Show Us Your Life....Pets

One of the blogs that I really enjoy reading is Kelly's Korner :) Every Friday she has a SUYL (Show Us Your Life) post that talks about various different things in life that we all have in common. I usually just read, but I could resist joining up this week, because the topic is pets.

Let me introduce to you the best dog in the entire world...Diesel. He is a chocolate lab, and we rescued him last January. He really is the sweetest, cutest, guy in the world and such a perfect fit for our family.



He is great with the kids and LOVES to be outside, chasing a ball, or playing in the kids swimming pool :)







I know it may sound silly to some, but he really is a part of our family and we love him so much!

Swiss girl!

Every year in our little town we have the Swiss Festival. It is a big deal around here and people like to dress up in traditional Swiss costumes. My mom had saved the outfit that my youngest sister wore when she was little, and this year it fits Hannah (kind of..I had to take in the waist and it is a bit long but she wanted to wear it so badly :)) Anyhow, she originally wanted to be in the parade, but when she realized that she wouldn't get any candy if she was actually in the parade, she decided that she would instead just wear it to the parade. :) Candy is a pretty big motivator when you are 5 years old :)

Ultrasound pictures :)

We had our ultrasound earlier this week and I am so excited to share pictures of #3! We stayed strong and didn't find out the gender, and are really excited for the surprise in the next couple of months :)

Zoo!

Potty trained!

Well, while his fashion sense may be a bit impaired, we are so proud of our POTTY TRAINED little man!

Happy Birthday Hannah!

My sweet Hannah love,
I can hardly believe it, but you turned 5 this past week! How on earth that happened, I am not sure :) Five years has gone by way to fast for this mama's liking. We had a Hello Kitty birthday party with all your buddies, your very first "friend party." You had so much fun tearing around with your friends and being the center of attention.

I am so proud to be your mommy and your daddy and I love you more than you could ever imagine. I love watching you play with and help your little brother, and I am so impressed by how well you share your toys with him. You are so smart, and learning and growing a little more each day. You love to learn about the world around you, and about Jesus. Your innocent prayers touch my heart more than you will ever know. I love you sweet girl!

Love,
Mommy :)


Just for fun, some pictures from the party!


Hannah's buddies!!


Cake!

Guess who is 5 years old?! (She was so excited to be one whole hand :))

Laura Ingalls sun bonnet :)

Hannah and her cake :)

Make-up Gate 2011 :)

A certain someone got into his mama's make-up while we were on vacation... That certain someone was supposed to be taking a nap, but instead he decided to paint himself, and the bathroom with my foundation, lip gloss, and mascara.

I was mad for about 30 seconds, but then I had to turn around to keep from laughing. I mean seriously, how can you not laugh at that pouty lip and joker-ish make-up job... :)



I think we should start calling him Mr. Messy!

OBX 2011

We went on vacation last week with our group of friends from church. It was a blast! The kids had a ton of fun playing together, and the adults had a great time too :) 14 adults and 10 kids in one house for a week and we are all still friends :) What a great group of people we have been blessed with!


The whole group!

Family picture :)

Gabe was not afraid of the water at all!

Hannah loved the waves!

Nick and the guys after the OBX Sandbar 5k!

My awesome hubby finishing his 5k! So proud of him!

Bun in the Oven :)

Weeeelllll.....now that I am out of the first trimester, I want to post and let everyone know that we are expecting our 3rd little blessing! We are due Feb. 5th and are so excited to be expecting again :)



First look at the bean :)

Getting huge already!

My little shadow :)

I Made a Pie :)

And I am so proud of it :) Everything was made from scratch, including the crust. I have no idea if it tastes good, but it's pretty, so I think that counts for something ;)

My attempt at organization and creativity :)

So, creativity is definitely not one of my strong suits. I love to look at other people's blogs and see all the cute and creative things that they come up with, but I have never been much good at it myself. While cleaning and organizing in Hannah's room, I got completely irritated with the mess that was her hair bows. So I got myself motivated and made her a bow board :) I have seen these on a lot of other people's blogs and it looks like such a cute way to keep hair bows organized.

The best part is that it only cost me $1.86 :) We already had the sign from a Christmas gift two years ago, and I used my 50% off coupon at Joanns for the ribbon. Cute and cheap...can't beat that in my book :)

Family Fun Weekend

We had a really fun, and really busy weekend! Saturday we went to the inlaws for a cookout and spending time with Nick's Aunt who is visiting from New Zealand. The kids had a blast playing with cousins, and we even managed to take a family picture :)


My little monkey!


Hannah playing in the dirt. She is so girly in some ways, but also a tomboy playing in the dirt :)


Family picture! We were all there at the same time, so this was a definite must :)

Sunday we spent the day with my mom's side of the family. My aunt and uncle have this fantastic cabin that is up on a huge hill and we all try and get together there every summer. It is a great way to spend time with family that we don't get to see very often, and just a relaxing way to spend the day :)


My mom and her sisters. I love this picture of them laughing and being goofy :)


My adorable grandparents :) I seriously don't think they could be any cuter :)


Our little fish. My aunt brilliantly thought to bring a pool for the kids to play in. It was perfect for a super hot day and for keeping the kids busy so the adults could visit :)


Who knew grill tongs could be so fun?!

Overall it was a fabulous weekend! We are so blessed to have most of both sides of our families close and love it when we all get together :)

Birthday Party

We had Gabes 2nd Birthday Party this past weekend, and it was sooo much fun! I know its a bit dorky, but I love doing the kids parties and coming up with fun themes, and then making a cake to match :) This year we did a farm theme. Here are some pictures of the fun :)


The birthday boy and his big sister. These two are such good buds! They fight of course, but if Hannah isn't around, Gabe is completely lost. The other day I took him to the grocery store and Hannah stayed home with daddy, and we hadn't been in the store 5 minutes when he started telling everyone, "Hannah home." I love that they are so close!


Mommy and the birthday boy :)


His present from Mommy and Daddy. Gabe is completely obsessed with mowers. When Nick mows the lawn he will stand on porch and watch him for the entire 45min-hr it takes. Then he goes on and on about "Daddy mow, daddy mow...." He was so cute opening his presents this year. He would open one thing and then he could have cared less about what else he had to open because he wanted to play with the gift he had just opened. We really had to encourage him to open something new :)


The cake :) I love making these! Unfortunately Gabe was so interested in his mower that he could have cared less about the cake and didn't even want to blow out his candles. That's ok though, I am just glad he was having fun!

2 Year Old Stats

Height = 34 1/2 inches
Weight =25.8 lbs

Sigh...he is growing up way to fast...

2 years old!

I can hardly believe that my baby boy is turning two years old today. It seems nearly impossible that two years ago Gabe was born. My sweet and onery little boy :) I love your personality and the way that you challenge me as a mom. You are one of the most determined little boys I know :) If there is something that you want, you don't stop until you figure out how to get it, or make it work. I know that this will serve you well as an adult...but you sure to keep me on my toes. You have the softest heart, and are so sweet to your sister when she is hurt. I love that you two are close! You are the most precious little boy and I love you so much Gabey! Happy birthday sweet heart!