Family Pictures 2011

About three weeks ago we had family pictures. I always set my expectations too high when it comes to getting our pictures taken. I worry over what clothes to wear, how to do hair, if the kids will fall the night before and get a huge bruise. Stress! In a perfect world, the kids would smile (not their fake smile, but their real smile), hold still-ish and listen. I know I ask way too much. I am mostly pleased with how they turned out.

First up is Miss Hannah. She is a cute one...even if we did have to bribe her with Tic-Tacs and iPhone games. After about 35 minutes she was 'done.'

Next up is Tyler. He was 'done' after about 20 minutes. Hence not as many good pictures of him. I tried every stragey and tactic with him, but to no avail.
And last, but not least, are the family pictures. I'm just glad we were able to capture our family at this stage...and that we don't have to take them again until next year!

Let the celebration begin!

Because I am a believer of celebrating your birth week, my children are the beneficiaries of my ideals. Hannah turned two on Wednesday. We had a pretty mellow day with a trip to a pumpkin patch, a dinner out (her choice was grilled cheese) and home for presents. I wasn't expecting her to understand the concept yet, but boy was I wrong! She was ALL over the presents. Multiple times she told Tyler, "it's mine!" She gets it! I found a super great deal on a cardboard cottage for her. I think she would live in there if I let her!
To continue the birth week celebrations, we had a family party for her over the weekend. She has always loved lady bugs and monkeys. I wasn't about to attempt a monkey cake, so I opted for a lady bug. It turned out cute and even more importantly YUMMY!
She had a great time with all the cousins, opening gifts, taking a bite of the wax candles (you heard me right!), and blowing out the candles twice during our singing. She's a quick one!
Hannah is our sweet girl. I am grateful she is healthy, learning, growing, and all mine. She is smart, tough, silly, gentle and overall lovable! Happy Birthday to my Hannah!

Cardboard and Colors

Have you ever wondered what to do with all those old moving boxes? Well, wonder no more. Just make a HUGE fort in the basement. *WARNING* You will need a lot of packing tape!

And Saturday was one of those days you just want to last forever. After working hard with a run in the morning, mowing the front and back lawn, and weeding the front yard, I rewarded myself with a BEAUTIFUL hike with the family up Mueller Park Canyon. The sun was shining, the leaves were every shade of red, yellow, orange, brown and green you can imagine, and the kids got out all of their energy. In fact, Hannah fell asleep on the hike down! Walking through the forest and seeing the colors of the trees always leaves me in awe. I can't help but feel peace when on a hike like that. A wonderful Saturday indeed!

This week we are excited to celebrate Hannah's 2nd Birthday! Wish me luck on her lady bug cake. Let's hope it turns out the way I see it in my head.

New House

Don't worry, we are still alive and well. I know you were all wondering where we've been and what we've been doing. Moving. That's what! After painting a few rooms, cleaning, unloading, organizing, putting together furniture, reorganizing, and more cleaning, we are happily getting settled into a new house. A HUGE thank you to all who helped us move!

The kids have adjusted pretty well to the new place. Since most of their toys were in storage for the last four months, it seemed like Christmas morning to them while unpacking! I should pack away half their toys more often and rotate them! Here are a few pictures of Tyler's new room. It used to have electric blue walls. YIKES! I love how his room turned out.

And for those of you curious, here are a few random pictures from the house. It is still a work in progress! We are figuring out where we want things and realizing we need a few more things. But hey, that's moving!

And here is the real reason we wanted to rent his house! I tell you, it has already saved my sanity.