I'm going to have gray hair

A few weeks ago Brendan and I were going to attend a Kenny Chesney concert in Des Moines about 35 minutes away. We picked our friends up at 5:30PM and headed off to meet two other couples at the pre-party before the concert. We arrive, park, buy an $8 beer, a $9 margarita, and a $5 cheeseburger. I had time to chow down my my tasty burger and take two sips of my delicious marg and our sitter calls. Now, our sitter who has babysat for us countless times and has watched Drew since he was 3 months never calls, she always texts me.

I answer and she tells me that they were at the playground and he fell and split his chin open. Thankfully her mom that is also a nurse was nearby came to take a look at him and she thought he needed to be taken to the ER. So we set our hardly touched drinks down, hand over our tickets and head back home to meet our sitter at the ER with Drew. Thankfully our sitter is amazing and her little sister who is 11 comes with her to hang out with the kiddos, and she is wonderful as well. They along with their mom and older sister packed up the kids in our second vehicle and head up to our local ER while we head home. I was able to call ahead and gave the ER permission to treat him in our absence.

We arrived about 20 minutes after Drew and our sitter arrived and the poor guy was covered in blood. His chin was in fact split open and scraped to high heaven. He had fallen off a swing, and fell on to the gravel below. Our sitter and her little sister felt awful and kept apologizing. The little sister was in tears and that made my heart break in two. I gave her the hugest hug and told her it could have happened while he was with any one of us. Heck, he knocked himself unconscious on our kitchen floor while we were both home. These things happen to adventurous little boys that like to climb, hence why he's going to give me gray hair.

Our sitter took Kate back home to go to bed and we stayed with Drew to get stitched up. We figured out that we didn't have a car seat in our car so Brendan ran home and got some things to make Drew more comfy. It was a good thing he did because we were in the ER for three and a half hours. Our doctor and nurse were great and fabulous with Drew. He had two cuts, the larger cut his tooth had gone through which was a vertical cut on the front of his chin and the other was a cut on the cusp of his lip. The doctor decided to glue the vertical cut on the front of his chin to give him a better chance at less of a scar and she suggested we let the cut on the cusp of his lip heal on its own. Drew was such a brave little boy and cried very little while getting his cut glued together and bandaged up.

The next day he was very swollen and sore. You could tell his mouth and lips were sore and eating, drinking and talking we're difficult. Each day has gotten a little better, and each time we change his Cars bandages we get to see the cuts and they seem to be healing quite nicely and the swelling is improving daily. Drew's adventurous side hasn't changed whatsoever! I'm going to be gray by the time I'm 35, either that or I need to wrap my child in bubble wrap. He's a daredevil and two ER visits in two months haven't seemed to deter him.

I'm so thankful he's OK, and we have amazing sitters who love our children and take such great care of them. Now where can I find a large roll of bubble wrap?

Things I'm loving for spring

  It's finally spring here in Iowa.  After a lovely winter that lasted what has felt like FOREVER we finally have some nice weather and it's finally time to break out the spring clothes.  This spring I am loving color, now don't get me wrong I am still and will always be in love with a classic black piece of clothing, it's my security blanket.  However, this spring there is color popping up everywhere and I am loving wearing it. 

  When I shop I am bargain Betty.  I am not opposed to spending a little more on staple items in my closet but for trendy pieces that are "in" at the moment I am all about the best bargain.  I usually do most of my shopping online because we live in podunk Iowa and the nearest mall is 45 minutes away and shopping with the kids is about as pleasurable as a massage with loud rock music playing.  Thankfully a lot of stores are now offering free returns and free shipping, BONUS! 

  Just last week I found two skirts at Old Navy that arrived at my doorstep yesterday and I am really liking them.  Today I actually wore the embroidered skirt and paired with an off white cardi and leopard flats and a mint bubble necklace. 
   

I love how soft this skirt is and the model must be a ton taller than I am because the skirt hits me just above my knee.  I paired the skirt with the Anna Cardi from Banana Republic.  I purchased this cardi for Easter when they were having their 40% off sale on regular priced items.

I then added some leopard flats that I've had forever from my happy place, Target.  I added a mint bubble necklace that I recently found on Simple Addiction, which you should all check out.

A few other piece I found at Old Navy that I am loving seem to be really versatile and could work for work or a casual day at home with the kids. I love pieces that I can transition from day to night or from spring to summer and then to fall when adding tights and a cardi.

This skirt is very lightweight and will be perfect for summer and can even be a swimsuit cover-up.  The other skirt I purchased recently was from Target and once again I am IN LOVE!  First off I love kelly green!  Not as much as black let's not get crazy people but it may be a close second.  I found this skirt again online because when the kids and I are at Target it's a quick in and out and there is no time for me to look at clothes.  Not to mention we DO NOT EVER go to the back of the store, it is the devil's corner, or as everyone else refers to it....the toy aisle.  If we go back there all hell will break loose and there will be tears and let's get real why would I do that to myself.  Let's just stick to the grocery, pharmacy and card aisles.  Back to the fabulous kelly green skirt, it hits just at the top of my knee and it's fab that's all you need to know.  If you like green snatch this baby up!

The picture does not do it justice, I swear it's not ugly. 

  Now let's chat jewels.  I was in a rut with my accessorizing and then I hit up two websites and found some great pieces that were super affordable and amazingly adorable.  A lot of you have probably heard of them but I'll post them anyway to profess my love out loud.  First is Simple Addiction, they have several items posted daily and I have now placed two orders with them and their shipping is QUICK.  I have placed orders with a similar site and I have had to wait months to receive my product.  With Simple Addiction I received my new jewelery within a week and a half.  The other site I am loving is Groopdealz, I again have placed a few orders with them and again their shipping time is impeccable.  I've been very happy with the products I have ordered and for very little cost I have been able to get a few new colorful pieces to accessorize with.

A few other random things I'm loving this gorgeous May day;

Sleeping with the windows open

17 days of school left and then I am off for the summer and will be home with the kiddos for 3 months.

                                                        Strawberry Icebox cake
This cake is AMAZING!!!  I originally found it on Pinterest and it's so easy to make.  I made it for our small group that was to happen at our house one Sunday evening but a few of our members got sick so we had to cancel.  I may or may not have eaten about 3/4 of the 9x13 pan of this cake.  It's a no bake cake which suits me and my cooking style so well and it tasted like a little slice of heaven.  You can find the recipe here.

What are you loving for spring?

  

  
  

Kate 8 months

  I need to catch up on Kate's monthly posts because I'm only oh about 5 MONTHS BEHIND! OH LORDY!!! Better late then never, her baby book is about as behind as I am on her monthly posts. Second child syndrome, I guess. Now I understand why my mom had so many less pictures of me then that of my older sister. It's OK mom, now I totally understand!

    Kate hit 8 months back in December...Again it's only almost MAY now. We were busy with Thanksgiving and Christmas but yet I should have sat down and written this, but alas I didn't. Our peanut was still a peanut back in December. Funny thing is I just looked at my pictures of her back in December and she wore her same Christmas jammies just last night. Kate is just a teeny little lady, but she's healthy and that's all  that matters.  At 8 months Kate was 16lbs. and 25 inches long.  She was still as bald as can be and cut her first tooth in late December.

As far as sleep at 8 months Kate was going to bed around 6:45PM and waking up 1-2 times a night to eat 6oz. of formula.  She would then be up for the day around 6:30/6:45am.  She was taking 2 naps a day one in the morning and one in the afternoon.  She had a pretty darn good schedule and transitioned well from day care to home and back over Christmas break.  Kate started eating more solid table foods this month.  She really is a good eater and loves yogurt.  We introduced some puffs, and toast this month and she seemed to really like it.  

I was lucky enough to have 10 days of Christmas break off with the kids and we spent the majority of the at home just playing with their new toys and enjoying some much needed family time.  We also didn't travel over Christmas, we had celebrated with Brendan's family over Thanksgiving and my family lives very close.  Brendan and I have made the decision that we will be in our home on Christmas morning each year.  This year with Kate being 8 months and Drew being 2 years old was so much fun.  Kate absolutely loved the paper and Drew loved helping her open her gifts.

Right after Christmas Kate met a huge milestone and started pulling herself up to a standing position.  Look out world, here she comes!

Kate's demeanor hasn't changed.  She is happy most of the time and cries very little.  Teething has seemed to trip her up a bit and made her fussy, but a cold chew or a dose of Tylenol and she's a happy camper.  She wakes up happy and smiles A LOT!  We are so blessed to have such a happy little girl.  I'm noticing so many differences and similarities between Drew and Kate.  I knew having a second child would bring a different experience but Drew was just a more difficult baby.  He needed more and that's OK, it's been very refreshing to have Kate and her easy going ways.  I love both of my children more then I could have ever imagined, they are just so very different, yet look identical. 

One Year

Happy Birthday Katherine Ellen

  A year ago today we met our sweet little girl Katherine Ellen. Today we celebrate the day we welcomed Kate into our family and began our life as a family of four. 

  " Dear Daughter, if I could give you one thing in life, I would give you the ability to see yourself through my eyes.  Only then would you realize how special you are to me".  -Unknown

This past year we have been filled with such joy from Kate.  She is the happiest, sweetest most loving baby, and we couldn't feel more blessed.

The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace.  Numbers 6:24-26

Before having children I was content and happy with our life.  These children have brought me more joy then I could have ever imagined.  My heart is full, celebrating Kate's first year of life is such an overwhelming experience, I can't describe in words.  God is good, we are thankful for his blessings and his miracles.

Our dearest Kate, you are so special to us.  May you always know the love that we have for you and just how much you mean to our family.  We celebrate you today, you are one of God's many miracles and we are so thankful for YOU.  You are everything we could have prayed and hoped for in a daughter and we love you more than you will ever know.  Happy first birthday, sweet girl. 

 

Plow on over to Drew's party

 

  This past Sunday we hosted around 35 of our close family and friends during our birthday palooza weekend for Drew's John Deere tractor party. Remember, Saturday we hosted Kate's Milk and Cookies party. Saturday night I got everything ready and loaded up to be shipped out to the barn early Sunday morning. WHAT IN THE WORLD WAS I THINKING? Again, I still have no idea why I scheduled two partied in one weekend. It's now Friday and I'm still tired. Back to the party.

   Sunday morning bright and early we headed out the barn about 15 minutes from our house and started getting the decorations up and baking the egg casseroles. Thank the good lord for my parents. If it weren't for them I wouldn't have been able to pull both of these parties off. For Drew's party we served a breakfast with egg casserole, donut holes, fruit salad, coffee cake, cookies and cupcakes. Drew was beyond excited that morning and couldn't wait to go out the to barn. It was a perfect brisk Iowa day and the kids were able to be outside and enjoy the surroundings of the barn. We were able to get all of the decorations up and food cooked just in time before the guests arrived. The owners of the barn were beyond gracious and brought down a corn planter for the kids to get their picture taken in.

The barn came with tables and chairs and we brought all the decorations. We made the poms and the large 3 with Drew's pictures on it from the past year.  Other than that I ordered most of the decor from Amazon or etsy.  On each of the tables we used Drew's toy tractors to tie the balloons to and add a little festive vibe to the barn.

Remember how I said Drew was super excited for his party?  He really looks like it, doesn't he?

He loved all the tractor decorations and his big 3 with all of his pictures on it.

I found some John Deere hat cupcake toppers that were a hit! I also used Drew's John Deere dump truck to store the loot bags in during the party.

After everyone had finished eating breakfast we had a tractor pinata for the kids to break open.  We brought Drew's plastic bat and in hindsight we should have brought a Louisville Slugger.  That little booger wouldn't break open.  Each kiddo had a turn and our 9 year old nephew was fianlly able to break it open for all the kids.  You would have thought these kids had never seen candy before.

The kids had a BLAST with the pinata!

We had a great time at the party and so did the kids.  Drew keeps talking about his tractor party and how fun it was.  I'll do a recap of where I got everything in another post in the near future, so stay turned!

Have a great weekend!