Palmer Farm

There is always something fun to do on the Palmer Farm. We love to pet the dogs

meow with the cats

cuddle with Grandma

play wits and wagers

target practice

video games

Studio C

endless Star Wars debates

play with the cousins and chat with Great Grandma

ride the new trike

take pictures and

nap by the fire.

Time seems to slow down, and everything is warm and cozy.

I love seeing my girls here, and I know they love being on the farm. 

Christmas Eve Eve

All day was spent cleaning and packing for our Christmas trip in Hepper.

Toss in the laundry

Make oatmeal for breakfast

pull out the suitcases

change a diaper

nurse

clean the butt paste off  Finns face

Aven is crying, rock her to sleep

Switch the laundry

Finn wants to read books together

Aven is awake

Pack diapers and wipes

Aven is hungry again

She is crying 

Finnley is crying ..

REPEAT 

Its 11pm and we walk into out hotel room, all tired. I told Spencer we need a giant bed like this.

Aven Louise

Happy three months little Avie! Three months ago she turned us into a family of four, tripled our diaper needs and made Finnley a big sister. She is my tender mercy, the miracle baby born with a horse shoe kidney. Aven loves to swing, talk and be snuggled in a warm blanket.

My favorite thing is the smile she gives as a pick her up in the morning and the sleepy eyes, with relaxed trusting body as she falls asleep in my arms. 

We celebrated with a warm bubble bath, lots of slobbery kisses and "smash hugs."

One of these days we will be on time

Saturday we opened the big box my Mom sent us for Christmas. We had a fun morning with the girls, opening presents over Skype with my parents. Finnley tore off little pieces of wrapping paper, slowly one at a time. Each time she tore off a little piece, she would hold it up high above her head and smile. 

 We had to help her when she got tired.

Sunday was our first day without Kysa. We almost made it to church on time. Right as we were headed out the door, I discovered a major blowout that required

One bath

and

Two outfit changes.

 Finnley got into my makeup while waiting. I couldn't stop laughing when I saw her cute little face.

Tonight Finnley and I bundled up. Hats, puffy jackets, boots and a flashlight. She has been dying to go outside all day. 

I carried her to the park as she pointed her flashlight at the things we passed. It was cold, and dark but she loved it. Finnley would spend all her time outside if she could.

I cannot wait for her to experience camping for the first time next summer. 

These buddies found matching cut out Christmas vests for their work party. We used a hot glue gun to assemble the different parts. I love that they are becoming the best of pals. 

When Finnley was born I thought we were going to be best friends. Go to the movies, shopping, and have tons of inside jokes. 

Today Finnley used baby sign to tell me that she was hungry. She then took Avies small, tightly closed fist and helped her also make the sign for eat. More than anything I want them to be best friends, to love and look after each other.

Unmet Expectations

One can still have joy, even on the bad days.
 We didn't meet all our expectations for the day. Toys still cover the floor, dirty dishes piled in the sink, laundry still waiting to be folded, bike parts have taken over the kitchen and only five fingernails are painted. 

This picture sums up our day perfectly,
we are so tired and somehow she is still awake. 

My highlight today was blancing giant legos on my head with Finnley and then helping her quickly tuck them up Spencers shirt. 
She laughed and laughed, 
we both did. 

"That’s it! Saints can be happy under every circumstance. We can feel joy even while having a bad day, a bad week, or even a bad year!

My dear brothers and sisters, the joy we feel has little to do with the circumstances of our lives and everything to do with the focus of our lives." -Elder Nelson

Mom Mom Mom MOM

Finnley has started to say "Mom", 

and I absolutely LOVE IT! The first time I noticed she was sitting at the table coloring, while I rocked little Avie in the rocking chair. 

Then again while we were playing at the park. She was trying to get off the bench without touching the fluffy white snow. "Mom mom mom mom mom mom mom HELP"

Finnleys favorite thing to sleep in, Spencers old T-Shirts. She cried when I took it off her this morning. She also likes taking books with her for nap time. Sometimes I can hear her reading to herself. 

Spencer planned the date for tonight. This is our two story ginger bread dream home. 

My favorite part was eating it.

This song has been going through my head all day, it has really touched my heart.

Last night the power went out around 10pm and didn't come back until 3am. Our cozy apartment quickly became cold,

it was in the negatives outside!

I piled the blankets high on our bed. Finnleys room is already the coldest in the apartment. We were worried that she would freeze without the heater going, she is always moving in her sleep. The blankets never stay on. 

With care we tucked her in bed between Spencer and I. Oh boy it was a rough night. At one point I remember waking up to see her tiny little body covering both our pillows. 

Spent the day playing with our favorite cousin, fun baby Zhenya

Our neighbor friend moves in just a couple of weeks. He will be greatly missed. 

They love playing at the park together, going down the slide is there favorite thing. 

My toddler has a thing for shoes

December Goal

 I have been trying to follow along with the 'Light the World, 25 Days of service' advent calendar the church has put up this month. It has been a great way for me to look outside myself and set goals.  

Today's challenge was focused on the scriptures. Spencer and I have set a goal for the month of December to read every morning together at 7am. On a typical morning we read together if we have time before he is rushing out the door, which if I'm being honest is hardly ever. 

Actually I can't remember the last time we read together!

I also love "special bookmarks". This is a picture of my Mom and I a couple of years ago visiting the Idaho Falls temple. 

Let's not sugar coat anything, today was a rough one. Little Avies acid reflux was bothering her all day, and my toddler was more than a little restless. 

If it were not for Kysa we would all be running around half naked and fully starved. She is my Angel and will be dearly missed when she starts school next month.

This quite moment under the light of the Christmas tree only lasted a moment, but somehow it made everything worth it. 

I live for these moments.

The Christmas concert at BYU Idaho is one of my favorite things.This year David Archuletta and Nathan Pacheco came! There were many jokes made about Kysa getting married to David Archuletta.She has a crush on him.

 After dropping Aven off with my brother and sister in law, I picked up Kaleb to watch Finnley. The traffic was crazy! We decided to park further away, and just hike down. 

The concert was fantastic! I left feeling uplifted and happy.

My favorite songs were "Glorious"and "The Prayer"

Lucky

I sure do love my parents. My Mother has taught me to be patient and kind. Always cheering and encouraging me to be my best self. Mom stayed with me each time I have had a baby. Cleaning, cooking, shopping and being my Nexflix partner. I will always cherish the time she spent with me.
 Popcorn is pretty great too. He has taught me the value of working hard and service.  When he visited this summer he hung all my pictures painted my walls and got me "another one of those" ice cream from Dairy Queen.  
The best thing in the world has been watching them play with my babies. 

They are lucky girls

And so am I.

https://www.mormon.org/christmas/in-25-ways-over-25-days/jesus-honored-his-parents

Accomplished

Today I spent hours cleaning and reorganizing the pantry. What a great feeling. Finnley helped by sampling anything she could open, which happen to be the nuts, chex and pretzels.