jmac + kmac: Easter 2023.

^Easter 2023^

Easter is one of my very favorite holidays. I love the season of renewal and springtime and the feeling that warm days are ahead, and I love the focus on the Savior! It is just such a meaningful and special time.

I also love taking Easter portraits each year to remember the season, and to capture the kids in the stage they are in. Because holy smokes--it goes by so fast!!

^Love them so much!!^

^The cheeser in this--haha! She is too much^

Here is a quick spotlight on each of the kids! I swear they're growing at light speed, and I'm not okay with it. They're getting so big!!

--BOSTON EMERY--

Boston is 11.5, and he is literally sprouting up before our eyes. He's almost as tall as me!! He steps more and more toward full-blown teenager every day, and I'm really just in denial about it. Haha.

He is the sweetest kid. He is a friend to everyone, and he's the best big brother. He just got done playing basketball for the school fifth grade team, and he just started flag football! He is loving it. He's on the STLP team and Beta club at school, and just won an award for a DARE essay he wrote. We are so proud of him! He is in Young Men's at church and he's having a blast! He loves Pokemon, Dude Perfect, and playing the Nintendo Switch. He is so fun to hang out with, and we just love having him in our family.

--CAMDEN RACE--

Camden is 9.5, and I can hardly believe it!! He's getting so old and handsome, and I swear he's getting wittier every day. Haha!

Cam is SO much fun. I don't know where he comes up with his jokes and come-backs, but they have us ROLLING all the time! His sense of humor is seriously the best. He excels in school, and we are continually amazed by the scores he brings home. He is creative and artistic, and he wants to be a Disney engineer when he grows up--well, that or a professional candy tester. Haha. He has already won awards in two art contests this year! He's constantly making games and puzzles and scavenger hunts for us to do, and we are always blown away by his creativity. He also just started flag football, and he is loving it!! He's on student council and has had so much fun doing service for the school and community with that. We are constantly impressed by Camden, and we are so lucky he's ours!!

--HOLLAND BECK--

Holland will be 8 in three weeks, and I cannot believe it!! I swear he was just barely the most squish-able baby on the planet, and now he's a handsome almost-eight-year-old?? HOW.

Holland is the happiest, most lovable kid you will ever meet. He is silly and animated and bursting with personality pretty much all the time, and it is just the best! Haha. Everyone wants to hang out with Holland, because he's just so much fun. He just started his baseball season, and he is loving it. He has been playing first base, and he got a home run on his first game! He was so proud. He is a great friend, and has so much fun with his buddies in his class at school. He is the best big brother to Monroe, and she will openly tell you that Holland is her favorite. Haha! He is just the sweetest boy, and we love him so much!

--BRIGHTON JAMES--

Brighton just turned 6 in February, and he is just getting too big!! He is such a ray of sunshine. It's impossible to hang out with Brights and be mad--he just has the sweetest little soul!

Brighton is in Kindergarten, and he absolutely LOVES it. He has the best teacher (the same one the other three boys had!), and she truly makes school magical for him. He is so artistic, and he literally spends hours and hours at the counter creating the cutest cartoon characters and the most beautiful pictures. He tells everyone he is going to be an artist when he grows up, and I believe it!! He has the best dance moves, and can break it down in our kitchen dance parties. He loves playing puppies with Monroe, playing the Switch with his brothers, and eating hot dogs. We love this boy so much and count our lucky stars that he's in our family!

--MONROE SKYE--

Monroe is 3, and she is just a little ball of energy and personality!! I swear I blinked and she went from infant to full on threenager. She is SO sassy and is not afraid to voice her opinions on anything, and I love it (...most of the time haha).

She loves Paw Patrol, kodiak cakes & nutella for breakfast, and running errands with mom. She famously gets whatever she wants by asking "Can we go to Target and get a prize, mom?" Haha. She is also lucky to have her best friend Jayden (her babysitter and our family friend) hang out with her a few times a week, and she LOVES it!! When I asked her who she wanted to invite over for her birthday party, she immediately said "Jayden!" Just the sweetest. Monroe is a talker, and she will tell you all the stories about her imaginary friend "Leah" and about all of their adventures. It's a crack-up! She also LOVES princesses, and listens to the Tangled soundtrack every single day while she colors. She loves drawing chalk outside and going on scooter walks around the neighborhood with her daddy. She is obsessed with stuffed animals, real animals, and any kind of baby (real or pretend!) haha. She is sweet and crazy and her brothers ADORE every single thing she does.

I love them all so much!!

And then there's Jord.

Don't tell the kids, but he's my favorite. He is kind and patient and just all-around GOOD. He's my best friend, and my very favorite person to hang out with. I love him!

I'm so grateful for Easter, and for the knowledge that I can be with my family forever. There is nothing more precious to me!

Our life with five kids is chaotic and loud and crazy, but I can't imagine it any other way. We love it, and we feel like the luckiest parents in the world.