coop {part one}

so... we're building a coop. a chicken coop. well... my dad and ryan are... i'm just the pinterest expert that presents pictures and ideas and color schemes. 

 i'm so excited!

she :)

she is 3.
she is smart. as in... you can't really outsmart her anymore. but you can bribe her with gum and lollipops.
she likes school. she likes nail polish. she likes going fast in the car.
she plays with her brother. she chases him around the kitchen and says, 'come on baby, come on' and he squeals and laughs.
she gets wild. and we get frustrated. she throws fits that are louder and bigger than she is. we watch her on her monitor with wide eyes.
she says sorry. she tucks her head when she pouts. she's overly particular about the color of... the hair tie, cup, shirt, shoes. oh her trustworthy purple shoes. you wouldn't know she owned anything else.
she asks about her grandparents. and loves her baby cousin. she can't wait to get the baby chicks. she asks to go camping at the beach. and then rattles off some obscure detail about our last trip that makes my mind spin.
she makes me proud. she makes me tear up when she talks about jesus. she told me flowers have nectar for birds and bees.
she is my blonde girl.

i'll do it myself

i've been reading a few blogs promoting stitch fix. i was intrigued. i signed up. waited. and when they were finally ready for me... i was not. 

i had been stalking stitch fix review blogs. these girls get a little kick back if someone signs up under their code, so naturally there are 500 girls hoping you'll do just that.

there are some girls who make the clothes look darling. i mean... model worthy girls. and their houses were gorgeous too! others look frumpy in their wrinkly fresh-out-of-the-box clothes and dirty bathroom mirrors. i can only assume i will lean towards this end of the spectrum.

and the prices. i understand it is a 'service' but until ryan opens 30 more shops or teachers make football star salaries, i can't justify an $88 scarf. that wasn't that cute. 

so... instead... style myself. when gap has a 40% off code. and free shipping. and returns. 

that i can do! 

i also grabbed two 'teacher' sweaters that will be perfect for next fall. and a hot pink cardigan. all of these treasures were significantly less than any stitch fix review total i read about. i also {shouldn't admit} i own gap items that are much older than my children. and still look great.

last year

last year the teachers put together this test prep video for the kids.

i'm testing and i know it 

our 2013 version comes out tomorrow. i love my coworkers.

april

a month {so far} in pictures

lovely lilac

 3 year old birthday presents

 the 18th month check-up asked if he could use a spoon. apparently not. 

 i turned... dare i say it? 30. 

 yay!

 and the next day... she turned 3.

 sprinkle pancakes and a fancy glass.

 a big girl bike from daddy

 and menchies. 

 a sleeping bag from gg and papa

 lake murray duck hunt

 a little fence building.

 and a lot of excitement!

 at the very moment i took this she was saying 

'i want waffles'... it was 4 in the afternoon

 read Gone Girl earlier this month. now this.

new bath activities. 

word of advice: get ready to seriously scrub... with bath cleaner and all.

easter 2013

the first thing i saw on facebook easter morning was an adorably dressed, smiling family.
here's mine:

       

this little thing had the time of her life... who doesn't enjoy sugar all.day.long?

and he eats chocolate eggs. tin foil and all. that sparkly diaper should be making its appearance any minute now. 

vacationing with kids

vacations with kids are a little less vacation'esqe' and a little more like a rite of passage. the man power involved in preparing, accommodating, and soothing small humans on vacation is daunting. to say the least. 

so when that tiny rascal was being crazier than normal, we kinda knew something 'had' to be wrong. we actually hoped something was wrong. or this wasn't going to be a joyous trip. and unluckily for him, he did have an ear infection. relief. there's medicine for that. and nightly cocktails for us. 

the trip was mostly successful. lots of trips to VGs. lots of days at the park. lots of sandy showers and baths. sunscreen, fits and tantrums, laughs, walks, sand-fly fears to overcome, juice boxes, seashells, books, and movie filled nap times.

niz kid doesn't like sleeping in the trailer. at all. he wakes in the wee hours. and there is absolutely no ignoring him. so at 4:30 this morning, while hunkered over his pack n' play, i felt a tad bit sorry for myself. like... what the heck happened to life vacations as i once knew them? and then... i felt sorry for the tent full of teenagers directly behind us. and then i thought no... this is a good life lesson in birth control. you're welcome.

we get many, many smiles from fellow campers while we walk. lots of... we use to bring our kids when they were little like that. and naturally i would ask... it does get better right? and they all assured me it would. 

here's hoping. 

{clearly it is not that bad. since we keep doing it!}

top :: spring break 2012

bottom :: spring break 2013