Blessed

Jay and I are home bodies.  I am the first to admit that I would rather stay home than do much anything else.  I don't think I was always that way.  But, after having 4 kids so close in age I think it is easier to be home.  In our routine.  In our environment.  In our comfort.  We have all been sick for the past few weeks and yesterday was our second Sunday missing church.  We have been home.  A lot.  Too sick to go anywhere.  So, my usually love.being.home self was getting antsy to get out.  So, Jay and I loaded the kids up in the car.  Picked up breakfast, and had a morning eating and playing at the park.  It was lovely (except for the part where Jay took Kinsley down the super steep slide and burned his arm!  Ouch!  Use your imagination here, we were too scared we would drop our new iPhone 5's so we left the phones in the car).  I am thinking maybe I need to change my homebody ways and get out more.  Step out of my comfort zone and enjoy life.  I mean, more than walking to the school 3 times a day.  :)

After the park we spent the afternoon coloring pages and playing tic tac toe. 

When i look at my family, all gathered around that table it brings me such joy.  Even in the chaos that comes with having kids so close in age.  The crayons and markers strewn on the floor all day.  It is our chaos, and I am learning to enjoy it so much.

Terrible blogger

I have been a terrible blogger!  It seems easier to keep up with social media via Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.  But, i do see the value in documenting special moments with my kids.  So, i am going to try harder to keep up with this blog!!  Promise.

New Family Pictures!

Slacker!

I cannot believe it has been 4 months since my last post. What a slacker! In my defense, the last 4 months have been filled with lots of exciting things. Jay got a promotion with Dish and we moved our family to the Central Valley of California to a small town called Manteca. We have been here a month now and really love it. Our new house is just a few houses away from a HUGE park (one mile around with a large play structure and huge fields) and an elementary school a block away. We have been settling in nicely. The kids love it and we love seeing Daddy home more often as he works only 4 miles away! So great!! The kids are all doing very well. Tristan loves being in Kindergarten. He even loves homework! Let's hope that excitement doesn't go away! Rylie has found a new love for learning as well, seeing her big brother go to school. I am so glad for that, it was just the push she needed to be interested. The twins are now 16 months old and are still so fun to be around! They are saying more and more words and are still sleeping their 13 hours straight every night. Life is good. Really good. :)

Inspired By Finn: Baltic Amber Necklace Review

A few months ago I was at the end of my "teething" rope. Corban was cutting 2 teeth at once and everything i tried wasn't helping. Not the homeopathic stuff, teething tablets, tylenol.. nothing. He was super fussy. Wouldn't sleep, eat.. it was miserable. I asked around and a few of my friends told me about these teething necklaces. I was skeptical that a piece of jewelry (not to be chewed) could actually help! But, i was willing to try anything. So, after some research i bought two of the Butter Round necklaces in sizes 11.5-12.5 at Inspired By Finn for Corban and Kinsley. I was anxious to get them and they arrived within a few days! It has been about 2 months now and i can tell you that Corban has cut 5 additional teeth without any issues. I mean, not even a fuss. Kinsley has since cut 2 teeth as well and the only reason we knew was because we saw them one day. No fuss from her either. Even my husband was amazed that they worked so well. I am no longer a skeptic, and have been telling all my friends about these wonderful necklaces. You can get one too by shopping at Inspired by Finn. Browse around their website, i am sure you will be as intrigued as i was!

I have included a few pictures of Corban and Kinsley in their necklaces to show you what they look like. They are 12 months old!

I also received a necklace at a discount for the purpose of this review. i bought the lemonade color in an adult size. Though i did not see such a drastic result as the twins i will say it helps my headaches when i am wearing it!

Here is some additional information from their website:
"Among other things, amber is a natural analgesic (pain reliever) and anti-inflammatory. When amber is worn on the skin, the warmth of the skin releases trace amounts of healing oils on the skin. Commonly known as "teething jewelry," baltic amber has been a natural and traditional European remedy for teething discomfort for hundreds of years. To read more about the many benefits of baltic amber, click here.

Our necklaces and bracelets are handcrafted and are made of authentic Baltic amber, the most esteemed type of amber in the world. The translucency of amber depends on the amount of air bubbles contained within a piece of amber and their distribution. Some believe the color is related to the type of tree source.

Succinic acid is the most beneficial component of the amber. It is scientifically accepted that the darkest colored amber generally contains less succinic acid than lighter colors. The more cloudy or opaque amber is, the more succinic acid it contains (and usually the more cloudy amber is the nearer to the color white it becomes).

The necklace fastens with a screw clasp, and the necklace cord is knotted in between each bead. Please be sure and measure for the length you need. For guidance on measuring, please click here.

WARNING - Necklace contains small parts; Children should be supervised when wearing jewelry, and it should be removed when the child sleeps."