five on friday (04/29)

Posted on April 29, 2016 by tara

It’s been a BUSY (but fantastic) week!

ONE. Spring is finally here! The weather has been gorgeous (the trees seem to know it too, because there’s pollen everywhere), so we’ve been outside enjoying it whenever we can. Kaya was so excited to ride her bike again. She didn’t even want to take her helmet off once we got to the playground!

We also pulled all the girls’ summer clothes out of the closet, and Kaya has been so thrilled over having new things to wear. This octopus shirt is a favorite for sure!

Why does my baby suddenly look so big? She’s mastered going down the big slide all on her own!

TWO. Riding a bike means you might fall off… and Kaya did exactly that this week. She got her first official “biking boo-boo”. She was pretty distraught about it until I told her that Mommy and Daddy used to fall off our bikes when we were kids too. By the time we got home, she was in high spirits again and almost couldn’t resist laughing when I asked her to make a sad face for this picture.

THREE. We had some errands to run this week, so while we were out near all the “big” stores, we took some time to do a little shopping. I finally lucked out and found two swimsuits on clearance (!!!), after I’ve been looking everywhere for months for something I liked.

Kaelyn is honestly a little difficult to entertain while we’re out. She wants to grab things off the racks and play with her seat belt buckle the entire time, but with a few ~~hundred~~ fruit snacks as bribery, we made it through the trip! I really do love my little shopping buddies. 🙂

FOUR. Our friend, Mallory, had her baby shower this week! It was so fun to have a night out without the kids. I can’t even remember the last time that happened, so I truly enjoyed it. There were fun games (including Pictionary!), good friends, and these amazing Belgian waffles made by Cheryl. I covered mine in cookie butter, Nutella, and whipped cream… And I think my taste buds died and went to Heaven.

Seriously. This is not a high-quality picture, but trust me, there’s a waffle under there!

FIVE. Everyone goes crazy for Daddy when he comes home! I love how much our girls just adore him! Laughing, wrestling, and tickling are almost always on the agenda. 🙂

Yes, they were totally rolling around on my clean (folded!) laundry… haha.

Happy weekend!

Linking up here!

weekend wednesday

Posted on April 27, 2016 by tara

I’m writing about the weekend on a Wednesday (that’s what all the cool kids are doing now, right?), and it’s not that we did anything too out of the ordinary, but we did get some quality family time in. And that deserves to be documented!

Friday night, we all went out to dinner together for the first time in months. It felt great to do something different and just focus on each other. We decided on Red Robin (because who doesn’t love bottomless carbs?), and I think the kids were equally happy with our choice. They loved the food, but they actually might have been even more excited about coloring on the kids’ menu.

Free crayons are the way to her heart.Bruschetta chicken is the way to mine! 🙂

Saturday was spent doing a lot of chores around the apartment, and then Michael headed off to church meetings late that afternoon. Sunday morning brought super-early bishopric meetings for him, as well as an opportunity to play piano for a musical number at another meeting later that night! He was gone a lot, so after church and nap time, the girls and I watched a movie- we chose Beauty and the Beast! It was their first time seeing it, and I was a little worried that Kaya would be scared, but they both loved it! I think Lumière was their favorite character and elicited the most giggles from them.

Daddy arrived home in time to help with the bedtime routine. These little girls went crazy and started going down the slide as quickly as they could together. I love how anything they do together is a million times more fun than if they had done the same activity alone.

five on friday (04/22)

Posted on April 22, 2016 by tara

How is it Friday again? In a way, it feels like it’s always the weekend… and then sometimes, it feels like all we do is wait for the weekend to get here. Time is a funny thing. We’ve spent a lot of time outside this week, so I have a lot of happy, bright photos for today.

ONE. Last Saturday was “Virginia Tech Remembrance Day” (officially named so as of this year, by the governor). The university always hold a 5k run in memory of those who were lost that day, but I never sign up for it… all because I get too emotional about it. I lived on campus when the tragedy struck and lost a classmate, so it’s easy to feel sensitive about April 16th. Anyway, I ended up completing a solo. 7.8-mile, run that morning. It felt good to be in the sunshine, push my body a little harder than usual, and still spend time remembering the Hokies we lost 9 years ago.

TWO. Michael has been working so hard these days with his regular job, revamping his online camp registration system, and teaching a real college course. He hasn’t had a whole lot of time to play games, so I was happy to see him enjoying some time online with his brothers last weekend. Of course, Kaya had to join in! THREE. Lately, we’ve been walking up to the bus stop to “pick up Daddy”, as Kaya says. She begs me to let her bring her baby doll stroller with us, and because it’s a short walk, I say yes. This is the happiest girl in the world right here.

Kaelyn loves to see Daddy get off the bus. She was running to him as fast as she could when she saw him walking toward us! Of course, New Piggy has to go everywhere lately, too.

FOUR. We’ve been taking short family walks (which somehow still end up taking an hour when we let the little people stretch their legs), and enjoying all the sights of spring. Kaya loves to sit on any big rock she sees, so naturally, we had to sit down by the pond for a bit.They also love the horses in a nearby field. This gray gelding is named “Chance” (I used to work over at the barn he’s at, so that is actually his real name), and he’s Kaya’s current favorite.
It’s on these warm sunny days that I really miss riding. _MG_1626

FIVE. We tried a new soup recipe this week, and it was definitely something to make again. This Italian minestrone reminded me a lot of my days in Switzerland. It required a lot more vegetable-chopping than I normally like to do, but it was worth it!

Happy weekend!

Linking up here!

breakfast at grandma’s

Posted on April 21, 2016 by tara

We spent some time visiting with my parents when we went down to Richmond for my first official 10k race. We arrived on Friday night, enjoyed some pizza, and watched our girls get spoiled by their grandparents, per usual. My mom made them some belated Easter baskets, and Kaya and Kaelyn were so glad to have some new things to play with away from home.
Chapstick… always a favorite for Kaelyn. These chapsticks actually taste like jellybeans, so it’s amazing the kids haven’t completely used (aka eaten) them. Kaya’s also been really interested in Winnie the Pooh lately, so she was excited for this tiny plush. Later, she enjoyed watching one of the old Pooh VHS tapes I had as a child. Grandma kisses! We went to the race on Saturday morning, and then spent the rest of the day relaxing and showing my parents “Despicable Me” for the first time.

Sunday morning, Kaelyn enjoyed some chocolate donuts (what other kind is even worth mentioning?) while my mom cooked a special breakfast. Those are some sleepy eyes! French toast…This is what Michael and Kaya were doing while all the breakfast-making commotion was happening in the kitchen, right next door! Traveling really takes a lot out of all of us, especially the kids. They’re past the age when they’d nap in the car for most of the trip (even if we leave town right at nap time), and then our nap and bedtime schedule is almost nonexistent when we’re not at home. Hence, we had some exhausted kids.Socks was begging for some bacon. Too bad he’s on a green-bean diet… We finished our breakfast, headed to church, and made the drive home. It was a simple, but fun, weekend!

monument avenue 10k race recap

Posted on April 20, 2016 by tara

After being a runner for just over 7 years, I finally completed my first race! I probably never would have done it if Jeff and Lelia hadn’t signed me up, and although I will admit to being very nervous in the days leading up to it, I’m glad they encouraged me to do something new.

I was worried about the weather (it was projected to be freezing with some serious wind gusts), running around so many people (I always run alone!), and just coming out of it with a pace that I wouldn’t feel embarrassed about. Thankfully, mother nature surprised us all with much warmer temperatures than we were expecting, and all those other worries ended up not mattering at all.

Also, I apparently look very serious when I’m running.

Since this was my first time, everything was new and amazing to me- all the people holding hilarious signs (my favorite was a lady with her dog: “Keep running, the dog farted!”), some people’s costumes (one person was wearing a full-on unicorn suit), the live bands, and just the surge of collective energy between all the runners.

Michael kept these super-cute kids entertained just a few tenths of a mile before the finish line while they waited for me. He snapped some photos, and they’re just too cute to not include, so…

Apparently Kaelyn was keeping my gloves warm for me!

Jeff, Lelia, and I all finished within a few minutes of each other. I think we were all freezing as soon as we stopped running!

I think Lelia summed up the day best when she posted this picture below on Facebook, so I’ll quote her here: “I cannot begin to express the love and pride going on in this picture. We’re one hardcore family!”

She gave me the best pep talk just minutes before the race. It was so heartfelt and motivating that I replayed the words several times in my mind as I was running… and I might have been tearing up a bit, too. I also started to tear up anytime I saw little kids holding stuffed animals on the sidelines, waiting to see their moms run by. Oh, motherhood-induced emotions.Here’s my official race time! I felt really great about how I did. My official pace was 9:12 min/mile, and my GPS watch said my splits were as follows:Of course, after running a few miles, you need to replenish your energy with donuts, right? Jeff and Lelia took us to a little donut place in Richmond called Sugar Shack, and it was amazing. That one on the bottom left is covered in KitKat pieces!

We spent some time relaxing with Jeff and Lelia at their apartment before heading back to my parents’ house for the rest of the day. My girls loved playing with their puppy, Fallon, and actually ended up tiring her out pretty well.

I’m so glad I was able to have this experience with some of my amazing family members. If you’ve never run a race… try it! I’m not sure when my next one will be, but this most likely won’t be my last.

five on friday (04/15)

Posted on April 15, 2016 by tara

We’ve had what felt like a busy week over here. Yesterday, we had nothing specific scheduled, so I asked Kaya what she wanted to do. “I want to just stay home”, was her reply. I realized that we’d been running around hurriedly all week, so I heeded her request and soaked in that slow, easy morning with my babies. These little moments have all been favorites this week:

ONE. Kaelyn has been waking up from her naps happy. She used to always wake up crying and in a somewhat grumpy mood, so this is quite a change for her. I love this toothy little grin and how she just wanted to pop up and play peekaboo with me.

TWO. Kaya was drawing on her doodlepro board, and told me “Look! I made a seal!” I might have actually gasped audibly when I saw that her rendition of a seal actually looked like one. She’s getting better at drawing and writing letters all the time, and I just continue to be amazed at her skills.

THREE. We had a play date at the mall with friends this week! I think Mia and Kaya held hands for 75% of our visit (while they were running around like crazy, nonetheless)! Obviously, we couldn’t leave without stopping for a cookie first.

Would you like some cookie with your frosting?

FOUR. We’ve still had some chilly mornings, but I think spring might just come to stay soon. Kaya and Kaelyn were running like crazy up and down this miniscule hill (and yes, if you look closely enough, you’ll see that their clothes are covered in sidewalk chalk)! Warm sunshine and later sunsets are two of my very favorite things.

FIVE. In somewhat sad news, Kaelyn lost her beloved, special, piggy out in Richmond last weekend. We were at my race (more details on that next week!), and she dropped him without us noticing. We searched for him, but with so many people around, it was hopeless.

Grandma Debbie sent a new piggy in the mail this week, which arrived yesterday. Kaelyn was seriously dancing as Michael pried the box open, and she could not stop smiling with that new guinea pig under her arm for the rest of the night.
I know it’s not quite the same (especially since the orginal “Piggy” was a gift to me when my first guinea pig passed away), but there is nothing like seeing her truly happy face.

Happy weekend everyone!

Linking up here!

picnicking with the grandparents

Posted on April 14, 2016 by tara

Two weekends ago (see how I am always behind here?), my in-laws came up for a visit! Their favorite local campground had finally opened up for the season, and they were ready to enjoy the great outdoors… along with paying a visit to their favorite granddaughters, of course! 🙂 We all did some relaxing and movie-watching at our apartment, but the real fun (and where I took the most photos) was from our “cookout” lunch and walk down at the campground. It was quite windy, so we ended up eating in their new camper. Hot dogs and homemade mac and cheese, with s’mores for dessert (there’s no s’more picture obviously, because who has time for that when deliciousness is right under your nose?)!
This is my peanut-butter-sandwich kid. She’d rather have a PB&J than almost any other food… except for maybe Chinese. Otherwise, it’s her go-to choice, and I think she’d eat it for every lunch and dinner every day if I let her.We went on a little walk through the woods. We showed Kaya that she could pick the dandelions… and now she wants to pick every flower, everywhere. She had quite a collection at the end of the day (and I think they were all in Grandma’s pocket)! I love these people. Don’t be fooled… Kaelyn probably rode on Daddy’s shoulders for about two minutes. She wanted to walk the whole way, all by herself, even when there were tree roots growing in the middle of her path. She’s slow, but persistent, and she walked almost all of the trail with those two little legs. Of course, Kaya got some good swinging action. I think she might have her grandparents wrapped around her finger (quite literally)…
Later that night, we had a tumultuous wind storm- gusts were up to 60 mph! We lost power for about 13 hours, so sadly, we weren’t able to watch much of General Conference on Sunday. Mom and Dad Irwin did cook (in the camper) a special breakfast, and brought it inside for us. Bacon, eggs, sausage, and cinnamon buns. Mmmm.
Anything sweet is her favorite, so you can guess how much she loved the cinnamon rolls! And what would a grandparent visit be without some sweet kisses? I love how much my girls love them.

the kids behind the blog (april 2016)

Posted on April 13, 2016 by tara

I saw this link-up a few months ago, and somehow kept on forgetting to do it. I actually remembered to ask Kaya the questions this time, so here it is! I can’t wait for Kaelyn to be able to talk so she can participate one day, too. 🙂 Her answers are short and sweet, but I love hearing what goes on in that mind of hers.

What is your favorite thing to do with your friends? Play toys. What’s your favorite toy? My purple puppy next to my kitchen.

Who is your favorite person? Mia. Why? Because I wuv her.

When playing outside, what do your ideal sunny day plans look like? Blow bubbles. A BIG BUBBLE!

What do you like to do when it’s raining? Play inside. My tent is my favorite one.

If you could plant a garden of anything, what would you plant? Water and seeds! What kind of seeds? Black! Put them in the ground, them grow like plants!

five on friday (04/08)

Posted on April 8, 2016 by tara

Happy Friday!

ONE. Last week, we had a stroke of good weather, so we took advantage of the sunshine and went down to the pond to feed the ducks. I’m looking at these pictures with a little bit of weather-envy right now, since we are potentially expecting some severe winds and/or snow this weekend. Where did springtime go?

Kaya could not have been any more excited to throw the bread, and Kaelyn was just happy to see some real-life ducks.TWO. This sweet little sister cries for her big sister as soon as we drop her off for preschool. She wails “Peeeeeeky!”, and it just breaks my heart. Then again, I’m grateful to see how much they truly love being with each other. We try to have some good one-on-one time while Kaya is gone, but usually she’s happy to just do her own quiet activity while I clean up around the apartment.

THREE. I’m usually up and out the door, running, before my babies wake up, but yesterday was a “rest day”, so I woke up to this precious face at the side of my bed. I love that bed head, sweet little smile, and that she’s got a Daniel Tiger character under each arm. These little moments make me the happiest.

FOUR. We went back to the children’s museum for the first time in a few weeks, and my girls had the best time, as usual. It helped that some of their best friends were there to play, too.

Kaelyn could color forever.

FIVE. Are moments like these ever going to not melt my heart? I hope they always do.

Linking up here!

easter 2016 dresses

Posted on April 6, 2016 by tara

This post is mostly for myself to look back on and laugh… because I took probably 30 photos of them in their dresses, but I’ve got a toddler who won’t look at the camera, and a preschooler who just won’t stop jumping. It makes for some pretty hilarious pictures!

This one actually turned out pretty cute. I love when they hold hands. Sometimes, they run up and down the hallway, hand-in-hand, going as fast as they can without tripping. It’s like a game!I was cracking up when I was going through these, because most of them looked like this:
She’s getting good at giving the stink-eye… I love having two little girls so close in age. Matching ruffly dresses and patent leather shoes make my heart swoon a little. Obviously, she has some serious things weighing on her mind.CHEESE!

Michael and Tara

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Monthly Archives: April 2016

five on friday (04/29)

weekend wednesday

five on friday (04/22)

breakfast at grandma’s

monument avenue 10k race recap

five on friday (04/15)

picnicking with the grandparents

the kids behind the blog (april 2016)

five on friday (04/08)

easter 2016 dresses