Monday, March 20, 2017

Ephraim's "Wild & Three" Party


This is embarrassingly late, but I still really want to show you Ephraim's third birthday party. With having a less than one-month-old baby, I knew I couldn't go all out for this party. My goal was to keep it simple and also budget friendly. We decided to do a morning brunch and we had a blast!


The theme was "Wild and Three", which came together really well when I found these whimsical forest-friends graphics.


He was so excited for the guests to arrive! And extra-excited about donuts and cake :)


My mom wowed us with her colorful sugar cookies again. The bunnies, squirrels, and owls were super cute!

 

I was pleasantly surprised when the baby fell asleep in his chair (never happens) so I had time to finish the food for the party :)


We ate bacon and Texas-toast style French Toast--it was delicious! Recipe found here.


Steve made the chocolate cake while I directed him around the kitchen and held the baby. He did a great job, but we both decided it would be way easier to buy a cake next time. (Unless we keep bingeing "The Great British Baking Show," and get inspired.) The boxwood clippings came from our yard, and we made the buntings out of scrapbook paper.


For a three-year-old, it is all about the presents!

 

They wasted no time in playing with the gifts. #pawpatroleverything



True to his shy nature, Ephraim got a little stage-fright when everyone started singing to him :)


Our first (and still only) family photo of the five of us!


Later, I got a picture of E with his giant, gold 3 balloon. It didn't stay inflated very long with the cold February weather, but it was the best toy while it lasted.

Thanks for humoring me and reading about our little party! I still can't believe my baby is three! He has really grown up in the past couple of months now that he is a big brother.

xo

Friday, March 3, 2017

March is here!


Happy March! Today baby August is eight weeks-old, and that just seems impossible! I swear we were just celebrating the "New Year"! Things have been going really well. Being a family of five is just as sweet as I had imagined :) I want to show you all the pictures I have been saving up for the past month.




I love this cute photo of the boys gazing at August in his bassinet!


Those skinny little newborn legs! They've definitely started filling out since this picture.


This was after his first bath. He screamed and screamed, just like the other two boys :)

On Groundhog's Day we had our traditional Phil chocolates. #wheninpennsylvania


We checked out a bunch of groundhog books from the library and had a fun reading time.



Meeting Uncle Josh! and his beard!
 

We tried this recipe for Buttermilk Banana Bread. Yum!

 
Nolan has been such a good, helpful big brother to August! Although he would correct me and say, "Ephraim is the big brother. I'm the BIG-big brother."



Dog Gone Tired. That would describe us well. Haha.



It's been a balancing act to entertain the boys and do school stuff with Nolan. I try to make sure we have some kind of "art" time every day, even if it just means coloring with crayons or Color Wonder markers. One day we melted crayons in a mini-muffin tin and used those to color with. It was a big hit!


Valentine's week was tough because all three boys got sick. It was so hard to watch a six-week-old endure a miserable cough! We got through it somehow, and I feel the need to tell everyone to get a Nose Frida. It works miracles in the snot department!


August the Heartbreaker.


 We made some festive cupcakes to take to MOPS on Valentine's morning :)



Cute little stretches.


Steve took one for the team and let August sleep on his chest for two nights to help with A's congestion. I LOVE this photo.

 Uncle Phil and Aunt Dana bought the boys Superman shirts with red velcro-attached capes.


The smiles have started!


Ephraim got a big boy bed for his birthday. He really really likes sleeping in Nolan's room now. I'm so proud of him for adjusting so well. He still takes a long nap in the afternoon, which is awesome :)


Had to get a pic of the boys in their turquoise jammies!


My friend Hannah in Texas sent me this donut mug because she said it reminded her of me :)

 And Astleigh sent me this wonderful package. I was so excited to finally smell two of her soy candles, especially Stars Hollow. It really does make me feel like a Gilmore ;) Her Etsy store is here. August is going to look super cute in this little Burt's Bees outfit :)

My favorite photo shoot yet! #allthehearteyes


Thin Mint love . . . brings out the former Girl Scout in all of us.


We had one perfect 70 degree day last week. It felt amazing to be outside, if only for a little while.



February is a hard month. Last year on February 29th, I miscarried a sweet little baby, and we were devastated. It was one of the saddest times in my life. One year later, and I'm holding our almost-eight-week-old rainbow baby August. A little boy who was born because sorrow turned to hope, and hope turned to joy. A baby who reminds me that our God is faithful and he redeems some of life's hardest tragedies.

February makes me think of the miscarriage. February makes me think of my sister Hannah's death. February means a lot of cold, gray days. But today is March, and spring is coming. The days are getting lighter. And joy is always around the corner. Trust in God's plan and his providence. Have faith that he has goodness in store for you. And ultimately, we will see our loves again in Heaven



My Aunt Karen made August this beautiful quilt. She is so talented! I seriously have her quilts all over my house.

Thanks for checking in with us, I hope you have a great weekend!



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