Photography - McKenzie Sue Makes

Right after I cleaned the kitchen Hazel requested

Right after I cleaned the kitchen Hazel requested we make Christmas cookies. I sighed internally (okay maybe externally 😅) and said yes since I promised we’d do a Christmas activity today. My kitchen is a wreck but it was the most magical baking time we’ve ever had! They were sharing and taking turns and having a grand ol’ time! As they sat there looking into the oven, I couldn’t help but fill full of God’s love at that moment. ❤️✨ The little details like the pile of spit up sprinkle balls on the table, and the way they worked together to roll the dough out are moments I don’t ever want to forget. (It also helped to spontaneously say yes when I just used leftover Costco cheesecake as the frosting and had bought the sprinkles two months ago.) 👏🏼✨🎄

All you need are buttons, hot glue, and paper! Gra

All you need are buttons, hot glue, and paper! Grandma brought the colorful buttons when she visited and I think we put them to good use! 🥰🎄

Juniper’s personality is bursting out of her chu

Juniper’s personality is bursting out of her chubby little 7-month old body. She lets herself be known with all the squealing and laughing and squawking. She is so full of expression and all her sounds come with eyes that almost tell exactly what her thoughts are. Usually: “How dare you do ____ instead of holding me!?!” 🤣 She smiles the biggest radiant smile at eye contact, and is the most ticklish of the Rucker bunch. She learned to sit and “crawl” (pull and slide herself with her arms ha) in the same week! She is obsessed with eating solids and impatiently whines at you when you take a break to eat a bite of your own food. She’s almost as obsessed with food as she is obsessed with mommy. She’s our moving, wiggling, opinionated, smiley girl who just keeps growing! #juniperfaygrew

Today’s the big day! We’ve been waiting since

Today’s the big day! We’ve been waiting since July to seed grass in our backyard and we finally got there! After hours and hours of digging, fixing sprinkler heads, trenching new irrigation systems, cutting down dead trees and unwanted sago palms, grinding over a dozen stumps, shoveling hundreds of pounds of compost, rototilling and leveling and fertilizing. This husband of mine is definitely a hard freakin’ worker and I help where I can, usually shoveling with this baby in tow until my back can’t take it any longer. Let’s hope the seed takes and we have grass before it gets too cold and rainy 🤞🏼👍🏼. #rmruckerhome

And just like that we are halfway around the sun w

And just like that we are halfway around the sun with our Junie girlie! She is all smiles and even with her eyes all gooped up first thing in the morning this past week, she’d smile at the sound of our voices. She is fascinated with all the things and wants to feel and touch them with her hands: toys, sand, Ryan’s beard, shower water, hands, food. It’s fun to see her shake in excitement and grasp as quickly as she can at anything that crosses her path. But be careful: her pinch will bring the strongest man to his knees 🤣. She is sweet as can be and we are so happy to have her in our family! #juniperfaygrew

About that time again, and I’ll keep it short an

About that time again, and I’ll keep it short and sweet. Miss Junie is one round ball of cuteness and smiles and giggles who loves being talked to and being thrown in the air. She does flips of roll after roll around the whole room and loves to be held by mom to see all the fun action around her (Ergo carrier is the real MVP). She moved into her own room this past month and I only get to visit her about once a night now 😉. We love this little wiggly happy girl! 🥰 #juniperfaygrew

My kids love uncrustables so we’re giving homema

My kids love uncrustables so we’re giving homemade ones a try! Using up the last of our chia seed strawberry jam since it needs to get used up! And will use all the crust pieces for a PBJ French toast casserole for breakfast tomorrow! Grateful to be home with these sweet, happy kids even when I’m extra exhausted and for sure won’t be putting makeup on today 😅