My weekend away in Instagram photos {York, PA. 2012}

I really wanted to have Ady’s birthday posted by now or even Halloween, but sadly I haven’t gotten to those pictures yet.  I am actually sitting in the car right now while we travel to San Antonio for Thanksgiving.  We are having a non traditional holiday and spending it at Sea World.  So I get to sit here and enjoy the drive and spend time on my computer.  Which is the ONLY reason I like road trips.  My husband loves them while I feel suffocated.  Somehow we make it work.  :)

My new favorite thing these days is Instagram.  The quality of the images are not the best, but the picture is done and a short story about our day is shared so quickly.  Right now that is working for me.  So those of you that follow me on Instagram have probably already seen these photos.  Sorry y’all.  I’ll make up for it later.

A few weeks ago I hopped on a plane all by myself and headed to Pennsylvania to visit my dearest friend.  I couldn’t wait!  We hadn’t seen each other in 10 months.  Both of us could not believe it had been that long.  We are used to seeing each other at least every 6 months.  Sometimes life gets too busy and time gets away from us.  Thank goodness for free air mileage and a husband who is more than willing to party it up with the kids while I am away. 

 

Even the airport with out kids is a vacation. 

Usually when you visit a place you have never been before you want to go out and explore everything you possibly can.  This time all I really wanted to do was hang out at home with Andrea and just be us.  Andrea’s home is my home away from home.  I feel like I am in the comfort of  my own home with out all of the hustle and bustle of my real life.  It was the perfect vacation.  That is when you know you have found a very best friend.  When you travel across the country and what makes you the happiest is spending time together at home.  Staying up late catching up, watching our favorite shows, sitting on the computer or playing with our phones side by side.  Yep, the simple things make us happy!

We did get out and go to the Eastern Market where they buy most of their produce.  Some produce that I haven’t even seen before.  And to the farm to buy fresh milk.  It was a really fun and different experience to see how parts of life in Pennsylvania are so different.  In a good way.  I saw the Amish working the market.  We stayed for lunch and had the best chicken pot pie.  It was a good day.

 

I was spoiled at home with yummy treats like homemade funnel cake. 

I had my own personal hair dresser.  Sweet Tessa!

 

My kids would call me to say goodnight.  They can’t get enough of face time!

I loved every second I spent with one of my favorite families.  We are blessed to be able to share in each others lives. 

  

Thank you for having me and thank you to my hubby for letting me go! 

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving everyone!

Friendship

Friendship has been on my mind so much the last couple of months.  I have been thinking about how blessed I have been through out my life by my friends.  I can remember growing up feeling like  friends were everything to me.  To a tween/teenager… they kind of are!  That is where my blessings come in.  I have always had the very best of friends.  Friends that looked out for me and had my best interests at heart.  Friends that I could look up to and who were always there for me to offer advise and words of encouragement. When I would be tempted to make the wrong decisions, my friends were there to talk me out of it.  Sometimes we would make the wrong decisions together, but mostly we were really great kids!  That is a huge blessing!  Especially now that I can see things through a parents perspective first hand.  I know how important friends are.  I especially know how important GOOD friendships are.   I hope and pray for my kids to choose wisely who their friends are and always remember to BE a good friend. 

Friends can be your second family.   Of course my family has had a huge impact on who I have become and the ways I have grown through out my life, but my friends have been there to teach me new things and to give me a different perspective on life at times.  Just like my family, they have helped me become the person I am today.  Everywhere I have moved and at every stage in life, I have been blessed with meaningful friendships that have made me stronger and taught me something new about myself.  I think that is a wonderful blessing! 

I spend a lot of time with the young girls at church from the ages of 12-18.  I see how they struggle with friendships at times.  Everybody does.  I even remember having hard times, but mostly I remember all of the good.  And then I wonder why I was so blessed.  I have always wondered that.  What did I do to deserve such great friends?  I don’t think I necessarily did anything to deserve such great friends.  I just know that it was and has always been a blessing in my life.  Mostly, I am just grateful for my experiences and all of the things I have learned; most importantly being able to recognize the Lord’s hand in my life. 

Speaking of friends…I thought I would share some pictures.  Yes, I am STILL working on cleaning out the millions (maybe not millions, but it feels like it) of pictures on my computer.  Some of this is old news by now, but I am giving my pictures and thoughts a home and that makes me happy. 

Here are a few of the recent things we have done with our friends.

The Swenson family came to visit us for New Years.  This is a friendship that I could not do with out.  Gosh, I can’t even imagine honestly.  My heart breaks just thinking about it.  Andrea and I have been BFF’s since our newly married days in Logan.  We have been learning, and growing and sharing and having fun together ever since then.  We hit it off right away.  We have pretty much been doing and thinking the same things ever since.  Our brains think so much alike and we can relate to each other in every way.  Sometimes it is weird how much alike we are.  Like both of us having baby #4 just 9 days apart.  Both being beautiful little girls.  We are too lucky!

Here are some snap shots of our weekend.  Our kids have so much fun together and consider themselves cousins. 

I am also lucky in the fact that I get to live by one of my very best friends I grew up with.  Sara and I were inseparable.  Except when we had to share each other with our boyfriends. :)  Sara married her high school sweetheart who also happened to be an awesome friend of mine.  They move around every two years for Christian’s job and this last move they ended up in Texas.  Texas is huge and so is Houston.  We were so excited when we found out they were going to be able to live right by us.  We live in the same neighborhood, attend the same ward at church and our kids go to the same school.  Talk about a dream come true.  When you were little girls or making college plans with your friends, who didn’t dream of living by their childhood best friend?!  We know it is short lived and won’t last for that much longer, but we are definitely enjoying the time together.    

We went to their house for the annual Super Bowl party. 

These are Kaylee’s two best friends.  I love watching her with her friends.  It reminds me of myself growing up.  I am so glad that she has made real connections.  This is the start to friendships she will remember forever.  It is especially fun for me because they are daughters of some of my own BFF’s.   One of them is Sara’s daughter and the other is Tami’s daughter, my Texas BFF. It makes getting together that much more fun for all of the families.

Here are some snapshots of our night.

Our next little (actually BIG) outing with our friends is a cruise with Tami and Tony!

We can hardly wait!!  This will be me and Casey’s very first cruise.  The four of us are leaving the kiddos with grandparents and making a run for it.  Almost a week from now, actually.  The count down is on!  The count down  started over 6 weeks ago.  I can’t believe the time is already here.

We were so glad when the Dickamore’s moved here.  We invited them over one day for family night and everybody hit it off.  We have SO much fun with them and hang out any chance we get!  Tami and I occasionally do lunch dates during the week and swap Kai and Ady around between the two of us.  We are both their mommas.  The nursery leader at church a couple of weeks ago told me she actually wasn’t sure which one of us was who’s mom.  I laughed at that.  Kai and Ady have such a cute friendship.  They are getting married when they grow up.  We have already decided.  Tami and I were pregnant together so Kai and Ady have a special bond!  They were born for each other. :)  Let’s not forget that Drew’s first crush was on Aliya, their cute little girl and of course Taeya is Kaylee’s BFF.  Our Houston experience would definitely not be the same with out the Dickamore family!   

We love our friends.  We are so blessed to  have such wonderful friends near and far and love and appreciate each of you.  Each one of you have made an impact in our lives one way or another.  Even those of you we aren’t able to see often or talk to as much as we would like are thought of often.  Friendship is a gift from God.

8 is Great – Part 2 {The Party}

Soooooooo…I have been super busy planning my sons birthday party and now that it is over, it is time for  me to share with you my sons Movie Themed birthday party.  I had so much fun preparing for it and the kids had more than their fair share of fun at the party.  It started out with the birthday invitation which I threw together with my digital scrapbooking embellishments and Photoshop.

  

I also made this movie poster in Photoshop.

I had it printed and framed as part of the table scape.

 

We even rolled out the red carpet. (Borrowed from a very good friend.)

 

We had tickets hanging from the back of the chairs.  Once the kids arrived, we sent them in to the kitchen to find their chairs and claim their tickets. 

(The popcorn bin, tickets, stars and balloons were purchased at Party City.)

Then the fun at the Concession stand started.

(The popcorn boxes, hot dog trays and straws were purchased at Hobby Lobby and the clear containers are from Dollar Tree.)

We served popcorn, treats, soda, hot dogs and pizza.  Casey worked behind the counter.  He had to fight a few of them off. (wink, wink). The kids kept coming back for more, but once their tickets were gone that was it.  We didn’t want anyone going home sick from junk food overload, or getting sick on our watch. :)

They watched their movie box car style.

We found this idea in the Family Fun Magazine. 

 

Casey and the boys were in charge of this part of the party planning.  They went on a hunt for bigger sized boxes as well as shoe boxes.  The boys painted the front of the cars and then glued black paper plates on the side for wheels.  The shoe box is stapled to the side of the bigger box to hold the concession treats.  (the magazine showed this being attached with big clips, but we didn’t have any on hand)  This worked out so good.  It kept the boys entertained and sitting in ONE spot while watching the movie.  That was all I could hope for.

After the movie it was time to celebrate with cupcakes and presents.

(The party hat was purchased at Hobby Lobby on MAJOR clearance.  A couple of bucks if I remember right.)

To go with our movie theme, we had popcorn cupcakes. 

Here is a closer look.

The idea is from the Family Fun Magazine.  If you want to know how to make these, click here.  They were so easy and such a fun addition. My kids helped me make them.

For party favors we had #8 balloons tied to a popcorn container.  Inside was  popcorn, treats and tickets to take home.

(Popcorn containers were from Target in the $aisle. )

Since I am not a mom who can invite the whole school class to a birthday party, Jake invited some of his best friends. He has some pretty cute friends, 

who had a lot of fun!  I would rate this party a huge success from a parents point of view as well as the partiers.  :)

Random Wednesday

 

Weekend + 3 days  = Visit from BFF’s

Krysta + Andrea = Inspiration

Old Armoire + Shabby green paint = Awesome new piece of furniture

Surrounded by Love + Wonderful Memories = Amazing Mother’s Day

Crazy + Beautiful Mess = 8 kids under 9

Baseball Game + Movie + Golf = Happy Husbands

Late nights + Naps = Vacation

A Girls day out shopping + Husbands watching kids = Awesome Mother’s Day present

Being on time + Giving talk in Sacrament Meeting = Spiritual learning experience

Kettle Cooked Jalepeno Chips x 2 = Yummy, yum

Sugar Cookies + Melt in your mouth frosting = Can’t get enough

Tuesday + Moes Kids = Ditch School

All dressed up + Charming Farm = Got to play photographer

Wednesday + Company gone = Sad :(

Random Wednesday

Ten random happenings in my world these days. (no particular order)

1.  I am trying really hard to go to bed on time (11:30) but it just doesn’t happen.  1:00 is normal and has been for awhile.  That is not a good thing.

2.  Ady says mama…melt my heart!

3.  I have to give a talk on Sunday in Sacrament Meeting.  My topic is on being Instruments in the Hands of God.

4.  I have been bitten by the organizing bug!  I am dying to tear my closets and cupboards apart before school is out and the kids are home for the summer. 

5. Being over 30 years old is starting to catch up to me.  I am switching to Diet Coke or no Coke at all.  I hate that I have to do that!  I am trying to watch what I eat a little more and I need to start exercising.  Oh yeah…and go to sleep earlier.

6.  We are looking forward to a visit from our Arkansas friends (family) this weekend.  Can’t wait!!

7.  I am struggling with Drew right now…disciplining that is.  He cries over everything and gets mad over everything.  Nothing seems to be just right.  I do love tokens though and would highly recommend this to anyone.

8.  It is this time of year again.

We are on our third week of daily swim practice for the swim team.  All is well.  Kaylee and Jake are loving it and doing awesome!  Kaylee is going to start competing in the butterfly.   

9.  When swim season comes it means this is what my laundry room looks like everyday and will until summer is over.

(Except add 3 more suits and 3 more towels.)   

10.  It also means lots of ponytails for me.  It means Ady gets a bottle once a day or I feed her in the car.  It means super easy dinners.  It means hanging out with neighborhood friends.  It means I finally need to get smart and invest in one of those hand held fans!

Little Miss Ady – 5 Months

Since my baby is really almost 6 months old, I decided it was time for me to get this journaling done.  I don’t understand how time always sneaks by me.

Casey bought me a plane ticket to Arkansas for part of my birthday present. 

Ady and I spent a long weekend with 2 of our favorite girls. 

I’ll give you one guess??????

                Andrea and Tess

It was a pretty awesome vacation!  Being in a place that feels like home, with people you love, but away from  your own daily routine and responsibilities.  I came back home feeling refreshed and ready to tackle motherhood again.

We kept ourselves plenty busy making a million and one things.  We laughed at the end of the weekend.  We had all of this time together to do pretty much any type of project we wanted and it all had to do with our kids; mainly the babies.  We shopped thrift stores for the kids.  I outfitted them in some really cute spring and summer clothes for super cheap.  I am hooked on thrifting now!  We accessorized onsies, made tons of baby legs (leg warmers) shoes and hair accessories.  Sometimes we get a little carried away.  We can’t help but feed off each other and then one thing leads to the next.  There is no end!  

The girls are so cute together.  

They still have the same little personalities.  Tess is so laid back and easy going.  Calm and content would be good words for her.  Ady is seriously the opposite.  She is so interested in everything around her.  She is already into things and her mind is always twirling with ideas.  You can see it in her eyes.  She has a spirit for life and she thinks she has no time for sleep!  

 

I love her for who she is.

For her zest for life and always being on the go.  For keeping me on top of my game.  I never know what to expect.  She has helped me to enjoy life in a different way and helped me learn to let things go a little more.  She has me wrapped around her finger. 

This was a big month for Ady:

*She went on her second plane ride.

*She started grabbing her feet.

*She learned to roll from back to tummy.

*She sleeps on her stomach now. (I find her like this every time I go check on her.)

*She scoots all over the place.

*She gets up on all 4’s and rocks back and forth and then jumps forward to get what she wants.

*She loves her backrubs.

*She has started sleeping better at night.  We made her cry it out a little.

*She still loves to nurse, but is getting interested in real food.  She watches us like a hawk when we eat.

 

Here is her most recent picture:

 

I know I am a biased mom, but I think she just gets cuter and cuter!

Spending Time

This past weekend we spent time with our friends/family in Arkansas.  The Swenson’s might as well be our family.  Drew swears that they are his cousins.  I heard him and Jake arguing about this before we left.  I love that he thinks they really are his cousins!  We had a great excuse to take time off and spend a long weekend with them.  It was Tessa’s blessing weekend.  We were there to share in her special day…since we think she’s pretty special!

Andrea and I snuck away with the babies for one day and spent time antiquing.  We both share this love.  She has found several fun stores and I couldn’t wait to check them out.  The thing is…we only got through one of them.  It was HUGE!  We spent 5 hours in the store and could have easily spent another 2.

Do you want to see my junk….I mean treasures?? 

 

Since then, I have been spending time doing laundry… and nursing kids back to health.  We caught the flu bug.  Drew threw up literally as were walking out the door from the Swenson’s.  We made quite the exit!  Luckily he was fine on the drive home.  Then it spread to Kaylee.  She is on her third day home from school.  Hopefully the sickness will stop there.  I’m ready for the Winter to be over.  

Kids home sick = Non productive week…grrrrrrrrr!

I did get to play with my treasures a little bit late last night.

The sewing basket, that is now being used as a magazine/book rack (since I don’t sew) added a fun pop of color in this corner.

The clock…

found it’s home on my fireplace mantle.

This cake cover hides treats underneath.  Out of sight, out of mind…not really. 

Right now you would find peanut butter bars hiding under there.  They are my new favorite!

That’s all I got to.  I have plans for the other things.  It’s in the works.  So many projects floating around in my head.  Not all decorating ones.  I just wish I could spend time getting some of them accomplished.  Wish me luck!