Category Archives: Michael

five favorites (07/11)

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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!!!!

seaworld: aquatica

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Our first stop on our Florida vacation was SeaWorld’s waterpark, Aquatica! Honestly, I didn’t even know this place existed until I was looking to buy tickets for the regular SeaWorld park and the day resort, Discovery Cove. We ended up getting a 3-park ticket (good for unlimited visits for 14 consecutive days), which included the waterpark! I had no previous expectations, so I was pleasantly surprised by how much fun we ended up having.

We went on a Monday in March, so although the park wasn’t all that big, it wasn’t crowded at all, which was wonderful. We had the perfect weather, too!

As soon as we arrived, the girls were eager to go down the “rapid lazy river” with Daddy, so while they jumped right in, Little Man and I just hung out and waited for them. He thought it was the most fun thing to climb over this little rock barrier and take leaves in and out of the water. It’s the simple things when you’re this little.
We found this awesome section of the park, intended for smaller kids, called Kookaburra Cove, that had some inner tubes, slides and other splash pad-type features. We ended up staying here for the vast majority of the day, parked in a shady spot where we could see just about everything. This was my happy place.I fell in love with all the foliage in Florida. Just look at these beautiful palms!
Eve was soaking it all up!I loved floating around with my girls! Nella had better things to do than pose for this picture, as you can see in the background, haha.Chandler humored me for a bit and floated in the tube, but he was honestly bored with this pretty quickly. It was a nice way to get a break from carrying him around all day, though! He did REALLY love the baby slides! Nella and Eve went with him a few times, and I held his hand as he went down, too. He was laughing and smiling so much, which was the best.All the girls loved these smaller slides and went on them as much as they possibly could!

Kaya and Kaelyn took the camera down the slide! I feel like Kaya sounds a lot like me here, which is funny to listen to!

Daddy took Kaya and Kaelyn on some of the really big slides elsewhere in the park, and then we all split some lunch (no outside food is allowed in the park, although we did have some fruit snacks)! Chicken tenders, fries, fruit, and chips poolside felt like perfect vacation food.Baby Girl was just starting to make her appearance this week, so I had to have some belly pictures!We did move over to the “big kid” section of the park after a while. There was a TON of water spraying and dumping everywhere, which ended up being a bit overwhelming for Eve. Nella wasn’t as sure about it at first, but she ended up having a good time.Eve needed a little break and took a nap on Daddy.We all felt like this by the end of the day!This boy. He was happy as can be just rearranging all the chairs. At our AirBnB, he kept reorganizing the baskets on the shelf, too, so we joked that maybe he’ll be an interior designer one day.
So much sun, sunscreen, and smiling. I love seeing my kids happy.We ended the day with showers and ice cream back at the house. Eve cracks me up in this one!

Aquatica was the perfect start to our vacation week!

five favorites (11/06)

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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)

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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 (09/03)

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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)

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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!

splish splash (pool days)

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Halfway through the summer, when it’s consistently warm enough to swim here, we joined a pool! I had completely forgotten that this pool existed, but it’s the only one in town you can join without living in a particular neighborhood or being a country club member. This little place feels like a lucky find.We’ve been able to go swimming several times. The girls were all a little apprehensive at first. The beginning of the pandemic canceled swim lessons, so it had been about a year and a half since they’ve swum on a consistent basis. They didn’t seem to remember how to hold their breath underwater at all on that first day!Eve had to hold onto us the entire time at first. Now, she’s jumping in (with her life jacket) and getting her head all the way under! I’m amazed at how her confidence has grown in the past few weeks.They have pool noodles for everyone, so if no one else is using them, Kaya has been ”the queen of the noodles”  and floats on as many as possible all around the pool.Nella and Eve got some goggles, and they are obsessed with them. Eve wanted to sleep with hers on at first (which we vetoed). Nella doesn’t care if she has hair in her face (how?!) but she is getting good at jumping in on her own, too. My mini man had his first real swim… ever! He liked it, but I think he mostly just tolerates the water, to be honest. He did do a little bit of splashing, but he’s not interested in staying in as long as his sisters are, that’s for sure.Also, I will never get enough of soft baby toes.

Chandler has really been such a great sport with nursing in public and hanging out when he’d rather be taking a nap. He hasn’t had a lot of practice with all that since he’s spent almost his entire life at home.

Daddy makes things pretty fun on the weekend! Everyone goes home tired and happy.

five on friday (06/04)

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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)

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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!!!

five favorites (08/22)

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Happy Saturday! I’m taking a few moments to reflect on the past week and feel grateful. Here are five highlights from lately:

ONE. One of Michael’s old high school friends came into town and invited him to go hiking. Michael took Kaya and Kaelyn along, and they had such a great time! This was their first time really hiking on their own, without being carried, and they did amazingly well. This loop is almost 4 miles long, and there wasn’t even any complaining!There’s also a giant waterfall at the top! They enjoyed lunch (which included some special thin mint cookies), and they even tried to swim a little, despite the water being pretty cold. Kaya found a picture frame-shaped stick and had Daddy take a picture special for me, since she knew I’d love it!Daddy treated them to Dairy Queen on the way home, and then they passed out in the car. It was nearly an all-day adventure, and they were so worn out.TWO. While Daddy and the big girls were hiking, I got to enjoy some time with just the little girls. Nella had been asking all week to play dolls with me, so I thought that would be a special activity for just the three of us.
I have two American Girl dolls from my childhood, and Nella loves when I take them out and she gets to dress her doll in their clothes. I help do their dolls’ hair and put shoes on them. It’s really special to watch them enjoy some of the things I had as a little girl.

It also felt so quiet and simple having just two kids at home!THREE. The girls have randomly been willing to pose for a few pictures together lately! It’s out of the ordinary for them to just do this on their own and not have anyone feeling grumpy. There’s something extra special about having them all in one picture. Oh, my heart!They’ve also been really into making these blanket and pillow piles to watch a show. It’s the cutest thing to see them all cuddled up.Snuggly sisters, cuddly stuffed animals. FOUR. After a few months of testing Scout’s kidney function and doing subcutaneous fluids at home, her bloodwork finally came back normal at her last appointment! We sure love our puppy (and her kisses)!Now, we get to slowly wean her off the fluids and recheck her levels in a couple of months. Fingers crossed! FIVE. We’ve been back to school for a while now, but we didn’t start our science curriculum right away, and after we did, I decided to completely shift gears and do something else. We are now trying out REAL Science Odyssey this year, and so far, it’s a big hit! We’ve done a couple of labs, and even little Nella has wanted to participate. It’s fun to watch them making discoveries on their own and learning about chemistry. I’m really looking forward to the rest of the year!Happy weekend!