School's out for summer!

The boys wrapped up first and second grade last week.  We are well into the dog days of summer, they are busy this week with baseball camp and will send the rest of summer at day camp. 

They both had a fantastic year, full of friends, fun and learning, of course.  Both Parker and Cooper are really thriving.  Cooper is a friend to all and Parker has a really tight knit group of boys that I hope will be lifelong friends.  I'm really thrilled for both of them.  They are growing into wonderful young boys.

They both excelled in math and reading.  Cooper has a knack for drawing and story-telling and Parker is a whiz at writing. 

I am beyond proud of both of them and excited for the summer ahead.  Looking forward to soaking in every bit of it.

She's so fancy

Digging for buried treasure.

Hadley called me via FaceTime and this is what I got to watch while talking to her.  A solid 10 minutes of booger picking.  she chatted away with me, all while maintaining a finger in nose position.

I think this is what I love most about her.  She's not your typical girlie girl, not overly sensitive nor do her emotions tend to vary much.  When she's happy, there's no one better to be around and when she's angry with you, it's like trying to wrestle a bear.

She's such a unique little girl, tough as nails.  She won't cry when her brothers are too rough, she gets knocked down and gets right back up.  She won't let them see her upset and she rarely backs down from either one of them. Kevin and I often have to peel her off the boys after they've crossed her path. 

I love every ounce of her, her tenacity, her independence and her funny sense of humor.  She's great and I wouldn't change anything, except maybe the booger picking.

This kid right here.

Don't mind the upside down award. :)

I received a note last week from Cooper's teacher asking me to attend that Friday's award ceremony.  She told me he was being recognized for his accomplishments in learning.  I was immediately filled with a sense of pride, not only for myself but for Cooper.

He's been working so very hard in all areas of his life, in school, at home and on the ball field.  I was so very excited for him to finally be recognized.

When his teacher got up to speak, she told me what I already knew, Cooper was working really hard in school.  What I didn't know was that not only was he working hard to help himself, he was spending time in his classroom offering to help others. 

When she said this, I broke into tears.  I wanted Cooper to do well for Cooper, I hadn't encouraged him to try to help others, he just did it.  He's like his dad in this way, less concerned about his own success and more concerned about everyone around him. I'm so very thankful for this dad for this wonderful trait.

Way to go, Kev. You've taught him well.

In the blink

October 2018

Just like that, life has passed me by.  It's been years since my last post.  The babies are still my babies, just older.  Hadley is now 4, thinks she is 14, Cooper is almost 7 and Parker is a very mature 8 year old.

They are all active, so very active.  We've got sports, lots of sports and tap dancing.  As we entered into 2019, our lives seemed really full.  Work for me was overwhelming at times, I found myself working nights and weekends.  Sitting at my kitchen counter at 5am on a Saturday just to keep up with my work Monday to Friday.

Easter 2019

Just when I thought I couldn't handle any more, I was provided with an opportunity that I just couldn't turn down.  I left my career in the grocery industry and I've returned to working for a local advertising agency. 

Talk about a breath of fresh air and an immediate change of pace.  Things aren't necessarily slower here, just different.  I'm waking of parts of my brain that I haven't used in years and it's so very refreshing.  I've got job flexibility and my stress levels have plummeted.  I feel present in my own life and I'm really excited about what's to come - hopefully more updates like this one.

Sweet Saturday Mornings

Spring is creeping up on us and it's going to bring a busy schedule.  We aren't playing any sports now, aren't committed to anything and on most weekends, we have very little to do.  It's really nice to be able to just slow down, stay in pajamas until noon and just relax.

I'm trying to soak up this time, sort of dreading the beginning of baseball season but also excited to see both of the boys on the field this year.  Such a double edged sword. I'm sure once the weather warms and it's nice outside, I'll be begging for something to do but for now, I'm content with jammies and snuggles.

Hadley, Do You Love Me? Let me count the ways.

Hadley is growing up quickly.  She's talking all the time and really active.  She spends Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings with her dad.  He's claims he enjoys this time but I think he's a real trooper for trying to wrangle her three days a week.

Kevin recently sent me this video. I have to admit, I have watched it at least a dozen times.


I love that he loves her this much and that she's so fiercely independent. I know she's only two but it's hard not to be proud of this sassy little thing.

Good Bye 2016.

While in the car over the weekend, Parker chastised me for using my phone too much.  Talk about a really wicked wake up call.  Put the phone down, disconnect and just be here, in the moment.

I am trying to remind myself that our life is the only one that matters.  I don't want someone else's Christmas, or birthdays or vacations.  I don't need to be wrapped up in photos from a life that someone else is living.  I need to remember every single minute of my own days with my babies, who aren't really babies any more.

In 2017, I'm going to try to slow down, take a few breaths and live my life, every day.

Wish me luck and sanity....

She Makes Me Feel Like a Rockstar!

The most favorite part of my day work day is coming home to this face.  She shrieks at the top of her lungs and it makes me feel like a complete rockstar.  I just love reaching the top of the stairs, catching her attention and watching her face light up.

She's walking now, says the word dog and wakes up in the sweetest mood every single day. She has stolen my heart in a way I didn't know was possible.

Hadley Grace is 1!

Our little love bug turns one today.  What a joy she is in our lives.  She is so very easy going and patience, sweet and kind.  She just adores her older brothers and tries so very hard to keep up with them.  

She has been walking for almost 6 weeks now, just got her two front teeth (for Christmas) and loves to snuggle.  Unlike the boys, she tends to sit back and just soak up her surroundings, studying people and things.  She's very friendly and the only person she hasn't liked upon first introduction was Santa which I am sure she will soon get over.

We celebrated her first birthday over the weekend and it was so nice to see how many people love this little girl.  It really does take a village and we are so blessed to have such great family and friends in our lives.

It's Been Too Long...

I can't believe it's been almost 6 months since my last post.  Life is busy to say the least and I've just been distracted.

We had an active summer with soccer, Cooper and Kevin's birthdays, a visit to DisneyLand and our first kid-free trip to Hawaii to celebrate our 5 year anniversary. Summer was completed with a new job for Kevin and a trip to Boston to celebrate the marriage of two of our closest friends.  It has definitely been a bit of a blur.

The babies are getting so big.  Hadley has two teeth now, she's beginning to walk and much to my dismay, she's saying da-da.  She just adores her big brothers and is tough as nails.

In an attempt to actually capture our kids while they are still babies, we found a local photographer and I am just thrilled with the outcome. The session was short and we were a bit stressed but our photographer was such a pro.  Our session started with Cooper requesting that the photographer "take a picture of his back".  Needless to say, she did, he was thrilled and complied the remainder of the session.  He's definitely my wild one!

Parker, almost 5 years old

Cooper, 3 years old

Hadley, 10 months

As I think back over the summer, I have so many sweet memories and I know that we had a great summer but I have so few photos.  I am going to once again, make this my New Years resolution - take more photos or keep in touch with my new found photographer.