Abbott

So, Abbott is growing up pretty quick. I remember even when he was a teeny tiny baby we said he had this 'old man' spirit. While he cracks me up on a daily basis with his hee-hawing cowboy antics and his lovable little cuddles, I can't help but look into his big eyes and think that he knows a little more than he lets on.

Recent sweet things...

Awhile back we traveled to Michigan to meet one of my new favorite people, Emma-Kate, and see two of my other favorite people...

 Cuddling with my own growing-too-fast-not-so-little ones...

Playing school, reading, dancing, and generally just trying to keep up with this tiny fashionista...

Taking pictures for a great friend and stealing kisses from a brand new baby...

 

Saying yes to some exciting news from one of the best people I know...

 

And because life just wasn't crazy enough, meet Harriet Potter...

Life is full, happy Monday!

fall things

Whew. Fall always gets so busy it almost takes my breath away! Matt and I ALWAYS have time to take the kids to the pumpkin patch. Usually we do it more than once, having the luxury to just pick up and go any weekend, at the spur of the moment. It kind of hit me last week that this fall was different. We had to intentionally carve out time and squeeze our annual trip in between a few other things. Fall has been taken up with so many birthdays, showers, babies, photography sessions, schoolness. While all of those things are well worth the time, it's been a little nuts around here!

So, in a nutshell, here are a few of the things I want to remember from this fall...

{And be warned, fitting it all into one post means picture overload!}

We visited the orchard and pumpkin patch with my family. We love to go to Boyd's Orchard every year with my mom and brother. It is always a good time with lots of apple picking, apple eating, and pumpkin hunting. I love to compare the pictures of the kids from year to year. They are growing so fast!

We went Trick or Treating at the Louisville Zoo with Matt's sister Dana, and her family. The kids had a great time. They had various children's characters around to meet and greet and pass out candy. Laurelei is at the age where she thinks every time she meets a character, she is meeting the real deal. It was pretty cute.

We had Halloween, just the 4 of us. At first I was a little upset about this. The night couldn't have started worse. On the way the home to get all dressed up and head out to our parents' houses, Laurelei threw up...everywhere. All over the car, herself, her carseat, clothes, everything. It was very disheartening. Bless her heart though, she was absolutely destroyed thinking she wouldn't get to trick or treat. So after an hour or so of recovering, we let her get dressed up and trick or treat at a few houses on our block. We missed out on Gigi and Poppy's, Grandma and Grandpa's, and that was pretty sad. But, we got to enjoy our little ones all on our own, and that wasn't all that bad. :) Also, we got to give out candy for the first time at our house in nearly 5 years, so that was a little bit fun too!

Abbott was the absolute cutest about trick or treating. Mind you, he didn't actually trick or treat at all. He just bumbled around the side walk, dragging his giant orange pumpkin, refusing to be carried. It was priceless. When someone finally approached him and put candy in his bucket, you'd have thought they were giving him gold! He carried that pack of skittles around all night long. It was precious.

This might just be the first year I didn't carve a pumpkin, or bake sugar cookies, but it was still full of all that really counts! Plus, I have Christmas around the corner to make up for it anyway. :)

Happy Thursday!

A Peter Rabbit Party

As you may have noticed from a previous post or two, Abbott turned 1 a couple of weeks back. When I was trying to think of party themes a month or so ago, I knew that Peter Rabbit would be perfect for our little 'Abby Rabbit.' I mean obviously, because I call him abby rabbit, but also because I knew that now that he is turning a year old, Matt is going to seriously begin to crack down on me calling him that. So, while Abbott is still little and it is acceptable, I figured I better dive in!

The problem with going all out with the theme was two-fold really. First, there aren't a lot of easy options for purchasing Peter Rabbit themed things quickly, which meant I kind of needed to make a lot if I wanted to really do it up. This lead to my second problem, procrastination. I made my first Peter Rabbit themed party decoration on Friday night. The party was...Sunday. You get the picture? Never you mind though, because even without all the bells and whistles, the party was perfect! I couldn't have been more pleased with how everything came together, and how much fun we had with family and friends! Here are a few details and some of my favorite photos from our backyard cookout...

 

I made lots of banners! It was a quick and easy way to add a little Peter Rabbit to the party!

 

 

Abbott started the afternoon a little cranky. He was really clingy and overwhelmed I think. Thanks to the yummy food our parents and sisters made our little one livened up pretty quickly! Abbott loved to eat, and eat he did!

 

I used some of my favorite things for the table centerpieces. Hydrangeas, ball jars, and pictures of Abbott made the perfect table statement. I was one of the lucky ones, because I got to stare at that cute face on the right while I ate. :)

 

Of all the things I ended up making, these party hats were my favorite! It was so fun to watch the kids run around in them, and I was pleasantly surprised by how long Abbott wore it while eating his cake! He looked so stinking cute!

 

All of the persistence in taking those monthly pictures paid off when I got to see each picture side by side! I cannot believe how much Abbott changed over time, even though it seems like side by side the pictures don't look that different. (I'll be back with month 12 later this week after Abbott's 1 year visit tomorrow.)

 

As I mentioned before, Abbott wore his cute little hat through the whole cake experience! He was so precious. He was such a ham during the cake eating. He would hold the cake up and just smile at everyone. He knew he had an audience!

And Abbott for sure had an audience!

 Laurelei had so much fun playing with her friends, I am pretty sure she thought it was a little bit her party too.

Mommy and Daddy's little birthday boy.

 

I found Annie's Cheddar Bunnies for the treat bags, and I was so excited! A quick ribbon and little note did just the trick. I was so pleased with the way everything turned out!

 

Thanks for hopping by! We had a great time celebrating with all of our family and friends!

kids

They are all that I think about. From the time that I wake up until I go to bed. I am obsessed with my kids. That is normal, right?

Going back to work this school year has been bitter sweet. Sure, who doesn't love a little adult time? There were certainly days this summer that I felt like I just seriously needed a break. It seems though that the 'sweets' don't out weigh the 'bitters.' I miss my sweet little ones almost immediately when I walk out the door.

I miss those lazy jammie mornings. Some days this summer we didn't even bother to change out of them. We just played and played and played, no time for real clothes on those days.

I miss watching the kids play. You learn a lot about a child watching them play. For instance, this summer I learned that Abbott sticks his tongue out to concentrate, just like I did when I was a kid. It is pretty darn cute. I miss watching that little tongue work through difficult problems each day.

When my kids go to bed, I basically spend my free time 'pinning' kid things, or trying to convince Matt it's a good idea to get them back out of bed to snuggle.

I am almost positive I will adjust. I'll learn to spend the weekends and weeknights soaking up my baby time and the rest of my day focusing on other tasks. For now though, missing my kids serves as a constant reminder of how blessed I am to have so much to love, and two sweet babies who make me better everyday.

How are you other working mommy's finding the balance?

bath babies

We've been letting Laurelei and Abbott take their evening bathes together lately and it has been a blast! Abbott loves splashing in the water, and although L likes to pretend that it bothers her when he tries to take her toys, she rarely agrees to take one without him! I love hearing them giggle together.

One sweet, overcast summer day I decided to give the kids an extended bath play time since we couldn't do much of anything out of the house. They played until they were all clean and quite prune-y. After moans and groans I finally coaxed them out of the tub. As they were squirming around on Abbott's bedroom floor, giggling and playing, I ran to get my camera. I am so glad I did. I have a feeling I'll cherish these pictures forever. Prepare yourself for one-to-many pictures of the littles and their post bath time fun!

Love you bunches little bath babies!