365 days 30-44

 2-13-13
We made Solei a Valentine's Day shirt with freezer paper stenciling!

 2-14-13
Valentine's Day just isn't Valentine's Day without fondue, I think.

 2-15-13
Bedrest is just as awesome as it sounds.

 2-16-13
Jared made a picnic for the kids right next to the bed so we could eat together!

 2-17-13

 2-18-13
Forster's favorite time of day is when Solei is in the bath and he gets to play on my phone.

 2-19-13
That's the artist next to her great work, "Mommy."

 2-20-13
Those letters on the ground are how Forster learned to spell his name!  There's also a catchy jingle, too.

 2-21-13
I couldn't decide between the two.  I love it when Jared jams with the kids.

 2-22-13
F-O-R-S-T-E-R!!!!

 2-23-13
The kids went to a sibling preparation class at the hospital.  There was pizza involved, so it was a wild success.

 2-24-13
We had a friend over for her birthday and there were cupcakes.  We loves us some miniature cakes!

 2-25-13
Nana is here!!!!

 2-26-13
These two become better friends every day.  We love to see them play!

2-27-13
See the family resemblance??

Introducing number 3

March has been quite the whirlwind - it started with little Conrad joining the world and then a few days later Jared was made bishop of our ward.  We have spent the rest of the month trying to recover.  We are still reeling, so please enjoy these few pictures I have thrown up without explanation so my dear mother will get off my back:

Also, the day before Jared was made bishop, we got the whole houseful of family to join us in making a Harlem Shake video.  Because, what else would you do the day before you become a bishop?  Duh!

365 days 22-29

 2-5-13
This is Forster's rallying cry when he sees someone hurt or in need.   I was laying on the couch with typical pregnancy woes and he insisted on kissing it better. I adore this child.  Also, when he leaned down to kiss my stomach, the baby kicked him in the face.

 2-6-13
I was again couch-ridden and Solei was willing to have what we call a "violin snack" while I watched.  If there isn't time or energy for a full on lesson, we still try to have a short practice session in.  She has made some incredible progress the last two years, and even though things have slowed to a crawl since school and my pregnancy have squished our schedule, I love connecting with her musically and inching ahead with her.  Move slowly and don't stop!


 2-7-13
Today was kind of a big deal.  No matter what happens though, the fact that we're in this together makes it all seem doable.

 2-8-13
Have you seen Hotel Transylvania?  We dug it.

 2-9-13
Jared hooked up the Wii and the kids got their wiggles out playing the Nickelodeon Fit game, which is super awesome.  We are so done with winter here!

 2-10-13
I love when she gets lost in a book.  Except at dinnertime, mind you.

 2-11-13
This guy loves his baths.

2-12-13
Forster has to have 28 Valentines for school tomorrow, so I cut out some red hearts and he wrote an F on every single one.  It was a challenge for sure, but he got really good at those Fs!

365 days 15-21

 1-29-13
I failed already!  I somehow missed a picture this day, BUT I did manage to take a picture of dinner (which was delicious and totally instagram worthy) so I'm counting it.  At least it was a picture!  And that's my home-made baguette there too - I LOVE my new bread pan!!

1-30-13
After what felt like weeks - but was probably less than 2 - I finally got a phone call in with my mom who is currently gallivanting all over southern China.  Forster had an extra long conversation with her about how she needed to be happy, one of his favorite topics :)

1-31-13
Forster and I spent a long day snuggling together and never managed to get out of his jammies.  He's here waiting for Solei to come out of school.

 2-1-13
 Solei is so blasted excited about this baby - constantly asking how big he is, trying to talk to him and always, always snuggling the bump.  I am one lucky mama, and he is one lucky brother!

 2-2-13
I was laying sick in bed when Jared took Solei into the bathroom to find some special lotion for her very chapped hands (DARN THIS WINTER!).  It was such a sweet sight of Dady taking care of Solei that I had to snap a picture.

 2-3-13
Jared made dough for pizza and left enough so Solei could make a dough animal as well.  That's a dog (I think) and she used a wasabi pea for his eye.  It was actually quite yummy!

2-4-13
This is our Bishop and home teacher and the kids obviously adore him.  Thankfully he's a devoted grandpa too so he's used to being used as a jungle gym :)

365 days 7-14

 1-21-13
Forster is obsessed with being a superhero lately and this costume Jared's Aunt Pascale made him eons ago has been  his favorite accessory of late.  I'd try to recreate it but my sewing skills are no match for this thing.  I am SO glad I caught them pretending in their room, I love this shot!!

1-22-13

Sometimes after a long, hard day, the only thing that will take the edge off is some good old fashioned Wheel time.

1-23-13

Clean bill of health from the dentist!  It was a lovely little mommy daughter date :)

 1-24-13
Daddy had a meeting in Madison so we tucked in for the night and played game after game until bedtime.  Forster is surprisingly good at Uno.

1-24-13

They were all riled up so I turned on a dance game and let them go at it.  They gots some moves, yo!

 1-25-13
Jared found a bass for cheap in Madison so he trekked out to get it, and set to work fixing a few issues it has.  While he was loosening the strings, we heard a clunk and knew the soundpost had fallen down.  Ever the resourceful Boy Scout, he got a fondue fork and a crowbar and set it into place again.  How cool is that?!?!

 1-26-13
Solei's new job is the dishes, and she has fabulously.  We had some time to kill before church and she finished up the breakfast plates for us.  Score!!

1-27-13

Solei's school had a 2 hour snow delay and Forster's was cancelled all together so we attempted some home school time.  After some consternation, I got him to write the letter F!  Also, he thinks the word "rat" is high-larious.

8 whole years

I forgot to post the annual anniversary video here!  If you haven't seen it yet, enjoy!

365 days 1-6

My 365 self-portrait project is over, so my next years project - the FAMILY 365 is just getting started!  And of course, I've already messed up and took 2 that I liked for one day, but the more the merrier!  

 1-15-13
WG propped up the two sides of the mattress on her old bed and created a reading couch for her to read to Forster on.  I found them like this :)

1-16-13
I was tired and grouchy, sitting on my computer after Solei's music lessons when Forster (who had just woken up) came to me with those doe-like eyes and begged "Please have a violin lesson?  Please play Quiet 'inja?"  How could I refuse??  He's doing a lovely little job and it might have something to do with the Halloween candy he earns after a lesson...

 1-17-13
We went to Math Night at Solei's school and Jared was on Keep Forster From Doing Massive Property Damage duty.

 1-18-13
One of our friend's daughter's played a wee recital and they kids were very dutiful audience members.  She's my student and just graduated from book 2, so I was a proud audience member!

1-19-13
We got some nifty toys from a babysitter who was cleaning out her room and Solei took to it like a duck to water.  Forster turned all the magnets into a choo choo train and dragged it all over the floor.

 1-20-13
Saturday night movie night was the Lorax, but I think I was the only one watching.  Daddy was knee-deep in doing some recording and Solei had to finish up her homework.

1-21-13
Sunday was a VERY rare Sunday where we actually got a chance to rest.  There was much lounging and napping.