Random September

September was such a busy month and I tried to document some of the highlights.  However, I found a few pictures of other "happenings" in September that I wanted to be sure and include.

 Ben had his good friend Blake over for a sleepover.  Unfortunately, the summer sun had passed us by and the pool was just too cold to get in.  But, it was the perfect "lake" for their motorized boats!  They had so much fun racing those around the pool.

 On a sad note, we said goodbye to our beloved Lynx.  Lynx came to us in a very odd way.  Andy's uncle was needing a home for him and we decided to take him in.  He was ancient when we got him, but he was a trooper!  Lynx lived with us for 3 years before finally getting to the point that his body was just giving out.  I noticed one night that he wasn't eating and really hadn't moved much throughout the day.  Andy was gone, so I stayed up until 3 am trying to get him to eat and make him comfortable.  A trip to Purdue the next day confirmed that he had a tumor in his jaw and only had a couple weeks left (if that).  We decided to put him down so that he wouldn't suffer any longer.  I have to say, I was very hesitant to take Lynx (I am NOT an inside animal person) but I fell in love with him.  I don't think I'll have another inside pet, but I'll admit that Lynx was pretty special and will always hold a place in our hearts.

 On a brighter note, Ashley and I ran (ok, we walked a lot of it) the Cupcake Run/Walk for Education.  This was our third 5K that we've done together and it was one of the best.  Don't mind our make-up free/no hair-do photo...we were doing good to just be awake and going, lol!

Finally, I had to include this photo.  Kyran woke up one morning and said he wanted a mo-hawk.  Since it was a Saturday and we had nowhere to go, I happily obliged!  Later, he was looking out the kitchen window for "the big foot" (we had just watched Harry and the Henderson's), and I couldn't help myself...I had to get out my good camera and snap a couple photos.  Those eyes just melt my heart!

Date night

Ben had a little bit of a rough start to 1st grade this year.  I think the "summer of fun" was a lot for him and when we had to get back to a routine, it was tough.  He definitely was missing his mom those first couple weeks.  So, one night, he and I had a date night.  We hadn't done that in a while, so it was nice to get away for the evening with my little man.  We went to Target to look at the toys and then headed to Red Lobster for supper.  Ben had never had crab legs before, so we had to try them!. He decided they were good but they were a LOT of work, lol!  Thankfully after a couple rough weeks, Ben started loving school.

Mother's Day

Mother's Day this year was very low key, which was exactly what we all needed.  We have been running around like crazy these past few weeks, so it was nice to have a day with no agenda.  We headed up to my parents house in the morning to relax and spend the day with family.  We pulled left overs out of the fridge and a frozen pizza out for the kids; it was a perfect lunch.  No fancy table decorations, no fancy food, just paper plates and a hodge podge!  

Of course, this wasn't just any Mother's Day, this was my sister-in-law, Tai's FIRST Mother's Day, and how special it was!  Rose was the center of attention with everyone, and you practically had to fight to get a turn to hold her.  This was the first time Andy and Kyran had gotten to meet her.  Andy was in love and Kyran was just concerned she might try and steal his truck and trailer!  He doesn't quite grasp the concept of newborns, lol!  I realized when I was going through my photos that I didn't get a single one of Kyran.  Probably because he was guarding his toys the entire time, just in case!

 These two couldn't get enough of Baby Rose!

 

In the later afternoon, I headed over to Eric and Tai's to take Rose's newborn pictures while Andy helped Dad and the boys played in the hot tub.  We loaded up to head home around 8:30, and I swear the boys were asleep by 8:31...it was the perfect way to end the day.

Happy Mother's Day to my mother and to all mothers; those who have children to hold in their arms, those who hold memories of their children, and those who long to hold children in the future.  I'd hate to think where we would be without strong, supportive mothers in our lives.  God certainly knew what he was doing when he gave us the love of a mother!

Family Work Day

It has been crazy here this past month, which is the reason for the lag in posts.  But, I'll make up for it tonight, I hope.  A few weeks ago, almost all of us met up at my sister's house for a family work day.  Andy was super sick with a fever, and my sister-in-law was running her kiddos to and from practices, but other than that, the rest of the family was there.  Several of Jason's family members came, too, so it was a big crowd.  We worked all day on their siding.  They'd been in the middle of the project for a while and decided that it would be helpful to call in the troops.  The weather was perfect and the company was even better!  The kids had a blast playing together and the adults (though thoroughly worn out and maybe even a bit sunburned) enjoyed the day, too!

 Working hard!

 Matt and Eric sharing some brother bonding time!

 My nephew, Evan, worked his rear off all day long!  He's such a great kid!

 This goofball. and those beautiful blue eyes!

 The whole crew, after lunch, and before they were too tired to stand, lol!

 Evan and Mom were master siding cutters by the end of the day!

 I love this picture.  You're never too old to learn from your dad!

 This storm trooper was hard at work all day long...if his truck and trailer couldn't haul it, then it wasn't worth hauling!

 These two are best buddies and worst enemies...just depends on their mood.  But, they're two of the cutest toddlers I know!

Look Who's Three!!!

I can't believe that we're already celebrating Kyran's third birthday...yes, you heard me correctly, his THIRD birthday!  Where in the world has the time gone?  Don't get me wrong, sometimes it seems like time goes by soooooooooooooo slowly when you're raising a toddler.  You know, like those times when he's having his fifth tantrum of the morning (yes, morning), or when he won't go to bed without three stories, two vitamins, a sippy cup of water, another story, a trip to the potty, maybe another story...ok, I think you get my point!

But, there are other moments that fly by so quickly.  Those moments when he crawls up in my lap, gives me a hug and says "I love you, mommy", or when he asks me to play with him, or read him just one more story, or when he looks at me with those beautiful, big eyes and gives me that ornery grin that tells me he's up to no good!  Those are the moments that I want to grab hold of and never let go of.  The ones that melt my heart and bring me to tears...being a mommy is hard work but the pay off is amazing!

Yes, Kyran, today you turn three and you're on your way to new and exciting adventures.  But to me, you'll always be my little guy!  Love you bunches and bunches, sweet pea!

Welcome to the world, sweet baby!

A few weeks ago, I was able to host a shower for a dear friend of ours that recently adopted a baby boy.  We had been waiting for the day to come when we would hear the wonderful news that they had been chosen for a baby.  When it happened, we were just thrilled!  He is the most precious little boy and so incredibly sweet.  It was fun to invite friends over and celebrate the new mommy!

Baby, it's cold outside!

Brrrr...it is SO cold outside.  We're holding steady right at 7 degrees, but they're saying the temperature is just going to keep dropping as the night goes on.  Thankfully, it's warm and toasty inside!  We don't have any place we have to be, so we're holed up inside in our sweats (well, some of us are...Kyran insists on only being in his diaper when he's home) and enjoying a nice night together.

I was working on the computer, Andy was reading, and I looked across the living room and this is what I saw.  I sat there for a minute just watching them talking to each other and giggling and then I looked down and realized my camera was right there!  What a perfect opportunity for some candid shots.  I don't think the boys even realized I was shooting!  I love it when everything just clicks and I can capture moments like this.  They're not professional, by any means, but they're perfect to me.  One day (all too soon, I'm sure), I'll miss these moments...so thankful for pictures and SO thankful for cold nights that send us all inside, together!

 

Welcome, 2016!

We started 2016 by trying to ease back into our normal routine.  The early morning wake-up calls weren't exciting, but it was nice to have a routine again.  It's amazing what bedtimes, normal supper times, and a schedule can do for us all, ha ha!

We haven't done anything exciting so far this month, but that's been kind of nice.  We've spent time playing with Christmas toys, visiting friends, watching Netflix, catching up on house projects, and just enjoying time as a family after all the hub-bub of Christmas and New Years has past.  We're looking forward to one last Christmas celebration this weekend at Andy's Grandma's house.  It will be nice to get together with the family.  It seems like Thanksgiving was forever ago, so it will be nice to catch up!

Here are some pictures from January, so far.  I'm sure I'll several to post after our Christmas celebration this weekend.  I'm sure you're all on the edge of your seats in anticipation, ha ha!

Getting some snuggles on the last days of break.  Love this boy and his brother so much!

These blocks were such a hit with the boys.  Santa brought them for Kyran, but Ben has been having just as much fun with them!  Their favorite thing seems to be to build them up and then knock them down...lots of fun!

 Ben got K'NEX for Christmas, but they're hard to play with when little brother is around.  So, we finally found some time during Kyran's nap that Ben could use to build this pretty cool truck.  We've got enough K'NEX designs left to build, that I think we could fill up several nap times!

 I found some time this month to finish up some long overdue projects, as well.  I've had pieces of trim that have needed to go up since we moved in (over 8 years ago, but who's counting).  I also got some window trim scraped and repainted that needed it, and I found this "HOME" idea on Pottery Barn and thought it might look good in the living room.  So, with the help of Hobby Lobby, we also got it done this month!  I can't take all the credit for this motivation, I decided to host a baby shower for a good friend of ours, and that definitely helped motivate me to get things spruced up a bit...that, and January cabin fever, lol!

The sickies...

The sickies have invaded our home.  Right after Thanksgiving, Ben and Andy came down with a nasty stomach bug, and then Andy got a sinus infection.  This week, poor Kyran has come down with Bronchitis and now I'm fighting a sore throat.  Yuck!  We're ready for all the sickies to pack up and move on!

This picture sums it up pretty well.  Kyran looks miserable and you can tell that he's just over it.  Christmas is coming and nobody has time to be sick when Santa is on his way!!!