milestones, picnics, smiles, boundaries, and a little celebration

i bet you're thinking that the boundaries refers to one of my sweet littles.  well, you're wrong...ha!  the boundaries are for me.  i'm the one that needs them.

without them, i don't get a whole lot done.  you might be wondering what exactly i'm talking about.  let's go with everything.  it applies to all of it.

let's take laundry.  i let it pile up.  not intentionally, but it happens.  and with five of us, it turns into a holy terror.  so, i made a rule.  laundry on mondays...all put away by sunday.  now, it gets done.  crazy, but true.

now for the blog.  i let it go too.  and i don't want to.  i like it here.  and i like watching my kids grow up.

so, here's my new rule...blogging every thursday...to recap the week.  let's see if it sticks.

it's thursday, and i'm here, so i guess that's step one :)

rewind to last weekend....


we all got together to celebrate my sweet sister ashley and her upcoming wedding to cameron.  we would have probably named landon...cameron, if it wouldn't have been for the ring and the date :)


it was a rare occasion for all of us to be together and we all enjoyed our day.  none of us wanted to leave, but we had a little one with us and quite a drive home :)


i actually have some more pics to share...i got a new camera!!  cue the hallelujah chorus.  my sweet hubby bought it for me.  i'm thinking he figured...buy her the camera or check her into the looney bin...seriously.

i swear, a camera is a part of my soul, and i just can't live without one...especially with a new baby in the house.


we all love him.


sweet emma was my first shoot.  i owed her a seven year birthday shoot...last month, but i had a baby :)    it tends to throw things a bit off kilter.  so, here we are...you can see some of the pics here.


next up was my little nugget...


he was due for his one month pics...sigh.  they grow too quickly.


he's still officially one month, but more like 1.8 months :)  hmmm...maybe i need a rule for that too.


he's so sweet and snuggly...


he's our little bucket of love.


he was quite cooperative too...


love the age where they don't talk back...


and you don't have to bribe them with candy :)  i think this one's my fave...


i took these two to the park last night for a picnic.  rob was out of town, so i didn't cook :)  the train came, which is the. most. exciting. thing. ever. for my little boy blue.  it made his night.


it's the little things that make little ones happy.  love that.


little things like raspberries.  they are his favorite.  he puts them on his fingers like claws.  he's the only little dude in the whole world that can turn the word claws into a 14 syllable word.  seriously.


i shot this one and loved it...


then i shot this one and loved it even more.  baby smiles are the best.

seven

you are...


and you are a beautiful little girl inside and out.


you are independent and wonderful helper to our family...


you have a vivid imagination and love all things magical...especially fairies and reindeer.


and you are always happy.  always.


these past seven years have gone by faster than i can even process, but you've grown into the sweetest little first grader that i could've ever imagined.


you enjoy things...like we all should.  you're never in a hurry, which i'll admit makes me crazy.


but, sometimes i think that God gave you to me for that reason.  i'm not the best at stopping to smell the roses or always jumping in the puddles, but you are teaching me.  i am learning.


you just started taking tumbling and you love it.  you are in girl scouts this year too.  i figured that was a good match for my little nature girl :)


you are a wonderful blessing to our family and we love you to pieces.  my birthday wish for you is a life filled with happiness, love, and magic :)  if you look close enough, there's a little magic in everything...

birthdays & blessings

sweet little landon turned two weeks old today.  let me try to beat my sleep deprivation and recap the week...


i'll have to say that despite needing some consecutive hours of sleep, it is wonderful having a baby in the house.  there's always someone to snuggle with...


aunt ash surprised us last weekend and came to meet her newest nephew....


and mama c. is still with us....thank heavens!  i'm still on pain meds and can't drive, so she's been driving ms. daisy :)


both emma and carson are doing wonderful with mr. landon.  both of them have taken to having a new baby and a recovering momma much better than anticipated.  they love him to pieces...sometimes even a little too much :)


the paci is helping him enjoy his baths a little more, and oh how i love his sweet baby hands...


we love clean babies too :)


and we are very blessed...


and thoughts on who he looks like?


this morning rolled around, and let me just tell you, we were a hot mess.  there were three adults in the house, and let's just say you wouldn't have known it...ha!  it was sweet emma's 7th birthday.  we had plans to make pancakes, but rob and i bailed on those at about midnight the night before.  we. were. so. tired.  plan b was donuts.  but...we overslept, so we woke up to mama c. busting out a round of pancakes with. no. time. to spare.



by the time she had gotten home from school, we were a bit more together.  emma picked chick-fil-a for dinner, which wasn't my choice, but it was fast and close.  both necessities for a new nursing momma.  my mom kept little landon...for me, cfa is a bit too germy for a two week old :)


we made some sort of carb loaded brownie dessert...


and sang to my sweet baby girl...


it seems like just yesterday that she was two weeks old...


she made her very special wish...


and opened her gift.  it was a big sister necklace :)


all in all it was a good day.  by the end of it, we were all exhausted.  although, i think i woke up that way.  our day was spent at my two week check up, followed by landon's two week check up (check the side bar...he is a BIG boy!!), and then we ended the afternoon back at the hospital for landon's pku.  not fun, but glad to have it all behind us :)


and very grateful to be a healthy family of five...some days, i look in the rear view mirror of my car, see three bobbing heads, and am not quite sure how all of this happened.  we are happy. healthy. complete. blessesd, and grateful for each of our days that keep passing us by ever so quickly.


happy two weeks little landon.  we love you more than you'll ever know.

happy early 7th baby girl!

we celebrated miss emma's birthday a bit early this year...


she *picked* a cake from costco, and feeling as i do, i was ever so grateful :)


we added her fairies to the top, and she was thrilled :)


love her.


and love them all :)


she picked fairies for her theme...big surprise :)


and we decided to have it at a local gymnastics place...


when i asked bro to smile, this is what he did...


here's her party room...


but, all they really wanted to do was play...


she was very lucky in that all of her grandparents were there...






and one was being a bit silly :)


carson loves to play with our little neighbor down the street.  we all love her...


and we were so glad that some of emma's favorite friends came to help celebrate...


parachute time.  #bestpedayever


and the birthday girl found the middle :)






after playing, we had pizza, veggies, cake & ice cream.




i lit her candles...




and she made a wish...


happy birthday memms!  we can't believe you are almost 7.  oh my goodness how time flies!  you've been a blessing to our family and we love you to pieces!


this was the fastest and easiest party i have ever thrown :)  emma loved every minute of it, and i was so glad to have it behind us before the baby arrives.  i just didn't think a birthday party with a two week old was going to cut it, so here we are, early & done...perfect!