what motherhood looks like on me

what?
you get time on the computer all by yourself???
i'm jealous.

and as annoying as it is trying to edit pics and blog while holding a baby and having a toddler [literally] build a fort behind my back...
i wouldn't trade it for anything.
[except maybe for an hour-long massage. hauling heavy-evie around makes my back hurt]

where's kate?

kate:

FOUND:
in bed with crayons and paper.
every flower clip we have in your hair plus a few bows and a headband.
princess dress on.
broken watch on.

happy.

instagram time!

[march insta's]

 busted miss kate singing to herself in the mirror. and headed to church.

 the things that entertain kids are never convenient for moms. and happy st patty's day.

 evie loves to hide under the table. and look who's standing without crying- progress!

 random naps- someone must be growing. and this is jank's idea of 'putting the laundry away'.

 the big 3-0. and jank gave me a coupon book that i adore. 

 afternoon walks. and the start of pool season. 

 finally printed out some of my favorite IG's and hung them in our bedroom. 

 enjoying the gorgeous weather. swimming and bike rides- life perfected.

 worst morning ever - evie dumped garlic powder all over a rug, i knocked over our scooter and cracked the muffler casing and then i left the key in the ignition and drained the car battery- which meant we had to walk to church in the heat. and we finally finished the doll house santa brought the girls.  

a few happy moments shine through the teething drama. and we had a legit date night including dinner, shopping and a movie. booya!

yo ho ho!

kate:

you're obsessed with 'jake and the neverland pirates'.
izzy is your favorite and if you're not wearing a princess dress then you're wearing your 'izzy clothes':
a bag around your neck for pixie dust and a bandana on your head with one little curl poking out.
a pink shirt and brown boots and you're all set.


[just didn't want to forget these little things that make up your life right now]

a weekend to remember

jank,

let's remember this last weekend forever, m'kay?
i didn't have to work and we got to spend the entire weekend as a family.
trips to target, date night, baseball in the backyard, mini-projects completed.
it was wonderful.

we left the house windows open so the sunlight and breeze could come in.
we repeated 'i love today' over and over again while playing with our kids on the floor,
while the birds chirped happily outside.

wish it could happen every weekend.
but it can't so i'll just be content with the last two days and leave it at that.
thanks for giving me such a good life.

[this one despises the camera right now. betcha couldn't tell :) ]

her favorite part is the cake, she'll pass on the frosting every time.

katers:

one of my favorite things to do is bake.

i love trying new recipes and sampling the dough/batter.

i love making pretty treats to take to friends and coworkers.

it's definitely become one of my passions.

and lately you've become my little assistant.

you're my taste-tester, sprinkle-sprinkler and my mess-maker.

and even though it means everything takes twice as long and is twice as messy;

i enjoy it.

i love seeing parts of me in you.

i love sharing my life with you.

i love spending those moments with you at my side.

[even if you hate smiling for the camera]

nothing as beautiful as a peacefully sleeping baby

evers:

it's been a rough go lately.
there are stubborn teeth that won't break through your gums and
there's almost daily constipation since switching to whole milk
[suppositories and prune juice are our best friends].

you've been a trooper through it all.
somedays are harder than others,
[those days you get put in the ergo carrier and strapped to my back]
but most days are good.

i've always freely admitted that babies aren't my favorite.
it's frustrating for us both that you can't effectively communicate your hurts and wants.
but give me 3 more babies like you and i would be content.
[and yes, i do realize that my next kiddo is probably going to be a terror]

love you and your endlessly chubby cheeks.

pool time

i still maintain it's too cold for the big pool.

so while we wait for it to warm up just a bit more,

we've busted out the kiddie pool.

and let me tell you-

a tiny kiddie pool is all that's needed somedays.

just look at evie's face!

the kid loved it. 

 [my fav]

instagram time!

[february and march insta's]

gorgeous yuma springtime. picnics and walks everyday

 taking two 3 yr olds on a walk is always interesting.

 krew is channeling a little michael jackson.

 evie is obsessed with the tv and kate is obsessed with princesses [neither is a new obsession]

 open windows! and the start of 3 months of teething. [bleh. bleh. bleh. no thank you]

 evie got a little excited for her cocoa puffs. kate and i love taking the little scoot-scoot out. 

 kate is an amazing hair stylist. evie at her one year check up- 22 pounds of teething madness.

 i decided to do some yard work- those are dandelions [no joke]. and then i laid down and enjoyed the rare sound of the rain falling. 

krew is the designated driver due to the fact that kate is a disaster behind the wheel. and the ergo is my life-saver [teething continues]

peeping evie

::evie rue::

one of your favorite things is to play peek-a-boo with whoever is in the shower. 

kate hates it ['mom!! evie's making me cooooooooold!]

i think it's cute [for the first couple of times and then i holler for jank to come get you so i can have a few moments to myself. ahhhhhh]

and it doesn't phase your dad [like most things. that guy is soooo easy-going]

love you little sweetie.

scaredy kate

oh sweet katers,

you have inherited my sensitive soul.
you have a tender heart and are easily scared.

today you were scrolling through my instagram feed
[you like to see all the pics of your cousins and friends]
and you happened upon a zombie pic.
you froze up and started shaking.
it made me so sad to see you truly frightened.
you had big tears in your eyes and looked at me with an expression that seemed to beg-
'fix it mommy. please take it away'

i did the only thing i could think of,
something my parents taught me long ago-
sing a church song.

i chose 'i am a child of god' and sang it at least 4-5 times while i snuggled you like never before.
amazing how quickly singing a peaceful song can usher in the Spirit and push out the bad.

you calmed down with my [awful] singing and we returned to our puzzles.
and i had a moment to reflect on how very little control i will have over your life in the coming years.
soon you'll be in school full time and i won't be able to shelter you from everything.

i'd keep you this age forever if i could.
but i can't.
so the best i can do is teach you how to cope with the things that frighten you.
i'll do my best.
it's a heavy task, this parenting gig.
but you make it so ridiculously worth it.

i love you.

ps. please forgive my atrocious singing