Showered with Love

A couple of weeks ago, Jessica's matron of honor, Carla, and her mom hosted a bridal shower for the bride-to-be.  It was a lovely shower, and I was proud to be a part of it.  We're getting so excited that the wedding is getting closer and closer, and the shower was really a chance to celebrate that:)  I tried to take some photos (of both people and details!) so that I could share them.  Enjoy!

 The dessert table, complete with a love story, beautiful flowers, and Jess' favorite candy

 Grandma Earlie and Jessica

We asked guests to leave Jessica the key to a happy marriage.

 Carla, the matron of honor, and the bride-to-be

Mason jars with silver and navy paper straws

I made Jess take a picture with this "energy efficient cooking" piece - I like to tease her every now and then:)

Beautiful packages...

Taylor, one of the bridesmaids, and Jess

 Party favors

Me, with the best sister-in-law anyone could ever ask for:)

I bet you can tell which party details I was put in charge of!  

Jessica - I hope your shower was everything you hoped it would be and more.  I can't wait to stand up there with you on your wedding day!

Daddy's Birthday

Aside from Valentine's Day, we also celebrated Daddy's birthday during my week and a half long hiatus from the blog.  His birthday was on the 16th, which also happened to be the same day as Aunt Jess' bridal shower.  Unfortunately, Daddy wasn't feeling well that day, but after the shower (separate post, coming soon!), we went out to eat at Red, Hot, and Blue and then we had his family back to our house for presents and birthday cupcakes.  I think Jack and Hannah probably had the most fun:)

Hannah, pinching her chubby legs and saying, "Chunky, chunky," just like Mama taught her to do.  Don't worry - it's my life's mission to catch this on video:)

The kids made a "bubble wrap prison" and had so much fun playing inside.  I love their little smiles...

 Birthday cupcakes - the kids helped me make these.

Hannah loves a good cupcake!

Jack was so excited to give Daddy his new tool set - Jack picked it out all by himself!

{I know this is super-similar to the picture above, but look at that beautiful grin on Hannah Bear!}

This is what I got when I asked them to be silly:)

Daddy - Even though you weren't feeling well, we hope your day was super-special.  We love you so much!

Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day becomes a whole other beast when you have little kids.  This year, in congruence with my words for 2013, I really tried to focus my energy on having a nice, family Valentine's Day.  I think we succeeded.  The kids had fun and felt special, and that made me feel good.

As promised, here are the kids' valentines that they passed out to their friends:

{only after having a little boy do you think that plastic bug valentines for your little girl is an adorable idea!}

Jack really wanted to give out candy this year - although he was given the choice of the bug valentines as well.

The night before Valentine's Day, Brad and I came up with five things we love about each of our little lovelies, and then I wrote them on hearts and put them on their bedroom doors for them to see in the morning.  Jack thought it was the cutest thing!

I took some pictures of Jack and Hannah before we left for school in the morning because they just looked so super cute in their little outfits.

They were being so silly together!

We planned to have our favorite meal in the dining room, so I set the table to be extra-special.

My valentine sent me flowers at work:)

Then we let the kids decorate their own sugar cookie dessert.

We knew Hannah would dive in, but Jack actually ate his cookie too!

Jack gave his little sister a ride around the house on the back of his tricycle, and then we cleaned up all of our messes and got everyone to bed.

We had such a nice evening, but by the end of the day, I was so exhausted.  I think I may have fallen asleep before ten.  A family Valentine's Day is tiring!

The next day, Hannah had her party at school, and she was so excited about all of the treats and the fact that her big brother came with me - she gave me her biggest grin!

We hope your Valentine's Day was just as sweet!

Silent Sunday

{37 weeks and counting}

Moments ago...

Tonight while tucking Jack into bed, he asked if we could all play The Animal Game.  I gave it three valiant attempts, and all three times, the boys guessed my animal within the first two questions - I think I give up.

Take 1:

     Jack: How many legs does it have?

     Mommy: Two.

     Daddy: Is it a kangaroo?

     Mommy: Really?!?!  Yes, it was a kangaroo!

Take 2:

     Jack: What shape are its ears?

     Mommy: I don't know - triangular?

     Jack: Does it have antlers?

     Mommy: Not really.  I don't know...

     Daddy: Is it a giraffe?

     Mommy (kicking and squirming):  Are you kidding me?!?!  Yes, it was a giraffe.

     Daddy (laughing hysterically): There aren't many animals with quasi-antlers.


At this point, Jack starts to feel bad for me that my animals aren't going so well, and Daddy and I are laughing so hard that we're almost crying.  He was being very sweet and wanted to make sure that my feelings weren't hurt!

I tried one more time, thinking of the most general animal I could come up with so as not to have an awkward question that would immediately give away my animal.

Take 3:

     Daddy: Does it live on land or in the water?

     Mommy: On land.

     Jack: What color is its nose?

     Mommy: Black.

     Daddy: Is it a bear?

     Mommy:  Are you serious?  It lives on land and it has a black nose and you know it's a bear?!?!
     Yes, it was a bear.  Now I'm really done.

We laughed some more and decided we'd give The Animal Game a rest, and I'd do some animal research.  Jack suggested I try a snake or a dolphin...

*****

Then - there was this:

{don't worry - I fixed her little leg after I took the picture!}

*****

I'll be back later to catch up on the week and a half I missed.  I have no excuses except for the fact that I was tired!

Wordless Wednesday

{how is it possible that these little lovelies have made me adore feet?}

My Words, Hush Puppies, Toofers, and Valentines

There's a lot going on around here, as usual.  This week is a training week for me at work, and in addition to that, Valentine's Day, Brad's birthday, and Aunt Jess' bridal shower are all occurring at the end of the week.  The kids have Valentine's Day parties (and therefore need valentines!), and I'm also trying to implement some organizational/life-simplifying strategies I'm learning of while reading The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin.

picture source

I never got around to my Words for 2013 post, but I've sort of decided that they are going to be:

organize
simplify
enjoy.

Organize - I appear to be organized, but really I have piles of various importance hidden throughout my house and to-do lists in every imaginable place.  Some of the items on said lists have been there for years.  No lie.  It's time to hunker down and get stuff done.  Last night, I finally labeled hanging folders (infant through senior year of high school) for Jack and Hannah's organizational file boxes (which we purchased before Christmas!).  I even put a few piles of their school paperwork into the appropriate folders.  This made me smile for hours and feel as though a huge weight had been lifted off of my shoulders.  Now I just need to figure out where to place these boxes so that I can easily access them on a daily basis...

Simplify - I'm getting rid of extra crap.  As soon as I see it.  I'm not writing it down on a to-do list to do this summer.  I'm saying no to things I know I can't handle.  I'm trying not to create extra routines that are unnecessary.  I'm having my groceries delivered (seriously folks?  this has been life-changing!).

Enjoy - Sometimes I get so stressed out and overwhelmed by the never-ending to-do list I create for myself that I forget to enjoy the process of things.  I'm trying to slow down and enjoy more.  I think I do a pretty good job of this when it comes to the kids, but I could do better.  And I could also allow myself to just relax and do nothing once in awhile without feeling guilty about it and then stressing about what could have gotten done...  It's a vicious cycle.  And this year?  It stops.  At least a little.

Anyway - those are my words, and I'm reading The Happiness Project for inspiration.  You should too!

*****

Check out this adorable video I took of Hannah last month:

*****

This year, I wanted to do something a little special for the kids' valentines to their friends.  The paper valentines are cute, but I've done that since Jack was in the toddler room and it gets a little boring.  Not to mention that there are the cutest ideas on Pinterest, and some of them looked rather manageable:)

Here's what we've decided for Jack:

Source: tatertotsandjello.com via Erika on Pinterest

and Hannah:

Source: blog.craftzine.com via Erika on Pinterest

I can't wait to show you how our versions turn out!

Just Jack

While we were snuggling before bed, this is what Jack said:

I'm a tricky boy...tonight I'm gonna sneak up on you so you don't know I'm here and I'm gonna sleep in your bed...

*****

While eating dinner, he finished eating something that wasn't quite his favorite.  He said to me, "Mommy, my tummy's full, there's nothing I can do about it."

I guess he gave me a taste of my own medicine right then.

*****

When I asked him if his tummy hurt or if he needed to go potty, he replied, "I'll just take it easy."

*****

After making a mac and cheese sandwich (gross!), Jack announced, "I have good taste."  He'll eat a mac and cheese sandwich, but not a single vegetable.  He's killing me.

*****

When I asked Jack, "Why are you so smart?"

He replied, "That's just how God made me."

He's learning:)

Friday

Friday was a full day for us.

We had a two-hour delay due to icy roads first thing in the morning, and while I'm usually super-excited to get an extra two hours in the morning, we had so much to accomplish at work to prepare for a training on Monday, that I had to go in a little bit earlier than I normally would.  I got myself and the kids ready, packed up all of their Friday gear and snow gear for school, and off we went.  For some reason, Jack was exceptionally emotional about his clothing choices (everything was itchy or didn't fit right).  Some morning we have these problems...it's part of the reason that we recently installed an extra closet rod at Jack's height so that he can choose his own shirts.

Friday morning that didn't seem to matter, and I was starting to get worried.  I couldn't figure out exactly what was going on with him, but I tried really hard not to lose my cool (which is very hard for me in the mornings when I'm trying to shuffle us all to get ready and out the door), and by the time we got to school he was fine.  Thank goodness.

I also learned on Friday morning that my cousin survived a life-saving surgery that he was not expected to survive.  I don't quite understand all of the details, but I know that he lived through the surgery and is alert and recovering.  Doctors are still concerned and he will need more surgery, but he is a fighter and holding on.  I was so relieved to hear this news...  On Thursday I was on pins and needles while doctors were operating - the surgery lasted for over 10 hours.  My mom was in Cleveland to support her brother, and she was texting updates along the way, but it was so hard to understand what was going on and to get all the details.  Friday mornings message brought a huge sigh of relief. Please keep J.J. in your thoughts...

After receiving that message, I had one of the busiest days at work that I can remember in a long time, and at the end of the day I was exhausted.  I was a little nervous about entertaining the littles that evening since I literally could have fallen asleep anywhere, but our evening went very smoothly.

We made an easy, kiddie-pleasing dinner and watched them play before baths and bedtime.  They are at a perfect age for playing together adorably:)

Hannah went down without her binky again, but this time she cried and cried and cried, and I nearly caved.  The doctor did say she could have the binky at night time.  And she is getting new teeth.  But I held out.  I was proud.  You should be too - for that small moment.

(Because yesterday at nap time - I caved.  And now, as I type this, she is running around the room with Jack, binky firmly in place.  She will not let it go.  Probably for fear that it will disappear.  This could be tricky...)

And then there's Jack.  Our adorable Baby Jack who is growing up to be such a big boy.  He was just oozing cuteness at bedtime.  He wanted to read this story about animals that has magnets, and as you read, you're supposed to put the magnets on the page.  He loves it - it's not our favorite because of the magnets and the time.  I'm not sure what I was thinking when I bought it on one of our zoo trips, but he loves it, and I very firmly believe in letting him choose his book at bedtime even if we read the same damn book every night for a week.  I let it go.  

I had to leave the room for a bit to try to console a crying Hannah (it didn't work), so Daddy and Jack finished reading the book and then Daddy somehow convinced Jack to leave the magnets in place so that next time we can just read the story:)

When they were explaining this to me, Daddy said something to the effect of, "Then it will just be a night time story...and not a burden,"  really talking to me, and thinking that Jack would not understand this at all.

And Jack?  Jack goes, "Burdens are, like, so not awesome at all," in his dramatic teenage way, smiling from ear to ear.  How is it that they learn this dramatic teenage way in preschool, by the way?!

We laughed and kept talking.  We were talking about how on Saturday, we were going to go out and do some birthday shopping for Daddy.  Jack, proudly, leans over and whispers into my ear (loudly...loud enough for Daddy to hear and smile at me over Jack's head), "Maybe we could get him a new tool like a screwdriver or a hammer!"

And he came up with that all on his own.  Such a kind heart...

After I left, Jack and Daddy were snuggling for a few extra minutes, and later Daddy told me this part:

Daddy was snuggling Jack, and whispered, "You're the best little boy in the world."

"I know," Jack replied.

Kind, and modest, to boot!

***** 

On Saturday, I got to wake up to this:

It doesn't get any better than that...