Eight.

It's crazy to think what can happen in 8 years. It zips by and goodness so much happens and it doesn't even seem that long ago that it all started. Dallas and I are celebrating our 8th wedding anniversary today :) I've been thinking a lot about our family and how we've grown and changed in those short 8 years. It's kinda overwhelming. I'm sure glad I have my three cute kids and I am lucky to have my sweet husband. Today I'm celebrating just that, our sweet little family and all we've made it through. I am really happy to be where I am right now, it feels kinda relieving to have made it to this point. Life is tough and I'm am grateful to have pushed through the hard times... even though there are more up ahead. I'm not sure if what I am saying is really explaining what I really mean... but... I'll just leave it at that. 

Today is a perfect day to show you this year's family photos that Kim took for us last month. This first picture just blows me away, seeing how tall Evan looks. And my girls! Sheesh, they have grown too. They are all so BIG... I am trying to remind myself that I don't have a baby anymore. That just blows me away. 

Ok. enough mommy talk. I'll show ya the photos.  

It was COLD. Makiah was not happy.  

Evan stuck it out and didn't let the cold get to him. Thank goodness, now I have this CUTE shot of him (and a bunch more :))

I love this guy, I'm sure lucky. 

Trying to stay warm...

Dallas left to get the kids some lollipops from a candy shop around the corner... at this point it was the only way to get smiles out of these two.

Dad saved the day! 

This one makes me so happy. 

...

Instagram makes me so happy. It is my new blog... my new way to connect. It is faster, easier and sooo convenient  Now I just need a better camera phone...

The thing I am loving is how many lifestyle photos I am getting with my phone. Despite the (not so great) quality of my photos, some of my Instagram photos are my favorites.

So, if you want to know what's going on around here... check Instagram. And join too! I think I would completely give up on Facebook if everyone would join Instagram! Its so much better. I just skip to the photos on FB anyway. And as for blogging... I'll still do it. It's worth it to have this journal. It just isn't as handy and life gets busy!

Paint advice

I am staring at the walls in my bathroom, wondering if I should even waste my time painting a second coat of paint. I don't like the color. This is the second time this has happened to me. This is the color I chose for the majority of my house. And I don't like it. And this time I was careful! I bought a sample of the paint. Painted it in several places in my house. Fell in love with it. And as soon as I have it covering my bathroom I don't like it. Go figure. I keep thinking it will look great with natural light, but if I am painting most of my house with it then the hall ways and darker parts of my house will not turn out the way I want. I need a paint color that I will like in natural light and with the lighting in my house. Not just one or the other.

 I found the color on Pinterest. It is Benjamin Moore's Abalone. Here are some pictures. It is a light gray. But when I painted my bathroom today it looks like it has purple undertones. I read some where that it doesn't have purple undertones and that is a reason I chose it... but now I am reading that it does have purple undertones. I can't win. I really don't want a purple bathroom (or house for that matter, speaking of which our outside trim is gray and it looks very purplish and I hate it. One day I will paint it white, but because of that I know that my bathroom will drive me crazy if I don't find a new color).

So, I need help! I need a light gray paint color. One that someone has tried and knows for a certainty that it doesn't have purple or blue undertones. I don't want purple or blue. I want gray and nothing else. Not even a beige. Just gray. It needs to be light.

The other colors I am using in my house are Dutch Boy's Route 66 (a medium gray that we are using in the kid's bedrooms), Benjamin Moore's Amherst Gray (a dark gray that I'll use in the Living room and my bedroom), Benjamin Moore's Palladian Blue (a soft teal that is in the kid's bathroom and half bath), and the rest of the house (family room, kitchen, hallways, my bathroom) will be a light gray that I have yet to find. Any ideas? Any favorite tried and true light gray paint colors out there?

Note: I have already out-ruled Benjamin Moore's Revere Pewter, Shale and coastal fog (all three have a beige tone). I am leaning toward Benjamin Moore's Gray Owl (I'm worried it will turn out bluish) or Classic Gray (too light?). Thoughts? Has anyone used these colors? Do you have a light gray paint in your house that you can refer me to? Any help would be great!!

Oh and if anyone needs some Abalone paint I have almost a full gallon that needs a home! I also have Dutch Boy's Well Water paint... also a partly used gallon (baby bluish color). Both pretty colors... they just didn't work in bathrooms for me. I'll probably be selling them on craigslist, so let me know if you are interested.

Photo Overload

Way back in November Daph turned one. Then finally in January I asked Kim to take Daphne's 1 year photos. Now that it's April I am FINALLY posting them. 

Makiah came along and we got some cute valentine/sister photos. I thought about bringing Evan... but I didn't. He had school... blah blah blah. I should have just brought him along, but I didn't. Oh well, it's fun to have sister photos :)

I love these turned out! The ruffle, all the white, pretty light, adorable chair... cutest baby ever. Love them. Love her.

Sledding

I'm posting photos way out of order... but that's okay. This was the last day of winter break and the last day of this snow :) We went sledding just in time! 

First time sledding for Daphne! It may not look like she was super thrilled about this, but she LOVED it :)

The hill was small enough that we didn't get tired going up and down over and over, and it was big enough to have some fun! The kids have been wanting to go back ever since, but we haven't had enough snow :(


Sledding 2013 from Jessica Bateman on Vimeo.