recap on a very full weekend of celebrations...

Thank you all for your birthday wishes last friday.  Man did I feel special!  I had such a great day. It started with sleeping in (after Eden had been up until 1 am teething... Boo!)  I didn't wake up until 915a and Kit was on the kiddos for breakfast.  They got doughnuts and smoothis and we had a great morning just hanging out.  I did not get our of pjs until after 1200p!

Kit got me new running shoes.  I LOVE them!  They are so comfortable!

(My last pair of running shoes were purchased in 2007... Yep, it was time.)

Then I headed off for a day by myself.  I went thrift shopping and found some really great little treasures:

(my wedding china tea cups for a 1/4 of the price!!!)

Then I just sat in the coffee shop of Barnes and Noble, and I talked to my sister on the phone:

Then we got to have a date night thanks to Kit's parents!  They were in town for our niece's first birthday and so they watched the kids while we had a fun packed evening:

We went to true Food at Fashion Island and then shopping at Anthropologie.  It was tasty food and I bought a coconut milk and mango candle.  I love it!

Then we went for dessert at Sprinkle Ice Cream in Newport.  It was really good.  We got the dark chocolate and rocky road ice cream in the vanilla waffle cones.  Man, what a fun way to end and evening!

It was a really special birthday and I felt so refreshed and celebrated!

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On Saturday, we headed to Redlands to celebrate my oldest nephew's birthday.  His birthday is June 6th and mine is the 7th.  He was born in the evening and I got to be with him at midnight when he was getting his first bath and hearing tests and all that good stuff, so it felt like we shared a birthday.  I like to remind him that no matter how old he gets, he's still that little guys that I remember.  (As a 10 year old, you can imagine how much he LOVES that♥.)

We celebrated at a pool party with pizza.  Kit had to work so I was manning both kiddos in the pool.  Thank goodness for life vests and helpful family!

Eden had this vest on until she realized that she couldn't suck her thumb too, then it was a meltdown.

 So we went without it and she worked on he kicks and going under.  She did great!

We wrapped my nephews present with duck tape and Ryder helped.  He couldn't wait to give it to him and open it!

 It was Pokemon cards.  Ryder did not want to give them up.  My nephew was so cute about it and let Ryder hold them for a REALLY long time.  Sheesh...

 I can't believe he is 10! 

I could not love this kid more!

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On Sunday we got to celebrate our niece Staley's first birthday. My sister-in-law is so creative and she just thought of every detail!  I just have to brag on how creative she is!  

They created a photo wall using balloons and pallets:

 Staley eating her cake:

Eden being such a lady with her party straws:

Getting ready for the straw was another story:
(She was NOT going to miss that straw.  She is my daughter...)

 The Taco Man did the food.  SO good!

 Eden pretty much had a beach in her diaper when we came home:

Deconstruction of the balloon wall:

 

The family picture:

It was a wonderful weekend, getting to celebrate with people that we love♥!

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Today is my birthday!  The things I have planned today include some alone time to Barnes and Noble and thrift store shopping, time with my babies and a date night with Kit.  I am really excited about this weekend!  Tomorrow we are celebrating my nephews 10th birthday and on Sunday we are celebrating our niece's first birthday.  I am really excited for all the family time that we will have.  I can't wait!  Have a great weekend my friends!♥

this is really happening...

Yesterday, when the seat came in the mail, he immediately used it to go pee.  He went!  He was so proud of himself... and we are so proud of HIM!

Yep, this is happening.  Ryder is a little tentative so we are taking it slow. Please say a prayer for patience and understanding.  We need all the help we can get!

sanity in the form of family

My cousin Melissa brought her babies over yesterday for a playdate and we had so much fun! Being with people that I love brings me a little bit of sanity in what can feel like a whole lot of craziness, for which I am so thankful... Our conversations range from marriage (and our amazing husbands), cooking, motherhood, care for our families, what we are struggling with, all while laughing ourselves silly.  (She is THE FUNNIEST person I know...)  I LOVE doing life with her and I am so glad that she lives pretty close!

 baby Ava:

Trying to get a picture with little people is REALLY hard:

Melissa, 

I could not love you more and I am so thankful that you are in my life.  How good it does my soul to spend time with you!

I love that our kids will grow up together. 

Thank you for being one of my first friends!

our little piece of crazy

I have had so many conversations with people recently about having little kiddos.  The consistent theme is this:

1. It goes so fast and will be over before you know it

2. People wish that they could have gone back and enjoyed it more, instead of being so worried and exhausted from trying to do it perfectly.

It just makes you think.  I realize how much I appreciate our babioes and how simple our lives are right now.  Where it is SO frustrating to constantly cleanup messes and change diapers, I am loving that our schedule is our own, no restraints, we can do what we want and fill our days as we choose.  there is freedom in that!  Playdates and little adventures... I want to take advatage of this time because it will be over before I know it and I will miss the days where Rdyer wants to have lots of kisses before bedtime, or where he wants to help us and be with us and crawl in bed with us in the morning.  

So to help me remeber what these days are like, here sia little run down of our little piece of crazy:

630a: Rdyer wakes up and asks for iPad time.  If he gets it, he does not get it during Eden's nap time.

700a: Eden wakes up, iPad goes away and both kids come into bed to get some snuggles with Kit before he has to get up and get ready for work

715a: Breakfast at the table with our question cards and music.  (Usually our favortie worship playlist.)

745a: Cleanup the bacon, oatmeal, and milk spills and wipe the highchair down for the first time of the day.

815a: Kit heads off to work and Ryder HAS to shut his door and get a curbside kiss.

815-830: Diapers and clothes changed and toy time starts.  I will pull out potato heads or the play farm or something that they can do together.  Today it was cars and books.

930a: Morning nap for Eden.  Ryder and I work on his alphabet puzzle and Magnadoodle.  This is when we will work on either our letters, numbers or colors or shapes.  We will also work on our speech homework.  Eden sleeping makes it SO much easier!

 1000a: I ordered a potty seat, and the book "Once upon a potty" and present for our nephews upcoming  birthday party.  We then watch you tube videos on potty training.  Ryder is getting more and more interested.

Rdyer takes his remote control motorcycle outside.  He just loves being outside! 

Then we get a stack of books and Ryder and I read together while I make a grocery list for errands when Eden wakes up.  It's a good time for a snacks too:

No thank you apple skins:

1100a: Eden wakes up and wants to get into reading time:

"Make a silly face.":

I love these babies.  On this particular day Ryder was really sweet and not too rough with her.  He just wants to play with her and when she wants to do something else, you can tell he is bummed...

1145a: I have a meal plan for the week with my grocery list so we head to the store:

These carts make shopping so much nicer!

The kids were bumed because I was going pretty fast and I stopped to take the picture.  BOO!  I can already see it.  This will be the look if they are ever pulled over for speeding...

We swing by Target to get a prescription and motrin too.  The kids are total champs!

1230p: We pull up into our driveway and this is what I see:

(I've never seen this before.  They can finally reach!)

1245p: Unload groceries, makes lunches, fold and put away a laundry load and start dinner.  The kids get to pick a 30 min show.  Rdyer picked a couple of the Pixar shorts from Vol. 2.  Eden was cool with that♥.

They finish lunch I move Eden in her high chair to the kitchen and Ryder comes to help me make dinner:  Depending on the dinner, Ryder will help me.  He LOVES helping in the kitchen

215p: Both kiddos head for a nap.  I use this time to clean up the floors and left over lunch.  I catch up on emails with friends, planning playdates, run laundry loads through, get the house feeling good.  Then I sit and read blogs, edit photos, work on our family's posts.

I take 20 minutes to put my feet up, sometimes I doze.  It's really nice...

420p: Ryder wakes up from his nap and he helps me make banana bread for our playdate the next day with our cousins.
(Since Napa, Ryder has been waking up in such a funk that Kit is not here... Poor kiddo just wants him here 24/7.  Who am I idling, so do I...)

When he turned the mixer on, something got in his eye.  
He then spent the next hour on our couch with a cool pack on his eye.  He was so out of sorts that we cancelled riding bikes with our neighbors.  I was so sad for him.
445p: Eden wakes up from her nap.  She gets a diaper change and just wanders around the house and always lands on emptying her board book shelf and the kids dish drawer.  Such favorites for this girl!
450p: I send Kit a text to make sure that he is leaving on time. It's my sanity to know that he is at least on his way.
I finish laundry and final assembly of dinner while Ryder lays with his cool pack drinking milk.
I get a text from my friend Ang that baby Seth has arrived!  I cry and get all excited and I can't wait to meet him!
(Angelina and I have been texting since the night before and I am so happy that this little guy is FINALLY here!♥)
500p: The table is all ready to eat when Kit gets home:

Banana bread is in the oven. Enchiladas are ready and the salad is assembled.  Now it's just chilling with the kiddos.  Ryder is still in a funk so I am trying to be present but give him space, a dance that we do on what feels like a regular basis... Sheesh!

Due to ear infections, being out of town and teething, there have been several nights over the last few weeks where Eden would NOT let me put her down. Those are really rough seasons because I feel like I can't do dinner the way I want to.
515p: I fold and put away laundry and do a quick scour on our bathroom sink and shower while I wait for the food to cook.

615p: Kit gets home.  We are ALL elated! Immediate wrestling commences.
625p: We sit down to dinner.  Kit and I talk about how the day went.  Updates on friends from work.  He asks Ryder about his day and what the highlights were.  Ryder loved making the banana bread, but didn't like getting something in his eye.
715p: Eden gets in the bath.  I start cleaning up dinner.

  Ryder and Kit simultaneously go plant our four new pepper plants.  More on that another time.
800p: The house is clean and ready for a quiet evening.  Eden is given Motrin and teether gel and put in her crib.  (Molars have been so bad for our girl!)  We pray her life verse from Zephaniah 3:17 over her every night.
Kit is on Ryder detail, per Ryder's request.  They barter about "one more kiss" and "stay one more minute" and "I need water"... Apparently he comes by it honestly.  My parents said I did the EXACT same thing.
830p: Both kids are in bed.  Eden is a little fussy but very sleepy.

840p: Kit pulls out his computer to tackle some work stuff.
I do my core exercise. It always feels so good!
900p: Kit and I talk about work and how we are feeling about things and what happened in our day. I am so thankful for the perspective he has.  I love his vulnerability and honesty... We then talk about patio coverings that we want to put up in the back yard.  We have so much fun dreaming together.
1020p: Shower and get ready for bed.
1105p: I'm in bed with my book. 
I'm excited for what tomorrow holds...
I love our little piece of crazy, because it's ours.♥
What a blessing each day is and my prayer is that I learn to truly appreciate it and all of it's moments the good and the bad...

getting our back yard ready for summer

We have been getting our back yard ready for our summer months and it has been feeling so good to make the outside feel like there is more living space.  There are a few things that were on our list to do before June and we have been excited to get them checked off our list.  Here is what we wanted/needed to do in the back that were our top priority:

1. Spray for spiders/insects

2. Get a new spa cover for our jacuzzi

3. Replace our broken umbrellas for shade

We sprayed a few weeks ago and we have not seen spiders which has been so great for the kids.  We get black widows and to have them  pretty much gone makes me relax so much more when we are outside!

We love our jacuzzi.  We use it hot in the winter months and we use it cold when it gets hot.  It is the perfect size for the kiddos!  It was given to us shortly after we moved into the house and we only put about $50 worth of supplies for hooking up the electrical etc...

It was really bad:

(I mean REALLY bad, plus it was the view out of Ryder's window... Yuck!)

So we replaced it a few weeks ago:

Then we decided to tackle the umbrellas:

I am so thankful that ours have lasted as long as they have and we have definitely gotten out money's worth out of them, but it was time to replace them if we wanted any hope of getting any shade this summer.  Here is what you see from our family room:

 The view of the very UNcovered patio:

(before)

 Our shot at making them last one more season:

We found these new umbrellas on the Costco website.  They are AMAZING!  (Seriously, add this to the hundreds of reasons why I LOVE that store...)

And I know it doesn't look that different from the window, but the fact that it was broken and the fabric was shredded made it look really sad outside.  Now it feels more welcoming:

We love how they look and that you can angle them depending on where the sun is.  They are going to make summer so much nicer for us!

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The kids and I have been enjoying our lunches and snacks at the table:

(We are still getting tangelos from our tree.  They make such a fun snack and the kids love them...)
And we have been having fun with our water table too!

So that is the big stuff that we have been working on recently.  Now we are working on adding more succulents around the yard.

We are very excited for summer to be here.