May 2018

Cole, Macy and I made a quick trip to Yakima, Washington the beginning of May for my nephew Zac's baptism into The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Cole loved being there for his closest boy-cousin's baptism and can't wait to get baptized himself next year when he turns 8.

My parents, my brother Nathan and his wife Lizi, and their children Zac, Katie, Alice and Ellie.

We were all exhausted after the whirlwind trip.

Dave and I celebrated our 9th anniversary on May 9th, and what did we do? We bought a pop-up camper! We enjoy taking our kids out, but I absolutely hate camping with a baby, so this was our solution for our family reunion coming up in June. Aren't I the luckiest girl?! ;-)

Happy 3 months to this beautiful girl!

My 2018 Mother's Day photo with my kiddos. We tried for a long time to get a shot with everyone happy and smiling, but that's easier said than done with my bunch. They're adorable regardless.

Clara had her first dance recital the end of May. She was a little nervous but mostly excited.

May 27th, 2018 was a special day in our family. Dave gave Macy a name and a blessing in our church. My parents, Dave's mom, his sister Melissa and her husband James all came out to support us and celebrate Macy. We were grateful to get to spend time with them.

Can you tell why people ask me if these two are twins on almost a daily basis (even though they're 23 months apart)? They're almost the same height and can share clothes. I think Clara is going to overtake Lexi any day now.

I swear Macy sleeps with one eye open at all times.

I guess that's what you have to do when you're the youngest of 4.

We took the Beutlers down to the pasture by our home to meet the horses. They were a little over-excited to see us and one knocked Jan over while she was holding Clara. Fortunately no one was seriously hurt.

We went at the absolutely perfect time when all the wild irises were in bloom.

We even hiked down to the small creek running along the property.

And of course we had to take them to Garden of the Gods.

Dave, Melissa and James braved The Incline - a mile of stairs going straight up the mountain. It was intense to say the least.

April 2018

April was a little bit more chill for us.

Macy turned 2 months old! She weighed in at 9.3 pounds and 21 inches long. She's still a little jelly bean!

Macy helping Daddy watch a show on his phone. She always looks so tiny with Dave.

This is a very common site in our home these days. Lexi can not keep her hands off Macy - she just loves her so much that she constantly wants to hold her and love on her non-stop.

I caught Macy falling asleep on her activity mat and had to document it (twice!). None of our other children would ever fall asleep like this - they would get so worked up that they would cry and flail until they were swaddled and put to sleep in a dark room.

Crafts are always a big hit in our house. We made play dough and then cut out shapes, baked it, and painted it. They were so focused they couldn't even look at the camera...

A box and some colored pencils will still keep a kid busy longer than anything else.

Lunch at the park on a nice day = happy girls.

Macy looks a lot like her cousin Lily in this picture - maybe there is a bit of Blacker in her after all.

Dress-up and snacks with friends is always a hit.

She's finally smiling!!!

This is how I frequently find Lexi watching a show. She's a natural gymnast.

This kid loves his baby sister more than words can express.

I went to pull some laundry out of the dryer and this is what I found. I almost peed my pants she scared me so bad!

Everyone wants pictures holding Macy.

Clara is just oozing with personality (mostly happy, sometimes not-so-happy). This picture captures it perfectly. We were getting ready for church, and I turned around to find her zebra tutu under her church dress with her magic wand, purse, giraffe sunglasses and backwards Nike hat. And that look on her face! Cracks me up.

Macy often chills out in Clara's bed while we're getting everyone ready for bed. Sometimes we forget she's there because she's so quiet and happy. Clara loves her snuggles with her before lights out.

We often find our kids in random spots around their room when we check on them before we go to bed. This time Dave found Clara sleeping inside the pillow case on the floor next to her bed. At least she brought the actual pillow with her too!

We often take nature walks through the forest with our kids on Sunday evenings, and this is one of their favorite spots for a rest.