Christmas morning

I got a cute picture of my kids and their excitement on Christmas morning. It was so much fun. 

They all got some toys and hardly any clothes. It was their little bit of heaven. Hehe. 

Baby photo shoot

This baby photo shoot was a lot of laughing and crazy moms trying to get the perfect shot. I think we got quite a few that described their personalities. 

Here Everly is checking out Shelby's double neck rolls. 

Hand holding. 

The two second sitting position for Shelby. 

Notice the drool spots underneath Shelby. 

And the always cute tongue sticking out pose. 

Bowling fun

Sisters in laws who breastfeed together stay together. 

And little brothers who pretend they didn't pee their pants are also awesome. 

And the bowling alley is the perfect place for loud noisy cousins to have a blast. 

Merry Christmas

2015 was a year of ups and downs. 

Our highlight was Shelby Being born!! She is such a joy and loves her mommy. She has taken the occasional bottle when she is starving but you better believe she is going to make you work hard to convince her to take it. She laughs the most for Cara, has an amazing double chin (seriously, people are always asking if any of the other kids had a chin like this and I can honestly say no) , loves her bouncer, and at 5 months is almost 15 pounds. She wakes up at least twice a night and drools more than any of my other babies. She has such a sweet disposition and is usually not happy when she rolls over, but is practicing rolling more and more each day. 

Mac continues to be obsessed with trains and YouTube videos about trains. More specifically Thomas the train. He does not want to be potty trained and loves staying in his pajamas. He lives off of instant oatmeal, toast, pb&j sandwiches, and macaroni and cheese. He was once my best eater but that has all been thrown out the window since he decided to be a full fledged toddler who wants to make his own decisions. He loves playing hide n go seek but is horrible at it so I am constantly reminding his sisters that they have to make noise in order for him to find them. He also loves crashing into things, giving mom kisses, playing with more trains, and going on stroller rides with mom. He likes jumping and dancing and playing with mom and Shelby. 

Cara is now 6 and most recently told me she wants to write for a newspaper when she grows up. She likes wearing pretend glasses to school and often convinces me not to do her hair in the morning for school. She loves playing with Shelby and having okay dates with friends. Her cousin addie is her best frenemy and they fight until you separate them and then they cry because they can't play together. Cara also loves to read, go to school, eat and sneak candy like crazy, and she struggles to always tell the truth. She is good at making money and saving it... But she is not good at remembering where she put it so she often looses the money for a few days until we find it again.  She is really at such a fun age.

Ryann is almost 9 and I am scared she is actually thinking about growing up. She had a retainer/ expander to make space for all the teeth that will like to stay in her mouth, and I am hoping the excitement wears off before school starts back again so she isn't constantly taking it out to show everyone around her. She is trying hard to find chapter books that she likes to read and is really starting to understand math and is getting good at it. She is obsessed with stuffed animals and shopkins and has finally moved on from Pokemon. Ryann is very honest and responsible and I have no doubt in a few years she will make a great babysitter. 

Brittani (me) spent the year with highs and lows. Being offered 3 different midwife jobs that didn't work out, and 2 different RN jobs that are finally working out. We moved out of my parents house and into a cute little place in a good neighborhood in Napa. Having another amazing homebirth was incredible (someday I will finish my birth story and post it on the blog), and being able to spend a year at home with my children was such a blessing. I have made an amazing group of girlfriends and rich is sure glad we don't have to pay for each text message because sometimes it gets a little ridiculous. Every Tuesday night is Gilmore girls night where we get together to solve the worlds problems and watch a couple episodes of our favorite Netflix show. 

Rich finished off the year with a bang as he has gotten a new responsibility as the local branch president for the Spanish branch. He has really embraced this and while it is a lot of extra time and energy he loves the people he serves and spends a lot of time visiting the members and getting to know all of them. The 6 missionaries from the area have become our best friends as they come to dinner about once a week now. Rich also has had some added responsibilities at work but he is doing an amazing job there and just heard he is getting a raise and a bonus to start the new year off right. I am so proud of him and all that he does for our family. He is my rock and I can always count on him to be there for me.  

2015 has been a great year of learning and growing. We have had so many prayers in our behalf from those near and far. I am so grateful for these. I am so grateful that we are here in Napa and even though we miss our Arizona friends and family dearly we know this is where we are supposed to be. 

Cheers to a happy new year!

, 

Santa came!

Christmas Eve

I worked during the day of Christmas Eve and then for dinner we went to a friend's house for a party. The girls got to participate in their first white elephant gift exchange! It was fun and they came home with some interesting stuff. 

Shelby was a good sport and slept through most of it. 

Early Christmas

Since the whole family won't be with us on Christmas we did a small gift exchange last night. Ethan picked out the cutest mini Thomas the train engine for Mac. It is a set that came with 8 or 10 different trains. He hasn't put them down yet. 

Shelby got a sweet pair of shoes! Freshly picked moccasins. 

Cara got some shopkins. 

And life is good.

I am now in day three of hospital orientation. Super excited to finally be starting a job. 

Tis the season.

Thanks for these adorable leg warmers mom!! Obviously Shelby is a huge fan. 

This little one

Mac doesn't like to do anything I say. However, he really likes to do everything that his train says. So basically I walk around the house all day changing my voice to sound like a train ? In order to get him to do things (like pee on the potty).

So strange! 

Gingerbread train

The girls and Mac were so excited to put together this train... Until they realized it was gross!  I guess I told them too many times about the gingerbread houses I used to make with my mom growing up. And they remember the gingerbread boys that grandma Mingo always made for us to decorate each year.  

This picture below is ryann expressing her disappointment b

Santa train

This year we were able to go with the family on the Santa train. It was so much fun. Mac had a blast until it got dark and he couldn't see much anymore. Rich has a bunch of way better pictures. So I will get those and post them later.  

3rd ward Christmas party

Shelby isn't a fan of the flash. 

The kids had all the time in the world with Santa because there were only about 10 kids at the party and somehow I couldn't get a decent picture of any of them. 

The most important thing is that they had fun, right? Cara asked for Legos. Ryann asked for shopkins. Mac asked for Thomas. Shelby was just cute. 

Newest family member

Welcome to the family! We are still working on a name, but for free it can't be beat. 

The man giving it to us wanted me to see it first because he was afraid I wouldn't want it because of a couple scratches and watermarks. Rich made sure to tell him that we have 4 kids. We are very happy and don't want a super nice one because it wouldn't stay nice for long!!

Christmas decorations

I have been running out of steam lately. So much on my plate but really I am cutting back. I promise. Until I start work on the 21st. Crossing my fingers that I actually get to start this time!

Anyway, nothing some sleep can't fix! But here is rich with our too tall Christmas tree!!

Shelby is also joining in with the holiday spirit. 

And every time I see this tree I laugh and smile and even sometimes tear up because I am reminded of my perfectly imperfect little life and family that my heavenly father has blessed me with. 

I show Shelby

Mac is trying to teach Shelby new things everyday. Like how to use a pacifier. He then proceeded to put one in my mouth. 

Pictures with Santa

There was a Christmas tree lighting celebration at the local hospital. The kids got cookies and milk and asked Santa for  shopkins. 

These cute kids were very patient until the end when Mac had an epic meltdown. Turns out he left his Thomas the train toy there. Good thing he has a whole lot more. 

Dancing

I always find Cara dancing around random places with Shelby. It is pretty cute

Shelbster

The shelbster had a growth spurt recently  which made for a couple rough nights. Last night was better though. 

Good news is she now sucks her thumb!

We ate an ounce out of a bottle last night too. Which makes a grand total of 2 1/2 ounces over the past month of serious trying to get her to take a bottle. 

She weighs 14 lbs 5oz now and is pretty fun to have around. Grandma Mingo, auntie Vicki, and uncle lee also came to visit for a couple days and it was so much fun for us to spend time together. 

Hopefully we will make it out to visit around Christmas time. 

Drama

Sometimes I wonder why my kids are so dramatic. Then I realize my husband is snapping a picture of me lying on the ground because I don't want to do the dishes. 

Point taken.  Thanks for the reminder rich on why our kids are dramatic. 

Drool baby 4 months

This is my first baby who soaks their clothes multiple times a day!!! It is so cute and messy all at the same time. 

I am making some bibs for her this week too. 

What to say about Shelby???  She is so sweet and doesn't even complain about the bath only once or twice a week. Usually whenever grandma comes over. 

All the kids adore her and she loves them too. The big girls are great helpers (for short periods of time)

Crazy hair day

The girls had crazy hair day at school Friday and they sure had fun!

Haters gonna hate

This girl hates the bottle. I have tried 5 different ones so far... I can get her to drink more than anyone else so far. She just screams bloody murder when rig tries to feed her. 

She is pretty dang cute though. 

Park days

I am enjoying this cute little park by our house. I can walk or jog there. Or even make it the end of a run like I did yesterday. 

This is macs "cheese" face 

All 3 of us going down the slide together

A little breastfeeding selfie at the park.