friday favorites: baby shower style!

Posted on November 7, 2014 by tara

Thursday night, Brittany, Bianca and I threw a baby shower for Katherine! We’ve been planning this party for a while, and I was so excited to see it all finally come together (and celebrate our sweet friend and her little baby BOY)!

Can you guess what my main responsibility was? CUPCAKES, of course! We went with an orange and aqua color scheme, so I made some pretty swirled icing on both homemade funfetti and classic chocolate cupcakes. Seriously… that funfetti recipe might be what I use for my birthday cake for the next 20 years. It was that good!
Kaya and I baked the day away (well, I baked, and she taste-tested, read books, and had her Kitty and Sheep nearby to keep her company)! I love having two little girls in the kitchen with me.We ended up making WAY too much food… I snapped this picture before the chips, dip, and veggies were even put out! We now know that we could probably feed a whole army… but this was too much food for just a dozen or so ladies. We came up with these adorable, super-easy finger sandwiches: cut a baguette in half lengthwise. Spread Caesar dressing over each half. Lay down slices of Swiss cheese, lettuce, turkey, and Roma tomatoes. Insert toothpicks and cut into sections. Ta-da!We played some games- and I even won the make-a-baby-name-from-the-parents’-names game… “Meerkat” had everybody laughing!

I’m so lucky to call these girls my friends! (photo credit to Katherine for this one!)
We can’t wait to meet baby Meerkat! 🙂

friday favorites (10/10)

Posted on October 10, 2014 by tara

Happy Friday! As usual, here are some of the best moments from our crazy little family this week! 🙂

This sweet girl will always make my favorites list. Of course! How could she not, with that gummy smile and her bright eyes? All of a sudden, her cheeks seem a lot chubbier and her tummy pokes out (which makes it even more tempting to tickle her)!It’s been cooling off and feeling a little more like fall, and cuddling up with my baby and taking a nap has happened a couple times this week. I’ll snuggle this sweet face to sleep any day.

Katherine hosted our play date this week, and she turned it into a Halloween cookie-decorating party for the kids! We had so much fun and actually made way less of a mess than I expected we would with little hands in frosting and sprinkles!
I did the frosting, and then Kaya put all the candies and marshmallows on by herself! I have to say, I’m impressed. I was also amazed that she didn’t eat any of the decorations while we were doing it!
Speaking of eating, I made fajitas for the first time ever this week and they were so easy and amazing! Here’s the recipe if you want to try it (and believe me, you do).It wouldn’t be a true Friday Favorites post without my dog doing something goofy… so here’s all 31 pounds of him, squished into a Build-a-Bear toy bed. There is nothing he won’t try to snuggle with!

Happy weekend!

a kitty birthday (kaya’s 2nd birthday party!)

Posted on October 6, 2014 by tara

Kaya’s actual birthday was on a Friday, but we waited until Saturday to have her real celebration. As it turns out, Friday mornings are pretty crazy at our house! She did get to eat (almost) as many chocolate donut holes as she wanted, and I sang happy birthday to her at breakfast time (Daddy was already at work). Her friend Mia came over for a couple hours that night, and they had the best time two crazy, fun toddler girls can have together (just picture them jumping on Kaya’s bed, dancing, and sharing pizza)! 🙂

Since her real birthday was so low-key, I definitely wanted to make sure the day of her party started off with some true excitement. I hung a bunch of balloons from the ceiling for her to see as soon as she woke up and walked into the hallway. She was a little timid at first, but she spent a good part of the day running through them and yelling “baoons!”Her next surprise was in the living room. Her big gift from us was her very own slide (yes, we are those crazy parents with a slide in their apartment… but hey, it actually folds up if we ever wanted to put it away). She pretends that everything and anything is a slide (and we even used a folding table as one, once), so having a real one definitely won’t go to waste!

She was so surprised!

One happy girl.

Her actual party was very simple. I wanted to do something I thought she’d love, so I chose to base it off of her very favorite little buddy- Kitty, of course!I actually love how the cake turned out! It looked just like her stuffed animal! Honestly, though… Kaya didn’t even notice it was Kitty. I’m still glad I put the effort into though, because it’s still something meaningful to her, and I know one day we’ll look back on this and it’ll be a sweet memory.I made a felt applique shirt for her, and she actually did notice that and liked it!She loved her cake this year! Who can resist dark chocolate? (answer: no one. duh.)She opened her presents all on her own! As usual, she was spoiled with some really awesome gifts.Her favorite thing might’ve actually been the fruit snacks Uncle Kevin and Aunt Tori sent all the way from Utah. Grandpa couldn’t feed them to her fast enough! 🙂We’re so grateful for all our friends and family who were here to celebrate our sweet girl with us! (And yeah, photography fail- the birthday girl ended up hiding behind Mike’s head in this picture…)!
Happy 2nd birthday, Kaya Bird! We love you so very much!

five on friday: a bookworm, friends, and a confused dog

Posted on September 12, 2014 by tara

ONE. I’ve had a little bookworm on my hands this week! She carries these books all over the house, puts them into piles, and sits and “reads” them. I’m so glad she has such a love for books! I’m hoping to get her some French stories soon, too. TWO. I am so blessed to have so many great friends! We’ve been talking about taking a picture all together for a while now, and this week, we finally did it. I’m so glad we did! Katherine and I started these play dates when Kaya and Mia were just tiny little things… and we’ve watched our group grow in numbers, grow as mothers, and even grow more pregnant bellies! THREE. This baby. This BABY! Seriously. She gets more beautiful by the day. She’s also chatting us up like crazy lately and it is so easy to get a smile out of her. Also, please notice all the drool! Call me crazy, but I keep feeling around her mouth for tooth buds- Kaya got her first tooth at barely three months old, so I’m on the lookout! She also hasn’t been sleeping very well and has been nursing a ton… I know I already shared about five million pictures of her in this post alone, but I just couldn’t pass up showing you her gorgeous Sunday dress! 🙂 FOUR. I think we’re getting close to potty-training… and I’m honestly not sure I’m ready for all that it entails! Kaya sits on her toy makeup mirror and pretends it’s a potty (and apparently you have to pull your shirt up over your belly when you’re on the toilet?)! She’s showing some other pretty big signs of being ready, too… so we might just have to start trying soon. FIVE. My dog sleeps in a cat-like position. He also still sneaks crayons as a snack when we’re not looking. Weirdo.Happy Friday!!!

five on friday: pepper in my water and riding a giant bumblebee

Posted on September 5, 2014 by tara

My top five moments this week are simple but oh-so-sweet:

ONE. My baby has the best smile… … and some of the funniest silly faces! TWO. Kaya has been playing with her kitchen every single day. I ask her for a drink, and she’ll get “water” from the faucet and then usually add salt or pepper. Yum… not quite the chocolate milk I was hoping for.

THREE. How awesome is it when you think of texting your friend that you’re going to be at the park, and then she texts you first? Kaya and Mia had an impromptu play date and had the best time. Riding a bumblebee is sure to make anyone happy!FOUR. Kaya said her first French word yesterday, and I couldn’t have been more proud! She’s obsessed with this song and after asking to watch it a million times, said “un croc[odile]” and went to bed singing “crocrocro”. It all but melted my heart when I heard it.

FIVE. I told you Kaelyn loves her mobile… well, I used Google’s Auto-Awesome feature to make a little GIF. This is pure happiness right here!Happy Friday!!!

happy 27th birthday, michael!

Posted on August 28, 2014 by tara

Michael’s only request for his birthday was to have some new photos printed so he could take them to work and decorate his space. I made him some plain old 4x6s, but still wanted to give him a fun little surprise.

I saw this idea on Pinterest and knew I wanted to create my own version of it. It’s easy when you have such cute, photogenic girls! 🙂 Michael absolutely loved it, of course.
Kaya insisted on Kitty having his own picture done, too. I’m not too good at translating stuffed-cat-ese, so his message is up for interpretation. We had a cookout with some friends and family. It rained on and off throughout the day, but luckily, it stopped long enough for us to enjoy some time outside. I made cupcakes (of course)! These might be the messiest ones I’ve ever frosted… but they were definitely some of the most delectable I’ve ever made! They were dark chocolate with a homemade white chocolate cookies and creme frosting. Mmmm.
Happy Birthday Daddy! Your girls sure do love you! 🙂

weekend scenes

Posted on August 4, 2014 by tara

Our weekend started off with a dreary, rainy Friday. We didn’t even leave the house after Michael got home, but that didn’t mean that Kaya had to miss out on any fun…Kaya loves pretending that anything and everything is a slide, so Michael had the idea to take one of our folding tables out of the craft room and let her go down it. This might’ve been the best day of her life (minus any day she gets to share Daddy’s Reese’s)! I know we’re supposed to be responsible adults now that we’re parents… but hey, it’s so much more fun to stay a kid!We tried out these pepperoni rolls for dinner… Mmm!
Saturday afternoon, we went to visit Ben and Brittany and their sweet new baby, Caroline, at the hospital! I had the privilege of taking a few photos for them. Here’s one of my favorites:
Sunday morning was church, of course, and then we came home with the hope that we’d all nap.

I think Jax gets more sleep than anyone in the house right now. He’s also a nursing-pillow thief. I skipped napping and instead made homemade French bread. It was my first time doing it, and I have to say, it was super easy and turned out great!It was a fast, fun weekend. Happy Monday everyone!

lately (aka a big giant post with lots of pictures)

Posted on July 15, 2014 by tara

This post is really just a big, quick conglomeration of everything that’s gone on in the past two weeks, since I haven’t had a whole lot of time to get on the computer and blog (I’m actually amazed that I’m not even further behind than I am)!

Both of our moms came to stay with us and help out after we brought Kaelyn home. My mom took the first shift. She enjoyed grand-baby cuddles, and we enjoyed a lot of her awesome home-cooked meals.

She went home on Wednesday, leaving just the four of us for a few days. Michael took some time off of work to help out and spend quality time with us… which included “watching” the baby while playing Xbox! Haha. She was more than happy to sleep on her daddy, and this allowed me to take a nap, so I’m not complaining.

Kaya’s been up to her usual antics and making us laugh! She won’t wear a bow in her hair… but she’ll wear six headbands. Crazy girl!

We joined our friends for a cookout on the Fourth of July. It was our first real outing as a family of four (besides going to doctor appointments), and I have to admit, it was strange having to keep track of two kids.

Kaya is a pretty good helper. She’s always looking out for her sister (and I’m not sure why they both have disgusted expressions in this picture…)

When she wasn’t putting Kaelyn’s pacifier back in her mouth, Kaya was monkeying around with her BFF Mia!

We didn’t go to the fireworks display this year, since it didn’t seem like a great idea to bring a newborn, and it was past Kaya’s bedtime, anyway. We did get to have yet another cookout, though, when Michael’s cousin, Nicole, came into town on Saturday!

Oh, cousins.

Grandma Gina came back on Sunday night to help us out for a few days. Kaya definitely enjoyed her visit (and I enjoyed when she’d take the baby and tell me to go back to bed)!

Grandma, Jeff, Brittany and I all went blueberry picking on Tuesday morning. I had so much fun just watching Kaya enjoy it! She was super gentle and didn’t even get any blueberry juice on her hands, which is more than I can say for myself.

Apparently, a blueberry patch is a fine place for a nap.

Grandma left on Thursday, so I’ve been successfully taking care of two kids all on my own for a few days now (although I do have an amazing little helper who loves to rock the baby when she’s crying and help with diaper changes)!

Michael showed Kaya how to hide herself in the kitchen cabinets (and even close the door), so if it gets quiet and my helper is nowhere to be seen, I have to remember to look here now!

We’ve also been reading a lot of books. Kaya will sit with me and look at some while I nurse the baby, and then we also try to carve out some one-on-one time to read with her before bed. She definitely looks forward to those snuggles. Michael is so good at making all the sound effects from “Mr. Brown Can Moo, Can You?” that Kaya was cracking up a TON a few nights ago. I loved seeing them all sitting together.

The rest of our time has been filled with nursing… nursing… and more nursing. I love these little baby cuddles. The nights are long right now, but I’m soaking it up because I already know the years are short.

kaelyn grace: at the birth center

Posted on July 6, 2014 by tara

We had an amazing birth experience that I’m excited to share soon, but for now, I just wanted to share some pictures and details from our hospital stay.

So tiny. So new.

Daddy had the honor of changing her first dirty diaper! Seriously, I think I have the best husband. Ever. Our good friends, Ben and Brittany, took care of Kaya while we were at the hospital. I missed my first baby so much, so of course I was super excited to see her when they came to visit. Kaya immediately went over to the bassinet and just couldn’t stop staring at her new sister. She even blew her some kisses and kept reaching out to hold her. Kaya was so soft and gentle. This was a moment I looked forward to for what seemed to be so long. We gave Kaya her “big sister” gift- a baby doll, a big sister shirt, and a new sippy cup. She’s loved having a baby of her own to play with!Lelia came by, too (with flowers and donuts)!It was so hard to say goodbye to Kaya when she left. It was our first night ever being away from her, and the magnitude of how much our little family had changed by adding a fourth member really started to sink in.
As we expected, we didn’t get a whole lot of sleep that night. Kaelyn kept waking up, but I think it was because she was cold– the hospital’s air conditioning system had broken, and the staff couldn’t get it to stop pumping out cold air. We were all freezing before they finally just shut it off (many hours later). We were feeling so great the next day that I asked if we could go home early. To my surprise, they started working on our discharge orders right away! There were a lot of ladies having babies so the hospital was happy to have another free bed.

Kaelyn didn’t even cry when we put her in the car seat, and we had a smooth ride home to begin life as a family of four!

conference weekend… aka we ate a lot of breakfast

Posted on April 7, 2014 by tara

This weekend was our church’s General Conference, which means that we get to stay home and listen to a whole lot of inspiring talks all weekend long. If you missed it or want to listen to any of the talks, you can get them all here!

General Conference weekend usually means that we cook a special breakfast. Pregnancy cravings must’ve gotten to me, because I made breakfast on both Saturday and Sunday. Baby wanted protein, and these German pancakes (they have six eggs in them. SIX.) definitely hit the spot. Way better than regular pancakes!

We had Ben and Brittany over for brunch before the session! Kaya might look like she was about to dig in… but she wouldn’t even try them.On Sunday morning, I made these cinnamon roll bites. Unlike the pancakes, Kaya ate a bunch of them! They’re a lot easier than regular cinnamon rolls, and just as tasty.
Processed with VSCOcam with a6 preset I love sharing this special time with my little family (Kaya was actually watching conference when we took this picture)! It is so hard to believe that at the next conference in October, we’ll have two sweet girls to cuddle and love.I’m so thankful that families are forever 🙂 I’ll end this post with one of my very favorite quotes from President Uctdorf’s talk:

(source)

Hopefully Conference gave you the spiritual boost you needed! Happy Monday 🙂

Michael and Tara

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