Happy 7 months

Watch out folks, there's a new actress in town! This little thing is hilarious! She is learning to make herself laugh and does this fake "cheese" smile that is so cute and she totally does it on command! We thought her brother had enough personality and spunk for both of them and maybe she would be mild and calm. Not at all! She is as wild and silly and talkative as him! I love it. 

She is becoming a much better napper! She now takes 3 independent (as opposed to me holding her) naps in her room and sleeps from 8:00-7:00 at night. She is quite the snuggle bug in the mornings and will almost always go back to sleep when we put her in our bed until we all need to get up. She is having 4 bottles/day and 5-6 containers of baby food/day. She gets her love for food honest ;) She is feeding herself Puffs and small bites of bread. She is an expert roller and had learned to get wherever Porter is by rolling, but is not crawling yet. We keep seeing signs of teething, but no teeth yet.

She is just the little princess that our family needed ;)

Some truth...

If you couldn't tell by the tone of yesterday's post, being a mama feels more than a little overwhelming this week! Not saying I wouldn't give anything for my precious babies, just saying its hard. I find no shame in admitting that! I stumbled across this article today and I love it. It's real. It's honest. Sometimes we mamas feel like we need to put on our super hero capes and do it all (while smiling, mind you), but we don't. The Lord shows grace for us in those times and sees our deep rooted love for those stubborn, strong willed, needy little blessings that we have the true joy of parenting. Maybe you've read it already. If so, read it again ;) 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/steve-wiens/let-me-be-the-one-who-says-it-out-loud_b_3209305.html

The busy life of a 2 year old

It seems like Porter is always up to something these days, which makes him nearly impossible to document! His silly, joking, and overly opinionated nature lately makes him one of a kind, for sure!! I love watching him learn new things and explore. I feel truly blessed to be able to stay home with him and witness first hand all the crazy things he does, even on the days that are jam packed with time outs and 2 year old tantrums (the saying "this too shall pass come to mind"). Some of his crazy antics to follow.... 

(Yes, I had to bake brownies like this because he just needed me that bad, even though aunt Jesse and Daddy were also present!)

(No, I will never again give him a milkshake in the car! Weak moment. I caved. Epic disaster.)

(Totally inappropriate, I know. I tried to take it and he loudly screamed "MY BOOBIES" over and over again. Yes, I realize how many things are wrong with that last sentence!)

And that was just the last four days. Talk about exhaustion!!! I will fondly remember these days as "how in the world did we survive?!" Yes, I am fully aware that many moms handle far more than 2 children all while feeding them organically, taking daily trips outside the house for socialization, not using tv as a baby sitter while cooking said organic meals, and never feeling stressed all the while planning for the next one. Two words...not me!! Our chicken nugget eating, mismatched clothes wearing, tv watching house runs just fine like it is... Messy 2 year old and all ;) and I wouldn't have it any other way! 

Happy birthday Daddy!

Today is our favorite daddy's special day! We are so appreciative of how hard he works so that I can be full time mama to our sweetie pies! And what better way to start a special day than with a birthday pancake (with peanut butter, he's strange!) breakfast?! Happy birthday my love! We are looking forward to a whole weekend of birthday celebrations :) 

Baby girl

Savannah Joy had some big milestones this weekend! She said "dada" for the first time and started sitting up unassisted. She is still a bit wobbly, so I stay close by, but she can totally do it. I love how happy this little darling is! And her thighs are adorably out of control! 

What a blur!

From Tuesday on, this week has been a blur! We have jam packed as much as possible into each day and now with mounds of dirty laundry, a sunroom packed with homeless household items, and two very tired kids it is somehow Friday! Some of our week's events included... 

...saying goodbye to our beloved green house. We were relieved to see it close, but sad to watch someone else prepare to make it their home

...breaking out the summer wardrobes 

...squeezing in some snuggle time

...and trying our first quinoa dish 

Whew! Some picture less events were play dates, small group, dinner with friends, and the beginning of house hunting. Yes, I did just say that and I'll admit how terrifying it is to say it out loud. Our plan was going to be to stay in our rental house for a couple years, but plans have changed and we are feeling the better decision would be to begin searching for a home that will be ours. So our hectic week will now transition into a bound-to-be-insane weekend as we fit in house visits into all current free time, yikes/exciting/ohmygoodnesshelp :) 

Late night date night

I've so looked forward to the day I could surprise our kids with a last minute ice cream trip after they were already in jammies and guess what?! We did it!! Last night! And it was just as fun as I thought it would be! We told Porter after he was dressed and on his way to bed (so he thought) and I believe he actually bounced! He had to hug his sister sufficiently and tell her the plan also. I love these kids! Makin' memories folks... 

Monday funday

We stayed cooped up in the house quite a bit last week because the kids had colds, so today was time for an adventure! Since Porter had even noticed  it was time for a haircut, it was really time! He was such a big boy! He sat in the big chair and waited patiently (it's a relative term for a 2 year old!) for his sucker... 

We needed to make a stop at Ingles so I decided lunchables would be a fun lunch treat! Every child should experience them, right?! Don't worry mamas, he has a sweet potato/squash pouch with it (his two year molars are trying to push through and he is extremely sensitive about what he eats lately), so there were vegetables involved ;)

Our final stop was to the Health Adventure. We love being so close to it and have gotten more than our money's worth out of our family pass! There is so much to do and Porter loves having the free reign to run and choose things to play with! And Savannah didn't mind having some time to ride in the stroller like a big girl and watch her big brother play! I love days like this with no plans and time to do fun things together! 

Mother's Day 2013

Mother's Day is a day that I have always found very sentimental. Just about everyone stops what they are doing and takes time out if their busy lives to honor their mamas. I love it! I am so thankful to have a mama that so sweetly and selflessly has taught me how to be and do many things that help me be a better mama! Not just anyone can handle the emotional, tired, stressed phone calls that I frequently place to her ;) I love you mama! 

It's an even more special day now that I'm able to share the day with the two little sweeties that made me a mama. I am so thankful to be blessed with the full time job of being their mommy! They make every day funnier, messier, and more full in every way. I'll have to pause to also brag on my sweet husband. Knowing that cinnamon rolls are my favorite breakfast, he stayed up until 2:00 am last night making them from scratch (watch out Martha Stewart!) and they were delicious! He also made Swiss crossaints to accompany them. Hello my dream breakfast!

He also surprised me with hanging baskets that I have been begging for to complete our front porch. Best kind of flowers yet 

Our church experience this morning was not as successful. Our children teamed up on us and decided that neither one would stay in their nursery class peacefully, so when we each ended up in the hall with a child, we decided watching it as a podcast this evening would be much more effective. We enjoyed lunch at a new burger place and a trip to Barnes and Noble. Most restful Mother's Day? Ummm well not so much, but blessed beyond what I could ever have imagined my third Mother's Day looking like! 

(The traditional cookie cake)