I don’t even know where to start! At one point, I thought about this blog and thought, “shoot, did that blog really die?” And I don’t want it to! I’m sure someday it probably will. But I will try and keep it alive because it honestly reminds me to record more of this wonderfully busy season of life and also to keep the pictures coming! So, let’s see.. what’s life like lately..

The big boys are done with school next week and although I’m a mix of excitement to have them home and nervous for the craziness that will come with summer.. I’ve honestly enjoyed this year with just having Everett and Ivy home. It’s been a sweet relief from the chaos and a bit of an “easier” year in this mom world. Everett is still hanging onto his nap time most days, so I have this wonderful little quiet time every day that has been so nice. And in the morning, my two little buddies and I have so much fun running around, meeting friends, going to the Y. (Ivy always says “Y? Y? every morning haha!)

Everett seems to have grown out of his difficult years and is such a fun kid. He’s easier to communicate and negotiate with :).. he’s always up for an adventure and just really fun to be with. He still has two more years at home before Kindergarten so I know I’ll get lots of time with that kid. He is SO ready for school and would just on the bus tomorrow if we let him. He has one little neighbor boy that he plays with, but when Easton goes to school next year, I have a feeling Everett will be so bored. But maybe by then, Ivy will be more of playing buddy. Right now, he and Ivy get along so well.. it’s really sweet to see them form a friendship together.

Speaking of Ivy, woah.. she hit 2 and things got rough. People say it might be the girl thing (side note: Leyton and I were talking about emotions the other day and he was commenting how he thinks he’s felt all the different emotions in his life, and I said, “just imagine being a girl. We feel all the emotions in one day.”).. so yes, Ivy has emotions that she feels very loudly. But Everett’s two year old feelings are still very fresh in my mind and it was HARD. Boy or girl. So, I just have to buck up, stay the course and keep doing this two year old thing. She screams when she doesn’t get what the wants, she gets frustrated when we can’t understand her, she still wants to be held a lot and mostly just loves yelling “MOM!” all day long. Whew.. she’s a lot of work. But.. she’s still very wonderful. She is adored by her brothers, she gets so silly and giggly, she loves to make everyone laugh.. she fits right in around here.

Finn and Leyton updates I might save for a future post. You know the end of the year pictures are coming, so let’s just hope they don’t come in August.

We had a long, cold, snowy winter.. spring lasted about a minute and we’ve had some crazy heat around here. We’ve already been doing lots of water activities outside, which is so fun! This past weekend, my family came to visit and we surprised my parents with Nathan and Chrissie flying out and also a surprise 40th anniversary party! It was so fun to all be together. Luke turned 35 yesterday (birthday video coming as well! Look at me, I might be an official blogger again). Other than that, Leyton started playing lacrosse, Leyton and Finn are starting golf lessons soon, and Everett and all the boys play every sport, everyday in our wonderful neighborhood

I think that’s it for now! Now for some random but sweet pictures!

Last year, we were swimming on Easter Sunday and this year, we were searching for eggs in the snow with our boots on! It’s April and we are still getting snow, like lots of it. Come on Minnesota! But whatever, it was a good Easter regardless The night before we celebrated Ivy’s birthday, so on Easter Sunday, her actual birthday, it wasn’t until around 10am that we said, “oh! And Happy birthday Ivy!” Too much going on. We went to church as a family in the morning, then headed to my parents for lunch and an indoor egg hunt. Then after Ivy’s nap, we headed to Maple Grove to join the whole Prosser clan. We tried to enjoy the outdoors a little and had the egg hunt in the snow, then had dinner together. It’s become a tradition to celebrate with both families on Easter, and we love it! It’s fun to be with everyone. Even though that day was a little busy, it was a special season to watch the older two boys, especially Leyton, soak in more of what Easter really means. He’s asked so many questions lately about eternity, about Jesus dying on the cross for our sins and can definitely say that he has invited Jesus into his heart and that he believes in Jesus. Nothing could make me more proud! It’s truly a gift to watch the faith of a child grow. It’s simple and it’s personal. We continue to pray for the hearts of all of our children to be able to understand why we have faith in Jesus Christ and to find a personal relationship with Him.
S

She’s TWO!!!!

I know you don’t want to hear me say “I can’t believe she’s two!” but.. it’s true! The jump from 1 to 2 is a big one. Our little Ivy girl is a full blown toddler and she’s just.. awesome. She has a huge personality and keeps us laughing all day long. She yaps and yaps all the time and even though I only understand about 10% of it.. I told Luke it’s already kind of exhausting (haha I know we’re in trouble).  But we really can’t imagine life without our little girl.. she just fits! She’s tough and can handle her own when the boys tickle and wrestle her. She loves when daddy throws her around and let’s out her huge cackle when they get so silly. Her eyes get big and light up when she hears a song she loves playing (usually one of the boys hockey songs) and she dances! She laughs when the boys laugh, even when she doesn’t know what’s so funny. She screams when something’s taken from her and gets really frustrated when we can’t understand what she’s saying. We added a new word to the boys vocabulary when we explained the word “sassy.” Ha! She’s stubborn, strong willed, but yet completely joyful and easy going.

At age 2, Ivy sleeps like a champ and is usually the last one awake in the morning. She just sits in her bed talking until we come get her. She insists on sleeping with and carrying to breakfast her Mickey, Minnie, big bunny and little bunny (a tad high maintenance) She’s starting to have opinions on what she wears and gets pretty insistant on wearing her floral rain coat and boots. She loves to watch Elmo, Peppa Pig (she makes the pig noise to tell us what she wants to watch) and LOVES to color and draw. Our house has acquired more girly toys around here and Luke even said her birthday party was like her girly coming out party because she totally loved the new purse (with the keys, phone and lip stick), her little dollhouse and the Ariel doll that sings! But she also loves to push around superheroes in her stroller and carry hockey cards and lego guys in her purse. That’s our girl!

We had such a fun party celebrating little miss Ivy with our family, of course with all things Elmo because that’s her favorite right now! We love you Ivy girl, our little two year old!!

We have an 8 year old!! Birthday week is in full force over here and we are loving it. I always forget what a wild and crazy week this is, and it’s also Spring break week! We started all the fun on Saturday with Willa’s birthday party (cake), then on Sunday my family came over to celebrate my birthday  cake), Monday was my actual birthday (coffee and cake), Tuesday was Leyton’s (cake) and Wednesday was Leyton’s birthday party! (of course cake)… so, we’ve had a lot of cake. But it’s been a fun week! We got a LOT of snow a few days ago, so of course the boys loved playing in it! We got so much snow that we had to postpone my birthday date night (maybe I’ll skip the skate).. but we’ll get to that eventually! We went to cheap skate the night of Leyton’s birthday just with our crew and for his party, we went to Bowlero in Blaine with the family. We skipped a friend party this year, because well.. everyone is just too busy these days. But it was all so much fun! I would say the fun is settling down, but tomorrow we are heading to the water park of America for a little getaway during our spring break where we’re just home doing “nothing”.. (but really, doing so so much) Are you tired just reading about our week? I am.

I could honestly say so much about my big boy and how proud of my 8 year old! I love thinking back to when he was born just 8 years ago and our whole world changed. Isn’t it so strange that they just grow and change right before our eyes and we barely notice the changes, until one day, you realize that he’s his own person.. with his own thoughts and feelings, likes and dislikes, skills and passions. He was once a wild, chaotic toddler with a strong will that could barely be controlled. Now he’s kind and compassionate and respectful. He’s hardworking, he’s a confident leader and so intelligent. I honestly feel so blessed to watch him grow up and to call myself his Mom! We love you Leyton Christian!

https://youtu.be/GH0GNHB6Lmo

On Friday night, Finn had a big jamboree to end his hockey season! It was so fun to watch him out there! He was announced with smoke and bright light and his name booming over the intercom. They got to play 3 twenty minute games against the other Mite teams. And Nordy even showed up! It was such a fun night for everyone. Leyton and Everett (and Ivy!) are getting so used to seeing their buddies at these practices, so they just ran around the whole time. Leyton and Everett even got in on a middle school warm up session I am SO proud of Finn and the hockey season he had! He has learned so much and seriously motors out there on the ice. He really enjoys it and especially loves when he scores a goal.  He had two neighbor boys on his team this year, Easton and Lukas, and they got along so well and loved playing together. The boys have skated so much on the neighborhood pond this year!

The next morning, Leyton had a game against Blaine. They lost, but he scored a goal! I brought my big camera along to capture a few shots. He’s doing so well and definitely loves the game! I know it’s been official for a little while now, but I’m totally loving this hockey mom role

I love this love day! It’s definitely turned into a holiday that’s more for the kids the kids than for Luke and I (but he did bring me cupcakes and flowers!).. and Luke totally rolls his eyes at me for making big deals out of every holiday but he’s just fine. I love any reason to celebrate! The boys got their Valentines ready for their class this year and being the boys that they are, loved the whoopie cushion idea. So fun to put those together with them!  I stayed up the night before crafting my own little homemade cards for the kids, then the morning of Valentines, I made pink smoothies and pink heart shaped pancakes! The boys had a lot of fun at their little parties at school, so overall, a great day And it’s really just a great excuse to force a picture of all 4 kids together!

Haha, I didn’t mean for it to be so long between posts, but.. life. I actually just got back from another mini trip to Colorado to visit my new niece Nora! But this time, no kids.. and it was glorious. Night and day difference from the trip to Florida! But we’re still talking about our Florida trip and all the wonderful memories we made. We went Animal Kingdom with the whole crew and it was so cool! Disney doesn’t mess around.. everything was so themed, the rides were awesome. We went on a Safari tour and saw tons of animals. We saw a Finding Nemo theater show and an amazing Lion King show. So much to do, the kids loved it! The next day, we went to the beach! We headed to Cocoa Beach and even though it was the chilliest  day, it didn’t stop our kids from loving it! Of course Leyton was soaked within minutes, Everett also jumped it, Finn stayed in the sand and Ivy was accidentally drenched The kids looked for shells, Everett chased birds and we all just enjoyed the sand! I love beaches We stopped by Ron Jon’s for shark tooth necklaces before heading home. It was such a perfect trip, one we will never forget! We are seriously blessed with such an amazing family.. I’m so glad these little cousins can share such great memories!

We’re back! Crazy to believe our trip to Florida that we had been anticipating and planning for is already over! The crazy Prosser family conquered Orlando for a whole week and it was SO wonderful. Just like any Prosser hang out, it’s wild, loud and crazy but so fun! There were 9 little ones running around and 7 adults just trying to hold it all together and make it as magical as possible haha! Nate couldn’t make it, and Alba stayed home (we missed them!) but otherwise the whole crew was there. We stayed in a house outside of Disney that had enough space for all of us, a pool by the house and a pool/splash pad/lazy river right down the street. The kids were loving it! It was SO nice to be in warm weather, see green everyone and just play in the sun! The first day we just took it all in and played. The next day, the big kids (Leyton, Finn and Emeri) went to Universal with Mimi and Luke and had so much fun riding all the crazy rides. The rest of us checked out downtown Disney in the evening. Then the next day, Magic Kingdom! Disney really is magical. The rides, the sites, the fireworks.. we were all loving it. We were totally exhausted though and needed a recovery day the next day! There’s so many pictures, so I figured I’d break it up. Next up, more pool, Animal Kingdom and the beach!

Another year, another wonderful Christmas! I love Christmas, I love everything about it, BUT, I’m sort of ok with it being over. Well, I should say, I’m just very ready when it finally comes. All the hype, all the shopping, all the wrapping.. but when we finally get to the days surrounding Christmas, where we just get to relax and be with family.. that’s the good stuff. We are starting to establish some great traditions in the month of December. This year, we did Operation Christmas Child, which was a great way to start the season at least thinking about giving. The kids loved it! I also love our night when we pack up the van after dinner, wearing our pajamas and we head around town to look at lights while sipping hot chocolate. And by the time Christmas hits, we’ve watched all the Christmas movies (they loved Home Alone and Polar Express this year!), we’ve listened to all the Christmas music, read all the Christmas books, made all the crafts, and played lots of Christmas bingo. It really is so fun, to experience Christmas through a kid’s eyes. Also, new this year, we are official owners of Nordy, our Elf on the shelf! Haha, this is a story for another day, but we’re totally those parents that tell them Santa isn’t real (in a very nice way).. but this year, the kids (Leyton especially) really wanted to believe in Santa. He convinced us that Santa must bring at least one present, and that our little buddy Nordy definitely has secret powers to see who is naughty and nice. We can’t be total Scrooges, so we’re going with it for now!

On Christmas Eve day, we headed to Luke’s parents for a day of sledding and playing with all the cousins. The kids opened a couple presents, but their bigger surprise was Mimi and Papa telling them that they’re taking us all the Disney World in a couple weeks! It’s going to be so fun! On Christmas morning, we love to spending our morning opening presents, playing with toys (setting up SO many legos!), eating a big breakfast, and just being together! We then headed to my parents house with Tyler, Erin, Nathan and my parents for dinner and more presents! The boys also went to the Star Wars movie on Christmas Day. Everett even got out of his nap to go, because he couldn‘t stand not going to see “the wast Jedi” with his brothers! After dinner, we went to visit my grandpa and sing Christmas songs with him. It was a wonderful Christmas and we are continually grateful for our huge extended family!

Finn is officially 6! We had such a fun weekend celebrating him! Maybe it’s because he’s more humble than his older brother, or the fact that his birthday is close to Christmas.. but I totally love to spoil this kid! Yes, I already love birthdays but he’s so fun to celebrate! It started on Friday, when he had a little birthday party in his Kindergarten class. Then on the morning of his birthday, on Saturday, he woke up to streamers, balloons and a pile of donuts! He opened some presents that morning, then got to go to the Wild game with Luke that afternoon! I’d say it was a pretty special day. Then on Sunday, he had his birthday party at Cheap Skate, which was a huge success! He had a handful of friends from school and hockey, and all of his little cousins. He turns into a squirrely little wild man! He motored all around on the scooter, played arcade game and of course, inhaled a cupcake or two. Success!

I couldn’t be more proud of my big boy! He’s been an absolute joy to have in our family for 6 years and he’s just the perfect little piece to our family puzzle. He always brings the calm factor, or maybe the easy factor. He plays so well with others and is always such a peacemaker. He has a lot of little friends and I can totally see why. He’s sweet, silly and so easy to get along with. It’s so fun to watch him grow! We love you Finny!