kaelyn’s 5th birthday (a dalmatian party)!

Posted on August 8, 2019 by tara

My sweet, special five-year-old girl had been planning her Dalmatian party for about a year. She has been absolutely in love with Dalmatians for quite a while now, and since I was also obsessed with the 101 Dalmatians movie when I was her age, it’s been very fun to watch her enjoy them, too.Kaelyn wanted a Dalmatian cake, and after looking at so many ideas online, I ended up making an extremely simple design. I really wanted to create a 3D Dalmatian for the top, though, so I bought some gum paste and watched some video tutorials before coming up with this little doggy. He wasn’t perfect, but she loved him.She had counted down to her birthday for months, so when it was finally time to sing and have cake, she was beside herself with excitement! I kind of can’t believe we were putting a number five candle on that cake!We sang to her twice and let her blow out the candle a few times. It’s always more fun to do it more than once! Her joy is my joy. This was my usual chocolate cake recipe, and it was a hit, as always!We were so happy to have Uncle Karl and Grandma Debbie here to celebrate with us! The only thing better than cake time is… present time!!!Grandma Debbie gave her these easy-reader books from The Good and the Beautiful. She absolutely loves reading them, and has even told me “the pictures are so pretty!”Grandma also gave her her current favorite stuffed puppy, who she named “Pokie”!There is nothing like the true happiness of a child.She gave hugs when thanking each person for her gifts. So sweet.Kaya made her a coloring book, full of Dalmatian pictures printed from the computer. I was proud of Kaya for being so thoughtful. Mini Hatchimal eggs from Uncle Karl! Dalmatians from Mommy and Daddy!And… the one thing she’d been asking for for months, a Robo Dog! She was a little overwhelmed by how “energetic” the puppy was at first when we turned it on, but she quickly warmed up to it. She named it Gracie!We spent the rest of the day just relaxing and enjoying time together. There’s no one who just “gets” me like my own brother, and I’ve missed him!I love my family, and I’m so grateful they could come celebrate Kaelyn!
Fun fact: Nella and Eve aren’t in any of these pictures because they napped through the entire party!Kaya and Kaelyn were so excited to play with Uncle Karl that I don’t think he got much downtime while he was here! He was really great and goofed around as much as possible. That’s what an awesome uncle is for!Daddy had taken Kaelyn to the Dollar Store to pick out some balloons before we had the party, and since they didn’t have any Dalmatian ones, she chose her other favorites: Mickey, Minnie, and a unicorn! We took a few pictures outside to end the day. I made her shirt for her! I loved seeing her light up when she finally saw the finished product. It definitely wasn’t perfect, but it was my first time making a shirt with multiple layers of vinyl, so it was still a win in my book. Seeing her happy was all that really mattered!Happy 5th Birthday Kaelyn!!! We all love you SO much!

christmas day (2017)

Posted on January 31, 2018 by tara

We spent Christmas day with my side of the family! Ever since Kaya was one year old, we’ve actually tried to stay home on Christmas morning, just with our immediate family. However, based on my parents’ work schedules and when Karl was able to drive down, celebrating with them on Christmas day worked out best for everyone.

Nella woke up at 5:30 am (extremely early for her- she’s usually my latest sleeper), so she just wasn’t into the whole process that is Christmas morning. She was crying so loudly when she woke that I was sure she was going to wake everyone else in the house up- so we headed downstairs to watch the news with my dad, which surprisingly, calmed her down.Kaya and Kaelyn were up at 6 am, but had to wait to open presents until everyone was washed up and ready for the day. That just meant we had time to take a few cute pictures!My dad built this stocking hanger… but with so many stockings now (this doesn’t even include the dogs’), it actually collapsed under all the weight. I see some Paw Patrol puppies peeking out! Stockings are always first, and these girls couldn’t wait to dig into them. Grandpa and Grandma played Santa and Mrs. Claus this year!Some Traveling Wilburys CDs for Grandpa!My mom had started making a crocheted blanket a few years ago, but didn’t finish. I ended up taking her unused yarn home, and then Michael’s mom took it from there, made this gorgeous blanket for her, and wrapped it up for Christmas. Everyone couldn’t stop talking about how perfectly stitched it was, and I just love how it was a special gift from one of our moms to the other.We gave my mom this little hand-painted watering can to add to her snowman collection! I always love looking at the local craft fairs for something homemade for her gift.Michael got a new backpack! It’s about time, since his old one was literally duct-taped together and not holding up so well.Calico Critters for Kaecakes!Chubby Puppies!And Paw Patrol, of course!And then we had Calico Critters……MORE Calico Critters……and another Paw Patrol movie!Nella received her very own baby doll, but by this point, she had already been awake for about 5 hours, and wasn’t too interested.Uncle Karl and Kaitlyn brought her a unicorn!Karl and Kaitlyn got some nice things for their new house, including this doormat… it’s a house divided!Kaitlyn probably owns every item ever made that has to do with The Nightmare Before Christmas. We gave her a mug this year!After all the gifts, we all did some relaxing (and of course everyone wants all the Nella snuggles they can get).My mom makes the turkey, and my dad carves it. Every single year.Dinner! I think this was the best turkey my mom has ever made, and Kaya would agree, because she ate a ton of it! I say it all the time, but I really miss having these two living closer! We have such a good time hanging out; it’s just always really short-lived.The girls liked watching one of their new DVDs with Uncle Karl!We also spent a little time with my aunts, although I apparently took no pictures of that, nor of the dessert this year. We made a last-minute decision to drive home on Christmas night (everyone sleeps better in their own beds), and ended up leaving around 9 pm. It’s always a little sad to go, but we still had our own little Christmas celebration at home to look forward to.

christmas eve cookies with grandma debbie

Posted on January 30, 2018 by tara

All these posts about cookies might make it seem like all we do is bake at Christmas time (which is almost true), but this is the last one that’s solely focused on sweets!

Of course, you have to make cookies when you go to Grandma’s house! Grandma loves her little helpers. They always want to help roll the dough, but it’s still difficult with how little they are.Buddy really wanted some for himself…No gingerbread cookies for dogs!If he wasn’t begging for a cookie, he was stealing kisses.The next night, on Christmas Eve, when Karl and Kaitlyn arrived, we started decorating them!Everyone looks so serious about getting this done, except for Karl! Nella played with spoons the entire time.Ta-da! Quite the conglomeration of cookies.

a hello kitty birthday party (kaya’s 5th birthday!)

Posted on November 16, 2017 by tara

This party was two whole months ago… but as I was finally going through the photos, all I could see was my beautiful little 5-year-old daughter’s face shining with pure joy. I can easily see from looking at these- there is no doubt that she felt special and loved on her birthday, which is the definition of a successful birthday party to me.

She had decided that she wanted a Hello Kitty party months in advance, so I had plenty of time to collect random Hello Kitty-themed items and brainstorm what I would do for the cake.We surprised her with her special Hello Kitty birthday shirt that morning when she was getting ready. To say she was excited would be an understatement- a shirt with a cat wearing glasses, holding balloons, and covered in glitter is basically Kaya’s dream come true.She was just as excited to go out with Daddy and get her balloons blown up before the party! These were incredibly cute, but I’m sad to say that they didn’t really hold their shape for more than a couple of days.I wavered on whether or not to try making a 3-dimensional fondant kitty for the cake, but I ended up keeping it really simple. I loosely based the cake off of this one, but Kaya decided on the light pink frosting and strongly requested lots and lots of sprinkles.By the way, Karl and Kaitlyn were total winning with that Hello Kitty wrapping paper in the background (from Walmart)!It wasn’t a perfect cake by any means, but Kaya was thrilled to see her favorite animated cat come to life in dessert form. We love love love our little girl!I think both Kaya and Kaelyn ate more of the cake than they ever have compared to years past. Kaya frequently tells me how “yummy” it is, but when it comes down to it, I feel like none of us are really that into eating cake. I think she looked forward to opening her presents all day. She told me many, many times, that she wanted all Hello Kitty presents, and that was it. Thankfully, she got some things she needed, too. Her gifts included:

…new markers……a ton of Hello Kitty stuff from Grandma Debbie, like this toy cake…… a rescue playset….…bling (yes, still just clip-on earrings 😉 )……a big puzzle from us…… this Calico Critters baby set that she’d been asking for for over a year… …her very own BOB Books, sent by Uncle Jeff and Auntie Lelia!… and this awesome easel from Uncle Karl and Kaitlyn! Both Kaya and Kaelyn have really loved drawing on it (and we’re saving a ton of paper now, too).Karl and Kaitlyn were able to come up and spend the weekend with us! It’s always fun to get to hang out with them (and they are infatuated with Nellbells)!Grandma Debbie was able to come too, and she spent a lot of time playing all sorts of games with the girls. “Thin Ice” is always a favorite around here.Karl and Kaitlyn ran out for donuts the next morning, and brought back some mini Beanie Babies as surprises for the girls. Nella was thrilled to have something of her own!On Kaya’s real birthday, we put a candle in one of the leftover donuts and sang to her. She was beaming. After the party was over, and she was all washed up and in her pajamas, I held her for a few minutes, just like I might have when she was brand new. I kissed and hugged her and remembered that little baby girl who went from being just a dream to suddenly being so real and alive, wiggling and crying. Now, she’s running and jumping and reading. She is taking on the world, and I am so proud. I cried, but only because this is all going so fast.I’m so in love with this wonderful, amazing little girl, and I’m so glad we could spend the weekend celebrating her
We love you, Peeky!

grandma debbie’s 60th birthday

Posted on August 3, 2017 by tara

My mom’s 60th birthday was in July, so we took a long weekend and headed to my parents’ home for some quality family fun. It’s been a long time since we’ve had then entire family (both of my aunts, Karl, and me) all together, so this was something really special.

Kaya kicked off the weekend by coloring with Grandma! That’s something I remember her doing with me when I was little, so it’s fun to see it continuing on with the next generation.Of course, there were Dunkin’ Donuts, courtesy of Karl! I think these will always be my favorites, despite the amazing local donut shop we have here in town.We also got to meet my parents’ new puppy (I know, he doesn’t look like much of a puppy, right?) for the first time! His name is Buddy, and he’s part pit bull, just like Scout! The only difference is that he is stronger than an ox (I’m not even exaggerating here)! Scout didn’t like being pummeled by his overzealous attempt to play with her, so they didn’t really get to be friends.
But yeah… I pretty much fell head over paws for this puppy. How could you resist those eyes? I think my Dad is pretty smitten with him, too.We had some naps on Daddy… (and a change of clothes for Kaelyn, after she tripped and landed in Buddy’s water bowl!)……and then the whole crew went to an early dinner at Cracker Barrel, which is one of my Mom and Dad’s favorite places.Clockwise: Auntie Joyce and her friend, Melissa; Karl and Kaitlyn; hopefully you know who those people are; and Auntie Carol and Alan!
Princess Nella sat in her throne with her foot upon the table for the entire meal. She also cast a spell on everyone with that sweet little smile of hers.We all headed back to the house for some cake and gifts! My dad had an Oreo cookies and creme cake for his birthday party, and everyone loved it, so of course, we had to repeat it!
It’s not a birthday party with my family unless there’s a big pile of gifts!I found this little decorative watering can at Goodwill and just knew my mom would love it!It turned out that my dad hadn’t finished his gift shopping for my mom, so the day before the party, he took me out with him to get some ideas. We went to five different places without having much luck.

However, we did find a very heavy lawn decoration in the shape of a chicken, and we kept joking around that the “concrete chicken” was our fallback gift. Seriously, I think that thing weighs more than Kaelyn.

My dad actually ended up going back and getting it, and as it turns out, my mom loves her Concrete Chicken. I think I like the joke about the gift even more than the gift itself.I also helped him choose a new bird feeder for her, shaped like a butterfly!
But Karl and Kaitlyn’s gift had to be the best of all…

An iPhone! My mom had been managing with a smartphone that had almost no space to install anything or even be used properly… so now she can actually talk to us and see all the pictures we send. She was so surprised! As you can see in the video, I persuaded Karl to wrap it in a box, and then put that box in another box, wrap it, and so on. It was so much fun.They even made a case for her that had all the kids’ pictures on the back!And, of course, there was a whole lot of baby cuddling on this trip. Auntie Joyce always loves my babies.Apparently, Nella loves pinching her Great-Auntie Joyce’s cheeks. Isn’t it supposed to be the other way around?I was so happy to see these two… it’s been way too long!Grandpa Peter was obviously smitten with “Pumpkin” (as he calls her)!
My mom said this truly was the best birthday ever. I’m so glad we got to celebrate it all together!

monument avenue 10k race recap (2017)

Posted on April 11, 2017 by tara

This was my second year running the Ukrop’s Monument Avenue 10k, and I had even more fun this year than last!

I convinced Karl to do this as his very first race, and I was so excited to be able to start together! Any reason to see my brother is a good one, especially now that he lives several hours away from us. Credit goes to my dad, who came to cheer us on, for these first couple of photos!
Karl and I started at the same time, but we didn’t stick together- I told him I’d see him at the finish line, and I took off! I started a little fast, but I decided to keep it up for as long as I could (and pass up some of the slower groups).Apparently, I also do really weird things with my fingers while I’m running…I took the first half a little too fast, and I really started to feel it around mile 3.5 or so. I slowed down, but still tried to stay within my goal pace of 9:00 min/mile. At the finish, I clocked in at 53:34, which was an average of 8:37 min/mile. While training here in the mountains, my best 6-miler averaged out to 9:14 min/mile, so shaving off that much time made me ecstatic!Last year, I was so nervous for this race, because I was in my first trimester of pregnancy, and dealing with a lot of nausea and fatigue. My only goals last year were to finish and keep the baby safe. This year, all I could think about was seeing my family and holding my sweet little Nella at the finish line. It’s amazing how much can change in just one year. Photo-bomb courtesy of Karl!Jeff and Lelia ran too, and we met up with them afterward! Lelia gets some serious credit for doing this at 30 weeks pregnant. Mom and Dad Irwin also came to see us finish, but they had to leave shortly after.
Of course, there had to be donuts afterward, so we picked some up and hung out at Jeff and Lelia’s place for a little while. These were delicious, but I’ve realized that almost anything tastes amazing after a run.Here’s to another race down, and more to come- I’ve got the fever now!

pumpkin picking 2016

Posted on October 20, 2016 by tara

We had our very first outing as a family of five this past weekend (and I still can’t believe we’re numbered at five now… how did that happen so quickly?)!

Anyway, we met up with Karl and Kaitlyn and went out for our annual pumpkin-picking tradition at our favorite local farm. I could go out there every year for the rest of my life, and at the end of my days, I think I’d still be completely blown away by how gorgeous it all is. The sun breaks over that mountain ridge, warm on your face, and as you walk through that big old field, you almost wonder if this was a little piece of heaven that fell down to earth.

We took a hayride up to where the pumpkins are laid for picking. Kaya remembered the ride from last year, and she was so very excited to do it again. _mg_6054 We let Kaya and Kaelyn each choose their own mini pumpkin to bring home. _mg_6064 Kaelyn was such a trooper through the entire afternoon. She trod up the hills with her pumpkin in one arm, and her stuffed “Baby Margaret” tiger in the other, and never faltered. This was also the hottest it’s ever been when we’ve gone pumpkin picking. Usually, we’re freezing (or at least wearing jackets)!

They loved “milking” this wooden cow.

This was serious business, you guys.

We went through the corn maze, and allowed Kaya to choose our path for most of it. We ended up hitting a lot of dead ends and being completely turned around before we shamelessly used the entrance as our own personal exit. At least we made it out!

We visited with some alpacas, and then stopped in the farm’s little shop for some homemade fudge and a new ornament for our Christmas tree. We also splurged on some amazing kettlecorn (Michael’s favorite) that completely disappeared before we even got it home.

I’m grateful my brother and Kaitlyn could come into town for the weekend. I miss them living locally!

If you can’t tell, Kaya was pretty tired by the end of the afternoon (although she’s totally “fake sleeping” in this picture)! I love this little (can I still call us little now that we have three kids?) family of mine, and I cherish these simple, sweet days we get to spend together.

a rubber ducky birthday party (kaelyn’s 2nd birthday!)

Posted on July 18, 2016 by tara

I’m finally blogging about Kaelyn’s 2nd birthday party! Anytime I take a lot of photos all at once, it seems like it takes me a while to actually go through them all and share them. I definitely snapped a lot of pictures that day (June 25th), in part because I’m still adjusting to the lighting in our new home, so I kept changing my camera settings and trying different things. Many of these photos aren’t perfect, but I’m grateful I have them to remember my littlest’s special day.

Anyway… Grandma Debbie came up to stay with us for a few days, and as seems to be tradition, Kaelyn took a nap on her right before the party! We started our celebrations at 2 pm, so this little catnap was actually very much needed in order to avoid an afternoon meltdown. Kaelyn absolutely loves rubber ducks and gets SO excited anytime she sees one that she has to yell “QUACK!” over and over again. I knew she would be ecstatic with these rubber duck balloons! Hugs for the ducky! Uncle Karl and Kaitlyn brought her some more fun balloons when they arrived!This was one seriously happy little girl. I made her cake super simple this year. The only real goals were for it to look like water and have some bubbles and rubber ducks on top. I used this lemon cake recipe (minus the blueberries) with this frosting recipe, which I think pretty much equaled perfection. What’s better than a lemon cake on a summer day? (Not to mention, I almost always make chocolate cake, so this was a nice change!) We started the party off with Kaelyn’s favorite food- pizza! Soon it was time to blow out the candle (and she was still in love with her balloons)! I am so blessed to call these two precious girls mine.
Kaya was extremely excited for the party, and it wasn’t even her birthday! She is definitely looking forward to her own special day in a couple of months. Kaya ended up helping Kaelyn blow out the candle, because she had absolutely no idea what to do! We completely forgot to “practice” beforehand. Well… this is the best family picture we could get. I kind of think it’s hilarious. She loved her lemon cake! Everyone had blue lips afterward…After cake, she opened a few gifts.
We gave her this VTech Horse Stable that both girls have loved building and playing with together. My mom’s friend, Susan, sent her this stuffed penguin and a couple of books. She loves stuffed animals so much that she snatched it out of the bag as fast as she could, with the biggest grin on her face.Uncle Jeff and Auntie Lelia gave her some money for her 529 college fund. It’s definitely something she will appreciate when she’s older!

Grandma Debbie gifted her a rubber duck water table. Obviously, she has absolutely loved this over the past couple of weeks! After gifts, I tried to get a couple of pictures of her in her birthday outfit, mostly to no avail. She did like standing next to Fallon (Jeff and Lelia’s dog), though. We had to test out the water table, of course. Everyone ended up getting pretty wet! Kaya insisted that she needed her swimsuit… and when she came back out after changing into it, she was still wearing her undies and socks, haha! We had one happy (and tired) princess at the end of the day. I really think this was the perfect birthday party for her.

We love you, Kaelyn!

my baby brother is all grown up

Posted on May 18, 2016 by tara

On May 7th, my no-so-little-anymore brother graduated from Radford University! He finished with two Bachelor’s degrees (for Accounting and Criminal Justice), and I was so proud to see him walk across the stage that I started to tear up a little.I missed out on his high school graduation, so I was glad to be there for him this time. The ceremony was outdoors, and the weather was perfect… maybe even a little too perfect, because after sitting in the sun for a few more hours than we were expecting to, we each had a slight pink tinge to our skin. Oops.I stood up at the front, waiting to take this photo for probably close to an hour… Karl and Kaitlyn are good sports when it comes to my paparazzi-like tendencies.We took a ton of photos afterward, too, as you might have expected. It was so nice to see my whole immediate family together!Seriously, I’m already missing this kid, but I know he’s moving on to bigger and better opportunities. Since my Mom, Dad, Karl and I were all in the same place at the same time (and looking pretty sharp, I might add), I absolutely had to get this photo of the four of us. Kaya really wanted to be in it, too, and that was just fine by me.My sunshine in her favorite rainbow dress! The kids were so well-behaved for the entire outing, despite being hungry and tired.We all went to Subway downtown for lunch afterward. Someone couldn’t quite make it through the afternoon without passing out on Grandma (which she seems to do almost every time she visits)!

Congratulations Karl and Kaitlyn!!!

christmas 2015

Posted on January 11, 2016 by tara

Finally, here it is, our Christmas day post! I wanted to remember all the details when we look back at this someday, so I included way too many pictures.

On Christmas Eve night, we went to our church’s Christmas Eve devotional. It is always the perfect activity for putting me in the right Christmas spirit and keeps me thinking about our Savior’s birth as I finish preparations for Christmas morning.

We wrapped a few last presents and set everything up. It’s always so magical to see everything all put together under the glowing lights of the tree.

We always tend to stay up too late on any given day… but on Christmas Eve, we stay up even later. We are just a couple of big kids, too excited to lie down and close our tired eyes. We finally went to bed around 1:15 am, only to wake up to Kaya needing to use the bathroom at 5:30 am. Luckily, she fell back to sleep in our bed… until 8 am! I was surprised at how late they slept.

Their big shared gift was a princess castle tent. The squeals and giggles we heard as they entered the living room couldn’t have been any louder!

Obviously, this was a big hit. Kaya insisted on putting each of her gifts in here after she unwrapped them!

Kaelyn still doesn’t really know what to do with candy, but she loved her stocking anyway.

Puppy for Kaelyn, cat for Kaya (of course).

Lately, Kaya has been obsessed with Silly Bands. She got a pack of pet-themed ones in her stocking and usually insists on wearing all 24 of them at once. Haha.

This is real life… one sister always wants what the other one has. But hey, an Olaf backpack is pretty cool.
Don’t worry, Kaelyn had plenty of her own things to open, too. She was so good at ripping the wrapping paper off of everything!

Olaf had to read his own story, obviously.Perler beads were one of my favorite things as a little girl… I think Kaya might still be a little young to use them on her own, but we’ve had fun sitting down together and making something.
An aquadoodle for the girl who already loves to draw…I ended up wrapping a few of the things I bought to use for our preschool lessons. Why not?A Daniel Tiger trolley! This was the only thing she specifically said she wanted for Christmas.Kaelyn was so excited for her special gift…… a baby doll! She tried to take her out of the box before we could even undo the packaging.One very happy little girl.You can’t really tell from this picture, but Kaya has been loving Minnie Mouse lately and was SO excited about this little dress-up set.Michael got a new Star Wars t-shirt…… and something I’ve been wanting to get for him for a while… K’nex! He and the girls have already had a lot of fun making different things to play with together (usually Daniel Tiger fits perfectly inside whatever car/truck/hot air balloon they make, so that’s pretty convenient)!And, you can’t really tell what’s going on here (besides Kaelyn screaming), but Michael’s big gift was a hammock! It will be so nice to have when we go camping (hopefully when it warms up), or just to set up outside whenever we like.We kept breakfast super simple and enjoyed some snowman donuts…… while Michael temporarily set up and enjoyed his hammock. I’m pretty sure this was the perfect gift for him this year.
Someone else really liked it too…

My gifts were some bluetooth headphones and a selfie stick, so of course, we had to put that to good use. Here’s to getting in more pictures with my family!

Michael spent most of the day building helicopters, stars…… and a camera! This one was my favorite for sure.Uncle Karl and Kaitlyn stopped by on their way back into town. They had presents for the girls… an Olaf hat and a ball pit! Needless to say, Kaya was having a blast.We ate our Christmas dinner late, but it was so delicious. I’m definitely improving at this whole cooking-holiday-dinner thing. We had pot roast (in the crockpot), the best, creamiest garlic mashed potatoes I’ve ever had, broccoli, and homemade rolls from the Teerlink family cookbook.Kaya thought that Jesus should have a birthday cake on Christmas, so we made this Norwegian chocolate cake (Sjokoladekake). It was less than beautiful (especially since this picture is after I already cut off a chunk to send home with Karl), but oh so delicious. I’d love for this to be a new tradition.

The festivities ended, and all I could think about was how much I loved seeing my whole family smiling all day long. Their joy is the greatest gift they could ever give me.

Michael and Tara

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