five on friday (5/8)

Posted on May 8, 2015 by tara

Happy Friday!

ONE. This little princess sported her first-ever side ponytail today! How does my baby already have enough hair for this? It took Kaya two years to have enough for the tiniest ponytail!Cutest.tiny.pony.ever.
TWO. We tried this recipe for burrito bowls this week, and let me tell you… if you like Mexican food, you need to make these! Easy, cheap, and it tastes like something from a restaurant. Mmm. (One batch also made a TON of food… we ate it for three days straight and there were no complaints!)THREE. This is something I’ve been thinking about a lot lately. When you put the time and effort into real prayer and scripture study, exercising your faith, it is amazing how close Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ really are. They aren’t some obscure beings far away in the middle of outer space… They are so much nearer to us than we realize, and I know They are willing and wanting to help us with whatever trial we may be facing. Reach out to Them with a willing heart and They will give you peace.(via lds.org)

FOUR. My kids are totally wild and crazy, and I couldn’t imagine life any other way. I love these two sweeties with my whole heart. (And I keep accidentally dressing us in color-coordinating outfits, haha!)
FIVE. Happy Mother’s Day to ALL the women out there… whether you have babies here on earth or not. You don’t have to give birth to nurture, love, and essentially mother someone else… and I know so many of you do just that! Thank you for being you.

Happy weekend!!!

(Linking up with April today!)

five on friday: my mini-photographer, flowers, and a date

Posted on May 1, 2015 by tara

Happy Friday!!!

ONE. I am apparently raising a mini-photographer! It shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone who knows me well, but I just can’t get over how Kaya wants to take pictures all the time. She totally plays peek-a-boo and waves to get Kaelyn to look at the camera and it’s hilarious. TWO. When flowers are on sale, it’s totally cool to buy them for yourself, right? For $2.50, I couldn’t pass these up. I figured they’d last a day or two (since they were already on “manager’s special”, a.k.a. predestined to die soon), but they are still going strong after 5 days! Mmmm, this is definitely one of my favorite scents!

THREE. Kaya and I had our first-ever mommy-daughter date this week! I took her to Sweet Frog, bought her way too much ice cream, and just enjoyed having one-on-one time with my first baby. She was so excited to put m&ms, Reese’s Pieces, chocolate chips, and this giant gummy frog on her froyo… until we sat down to eat and she decided that the frog was now super scary. More gummy frogs for me!FOUR. I need some book suggestions! It seems like every book I choose lately takes a turn for the worse and has inappropriate romantic-like stuff in it… and I don’t want to read any of that, so I just quit and have to keep finding something new. What are some squeaky-clean fiction novels you love?

FIVE. Love this quote from our most recent general conference:

Have a great weekend! 🙂

Linking up with April!

easter baskets and brunch

Posted on April 8, 2015 by tara

Our Easter Sunday was filled with family, good food, and General Conference! We went to bed with our tummies and hearts so full… and isn’t that when you just know you’ve had one of the best days?

I was up earlier than everyone else to get started on some donuts for brunch later, so I was pretty excited while waiting for my girls to wake up and see their baskets. I was straightening up in the living room when Kaya leaned over the gate to her room and said “Hellooo. Clean up?” I probably rushed her out of her room too quickly because I was so happy to see her awake!

It was this little sweetie’s last “first” holiday! She loved the eggs and wrapping on the baskets.
Kaya wanted to make some ice cream cones right away! … and then this happened. Haha. Kaelyn mostly just loved playing with her basket and wouldn’t have cared if we never even opened it! “Ooo… Owaf!” Kaelyn only wanted her sippy cup… … and Kaya was ready to take all her toys (which is nothing out of the ordinary, anway)! We also surprised Michael with a basket! I gave it to Kaya, and she ran out of the den yelling “PRISE!!!” She was so happy to show Daddy what she had for him. 🙂 These might not be the prettiest donuts, but they were delicious for sure. You don’t need a donut pan, and they’re baked, not fried! If you love cinnamon-sugar, give these a try (recipe here). Jeff and Lelia brought waffles; Mom and Dad brought bacon and strawberries, and we had a feast! Everything was so delicious. Kaya probably ate a pound of strawberries!

Grandma had some good cuddle time with the girls! We tried to get a good picture of them in the matching skirts I made, but Kaya just wasn’t in the mood for it. We tried to bribe her with M&Ms, and Kaelyn was so anxious to try and get hold of some!Oh well. We all had such a great holiday together!
Hope you had a fantastic Easter!

five on friday: fauxhawks and easter eggs

Posted on April 3, 2015 by tara

ONE. We’ve been enjoying the sunshine so much this week! Nothing makes me happier than spending all morning outdoors with my babies and feeling the warmth on my skin. I love how much they both enjoy walks and connecting with nature. These are the days I long for all winter! TWO. We had an Easter egg hunt with friends on Thursday! We hardly hid the eggs at all and mostly just threw them on the ground for the kids to pick up… but they LOVED it and had such a great time. Kaya loved opening the eggs and feeding most of the jelly beans to Mia! Haha. THREE. This girl and her fauxhawk (and how ’bout them cheeks?)! She woke up like this, and her hair held its shape for most of the day.I think she’s ready to rock and roll (well, she’s at least got the rolling part down…) FOUR. Kaya really still needs to be strapped in for meals in order to avoid crumbs and sticky hands everywhere, so I figured it’d be useful to have a second seat where Kaelyn could join us at the table and eat her purees. I bought this one, originally intending for Kaelyn to use it, but Kaya thinks it’s the most fun thing ever to sit in “Baba’s seat”! When we take the tray off, it’s actually been a really great booster seat for Kaya to eat directly on the table. I love having everyone sitting together at mealtimes now!FIVE. Happy Easter! #BecauseHeLives

Linking up with Christina and friends today!

spaghetti and crepes

Posted on March 30, 2015 by tara

Usually, our weekends consist of a whole lot of nothing… but this weekend, we actually had PLANS! It really felt great to get out as a family and enjoy some time together.

We kicked off our Friday with our church institute class, a little dollar store shopping, and then a spaghetti dinner with Daddy! It was a fundraiser for Relay for Life, and a good excuse to get out of the house. Kaya probably ate her weight in pasta!

Nobody slept in on Saturday morning, but we had a lot to get done, so I was glad to be up early. We had one of our amazing young women, Alayna, over in the early afternoon for Michael to start teaching her a little bit of computer programming. Kaya sat on her lap the entire time and loved showing off all her little tricks to “Eena!”

Michael had to go practice singing/playing piano for the church Easter program, so we girls were left to our own devices for a few hours. We bundled up to take a walk, but we came home after maybe five minutes- it was waaaay too windy! Kaelyn had her sock off within a few seconds of walking through the door.

Michael came home, babies went to bed, and a couple of my friends came over for crepes and to watch the General Women’s Broadcast! I actually made a double batch of these crepes so that we could have some with Alayna while she was over for programming, and then share the rest with my friends during the broadcast. There were so many leftover that we ended up finishing them for dinner on Sunday night!

Sunday looked a lot like this. It’s so hard having church at 1 pm this year, since naptime on a normal day is at 1 pm. Is it 2016 yet so we can go back to 9 am church?

five on friday: little BFFs, fruit, and church stuff

Posted on March 27, 2015 by tara

Happy Friday! As usual, I can’t believe we’re here again. We do have some pretty fun things planned for this weekend though, so I’m excited!

ONE. My hands-down favorite moment of the week? Watching these two little buddies play together! Kaya and Mia just love each other, and I am so thankful for the days we get to spend with our friends. I think Mia asked Kaya “Want to come here with me?” and Kaya climbed right in the car with her. I’m kind of surprised they can both fit, but it was the cutest! TWO. As a teenage girl in our church, you get to complete a program known as “Personal Progress”. I didn’t join the church until later, so I never had the opportunity to do it. As the Young Women secretary for our congregation, I’m trying to do it now! One of our girls has this doodle journal, and I really liked the way it breaks down the program and gives you space to take notes, so I started using it, too. I’ve definitely felt more enlightened and more peace each day that I dedicate some time to real, meaningful scripture study. THREE. “More gwapes!” is what I keep hearing every day at every meal all week long. Kaya is obsessed, and I’m not complaining. We are loving the warmer weather and fresher-tasting fruit that spring has brought. FOUR. This may be the least important note, but I’m pretty excited about it- remember how my phone stopped working three weeks ago? We mailed it in for repair, and it’s finally coming back tomorrow! I’ve mostly just missed having a camera everywhere I go and being able to make a call if I need to. Not having updated technology for a little while definitely helps you appreciate it more!

FIVE. We’ll be watching the General Women’s Broadcast on Saturday night (8 pm EST)! There are always so many amazing, uplifting moments. Watch it if you’re curious to see what it’s all about! It’s free to stream here.(source)

Linking up with Christina and friends today!

five on friday: dishes, cupcakes, and a bus ride

Posted on March 20, 2015 by tara

Happy first day of SPRING! (although we’re totally having a gross, rainy, chilly day here!)

ONE. Kaya has had a lot of fun “washing dishes” this week! Our dishwasher broke and maintenance had to order a part for it, so it took until today to get it back in working order. Kaya definitely didn’t mind playing with the soap bubbles and pouring water into a couple of bowls I gave her to use. TWO. We had a couple of warm days this week, so naturally, we made the most of our time outside. I ran around the playground like a wild woman with my girls on Tuesday… and then they took the longest naps. Four hours for Kaya and three for Kaelyn. I even had a nap. It was magical. Seriously. THREE. Last night was our church Relief Society birthday dinner. I brought some cupcakes (bet you didn’t see that coming, did you?)! What better theme to decorate them around than SPRING! I used a different buttercream recipe that didn’t hold its shape quite as well as my usual one, so I really don’t think these are my best work… but hey, at least they were colorful (and quite delicious)!FOUR. Kaya had her first-ever ride on the BUS this week! Michael has been talking about taking her on one for ages now, so he finally just did it! The highlight of their ride? Finding leaves on the sidewalk when they got off. I love my crazy girl.FIVE. I forgot to include this photo in Tuesday’s post, and it’s just too cute to leave out! Daddy, daughter, and cookies. There aren’t many things better than that!Happy weekend!

Linking up with Christina and friends today!

weekend highlights

Posted on January 26, 2015 by tara

By the time the weekend gets here, we’re usually too wiped out to do much of anything… so we lounge around at home and just enjoy getting some much-needed rest! This weekend was no exception… but I did squeeze in a nice run (through wind and snow flurries)! It always feels amazing to do a little more than my standard 4-miler.Our girls took great naps on Saturday afternoon (a miracle, truly!), and the rest of the time was just spent laughing and playing with them. I love days like those.

Usually, we pick up the lady down the street on the way to church on Sunday. Our car seats 5 people, so that means I get to squeeze in the back. These goobers love when mommy rides with them!
Afternoon church is still hard because of how it affects nap time… but we keep pushing on, and somehow, we all make it to the end of the day! We have a 10-minute drive home, and this is what I saw when I parked the car… poor tired babies!A family from church invited us (and Jeff and Lelia, too!) over for dinner last night. We had some delicious enchiladas, and Kaya even ate, which doesn’t always happen when we eat somewhere other than at home. I brought my favorite chocolate chip cookies, and we had a great time.

Happy Monday everyone!

merry christmas! #heisthegift

Posted on December 25, 2014 by tara

Each year, Christmas is less and less about whatever gift I want for myself. Instead, I look forward to the gifts I’m giving, and the time spent with my family.

Even more importantly, Christmas has become, for me, more of what it should be: centered on Christ.

Eight years ago this month, I was baptized a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is no exaggeration to say that it was the very best decision I have ever made! The gospel has blessed my life in so many ways- it is a source of knowledge, peace, and love from a very real Father in Heaven.

As we celebrate this Christmas season, I feel extra gratitude for our Savior- His birth, life, and sacrifice.

Because of Him, I can be forgiven for all my mistakes. Because of Him, I can live with my family forever.

So when I hold my baby, kiss my big girl, and hug my husband, I think of Christ. He gave me the very best gifts of all.

Merry Christmas!

friday favorites: christmas edition

Posted on December 19, 2014 by tara

These are a few of my favorite [Christmas-y] things…

… sitting by the Christmas tree at night (and of course, taking a bokeh picture. #photographynerdalert)!
… festive sprinkles on cupcakes for the church Christmas party! … how this little girl watched and waited all day long while I made the cupcakes. She was so happy when she finally got her treat at the party!… my two peas in a pod, enjoying some “Feliz Navidad”-themed dinner.
… the giant Christmas tree at the mall! … decorating gingerbread cookies! I am so completely obsessed with gingerbread this year and my sweet tooth has been making that extremely obvious. … gingerbread playdough! Seriously. It smells heavenly and was so much fun to play with! … two cute baby friends in matching polkadot reindeer pajamas!6 more days!