happy birthday, Kurt!

 

Kurt turned two this weekend.  If you asked him though with a big cheesy grin he'd tell you he was "free" (three)!  :)  We spent the past month brainstorming ideas and honing in our creative juices just to make this day a special one for him.  It turned out wonderful!  The past year has been filled with many moments that have made us the happiest we've ever been thanks to this little guy.  I can only imagine that he will continue to teach us more than we can teach him and for that we're thankful that God picked him for us.  Kurt, we love you to the moon and back!  xoxo, Mom & Dad

a little late // three months

Time is slipping through my fingers.  Sometime between working five days a week, cooking, cleaning, nursing, pumping, shopping, sleeping, and the other hundred things a parent does my little boy turned 23 months and my little girl turned 3 months.  It happened.  I couldn't have stopped it if I tried!  I wish my photography skills were better and that I would have taken more photos and better photos to capture that day but this is all I have.  And I don't mean that in a woe-is-me kind of way!  It's just the simple truth.  A reminder that life ain't all peaches in cream and neither are my photography skills.  These photos reflect that day and I love them for that humble reminder that "life is good".

then & now // two months

Kurt: 04/23/2012

Natalie: 12/22/2013

holiday traditions // sugar cookies

Sugar cookies for a Christmas party are like pumpkin pies for a Thanksgiving dinner.  Well, this year I had the best helper ever.  He truly enjoyed pushing those festive shaped cookie cutters into the dough and finalizing each cookie with a not-so-healthy dose of sprinkles - almost exclusively blue sprinkles.  :)  And I too enjoyed this special time spent together while Natalie was napping.  As a young family, we don't have many holiday traditions yet but this is one that I will continue for as long as I can before Kurt and Natalie are grown and have families of their own.  In addition to teaching my children how to follow recipes, measure, and stir, teaching my children what this season is all about is something I will look forward to each year.

* Thank you Mom for passing on your love for cooking :)

never grow up

Oh, how time flies.  I'm going to bottle up every little grunt and squeak from a hungry growing girl and the smell that radiates from her silky soft skin, and the sounds of footsteps from a boy who is running around looking for his train.  Truth be told, these days are numbered and I want to remember them forever. 

'tis the season

our family of four

Going from one baby to two babies was much easier than going from none to one.  None the less, finding the balance as a family of four has had it's challenges as well.  I must say though that life is much sweeter as a family of four.  Yes, our tiny family of three was pretty sweet before, but another little babe has added a different kind of sweetness to the mix.  The kind of sweetness you feel when you see a little toddler doting over his newborn sister.  It's the love I tell you.  Just as naturally as we fell in love with Natalie so did Kurt.  Upon the faintest cry from her little lips, Kurt shouts, "Baby" and runs to check on her.  Of course, he has had an extra meltdown or two (or three), but I don't blame him.  He has had to become more patient overnight.  That's a lot to ask of a 21-month old!  Thankfully, it's nothing a little one-on-one time can't fix.  :)  I have roughly a month left of maternity leave and I'm enjoying, appreciating, and savoring all the one-on-one time I get with my family - challenges and all.

pre-holiday

Our babes are sleeping, my favorite homemade pumpkin pies are baking in the oven, and the sweet potato casserole is prepped and ready for the oven for tomorrow morning.  Their diaper bag is packed and all that is left is for my sweet husband to get home from work so we can begin our two-day Thanksgiving feast followed by a two-day siesta.  :)  I just love this time of year!  The hustle and bustle of the holidays can't be beat - we look forward to it all year long.  Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

update // Natalie

Yesterday, I brought Natalie to the clinic for her one-week weight check (yes, I know I was a whole day late).  She weighed 7 pounds 1 ounce!  She is eating great and gaining weight like a champ.  :)