Tuesday, February 27, 2018

Love you to the moon and back


The sun has been shining the last few days, and it seems like we all have a little more energy and motivation. Here's a little recap of what we've been up to:


We went to the February Home Depot kids' workshop. The boys made mini Cornholes, decorated in Valentine heart stickers. :)


We thought of my sister Hannah on what would have been her 34th birthday. I always wonder what it would be like if she were still here.

"Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." 2 Corinthians 4:16-18


August is walking so proficiently, almost running after his brothers, and he is constantly finding things he's not supposed to have.


 Since we're home so much, we do a lot of baking. I've been really convicted to stay away from dyes and preservatives, so we make our own bread in the breadmaker, bake desserts from scratch, and use the McCormick "Color from Nature" dyes when we want to make things a little prettier.


After the cupcakes, Nolan gave me a Gold Medal in baking. (We really enjoyed watching the Olympics as a family for two weeks!)


 Every time August hears the dog next door, he woofs, and heads toward the nearest window! 


This is how I found him one day. . . in the bucket, holding a sword. :)


The day before Groundhog Day, I had the boys write and draw their predictions. Both said that they would see his shadow. And, they were right!


We got all the Groundhog Day books we could find at the library, and read them all morning.


This was our first time making pancake art, and it was really fun!


We did a week study on the 5 Senses! I want to post the photos of the books that we read, in case anyone is interested in seeing our themes. I thought that, "I Hear a Pickle" and "How Do Animals Use Their Five Senses?" were the best ones here.


In the last month, August has gotten SO interested in books! He is always climbing on our laps with one of his favorites.


We go to the library every Friday afternoon, and that's a highlight of our week.


We have had a few really warm February days (including today!), and it has felt so good to be outside!


However, one Sunday morning was very icy, so we stayed home. Nolan decided he wanted to give us a sermon from his Bible!


 And he fittingly called church that morning, "Home Covanit Church", and helped me make church coffee, complete with chocolate chips sprinkled on top.


This is what my life looks like most days. The boys are always building something! :)


Nolan and Ephraim were ALL about Valentine's Day. They spent two days making many, many cards. They thought it was really funny when I wrote on their Valentines, "I love you to the moon and back." And Nolan responded, "I love you to Pluto and back!"


We made the boys individual heart-shaped pizzas for dinner.


 And I didn't know that Steve was planning on buying this heart-shaped pizza for me from Giordano's! It was the best! He also brought home my favorite dark chocolate sea salt caramels from Aldi. #goodman


These are some of the Valentine books that we own, and some that we got from the library. August LOVES the Daniel Tiger one!



Enjoy the last day and a half of February! We're ready for you, March!!!


Monday, February 19, 2018

Happy boys


It's supposed to be in the 60s today! It'll be rainy, but I'm hoping we can get outside to enjoy it a bit. I want to share a little about Ephraim's 4th birthday party a couple of weeks ago. Last spring, the boys both asked for character parties for their birthdays. Nolan chose Lightning McQueen and Ephraim chose Thomas the Tank Engine. Recently, Ephraim hasn't watched much Thomas, but there was a point in his life where he couldn't get enough of that cute blue train. We celebrated on Ephraim's actual birthday, a Sunday afternoon that our family here could get together. My mom and Don were able to visit from PA, too.


Our boys and nieces really love melt-in-your-mouth meringues, so I whipped up a batch for the party. We also made chocolate sugar cookies in the shapes of Es, 4s, and trains :)


 He was so excited! It felt really good to give our middle a lot of extra attention that day.

Our party of five.


We made a chocolate cake with whipped cream frosting and raspberry filling.


For dinner, we kept it simple and kid-friendly with boiled hot dogs, chips and salsa, and pineapple.


I didn't get many photos of the kids playing, but this picture of the boys scooping ice cream is cute :)


A couple of days later, August was happy to go for a ride through IKEA!


 We had such a nice visit with Mormor and Papa Don, and we were sad to see them go!


I bought a daily planner a few weeks ago, and it's making my life a lot more organized. I used to make lists on random pieces of paper, and then lose track of them on the dining room table. Now, having all my to-dos in one place makes it more likely for me to actually get everything done.


"Can I come in and play, brothers?" :)  The boys have a little sunroom off of their bedroom, and August is always trying to get in to Godzilla their Lego and MagnaTile creations. He's determined!


A sweet moment of reading together!



August and I made it a full year of exclusive breastfeeding, which I'm so happy about, and we'll keep going so long as he wants to. He is pretty excited about drinking whole milk in a cup now, but he still loves to nurse for the comfort.



Ready and waiting for spring and more time outside!


I was trying to get a selfie with the baby, and instead of turning out in color, my phone gave me this black and white with red and yellow stripes over it.


And a selfie with my favorite four-year-old.


And Nolan too, to be fair!


This particular week, our theme was PENGUINS, and we learned a lot about them! We watched March of the Penguins, which was both really cool, and also a little more about the circle-of-life than a G movie should be. Ah!


Here, Nolan is finishing the pages a book called "My Baby and Me" that we started when August was born. (Thanks, Sue!) He did a really great job at writing down milestones and other things he wanted to remember about August's first year.

Hope your Monday is shaping up to be a great one!

XO

Thursday, February 15, 2018

Half a year


As of today, we have lived in Indiana for half a year. I sort of can't believe this, but then again, my stay-at-home mom life often feels like the movie Groundhog's Day, where I wake up and live the same day over and over again. So really, the passage of time feels different to me now. I have three posts to write to get all caught up, and then I am going to promise (again) to blog more faithfully.


There's nothing like a clean kitchen, a blank slate for getting it messy again with new recipes.


I had the goal for over a year to make gingerbread Dala horses, and I finally got it done! I loved how they turned out :)
 

Ephraim has really taken an interest to helping me in the kitchen. He mostly loves licking batter, but I think he's really excited about the process, too!


We've kept the baby in his infant carseat because a.) he still fits, and b.) we can still bring him into stores or restaurants while he's asleep!


K asks to hold August every time we get together. He is getting a little big to sit still on her lap, but he really likes the attention!



 We had to document a successful car-to-bed transfer after a busy morning at church. He slept for two hours with his winter coat, hat, gloves, and shoes on!


First time in a car wash! Exciting times for little boys.


And first time in a car wash!!! Age 31.


Our friend Meghan gave August a birthday card with a Lion crown in it :)

Not super into the selfie, but does REALLY love to Skype.


We did an oceans themed week for school, and the boys made paper plate Rainbow Fish. They were cute! Ephraim's is on the left, Nolan's on the right.


One incredible afternoon, all three boys fell asleep in their beds at the same time. This has NEVER happened before, and likely never will again! :)



Miracle!


I'll leave you with this sweet sunglasses photo. Love this boy!

XO

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