Happy 70th Dad!

Saturday we celebrated my dad's 70th birthday!

Family and friends came over for yummy food, catching up and card playing. Anyone that knows my dad, knows he loves to play cards. We had a lot of fun playing bunco and spoons.

It was my grandma's first time to meet Lauren.

My beautiful niece Taylor.

Since Grandma was in town, we took a ton of pictures with her grandkids. We hadn't seen her since her 87th birthday party last year.

With the grandkids

Four generations

Happy Birthday Dad! We love you!

just a swingin'

Lauren tested out the swing and
absolutely loved it. She has been super happy since I cut dairy and carbonated drinks out of my diet. It's so nice to have our happy baby back!

Last day of school 2009

Today was Ethan and Austin's last day of Mother's Day Out. The preschool had a cute ceremony to celebrate.

Ethan's class dressed up as animals and sang "Old MacDonald Had a Farm" in Spanish. It was so cute! When it was Ethan's turn, he hopped around like a frog and said "ribbit!"

Ethan got the Good Sense of Humor Award for his class. He absolutely loved going to school on Tuesdays and Thursdays and especially loved Miss Mechy. She taught him so much this year including how to write his letters, count to ten in Spanish and make fun art projects. She is such a great person and we will miss her next year!

Austin's class sang "You Are My Sunshine". Well... actually only Austin sang it! Miss Cheryl told them to sing louder, so Austin sang very loud so everyone could hear. It was so cute and I was so proud of him!


Austin won an award for Future People Magazine's Man of the Year! He is very lucky that Miss Cheryl is going to be his teacher again next year. He loves Miss Cheryl and he talks about her all the time. These boys sure are going to miss going to school this summer and so is their mommy!

Memorial Day weekend 2009

We spent our Memorial Day weekend camping on Lake Georgetown with some friends. The weather was absolutely perfect and we didn't even mind the afternoon shower we napped through. We always have fun hanging out with our camping buddies.

Saturday my parents brought my sister Sherry's kids over to play. The boys were so excited to see their cousins. Eric's parents and grandparents also stopped by to say hello. It was so nice to have everyone together again. The boys were in heaven with all their grandparents and cousins around.

Austin loved playing washers with his cousins.

Ethan LOVED playing with his new Lincoln Logs.

I'm not sure if I love roasting marshmallows more, or the boys do. They love the fire and the act of roasting the marshmallows, but don't eat them any way but straight out of the bag. What a shame, because a perfectly roasted marshmallow is delicious!

The boys had a lot of fun playing with their friends.

Lauren on the other hand, was not a happy camper. The first couple days she was either sleeping, screaming or in my arms. That's when we figured out my diet really affects her sensitive tummy. I am now on a diet of no dairy, caffeine, chocolate, carbonated drinks, alcohol or fried food. As painful as that is for me, it's worth it to have a happy baby. Sunday night and Monday our sweet little girl was back and actually enjoyed camping. Finally!

The kids had a blast playing in the water. Eric and I took turns staying with Lauren so we could enjoy it too. As hectic as the weekend was with three kids, there were definitely soak it all in moments that made it all worth it. Seeing the boys have so much fun, spending time together as a family and relaxing with friends is what camping is all about.

Happy Memorial Day!

three months old

Lauren is 3 months old today!

She has grown so much since last month. She is now starting to wear 3-6 month clothes and is almost busting out of her Miracle Blanket. We are happy as can be that she doesn't spit up like her brothers did. We didn't think it was possible for us to have a baby that didn't spit up! Her stomach issues have improved since I cut caffeine out of my diet. It's been hard to give up my Coke and chocolate, but a happy baby is worth it. She likes her routine of being awake for about an hour and a half and then taking a nap. She eats every three hours when she wakes up. She still goes to bed around 8, we dream feed her at 10, she wakes up to nurse at 3 and wakes up for the day around 7. She likes to coo, blow bubbles and sing. It's the cutest thing ever!

Look how much she has grown!

Who is the sweetest little girl ever?

Me!

rollin' with...

old school

Schlitterbahn circa 1998

We worked at the Gristmill, floated the river often and slept until noon. Can you believe how young we look? A friend on Facebook posted this picture and I had never seen it. It instantly took me back to our carefree college days. Now 11 years later, I'm married to that handsome guy and we have three sweet kids. Life sure has changed a lot since then!

vintage couture

Ok, so it's not really couture, but it is vintage. My mom saved a lot of my baby clothes for me. It was so fun to dress Lauren up in them and let her lay on the blanket I used when I was little.

My first bathing suit

Have I ever mentioned how much fun I'm having with my baby girl?

on strike

Our little sweetie is having a tough time lately. She is having some digestive issues that leave her very unhappy unless she is being held by guess who?

Her momma. Only her momma.

In one particular position. While standing.

Oh joy.

One minute she is screaming like she is in pain, and the next she is the sweetest little thing smiling and cooing.

She has also been on a nursing strike on and off this past week. She did the same thing at 5 days old and again at 2 months. Thank goodness for my trusty Medela.

And for all my momma friends out there snickering, I know - I deserve it. I had one super easy baby and one good baby before her. It's my turn. Hopefully my turn will end soon and our sweet, happy baby will feel better!

Craft ADD and Modge Podge

As I said early in the week, I have been feeling crafty.

Too crafty.

The kind of crafty that fills the counters with supplies and occupies my thoughts. I solved my addiction by tackling one project at a time. First, I Modge Podged the number 3 for Lauren's three month picture. It was the easiest craft, so I figured I knock it out first.

Let me introduce you to my favorite craft supply...

If you have never used Modge Podge, it is amazing stuff. I've used it in the past to make Austin's name for above his crib.

And also to decorate plain tins to put cookies in.

To make the number for Lauren, I bought a simple wooden number and a cute sheet of scrapbook paper. I laid the paper on the shape and held it in place with one hand. With the other hand, I rubbed on the ridge of the number so the paper was indented.

The indention makes it easy to see and cut along the lines.

Then I painted Modge Podge on the number, put the sheet of paper on top, and painted again. In order to avoid bubbles under the paper, you will need to wait for the bottom coat to dry before doing the top coat. The good thing for this impatient momma is that it dries very quickly. The last step I like to take is to sandpaper the edges so they don't look too perfect. It gives it a worn look I like.

In no time at all, I have a cute number 3 waiting for the day Lauren turns three months old. Happy Modge Podgeing!