Job Hunting

During April Brooks was traveling and interviewing for potential jobs. One of the jobs he went to was in Russellville, Arkansas. He loved the job/boss, etc but couldn't quite wrap his mind around the area/city......but honestly, I think it was the thought of the word "Arkansas" on our return address.

I decided that I would take a few kids down and inspect the area myself.

I took the kids I thought would have the most excited attitudes about it. I think I picked the right ones.... :)  #windowsdown

And Wynn came too. I was NOT going to bring Iley (who screams in the car) and it's easier at church with just one baby, so we split up the pair.

We got our "Kicks, on Route 66" all the way to Russellville.

My reason for going was just to explore the area and get a feel for it. However a few days before I went down there actually was a house that went on the market that I wanted to see. So we quickly walked through that house (I LOVED it) and drove down the road 3 miles to a huge lake with a visitor center/aquarium.

The lake was beautiful and I probably could've sat there eating our Sonic food for hours. But the girls wanted to get back to the hotel so they could swim and "play with the phones".

(Note: the first thing I ALWAYS do when I walk in a hotel room is unplug the phones and BOOM, they become instead toys to play "house" or "friends" or "Teacher" with)

Wynn just played with the mirror.

I couldn't help but wonder if she thought I was Iley playing with her.....

We went to church in town and started our 6 hour drive home. But it actually took longer because we were going to stop and enjoy the scenery this time. Russellville is just outside of Ozark National Park and the views were breathtaking. 

I don't know WHAT I was thinking before, but I did NOT think Arkansas looked like THIS!!!!!

We stopped at every lookout, which helped with the carsickness with all the switch backs.

We stopped at the very top for lunch.... some of us in better moods than others.....

As I sat there, I couldn't help but breath in and out.....slowly......over and over. I felt like they were the first deep breaths I had taken in WELL over a year. I just felt so peaceful and calm. 

I got home and Brooks was SHOCKED I loved it so much. Which didn't help HIS perdicament since he TOO felt we needed to move there, but was fighting/denying it. Finally after enough promptings and more obvious feelings, Brooks (we) decided Arkansas it was!

Before we told the kids I of COURSE had to order them all Arkansas gear to announce it to them.

I was relieved a decision had been made and was REALLY looking forward to the slower-paced life in a smaller (30,000 people) town.

Arkansas ready or not, the Smiths are comin'!

April Smorgasbord

There are times I just pull out my phone to capture a moment.....because I want it kept forever.....

so whether or not these pictures have ANYTHING to do with each other, it doesn't matter. I wanted the moment remembered for April.

We dog-sat in April. Because my babies eat everything on the floor, I put the dog's food/water on the porch. Good idea right? Until Wynn goes outside, dumps it all out and has lunch!

(Hopefully the promise of the dog food will come through of thicker and shinier fur/hair)

My baby-ladies just woke up. Their sleepy faces make them look more alike.

These two....... are just full of it. Full of everything happy, fun and extreme.

(Pretty sure that was my LAST walk I went with them on. I was pushing the twins and Kellyn wanted to push Everly....that is until the way BACK. There was a LOT of whining, walking-through-quicksand that ended up with me pushing Everly with the twins while balancing the umbrella stroller on top going uphill. Like I said, last time.)

Aleeya and Iris like to choreograph dances. This happens to be their "Braids" dance and song they did for me.

Aleeya's artwork was in the county art show.

I think it's safe to say that NO one would ever consider us classy.

So to go along with that my kids just re-affirm that notion daily. This particular day Emerson decided he wanted a pool. And made a "deep end pool" in our recycling bin. (as opposed to the "shallow pool" they made out of one of my bins)

It doesn't quite fit the family. Two is the limit.

Since it's filled with cold hose water it is PERFECT for the cold-water-challenge game Emerson made up.

You see, the first step of the game is to challenge an unsuspecting younger sibling. Then you sit on the side where both players try to pysch themselves up for the shock.

On the count of three, you both have to get in. The person who stays in the longest wins!

Church is a place that I EXPECT the twins to be a handfull. I keep one eye on Everly for good measure. Everyone else I can count on. 

But for SOOOOOOOME reason there was a Sunday in April that this kid just couldn't keep his hiney on the bench. 

I guess he just needed extra practice when we got home.

He wasn't the ONLY one!!!!!!!!!

I heard a lot of action downstairs and peeked down to find the kid made a 4-square game out of Bronson's ties on the floor in his room. My kids can make fun anywhere!

Like in the mud during a HUGE rainstorm!

Another monumental experience.... the twins tried RedVines.... and approved.

Wynn

and Miss Iley-May

At Aleeya's elementary the 3rd and 4th graders are required to do strings. Here is Aleeya's strings concert.

Her little arched back is so cute.

Brooks couldn't make her concert which probably turns out to be a good thing since he thinks violins sounds like a whining cat anyway.

He was also out of town when Wynn (it's ALWAAAAAAYS Wynn who falls!!!!) cut above her eyebrow open and needed stitches. 

(what good is marrying a doc if he can't do the stitches?!?!?!)

Thankfully our friend let me bring Wynn over at 10:30pm and sewed her up nicely. 

She LOVED getting all the shots and being held down 3 hours past her bedtime.

On the PLUS side..... it helped the family tell the twins apart faster!

Spring is always the busiest time for my family because of baseball. And as crazy as our schedule gets there's NO way my boys aren't going to play baseball. There's something magical in the air watching baseball games!

And I will NEVER tire of seeing their cute name on the back of their jerseys.

More pointers from Dad. He actually ASKS Brooks for pointers. 

It sure made it easy to support Bronson's team since they were the Cardinals. We just got all our Cardinals gear out every game and looked like quite the fan-club.

Cutest little fan-club for Emerson's game.

(He's the kid that still waves to me from whatever position he is playing)

Royce....too polite to tell his buddy to SCRAM and get back in his position.

Good ol' Royce swung that bat with bad intentions every time he was up. He was also their best fielder too.

E² Birthdays

THIS crazy cat turned 11!!!!

He told me EXACTLY what he wanted for his birthday:

1) spaghetti with meatballs for dinner

2) a blue baseball backpack (to match his current baseball team)

and baseball gum

and 3) a junk box

(check out Royce's face, HA!)

I delivered in all of those requests, but after looking at these pictures, I'm starting to think I should've provided a shirt too. 😏

His birthday part he invited a ton of his school/church friends to a park where we had pizza, cupcakes, treat bags and kickball.

(again, no shirt)

The left fielder was tough. She only got hit and knocked down by a ball once.

Everly also shares her birthday in April and she turned three. 

Here's my E².

Everly is........how shall I say this.......... a liability. 

She is a master-sneaker, food/treat-stealing, quiter-than-an-injun-walking sweetheart.......

who happens to be an EXPERT in drawing on eyebrows (when she goes through my make up of course)

This picture must be documented as well.....because she has clothes on. 

You see Everly is a nudist.....

MUCH to all our dismay.

Everly also likes things juuuuuust right to go to bed. Which means her blanket and her three books.

I don't even READ them at bedtime to her, she just has to sleep WITH them.

You cannot add a different title either. They MUST be 

"Spaghetti with the Yeti"

"You Can Go Jump"

And "Go Dog Go!"

I guess someone IS worse than me with books in bed!

Despite all her sneaking-nudist ways, the whole family loves "Belch" (what her brothers call her. Infact SHE calls herself that too when you ask what her name is)

I think we'll keep her.

I found Everly in Kellyn's (toddler) bed on her birthday night.

Now that she's 3 she can raise her CHIN UP and bring on an awesome (or stinky) year.