It was a long week here, I am super thankful for the weekend! For our post this week, I didn't write five laughs down. As I sit here with my laptop, I cannot even think of another funny moment, oy!! So I'm just going to write four laughs this week with hopes of more laughs next week.
4. Natalie has been getting rather regular when going #2 so we are anticipating the big event a little better and putting her on the potty. She gets so excited when she actually goes (which has only happened twice), she claps her hands and screams mmmmmm while pointing at the container of M&M's sitting on the counter. Somewhere during all the excitement, Claire comes in the bathroom clapping and cheering, "Wa-hoo! Go Natalie!!" while jumping up and down. How the excitement of Friday nights has changed over the last few years.
3. Thanks to help from Miss Cynthia, Claire has been working on keeping her mouth closed while eating. However, most of the time this translates into Claire tattling on everyone else who has their mouth open while eating. Ryan and Claire were pretending to eat the play food and Claire even corrected him for fake chewing with his mouth open.
2. I posted about the big Backyard Bash earlier this week. Natalie had so much fun dancing! Her new favorite dance move is to run between my legs, then circle my leg and back between my legs again. I wish I could describe it better, because it really is quite adorable. She finds it hysterical, giggling the entire time.
1. We had a pig-roast at the party last weekend. Claire told us after the party, "I'm a little sad, we were supposed to have a pig at the party and all we had was some ham!"
As always, I'm linking up with Melissa from The Mommyhood Chronicles.
Enjoy your weekend!
Friday, September 28, 2012
Monday, September 24, 2012
Backyard Bash X!
Ryan's mom and step-dad put on this huge party called the Backyard Bash annually in September. The event started when Arn was given a piano to burn on the fire. So we invited everyone we knew and used the old piano as a kickoff to the night's festivities. Of course, everyone liked it so much they asked him what he would be burning the next year and the tradition continued. For every bash, Arn built a 'surprise' object (out of wood) that started the fire. This year he created a collection of miniatures of each of the items he had built in years past and created a huge structure to display them all properly out of pallets.
Year 3: House
Year 4: Airplane
Year 5: Tank
Year 6: Windmill
Year 7: Outhouse
Year 8: Birthday Cake (also Ryan's 30th Birthday Party)
Year 9: Tiki Hut
Year 1: Piano
Year 2: BoatYear 3: House
Year 4: Airplane
Year 5: Tank
Year 6: Windmill
Year 7: Outhouse
Year 8: Birthday Cake (also Ryan's 30th Birthday Party)
Year 9: Tiki Hut
Every year, Arn worked diligently to collect a ton of pallets to make a fire to be seen from space. It was a common occurrence that 5-10 pallets at a time were thrown on the fire on top of a huge heap of coals. The fire is absolutely HUGE and kept us all very warm.
Three years ago, we celebrated Ryan's 30th birthday and hired Double Barrel Band for the first year. Needless to say, they've been back every year since. The backyard becomes the dance floor and we have a blast!
One would think this would be enough for a night, but nah, not for us! In recent years, Ryan has become earthen oven pig roast chef extraordinaire. No one goes home hungry!
I didn't have a chance to get photos of the fireworks since I was putting Natalie to bed (The luxury of having the party next door! Don't worry we had a sitter). We did see them through the trees as we stood on the front porch - they were beautiful and the kids just love them!
I took a ton of photos, so here is a collection of some of the favorites:
I just wish all the photos could convey how much fun everyone had!! Thank you for putting on a wonderful party the last 10 years Mom & Arn!!!
Friday, September 21, 2012
Top Five Saturday Laughs :: 9.22.12
Thank goodness it's the weekend! What a very long week that ended with two sick little girls. Both of my girls have come down with some type of crud. The biggest struggle of the day was trying to keep those crazy girls resting. Thankfully they are not any worse after today!
I am looking forward to the annual backyard party at the in-laws tomorrow night. This is the tenth and final year. I am just praying for the slight chance of rain to move out so we can enjoy a beautiful night around a mammoth bon-fire.
Here are our top laughs from the past week:
5. Last Sunday we attempted to get a photo of my parents and their grandkids. The key word in that sentence is attempted. My kids were not having it which made my nephew upset too.
4. Claire and I were watching Ryan and my dad cut down some dead trees from the perimeter of our yard. Claire loved watching the trees fall down and asked a million questions about the process. At one point she turned to me and said, "Cutting down trees is sssssoooooo dangerous mommy. That's why it's a boy's job." It was adorable, but I had to tell her that girls can learn to cut trees down too ;)
3. The girls love playing on their play set. Lately, they have been in mega competition to see who can climb up and slide down first. Natalie gets so competitive that even her breathing is intensified. Both Ryan and I are quite competitive so I think we are in BIG trouble with these two!
2. Miss Cynthia was encouraging Claire to color inside the lines (she typically won't even try). Claire told Cynthia that she knew how to color in the lines. When Cynthia checked her progress, she discovered a picture with lines drawn all over it. She's a literal girl!
1. Natalie has been learning various body parts, she loves it! She was in the bathtub and pointed to her boob and said "boob". I died laughing which only encouraged the behavior further (and gave me the opportunity for the photo).
Enjoy your weekend and as always, I'm linking up with Melissa from The Mommyhood Chronicles.
I am looking forward to the annual backyard party at the in-laws tomorrow night. This is the tenth and final year. I am just praying for the slight chance of rain to move out so we can enjoy a beautiful night around a mammoth bon-fire.
Here are our top laughs from the past week:
5. Last Sunday we attempted to get a photo of my parents and their grandkids. The key word in that sentence is attempted. My kids were not having it which made my nephew upset too.
They all pretty much looked like this
4. Claire and I were watching Ryan and my dad cut down some dead trees from the perimeter of our yard. Claire loved watching the trees fall down and asked a million questions about the process. At one point she turned to me and said, "Cutting down trees is sssssoooooo dangerous mommy. That's why it's a boy's job." It was adorable, but I had to tell her that girls can learn to cut trees down too ;)
3. The girls love playing on their play set. Lately, they have been in mega competition to see who can climb up and slide down first. Natalie gets so competitive that even her breathing is intensified. Both Ryan and I are quite competitive so I think we are in BIG trouble with these two!
2. Miss Cynthia was encouraging Claire to color inside the lines (she typically won't even try). Claire told Cynthia that she knew how to color in the lines. When Cynthia checked her progress, she discovered a picture with lines drawn all over it. She's a literal girl!
1. Natalie has been learning various body parts, she loves it! She was in the bathtub and pointed to her boob and said "boob". I died laughing which only encouraged the behavior further (and gave me the opportunity for the photo).
Enjoy your weekend and as always, I'm linking up with Melissa from The Mommyhood Chronicles.
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
Time to change my thinking
Tonight Natalie went to bed at her normal time. An hour later, she was up screaming. While she hasn't been sleeping through the night as of late, this was very uncharacteristic behavior to be up so early in the night. I let her try and settle down on her own for a bit, but that didn't happen. I finally went in to see if I could calm her down.
I picked her up and she snuggled in close. I stood there swaying with her on my shoulder, fully prepared to put her back in her crib as she settled down. Instead, I took her to the glider, held her like a newborn and rocked. I was thinking about how I would probably kick myself later for this move since now she would want to be rocked back to sleep whenever she woke. Then I started thinking...
How I wish she was a better sleeper.
How I wish I had sleep trained when she was younger so she could be a better sleeper.
How I wish I had more time home with my girls.
How I wish my work "to-do" list would shrink rather than grow.
How I wish I could have all my chores caught up around the house.
How I wish I was less rushed in our daily lives and enjoyed the time I actually have with my kids more.
Then I was quiet and I cuddled my sweet baby. It was in the quiet that the soft, still voice of God spoke to me and simply said, "Be thankful."
So I made the commitment at that moment to change my thinking...
I am thankful that I get a chance to cuddle my baby, one-on-one.
I am thankful that I did sleep train, because she would probably be up more than once a night if I hadn't.
I am thankful that my job allows me to be home for bed every night and I get to be home in the morning when they wake up.
I am thankful I have a fabulous people in place who love and care for my girls when I am not able to be with them.
I am thankful I have a job and a bunch of customers who hopefully want to purchase from us.
I am thankful I have a house, a washer and dryer, clothes to be washed, food that makes dishes dirty and toys for my children.
I am thankful that God entrusted my children to me and allows me to be their mommy.
I really needed this change in my heart. I am so thankful I decided to rock my baby girl!
I picked her up and she snuggled in close. I stood there swaying with her on my shoulder, fully prepared to put her back in her crib as she settled down. Instead, I took her to the glider, held her like a newborn and rocked. I was thinking about how I would probably kick myself later for this move since now she would want to be rocked back to sleep whenever she woke. Then I started thinking...
How I wish she was a better sleeper.
How I wish I had sleep trained when she was younger so she could be a better sleeper.
How I wish I had more time home with my girls.
How I wish my work "to-do" list would shrink rather than grow.
How I wish I could have all my chores caught up around the house.
How I wish I was less rushed in our daily lives and enjoyed the time I actually have with my kids more.
Then I was quiet and I cuddled my sweet baby. It was in the quiet that the soft, still voice of God spoke to me and simply said, "Be thankful."
So I made the commitment at that moment to change my thinking...
I am thankful that I get a chance to cuddle my baby, one-on-one.
I am thankful that I did sleep train, because she would probably be up more than once a night if I hadn't.
I am thankful that my job allows me to be home for bed every night and I get to be home in the morning when they wake up.
I am thankful I have a fabulous people in place who love and care for my girls when I am not able to be with them.
I am thankful I have a job and a bunch of customers who hopefully want to purchase from us.
I am thankful I have a house, a washer and dryer, clothes to be washed, food that makes dishes dirty and toys for my children.
I am thankful that God entrusted my children to me and allows me to be their mommy.
I really needed this change in my heart. I am so thankful I decided to rock my baby girl!
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Friday, September 14, 2012
Bloglovin - I'm jumping on the bandwagon
Lots of my twitter friends have blogged over their love for the new reader, Bloglovin. So I have officially claimed my blog!
Follow my blog with Bloglovin
Here goes nothing!
Follow my blog with Bloglovin
Here goes nothing!
Top Five Saturday Laughs :: 9.15.12
When I typed the date, I realized that September is halfway over. When did that happen?!
I have spent the majority of my time as of late helping to plan a Girls Night Out at work that was on Thursday. Everything went beautifully, I felt so blessed by the whole thing! Now I hope to work less during the evenings and blog more.
I hope everyone had a spectacular week and has fun plans for the weekend. I will be working Saturday morning and then spending time with my family!
Our laughs this week are primarily from Claire. I am sure that Natalie had plenty of funny moments, however my writing them down so I actually remember skills were drastically lacking.
5. Since we have two little girls our home has its fair share of drama. When Claire's throwing a tantrum, making herself cry (so forced it's unbelievable) our dog Boomer whines right with her. It really is quite comical and makes it so I don't totally lose my mind!
4. Natalie is very into making animal noises. Whenever she sees a picture of a bear, she growls. It is adorable and she is so proud.
3. Miss Cynthia sent me a text with this laugh. Claire was telling her that Riley Grandma (Ryan's mom - named after her dog Riley) has two Sleeping Beauty movies at her house. Cynthia asked her why she had two. Without missing a beat Claire told her it was in case one fell into the washing machine. You can never be too prepared!
2. While visiting my parents, Claire was playing with a ride on truck that my siblings and I grew up riding. The truck has a lever that you pull and it makes engine sounds. It also has a compartment to hide things. Every since she was a toddler, Claire has put various balls in the truck. She was riding around pulling the lever repeatedly. I asked her why she needed to be so loud while she was riding. She responded, "that's cause I've got balls. Wanna see em?"
1. Claire was writing on a Magna Doodle. When I asked her what she was writing, she told me she was writing Chinese. I asked her if she could write anything in English (hoping she would try some letters). She enthusiastically answered, "yes, hola!" put her head down and starting frantically writing.
I have spent the majority of my time as of late helping to plan a Girls Night Out at work that was on Thursday. Everything went beautifully, I felt so blessed by the whole thing! Now I hope to work less during the evenings and blog more.
I hope everyone had a spectacular week and has fun plans for the weekend. I will be working Saturday morning and then spending time with my family!
Our laughs this week are primarily from Claire. I am sure that Natalie had plenty of funny moments, however my writing them down so I actually remember skills were drastically lacking.
5. Since we have two little girls our home has its fair share of drama. When Claire's throwing a tantrum, making herself cry (so forced it's unbelievable) our dog Boomer whines right with her. It really is quite comical and makes it so I don't totally lose my mind!
4. Natalie is very into making animal noises. Whenever she sees a picture of a bear, she growls. It is adorable and she is so proud.
3. Miss Cynthia sent me a text with this laugh. Claire was telling her that Riley Grandma (Ryan's mom - named after her dog Riley) has two Sleeping Beauty movies at her house. Cynthia asked her why she had two. Without missing a beat Claire told her it was in case one fell into the washing machine. You can never be too prepared!
2. While visiting my parents, Claire was playing with a ride on truck that my siblings and I grew up riding. The truck has a lever that you pull and it makes engine sounds. It also has a compartment to hide things. Every since she was a toddler, Claire has put various balls in the truck. She was riding around pulling the lever repeatedly. I asked her why she needed to be so loud while she was riding. She responded, "that's cause I've got balls. Wanna see em?"
1. Claire was writing on a Magna Doodle. When I asked her what she was writing, she told me she was writing Chinese. I asked her if she could write anything in English (hoping she would try some letters). She enthusiastically answered, "yes, hola!" put her head down and starting frantically writing.
Saturday, September 8, 2012
Top Five Saturday Laughs :: 9.8.12
Happy Saturday!! I wish we had a couple more Saturday mornings in a week. It has cooled down here in Michigan and this morning was a beautiful day to play outside.
I had a difficult time choosing my five laughs for the week so you actually get six. We had quite a few cute moments this week, however nothing that was seriously hysterical. To have a super funny laugh, must go check out my friend Tracey's blog - #1 will seriously crack you up!
5. {This laugh comes from a story Miss Grace shared with me} Natalie has finally started to attempt talking again. She had pointed at one of the dogs and said "dg". Claire was so excited that she spoke, exclaiming "She talked!! Now I am going to teach her how to do a cartwheel." When Miss Grace probed if she knew how to do a cartwheel herself, she responded with "Maybe I'll learn to do a cartwheel first then teach Natalie."
4. Claire woke up with an arm that had fallen asleep. She was trying to describe what was happening and told me, "Mom, my arm is wrinkly!"
3. The girls love watching Ryan juggle. Of course, Claire always attempts to juggle herself. This week, Natalie tried to juggle too. However, she just started throwing objects at Claire. I think that's a skill learned later in life.
2b. Natalie has been attempting to whistle. However the whistles are either just a puff of air or a squeal. It really is super cute!
2a. Claire typically gets up in the mornings before Natalie. One morning, when Natalie started to fuss, Claire grabbed the monitor, handed it to me and said, "It's for you mom"
1. Recently, Claire has started watching Gaspard and Lisa on Disney Junior. They use the word "catastrophe" in every episode. Naturally, this word is now in our three year old's vocablulary. However, she pronounces it catastro-feelings. It makes me chuckle every single time.
I hope you have a great weekend. If you're looking for a bunch of funny posts, make sure you check out the blog hop hosted by Melissa from The Mommyhood Chronicles.
I had a difficult time choosing my five laughs for the week so you actually get six. We had quite a few cute moments this week, however nothing that was seriously hysterical. To have a super funny laugh, must go check out my friend Tracey's blog - #1 will seriously crack you up!
5. {This laugh comes from a story Miss Grace shared with me} Natalie has finally started to attempt talking again. She had pointed at one of the dogs and said "dg". Claire was so excited that she spoke, exclaiming "She talked!! Now I am going to teach her how to do a cartwheel." When Miss Grace probed if she knew how to do a cartwheel herself, she responded with "Maybe I'll learn to do a cartwheel first then teach Natalie."
4. Claire woke up with an arm that had fallen asleep. She was trying to describe what was happening and told me, "Mom, my arm is wrinkly!"
3. The girls love watching Ryan juggle. Of course, Claire always attempts to juggle herself. This week, Natalie tried to juggle too. However, she just started throwing objects at Claire. I think that's a skill learned later in life.
2b. Natalie has been attempting to whistle. However the whistles are either just a puff of air or a squeal. It really is super cute!
2a. Claire typically gets up in the mornings before Natalie. One morning, when Natalie started to fuss, Claire grabbed the monitor, handed it to me and said, "It's for you mom"
1. Recently, Claire has started watching Gaspard and Lisa on Disney Junior. They use the word "catastrophe" in every episode. Naturally, this word is now in our three year old's vocablulary. However, she pronounces it catastro-feelings. It makes me chuckle every single time.
I hope you have a great weekend. If you're looking for a bunch of funny posts, make sure you check out the blog hop hosted by Melissa from The Mommyhood Chronicles.
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