We have a 4 year old!!!

Today is Sutton's birthday!!!

He was soooo excited it's his birthday.

It's hard to tell but he was. 

I failed to get all the jumping up and down pictures and the pushing me pictures and just all the super excited pictures. I kept trying to talk him out of turning 4 but he would have nothing to do with it. He just kept saying, "I can't help it!" hehe

I'll post later of our adventure but for now, 

SUTTON IS FOUR!!!

Caterpillars and Butterflies

In August, my parents had come up and my dad pulled a milkweed plant (the only one around our yard) from out of our bushes. I went out the next day and saw it a monarch caterpillar next to it the milkweed plant. I was so excited! I showed the kids. (They had gotten some from my sister but the car was too hot and they died.)

I googled how to keep them alive because I had no idea what I was supposed to do with it. And I found this website. So that's what we did.

 The website had said to put a stick in with the plant so that the caterpillar could climb on that and make its cocoon but ours didn't do that. :)

Our caterpillar only got away once to start looking for a place to shed it's final skin and "hang" out. It wasn't too far away from the milkweed plant and we found him just fine.

 It was just amazing to see that that huge caterpillar can fit in that tiny cocoon (or chrysalis, as it's really called).

 The plant was dying, so I had to prop it up.

It was an awesome experience. God is definitely creative!

 We can't wait to do it again next year!

Our little family Christmas

I just realized that I never posted Christmas last year! So I don't make that mistake again, I thought I'd share it right now. :)

This last weekend, we had a snowstorm. This prevented us from going to church (we go into the Cities about 40 minutes away), so we decided to celebrate Christmas. We are never home ON Christmas since we are either at the ranch with Mark's family or in Wabasha with my family. Sooo we decided this year to make a new tradition: after December 10th if we get a significant amount of snow, we'll celebrate our Christmas. Well, to do this, I "quick" trip to the store to get some of our normal "Christmasy" food and pick up the stocking stuffers as that was the only shopping I had left. :)

Here's my trip to the store:

The Lake

 

 

On the way home was worse. I didn't take too many pictures because it had gotten a little slipperier and I couldn't see as far ahead of me. Craziness.

Opening presents

Figured I should take a picture to prove I was there, too :)

 Playing in the snow

The flash kept bouncing off the snow... it wasn't as dark as it looks in these pictures.

 I turned off the flash but it was having a hard time focusing, but this is a better picture of how it was out.

Aw my cute family. Bodie was really crabby so he went back inside and played leapster. :)

 

It was just so pretty.

toward the lake

Bodie with his new cowboy hat or "cowboy" as he calls it.

 New jammies

We watched a couple Christmas movies "How the Grinch stole Christmas," "Frosty the Snowman," and "Rudolph the Rednose Reindeer" throughout the day intermingled with playing with our new stuff. As a family, we bought each of us a nerf gun, so after we came in and ate supper, we opened that last present (they were all in a big box). Then we ran around "nerfed" it up. It was soooo much fun. And out of 105 bullets, we are only missing four! 

We plan on having another war tonight. :)

We have two more Christmases and Sutton's birthday, so it's nice to spread them out. :)

Merry Christmas everyone!!!

Just some things

August was full of nothing in particular.

Park Playing

 This swing was putting them to sleep. :)

Zucchini Bread Making

Trail Walking

See not too interesting, but fun anyway. :)