I just finished doing our taxes. I guess I'm weird, but I always look forward to tax time. I check the mail eagerly throughout January, collecting all of the necessary forms. I can't wait until the last one arrives so that I can actually sit down and figure it all out. I guess there is a sense of satisfaction in a)being able to do my taxes on my own, b)feeling a little bit smart again for just a while, and, most importantly, c)finding out how much money we are going to get back. When the year comes when we actually owe taxes instead of getting a refund, I would imagine that it won't be quite as rewarding. But, until then, I'm just a tax geek having her fun!

(What a great tax bonus to have Ivy before the end of the year!)

Sorry for the lack of pictures...I'm not that big of a geek to take photos of my tax forms.

We had a fun playdate on Monday with Michelle and Karla (James's cousin's wife). Just before leaving, Karla used her beautiful photographic talents and did a mini photo shoot of Ivy. (Just 5 minutes with a fussy baby, and she still got these gorgeous pictures! Thanks, Karla...You have a real talent!)

I must admit, I have one beauty of a baby!

Ivy, just relaxing on the floor

Laying on the beautiful quilt that my mom made...(I picked out the pattern and material, but mom has all of the talent!)A very thoughtful pose...

We love the spiky, dark hair (hopefully it will last!)

How all of our baby girls have slept: swaddled in the car seat! (Hey, at least the car seat is inside the crib! Whatever works...)

Cute Abby and Brynn, showing off the flowers in their hair (thanks, Shell!) All of our girls have been blessed with lots of beautiful hair! Hopefully Ivy's will stay dark and then we can have one of each color. =)

One of the things I was most worried about in having 3 kids under age 5 was going to the grocery store. Abby isn't a problem, but Brynn is our "wanderer". She has always been relegated to the shopping cart, until now...With 2 kids in the cart, there just isn't room for groceries! (Even if I could fit a few groceries in around Brynn, she has been known to sit on the bread, squash the bag of chips, try eating the bananas, etc. It's just not worth the risk!) But, letting her roam free in Wal-Mart is also not a positive alternative...She's fast! (I can run faster now than when I was pregnant, but I shouldn't have to!) So, I finally broke down and bought a "leash".

Before I had kids, whenever I would see a child on a leash I thought it was a bit extreme. But, my perspective has definitely changed with Brynn! And, the leash was definitely a great purchase! We ventured out for the first time alone yesterday, and it went much better than expected. Brynn actually enjoyed her leash and stayed right by me, not even having a tantrum until the checkstand. (I pulled her back when she started trying to wander, and she said in frustration, "Mom, you pulled my tail!" The nearby checkers started laughing and thought she was pretty entertaining.) And, Ivy didn't even wake up until the checkstand. Success! I'm sure that not all shopping trips will go this smoothly, but it is a blessing to have a good first experience so that I will even be willing to try another time!