Yeehaw!

June came. June went. July came. July is gone. I've been off the face of blog-land for quite some time! I'm super duper sorry and have no real excuses...other than life has been beyond busy and now we are settling back into a routine. SO, let me recap a little of our summer. We traveled south to Florida for a week and caught some great rays, had lots of fun, ate too much, and learned how to become master travelers with three little ones.

Cooper Thomas turned 1. Yes, he did. I cannot believe it! Coop had a big birthday in Florida with presents, cupcakes, candles, the beach, and party hats. He's the sweetest baby around! Recently he had a fun little experience which I will share with you soon, but I'll keep you guessing until that post. Thankful for my Cooper-baby, he fills my days with sunshine and giggles.

...then my girl. Ella Layne is talking way too much, getting a little more prissy, and loving life! She is her daddy made over but with mommy's special little touches :) she's almost potty trained but we're not stressing too much over it. Ella's back in the swing of going to our local montessouri pre-school and she loves to sing!

Then we have babe #1, my little Carter-boo. Whoops, not so little anymore. My big kindergartener is happily getting up for school each morning and running in by himself. It's been quite a journey over the past week to watch him become so independent and to really see him growing up. It's been an eye opener for me to be the parent instead of the teacher. REALLY makes me see things a tad differently. Carter is such a good boy, a "pleaser" and I know he will make his teacher proud. His enthusiasm is contagious and I miss him so much. It's almost unbearable at times. BUT...I'm so thankful for him and what he's growing to be. My sweet boy...

Then. Someone had a birthday. The big 3-0! I'm excited about the thirties and what they will bring. The past ten years have been a world of changes, things I never dreamed. My sweet husband through a surprise birthday party and I really had NO idea. The first words out of my mouth were "My house isn't clean!" -- of course, isn't that what everyone says? It was a lovely time and my parents and sister even showed up and took two of my little ones for the weekend. Momma got to shop at TJMaxx for new bedding and visit a flea-market with Coop and J. Now, that's my kind of birthday bash.

Jonathan is busy in classes again for the fall semester, working towards his masters degree. I am working with 2nd grade this year and really enjoying my students! 2nd graders are beginning to read fluently but are still little kids and have fun with everything. I'm sure there are still changes coming down the line for us, but right now we are enjoying life, loving our babies, and relaxing (or trying to).

Be expecting more posts from me as we settle back into our routine...I've missed you!

Artistic

We have lots of art going on at our house everyday. Coloring books, paper, paper-plates, boxes, markers, paint...you name it. Ella loves art just as much as Carter does, so I'm working on finding a good kid-friendly and house-friendly art display, but until then we will continue to stack up our art that we want to be hung up! My kids adore THESE and so do I. The twist-up crayons are a life-saver.

I found THIS on pinterest {image below via pinterest} and thought you might be intrigued. The 20-minute tie looks like a total breeze for people who are remotely into sewing. For those sewing pros out there, you could jazz it up a bit! With Easter approaching, who doesn't want a funky tie on their little guy?

THIS is an amazing add to your kitchen, but look at what else you can do with the IKEA magnetic knife strip! I have one in the kitchen, but when I visit the store again I'm going to get one for Carter's cars. Such a great organization tip {image via pinterest}. Quite lovely.

Here's to a wonderful day, from me to you!

Natural

Is he not the most angelic baby you have ever laid eyes on? I know he's mine, but I cannot get past his sweet little nature. He's currently getting about 6 teeth total and he's still as happy as a little song bird.

Cooper is the third in line, so of course he is using all of Carter's hand-me-downs {which are so cute} but I am thinking hard about trying a few new things with him. Modern cloth-diapers and home-made baby food. I considered the cloth diapering system before, but I am definitely weighing the pros and cons now. WHY you might ask? I enjoy keeping the earth clean, good, and being natural but I also would love the financial aspect. Most cloth-diapering systems cost about $200 to stock up, but they are selling THIS BRAND at Walmart! Can you believe it? There is a great product review HERE if you are interested.

The home-made baby food process is not as tricky. Cooper is eating about 4-6 jars a day, and he has a sweet-tooth {like big sister and Momma}. I found an easy and very specific process HERE. Look at how pretty these baby-food cubes are.

So basically, there is no fancy-shmancy details here. You need a blender, ziploc baggies, and some good ice-cube trays {I did make THIS purchase}. You steam the veggies or whatever you want to make, blend until smooth, put in trays, and freeze. Pop them out when frozen and store in ziploc bags. One of the foods I saw made was roasted-red-peppers and goat cheese. Wow. That's better than any baby-food blend I have purchased :)

Birthday ideas

The big 5 is right around the corner for our oldest little rascal! It had me thinking of birthdays and I realized I never shared something with you. Remember when I sent you to this spot to find such cute calendars? I used those calendars for a sweet little birthday gift. I also used a frame that I painted {to add some special touch} to give the calendars a hom-ey feel. I know it's March, but you could still give the gift of a calendar!

Any cool thoughts on a big number 5 birthday party? We tend to go small scale, but we are planning on doing something with friends and family. My little guys birthday is also Easter weekend, speaking of which...I just bought Ella and Cooper's outfits. You will be so jealous!

It's hhheerrreee....

iPad!

We are loving the iPad around here. About a month ago, I was chosen for an award centered around my teaching efforts with my families from the last academic year. I thought I was going to get a good pat on the back, and maybe a certificate but when it was paired with a new iPad, I about did a cart-wheel :) Jonathan and I have wanted one for awhile, and decided we were going to get one when we had an extra bit of money just lying around {does that ever happen?} so now we don't have to wait any longer! Yippee! Of course this little dude is loving every minute of the iPad entertainment.

Your favorite apps? Good for kids? Inspiring musical apps? Drumming apps? Pre-K apps? I'm all ears!

Friday Freebie

In the mood to help your little one be more organized and independent? Go to Living Locurto and print these off! I can't wait to add them to Carter's room. I'm thinking of framing them and hanging on the wall, but placing on a shelf is a great idea as well and will not put extra holes in your wall.

Innocent faces...

As promised...

They are the sweetest faces in my world. I think the photo-session turned out nicely and we basically opted for a 30-45 minutes session with only one outfit change for Cooper. I have SO many pictures that I don't need tons and tons. I have quite a selection and I'm so pleased! We are planning to do a family portrait this summer around the time Cooper turns 1, maybe on the beach? Oh yes, you heard that right. We are gearing up for a family vaca, but not until the warm months. I might sneak another post in to you today -- stay tuned...