Life Lately

I'm noticing that if, perhaps, I blogged more frequently, I wouldn't have to squeeze so much into one little post... but I think that the photos I choose are worth so much more than the words I could write. In this post I'll include photos from February to current...

Here's what's happening in the lives of the Van Courts lately:

Daddy/Phillip: is having a wonderful year at work, and we're quite anxious to see how the fiscal year turns out, especially coming off of one of the worst wheat crops in 20 years.  He has received a couple of job offers for moves within the company that we have, so far, turned down.  One to Minneapolis, MN and the other to Chicago, IL.  They just weren't quite right for us or our family... though we have a feeling that we may be getting more of these offers to more seriously look into in the near future.  In our personal life, we've FINALLY redone our master bedroom and graduated to a King Sized bed!!!  What a HUGE difference it makes! Unfortunately, we started out with an off brand tempurpedic mattress and HATED it... so we are awaiting the delivery of a good ol nothing fancy pillow top mattress in the next couple of weeks. Our room looks like a grown up room instead of a modge-podge of college dorm room furniture!

Mommy/Kristin: I'm having a great year getting rid of things!  At our garage sale in October I made around $800 and have since become quite addicted to eBaying items!  I'm over $3000 in sales since September! It's wonderful, Phillip loves getting rid of things... I love getting rid of things for a great price!  The kids' Christmas was paid for by our eBay earnings! I'm also doing my first consignment sale (going through and thinning out baby girl clothes... I've got 4 giant bins full of them!) this weekend, so I'm anxious to see how this works out! According to the Excel Spreadsheet, I have the potential to make over $800 if it all sells!

Callie/Bitty: She is just becoming quite the smarty pants! Her can write her own name (first and last) is working on learning mommy's phone number and our house address. She likes school ok (has started having some separation anxiety issues but does well  as long as her best friend Jerzie is there to walk into the classroom with her)... We've been dealing with a few normal, age appropriate behavioral issues (just pushing buttons, saying no, or that she doesn't "want to" do something) and trying to lose naptime (mommy DESPERATELY needs naptime!)... but she truly is just a sweet baby girl that loves her baby brother and family more than anything in the whole wide world.  Also... she LOVES Disney Princesses (something mommy has been anxiously awaiting to happen!  I LOVE them too!)

Willie/Bay Bay; He is just the smartest, nimblest, little man baby! He has Callie's agility minus her fears... and because of that we will find him climbing on or in nearly anything! I often feel as though I'm wrestling a hungry alligator if I'm attempting to keep him from something he really wants to do... he's SOOO strong! His hands are only slightly smaller than Callie's and he wears a size 6 shoe (Callie is just barely in a size 8!)... and we never give him enough credit for how intelligent he is! He picks up on things so quickly! One of the funniest things he's done lately, was toot while I was holding him, I responded by holding my nose and saying "Ooooo, stinky boy! PU!" The next time he tooted, he ran over to me, to hold my nose! I was cracking up laughing... that Silly Willie!

Willie helping Sis with her homework (yes that is a surgical drape covering the table! :)

Family Dinners around the table are always silly!

Even when little girls are dressed as pretty princesses (The Belle dress from Beauty and the Beast, this dress belonged to Auntie Boo when she was a little girl!)

The look of excitement in Daddy's eyes... He'll love me for the photos in the years to come!

I am quite proud of my husband for learning how to do Bitty's hair in a pony tail... on this particular day, he was requested to do her hair!

Man's best friend... need I say more? This is a 100% candid photo... I love my boys!

In real life, my children are typically mismatched dirtball kids... but we have a lot of fun.  I've decided that perhaps I need to take more real life photos :)

In an attempt to get a few things done around the house and keep the babies busy... I had them paint the back door with some old lotion (I don't love the smell of it and want to get rid of it!)... they loved it!  The clean up really wasn't that bad either!

Dirtball baby lotion painting his face...

I wish I'd caught his baby blues looking directly into the camera... he's so handsome (even when he DESPERATELY needs a haircut!)

The Van Courts, at Gee's NEW house in Derby... all ready to go see Disney on Ice!

At the beginning of the show, when Mickey and Minnie came out... I felt myself totally overwhelmed with emotion.  Something about sharing something so special with my baby girl and being so excited about that, I had tears in my eyes.  It was SUCH a neat experience!

We met up with our friend Jasmine there... it was so fun to see the girls so giddy about the princesses!

Obviously our favorite part! FROZEN!!! Callie was completely mesmerized... AND singing every song!

Just before we left, Auntie Boo put a little bit of make up on Bitty... and Gee did Callie's hair in a beautiful Elsa braid... it was so fun to see her get dressed up!

And just like that... naptime is over!  I hear a little voice calling "Moooooommmmmeeee" over the monitor.  Love and kisses to all!