March 22nd SNOW day!!

Yes it is March 22nd and it snowed...hard last night!

Brooklyn is not much for being cold (I have no idea where she gets that from (me)) so it took some coaxing to get her bundled up and out there.

They ended up having a blast. The snowmen were a little more my doing than theirs, but cute none the less!

Then we headed in for hot cocoa and a warm bath! What a great morning. 

girls weekend!

Last weekend I was blessed with a weekend away to refresh and disconnect from the world with these three gorgeous girls. Dionne, Emily and Kristin. We headed to Sunriver Fri-Sunday. It was a-mazing!

We ate great food, got some exercise, enjoyed a weekend filled with sunshine, went shopping and talked un-interrupted for 48 hours! This will be an annual trip going forward =)
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Ready to go!

D shoveling the drive when we got there

Em, being domestic and starting a fire

Shots!! (ok, one shot followed by one margarita that's how wild we roll)

In house facials and pedis

Off for a run

shopping

Sun on the patio in the old mill...seriously amazing

Life long friends, left to right Emily, Dionne, Kristin and yours truly



Benny, benny, benny boy

Oh son of mine! You are something to be-HOLD!
You are 15+ months old now. You are a lot like your sister in the fact that you run everywhere, so we've had lots of tumbles these past few months. So thankful nothing major.

The house got awfully quiet the other day, so I walked back to find you. As I passed the bathroom I spotted you- on the counter!! You had managed to not only climb up on the bathroom stool, but got onto the toilet, then onto the counter. We don't leave the bathroom door open anymore ;-)

You talk non stop. We still don't know exactly what you are saying, but you manage to communicate very well. For instance, once you finish your meal, I'll say "Benny would you like some more food" and you will simply shake your head emphatically "yes" or "no". You seem much less frustrated now that we can talk this way.

You are really and truly sleeping through the night now!

You love shoes. You will bring me a pair of shoes, sometimes they aren't even yours and you want to put them on, then take them right back off.

You are starting to love books (which is so fun!) you will grab a book and then walk over to where I'm sitting on the floor, you turn around and back up so you can sit in my lap. This never ceases to make me smile ear to ear and give you lot's of kisses.

You are super ticklish on your thighs and ribs. The laugh that maneuver induces is intoxicating! Daddy and I love to play tickle games after dinner with you and Brooklyn.

You love to climb up onto the couch that sits in front of the window in the front room and point to all the cars that go by, the dogs across the street and anything else that catches your attention say "ohhhhh" or something else you totally understand.

Brooklyn is still your favorite playmate. You guys have a new game where you put stuffed animals in the little red wagon, and then you take turns chasing one another around the house. Whoever is towing the wagon takes off and the other one chases.
Here are your words:
mama (which you say like this mamammmmmmma)
dada
uh oh
bye (byeeeee)

I have a feeling the flood gates are going to open soon and all those things you've been jibbering to us is going to turn into English! I will miss your jabber sounds once you can talk because you are so emphatic and we can all tell you know EXACTLY what you are saying!

This is how you flirt (you were actually leaning in for a kiss from miss Kinley)

you totally dig popcorn

Your "signature" smile

Sweet boy, love you more than life! Thanks for keeping me on my toes and making my days brighter!

Wearing my heart outside my body

I picked Brooklyn up from school today and she was running around in the room with two of the other students (both girls). One of the little girls stopped Brooklyn and put her hands on her chest and was saying "no, stop" to her. I couldn't tell exactly what context they had been playing, but the way I took it was this little girl was telling B she couldn't play chase with them. I walked right over and kind of just stood there, examining the situation, waiting to intervene. The game fizzled out and I said "Brooklyn, let's get going". I walked out with tears stinging my eyes. I literally had to hold it together and choke them back. I have never in all my life felt a burning inside like that. She was completely un-phased by it, in fact while asking her all kinds of questions on the way home she said the girls are really nice to her, so who really knows.
I plan to talk to both of her teachers on Thursday to find out if this has ever been a problem before. I have never heard a word about any issues from her or her teachers, so maybe it was nothing and I'm totally reading into it...but it gave me a glimpse into what will happen someday. Not everyone is going to love my sweet baby, and just like I had to go through some hard friendships and feelings of exclusion & bullying, I know B will as well. It just hurts so much more on this side of things. Funny thing...a mother's love. There is truly nothing I wouldn't do to protect my children, and I have never felt anything so instinctual: that need to protect her. Don't mess with my babies!!

My wonderful sister in law reminded me of one of the funniest stories ever. Her best friend Brit's mom (when they were three) told a little girl who had been repeatedly mean to Brit, that they were having a circus part with real lions and tigers and that she wasn't invited. Ha! Made me giggle.

It's true what they say, having children changes everything. I already knew this, I've just been learning that the truth TO it only intensifies as they grow. Just as my love for them grows deeper every day, so do my concerns with raising children in this world, protecting, providing, edifying, enriching and raising them to be gentle, kind, generous people. I can't protect them from everything, and that's a jagged pill to swallow. I guess my main job is to raise them to be smart enough to know when someone just needs prayer, and how to walk away and shake it off.

quarantine

This was Brooklyn 30 min after gymnastics class last week. So sad. She spiked a fever while we were on the way to the dr appointment I had made that morning for Ben, as he had been tugging on his ears for a few days. She curled up on the table and didn't talk or move.



Meanwhile, in the same teeny, tiny room, the medical staff took turns trying to torture Ben (those were his words) by trying to get an oxygen saturation measurement on his toe. He wanted no part of it. Screams could be heard throughout the building. Finally had one. The dr was not pleased by the 76% read and ordered an X ray to verify if he did or did not have pneumonia.

This was the only pic I got because he was hysterical, poor guy. This table/tube pinned his arms above his head and I was told by the nice technician that "the harder he cries, the better for the picture".

After this excitement we headed back up to the dr office to get Brooklyn officially checked out and wait for the results of Ben's films.

I am BEYOND thankful that Bethany had the day off from work and rushed right over to help me. She held precious Brooklyn (and bought the kids juice that came in these awesome dinosaur bottles *brilliant distraction*) and I tried to keep Benny distracted.

3.5 hours later we were finally home, with both kids, antibiotics, and a diagnoses of both kids having double ear infections a nasty virus and Benny has bronchillitis and pneumonia. Phew.

Benny is using a nebulizer to treat his poor lungs

Dr office- Brooklyn took this one



Thankful to have that week behind us. I am so sad to hear that many of our close friends now seem to have the same and/or similar viruses. "Just stay home" seems to be the theme of this winter. I feel blessed that my kids are going to recover just fine and we still have our true health. It could always be a lot worse.

A week in pictures

These kiddos are growing up way too fast! Right before my eyes they are turning into children, not babies. So awesome, yet so not. I want to freeze time (when they're behaving) haha, and just relish it.

I had been pretty pathetic about taking pictures for the last few months aside from the holiday's, so I made a point of getting out the camera.

Benny now makes the smile below as soon as he see's it come out. His sister did the same thing at his age!

born to be wild

longing to be outside with the big kids

Benny and his lady friend Quinny

These two :)

benny

brooklyn

These are silk pj's that belonged to my mom

Date night! Leaving for Grandpa aka Chuck's birthday dinner

Wonderful dinner, celebrating a wonderful man

Bedtime Prayer

Tonight was one of those moments I wish I could freeze for eternity.

Brooklyn's bedtime prayer tonight:

"Dear Jesus, thank you for the beautiful sunshine today, thank you for your love, thank you for my cousins Allie and Caitlin, and my baby cousin who needs to be borned. And please heal Kristin, and thank you for my family. Dear Jesus, amen."

This girl melts me from the inside out.