zone defense

Nicholas Sparks said it best in one of his books, "going from two kids to three kids is like changing from man on man defense to zone defense". 

we are slowly but surely figuring out how to play zone defense. 

well, it's rare these days that ALL three kids are dressed and their hair is done(probably because it takes a couple hours)...so i decided on saturday that i should snap a few pictures on my bed because we need to document these things! and maybe because they were all even matching to see the easter bunny : )

 yes, my children have tattoos....let's all thank their dad for that one.

don't cry over spilled milk...or powerade

today i had a big, fat, realization...and not a good one. 

i am a mean mom. 

okay, we'll i don't mean all the time {at least i hope not} but the past few days i have caught myself countless times losing it over the silliest things like emma spilling an entire cup of powerade on the floor{that i just mopped yesterday} because in my brain i am like, "what the heck. you are almost four. can't you sit still and eat your lunch like a big kid?!" 

and after my anger gets out and she feels beyond awful then i realize, "no, you mean mom. she is four. not ten." 

just another ah-ha moment to remind me that kids are kids and they are supposed to make messes and mistakes because that's how they learn. 

more importantly that's how we learn.

we're all just mom's, dad's, co-workers, husbands, wives, students, children, etc.

making one mistake after another all for the purpose of learning. 

now i am prying that the next time something happens i can say to myself, "cool it. you're twenty-four. act like an adult instead of freaking out." because in all reality my reaction is teaching her how to react when things happen. 

so here's to being a better mom and better example, one step at a time. 

it's okay because...

sometimes i am a control freak with my kids. among other things like how the bed is made, the towels are folded, and when the kids go down for the night. i mean, i'm the mom so it's my right. right?

this week i have tired my best to let it go. 

it's okay if trevor wakes kellen up just after he fell asleep because he hasn't seen him once that day.

it's okay if the dishes aren't done because we spent all day outside. 

it's okay if emma wants to eat corn dogs every day for lunch.

it's okay if kellen plays in the dirt. 

its' okay if spending time as a family means a late night drive to the gas station for some snacks. 

it is all okay because life isn't perfect. no matter how many times i catch myself thinking it should be. thinking that everything needs to be in it's exact place, the kids should be clean and presentable every second of the day, and that i'm not a good mom/wife unless things are "just so". 

it's okay because kellen knows to fold his arms when we pray and always says thank you.

it's okay because emma reminds me that i need to answer her with a "yes ma'am" because that's what i expect of her. 

it's okay because along the way they are learning the important stuff and that is all that matters.

via

currently i have about 5 loads of laundry to fold, 3 bags to pack, and emma is not in bed.

tomorrow i am running a 5k and have ran less than 10 times in the past 5 months(three of them being this week) and never longer then 2 miles....but it's okay because trevor and i are leaving the kids with grandma and getting the heck out of dodge tomorrow afternoon. 



just remember to take a deep breath because you are an awesome mom and it's all going to be okay.



{DIY} maxi skirt guide

i found some knit fabric at walmart a few months ago for $1 a yard and knew i wanted to make a maxi skirt! i followed this tutorial and it was actually pretty easy considering i am a beginner sewer and i knocked it out in about an hour. the tutorial is great so i figured there is no point in spelling it all out again. but i do have a few tips to add...

1. measure, measure, measure! I just traced a maxi i already owned and really wished i would have measured.

2. i wasn't sure if i trusted the fact that no hem would be okay but i didn't hem mine and if has not frayed even after wearing it all day on easter!

3. a little extra room is better because you can always bring it in. i wish i would have given myself a little more room around the waist band. again, measure! 

4. with my basic sewing machine i just used a regular needle and a medium zig zag stitch. 

*bonus: i have enough fabric left to make emma a matching one or even a short version of this skirt!

ta-da! my easter skirt! 

and here's my cute little family on easter!

on the move

emma is spending the weekend at grandma dschaak's house so i am taking a little extra "practice" time with kellen. 

this kid has been pulling himself up on things since about 6 1/2 months old and walking around things a little after 7 months. i was sure he would be walking by thanksgiving or at least christmas!

but here he is coming up on 13 months of age and just took his first steps 2 weeks ago...after i had to stand him up. this week kellen learned to get from crawling to standing on his own! such a big boy :) but he still has to be bribed to take a few steps instead of just plopping back down on the ground. 

em didn't walk until 14 months (but she also didn't crawl until 10 months) so i guess he isn't too far behind.

this little man also has 2 molars cutting through for a total of 10 teeth!

...should have sent him to grandma's for the weekend too ; )

all about my kids-high five for friday!

it has been a crazy week but today i realized how lucky i am to have these two kiddos. really they are awesome kids who put up with a lot of craziness from me. a few things this week i noticed about my kids are...

-they are really good at being toted around on errands and everything else we do as a busy family

-emma is being so much better at sharing/playing/taking care of kellen

-they put up with my constant picture taking

-they are growing up wayyy too fast

-emma is the best sleeper and kellen actually sleeps in most days now

-they love me no matter what.

sometimes we just need to take a little extra time and notice the good things instead of all the negative. positive reinforcement is always better than negative, so here's to my kids and how awesome they are. i promise to tell you guys more of the great things you are doing each day!

and for your viewing pleasure high five for friday is dedicated to my kids this week : )

1. we had a mini photo shoot at our house this week 

2. picnics at mcdonalds are the best

3. these two are becoming great friends

4. kellen trying to put on socks and emma's boot

5.em started swimming lessons!

maybe next week i can take more pictures with my camera and less with my phone?
i'll try.

by the way.....it's february!!! yay!

11 months

I can't believe I actually kept up with this every month and now Kellen is only a month away from turning one! 

Crazy. 

Today I took his 11 month pictures and tied in the theme we are doing for his party...John Deere. 

I got really excited and may have used his bday gift as a prop. shhhh. It is back in the box : )

At 11 months Kellen....

-Has 7 teeth.

-Got the flu for the first time.

-Loves to say "HI" to everyone.
-Had his first Christmas.

-Can get off of beds, couches, etc. by himself.

-Is still a champ at church.

Here are just a couple of my favorite pictures from today.

10 months

My little man is exactly that...little. We had his checkup last week and found out that he dropped down to the 5 percentile for weight. He weights in at 17 lbs 4 oz. meaning he has only gained 1 lb and 4 oz. in the past 4 months! He also dropped to the 65% in height at 28.5 in. Doctors orders are to stuff in all the calories we can and fatten him up before another check up at the beginning of January. 

Kellen has developed quite the personality lately. I would describe him as a bashful goofball. If you smile at him he will give you the biggest grin and then immediate look away with a gasp. It is the cutest. He also thinks it is really fun to make people laugh and goes on and on doing silly things thinking he is SO funny. 

At 10 months Kellen...

-has 5 1/2 teeth

-refuses to stand while holding someones hands

-has had multiple bumps and bruises, a bloody nose, and lip

-is allergic to all dairy products

-still fits fine in 6-9 mo. clothes

-wears a size 2 shoe

-found a new love for any type of ball
-had his first hair cut with the electric clippers

-loves to wear and play with hats (especially dad's)
-doesn't like using a sippy cup

-is getting A LOT better at sleeping

-has a blast playing with Emma...and it is SO cute!

We love our little petite boy even when he takes advantage of the fact that he is easy to hold all. day. long.

On a side note Emma had a little check up too and is 40 lbs.(100%) 40in.(94%) Kinda crazy how different they can be! 

Thanksmas

Since my family lives in Kansas and Trevor's lives in Idaho we switch off Thanksgiving and Christmas every other year. This was our year to go to Kansas for Thanksgiving and so we call it Thanksmas because a day or two after we also celebrate Christmas. We had a blast all week, ate WAY too much, and didn't get nearly enough sleep but the 18 hour drive each way was SO worth it : )

Being a mom.

Being a mom is crazy, hard, silly, fun, testing, joyful, stressful, and every other whirlwind of emotion you can think of. Some days I think about putting my degree to use, maybe not full time, but just something to feel some sort of return or fulfillment...not to mention the financial benefits while Trevor is in school.

Just about every single time I talk to my dad he asks when I am going to apply for teaching jobs...I come from a hard working family where EVERYONE works to contribute their part. So being a full time stay at home mom with out doing ANYTHING else is kinda breaking the mold. Lots of things have been running through my head lately and it has been hard to sort out. Well Stake Conference today laid it all out for me.

I have NEVER IN MY ENTIRE LIFE heard such a stern warning about staying home to raise your children. Our stake president started off saying that he did not want to give this talk and has been wrestling with it for months. He proceeded to tell all women that they need to give up anything to stay at home with their children including downsizing houses, cars, wardrobes, etc. He said doing so will welcome immediate and long lasing blessings. It sure was a wake up call to stop looking for something outside of the home to give me fulfillment. My kids NEED me and their eternal salvation depends on me being the one constant in their lives. Talk about huge!

I am so thankful for our church leaders and answered prayers. The gospel is true!!! : )

Halloween

We had quite a busy Halloween this year. First we went to the library for story time and a Halloween parade, then headed down to the Pharmacy school for Trev's Halloween lunch party, made and delivered pumpkin cookies, went trick-or-treating, and passed out candy at our own house! Halloween was extra fun this year with Emma because she actually understood what it meant trick-or-treat. At first she would say trick or treat before they even opened the door and wanted to take fists full of candy but quickly got the hang of things! She kept saying she wanted to fill her bucket to the top and have a pumpkin party! It was such a great day!

 After taking the above picture Emma asked where my costume was so I decided to go get my witches hat from last year.

 Kellen and I strolled along the sidewalks....

as Emma and Trevor ran from door to door!