Well--it is almost mid-May, but I am done with school now!!! and going to attempt to get this blog up to date before the little bundle arrives and we have our hands full with an entirely new adventure :) There may be less words, but hopefully the pictures will give you snapshots of what life has been for us these past few months!
The snow lasted this winter FOREVER! But the good news was the girls were often eager to get outside and enjoy it! This particular day was FREEZING! I didn't want the big girls to go out, let alone Addy, but obviously I lost that battle all around ;) The girls had fun climbing on the drifts in the backyard and sledding down the "hill".
These next pictures are just priceless to me! So here we have Gracie getting Addyson all ready to go on the sled...
Then we have her pulling her around the back patio...
She then takes a corner a little too sharp :S and Addy face-plants into the snow!
Gracie gets her up right away and does her best to get her face cleared off with her gloves...
Addy is looking for me out of the brim of her hat--still a little stunned from what happened...
Gracie looks to me as well--Ooops!
What a good big sister though, she gets her up and helps her to the back door. This was the end of Addy's time outside--kind of hard to warm up after your face makes direct contact with the snow!
Karys out climbing the snow banks--oblivious to everything else going on and just doing her own thing ;)
Addy came in then and enjoyed looking out the window and watching the girls play outside a little longer
The girls did make it a little longer and were quite entertaining to watch...
You can't see it super well in these pictures but they headed out to the swing set, climbed to the top, one would sit in the front, and then the other would push with their feet to launch the other down the slide! It was great!
Addy finally took her coat off and continued to watch the fun!
Rosy cheeked after coming inside :)
Love this visual of everything hanging up in the laundry room to dry!
Frozen gogurt after playing out in the freezing cold?!?!? SURE!
As long as we have some hot chocolate to go with it!
Gracie wearing the hat she needs to decorate for "Hundreds day". She needs to cover it with 100 of something...
She first chose 100 dots that she made with marker--I went on to glue 100 beads on the top in the shape of a flower as well
Can't take pictures anymore without the girls requesting to "pose" for the camera!
So many days of this month dipped down below zero! Some of the winters we have had since we have been colder than this one; however, I think the freezing temps of this winter coupled with the endless days of snow we had made it just a little too much to bear on some days!
Addy didn't seem to mind the cold much ;) She is still just the happiest little lady! Such a ham and always ready to entertain--"Addy, funny..." is something she says often when she knows she has made us laugh!
She started sucking her thumb when she eats lately. It is so weird and I am really thinking it is b/c she is working on getting her back teeth in. It is like she sucks her food down in attempts to avoid having to chew it. It has also extended the amount of time that it takes her to eat...this little girls sits in her chair forever and pretty much eats the entire time. Slow and steady wins the race I guess!
The girls thought they were so funny going around the house with these masks they got at Uncle Seth's surprise bday party. "Hey mom! You didn't know Seth was here did ya?"
One of the benefits of the freezing cold was the fact that Rob and the girls were always looking for things to do on the days that I was at class/lab and they were home. I finally picked some paint for different rooms in the house and when I was at lab one afternoon, Rob and the girls took it on themselves to paint our bedroom. 
What a GREAT surprise it was to come home and find these crazy cats and the project they had finished! I am always amazed at what Rob can get done when the girls are home and awake in comparison to what I can. Just different things I guess....but I am GRATEFUL for them none the less!
Rob really is a better painter than I anyway...and fast and efficient!
I have been waiting to paint a room this color!!! I love it ;)
And I am SOO excited how it turned out ;) THANKS GUYS for doing such a good job and making GREAT use of a FRIGID afternoon!
Every Sunday night our house is filled with the voices and laughter of our leadership students. Rob meets with them from 4-5:30 and then they share a meal t/g. Our girls LOVE this! They are asking all afternoon when the kids are coming and who will all be here. On this particular Sunday, 
He had thought that he felt something warm, but not wanting to interrupt and being close to finishing he finished up the lesson and then went to lay 
It has also been fun to watch 
I love the way she watches her big sister and tries to do what she does...
All the while beating to her own drum and putting her own spice on life!
She is such a 
Gracie too is just growing and changing so much! She loves to be a helper and a leader amongst the girls! It is fun to watch her nurture Addy as they play t/g.
"No, mom. This is just a really cute hat and I am going to look really cute while I am sleeping!"
Gracie had to cover this hat that 
I remember a few months ago watching my friend's son who is about 2 months older than Addy and wondering why he loved books so much and Addy could hardly sit through the shortest one we owned without taking off. Well it was not long at all and I would never find this girl without a book in her hand! It is so fun to watch her choose her favorite ones and point out familiar items and characters in the book as well as expand her vocabulary!
This is how we often find her in her room...
