five favorites (04/08)

One of these days, I’ll get back to writing these posts on Fridays, but for now, I’m counting writing this at all as a win!

ONE. I maybe should have just titled this “all the silly things Nella does”, because believe me, there are a lot. This girl knows that we think almost anything she does is absolutely adorable (and she’s right)! She can make a “camera” out of blocks and get us to smile!

She can also get her sisters to carry her around in a box (props to Kaya, who was obviously doing the heavy lifting here). Speedy delivery!

TWO. Nella also graduated to sitting at the big table! She loves being treated like a big kid. She also loves that she can escape if we forget to buckle her in!

THREE. Kangaroo Kids will forever be one of my favorite memories with my girls… and it was extra special last week, because Evie got to join in on a tiny bit of fun! She went in the ball pit and had such a good time.Then Kaya completely surprised me by doing a flip all on her own (and then she asked to do it again so I could record it)! I think I need to get her back into gymnastics.

FOUR. Michael was so pumped about being a “waiter” for the Young Men & Young Women’s pre-dance formal dinner last weekend. He was eager to get all dressed up and even practiced his “waiter pose”. I think he was a little embarrassed for me to snap his picture, so he gave me a full 0.005 seconds to take it, but why not?

FIVE. Another month has come and gone (how?!), so I already have another 1 Second Everyday video for March. I just love these! I’m not sure they’ll ever get old.

Happy Monday!

 

five favorites (03/19)

I meant to post this on Friday, but I keep falling asleep on the couch and not finishing anything! I don’t say that to complain; it’s just the season of life I’m in right now, and I want to remember it.

We’ve been having some fun around here amidst all the craziness:

ONE. These cute girls have loved our Kangaroo Kids class the past few weeks. They were especially excited to see these little hopper balls out to play with during one class. This is one of their very favorite things to do, and I think they hopped around for at least 30 minutes straight. Nella tried it out, too, but she hasn’t been very keen on having her picture taken lately. Bubble and parachute time is always a favorite! The bubbles are popped all over Kaelyn’s hair and jacket in this picture. We usually sing “Zoom zoom zoom, we’re going to the moon!” at the end of each class while playing with the parachute. I love seeing all the kids get so excited for this part.TWO. Nella is getting interested in coloring, finally! She really didn’t care for it at all until now. Now we just need to work on staying on the paper! Oops.THREE. We finished our standardized testing for Kaya’s first grade year, so we all went out to celebrate with frozen yogurt! These were some very happy girls. (Bonus: Nella was free because she’s under 3!)They have a giant chalkboard there, so of course, we all had to draw something. Kaelyn made this pig eating an ice cream cone. Adorable!Kaya made herself with a cat, with ice cream!FOUR. Nella is obsessed with helping me in the kitchen lately, whether it’s putting clean silverware away or baking. She loves putting the muffin cups into the pan… or just lining them up, putting chocolate chips in them, and eating them. Same thing, right? FIVE. I started using the 1 Second Everday app in February in order to encourage myself to take more videos. So far, it’s been a lot of fun! Here is last month’s little video collage. These types of things really help me see the beauty in everyday life.

Happy Tuesday!

snow more

I’m writing about snow in APRIL… because in the past few weeks, we’ve had more snow than we did the entire rest of the winter. We had three larger storms (5-8 inches), and then a smaller one just last weekend. The snow can be magical in so many ways- it usually gives me a chance to sleep in and a day off of running; we can take a break from school to spend time together playing outside, and during one of these storms, work was even cancelled for Michael!

Even with all the fun it brings, I think I’m ready to say goodbye to snow until the end of the year. This has truly seemed like one of the longest winters ever!

I started a few mini snowball fights, and now Kaya is obsessed (and actually pretty good at getting people)! It’s a little disconcerting when she comes after you with a ball this big, though!Poor Kaelyn got took one right to the face (she laughed about it afterward, and I reminded everyone that we don’t throw anything at people’s faces)!Kaya and Kaelyn are both obsessed with making snow angels! Despite multiple layers of clothing, they always end up soaking wet after this. I bought some waterproof snow bibs (for $4!) for next year, so they might just end up liking the snow even more.My mini-me! (and another giant snowball!)Kaelyn, talking to herself as we went inside at the end of our playtime, said, “That was so much fun!” And that right there makes getting everyone dressed to go out, cleaning up wet clothes afterward, and walking up and down the hill a thousand times more than worth it.Nella currently still very much dislikes the snow… but I think that might change next winter. She lasted about 30 minutes out there, which is a record for her! She ended up just sitting in the stroller and watching us sled for most of it.And because this is just too funny, here’s Kaya’s view from the sled right before she rolled into the snow (laughing hysterically the entire time)!

playground joy

Sometimes, good old-fashioned fun outdoors is just what we all need. This was before it really started to get cold outside, so I’m looking at these pictures and feeling a little envious of the obvious warmth we were enjoying that early evening.

It was golden hour, and Kaelyn and Nella had both fallen asleep in the stroller on our walk, so I had a little time to spend with just my Kaya. I really cherish those moments that I get to be one-on-one with each of my daughters, because amidst all the chaos of every day life, they don’t happen nearly as often as they should.
Kaya is at a great stage now where she realizes how much fun I have taking pictures and playing with the light on my camera. She is more than willing to pose for me most of the time, and I love having a little subject who is so enthusiastic.
Love this big girl of mine.She’s also an amazing big sister, who loves to help her little sisters have fun!Nella is absolutely obsessed with the swings!Her little tongue sticking out just melts me- she only does that when she is very excited about something!When Kaelyn finally woke up, she was ready for some slide action!Her little pigtails, big grin, and how she’s obsessed with those Paw Patrol shoes… be still my heart! I still can’t believe she’s three and acting so grown up. If it were up to them, the girls would never leave the playground. Honestly, I’d love to play with them all day long and enjoy watching them have fun, too. Before I was a parent, I had no idea how much joy I’d receive just from seeing my kids be happy. Who knew- the most happiness really does come from the simplest of things.

five on friday (09/29)

ONE. We washed the car for our family night activity this week! You’d think that this isn’t really anything to get excited about, but the girls love putting on their swimsuits, using the hose, and getting all soapy. (Yes, that’s a Paw Patrol temporary tattoo on Kaelyn’s arm. The obsession is still going strong over here!) Michael worked on the exterior, and I vacuumed the interior. Yay teamwork!Of course, there had to be some shenanigans involved! Nella can’t wait to get in on the fun… but for now she just gets to watch!

TWO. I upgraded my wide angle lens when I found a good deal on a Canon-refurbished one last week. I’m so excited about how sharp, fast, and quiet it is. Kaya was happy to help me test it out, so she willingly posed for a few photos. She just did this completely on her own without me coaching her! She’s a photographer’s daughter, that’s for sure. THREE. Hammock time with Daddy is the best time. I love hearing them giggling and goofing off out there together.FOUR. Put your hands (and foot!) in the air if it’s almost your birthday!!! I can’t believe this little lady is turning ONE! Grandma Debbie is in town for the weekend, so we’ll be having a simple, sweet little party.FIVE. And the older she gets, the more she keeps cracking us up! We sure do love this little lady.

Happy weekend!

five on friday (06/16)

ONE. Without fail, nearly every time we venture out on a walk, someone says, “Wow, that’s a lot!”, referencing my stroller full of kids with a puppy tied to it. I rarely ever see another mom out in our neighborhood with three kids (or more), so around here, I guess this looks like a lot to handle. Yes, we are those crazy (and probably too loud) people walking through the neighborhood. Sometimes it’s hard to get where we’re going without a struggle or a meltdown, but I love getting outside with my babies. Most of the time, we’re having fun.

TWO. It’s no secret that I like blowing bubbles even more than my kids do. I always try to convince someone to run around and catch them as they float over the playground. Kaelyn usually takes some time to play with me, and I thought that this picture actually turned out pretty neat.

THREE. Nella’s been melting my heart since 2016… and now that she’s got two tiny teeth, it’s even easier! She’s still too little for everything at the playground except for the infant swing, but she’s just as content to sit with me and watch everything around her.

FOUR. I love hearing Michael practice the piano, and it’s even better when Kaelyn sits next to him and gently taps on the keys. She never slams on them or makes a ton of noise. She’s very careful and deliberate with her “piano playing”.

FIVE. This little girl… she absolutely cracks me up. She accidentally broke Daddy’s measuring tape a week or two ago, and she was so sad and remorseful over it for the rest of the day. I asked her about it again a couple of days ago, and she was so silly that I had to record her. She also talks about her birthday for the remaining two minutes of this video, which is equally adorable.

Happy Friday!

Linking up here, here, and here today!

five on friday (04/21)

Whew! This has been a long, tiring week, and I’m so excited to get the weekend started!

ONE. This nerdy guy (and I say that as a compliment, because he loves his work, and I love that he enjoys what he does) headed to Austin, Texas, this week for Docker’s big developer conference. He had such a great time, but we most definitely missed him. When we would talk on the phone with him and then hang up, Kaya would cry, “Talking to Daddy makes me miss him even more!” Me too, kid. I feel a little lost when my best friend isn’t here.

TWO. Thankfully, Michael’s mom came up to help out and spend some time with us this week while he was gone. I was so grateful for an extra pair of hands, and that she could watch the kids so I could still have some time to myself to go running. We all love Grandma!

We did a lot of fun things with her, including reading at the library, swinging at the park, doing puzzles, visiting the vet, and going to Kangaroo Kids! I think we tired ourselves out. She also helped me rake and pull all the weeds in our garden so I can get some vegetable plants started here soon!

THREE. The teachers at Kangaroo Kids usually pull a new and different activity out of the closet each week, and this week, it was these jumping balls! Riding around on these was one of my favorite things to do in gym class in elementary school, but I had completely forgotten about them. Kaya and Kaelyn loved them just as much as I always did!

I found out they make them in adult size… can you imagine me hopping around my house all day long?

FOUR. This sweet baby girl has had a rough week. She went to the doctor for her shots, which always make her feel crummy for about a week, but then she came down with her very first cold on top of that. She’s been so congested, which makes nursing and sleeping a little difficult.On Wednesday, we had the roughest night of sleep since the day we brought her home from the hospital. I was so grateful my mom-in-law was there to hold her for a couple of hours so that I could get some sleep after being awake most of the night.

FIVE. Favorite Dollar Tree purchase ever- whale bubble machines! These have been so much fun! Scout wasn’t quite sure what to think of the bubbles!

Happy Friday!

Linking up here, here, and here today!

five on friday (04/07)

ONE. We spent a lot of time outdoors this week, enjoying the sunshine and trying to wear the puppy out (and let’s be honest, the kids too)! It’s a good thing we soaked in the warmth while we could, because today we’ve had snow flurries and wind gusts of up to 40 mph. April’s weather is full of surprises!

Nella loves riding in the stroller……and napping in it, too!Sidenote: when did Kaya’s legs get so long?!We met up with Daddy at the playground one day after work. The girls eagerly wait for him to come home each day, and I love seeing him act completely silly and play with them when he does.

TWO. Scout’s been learning all the important things a puppy should: house-training, not jumping up on people, sit, stay, and oh, you know, how to go down the slide.  When your best friend is four years old, that’s what you get! She actually did this completely on her own- no pulling, pushing, or coaxing needed (although it might’ve had something to do with retrieving the stick she dropped)!

THREE. One reason I like going to Kangaroo Kids each week is that I can play with my girls without getting distracted by all the things on my to-do list at home. Nella usually takes a little catnap while we’re there, and that’s when I get to be crazy! This week, I helped each of them into these little tunnels and then rolled them around.

I wish they’d never get too old for this.

FOUR. A few months ago, I gave Kaya a lesson on how to tie her shoes. She didn’t seem to understand yet, so I just let it go and figured we’d come back to it another day. This morning, while she was playing with a larger pair of shoes I had stored away for her to use in the future, she randomly came up to me and said, “Look! I tied my shoe!” At first, I almost thought she was somehow trying to trick me, because we haven’t practiced since that one day, and the shoelaces were tied so very neatly.

She then proceeded to show me how she did it. No tricks here!

I’m so proud of this little girl!FIVE. I guess I’m still on a high from running the Monument Avenue 10k last weekend (blog post on that coming next week), because I went ahead and signed up for my very first half marathon. I’ve wanted to try the distance for a few years, and I figured that now is as good a time as any to just go for it! I love seeing what my body can do and how I can grow stronger.Happy weekend!

Linking up here, here, and here today!

kaya’s random birthday celebrations (2016)

Yeah, yeah, I know Kaya’s birthday was forever ago, but I’m basically a million years behind on everything I need to do (folding laundry, blogging, photography business stuff, you name it)… better late than never, right? Plus, I have some very cute pictures that I just couldn’t refrain from sharing here.

Now that’s she’s a little older, Kaya definitely knows what her favorite foods and activities are, so it was really fun to take her out and do what she really likes. We decided we’d treat her to a special birthday dinner, and we let her choose the place. She really loves Red Robin, so on the Friday night before her party, we headed there (along with Grandma Debbie)!img_20160916_195103 img_20160916_192036

The waiter even brought her a special birthday ice cream. This little girl couldn’t have been more excited!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HTx2V-P7Ov4

On her real birthday, we asked her what she wanted to do… and predictably, she answered that she’d like to go to the mall. This is one of her favorite places (which might have something to do with the cookie place and the playground being there)!

We had a little “picnic”, and let her pick out a treat. We stuck her candle in the cookie, and sang “Happy Birthday” one more time!

These are some happy people right here. (Kaya was also wearing her most favorite things on this day: a rainbow tutu and a Hello Kitty shirt!)

We had to spend some time playing on the playground afterward, of course.

Daddy ran around with them like crazy (and I love these animated GIFs that Google makes for me, haha)!vid_20160919_204923-animation A couple weeks later, Grandma Gina brought Kaya a special gift she’d made…_mg_5420 _mg_5422 _mg_5424 A rainbow blanket! It turned out so beautiful, and Kaya was instantly in love._mg_5426

It was so much fun making her birthday truly special for her. Sometimes it’s tough watching your kids grow up so fast, but as they get older, there are so many more opportunities for enjoying time together.

five on friday (09/23)

Nothing too exciting has happened this week, but I’m soaking up all these calm, “mundane” moments before our world is completely rocked (in the best possible way!) by a baby so very soon!

Here are our top five:

ONE. Kaya got her first-ever pair of (clip-on) earrings this week! We took her to the mall on her real birthday and let her pick out whichever ones she wanted. She chose a set of butterflies! If she wanted her ears pierced, I’m completely okay with it- but she’s just not ready. Maybe in a few years!_mg_5255She’s been excited about them all week long… and I think they make her look at least 5 years older (even with this goofy grin)! 🙂_mg_5259

TWO. We played this “say and spray” alphabet game this week and my girls loved it. Luckily, Daddy came home just in time to finish writing out the alphabet so that I didn’t have to bend over this huge 36-week belly anymore!_mg_5258 _mg_5252

THREE. Suddenly, Kaelyn is saying many, many new words every single day. I absolutely love this little voice, and I’m grateful for improving our communication, too. Seriously, how sweet is the way she says “birthday”?

A video posted by Tara (@tarairwin) on

FOUR. We worked on the letter U for preschool this week, so of course, we had to make unicorns! Kaya was all over this since it involved using rainbow yarn, and Kaelyn actually put hers together without much guidance from me. I love any colorful crafts we can hang on the fridge._mg_5394

FIVE. We picked out some new library books this week. It’s hard to get them to narrow down their choices, and we always end up coming home with somewhere around 15 books these days. I love their enthusiasm for reading!09222016collage1

Happy weekend!

Linking up here, here, and here today!