My Boys

Jack~ building a "really useful engine"

Colin~ standing and shaking the rocker.

Classic Jack.

Classic Colin.

 Welcome to a little taste of life these days.

Friday Favorites

My Friday AM started out with a 7am wake up call from Colin, followed by a time out for Jack. Colin followed up with some splashing in the toilet to round out the full half hour. By 7:30 am, I was already in need of the weekend.

So while my boys are sweet and angelic and sleeping, lets get to some favorites this Friday.

Full, swishy skirts.

Like this one.  I am loving the classic silhouette of a full skirt. It hides varies woes while being fun to wear. I actually got this skirt for $22 from Anthropologie during their 25% off Tag Sale. 

You can buy it here in limited sizes or check in stores if you are lucky to live near one. I would recommend sizing up, as the waist is quite snug.

When I am scrubbing down little dirty toilet-water hands, it is nice to know I have a pretty femine skirt to wear...even if only for a little while.

Since being the lone female in my household, I have started to gravitate to more feminine things. I shower at night and have ridiculous hair by morning, but gosh darn it, I can paint my nails and have pretty hands at least.

So, I have been buying nail polish. A lot of nail polish. And I love it.

My latest purchase (actually, my friend bought it for me) was two sets of 4 mini polishes from H&M. They were a dollar each.

And I love them.

photo credit here.

Highlights of both collections here.

This beige color is fantastic. I either go for very dark or very light. This one suits my skin color so well. It cost 25 cents. So, moral of this story. Go to H&M and buy both sets.

So, those are a couple of my favorites this Friday afternoon.

Fun, flirty, feminine touches for my testosterone filled life.

What are you loving this Friday?

The Summer Must List

It is nearing the end of June. This is madness. Time is flying right past me and I can't seem to catch up.

There are things that I want to do, to accomplish. I have these ideas running around in my head about what I want to do this summer, but they tend to get lost, pushed to the side at the smallest distraction.

So, when I read about Emily's summer to-do list, I felt inspired. I need to create my own list. I need to remember it, do it and mark it off. I want to feel like I savored this summer, took advanatage of it and used my times wisely.

So, here is my list of things that I want to accomplish this summer.

1. Go to the beach. It sounds simple enough, being that I live near the Atlantic ocean and all...but I hate finding parking, cleaning out the sand and trying to plan around nap times. We always enjoy ourselves, so we just need to do it. At least once.

2. Start training for a 5k. I have no idea if my knees can handle it...but it is worth trying. Even if it means I have to get up early before the boys wake...which I can never seem to do.

3. Go on a few dates with my Hubby. Call the sitter and just go, even if it is just for some ice cream.

4. Finish a full complete bible study with some girl friends. I have never actually done a full study, with just girls, just because.

5. Take some vacation time with just Ryan and the boys...even if it is for one night. As long as it is just us, I am happy.

6. Paint my kitchen/family room.

7. Paint and finish decorating my bathroom.

8. Get myself into my old size 6's...comfortably!

9. Exercise at least 3 times a week...cause #8 is not happening without it!

10. Get family photos done...with ME in them.

And above all...spend loads of time kissing and cuddling with these guys. Loads of it.

They all need kissing. Badly.

The Bestest

Dear Husband,

Thanks for being the best Daddy ever. You are the bestest. The boys love you. When you come home from work, both boys squeal with delight. They do not know how hard you work for us, they just know they are excited to have you home. You take time every single night to play on the floor with each boy. You bath the boys, you put Jack to bed and I never have to ask. I am blessed to have you as the father to my boys. I could not have asked for a better partner in life, a better leader for our little family. You are the perfect example of a Godly man for my growing boys. My favorite thing to do is watch you with the boys. You love them so much and they love you right back. It is beautiful. Thank you for showing them the proper way to love and treat a woman. I can't wait to watch your relationship bloom as the boys grow older.  I am so proud to have you as my husband, the love of my life. Happy Father's day to the bestest Daddy I know.

I Love You!

Wife

P.S Happy Father's Day to my own Dad! I love you. I wish we lived closer so that the boys could spend more time with their Grandpa. Thanks for all that you do and for putting up with all my shenanigans as a teen.

Awkward and Awesome Thursday

It is awkward and awesome Thursday. I am just glad that it is Thursday and the weekend is coming. Hope everyone is having an equally awkward and awesome week!


~Awkward~
~ Planning dinner in your head, getting everything ready for a nice crockpot meal that will be ready when you come home from work. Mentally giving yourself a high-five for being on top of things...till you realize that your crockpot exploded a month ago. You haven't bought new one.

~ Running errands before work that are making you late. You rush into a christian book store to by a ladies bible study book that you are a week behind in. You frantically search for the book, but they don't seem to have a "Bible Study" section. You ask the store clerk quietly stacking Bibles, he brings you right to the exact book. You pay, rush out and almost try to get into a black Fusion. It is NOT your black Fusion. Oh...and the book you bought? The Frazzled Female. Appropriate, no?

~ Colin has taken to rolling around the floor whining and fussing when he is over tired and wants his way. Or just because he feels like throwing a tantrum. Dramatic throwing himself around and rolling all over the floor. It is wonderful.

~ Getting dressed for work and liking your outfit...till you get to the car and notice your right pant leg is COVERED in cat hair. Your black pants covered from your grey cat. Not so hot.

~ My Husband and I playing an obscene amount of Farkle on our phones...and sometimes using the work 'Farkle' as a verb in our conversations.

~ Pulling your friend's son and than your own son's head out of the railing slots...barely.

~Awesome~

~ Having friends from MI stay with us. It was good to hang out and let the kiddos play.

~ Shopping. With Friends. Without babies.

~ Colin's dance moves. They are killer.

~ Having my friend's kids be as naughty as my kids. I am not alone! ;)

~ Booking tickets to go home. I always look forward to it.

~ Having a zoo membership AND already having it pay for itself. We went twice this week.


Most awkward and awesome photo of the week:

I was cleaning the house, getting ready for guests. Colin was strangely quiet. I went to check on him and found this. He had pulled himself up on the trash, pulled out the empty ice cream container and was licking the life out of the lid. I did what any good mom would do. I grabbed my camera and took a picture. He was signing "more" frantically. Apparently, he liked it. So much for no diary, sugar, chocolate or nuts before one. I guess I am glad that it was an ice cream carton that he pulled from the trash,not a raw chicken container or something else.
Awkward~ My child ate out of the trash
Awesome~ It was just ice cream and his little signs for "more" were pretty stinking cute, even though he was covered in a sticky mess.

Tell me about your awkward and awesome week!



As always, sponsored by the Daybook.

Tired Tuesday

I am tired today.

I've had 3 cups of coffee.

It isn't helping.

We had guest in town this weekend and it wore us out.

Four boys under the age of 4.

Active boys.

We had fun, but we are a bit tuckered out.

Anybody else tired today?

Friday Favorites

It was 101 degrees here yesterday.

Sweltering.

I had my boys outside for 20 minutes at 5pm and they both came inside with sweaty heads and bright red faces.

Hello, Va Beach summers.

One of my new favorite things are the Markey Pantry Low-Fat Ice Cream Sandwiches in mint. They are creamy and minty and cool. They are only 3 Weight Watchers PointsPlus. I save enough points every night to eat one of these minty goodness. They are a good dollar cheaper than the Skinny Cow versions and I think the texture is much better. It's a win, win.

( These are not the mint kind, but you get the idea)

Minty ice cream. Chocolate cookie. 3 WW points+. Husband hates mint, so won't touch them. Eating them when the kids are sleeping.

That is the recipe for somewhat surviving Va Beach summers.

Or how to have a form of dessert every night and not feel guilty.

Either way, it's a favorite.

Double Digits

We have hit the double digits.

Colin is 10 months old.

2 short months till a year. ONE. A year old. sob.

I don't really want to think about it, except that I am a couple weeks late on posting his 10 months pictures and that means that July 27th will be here in less than two months. I still don't want to think about that. I will think about it tomorrow.

Instead, let's look at some cute pictures of my  little adventurer. Taking his picture is also quite the adventure.

Colin is quick these days. He can turn around in an instant.

He loves to watch his brother, which is the only reason why he is sitting still.

Colin decided to be all big and stand up on his own in the grass. He has been doing this more and more often.

Today, he stood up...while waving a long stick.



All boy, this one. My little bruiser, who gets into everything. All the time.

Favorite toys include: cords, electrical outlet covers, pots and pans, the toilet, cat treats, anything that he can use to push across the floor, any toy that his brother is playing with at that very moment, balls, any toy bigger than him that he can crawl on or pull down, any toy that he can lift over his head and bash on the floor. And let's not forget any paper product that he can chew on.



Sweet little smiles save him. He is always so proud of all of his accomplishments...like eating the stick.

FIFA 2030?

Colin is either really happy or really mad and rarely anything in between.

The beginning of a tantrum...



Mid tantrum.



Post trantrum...after he got his way and his brother brought back the elephant. And I held him and kissed him for a bit.

He has attempted a few steps, climbed up our slide, said dadda and much,much more this month.

I am trying to savor these moments, these ups and downs, frowns and smiles.

They are going too fast for my liking.

My sweet little Colin, let's stay 10 months for a bit longer. O.k?

Friday Favorites

This picture is one of my favorites.

It captures so much of Colin in his favorite, natural state.

Naked. Crazy post-bath hair. Silly faces. Daddy.

Pretty much all of Colin's favorites.

Pretty much all of my favorites.

Plus the cute baby butt dimples. Those are for sure a favorite.

Awkward and Awesome Thursday~ Planking

This is the double piano plank.

Never heard of planking? Me, either. Than I saw some odd photos of my brother-in-law. Than I read about it.

Than I got this picture.

This picture is quite possibly the most awesome and most awkward photo ever.


Why is it so awesome and so awkward all at the same time?


Because it my parents. Planking. On the piano bench and piano that I played as a child growing up.

Yep, that's my mom and dad.

Planking.

Awkward.

And awesome.


As always, sponsored by the Daybook.