Category Archives: five favorites

five favorites (07/11)

Posted on by
Reply

I didn’t get this finished on Friday, but maybe there’s no better way to start a Monday! Here are some of my favorite things lately:

ONE. The weather has been a little odd this summer, honestly- most days haven’t seemed as warm as they usually are by this point, but it’s also been really dry, so for the first time ever, we have a few dead spots of grass in our yard. So strange. Anyway, it’s been consistently nice enough to spend some time outside, so we’ve enjoyed meeting up with friends at our favorite playground over the past few weeks!Don’t worry, Chandler was there, too. He even “drove”! He’s so obsessed with cars and even knows how to push the button to start the van. Fourteen and a half years until all his dreams come true!Kaya always finds the perfect tree to climb. This one is especially great!Try to take a picture with this boy, and he runs right into the camera. Somehow I still love this shot.Evie collects leaves and gives them to me as gifts. SO sweet and thoughtful.TWO. I feel like there haven’t been any pictures of Scout on here in a while, so I wanted to include her! She had a really rough spring after she decided to steal 10 freshly-baked chocolate cookies off of the counter in a record time of 30 seconds, which obviously sent her to the vet. Thankfully, she recovered, only to discover that the induced vomiting from that probably caused aspiration pneumonia. It’s sad to see your puppy sick and coughing. She’s been doing great now, which is a relief. I’d like to think she learned something from the whole experience, but well… we’ll still be watching our chocolate with eagle eyes.

THREE. We got a second car!!! We’ve always been a one-car family (although Michael has had a little moped for the past couple of years), but with our family getting bigger and our kids getting older, it makes sense to have another vehicle. I’ve been calling it the “baby car” or “Sparky” (it’s a little Chevy Spark), and it’s so fun to drive compared to our big mini van.

FOUR. After an unfortunate chiropractic injury a few weeks ago, I was pretty much unable to walk without piriformis pain. After using all the ice, stretching, foam-rolling, resting, and being readjusted, I’m feeling so grateful to be able to get around my house and actually take a walk with my family. We had the most beautiful sunset walk last Sunday, and I took time to appreciate the small things.I need some of these purple coneflowers in our yard! Maybe I’ll work on it when we get closer to fall.

FIVE. Little Man wants to be just like his “Old Man”. Haha. He loves to work on his laptop next to Daddy, and lately, he even supervises while Michael gets our new shower installed. He’s a true “Daddy’s boy” through and through! Happy Monday!!!!

five on friday: happy things (06/10)

Posted on by
Reply

It’s been a looooong time (seven months too long, to be exact) since we had a Five on Friday post! I’ve been feeling really grateful for all the small things happening lately and really wanted to write some of them down. So, here we go!

ONE. Eve had her first-ever trip to the dentist, and I don’t think any kid could ever be happier than she was for her appointment! Daddy took her, and he said she was so bubbly and cooperative the entire time that even other hygienists (who weren’t assigned to her) were coming in just to see her. I hope she always exudes such joy.It certainly helps when your dentist makes balloon animals for you to take home. Eve received a puppy and a flower!

TWO. The weather has been mild for June, but so pleasant. We’ve really enjoyed it, other than the fact that it’s still too chilly to swim here. Kaya’s Activity Days group at church had her start some seeds (she chose California Poppies), so she’s been looking after those each and every day. They’re really sprouting fast!My hydrangeas finally started blooming, too! We had colder temperatures for longer than usual this year, and I feared they hadn’t made it through the winter. I’m so excited for flowers!We’ve taken several walks to the playground……and Little Man is content enough to climb up and down the stairs there about a thousand times. This is my favorite outfit of his right now- anchors for Grandpa Peter, who was in the Coast Guard Auxiliary.

THREE. This boy… This BOY. He has stolen my heart. He also steals everyone’s shoes. It doesn’t matter the size or color, he’ll proudly wear them around, drag them up and down the stairs, and put them everywhere. Good luck finding them when you actually need to go out!He also thinks Minnie Mouse ears are necklaces and wears one every day.

FOUR. We’re still working on some bigger things at the house, but doing smaller (read: instantly gratifying) projects is fun, too. We switched our outdoor lanterns from old brass to oil-rubbed bronze. Wow, what a difference something so small can make! I’m kind of obsessed with putting Edison bulbs in everything right now.

This project isn’t quick, but since we hired someone to do it, it’s fun to watch. We’re finally getting our walkway fixed! I don’t know if it was originally built when the house was, but the ground had sunken in places, and the bricks had, too. It was so exciting to see them excavate it!

The girls were obsessed with watching the process with the backhoe. After the workers went home for the day, they went outside and sat on the front landing, just taking it all in.It should be completed next week!

FIVE. I made double chocolate muffins for the first time in YEARS! I used this recipe, but I cut the sugar in half and used half whole wheat flour instead of just all-purpose. I also tripled it, since we now have what feels like a million muffin-eaters here. YUM!

Chandler loved trying these. Have you ever seen a happier (and sleepier) face?

Happy Weekend!!!

five favorites (11/06)

Posted on by
Reply

Happy weekend! I didn’t quite get to this yesterday, but better late than never! Here are a few of our fun moments lately:

ONE. Michael ended his work day a few hours early yesterday, and took Kaya and Kaelyn on a hike! They went to Bald Knob, which was about 2 miles up and back, and not too difficult for the kids. Kaya snapped about a hundred pictures and kept remarking, “Wow, it’s just so beautiful!” I love how the beauty of nature is even more greatly magnified in a child’s eyes.

They also loved taking pictures together.There were some “Instagram Influencers” up there who ended up getting a few awesome photos of Michael and the girls. I love this one!I love that they were able to have this special Daddy-daughter time.The views are breathtaking, even in pictures.

TWO. We have a pretty strict rule about no kids crawling into our bed at night, and no leaving their rooms without permission. Still, Eve is ready to run out of her room every morning at the earliest permissible moment. She loves to cuddle up, ask a bunch of questions, and play songs on her favorite puppy toy, who she named “Buddy”, after my parents’ dog.She insisted on wearing two foam rollers to bed. We insisted that she already has naturally curly hair, to no avail, obviously. She’s the spice of life.

THREE. We’ve still been doing house projects, and lately, the focus has been our own room! It’s something I put on the back burner for too long.

Michael built some new dressers, and Little Man was all excited watching the drill. He’s ready to help Daddy!It’s not done yet, but I’ve been enjoying this room. Having a calm space to relax in makes all the difference.

FOUR. More house things (are you bored yet? I actually love all this)… This week, I got to have a night out with my friend Jennie to browse for bathroom floor tile! It’s something I’ve always wanted to do, and lucky for me, she has experience with flooring. We just looked around for ideas, but I’m still so excited!

I am really loving these white hexagons. They’re timeless!Of course, I had to trick Michael and tell him I was thinking of getting these pebble tiles, which would make for the most interesting (and difficult) bathroom floor I’ve seen. He was baffled, but he didn’t say no right away. Haha!

FIVE. I keep getting all these throwback photos of my baby boy from exactly one year ago. There’s so much I never shared, so I can leave a little extra baby spam here now, right? Seriously though, he had the squishiest cheeks and sweetest lips. I miss this tiny little pumpkin!

Happy Saturday!

five on friday (10/29)

Posted on by
Reply

Happy Halloween Weekend!!! We are SO PUMPED for all the Halloween festivities coming up over the next couple of days. Here’s what we’ve been up to lately:

ONE. We’ve done quite a bit of Halloween crafting this week! Any guesses on our costume theme? The girls worked hard at tracing these bricks, and then I outlined them with a Sharpie.We gave Eve her own construction paper to practice on, since she didn’t quite understand the concept of tracing… and she was so very proud of herself for making a “baby yellow brick road”.If you still somehow haven’t managed to guess the theme, maybe Eve’s costume will help…She waited three weeks for it to come in the mail. When it finally arrived, she couldn’t wait to be “the witch with the tiny hat!” I love her enthusiasm for being the Wicked Witch!

TWO. These may not be Halloween costumes, but the girls have been wearing all sorts of dress-up outfits this week. Kaelyn made everyone (including her Doggy and two of Nella’s Beanie Babies) some pipe cleaner antennae. I love her creativity.Max and Huey had to match Nella, of course!

Nella has been a princess all week, and she “can never take her crown off, not even when she’s sleeping”. Haha. She matched glasses with her all-time favorite Beanie Baby, Max!

THREE. We’ve been spending as much time outdoors as we can, knowing that we’re right on the cusp of winter weather. Fall seems much too short here in the mountains. It’s finally been sweater weather, at least, and I am still completely obsessed with all the baby boy clothes. This little man in a sweater just about melted me!Nella is still learning to ride a big bike, and when Kaelyn stepped in and started helping her down the hills (without being asked), my heart was full. I love these sweet, thoughtful sisters.We also got to hang out with Lelia, Bryce, and Ryder last week! It was a quick visit (it could never seem long enough to me, anyway), but we had some fun in the sunshine at the playground. Google auto-generated this GIF, and I think it’s pretty perfect.

FOUR. Meanwhile, we’ve still been attempting (admittedly less often) to take care of the plants we put in this past summer. I’m hoping they survive the winter and grow some beautiful flowers next spring, but only time will tell. I went to pull some weeds this week, only to find Kaelyn taking my gloves and doing it all for me. She makes a very cute gardener!These other non-gardeners were monkeying around in the tree. Gosh I love their silliness.FIVE. There’s not enough of the Little Man in this post, so… here he is! I love when Daddy plays the “Go Get Mommy” game, and they both laugh and laugh like this. I took his last monthly photo of his first year, plus a few more of him with his birthday balloons before packing them away. It’s all so bittersweet.

five on friday (10/15)

Posted on by
Reply

It’s been about a month since I wrote one of these, and we’ve had a lot of bigger happenings (*ahem* three birthday parties pretty much in a row) that I hope to get to soon, but chronicling these small moments throughout the week means so much to me when I look back.

ONE. My mom came up for Chandler’s birthday party, and she brought a bunch of my old toys that I thought had been long gone. These Littlest Pet Shops and Pound Puppies were some of my very favorite things, and pretty much defined the 90s for me. I was so happy to see the girls play with them for hours on end.

TWO. The girls and I watched The Wizard of Oz last week, and they all loved it so much. Eve thought the Wicked Witch was hilarious and kept asking for her to come back, and Kaya seemed to understand the true makings of a classic movie. I caught them riding brooms around the driveway this week, saying, “I’ll get you my pretties!”

When you’re the littlest, your big sisters can really help you “fly”!

THREE. My three oldest went to church tonight to practice for the upcoming Primary Program, so it was just Eve, Chandler, and me. I snuggled Eve while we watched Daniel Tiger, let her share some of my special Lindt chocolate, and took them both on a walk to the playground. It was so very special just having that time with them. Having a big family is wonderful, but sometimes, it can be complete chaos, so stealing these little one-on-one moments feels so invaluable.Yes, she’s wearing a skirt over her overalls. I love her style.Eve said, “Watch, I’m gonna go fast!”Chandler throws his head back in the swing and laughs like crazy.

FOUR. Being a kid around Christmastime means one thing: you scramble for the yearly toy catalog when it arrives! Seeing them all poring over every toy in that book reminded me of when I was a kid, meticulously paging through the JCPenney holiday catalog, circling far too many items. Christmas is still magical at their ages, and I’m so excited for it. Also, I love my goofy dog in this one.

FIVE. Cousin Jack sent us a box full of Halloween goodies this week! The girls have loved wearing the glasses, fingers, and vampire teeth. They also painted some wooden Halloween decorations! We’re counting down the days until we can wear our costumes!

I told them to make “monster faces” for this one! Haha.

Happy weekend!

five on friday (09/03)

Posted on by
Reply

Happy September! The year is just flying on by, and with all the birthdays and holidays on the horizon, I know time isn’t slowing down anytime soon. Here are a few fun moments from our week:

ONE. The weather has been AMAZING. The humidity finally dropped, and we’ve had cooler evenings. That means that we haven’t been able to go to the pool lately, but we have had so many family walks. The girls love to ride their bikes and take turns walking Scout. Being outside with my people (and puppy) is my favorite.
Little man is so content to ride in the stroller and look at everything we pass on the way. He often takes a little snooze, too. TWO. We went to a new playground this week! The girls have seen it and asked to go to it for a while, and they were so happy to finally check it out! There are swings, a rock-climbing wall, a steep slide, and a rotating tire swing that I might have completely overdone it on (someone needs to remind me that I’m not eight years old anymore). Everyone had a blast! THREE. Every once in a while, we’ll let the girls have Nutella toast with breakfast. They all think this is the best treat ever, and I think Eve purposely tries to wear as much of it as possible on her face. Kaya snapped this photo so we’d remember her Nutella mustache forever.
 Meanwhile, Little Man looks forward to the day I’ll finally let him have a fruit snack. I still really like fruit snacks myself. Any other adults like to eat “kid” snacks? I used to bring them to eat during my long training runs!FOUR. Calico Critters are still the number one toy around here. They’re so adorable, and I like playing with the girls with them, so no complaints here. It’s funny when they drive their long caravan around the house. Lately, the Critters have even gone to the hospital to have babies. I love that they all love playing together.FIVE. I bought a robot vacuum on Amazon Prime Day, and it’s probably the best thing EVER. Scout wasn’t too sure about it at first, but now she’ll lie down right in front of it and make it go around her. With 5 kids and a dog… it’s the best idea I ever had. We named it “Sharkie”, and he’s totally one of the family now.

five on friday (08/27)

Posted on by
Reply

ONE. This little Chandler man is sooo spoiled and definitely enjoys having four big sisters who play with him, read to him, and hold him constantly. His day is so full of fun because of them! Lately, his new favorite thing to do is take a ride in the Cozy Coupe car. There’s almost always someone willing to push him around, and if not, he’s just as content to sit there and play in it.

TWO. We’re making most of these last days of summer. I’m holding on tight to the sunshine, the warmth, and the outdoor family time with everything I’ve got. Ice cream just tastes better in the heat of the August, and even with fall enticing us with her crisp, cooler temperatures and sweet memories to be made, I’m just not ready to say goodbye to this season quite yet.The girls all think that having ice cream in a cone is an extremely exciting event!THREE. The deck is… almost… nearly… done! Michael had a friend from work come over and help on a few occasions. I’m so excited to see the color and how it’s coming together. I’m optimistically hoping that we can put some furniture out there and enjoy it before winter comes along. FOUR. There’s been a ton of extra love for Claire these past few weeks. The girls have been holding, visiting, and giving her more treats to help her feel less alone. I’m grateful we still have a piggy to hold. FIVE. His smile is the perfect way to kick off the weekend! He was laughing so hard at me while we were playing with a pair of sunglasses. I’m also kind of obsessed with his mint romper and that little anchor on it (anchors are Grandpa Peter’s favorite)! Happy weekend!

five favorites (07/26)

Posted on by
Reply

Happy Monday! As always, I wanted to do this on Friday (the past several Fridays in a row, to be honest), but I never quite get to it. I’m trying to make more time for this, so here’s to keeping it a little simpler with the hope that I can write more often.

ONE. These crazy kids all got some sleeping bags, and they practiced their camping skills in the living room. In fact, I think there’s been more sleeping on the floor than anywhere else. I’m actually not sure why we even have beds! Haha.The only one who really fell asleep in the living room was Eve. I wish these sweet, pink baby cheeks could last forever.

TWO. I’ve done more yard work in the past two weeks than I have the entire time we’ve lived here. All the bushes that were out front when we moved in ever-so-slowly died… a while ago. So, I finally decided to try to fix it, and when I saw these hydrangeas, I just knew they were perfect. I planted five of them out front, plus some daylilies out by the mailbox. The girls have been helping me water them each day. Fingers crossed they’re here for many years to come!

THREE. This baby man… oh my heart. I am so over-the-moon in love with him. Also, boy clothes are the cutest. I bought this outfit a year ago and dreamed of the day I could take some pictures of him in it.Daddy says, “Let’s go get Mama!” And he smiles like this.

FOUR. Kaya asked to wear Chandler in the Ergo carrier, and she is actually (just barely) big enough for it! I adore this sibling sweetness between my oldest and youngest. He was comfortable enough to fall asleep on her.Apparently, they were playing a game where they were kids who traveled the world, and at some point they found a baby they needed to take care of.

FIVE. Scout’s not sure about all those sleeping bags taking up her beloved space… but she looks cute anyway. We love our puppy.

five on friday (06/04)

Posted on by
Reply

It’s Friday!!!!!!

ONE. We officially finished homeschool last Thursday! On the whole, the weather has been glorious, so we’ve been enjoying it as much as possible. All those “little summer things” turn out to be the biggest memories for me: walks with my kids and puppy, freezie pops, and just enjoying the warmth of the sun.

We bought this slip ‘n slide on sale a couple of weeks ago, and I could not wait to try it. I was just as excited as the girls were! Crazy enough, I guess there’s more of a learning curve to slippin’ and slidin’ than I thought- only Kaya really figured out how to do it.

Still, they all said it was “more than fun”, so I’m calling it a win!We’re keeping Kroger in business with all the freezie pops we’ve already consumed this summer. They usually ask me what color they should eat, but they generally try to save some blue ones for me, since those are my favorite.Kaya was able to have a field-day type of activity for her group at church, so while she was gone, we went for a walk. We discovered someone’s sprinkler spraying intermittently over the fence, and the girls thought it was the most fun ever to run through it. Their giggles were the best.Chandler frequently gets a decent nap while we walk.TWO. Finally, after nearly 15 months of the pandemic, we were able to visit with friends this past weekend! Bianca had us all over for dinner, and the kids were so happy to see each other that they ran around laughing the entire time. They all looked so adorable in their dress-up clothes.Bianca finally got to meet Chandler! He has been unsure of seeing new people, but he actually does a lot better than I expected.We were able to visit with a couple of other friends, too. Eve enjoyed the outdoor toys!THREE. Michael ran his first-ever nerd conference this week! He put so much work into this dream that he’s had for a long time, and I’m really proud of him.

Enjoy this unrelated photo of him returning some things to Old Navy for me. I love how he makes me laugh.Chandler had to wear his Docker onesie for a few pictures for Daddy’s conference!This is pretty much how every photoshoot with this boy goes… sideways. Literally! Haha.FOUR. Nella and Eve are at that age where they’re extra silly, and they are best little buddies. They crack me up with all the goofy things they do. One night, after their baths, they insisted I wrap their hair up in towels. This completely made their night.Nella added toy glasses and it really took the fun to the next level!Eve dressed up as a superhero one day (and made Nella’s stuffed puppy match)! The overalls, pigtails, and huge smile really complete the look!FIVE. I’ve been reliving the 1990s several days this past week when the girls have asked to take out my “vintage” (yes, they are considered vintage now, so what does that say about me?!) Polly Pockets! This is still such a special activity for them, and I’ll never get tired of sharing my childhood memories with them.

Happy weekend!!!

five on friday (05/21)

Posted on by
Reply

Well…

It’s been a LONG time! A reeeeeally long time for me, considering how often I used to post. There have been a lot of reasons I’ve stepped back from this space, some simple, and some that could have their own blog post, but now, almost 9 months later, I think I’m ready to start coming back.

I’ve missed this, and I’ve realized that sharing my joy only multiplies it. If writing brings just one person a smile (even if the one person is myself), it’s more than worth it.

It’s impossible to sum up nine months in five bullet points, so I’m not going to try. I’m just going to touch on some of the things that have brought us happiness lately:

ONE. Our greatest joy during this time has been our BABY BOY!!! Chandler Beau was born in October, just five days after we took our maternity family pictures. Looking back and remembering how big my belly was gives me a renewed sense of awe for the human body. I’m so grateful to have been able to carry him and bring him into this world.

His sisters met him at home, since no visitors were allowed in the hospital due to COVID-19. It was one of the best mornings of their lives when they woke up and saw their brother for the first time.

He brings us a thousand smiles every single day. We love our little guy so much.

TWO. We’ve still homeschooled this year, and we’re getting ready to wrap it all up for summer! We’re at the end of 3rd grade, 1st grade, and Pre-K. These girls have done amazing and made so many great strides during an unpredictable year. I’m so proud of us. This picture was from our spring break, when they were so happy to play dolls with me.

THREE. SCOUT!!! Our puppy turned 4 years old in January (guess that means I can’t call her a puppy anymore, right?), and she’s doing so well. Her bloodwork last year showed some impaired kidney function, but as of her last physical, everything came back normal! I’m glad my furry pal is doing well. She follows me around all day long, loves trying to lick Chandler, and does such a funny, happy dance when she knows it’s time for one of the girls to feed her.

FOUR. I’ve still been running, but due to the pandemic, I haven’t done any in-person races this year. Maybe soon? I miss the thrill of the starting line. I did do a virtual race to raise awareness for maternal mental health on Mother’s Day weekend. Mental health is something I’ve become passionate about as I’ve worked harder than ever on my own.

FIVE. We’ve finally seen the light at the end of the pandemic. Michael and I have both been vaccinated, and I’m looking forward to seeing extended family again soon! Michael was pretty lucky- his only vaccine side effect was being extremely tired and sleeping almost all day long. I had an intense immune response, with achey joints, chills, shaking, hot flashes, dizziness, and nausea. Phew. It lasted for about 30 hours, but I’m glad I did it. Here’s to a brighter 2021. Happy weekend!!!