Fourth of July

This Fourth of July was pretty mellow. My parent's bought new furniture so Brook and my Dad spent the day going to RC Willey and then putting the furniture together. The kids and I were able to hang out with my Mom and play all day (and do some minor decorating, which is one of my favorite things to do in the world)! The most amazing miracle of all is that for the first time in his little life Ben was not sick on the Fourth and was able to enjoy the day. He loved doing the fireworks. His favorite was putting off the smoke bombs in the kiddie pool that we had set up out in the back yard. All in all it was a great day (and I would maybe remember more of it if it wasn't so long ago). Since it was so long ago and I have a terrible memory here are pictures of the kids that pretty much tell the whole story.

                                                     Sabrina sitting in her "special chair" at Nana's

                                          Sabrina with my sister-in-law's Mom (who she finally decided was OK).

                                               Happy and Healthy and excited for Fireworks!!!

Father's Day!

To say that I love Father's Day is a little bit of an understatement. It ranks right up there with Brook's Birthday, and my anniversary. My reason? I love to spoil Brook. If it were up to me every day would be a special day that I could spoil him and give him presents (I LOVE giving presents). So this Father's Day was no different. We started out the day with letting him sleep in until 10:30 (which is practically unheard of in this house), and then we took him his breakfast in bed. The kids got anxious to give him his presents (translation: I got anxious to give him his presents), so we barged in on him while he ate and made him open them! The kids each got to pick out a present for him: Ben got him a movie and a bunch of candy, and Sabrina got him a book on the history of guns (she had a little help from mom picking her present, but the end decision was hers). As for me, I really wanted to get him a grill, but he saw a weed trimmer that he wanted so I ended up getting him that and a patio furniture set (that the dog has already chewed on)!After opening presents it was time to call our dads. My dad was driving back from a week long vacation in Las Vegas and so my conversation with him was pretty short, and Craig was at work so we talked to Brook's mom for awhile instead (Brook got to talk to him for a bit later that night). After that we went on what Ben likes to call a "family date". We went to Target and the book store, I bought another Lalaloopsy and a book, and Brook got a bright orange shirt that fits his personality perfectly. When we got home I did some minor cleaning and made the worst lasagna I have ever made in my life. I don't know why it turned out so bad, but it did. My brother-in-law and his wife joined us for dinner. Everyone ate what was on their plate, but no one went back for seconds and I can not blame them :). After dinner we hung out together outside and enjoyed the beautiful day until my sister got off of work and came over to our house to watch the kids and spend the night. Brook and I were able to sneak off and go on a date. We went to Walmart to get him some motorcycle gloves and me some reading glasses, as well as drop off our redbox rental. Did you know that without kids, it is possible to get in and out of Walmart with what you need (as well as a fair amount of looking at stuff you don't need) in under a half hour? It was amazing. Then, after a quick stop to the gas station to fill up the bike (oh yeah, we totally took the bike, and it was AWESOME!), we were on our way to the bowling alley. Both Brook and I love to bowl, but never get out to do it. Brook is a very good bowler, as he has natural athletic ability, whereas I am the worst bowler on the planet. I ended up with a 59 (my highest game), and Brook bowled a 152. It was a lot of fun! After that, we went and got a late night snack and headed home. It was a great day, and we had so much fun together as a family and celebrating Brook and what an amazing dad he really is. Our kids are so lucky to have such and amazing father, and I am lucky to know that my kids are so loved by their dad (plus, I get the amazing husband to go along). I loved spoiling Brook and I am so excited that his birthday is just six weeks away and I get to do it all again!

Walking

(From sometime in mid-June)

Something happened last week that I am not sure I was really prepared for- Sabrina started walking and life in this house will never be the same. At first, I was really excited for her to start walking. Those first few steps were so exciting, and the look she had on her face every time she fell on her butt was absolutely priceless. I have to admit I encouraged all this walking and even rewarded her with fruit snacks when she would take more than two steps in a row. Now it has been nearly a week since I have seen her crawl and I am wondering why the heck I thought it was a good idea for her to start walking. Now it is getting hard to keep up with her and she is finding more things to get into. Plus, when we leave the house to go to the store she thinks it is her right to get out of the cart and walk around. Now I also have to make sure that I put shoes on her feet, but she hates wearing the shoes and then end up getting taken off and ultimately thrown at me. She is still trying to master the art of walking in shoes, and can not seem to quite catch the hang of it. The end result? A frustrated little girl because I insist she wear shoes in order to walk when we are out of the house, and a frustrated mom because the little girl just will not wear her shoes (plus getting hit in the face with a shoe is not all that fun after the millionth time or so). Sabrina will no longer sit still because she would rather be walking (like at the movie theater where mom only got to see twenty minutes of the movie and then spent the rest of the time wandering up and down the hallway with a very curious baby). I do not remember the transition from baby to toddler being this difficult with Ben, but maybe I am selectively forgetting how hard this particular milestone has been for me. I am saying goodbye to my baby and hello to a big girl and I am not entirely sure I am ready for that transition, but it is too late now!

Sharing is Caring

This little moment was one of my favorites from this past week. Every summer Ben insists that I buy a case of Otter Pops and pretty much every day without fail he asks if he can have one. Usually I insist that he eat them outside, but this last week was cold, wet, and rainy so eating outside was not exactly an option. The other criteria is that he can only eat the Otter Pop while Sabrina is napping (a one year old with an Otter Pop just doesn't sound like a fun time to this mommy). As luck would have it, she refused to nap this one particular day, and the end result was the two of them sitting on a towel sharing an Otter Pop. I do have to say that they did an awesome job! Ben was really great at sharing (four licks for him, one for Sabrina), and Sabrina didn't get too messy considering brother was holding the coveted treat. I loved the way that they shared and saw a glimpse into a (hopefully) near future where they are able to play and share together!

One is FUN!

As I mentioned, Sabrina turned one last month and I threw her a Lalaloopsy themed party. For those of you that know me well, know that I LOVE Lalaloopsy. In fact, it is bordering on an obsession. This wouldn't be a problem if they were not so darn cute (and if Brook wasn't an enabler- but seriously every time we walk into a store and I see a cute Lalaloopsy he makes me put it in the cart). Anyway, I spent about a month planning this party. I wanted everything to be perfect- the food, the activities, and the decorations. This meant spending more time than I already do on Pinterest and getting amazing ideas for the party.

First thing I did was make an adorable wreath for my door (which is still hanging there to this day). I love the idea of having something special on the front porch, but balloons just are not my thing. I like people to know there is a party without screaming "HEY HERE IS THE PARTY!" The wreath turned out great and I got a lot of compliments on it (and it has also inspired me to make some for other major holidays).

Next, I had to figure out what to serve as far as food. Luckily for me a lot of the Lalaloopsy dolls have food names already; Peanut Big Top, Toffee Cocoa Cuddles, Mango Tiki Wiki... You get the idea. The food was pretty easy I just had to think of all of the yummy food that I could make that matched the names. Then I made adorable little food labels to go with everything and then I was set... Well almost.

My next challenge came in the form of cake pops. I love the look of cake pops and decided that is what I was going to do instead of cake for Bean's party. After reading what I thought was plenty of blogs, I got online and ordered a cake pop pan to make things easier (which I am sure it did). After baking all of the little cake balls it was time to frost them. I thought this step would be easy peasy... I mean I read all the blogs after all, right? WRONG! This was not easy and in fact I never did end up getting them frosted. Instead I took the candy coating and a piping bag and piped stripes onto the cake pops. I thought they looked horrible, but everyone said they were good (Thank you to all my friends for protecting my ego) . So if there is anyone out there who would like to teach me the right way to frost these little buggers I would still love to learn (I still have the pan and all).

After all was said and done though it was a great day. Bean loved having all of the attention on her and loved opening up all of her presents. She got spoiled, just as every princess should on their first birthday. I think the thing she loved most of all was the special attention that her big brother gave her that day. Every time he saw her he would say "Happy Birthday" in his most enthusiastic preschooler voice, and give her a big hug and kiss. This mommy wants to believe that this was his way of showing his sister how much he loves her, but deep down I have a sneaking suspicion it was all so he could get on her good side so she wouldn't put up too much of a fuss when he wanted to "share" all of her new toys. Oh well, it was adorable and I had a blast watching them get along for a day.

I can not believe Bean has been mine for a year. This year has gone by so fast! She is really turning into the cutest little girl, and I have a feeling that the next few years are going to be a major adventure for us, but I can't wait!

So Here's the Deal...

Hello my loyal reader (hi Mom!)... Sorry I have taken quite the hiatus from the blogging world, but in my defense (again) life has been more than a little bit crazy the last few months. First off, I was in school. One more class down, and all of my time from January to April was taken up with reading, writing, and taking care of kids. I know I am not the only full time mom who is also a part time student, but I just have to say that it is one of the hardest things I have ever done in my life. My house did not get cleaned for months and I feel like I am now finally getting caught up with everything. Spring cleaning around here is in full swing- just in time for summer.

In much more interesting news both of my kids are now older. Sabrina turned one in April and I had so much fun throwing her a big Lalaloopsy birthday party. I feel that this momentous occasion should have a post of its own, so look for that later. Here is a little picture of the birthday princess to keep you happy until then.

(By the way... a special thank you to Aunt Mim for the AWESOME tutu)

Ben also had his birthday yesterday, and let me say I can not believe how fast these last four years have gone by. He has gone from a little baby to a big boy that loves superheroes and being just like his dad (which it is honestly insane how much he is just like his dad). His favorite present came in the form of a Spiderman webshooter (also) from his aunt Mim that shoots water. My house is now constantly soaked, but I am so glad he is having fun. He loves learning and can not wait to go to preschool in the fall (something that I am still trying to cope with). I don't know when he grew up, but it feels like I blinked and he was all of the sudden a kid.

Ben also got to play indoor soccer this year, which when you are three means standing around looking adorable, standing in the goal doing nothing, and most of all aimlessly wandering around the "field".

My babies are growing up so fast, and there are definitely days that I wish I could slow down time and make them stay little forever. On the other hand, I am so excited for the adventure ahead... They can grow up, but only a little.

Teeth, Trips, and Twenty Two Feet

A lot has happened in the time since my last blog post. We have been super busy with our annual trip to Washington, snow days, and a first for Sabrina!

I should start with our annual trip to Washington to visit my fabulous in laws. I have to say, that as rare as it is, I love my in laws. I do not think that I could get any luckier. I have a mother in law that is literally like a second mother to me, and loves my kids just about as much as I do! My father in law is also an amazing person, who is always there with a joke and always manages to put a smile on my face. I see so much of my husband in these two people, and it is great to spend time with them. The great thing about this trip is that Sabrina got to meet her Grandpa for the first time, as well as three uncles, one aunt, and one Great Grandma and Great Grandpa. I unfortunately was bad about taking pictures and only managed to get some of Sabrina meeting Grandpa for the first time.

I think it is pretty safe to say that it was love at first sight for both parties! We had a great week with family (that even included Mom and Dad getting to have an evening alone WITH NO KIDS!!!) 

Also big news in our neck of the woods, was a massive snow storm that hit about a week before Thanksgiving. I was less than thrilled about it, because I hate driving in the snow. Ben, on the other hand could not have been more thrilled to get to play in all the snow, and when asked how much snow there was he replied with a sweet "about twenty two feet". He was able to build his first snow man (with Daddy's help) and even got to watch the puppy try and chase the snow flakes

 The biggest news of all comes in the form of a little bitty tooth! That's right people, Sabrina got her first tooth just last week. It took her long enough and I have been swearing that it was coming in for about three months now. I know it is only one tooth and she still has so many more to go, but it is a start and as soon as she gets a few more she can start eating fabulous foods like spaghetti and pizza. For now we stick with the mushed up stuff and yogurt melts. She is growing up so fast and it seems like she has a new trick every day, between crawling and standing up on  furniture I feel like I can not keep up. It also comes as no surprise that she is just as stubborn as her Mom and Dad and will not let me look at the tooth for more that a nano second let alone take a picture of it, so there is no picture of the tooth (yet)!