thanksgiving 2016

Posted on December 13, 2016 by tara

This was the first year ever that we didn’t travel for Thanksgiving. We felt like taking a long trip in the car would be pretty difficult with such a young baby, so we’d planned to enjoy the holiday at home. We had a restful day, but honestly, I did end up missing seeing all our relatives (and the hilarity that ensues when a whole lot of family gets together)! It just felt a little too quiet to be Thanksgiving!

In the morning, Michael went to play football with some guys from church, so we girls whipped up some pumpkin bread for breakfast and watched the Macy’s parade. I loved watching it as a child, and it was so much fun to see my girls enjoying it just as much as I always did. Kaya was completely obsessed with the Hello Kitty balloon, and Kaelyn cried when her favorite puppy balloon walked off screen. They both got excited when they saw Spongebob, since he’s Grandpa Skip’s favorite, and insisted that I take a picture and send it to him.

While the food cooked, we spent the afternoon making bead animals. They invited me to join in, and they were thrilled when I helped each of them create their own animal.Nella hung out with Daddy for a while…I had never cooked the traditional Thanksgiving meal before, so in the weeks leading up to the big day, I collected advice and counsel from anyone willing to talk to me about making a decent turkey. I ended up dry-brining the bird with salt and some of my favorite spices about three days ahead of time. Immediately before I put it in the oven, I shoved some lemon slices and a few chopped cloves of garlic into the body cavity, placed a few slices of butter under the skin, and brushed some melted butter over top of it.

The meat turned out so tender and flavorful, and it made a ton of gravy. Mmmm.

Michael carved it for us.We had garlic mashed potatoes, steamed broccoli, and biscuits along with our turkey.Our table wasn’t set all fancy, and I pretty much had to bribe my kids to eat anything other than broccoli and rolls… but it was a delicious dinner with the people I love most.
I’ve got a couple of broccoli monsters over here. I can’t believe my kids beg for vegetables, but I’m not complaining!
For dessert, we had the traditional choco-mint freeze (made even easier this year because Kroger had peppermint ice cream)!Dessert makes everyone happy.And apparently, a little crazy.

five on friday (12/09)

Posted on December 9, 2016 by tara

ONE. We are counting down the days until Christmas (16, if you’re wondering)! I don’t think there have ever been two little girls more excited for the big day than these two are, and it’s been really fun to see their anticipation and joy grow so much this year. If you even mention the word “Christmas”, Kaelyn is more than ready to tell you all about how she wants a (stuffed) “puppy mommy [with] babies”. I’m really looking forward to these next few weeks filled with festivities and family.

TWO. We’ve been working really hard on our phonics and letter-writing this week. Kaya is suddenly obsessed with copying words, so she’s been diligently practicing that as well as flipping through her alphabet flashcards and announcing all their sounds.Her writing definitely isn’t in a straight line, but it is legible! This reads: “I love you Grandma P”. (She added a P at the end because she asked me how to spell “grandpa” afterward, and I told her it was the same as “grandma”, just change the “m” to a “p”. Haha.)
For Kaelyn, school sometimes turns into seeing how many markers she can stack without having them topple over.

THREE. We did it! We started potty training last week, and this little girl was almost instantly a pro. I’m so proud of Kaelyn, and grateful that this endeavor wasn’t nearly as messy as I was expecting (which is mostly why I kept putting it off)! She loves wearing undies like a big girl now (although she only wants to wear pairs that are blue or have puppies on them, which are in short supply at our house, so we might have to go shopping, haha).

FOUR. Sweet Nella has been smiling so much these past two weeks! I am so obsessed with these cheeks and that mohawk and her little dimples.

FIVE. If that wasn’t enough cuteness for you, Google automatically created an animated GIF just to make everyone’s hearts melt a little more. 🙂

Happy Friday!!!

Linking up here, here, and here today!

trick and trunk or treating 2016

Posted on November 29, 2016 by tara

I’m going to spare you my whole “trick-or-treating-was-a-whole-month-ago-and-I’m-just-blogging-about-it-now” spiel and just jump right into it. After this post, I think I’m mostly caught up to the present… The key word being “mostly”, ha!

Our two “big” little girls were beyond excited for Halloween. Kaya asked me nearly every day for over a month when she would get to wear her kitty costume, so when the day finally came, she was ecstatic!

We kicked off our Halloween festivities on Friday with Daddy at his work. His office put on a whole trick-or-treating activity for the employees’ kids, so we went from cubicle to cubicle collecting treats. Everyone (and really, I mean everyone) commented on how adorable Kaya and Kaelyn looked and how Nella looks like a little doll. The kids were feeling pretty shy, so I don’t think they said a single word to anyone, but they still came out with a bucketful of candy!
From there, we headed straight to our church’s trunk-or-treat. Right up until that morning, we couldn’t decide what we wanted to be, so in true last-minute fashion, we chose “raining cats and dogs”. I made Michael a thunderbolt and myself a rain cloud shirt (which is somewhat difficult to see in this picture). Little Nella wore candy corn jammies and a pumpkin hat, so she didn’t quite fit the theme, but it was the perfect costume for our “Pumpkin”.We walked around with the girls to collect even more treats!Later, we went inside for some fun activities. Kaya loved doing this donut-on-a-string game with Michael. Somehow, I think she looks even more like a real kitty here (if only cats loved donuts)!
Halloween day was on Monday, so a couple of days after all those shenanigans, we finally took these crazy cuties out for their first-ever real trick or treating! It was so exciting to be able to go door to door in our own neighborhood. We really only went down our street, but it was far enough for our little girls on a chilly night. Michael said that they’re going to look back at these costumes one day and be embarrassed (the pink poodle costume reminds him of the pink bunny suit in A Christmas Story), but they chose these themselves, and as two and four-year-old girls, they absolutely loved them. Sometimes I can’t believe that all three of these fantastic girls are ours. _mg_6443

our little pumpkins

Posted on November 16, 2016 by tara

From the day we knew we were pregnant, we started referring to our sweet baby #3 by the nickname “Pumpkin”. We knew she’d be due in October, and there couldn’t have been a better moniker for our little autumn blessing.

It was obvious, then, what costume she’d wear for her first Halloween! Kaya wore this sweet little pumpkin hat that I’d made for her first Halloween, and Nella was the perfect size to reuse it this year.

Kaelyn also wore these candy corn jammies for her first Halloween, so it was pretty much the perfect combination of “firsts” for Nella to inherit.These cheeks of hers get me every time! I admit it, I kiss and pretend to eat them up all day long.
While we’re on the subject of pumpkins, I thought I’d include the one we carved this year. Michael and I counted back and realized that this was only the third pumpkin we’ve carved together in the 8 years we’ve been a couple. We’re good at picking them, just not so consistent with carving them.

Apparently, gutting a pumpkin is pretty messy business.

Kaya is completely obsessed with Hello Kitty right now, so after I showed her a photo of a Hello Kitty pumpkin, we definitely had to make one too. Poor Michael was easily outvoted in a house full of girls! Kaya and Kaelyn weren’t so sure about this whole cutting-up-a-pumpkin activity. Michael did a fantastic job, and the girls were so excited over the result. It was fun to actually have a place outside to display it this year too, since we couldn’t really do that at our apartment in years past.

These little holiday traditions bring me so much joy.

fourth of july weekend 2016

Posted on July 21, 2016 by tara

I know… how long ago was the Fourth of July? I’m always behind, but these are things I don’t want to forget, so here we go!

We kicked off the long weekend in the best way possible on Friday morning- with some pool time! My girls love playing with their buckets and rubber ducks and would probably do it all day long if we could. Of course, they do love taking a little break to have lunch in the shade.

This little goofball wearing my sunglasses still cracks me up! On Saturday morning, I enjoyed an awesome 7.5-mile run. I really felt great the entire time, which I especially relish these days- you just never know when pregnancy is going to throw you an achy ligament or make it feel like you need to pee for 5 miles. Mom and Dad Irwin arrived right around noon! Dad and Michael immediately started work on some house projects, including adding new posts to the deck! They finished it in just a few hours. I was both grateful and impressed! Because they couldn’t make it up for Kaelyn’s birthday party the previous weekend, they had a few gifts to give her. Everyone gets excited about Daniel Tiger books! These Duplos were also a big hit. I’m honestly impressed with the things my little girls can build! Sunday afternoon brought naps and more block-building fun… … and we somehow managed to convince Michael to make some square shooter cookies!Grandma Gina and I played “Trouble” with the girls… but it might have been more trouble than it was worth (see what I did there?) because Kaelyn kept moving the pieces. It was more like a game of “Remember Where All Your Pieces Are, Because They Will Most Definitely Be Moved”! Haha.
There were daddy-daughter-granddaughter (and guinea pig!) cuddles, along with lots of Wii-playing! On Monday morning, we got to sleep in until about 7:30! Grandpa Skip loved waking up to a cute little cuddlebug… 🙂 Michael’s parents had to leave around lunchtime to head back home, so we spent the rest of the day enjoying time as just the four of us. Grandma Gina gave the girls these pinwheels (their first ones ever!), so they had a whole lot of fun getting them to spin. Grandma Debbie gave them some matching patriotic shirts, so I think we pretty much mastered American festiveness on the 4th! We were invited to a barbecue by some church friends, so after naptime, we headed over there. The weather was on-and-off rainy, so we probably sat outside for .0005 seconds before we had to go in to finish our meal.She acted grumpy about the food on her plate, but then proceeded to eat two hotdogs. Ah, two year olds.
Have you ever seen someone more excited about eating in a camping chair?
After the barbecue, we headed out to the town fireworks show. We wondered if it would be canceled due to the potential for severe thunderstorms that night, but thankfully, the rain held off until the very end. I surprised the kids with glowsticks (which they absolutely loved) and sparklers (which they were slightly terrified of) while we waited for the show to start! Kaya actually held one for a few seconds, but overall, she didn’t want to be anywhere near them once they were lit. My intentions were to enjoy the fireworks without taking too many pictures, and I thought I did better at that this year, until I realized how many fireworks photos I have to share. The photography nerd in me just can’t help myself.

Both girls were a little apprehensive of the loud booming at first, but as long as they were snuggled up to us, they were enjoying it.The show finished right before a tremendous thunderstorm blew through. We were running to our car and ended up completely soaked to the bone by the time we got there! I’m grateful for the the time we could spend as a family, enjoying the many freedoms we have in this country. We truly are blessed.

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!

easter baskets 2016

Posted on April 1, 2016 by tara

I’m pretty much the slowest at finishing blogging about our Easter festivities… but better late than never! I love having all these details to look back on, so yes, I took about 30 pictures of my kids and their Easter baskets. Haha.

I am always so excited to put together any kind of gift for my kids, and Easter baskets are no exception. Here’s Kaelyn’s basket, which contained a stuffed bunny, a stuffed “Arlo” from The Good Dinosaur, finger puppets, flip-flops, two books, carrot bubbles, guinea pig stickers, a Minnie Mouse plate, a hopping chick, and of course, a chocolate bunny! And it all fit in her bucket… amazingly. Kaya’s basket had Minion stickers, a stuffed bunny and Arlo, Calico Critters with their baby stroller, two books, carrot bubbles, a rainbow necklace, a matching/memory game, a hopping bunny, a Frozen cup, and a chocolate bunny. We gave them their baskets on Saturday, after the Easter egg hunt. There just isn’t really time for it on Sunday with early church and then afternoon naps, so I thought we’d all enjoy it more if we did it a day early. I also thought it’d be nice not to worry about all the “wordly” things on a day that we should be more focused on our Savior.

We had some very excited girls.

I think that Kaelyn had no idea what some of the things in her basket were… but she was still so excited to take everything out and examine it. This is her very first pair of flip-flops. We’re ready for summer now! Frozen-themed anything is her favorite. Guinea pig stickers for my little piggy-lover… Kaya has loved the minions ever since she saw the movie with us on my birthday. They are pretty hilarious. I love that she’s old enough to enjoy silly things like that with us now. Again… I’m not sure she knew what the finger puppets were for, but she’s figured it out and loves them now!Kaya’s favorite item was her Calico Critters bunny twin set. She practically hasn’t stopped playing with them all week. They sleep up on her bed and she pushes them in the miniature stroller all around the house.
She insisted that I take a picture of them, too. I really love the little details on these guys.I couldn’t resist also making Michael a basket. He got some candy (Sour Patch Kids, a bunny, and Whoppers), and this new Apples to Apples game. I can’t wait to play it, but we obviously need to have some friends over, since it doesn’t really work well with just two people. Anyone up for a game night? 😉A certain little girl begged me for her chocolate bunny almost immediately after the basket-opening was done. I was shocked when she ate 2/3 of it in one sitting… but it was a holiday, and so I let her enjoy it. She had the sweetest little smile and made the happiest lip-smacking sounds.

Happy Friday everyone!

easter egg hunt 2016

Posted on March 28, 2016 by tara

We had a fantastic Easter weekend, and as usual, I took plenty of pictures, so I think I’ll be splitting them up over a few separate blog posts. This way, it’s quicker for me to write, and easier for you to read!

I kicked off my Saturday morning with a 6.3-mile run. The weather was chilly (I had all my winter gear on), but still beautiful. It was great practice for my first 10k in a couple of weeks! I returned home to a house full of sleepyheads, all still completely unaware that I had even left.

We hurried the girls through eating breakfast and getting washed up, and then headed to the church so Michael could practice a special musical number that he would perform on Sunday. Piano and flute together on “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing” seriously might be one of the most beautiful pieces I’ve ever heard. I wish I would have recorded it so I could listen to it a million times over.

After his practice, we drove over to the park for the town’s annual Easter egg hunt. There was a bit of a wait for the 3-year-olds, but I took Kaelyn through the line for 2-year-olds pretty quickly.

There’s a little fenced-in area, filled with straw, where the eggs are hidden. Parents aren’t allowed to go in, and are required to watch from the side. Well, Kaelyn wasn’t having any of that, and wouldn’t even walk in there without me. Some of the volunteers handed her a few eggs out of pity, and she insisted on handing them back! Somehow, she ended up with three eggs and lost one before we made it back to the car. Better luck next year, sweetie.
Kaya, on the other hand, was more than ready to run in there and grab all the eggs she could! She found so many eggs that one of the volunteers actually had to stop her from picking up any more. She was beaming and so proud of herself. I can’t believe how much this beautiful little girl has grown in just a couple of short years. And when I see this face… I see her daddy and all the silly poses he does for photos. Neither of them wanted anything to do with the Easter Bunny himself (not that I really blame them… those giant furry rabbit costumes always seem more scary than cute)… But I did get them to at least stand in front of a giant Easter Egg. Kaelyn won’t look at the camera for all the candy bribery in the world these days…And that’s it- part one of our Easter celebrations! How was yours? 🙂

valentine’s day and getting snowed in again

Posted on February 18, 2016 by tara

Our Valentine’s Day was pretty low-key. Michael had church meetings at 6:30 am, so it was a normal day as far as Sundays go. I was dying to surprise him with my now-traditional homemade treat, but it just had to wait until after church.

We never do anything big for Valentine’s Day, but I love any excuse to surprise my family with gifts or sweets, so I secretly whipped up this giant “Reese’s” peanut butter cup for Michael (using this recipe). He loves anything I ever make for him.I wanted to do something fun for the girls, too, so I got them each a Valentine book (we didn’t have any in our collection… crazy!) and a $1 box of chocolate hearts.
They needed naps almost as soon as we came home from church, so surprises just had to wait until afterward. I did keep reminding Kaya throughout the day that if she was good, she might get a Valentine surprise after nap time. Every time, she’d reply, “Oh, I’m a good girl!” Give her anything with a cat on it and she’ll love you forever. Kaelyn loves anything that she doesn’t have to share with her sister. Haha. My little bookworms. We ended the day with some serious goofing off and silly shenanigans. Seeing these three play together and laugh almost incessantly just melts my heart. I love this picture because it is completely real. Their true smiles and pure joy radiate from it. I feel so blessed in these little moments.

On Sunday night, it snowed (again)! We ended up with about 8 inches of snow and an inch of ice, which was enough to close the University… again! We love it when Daddy gets to stay home with us.

We did manage to sneak out into the snow to deliver cookies to our sweet neighbor for her birthday. Kaya even helped make them, and she was so excited to shout “Happy Birthday!”, although I think her shyness got the best of her after we actually knocked on the door.

What better thing to do on a snowy day than play Xbox with Daddy? Kaelyn put this extra headset on all on her own! She has been cracking me up nonstop lately.

the last of the holiday shenanigans

Posted on January 14, 2016 by tara

The weeks leading up to and following Christmas were packed with visitors and activities, so, I’m combining all these random moments into one post, and then I promise I won’t talk about Christmas for at least a couple of months. 😉

When we arrived home from visiting my parents on the Sunday night before Christmas, we spent a couple of hours with Jeff and Lelia, who had come into town while we were gone. We hung out for a couple hours, ate pizza, and exchanged gifts. Kaya and Kaelyn could not have been more excited about their new dress-up clothes! We’ve got a couple of fairy-winged cowgirls on our hands. Jeff and Lelia surprised me with a race registration for a 10k in the spring! I’ve been running for 7 years now and have never entered a race. Insane!

Apparently I found the whole thing to be pretty hilarious…

On the night before Christmas Eve, our little family went out for Chinese food. I think my girls eat more in one sitting at this buffet-style restaurant than they typically do all week. Michael, can this be a new Christmas Eve Eve tradition? 🙂

The next morning, I made a batch of homemade cinnamon rolls to take to one of the seminary students. They had a class auction (where they could use their hard-earned “seminary bucks” to get rewards), and he bought both the tickets I put in. I’m flattered that someone likes these so much! We had a couple left over… so of course, they didn’t go to waste.

During naptime, we wrapped some presents, watched “A Christmas Story”, and snuggled some guinea pigs…

And of course, we made a few more gingerbread cookies. A few days after Christmas, we went down to our local Inn, where they always have a beautiful Christmas tree display. Kaya instantly fell in love with a glowing reindeer statue…

I dressed the girls up in their matching Christmas dresses (from Grandma Debbie) with hopes of getting a nice photo of them together in front of one of the trees. They were kind of being crazy, so this is the best we could do. I love my silly kids, and they both love their Kitties.On New Year’s Eve, Ben, Brittany, and Caroline came to visit! They moved to Texas back in August, and this is the first time they were back in Virginia. I’m so glad we got to spend a whole day hanging out with them.
Caroline was so sweet and so good at giving big hugs… We got crazy playing Wii and just catching up. And yes, I have a blinking problem. Haha.

I can’t believe that they will be a family of four next time we see them! I’m so grateful for good friends.And that wraps it up for 2015! 🙂

Michael and Tara

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