Strike Up Some Fun!

We celebrated Jackson's 5th birthday on Saturday. He wanted to have a bowling party. This is the first year we had his birthday somewhere besides our house, and I must say it is a lot easier to just show up and leave the mess behind!

The invitation:

The guests: Jackson had around 10 friends come bowl with him 

 It was organized chaos:)

Our little family

The cake: Aunt Midge made another great cake

Love the bowling pins and ball, SO cute

The birthday boy: He had the best time! 

The shirt and pin were the coolest to him. He slept with both the night of the party.

(He told all his friends he wanted Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles for his birthday, so that is what he got. The funny thing is he has never seen a show or played with them before, ever!)

The favors: This is the only thing I made for the party!

I am so glad Jackson had a great time! He loved every minute of having his friends there with him.

I just can't believe he is (almost) FIVE!

#hartzeveryday2014 Week 8

Day 49: Someone got a haircut

Day 50: Swimming in the hot tub

Day 51: Bad news- Washing machine is broke

Good news- I don't have to do wash this weekend

(and...Brian was able to actually fix it!)

Day 52: Friday night...Chick-fil-a of course!

Day 53: Baby shower for a sweet friend. SO happy for her!

Day 54: Sunday family day, love those 3 boys!

Day 55: Big boy has a new ride

Kitchen Remodel

For the last six weeks my father-in-law was remodeling our kitchen. We LOVE how it turned out. It was quite the project!

Before on the left; this picture was taken at our inspection

After on the right; way better!

Before on the left; built in desk

After on the right; built in pantry. So much more room for food and storage.

Mel (with some help from Brian) took down the bulk head, rearranged cabinets, added new cabinets, made an island, refinished cabinets, added hardware, built pantry, removed florescent lights, patched the ceiling, installed can lights, hung pendant lights, ran electricity to the island, laid new floor, textured and painted the walls, tore out old pantry, dry walled, created "mudroom", put on new baseboards, added bottom back splash...Phew! I am sure I forgot something. 

A few more after pictures:

Close up of new sink, faucet, and granite counter tops!

Ugly tile is gone!

"Mudroom" as you walk in from the backdoor

We also got a new table and light fixture.

One final look:

Thank you Mel and Sharon for your help! We love how it all turned out. It is more functional, has more storage, and I find myself just wanting to hang out in the kitchen!:)

#hartzeveryday2014 Week 7

Day 42: Baking and decorating heart cookies for our neighbors and friends

Day 43: Trying out our new bench in the "mudroom".

Day 44: All ready for Valentine's

Day 45: Valentine's tradition at Chick-fil-a

Day 46: Picnic at the park and enjoying the beautiful day (Silly Papa!)

Day 47: Jackson sure is going to miss his playmate, saying good bye is so hard!

Day 48: Fun with bubbles

Nine Months of Lincoln

We had a rough month between RSV and teething. I am so glad he is finally feeling better! He now 

has 3 teeth, and one more is about to come through.

Lincoln weighs around 20 pounds and is around 29-30 inches long. He wears mainly 9-12 month clothes. 

He sleeps well when he is feeling good. He goes to bed around 8 o'clock and sleeps until 5 or 6 o'clock. At home he takes two 1-2 hour naps a day, but at school he only sleeps 30-60 minutes. 

Lincoln loves to eat, especially food. He drinks a bottle first thing in the morning, late morning and afternoon, and one more before bed. He also eats 3 big meals a day. He is getting really good at getting puffs and banana pieces in his mouth.

He still isn't crawling, but is very mobile. He still gets where he wants by scooting himself with one leg behind him. It is getting very tricky to take pictures of him because he won't sit still. He "talks" a lot.

Dear Lincoln,

You are too sweet! Your smile makes me melt EVERY single time. You have become aware of when we leave and you don't like that. You love your brother and are always interested in what he is doing, You don't want to miss out. You enjoyed having Papa Mel here. Him and you were early morning and late night buddies. You love being outside and swinging at the park. Everything about shouts joy, I pray that is always true!

We are so glad you are part of our family. I love watching you learn and grow!

Love, Mommy

Valentine's Day

I got all of Jackson's Valentine goodies ready the night before. He was so excited about everything, especially the shoes. He said, "I have to wear them to school because they're so cool!"

 My little Valentines before school. I sure do love them!

Jackson's sugar free Valentine's for his friends.

We stuck with our tradition of dinner at Chick-fil-a. You make reservations, they decorate the tables, serve you right at your table, and give you a rose and goodie bag. Jackson loves giving me the rose!

 I have to show this picture to because this is what dinner looked like most of the time. Lincoln was hungry and tired. Good thing Papa and Grandma showed up after their dinner!

 Jackson and Lincoln had a few more presents from Papa and Grandma and Aunt Midge to open. 

 And for dessert we had some heart cake!

I am so thankful for my family and the love they bring and show me each day!

"We love because He first loved us." 1 John 4:19

#hartzeveryday2014 Week 6

Day 35: This little cutie slept through the night for the first time since being sick. Unfortunately, it was just a tease!

 Day 36: Showing off my Hello Kitty ring and heart necklace my sweet boy picked for me from Treasure Box at school. LOVE him!

 Day 37: Only his 40th snack of the night, he is ALWAYS hungry!

 Day 38: Saying goodbye to my boys for a night away with Brian

 Day 39: A good nights sleep and a massage does a body good.
Love spending time alone with him!

Day 40: We have had a month of quality time with Papa and Grandma. This is probably the last Sunday to go to church with them.

 Day 41: Just another trip to Home Depot. We are almost done with the kitchen...almost!