Christmas Pictures 2015

As in the years past we continued our tradition of taking Christmas pictures with Dustin's family. This time though instead of having them taken in our home we traveled to Gettysburg and had them taken at a beautiful hotel run by a family friend. And another family friend took them for us.

We took group shots,

Wrapping Up 2015

If my end goal for 2015 was to break my record for longest time away from blog updating I think I've done it. My last entry was for the boy's 1st and 2nd birthday party in August. But in my defense it is almost as those birthdays changed our life. It seemed the boys woke up, looked me in the eyes and said "you think this last year was busy? You've seen nothing yet Mom!" And I've been doing my best to keep up with our busy, running, exploring, climbing, learning, jumping, adventurous toddler boys. You may think I've just used way too many adjectives but if you've met my boys, you know they are all accurate!

The Boy’s Birthday Jam Session

Everett and Reid’s birthdays are eight days apart and so, because it just made sense, we decided that their parties would be combined into one. And this year as the boy’s birthdays approached and I browsed through Pinterest for birthday party ideas I kept coming back to two things. One, the boys love, love music and two, the boys love the show “The Fresh Beat Band” about four friends who have a band. It’s very colorful and full of musical instruments and songs. So I decided to go with a Jam Session party theme basing it on the colorful show they love but personalizing it for Everett and Reid. This also worked out because it was easy to stick within our small budget since I was simply buying colorful paper ware, all very inexpensive at Walmart, and due to Dustin and the boy's love of music, had many musical things around the house. One of the best privileges of being a mom is when you have the opportunity to do really cool things for your kids and for me, birthday parties are near the top of that list. This party was a blast to plan, I don’t think I’ve ever had so much fun planning anything. Everett’s first birthday party last year was fun but planning something that I knew for sure my boys would love made it all the more enjoyable to put together.

Reid’s 1st Birthday Letter

Dear Reid,

I simply cannot believe that you are one today. How is it that it has been a year since your little body was growing inside of me and I thought you were never going to make your way into the world? Yet once your little mind was made up you most certainly did! And from the very moment you made your way into this big, wide world you have shown us your spunky, nobody is going to stop me personality. I don’t think I have ever met someone who is as determined as you are. From the time you noticed him, you have set your mind to keep up with your big brother and sat, crawled, pulled yourself up and walked way before we were ready for you too! And at one, you already have a vocabulary and have no problem letting those around you know what you want or when to “op” (stop).

Everett’s 2nd Birthday Letter

Dear Everett,

You are two! I am not sure how or when that happened yet here we are. This past year has been so much fun as you are learning and growing so much and we are learning more and more about you. You are our cautious one who hesitates and assess each new thing, sometimes you need your dad or I and a little push, but as long as we are by your side you are normally up for giving something a go. And after you realize you can do it, with a focused mindset you try on your own and the triumph on your face as you realize you did it is such a delight to see! You can do anything you put your mind to Everett and I hope as you grow your dad and I can help you see and believe it for I know you will do great things!

Approaching the Toddler Years

A year ago I was weeks away from celebrating my firstborn’s first birthday and welcoming my second child into the world. And though I was very done with being pregnant and was ready to meet my second little man I was also unsure if I was ready to step into the world of two under two. Somehow, now a year later, I can say I survived that crazy and sleepless first year. I made it through, even doing it on my own at times when Dustin had to travel for work. I’m not sure how that happened, only that if I did not have such a large support system I would not still be alive today. Just kidding, I would be of course, I firmly believe that one of the gifts God gave women was the ability to “just do it”. In circumstances that seem near impossible or are just plain hard, somehow we manage to just do what needs to be done. Now, that doesn’t mean I haven’t had my share of meltdowns. I’ve called trusted friends in tears, I’ve withdrawn from the world when I felt overwhelmed, I’ve had ridiculous arguments with my husband simply because I was too tired to be reasonable and I’ve even wondered why I decided to have children. Yes, I’ve been there, done that.

Well Hello Paradise

It’s no secret that Dustin travels and he has traveled to and experienced many unique places. His most recent trip was to Hawaii but this time, thanks to accumulated airline miles, I was able to go too! The boys stayed with both sets of Grandparents to be indulged and spoiled and thanks to this they didn’t seem to miss us too much. In fact I’m pretty sure we missed them much more than they missed us! Dustin was scheduled to be there for two weeks and I flew out to join him making a total of ten days for us to enjoy the island. There are ton of pictures in those post, none of which I have edited, but even if I did they still don’t do the place justice!