five favorites (07/26)

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

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

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

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

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

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

five on friday (11/20)

ONE. Kaya had her last gymnastics class (for this 6-week course, anyway), and that meant that they got to play with the parachute! She was a little uncertain at first, but it turned out to be her favorite activity yet.

Overall, she ended up loving gymnastics. She became more confident around people she doesn’t know well, and is now more comfortable with learning new skills. I’m so glad we signed her up.

TWO. For the past few years, I’ve wanted to get an Angel from the Christmas Angel Tree program… and every year, I always seemed to miss it. Turns out, I never realized how early you have to go pick one off the tree. We were sure to get to the mall on time this year to choose a child, and I am so happy we finally did.

And you know, while you’re at the mall, you might as well get Chinese food for dinner.

THREE. I hosted our little preschool co-op group this week, and we learned the letter “L”! Naturally, we had to make some “lions”. I just love seeing what the kids create and how each one is unique. (Kaya’s is on the top left.)

FOUR. My littlest princess is getting four molars all at once… and it must have been hurting her so badly last night, because she wouldn’t stop screaming and crying, even when we were holding her. It reminded me so much of those unsoothable early newborn nights. My sweet husband rocked and snuggled her nearly all night long. I am blessed.

FIVE. It’s almost a joke to me how often things seem to break around here sometimes. This week, both the microwave and the oven stopped working. It’s like a personal record for me, or something. Hide all your appliances when I come over, because apparently I don’t have good luck… haha.

Happy weekend!

sleepyheads

I feel like it’s been quiet on the blog recently. The only real reason is that our days have been packed full, and at the end of them, we’re just tired. Yep, I’m writing a blog post about being tired… because writing anything else would take more effort… and I’m just too tired 😉 Haha. Plus, I have too many cute pictures of my kids sleeping that are just begging to be posted.Michael’s had school projects and an exam; I’ve had a couple of photoshoots and have been working on quiet book pages to mail out by the end of the month. Add in regular church things, play dates, homeschool preschool, and trying to enjoy the last of the fall weather before the frigid temperatures hit… and it’s a crazy life.

A good kind of crazy life, though.

Coming home from church every week looks like this:

When your baby can’t hold her head up for more than 30 seconds because she’s really that tired…_MG_0022I’m enjoying these days because I know we’re just going to get busier and busier as our kids grow older and the years go on. Here’s to them still being little- at least we get some down time when they take naps 🙂

five on friday! (01/30)

ONE. Our biggest news of the week has to be that little Miss Kaya is officially undergoing potty training… and it was all self-initiated! She just started asking to go sit on the potty… and keeps having success! She’s still currently wearing her diaper, but hey, we’re making progress, albeit slowly. I am so proud of my big girl! She gets a sticker on her paper every time she goes.

_MG_6227 TWO. I have finally figured out how to get Kaelyn to nap in the afternoon! I tuck her in all cozy and warm, and she sleeps for about two hours. It is so strange having a couple hours all to myself… but it’s great, and everyone is happier when the baby is well-rested! 🙂_MG_6234 THREE. In my attempt to stop eating cookie dough in the middle of the afternoon, I’ve started having yogurts. These cookies-n-creme yogurts might not be much healthier than ooey gooey chocolate chip cookies… but hey, they taste amazing (and who could pass up a 35-cent snack?)!_MG_6231 FOUR. I’ve been wishing for a bigger crockpot for ages now, and I saw a deal on one last weekend on Amazon. I got excited, but like always, I hesitated to order it, because I truly don’t like spending money (especially for something I want). Michael went ahead and just ordered it for me, and it came this week. I married a pretty great guy… and I can’t wait to use this for making homemade “rotisserie” chicken! (also, is there anything cuter than a baby in a box?)_MG_6221 FIVE. Love these little buddies. They are best friends, and I’m grateful for their company in the kitchen while I cook. (and yes, Jax is always lurking in the background… haha!)_MG_6208Happy weekend to you all!

Linking up with Natasha, April, Christina, and Darci today!

a whole lot of lately

We haven’t been up to anything too crazy lately, other than trying to survive these dog days of winter. We’ve been making the most of our small family activities, which helps the dreary days go by a little more smoothly! I keep daydreaming about spring, taking walks, and playing on the playground… but we still have a little while before then!

Last week, we had a family date to Dairy Queen… one of our favorite places for sure! We tried the new Birthday Cake Oreo blizzard, and I’m telling you, it tasted just like eating a can of frosting. A delicious, amazing, dreamy can of frosting. #yesIjustreferredtofrostingasdreamyProcessed with VSCOcam with j6 preset We’ve made more whole wheat waffles (with a cup of chocolate chips added to the batter) in the past two weeks than we probably have in the past two years. I have to give Michael credit for making a few batches (and adding sprinkles or M&Ms to make these even more fun)!_MG_6048 - Copy Kaelyn has been blowing “raspberries” at us nonstop lately…_MG_6068And the rest of the time, we’ve just been super sleepyheads. Last Wednesday, both girls took a very long morning nap… which is so out of the ordinary, especially for Kaya! My only guess is that there may be some growth spurts going on. Nevertheless, it was nice to have a few quiet morning hours!01142015collageMichael came home on Wednesday night and passed out on the floor. Kaya tucked him in with her Olaf blanket, and then proceeded to lay down on top of him!_MG_6079We ended the week with this incredible Cinnamon Swirl Quick Bread I made for seminary breakfast on Friday! It was just like a coffee cake, but so much easier! I doubled it and baked it in a 9×13 pan.Processed with VSCOcam with a5 presetWhat’s your favorite thing to bake in winter?

 

weekend scenes

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…_MG_3464Kaya 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!_MG_3463We tried out these pepperoni rolls for dinner… Mmm!
Processed with VSCOcam with a4 presetSaturday 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:
_MG_3506 Sunday morning was church, of course, and then we came home with the hope that we’d all nap._MG_3541

I think Jax gets more sleep than anyone in the house right now. He’s also a nursing-pillow thief.Processed with VSCOcam with hb1 preset 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!Processed with VSCOcam with hb1 presetIt was a fast, fun weekend. Happy Monday everyone!

five on friday: santa baby and mrs. fix-it

ONE. We’re getting ready for Santa! Some of our decorations are up, but it has been slow-going over here. Having a toddler makes it a little harder (we just really want to relax after she goes to bed)! The tree is up and only partially lit, so hopefully we will finish that this weekend. IMG_20131205_102953 TWO. I’m not even sure how this happened… but Kaya and I got to sleep in until 9 am on Wednesday! I can’t even remember the last time we did that! Somehow, Michael got up and ready for work without making much noise. Kaya’s still been tired from our Thanksgiving traveling last week, so she’s been sleeping a few extra hours. It was pretty much heavenly.
THREE. I feel like an [unsuccessful] Mrs. Fix-It this week. Our dishwasher hasn’t been getting things clean… so I unscrewed the vent to clean it out and see if anything was causing a blockage. I found some gunk, a piece of plastic, and a dime! I’m not sure how the dime got in there (I’ll just blame the people who lived here before us)! Needless to say, it’s still not getting our dishes clean so the maintenance guy should be coming to fix it for real. We also tried to watch “Elf” this week… and the DVD didn’t work. The disc has a little wear, but I wouldn’t even really call it scratched. I tried window cleaner and then furniture polish on it (two tricks people claim to work)… and nothing. Sad day.
FOUR. I bought these bibs a few weeks ago and have been loving them! I was disgusted by the pile of dirty bibs I always had waiting to go in the wash (and they never seemed to come completely clean, either), so I wanted something I could wash in the sink right away after she wears it. So much less mess!pelicanbibs FIVE. Sometimes, I still see a little baby when I look at her. I wish she could keep these cheeks forever.IMG_20131206_132942Happy weekend! Linking up with Natasha, April, Christina, and Darci today!

insta-jam #9 (march 2013)

I’m not doing much better with finishing these insta-jam posts, am I? I guess I’ll blame my cute kid for the overwhelming number of photos that keeps intimidating me from doing it!

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Seriously… do you think I have enough pictures of her sleeping? These are all after she’s fallen asleep nursing. She’s just too sweet and I can’t resist.04092013instajam1

1: Toe-grabbin’ pro.
2: Five seconds out of the tub aaaand she’s grabbing her toes again.
3: Cracking up because I was pretending to eat her toy keys!
4: Goofy grin.
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1: Caught red-handed… (or thumb-handed?) with her thumb in mouth!
2: Eating her octopus…
3: Eating her keys…
4: Happiness is a thumb and your teddy bear.
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1: No explanation needed… she’s beautiful.
2: This was one of the first days in FOREVER that it was warm enough to go outside. Just look at that excitement!
3: Another sleeping picture?!
4: Ohhhhh the cuteness is killing me.
04092013instajam31: We modpodged the temple onto a canvas for the wall!
2: Late at night… not sure why we took this, but this is real life, people. Messy-hair-don’t-care and a big pile of (clean) laundry behind us waiting to be folded. (That’s probably what I should be doing now instead of blogging… whoops).
3: I’m crazy, she’s silly, and I think we make the perfect pair.
4: She couldn’t stop cracking up over the word “pasta”!

Ta-da! March!

insta-jam #7… finishing off 2012

Well, I guess I’m just a little late on this… but I wanted to put these photos up here anyway (plus, Kaya is super squishy and little in all these… so I don’t see why I shouldn’t share the cuteness)! Between getting a new phone and then just having a ton more phone pictures than ever (which might have something to do with having a super-photogenic baby!), I just didn’t get around to it.  So here you go… late October through the end of 2012!

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1 & 2: Sleeping (obviously). I love those smooshy cheeks!
3: She loves this little snail that hangs above her seat. Nowadays she’s strong enough to rip him right down.
4: Blowing bubbles while smiling! (Now THAT’S talent!)
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1: First snow of 2012… just a small dusting.
2: More sleeping.
3: First bottle ever! This kid has always taken a bottle like a pro- she isn’t even picky about the temperature and has even had one ice cold!
4: Homemade cookies. Mmmmm.
photogrid2012_3 1: Nap buddies. This is back when she would only nap if I snuggled her. I’m both happy and sad that those days are already gone.
2: Sleeping again… she did a lot of that!
3: Bundled up in her little bunny-ear suit!
4: Talking to daddy first thing in the morning.
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1: Asleep in the carseat.
2: Asleep in her Halloween shirt (are you noticing a theme here?)
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1, 2, 3, & 4: Sleeping, crazy, tired, and fun!IMG_20121106_0748331, 2, & 3: Morning snuggles and tiny little toes.photogrid2012_6

1: I went to a baby shower one Saturday morning, and when I came home, there was a Halo party going on.
2: My practice run of the fondant dog I was making for my aunt’s birthday cake.
3: Kroger actually has really good ice cream, and I was super excited to try this “cupcake party” flavor!
4: Giant Christmas tree at the mall!

photogrid2012_71: Funny face.
2: Tired of shopping with mommy.
3: Asleep on the way to church.
4: The Thanksgiving onesie I made for her! (Remember how those plastic eyes are NOT a good idea…)

IMG_20121118_190847 1 & 2: Thanksgiving lunch at Michael’s work!photogrid2012_81: She really started to like reading books!
2: Cuddling with her little doll on the way to church for the last Sunday in 2012!

One more insta-jam and I’ll be all caught up… stay tuned 🙂

 

creepy sleepy

After work today, I decided to spend some time at the town library. Okay, truth be told, I was secretly dying to read Dog Fancy magazine. No, really, I'm being honest here!

Anyway, I sat down and delved into a world full of dog sports, ads for flea and tick preventatives, and funny photos of dogs on vacation. Sadly, my delight was short-lived- after about 30 minutes (who am I kidding, it was probably even less than that!) I felt my eyelids slowly drooping, my heavy head declining toward my chest… And I was fighting the inevitable.

I can sleep basically anywhere. In Europe, I managed it on airplanes, crowded buses, trains, and even in airports! 

Anyway, back in the library, I thought for sure I was winning the battle. My eyes were still open, yes, I could see the plethora of books surrounding me. "I'm not sleeping, I can't be sleeping, not in the public library!" I thought (or dreamed, perhaps?!). Then, hearing a gruff chuckle, I woke up. At the table across the walkway, a middle aged-man was guffawing at my expense! 

Oh well. I attempted to keep reading for the next while, but gave up and went to put my magazine away, hearing the man recommence his cackling (yes, cackling… alright, that might be a bit of hyperbole…)

What's so funny about a girl falling asleep in the library anyway?

In Switzerland, my roommate Katherine managed to catch me sleeping while doing my "scripture study". They all had a good laugh at me, the creepy sleepy "mummy"…