Once again, it's been a while. I have a good excuse though - I hate sitting in our computer chair when I'm this pregnant. Yes, I'm still pregnant, dang it. I thought I might actually get to use the newborn size diapers this time, but this kid is hanging in there, and Liberty was 10 lbs and born the day after she was due. So much for that nice little credit on our tax return this year...
At any rate, a lot has happened at the Mavy house in the last month-and-a-half.
Makayla Brown turned 3 and had her birthday party the day before Eve had her 5-year-old birthday party. Eve was beside herself with excitement for the 2 big days. Eve insisted on dressing up in her "fairy party dress" as she calls it, and enjoyed every minute of Makayla's Fancy Nancy party, as did Sadie and Liberty, and of course, the birthday girl.

The next night, the Browns, the Johnsons, Grandma and Grandpa and Ed and Sheila Mavys' 3 youngest girls came over for Eve's fairy princess tea party. R.J. was a bit outnumbered, being the only boy amongst 9 little girls, but he did just fine, and contrary to Eve's predictions, neither killed the fairies nor stole their tea party stuff.

Mommy and Daddy got Eve a Tonka dump truck and filled both the kids' sandboxes with sand. They love to play in the sandboxes, and seem to really enjoy Grandpa's Tonka trucks and tractors, so I thought it would be a hit. What was I thinking? She still hasn't put it in the sandbox because she doesn't want it to get dirty. I give up.
I already got Sadie a Tonka truck for her birthday, which is next week. I'm hoping it goes over better...
On Tues, the 25th of November, Eve's actual birthday, we left for a Thanksgiving trip to Wyoming. Ben's grandma and 2 of his uncles live in the Star Valley in Wyoming. It is incredibly gorgeous there, as you can see. Every time we've visited, Ben has been tempted to look at real estate, more because of the excellent hunting than the view, but I remind him of his uncles' description of the place - "poverty with a view." I'm sure the descent into poverty would be accelerated by the amount of time Ben would spend hunting :)

We had a lovely Thanksgiving dinner with Grandma, Cousin Emmet, who announced that his wife Ramina is expecting a baby this summer, and Uncles Jack and Steve. Grandma had her amazing Christmas village up - it takes two walls of the kitchen and the entire walled-in porch. There's just not enough room to put all the pictures up, but here's a taste -
We stayed at Uncle Steve's cabin for the days we were there. I think everyone's favorite part was the huge claw foot tub. Here are Ben and the girls playing in his front yard.
Doesn't Sadie have an award-winning pouty face?

It snowed while we were out there, and the girls had a great time playing in the snow and getting rides with Uncle Steve on the quad.

Ben and Sadie taught Liberty how to eat snow and showed the girls how to "make it snow." Kids are disgusting, but maybe that has something to do with their influences.


The trip home was surprisingly easy, like the trip out. I can't really take credit for what well-behaved kids we have. I was crankier than they were driving for 12 hours. I guess Ben can take credit for it. It was so much fun for the girls and I to have Ben all to ourselves for almost a week. He is definitely the hero in our house, and has a bevy of worshipful girls surrounding him. What will it be like to have another male in the house?