Friday, September 30, 2016

Brothers & Sisters

Eveyln was born in the early morning hours, so the kids didn't get to meet her until later that evening. And we kept her her gender/name a surprise until they got to see her. It was a very fun reveal!





And somehow Evy got them big kid gifts and she knew just what they would like (Lego's, a craft set and a soft sword)

 

Here's a video of their introduction, but I warn you the audio is pretty bad.

Wednesday, September 28, 2016

Mama's Boys


Mama's boys & Mamas boys forever!

Monday, September 26, 2016

Party of 6


Can you tell we were all pretty excited to welcome our newest addition?
A perfectly imperfect picture to capture our family of 6!

Wednesday, September 21, 2016

Introducing...


Evelyn (Evy) Kay


9.14.16 @ 7:16 am


6 lbs. 13 oz.


20 1/2 inches


and just as sweet as she can be!


Friday, September 16, 2016

So sew

After an 8 month hiatus (due to the move, difficult housing situations and subsequent transition) I've started sewing again. During that time of transition it was so hard to know just a few short months before my life looked completely different and I sewed nearly everyday. So, honestly after 8 months I was a little hesitant to jump back in. I was nervous the creative outlet would not bring me as much joy as it previously did.

I started out slow, by completing a few projects that I had started in Ohio, namely a bib, nursing pads and some mending.


Then I decided it was high time I make something for the new babe. Since we don't know the gender I picked 2 boyish fabrics and 2 girly fabrics and created muslin swaddle blankets. It was fun to do a simple project for the baby.


Then my precious, creative Nora decided she needed some new creations. She helped me design her annual football dress and then she decided she MUST have a long skirt with a high/low hemline.

Front
Back
even though it's 100 degrees she insisted on wearing the whole winter outfit
this was made from a large skirt I found at Goodwill then I repurposed it to fit Nora
And to cap it off I made a few knot headbands for a newborn…just in case this baby is a girl…I needed to be prepared with accessories ;)



Needless to say I was a little rusty with my sewing skills, but everything came back pretty quickly and I have truly been enjoying this creative outlet once again!

Wednesday, September 14, 2016

My Superman

This boy and his cape



When I think of Kolter at 2 I will forever picture him with a cape around his neck


Off to save the day!


Monday, September 12, 2016

2.5






My baby boy is almost 2 1/2 and by the time he reaches that milestone he will have gained the new title of big brother.

But before that happens I wanted capture him and remember him at this stage.

Everyone in our family would agree Kolter is the ham of the fam. He loves to be funny and the center of attention. When making new friends he will often ask them if they think he is funny. When "performing" he will wait until all eyes are on him and  he will expect applause.


He has a love for all things Superman. He is rarely without his Superman cape. And recently he insists on wearing his Superman shirt. He had 1 Superman shirt and after 3 days/nights of use I insisted he must take it off to be washed. He couldn't bear the thought so I suggested we use some of his Christmas money to purchase another Superman shirt and he was thrilled with this idea. So, we visited Target that day and he very carefully picked out his new shirt and he couldn't be more proud!

He has very clear speech and people are always commenting about how well he talks. He doesn't always speak in sentences, but the words he uses are very clear. My favorites are Superman, banana, smoothie and Koko. While he can say all of our names with ease he will not say his proper name, he always calls himself Koko.



Kolter is our eater! He will eat pretty much anything including things Mom and Dad won't touch (i.e. ranch, kohlrabi, etc.). His favorite is, hands down, applesauce! He would eat it all day, everyday. He is a big snacker and would prefer snacking to eating actual meals.

He has a big imagination. You can often find him playing superheros or Thundercats. If you ask him who he is 99% of the time he will say "I'm Superman!" and then jet off to save someone.

He is a fish and is fearless around water.

He still loves to play with balls and is not scared to play with the bigger kids. He loves t-ball, soccer, football and basketball.



He is quite charming and will often tell me or Nora we look beautiful. He also flashes that smile and dimple and often melts the hearts of strangers. He can be very loving doling out hugs and kisses to all.

He is a busy boy! He does not sit for long and doesn't love books or puzzles because they just aren't active enough. Though he will read a book or 2 and he prefers books about farms.

He loves to be outside.

He loves babies…hopefully that bodes well for his future…that baby brother/sister is arriving soon!

He is not patient. He does not like to wait and will let you know it.

He is fully potty trained. As long as we are in our routine or mommy is around he does great. When we put him in a new or unusual situation he may have an accident, but generally he does very well.


He loves to wrestle!

He is very social and rarely shy.

He still loves cows.

His favorite show is Paw Patrol.

He doesn't have a whole lot of interest in academic pursuits ;) but I know he catches on pretty easily because he knows most of his colors and can count to 10 even though we've never sat down and taught him these concepts.


His best friend is Calvary or Cal Cal and they are like 2 peas in a pod.

He loves to have his picture taken.

His favorite color is green.

He is often a hot mess and doesn't mind getting his hands (or feet, face, you name it) dirty.

He is usually our early riser around 6 or 6:30 am and he generally takes a 2 hour nap in the afternoon.


We love our Kolter Howard! I can't wait to see how he changes and grows as moves into the big brother role!

Friday, September 9, 2016

iPhone Unload {August 2016}





Pictures (L to R, top to bottom): sugar + spice since day 1, kid selfie with the baby bump, Kolter looking cute on the counter, life can be rough even for Superman #someoneneedsanap #littlesuperman, savoring our last date before football season…school starts…4th baby arrives…the holidays…basically our last moments alone until 2017 and it's not complete until you have s'mores pie from pie junkie







Pictures (L to R, top to bottom): Nora sometimes just collapses from exhaustion, baby boy relaxing in front of Paw Patrol, everything is just peachy, breaking in the new rug, would you like a movie with your popcorn?, Daddy love at the cafeteria during football camp, selfie with my new glasses…1st pair in 10 years…can I pull off the hipster vibe?, little guy was pretty excited for his only child status…for 2 1/2 hours #3rdchild #donttellhimwearerunningerrands, cutie Kolter eating a bagel at church, lots of football practice, Nora posing at church, my 2 favorite older kids being cute at church




Pictures (L to R, top to bottom): Nora's lunch creations (she is a creative, outside-the-box thinker and now it's spilled over into her food choices) including pb&j with a spinach smiley face and sprinkles and a piece of bread with cauliflower and carrot smiley face using jelly as the glue; no that's not a head injury on Kolter…just smoothie he poured on his head, cherishing my one-on-one time with this guy on a walk around the neighborhood, sneaking peanut butter by the handful, enjoying our last family weekend before football games commence and possibly our last outing as a family of five #fingerscrossed #mamaisdone