Mommy's Weekend Away

I was so blessed to have an amazing weekend away with some wonderful ladies! I've met most of the women through Stroller Strides and we've become friends over the years. Last June we trained and ran the Rock 'N Roll half marathon together. Karma has a cabin in Easton and she invited us to have a fun weekend away. The weather was great and we had such a wonderful time!

We went to Suncadia a few times to hike, ice skate, wine taste and have dinner. So fun!!!

I came home to a clean house (thanks, babe!) and special note from my family. Bryan also wrote down a few of the things Dylan said while they were making me this note. Here a few quotes from Dylan:

1) You are so wonderful!

2) We missed you twice a day, but Daddy babysitted us.

3) I have fun spending time with my Daddy.

4) Mommy, you are so wonderful and we miss you so much!

I felt very loved when I walked in the door. Nothing like a weekend away to refresh the spirit and remind you how much you love your family!

Our house is a Zoo!

Literally, our house is like a zoo or an African safari. The fireman obsession has been replaced by a wild animal obsession (mostly African animals - lions, tigers, and cheetahs top the list). It is so interesting to me how once Dylan finds something he enjoys he dives in full throttle. His bed has been turned into the lion's den and we crawl around like we are tigers. We've cleared the library out of every book about these animals and he saves up his money to buy animal families. Normally at night I tell him stories about Firemen Dylan and Wendy the rescue hero. Now he wants me to tell him stories about lions, cheetahs and zookeeper Dylan. I was really good at the firemen stories and I am still getting into my groove with these new stories. He corrects me a lot and tells me how the story is supposed to go. He has such an amazing memory and he can quote statistics from his books. Tonight he wanted me to pray that the people who cut down trees in the animal's habitats will have some of their money taken away so they can't make the animals extinct. It was really cute!!

Here is his current selection of animals. He is hoping his collection grows on his birthday!

He has been setting up the zoo on his mat. All the animals have their own habitats.

His sand box is now an African desert. There are trucks that carry the tourists on safaris and the animals roam around the sand looking for water and food. Too cute!!!

Valentine's Day Treats

Love was flowing from our house on Valentine's day!

My two special guys surprised me with lillies and yummy candy, Mommy's favorite!!!

Dylan and I made a special banner for Dad. In the middle I wrote down reasons why we love Dad. Here are just a few things Dylan said he loved about his dad. He is strong and buff, he wrestles with me, he takes me to MacDonald's, he is silly when he dresses up like Jim Bob Jim Bob, and he lets me look at lion videos and pictures on the computer. We love you, Daddy!

A few days after Valentine's Day and my flower still look amazing. I love lillies!

Valentines Day Playdate

We have been so blessed by our neighborhood and the families that live here. We've met wonderful friends and it is so special our kids are similar ages. During the summer we are outside all the time playing together, but in the winter we don't see our friends as often because everyone is inside. Since they miss hanging out we've scheduled a few themed playdates. In November we had a fall theme playdate and we just had a Valentines Day playdate.

Here is Dylan, Chloe and Sawyer showing off their string hearts.

They made candy necklaces and they were so excited about jewelery they could eat. Chloe was so patient at stringing them and Dylan wanted a lot of help because he just wanted it done so he could eat it.

I love Family Fun magazine, they give me so many great idea! We have candy cane heart lollipops with white chocolate in the middle and tortillas cut into heart shapes and baked with sprinkles on top. YUM!!!

Taylor was looking so cute in her heart dress. She actually had a clip in for more than 10 seconds, YEAH!

Dylan and I tested out the tortilla hearts to see if they were any good. Check out how pink his hands and mouth are. He kept dipping his hand in the sprinkles on the cookie sheet. He definitely has a sweet tooth like his mama.

Here are some photos from our fall playdate. They made animals out of apples. This is when Dylan was going through his phase of not liking having his picture taken.

Here were their final animal creations. Such artists!!!

Mommy's 31st Birthday

Wow, another year has gone by. This past year definitely seemed like the fastest year of my life. It has been an amazing year, watching Taylor and Dylan grow and mature. Dylan is becoming such a young man and I am so proud of him. Taylor keeps me on my toes and she amazes me with all the things she is learning.

On my actual birthday, February 2nd, we had a family dinner at Red Robin. Earlier in the day my mom brought over this cake and we came home from the restaurant and they sang happy birthday to me. Dylan still loves singing and helping blow out the candles.

A few days later we had a family party at my parents. Grandma, Grandpa, Gramps, Nana, Papa, Aunt Lizzy and Uncle Eric were there. Dylan was excited that he got to help me blow out the candles twice. We were celebrating Grandpa's birthday too (his 64th) and so we clapped 95 times. Taylor was a little confused by the clapping but soon she joined in on our fun family tradition. Thanks Nana for making the yummy cake and pie!

Taylor was playing it up for the camera during some snuggle time!!!

Auntie Lizzy played a silly game of spinning the kids around in the box. Taylor was having so much fun!!

Auntie Lizzy always has time to do something special with her little man.

Our family has never broken out into a spontaneous song before, but it happened on my birthday. Dylan is really into animals right now and so some how the song "In the Jungle" started being sung. It turned into quite a production. I made them try and recreate it so I could capture it on tape. I love seeing Uncle Eric's face in the back looking at everyone like they are crazy.

Fashionista

Taylor is obsessed with accessories! She constantly seeks out shoes, coats and anything she can put around her neck. It scares me a little bit that she likes to put things around her neck, but ever since she was little she has grabbed anything and everything (and tried to put it on. Whether it is Dylan's tool belt, a necklace, a onesie, anything she can lift over her head becomes a necklace. If this is any sign of what is to come we are going to have a little fashionista on our hands. Luckily her Great Aunt and 2nd cousin like to shop and have a good fashion sense. I can just send Taylor out on shopping dates with them =)

Everyday Taylor goes into the laundry room and picks out a coat and bring it to us to put on. Today, she picked a snowsuit and she walked around with it on for a few hours with the legs dragging behind her.

If there are shoes around, she finds them. We have started trying to get her to put on shoes that are close to her size so she can actually walk in them. Normally, she picks Bryan or Dylan's shoes that are way to big to stay on her feet.

She seems to get really warm in the coats, but if we take them off she goes and grabs it and brings it back to us to be put back on. It is too funny!


We tried to strap Dylan's shoes to her feet. It worked for a little while.


We went to the Phiefer's for dinner over after Christmas and she found their clogs. She loved walking around in these!

Happy Birthday, Taylor!!!!

I can't believe my sweet baby girl is 1!!!! These past 12 months have flown by and I am so in love with Taylor Grace. She has added such a joyful presence to our home and she is truly a gift from God.

On Taylor's actual birthday we had a fun morning at KidsQuest while Dylan was at preschool.

She loves the water area!

She likes Legos but she couldn't quite figure out how to get them to stay on the board.

The best part of the day was dinner. Grandma and Grandpa came over and I made chicken carbonara. Apparently, Taylor likes carbonara.