Even the babies are pals

The boys wanted their "babies" to go outside and play with them but I said no. I didn't want them to get dirty. I left to grab some sunscreen and Simon and Solomon put their babies on the couch to "watch" them play outside. (Seriously, they did this on their own!). I walked in expecting to see their babies thrown on the couch but this is how I found them. Soooooooooooooooooooo adorable!!!! Naturally, I had to take a picture.

There you have it. Ooh Ooh and Teddy, best pals too.

Train Adventures with Aline

The train is such a fun time for the kids. They were anxious to take Aline on her first trip. Here are some highlights of our fun day together as a new family. :)

Mommy and Isla

Isla and Aline

Daddy and the Boys

Aline and the Kiddos

Aline with her yummy lunch

Solomon enjoying his lunch

Simon being a goof during lunch

Isla giving a "thumbs up" in regards to her favorite pizza

Family Picture with Aline

A friend of ours took our first family photo with Aline after church on Sunday. I thought you'd enjoy it too.

Aline is HERE!!!

Aline (pronounced: uh-lean-E), our new au pair from Brazil, just arrived last night! Ben went to the airport to pick her up while I stayed home with the kids to get them ready for bed. Typically we wouldn't let them stay up past their bedtime but tonight was a very special night. Here are the kids waiting to meet Aline for the first time in person.

Now, I had every intention of filming the kids as Ben pulled in the driveway but just as I posted the above picture on Facebook he arrived. Unfortunately, this meant I didn't get the video started in time. BUMMER! It was pretty adorable to hear them chanting, "She's HERE! She's HERE! We are so excited, Mommy!" when Ben pulled into the driveway. The evening went great and the kids really enjoyed showing her their bedrooms as well as showing her, her new bedroom.

Today we took Aline downtown to see Santa Fe and the historical plaza. She enjoyed getting to see more of the city. We went to the kids favorite restaurant downtown, Il Vicino, and had a yummy lunch. Here is our first family picture (minus mommy) on the street downtown.

Want Some "Ice Cream"??

Ben had an event for work tonight so he couldn't make it home for dinner. I wanted to make dinner extra special since I knew the kids would be bummed that Ben wasn't coming home until after they were in bed. I decided to give them "ice cream" for dinner.

What? Did she just say she fed them ice cream?

Yes, I did. But it wasn't too unhealthy. ;)

Here is my waffle, banana, whipped cream dinner with a cherry on top.

Did they eat it? THE. ENTIRE. THING.

"Ice Cream" Fun = SUCCESS. :)

How do you drive?

Do you put on your makeup while you drive? Brush your hair or teeth at a stoplight? Do you reach for the car powered curling iron and quickly curl your long golden hair before the light turns green? Maybe you pull out your cell phone and text or check your email quick hoping the car in front of you didn't move yet. Fortunately, Simon has a while before he starts learning to drive. Currently, he believes he can drive his tricycle just fine with his favorite blankey draped over his head. No clue of what's ahead. No fear of the wall of the two other siblings zipping by. COMPLETE TRUST. Eek!

Adventurous Today

Today was an adventurous day for me. I decided to take the kids to the mall in Albuquerque, ALONE. There were two reasons for this trip:

1. I needed to go shopping for a dress
2. This mall has a great indoor playground for the kids and they also have a Boba Tea shop that the kids like ($1/drink).

I didn't bring the strollers so I was completely dependent on them following my instructions and holding hands. Today = SUCCESS!! (Minus the dress. I shopped, tried two on but decided I didn't like either one. Oh well!).

Here are some pictures of our adventure:

Baby Shower

Ha! You saw "baby shower" in the title and thought, "are they expecting again?" LOL. Nope. :) Some friends and I threw a baby shower this weekend. This is the cake I made for her. So fun!

Easter Weekend in Denver

We had a great time visiting Ben's brother, Pete, and his family in Denver over Easter. Even Ben's Parents made it to Denver for the holiday! YAHOO! The adults enjoyed catching up while the kids thoroughly enjoyed each other too. Here are some highlights of our weekend - including the traditional Easter Egg hunt!

Praise the LORD. He is RISEN!!!

Scrub a dub, dub...three toddlers with CrAzY hair in the tub!

Scrub a dub, dub. We've got CrAzY hair in the bathtub!!

Where is Simon??

Oh no!! Where is Simon? All I see is BATMAN!!!!

We don't want to let you go...

When you love someone as much as we love our LaLa, you just don't ever want to let her go. You pretend she will stay forever and you deny the time is growing shorter. We reflect on the valuable friendship we have created and the 2 years she was our friend, big sister to the kids, and "daughter". Tears fall and we wipe them away because it's not goodbye, it's just a see you later.

When will we see LaLa again? Well, maybe today or tomorrow through Skype or FaceTime. Technology is an awesome thing! When will we see her in person again? Time will tell.

Thank you Lais, for everything. Words do not even begin to describe the amount of gratitude we have for you. You spent two years of your life helping us raise our beautiful children. Thank you for everything. You will always have a place in our family and in our hearts. We love you LaLa, to the moon and back.

Slumber Party with LaLa

Lais spent the night with all three kids in Isla's room. We have our guest bed in there so Lais got the bed, the boys slept on sleeping bags on the floor and Isla slept in her big girl bed. They went to bed at 7:30 (normal) and didn't actually fall asleep til around 9 or so. Oh well, it was the most fun they ever had at bedtime! Kudos to Lais for putting up with it. ;) What an awesome au pair!

Tea Time for Mommy

I got a precious, priceless gift from my grandparents - their china set! I was so excited I couldn't wait to put the kids down for their nap. I really wanted to sit down and enjoy a cup of chai tea in my new tea cups!!

Thank you Grandma and Grandpa for this amazing gift. I am so blessed!!

Dirt, Dirt EVERYWHERE

"Mommy, there is dirt EVERYWHERE! We need to clean it up!"

From that comment, I'm guessing she's a MidWestern girl at heart and not a desert girl. :)



The boys, however, love dirt so much rhat they would marry it, if they could. :)




I guess she decided it was okay to play with...just this once.