Happy Birthday Baby

AND, another absolutely amazing, fantastic, fabulous thing that happens in the winter.....

Happy Birthday to my sweet Koen James!

Two looks good on you.  :)

I love you forever and ever.

Embrace The Camera

Embrace The Camera is a concept I was introduced to by Emily over at The Anderson Crew.  It's about getting in the picture with your loved ones, not just hiding behind the camera.  Capturing memories, with you in them.  I'm sure we all know what it's like to look back through the photos from an event and realize we weren't in a single one.  I know I take a ton of pictures of my kids... at home, at the zoo, at birthday parties, anywhere, any time!  But I forget to hop into view myself.  I want my kids to grow up and have pictures of ALL of us to look at and bring back childhood memories, big and small.  So I am making an effort to Embrace The Camera!

Last week, Emily and her friend Sarah invited us to Embrace The Camera every day that week.  Each day had a prompt that you could follow, but the important part was just that you made an effort to get in the picture each day.  I was able to get it done three days, and these are my photos.

Smile

Making Memories

Faces

Bubbles

Summer Doesn't End

**Welcome, welcome to my new followers!  I am SO overjoyed to have you here!  You all are making me do a happy dance!**

It seems that around blogland and Facebook, there is a common topic being discussed these days.  The fact that summer will soon be coming to an end.  Already!  Mommies are sending their kiddos back to school, or off to school for the first time!  Teachers are preparing to go back to work.  But for our family, it doesn't have to end.  Sure, the weather will change, and our schedule will be adjusted, but we still get to be together.

As most of you know, I am a stay at home mom.  But you may not all know that I am also a homeschooling mom.  This year I will have a first grader, a pre-Ker, and my tiny tot.  I'm not sure how I'm going to balance everything yet.  I definitely want to keep blogging, as it is a wonderful creative outlet for me!  SO, it may be quiet around here for a few weeks, as I plan and prepare for the school year.  Please stick around!  I will be back!

Fun Busy

Sorry I've been MIA!  Just living life over here!

The weekend before last I got to escape to the cities with my Mom, sister and niece for a girls weekend, celebrating my Mom's 60th birthday!  We drove up Saturday morning and spent the rest of the day at the Mall of America.  And let me tell you, we shopped till we dropped!  I don't even remember all the stores we hit that day.  It was my first time shopping at H & M, that I remember, and only my second or third time at Forever 21.  And I went nuts!  It was so much fun!  I'll have to gather up what I got to show you my haul!

Sunday was dedicated to the best store on earth, IKEA!  I could spend days in there and be happy as a clam.  My sister had never been, can you believe it?!  We ate some meatballs and then proceeded to fill up two regular carts and a flat cart.  We did good.

Then on Tuesday, I loaded the kids up to head to Blank Park Zoo in Des Moines, to meet up with a few friends from college for a day of fun.  The weather was gorgeous and we had a blast!

And moving on to this past weekend, we had a big ole birthday party for our three kiddos.  Lena just turned 5, Eli will be 7 next month, and since Koen is a December baby, we decided to celebrate his half birthday!  It was another beautiful day and we were so blessed to get to celebrate life with so many friends and family members!

 Each of these events really could use a whole post of their own, so we'll see if I ever get around to that!  This week is pretty full, too, but I hope to do more blogging if I have a few spare minutes!  I miss it!

Independence Day

Family, parade, Subway, kiddie pool, ladder ball, sunshine, grilling, fireworks!  So blessed to live in the land of the free and the home of the brave!

Here is what I wore! (A big thank you to my sister for taking some outdoor photos for me!  Can't wait to buy myself a tripod!)

 

Entire outfit:  Old Navy

I swear my shorts are red!

 

Red, sparkly toes!

 

Here is our parade group.  My crew and my sister's crew.  We were so blessed to find a perfect spot in the grass, under a tree!  The weather was gorgeous and the parade wasn't painfully long.  Haha!

 LOVE this picture of my sister and me!  Isn't she GORGEOUS?!!

And I sure do love these four!!!

We spent the afternoon hanging out in our backyard.  Love cuddling with my girl in the hammock!

Our town puts on THE BEST fireworks show around!

I hope you all had a fabulous 4th of July!

Linking up:
Weekend Shenanigans
What I Wore Wednesday

PSA

I interrupt my blogging silence to bring you this public service announcement.  **Mamas, don't feel bad about the things that you don't do with/for your kids.**  I think there is a lot of pressure in the Mommy World to do a lot of things that just aren't necessary.  We either feel guilty and get down on ourselves if we're not doing what "everyone else" is doing, or we burn ourselves out trying to be Super Mom.  I just can't do it all.  There, I said it.  And you can't either.  It's okay.

 

My kids are not participating in the local library's reading program this summer.  Is reading good?  Yes.  Do we read at our house?  Yes.  Would the summer reading program be good for my kids?  Yes.  Heck, I have an emerging reader on my hands, who could use some extra motivation...  Do I want one more thing on my list of things I have to do?  No.  And that's that.  And it's fine.  We will read together whenever and as much as we can, and our prizes will be enjoyment, experience and time together.  That sounds better to me than a pencil or a balloon.  (Don't get me wrong, I think the summer reading program is GREAT!  We have participated in the past and probably will again, but this year it is just one plate that I am choosing not to spin.)

So if there's something you're feeling bad about not doing, STOP. :-D  Go snuggle your littles and tell them you love them.  That's enough.  YOU are enough.

{Hopefully I will be back to more regular blogging soon.  I've been busy spending time enjoying summer with the three adorable kiddos you see above.}

Pop of Spring

This outfit basically represents the weather around here lately... mostly dark and gray, with an occasional pop of spring. We have had SO MUCH rain, so when the sun finally peeks out, we try our best to take advantage of it.  I am so thankful for our big back yard.  What a blessing it is to have room for the kids to run off some energy!

I wasn't able to get a single picture without my little sidekick.  But that's okay, he's one of my favorite accessories.  ;-)

Tee: Old Navy; Scarf: Very Jane; Skinnies: Old Navy; Shoes: TOMS

When I got done with my photos, Koen wanted to do his own photo shoot.  It. Was. Hilarious.  I use a timer to take my photos and run back and forth over and over, so he did the same thing, even though I was taking his picture.  So funny the things kids pick up on!

Here is his "deer in the headlights" pose...

And his "happy as a clam" pose...

And of course, his "too cute for words" pose!

I ABSOLUTELY ADORE HIM!!!

He Didn't Get It From Me

I am so not athletic.  I played t-ball when I was little...  Not really.  I quit after the first day.  When I was a little older, I did tumbling for a while.  I even competed.  But I never placed very well.  And I quit when I just couldn't master my back handspring.  I did basketball for a year in junior high.  That was a joke!  And then there was track and cross country.  I still remember the one meet that I tried running hurdles.  I completely wiped out, on a cinder track.  Ouch.  Knocked the wind out of me.  Never again.  But I did continue sprinting for a few years.  And I did one season of cross country.  I was never real fast, but running was my sport, because all it takes is placing one foot in front of the other.  No hand-eye coordination required!


And then there's this guy.  My toddler t-ball prodigy. :-)

He saw his big brother playing in the back yard one day, and decided he should, too.  And now I can't get him to do anything else.  If we're not outside, he'll find anything to use as a tee, ball and bat.  We were playing in a church nursery the other morning, while big brother and sister were in their music class, and he found himself a plastic orange and chicken leg to use as his ball and bat.  My hand got to be the tee.  The kid is obsessed.  And hilarious.  He also has quite an arm and can soccer dribble a ball like he's David Beckham.  A 16 month old David Beckham.  Haha!  Koen is a mini athlete.  And he most definitely didn't get it from me!

On This Day...

Five years ago, on this day, I was being blessed beyond measure.  I was surrounded by friends and family at a baby shower that my sweet friend Aimee hosted for me and my little girl.

This is what I looked like:

 Whoa, mama.  I was only 29 weeks!

Two years ago, on this day, we finally had a SOLD sign in our front yard!  We were officially moving on to bigger and better!

And it was a good thing, because...

Two years ago, on this day, we saw two lines!  We were expecting this guy:

We were definitely going to need a bigger house!

Today was spent at home with my hubby and kids.  My sister, niece and nephews were here for part of the day.  My step-dad came over for supper.  We didn't do anything special or exciting, but it made my heart happy to be with so many people that I love.  Family.  On this day, I am so thankful for family.  <3

Koen - 15 months

My sweet Koen James, you are 15 months old.  More like 15 1/2 months now.  I actually wrote most of this post a few weeks ago, and planned to post it when you had your 15 month appointment on the 18th, but it got postponed until today, because I was REALLY sick that week.  So here are your stats and some fun tidbits of info about you, my baby. 

19 pounds 14 ounces (10th percentile)
29 inches (5th percentile)

You have thirteen teeth, and are currently working on at least one more. You still don't have enough hair to need a haircut.

You've been walking since 10 months, so you're a pro by now. You're quite speedy, and you like to walk backwards and spin in circles. You try to jump, but can't get your feet off the ground. And when you hear a beat, you can't help but dance!

You're still not much of a talker. You say “mahm” (more) whenever you want something to eat or drink. And you just learned how to say “uh-oh!” Even though you don't say much, you know how to get your point across. You'll turn, push or pull someone where you want them, point at what you want, or just go get it yourself!

Which brings me to my next point, you are into everything! You would much rather spend your day emptying the kitchen cupboards than playing with toys. Unless... you find yourself a stick or a ball! You will toss, hit, and chase a ball around for a long time! 

You love cereal, crackers, and bread. You're not a big fan of fruit or vegetables, but we can sometimes get you to eat apples or peas. You do like mashed potatoes. You always want your milk chocolate, and don't eat much other dairy. Meat's not your favorite either. We just keep trying. :)

We are trying to get you to sleep in your crib in your room full time, but you usually wake up at night and end up in the pack n play in the office or in our bed. Some days you take two short naps, some days just one longer nap. You start crying as soon as you wake up... you always want to be close to Mommy.

You love to snuggle and hug, but you're stingy with your kisses. You're more likely to offer one up to Daddy than anyone else. 

You're goofy, too. You take your shoes off as soon as we put them on. And more often than not, you take off one sock, but leave the other. You have a pretty cute growl, and you have you own “woof” and “moo” sounds.

 You love to be tickled, and you have the BEST laugh!

I thank God for you every day.  I'm gonna keep you forever.  I love you, Little.

Snow Day

It hasn't snowed much around these parts this winter, or last winter either, so when we got several inches earlier this week, we had to take advantage.  Mommy and all three kids donned our snow gear, and headed outside.  This was Koen's first time ever playing in the snow!  He loved being pulled around the yard in the sled with his big sister.  Eli and Lena had filled our plastic wagon with snow, so he also had fun standing at that, playing in the snow with our beach toys.  Koen and I didn't stay out long, but the big kids enjoyed playing out there for a good hour and a half.  It's raining today, melting it all away, so we'll probably (hopefully!) have to wait until next winter for another snow day.

P.S.  Tough guys wear pink snow boots.  ;-)