  His first haircut back in December was full of tears and he had to sit on my lap just to trim a few hairs.  This time around he was a champ, sitting in the chair all by himself (the little sucker they gave him worked wonders).


The girls both got a trim as well and their hair looks really good.  They have such thick wavy hair and the hairdressers suggested giving them long layers to take out the weight.  They all looked so cute when were finished.  We were too busy picking out our treats at the end that I forgot to snap a photo of the girls and all three together.  Oh well.  There will be many more haircuts to come.

Night time routines

We have a pretty set routine at night that we try really hard to stick to.  Since the girls don't nap we start getting ready for bed around 6:30-7:00.  This is easy to do in the winter when it's dark at 5pm.  As longer days approach we get a bit derailed but we still shoot for bedtime in the 7 o'clock hour.  We love reading a few books before bed and the girls always ask for ice cold water.  Recently we started reading daily devotions from a book called Sticky Situations.  It's presents situations that kids may get into and then gives them options of what they should do in the Sticky Situations.  The girls are a tad young but they really do 'get it'.  It's been fun for us to read them together and then read the bible verse that corresponds.  

Our other favorite night time routine is playing with Big Tiger.  It's the funniest thing ever.  Cory animates the tiger and makes him pounce on the bed.  The kids all scream at the top of their lungs and hide under the covers.  They're scared but they want more. "MORE, Daddy, MORE!" I wish I had a photo of the kids screaming and laughing but I was too busy hiding under the covers with them.  He really knows how to animate that stuffed tiger.

Is it that time already?

I registered the girls for Kindergarten yesterday.  I filled out what seemed like a lot of forms, but maybe it was just that I was doing everything times two.  It's surreal and I can't believe in just 5 short months they will be going to school all day, from 8:30-3:00 each day.  I'm excited for them because I know they're so ready, but a little sad too, because they're my babies and I love having them home with me each day.  We have really enjoyed our lazy mornings at home this year.  It's been so great to go to school at 12:30 and have quiet time with Ryder in the afternoon.  I'm really going to miss that when we're cracking the whip every morning, trying to get out the door by 8:15.  I'm also really going to miss the Christian foundation they're getting at Risen Savior.  They come home singing the cutest bible songs and they are learning things about Jesus every day.  I feel like they are enriched in so many ways.  It will surely be missed when we're at public school next year.

Torturing my husband

Cory always lets me pick the movies when we go out.  He's SO sweet like that.  He'll go see romantic comedies without complaining and is always up for anything as long as we can be out together, just the two of us.  I've been really excited to see this movie.

Cory was up for it since it got really great reviews, even though he really wanted to see some other movie with Liam Neeson lost in the Alaska wilderness.  I thought The Descendants was great.  It was funny and sad, and the acting was really good.  I could tell about halfway through that we were losing Cory.  He was bored out of his gourd.  I shoulda saved this one for my mom and me and taken him to the wilderness movie.  I promised him last night that he could pick the next 3 movies.  That will probably be for the next year because we seem to get to the movies only about once every few months.  We had a nice dinner at BJ's after and then picked up the kiddos at Grandma & Grandpa's house around 8:00. It was so fun to go out for an early date night and be home to put all the kids to bed.

Big boy bed

I have some pretty amazing friends.  My sweet friend, Nicci, gave us this adorable bedding for Ryder's big boy room and we've had it stored away for months.  

It was finally time to break down the crib and put up the bed.  I bought the mattress on Monday and Cory got it all set up last night.  I had a fit of insomnia from 12-2 last night and decided it would be a great time to make up the bed since Ryder was in our bed.  When the kids woke up it was all made up and everyone was so excited.  They couldn't wait to hop on the bed and test it out.

 It really completes the room and makes it look like the total surfer bedroom, perfect for Ryder boy.  Now we have to see how tonight goes with actually sleeping in the bed.  Fingers crossed!

Staying home

It finally found us--the dreaded winter sickness.  We've been SO healthy all winter with no doctor visits, but all good things must come to an end.  Four of the five of us are sick (Cory hasn't gotten it yet).  It started on Sunday and has worked its way through the family.  Reese & Ryan stayed home from school yesterday and lounged around.  It's mostly a cough with runny noses, mixed in with a bit of fever.  Ryder's got a bit of a barking cough that might land us in the doctor's office.  I'm on the fence about taking him in because I think it might just run its course in a day or two.  The girls are already doing much better today.  I think they're good to go to school.  I know they're chomping at the bit to get back.  Let's pray that Cory can avoid the ickys because he's not a very good patient and my plate is fairly full playing nurse maid to myself and three kids.

The W

We went out for a work function last night to the W hotel in Scottsdale and it was pretty swanky.  We don't get out to Scottsdale much so this was a treat for us.  One of our lenders moved to a different company and celebrated the switch by throwing a party. Grandma & Grandpa were kind enough to watch the kiddos for us and we carpooled with my mom & dad up to Scottsdale.  It was funny because we had no idea what the event was going to be like and what we should wear.  My dad had a brown blazer on and Cory took one look at him when we got out of the car and said, "I'm not dressed up enough".  He had on the perfect outfit and looked great, but I'm sure that it wasn't very helpful of me to tell him that his shirt was slightly wrinkled after we already left the house.  If he said that to me we would be turning around, heading back home for me to change.  Sometimes I need to keep my thoughts to myself.

We got to the event a little after 7 and it there were a bunch of people we knew there.  Cory and my dad were so in their element with the schmoozing and making friends.  They had some OK appetizers and an open bar, which was nice, but I needed waaaay more food than what they had.  I was pretty much starving most of the night.  We ended up staying until midnight and the place was seriously hopping at that point.  My mom was in disbelief of everything she saw.  She just kept saying, "Is this what people do?!?  I am SO old!"


It was a fun night out, but it did make me happy that most nights I get to curl up with my hubby & kids on the couch in my pajamas instead of out frolicking at Scottsdale bars.

January Birchbox

First, a quick thank you to my friends that commented on my last post.  You warmed my heart :)

I've been meaning to post this one for a few days now.  My January Birchbox arrived in the mail about a week ago and it was a good one.  I'm always so excited when this little box arrives mid-month.  I can't wait to open it and see what goodies are inside.  

Inside was a sample of Viva La Juicy perfume that smelled lovely, Borghese serum to smooth out fine lines, Joeur body butter that is awesome, a full size Stila eyeliner that I'm obsessed with, and a sample Larabar.  The Larabar was OK.  Cherry flavor isn't really my thing but it was all natural and other flavors might taste better.  My favorite is the Stila eyeliner for a few reasons:  1) I don't usually wear eyeliner so this is a great excuse to put some on and experiment. 2) The texture is smooth and it glides right over the lid so I don't have to pull my eyelid taut just to get a straight line.  3) The color is kind of a dark olive.  Something I probably wouldn't have picked out but it's surprising how neutral it is.  I'm pretty excited about it.

Weaning a toddler...

It's much harder than it seems.  I didn't have any issues weaning the girls.  When it was over it was over.  Not so much for Ryder boy.  I have heard it all from everyone I know, but they aren't walking in our shoes.  They tell me, "What's hard about it? Just stop nursing".  Going cold turkey is much easier said than done with this child.  Ryder has been nursing 4+times a day for the past two years.  It's a hard habit to break and so very bittersweet in my world.  He's our last child and I know that I'll never ever nurse a child again.  That makes me sad and that's why I have hung on for so long.  He's always been all about it and still doesn't want to stop.  He came out the world's biggest mama's boy and that hasn't changed one bit.  I have to be the one to stop it and I guess I just haven't felt ready.  I wish there wasn't so much external pressure to stop nursing just because he's the age that he is.  I wish I didn't care what people thought.  I know people think it's weird.  He's got a mouth full of teeth, talks up a storm, and is on his way to being potty trained.  I get what it looks like from that perspective, but it's so different when it's your own child.  The day is approaching soon and I will be very sad.  So for anyone that reads this blog, please just offer words of support and don't judge me for still nursing my toddler son.  I don't want to look back and feel like I weaned him because everyone else thought it was time.  I want to wean him when I feel completely 100% done and I'm almost there, but not quite.  I know the feeling.  I felt it with the girls.  I couldn't do it for one more day, but that day is not there for me & Ryder yet.

I have A LOT of photos of me nursing Ryder, but I am fairly certain this is my favorite.  I will cherish this photo for all of my days.  It reminds me that he will forever be my baby and that I loved nursing him every day, multiple times a day until he was two plus years old.

Kids say the darndest things

It seems every time we turn around the kids are spouting off one hilarious line after another.  Mimi will often post them on Facebook or text them to me, but I don't want to forget.  Here are a few that we've heard in the past week:

The girls were getting in the car and Ryan said she was going to buckle up her blanket and Reese said, "But Ryan!  Don't you want to hold it and suck your thumb on the way to school?"  Ryan said, "Yeah, that's right." 

Reese, as she was playing recently: "Ken, do you take Barbie to be your awful wife? Barbie, do you take Ken to be your awful husband?"

When we ask Ryder what Daddy's name is he replies, "Toe-wee Whyte" and just the other day he started saying, 'Awwww, Man!"  Cracks us up every time.

Ryan told us, “I’m going to marry Justin Beaver and anyone else who loves him can help me with the wedding and with my five children.”