1 1/2 Years

Today is very special!  My baby boy is 18 months old today!

We celebrated by going to church {where we played in the nursery}, going out for tacos {where we got to eat outside and chit chat with some of our neighbors at the new house}, and playing in the pool {which was a special treat for Andrew's big day}!

Yes, I know it's a little chilly for the pool, but who can say no to these boys and their plea to play in the pool for the first time this year?!

{That's our friend Gabe from next door going first, Parker and then Andrew.}

And, while I still don't have my camera {please excuse the phone photos above}, I felt the need to document this monumental milestone in Andrew's life.  Eighteen months young is the age where they start talking more, growing faster, and doing things that the big boys do...like going down the slide to plunge into the water.  That's right, Andrew did it like a pro.  Just sayin', I've got a pretty cool kid who knows how to have some fun!

This is also the age where you stop giving their age in months, oh, except for Parker...who happens to be 56 months old today.  Okay, I'll do the math for you...he is 4 years and 8 months.

We've enjoyed this weekend so so so so much!  As soon as I get my camera back...watch out...pictures will be flying everywhere!

Happy birthday, little bubs {and big bubba}.  You both light up my life and I love you so much!

No Camera

While we've been busy celebrating Mother's Day, the last day of school, first climbs up the fort, planting a garden, riding bikes, birthday partying, and a first t-ball game I have been missing my camera.  I think its finally made its way back to Kansas and soon I will have everything I need to continue snapping photos of my family like the paparazzi.

In the meantime, I've been using mom's camera and it's been working great...only problem...I don't have my card reader or my USB cords to get all of my memories from the camera to my computer.  Most of you probably don't know that I spend a lot of time uploading photos.  Last year when I was working on the boy's photo books, I transferred more than 10,000 photos to Mixbooks from that year.

And, something I've realized in these past few weeks without a camera is that I haven't had the eagerness or the looming feeling that I've got to get inside and upload my photos.  It kinda feels good to know that I have to put it off and in a week or so I'll do it all.  But, be warned...I will be posting some major photo footage when I do get those photos off of the camera and onto the computer.  Just wait, you'll see.

Oh, by the way...I had numerous emails about my last post, but only one comment on the actual blog page, so my dear friend Joy {who followed instructions} is the lucky recipient of my latest book obsession.  I'm so glad too- I know she will love it!  Joy loves to read....probably like I enjoy my photos.  Love you girly!

Have a great weekend!

Happy Mother's Day

This morning I woke up to find this:

{Yes, I literally 'found it' as Parker had hidden it and wanted to play 'hot or cold' until I found it....sneaky little guy!}

And, not only do I love me some homemade cards, this card was perfect for another reason.  It was simple and it held the most important message inside.

The media recently has had a major focus on moms these days.  And, while I think they meant good to start with, I believe {purely my thoughts} what the media has done is taken some little 'motherhood issues' and blown them up to pit mom against mom...making ALL moms feel inferior.  In my book, that's the worst outcome imaginable.  Aren't moms supposed to have an invisible line that connects us all?  A line that whispers, "I am here for you and I will support you when you feel like no one else does."  The recent magazine articles and headlines such as, "Are you Mom enough?" are hurting us all and {other than this tiny paragraph I've just written} I am choosing to ignore all of the hype.

Why, you might ask?  Simply put: Because in my book, this is all that matters:

My kids don't care how long I breast fed them, their world knows that I go to work {almost} everyday, they don't judge me for my clothes, the way my home is decorated, and what kind of car I drive {although, Parker once told me he wanted a red car like Lightening McQueen}.  They don't care that the towels are folded perfectly in the closet or care if we have a huge home-cooked meal every night {honestly, they'd be happier with PB&J and homemade pizza every night}.  They don't know what Pinterest is and how many of those recipes or crafts I've actually completed and they don't care about how many 'likes' my Facebook photo has gotten.

They've got it right.  They care about playing games, snuggling, yummy snacks {okay, so they do care about food}, hugs, and get this, they care about FAMILY.  They care about all of this and, in the end, they think moms are like rainbows and butterflies and yellow flowers.

I love these boys of mine.

They make me a Mom.

This weekend, my only goal was to spend as much time possible with my boys and read from cover to cover this book that I bought myself a few weeks ago.  {It was my Mother's Day gift to myself...along with the new purse, shoes, pedicure...}

Kelle Hampton has a blog and it is amazing.  

I bought this book {off of Amazon} wanting to get a glimpse into the life of a strong mother and writer.  At times I feel like the weakest mother on the planet and I wanted this book to 'pump me up' almost like a pep talk to get myself going on those days when I feel like I'm not cutting it.

And, in light of the recent media hype about mothers, I couldn't have started reading this book at a better time.  Hampton writes about family, friends, and her children in a way that pulls you in and captures the very meaning of motherhood, sisterhood, and the value we all have {and in my case, have been taking advantage of} in our daily lives.  

I started this book on Friday night and I couldn't put it down.  It not only 'pumped me up', but it gave me the exact opposite feeling of the recent Time Magazine cover...it made me feel secure and, more than ever, it put me back in the 'super mom' category, without asking if I was mom enough.  

Simply put, all moms must read this book.

So, in honor of the 'mommy system' {sorta like the buddy system}, I want to pass this book on to one of you other moms out there.  And, all I ask in return, is that you keep passing it on and continue to support one another.

And because today is the day to celebrate moms, I want you to tell me: "What is your most favorite part in the role of Mom?"

Mine: Snuggles and kisses and homemade cards and playing outside and bedtime stories and little socks and...okay...I'll stop there.

Give me an answer by Wednesday and I'll let Andrew in on his first contest to find out who gets the book!

Happy Mother's Day!!

{Oh, yes, I had a wonderful Mother's Day!  Thank you for asking!  I'll fill you in on all of the celebrations we had this week in a couple of days...I'm off to get the massage Brandon promised to give me this morning!  I am one lucky Momma!}

Girlfriends

I think I mentioned in my last post that I have the most wonderful boys, but have I ever talked about my amazing girlies?  There are too many for sure- I have friends that are amazing mothers, amazing artists, beautiful on the inside and out, and they are the best friends a girl could ask for.

You know those friends who cross the boundary of time and distance?  Well, my girlies, they tackle it and throw time and distance to the ground.

On Friday, I got to spend the day with my most wonderful, amazing, beautiful friends.  And, we did what every girl loves to do...we got our nails prettied up and we did a little shopping....

We gossiped, we laughed, we talked about everything from marriage and babies to hot pink underwear.  We ate the most delicious salad {what girl doesn't like a huge, delicious salad bar?}, we shopped, and we even bought fruit from a super hot cowboy!  Don't ask, but let me just say it's the most delicious fruit I've ever had.  In.  My.  Life.

We enjoyed every second of our time together...and although one friend is back overseas, one is back up north, and one is just a few miles up the road, the memories of Friday will hold us over til the next time...because no matter how long it takes, it's always too long and our time together is always too short.

Thanks for an amazing day, girls.  You're all so dear to my heart - I can't wait until the next time!

First Flight

Well, we survived our first flight with two kids and they both did wonderfully!  And, although this trip was not a 'vacation', but more of a sad trip, both of the boys enjoyed their flight {Parker's 3rd time flying and Andrew's first flight!} and our trip turned out to be good.

{Andrew was pretty sleepy in this photo and ended up sleeping through both flights!}

{Parker was giddy with excitement throughout the entire flight and is such a sweet boy!}

Our trip was smooth and uneventful, except for the fact that Brandon forgot to pack underwear and my first stop was at Gap to get him some undies.  {Yes, go ahead and laugh at my husband...I remembered to pack everything for 3 people, while he forgot his own underwear.}

We visited with family and celebrated the life of Poppy.  We shopped a little and ate tons of food.  And, while I tried to document our moments in Colorado with photos, somehow I forgot to pack the camera back up and it is still enjoying some time in the mountains....so, sadly, I have no other photos to share with you today.  This is what happens when you have to be at the Denver airport at 8:30 am....you are bound to forget something!

I am so proud of my boys for being such wonderful travelers.  I couldn't have asked for an easier trip and I owe that to the boys.  While most moms probably believe their kids make life complicated and harder, I've learned that it's the opposite with my boys.  They make my life joyful and {most of the time} pretty easy.

Not to mention, I had some pretty awesome helpers.

{This is Parker and my two nieces- you know the phrase, "It takes a village...," well, it's true and I am so thankful to have had these two cousins with us.  They mean the world to my little guys!}

When it came time to leave, Parker was disappointed that we didn't get to go 'climbing in the mountains', but I reassured him that in just a couple of short months, we would be back...in the mountains, with the camper, and there would be lots of climbing to do.  Although we won't be going out west to visit Poppy, we will be heading out to make our annual trip to Colorado in July and we can't wait for it!

Thank you for hosting us for this short trip, Uncle John and Aunt Jan, Grandma and Papa, we appreciate EVERYTHING you do for us and are excited to see you again soon!

Parker's Question

This morning Parker asked me: "Mom, why do people have to be sick to go to Heaven?"  Stopped me in my tracks.  My answer: "Well, we don't always have to be sick, sometimes we just get too old...like Poppy or Grandpa John.  But, sometimes our bodies stop working and that's when we get to go to Heaven."

Parker's response: "What is Heaven like?"

Me: "I think it's a beautiful place, but I've never been there before, so I can't tell you exactly what it's like."

What would you have said?

New Photo

Thank you, Courtney, for taking our family photos the other day.  You are amazing!  Check out Courtney's website or Facebook Page and call her up to take some beautiful photos of your family!