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!

Sports are expensive. There’s A LOT to pay for. So, after seeing a massive bill for below average hockey pictures, we decided to skip ordering and to take our own. After all.. I am (or was) a photographer. It was so fun! The boys really got into it. And don’t tell anyone, but Finn is a total natural. He was shooting us so many great looks. And Leyton (the little mini Luke) wanted to get a little crazy with poses.. they’re pretty great, as you will see. The little siblings also got to jump in on some! Love these big boys!

We had a full and wonderful weekend! As I sit here Sunday night totally exhausted (and ready for Monday morning).. I’m trying to think back over our weekend and it was one of those weekends that was all a bit of a blur. We weren’t crazy busy, but well… being all together, all the time.. that’s exhausting, but yes, wonderful too. We hosted Thanksgiving this year! This time last year, we were in the middle of lots of decisions about our theoretical new home. I remember my mom saying that we should host Thanksgiving the next year, which sounded like a dream! And Wednesday night, as Luke and I put the finishing touches on prepping our house for the next day, we couldn’t help but reflect on how grateful we are for this house, and for the lives that fill it. We are so so grateful!

My family all came over on Thanksgiving day, included my parents, Tyler, Nathan and Erin and Ryan and Lisa’s family from Des Moines. It was so fun to be all together without anywhere to go all day! We played, ate tons of food (I made the turkey!), played football outside and just relaxed. At night, Erin, Lisa and I went shopping (we deserved it after that long day)

The rest of the weekend was filled with lots of family time, a little bit of hockey and getting our Christmas tree! We haven’t done the tree farm thing in a while, but we thought our little family could handle it this year! They did great.. it was so fun. We searched and searched for about 45 minutes and finally found one we thought was perfect. Turns out it’s so big, and a little crooked, but oh well! It was a fun memory!

The kids wanted to have cereal at the table the morning of Thanksgiving. The loved having their little kid space and even prayed together before eating. It was honestly such a sweet moment, I was tearing up behind the camera!

https://vimeo.com/244585284

Christmas tree day!

Now we get ready for the next big holiday.. Christmas! Here comes the lovely way-too-busy December! I am due for a kid update on this little bloggy blog.. I keep meaning to post about how the boys are doing in school! We’ll see if I get around to it before the school year is done haha!

We had such a fun Halloween day! But.. I must be getting older because I’m kind of sick of this holiday by the time it rolls around. It felt like 2 solid weeks of ghost, goblins, skeletons..haha, anyways, not the point. The kids love it all! We started our Halloween morning with Everett and Ivy at the mall of America! Everett was so excited to wear a costume, of course, and picked his ninja costume from last year! Ivy opted out of a costume for the morning, but apparently was going as her very overtired mom, downing the huge Starbucks. (side note, that girl is hilarious and copies everything I do! It’s so cute) Then, in the afternoon, I went to Leyton and Finn’s school to help out in their classrooms and see their parade through the halls of the school. So fun to be a part of that! And of course, in the evening we went trick or treating in our new(ish) neighborhood. As we suspected, it was crawling with tons of little kids! Our little neighbor kids right around us walked around together and although it was 32 degrees out, they went around for a while! Finn was so funny. He went to like 5 houses, got a HUGE lollipop at one house, and said he was good! He said he got enough candy and was ready to head home! I didn’t argue with that and headed back with him, to join my parents, Erin and Nathan handing out candy to the kids that came to the door. Leyton and Everett kept going for probably another hour!

It was a successful Halloween!