Four Years

Happy Birthday, Jack!

Four years.

I can't believe it.

Where has the time gone?

Mommy and Daddy are so proud of the little man you are becoming.  You are so smart and gentle and funny.  You make every day better.  This year we have loved watching you in your new role as a big brother.  Hannah Bear is so very lucky to have you, and so are we.

I know it's your favorite, Baby, so this one is for you:

"The sun goes down.

The stars come out.

And all that counts is here and now.

My universe will never be the same.

I'm glad you came.

I'm glad you came."

                                                          -I'm Glad You Came by The Wanted

PS - A very Happy Anniversary to my mom and dad...32 years - that's something to be proud of:)

Baltimore

On Sunday, Brad and I took our little man to the National Aquarium.  We've been lucky enough that every year on Jack's birthday, he's been home with us; however, this year, his birthday falls in the middle of the week.  His birthday party is planned for this upcoming weekend, but Brad and I wanted to do something special with Jack when it was just us.  We've been talking about taking him to the aquarium forever, and this weekend felt like the perfect time.  On Saturday night, we told him our plans, and he kept saying that he was so excited and that he couldn't wait:)  It was adorable!  We weren't quite sure that the little miss would make the trek, so Grandma and Grandpa kindly kept her for the day (turned out to be a good call on our part as they do not allow strollers in the aquarium exhibits).  We dropped her off in the morning, and the three of us were on our way.  I tried to narrow our photos down to the top ten for your viewing pleasure:)  I hope you enjoy!

While we were waiting for our aquarium entry time to arrive, we explored a nearby "pirate ship".

Okay, I lied.  I couldn't narrow it down to ten.  

We had so much fun, and Jack just kept saying how awesome everything was.  He said his favorite animal was the giant sting ray.  He was also very intrigued by the sea turtle missing one of its flippers and all the possibilities of why it might only have three (for example, maybe the baby Hammerhead shark ate it).  He was such a tired, little man by the time we left the aquarium.  It's a lot of walking, and even though he announced several times that he "was all out of energy," and asked to be carried, he was still exhausted.  He and I definitely napped on the way to pick up our sweet Hannah Bear:)

Silent Sunday

Summer Kick-Off

Last night we took our little lovelies to a local neighborhood summer kick-off, complete with a fireworks show.  It was very crowded, but very fun, and both Jack and Hannah did very well staying up way past their bedtimes to celebrate the beginning of summer.  Jack was excited to see the fireworks again (since he remembered them from past Fourth of Julys), but this was Hannah's first time (unless you're counting the fireworks she attended last year while still in my belly), and she did very well.  I covered her little ears as she just watched in awe.  Very mesmerized...

(picture quality is not that great since we took these pictures with my phone)

Fun family memories!

Happy Birthday, Dear Friend

Happy Birthday to you!

Happy Birthday to you!

Happy Birthday, Dear Kimmee!

Happy Birthday to you!

We hope your birthday was everything you hoped it would be, and more.  And since you finally got the macaroni necklace you've been dying for, my guess is that it was:)

Twelve on Tuesday

1. I hate season finale cliffhangers.  It seems like cruel and unusual punishment to make people wait 4-5 months to find out what happens to characters they've grown to love.  It's even worse if you happen to love shows like Dexter (which I do), when they're only on for three months out of the year.  Cruel.  And Unusual.
2. My only solace is that I'm currently loving the season of reality TV that we're in.  American Idol - Philip Philips, anyone?  The Bachelorette ~ you never know, maybe this season's couple will make it?!  And starting this week, So You Think You Can Dance.  They make me happy, what can I say?
3. Summer Break is right around the corner, and I can barely stand it.  It's one of the best perks of my profession, and I empathize with the rest of the work force that doesn't get summer break.  I don't know how they do it.
4. I love going on walks around my neighborhood with the littles when the weather is warm.  It's one of my favorite things.
5. I hate cleaning my house.  It's probably my least favorite thing to do.  So how is it possible that it brings me such a sense of happiness and accomplishment when it's clean?  Wouldn't that motivate one to do it more often?  You'd think so, but not so much.
6. Getting the kids up and ready and at school super early this morning was not nearly as hard as I'd imagined it to be.  We'll see how tomorrow goes.  I'm hoping for a repeat performance.
7. I think Hannah might be getting a tooth.  But then again, I've been thinking that for the last three weeks, so who knows?
8. Next week, I will have a four year old.  A four year old.  How does that happen?!?!
9. I could throw a party based on the simple fact that this weekend is a three-day weekend.  So, so happy.  Spinning my wheels to come up with something fun to do with Jack to celebrate his birthday with our little family of four.
10. One of the items on my current to-do list is to compile all of the items from my half-completed to-do lists (approximately 12) and put them all on one current list.  Is that crazy?
11. I'm desperately in need of a massage.  And a pedicure.  Maybe all in the same day.
12. Also, wanting to go to DSW.  I need nude or taupe wedges and some new black flats.  Yes, I used the word need.  And yes, I meant it.  Lucky for me, my sister got me a gift card to DSW for Mother's Day:)

Be Still My Little Heart

While getting ready in my bathroom this morning, this is what I saw on the monitor:

I'm the luckiest mama EVER.

Mother's Day

If I'm being honest, this year I was not acting as grateful as I should have been on Mother's Day.  I was kind of crabby for most of the day.  We didn't go out - I got up early with the kids like I always do, made breakfast, got everyone settled and such.  We didn't go to church because I wasn't feeling much like rushing around that morning.  Jack had picked out a few sweet gifts with Grammy, and he had me open those in the morning.  I found out what he'd meant by a colorful frog earlier in the week - a beautiful, ceramic frog now sits on our front porch.  Brad had gotten me roses and a couple of gift cards, in addition to the new vacuum I'd gotten earlier in the week.  I ended up just hanging around the house, napping with Jack, and then cleaning our bathroom before we had my family over for Steak Dinner Sunday.

Dinner was fun, but prior to that, I'd just been feeling unmotivated and lazy, and Jack was sad that we weren't going anywhere, and that made me feel bad.  I felt better after the bathroom was cleaned because I felt like I'd accomplished something, but still, it wasn't what I'd wanted to be doing for Mother's Day.  Prior to that day, I'd sort of wished for some me time.  Maybe getting to sleep in, doing something for myself like a massage or pedicure, doing some shopping...  Then, I wished we'd planned something fun for us to do as a family.

Either way, I wasn't my happiest self.  I went in with expectations, and it didn't go well...

What I realized tonight, while my babies were at Grammy's house after being picked up by her after school, is how really lucky I am to have these two beautiful, healthy babies who call me Mom.  I was relaxing on the couch, napping and watching my shows, uninterrupted.  And I missed them.  I missed their smiles when I show up at school to get them at the end of the day.  I missed the way they smell.  The funny things Jack says.  The way Hannah laughs when she plays with her brother.  I missed everything about them.

That's what Mother's Day should really be about.  Cherishing the little lovelies who've made me a mama.  Memorizing the tiny details of their current ages...the little things they do now that will one day be gone...squeezing them tight just because they're here, and I can.  Mother's Day is a day for me to be thankful that I'm a mom, and next year, I'm going in with a much better outlook.  Promise.

To all the mommies out there, mine and Brad's included - being a mommy is hard work.  You don't really know this until you are one, but it's the hardest job we'll ever have.  Such a huge responsibility, yet such an incredibly rewarding adventure.  Here's to the hard work you're doing every day, and for all of the times I didn't appreciate you enough, I'm sorry!  I now know just what it is to be a mom.  I'm in awe of the jobs that you've done:)  I love you!

Great-Grandma Stella's Photo Book

Today, we celebrated my grandmother's 80th birthday.  Her birthday was on the 9th, but we were able to get most of the family together today for a party.  All of us worked together to wrangle up family photos from the past 80 years, and then we put them into a photo book.  Unfortunately, the book hasn't arrived yet; however, we were able to show my grandma the book with a projector.  If you're interested in what it looks like, check it out:

Click here to view this photo book larger

Create your own personalized photo books at Shutterfly.com.

Grandma,

We are so lucky to have you as part of our family.  I feel so blessed that my babies get to see you often and that you are a part of their lives.  You are an amazing woman, and it has been a wonderful thing to learn more about the family while going through all of the old photos.  I hope that you enjoy the book and will cherish all of the old memories that come back to visit each time you look through its pages.  

We love you.  Happy Birthday and Happy Mother's Day!

Love,

Erika

Not So Silent Sunday

Look who joined us for Steak Dinner Sunday tonight?

That's right.  Miss Hannah.  And she even ate some steak.

Among other things.

She also ate...

cheese

baby cheesy poofs

sweet potato puffs

mashed potatoes with cheese and sour cream

chicken noodle baby food

fruit medley baby food,

and two Nilla wafers.

All that and not a single tooth.

Our girl can eat!

Look What She Can Do!

{Video: Hannah crawls up the stairs}

 

A Thief Among Us

It seems that this little girl...

has developed some rather sticky fingers when it comes to food.  Apparently, she has been taking food from her friends at school.  I told you about how she hangs out under the snack table.  Remember?  Well, her teachers said that when they serve lunch or snack, they turn around for one second, and Hannah is eating someone else's food.  They suggested we introduce her to school lunch, since she seems to love it so much.  She's doing very well, thankyouverymuch.

She's tried to take food from the puppies.  I may, or may not, have found her with some dog food in her sweaty little fists and a few pieces in her cheeks the other morning.  She's also taking food from Jack.  Frequently.  Yesterday she stole a piece of his waffle right off of his breakfast plate.  Hannah likes waffles, especially with butter and syrup.  She also likes grilled cheese and french fries.  In fact, we haven't really found a single food that Hannah doesn't like:)

So, if you're fond of your food, you should probably keep a close eye on it.  At least when Hannah's around.  She's a growing girl, you know.

Chores Should Be Fun

I don't think it's a secret that I hate to clean my house.  It's true.  I really don't like it.  So I procrastinate and do anything else I can think of to get out of cleaning my own house.  It's bad.

But the one thing I'm pretty good at is changing all of our bedding on a very regular basis.  Because of this, Jack has grown to be a part of this chore.  He loves to help me take the pillow cases off of the pillows, and he tries really hard to help me take the old sheets off and put the new sheets on.  It's cute.

But it's still a chore, and so I found myself procrastinating at changing the bedding as well.  In a really fun way.

Seriously.  What kid doesn't love playing in the sheets?

So sometimes we swing, sometimes we make a fort, and sometimes we just play sheet monster.  Either way, it makes this little chore definitely more bearable:)