Addison's FOURTH Birthday!

Summer schedules are hitting us. Longer days outside, swinging and playing in the sand. While I LOVE this time of the year, I always have little things that I want to blog about and get done inside. I'll sneak some pictures about Addison's birthday before I forget that it even happened.

It was a lovely day. Addison's fourth birthday fell on Mother's Day this year. What an awesome day to celebrate with our family and friends! The sun was shining and the temperatures were perfect.

Addison and rainbows ... she is in LOVE. It was an easy choice for a birthday celebration this year.

Streamers and balloons - my baby made this birthday theme really easy. She searched Pinterest with me, and kept coming back to streamers and balloons. I didn't disagree that it's the simplest things that they truly LOVE.

Addison Elizabeth - four and full of life!

Addi and her cake - can't wait to dig in and cut it! Special thanks to Grammy Lou Ann for helping to make it. Addison originally wanted Skittles to cover the entire cake. WOW! That would have taken forever, so we agreed and created the colors of the rainbow on the inside of the cake, too. So happy on how it turned out. I would have still been putting Skittles on the cake!

A full kitchen island of food ... ;) Of course, Wildtree was well-represented!

Our family of five ... don't they all look thrilled to get a family picture?!?

Fresh fruit - rainbow style.

She could not wait for everyone to sing to her. She did get shy and just sat their with a funny grin as everyone sang to her. I think she liked it, though.

Make a wish, baby girl. The sky is your limit!

Yummy cake - so fun! Can you find something wrong with this picture? ;)

A special thank you to our friends and family, both far and near, that wished her a happy birthday and celebrated with us! Thank you for your friendship!

I definitely think this year is a birthday that she won't forget.

Addison's Dance Recital

As a mom, I was moved to tears when I first started watching Addison's dance recital on Friday night. It is AMAZING to see your child get up on stage in front of hundreds of people, praising God, and actually knowing the dance and moves to her routine. The wonderful dance program, Steps of Grace, proved to be more than an actual class that we go to each week. It has given her confidence in her every day life and journey, new friendships, and ability to dance and express herself with music. LOVE!

Can't hardly believe that this little ballet dancer is four. So grown up, yet such a small baby in our eyes. Her strong-willed personality and attitude is nothing short of amazing. You'd never know that a small disability as hearing loss would hold her back. She puts her best effort into everything that she does, making us very proud parents. Now, all that worrying about her ... it's a small sigh of relief this weekend after such a wonderful and beautiful ballet recital for her.

Thankful to our families for sharing this special night with us!

Check out these snapshots of the evening ... our little ballet dancer! :)

Spring Thoughts

Can't hardly believe how big our baby boy looks riding his new bike!

Can't hardly believe that this little gem will turn FOUR next weekend!

Can't hardly believe this little girl will be TWO in two short months!

     After a fun weekend with friends and our family, I'm feeling especially grateful and thankful for all the fun times that we've shared lately as a family.  I'm seeing my family grow and change right before my eyes - it makes me sad for a moment and then proud! They are hard-working, happy, and fun to be around. Some days are hard and stressful, while others go smoothly and how I think things should go as planned. Trying not to get caught up in the business of life, and just ENJOY!

     With that, have a wonderful weekend. Go and make it a great day!

Nora

Nora Ann ...

So big, yet so little.

Spring in Wisconsin

Sunny Spring Days bring mismatched outfits.


Sunny Spring days bring dirty faces and lots of dirt under fingernails.


You will be sure to find us at the swing set on these hot, unusually warm Spring days.


But, we are full of Spring smiles!


The week of warm and Summer-like weather was just what we needed!

Can't Stop Taking Pics ...

These three have been keeping us busy!

Can't stop taking pics ... they are growing up and changing right before our eyes!

Have a great weekend!

p.s. Can you pick out the little diva who isn't so keen on sledding?

:)

Birthday Boy - SIX

We celebrated a little bit early. Carter didn't mind, though. He is LOVING having practically the whole month all about himself. Addison, on the otherhand, isn't quite sure why this whole month is about Carter. She is ready to turn five - but she has to turn four first!

Cheers to the birthday boy - LEGO style! Thank you, Pinterest, for all the wonderful ideas! When I get a chance, I will go back through and provide links to all the ideas that I used. It is only proper to give credit; I didn't think of any of these ideas by myself. I am just good at copying!



How is it possible that you are almost SIX? You have taught us so much about life, love, and family. Thank YOU, Carter, for showing us what life is truly about. You are such a blessing, and we feel honored to be your parents. We thank GOD every day for the blessing that you are in our lives.



Guessing game - check. Scavenger hunt for Lego guys - check. Lego cake - check. Lego crown - check.



Wish this picture wasn't out of focus - you are such a doll. Happy to be almost SIX. And, happy to be surrounded by your family for your birthday party.



Six years ago, we held you and saw you for the first time. You made us parents. We love you so much, Carter!



Proud to be SIX!



Carter blowing out his candles. I LOVE that Nora is watching as everyone is singing to Carter.



The birthday cake that appeared to be so easy to make online. Why is that? It turned out fine, but much more difficult that every website said.

The birthday boy LOVED it, though.



Happy Birthday, sweet boy. Here is to many more happy and healthy birthdays! We feel blessed to celebrate your upcoming birthday!

New Bathroom

We LOVE everything about our house - the location, size, neighborhood, etc. now that Travis and his dad have re-done every single room. There were still a couple projects that we would have liked to complete, but given a 1950s house that is expected. Slowly, but surely.

Here is the before picture - a couple layers of wallpaper, add some paint, throw some old tile in there. You get the idea! It was bad. Ugly, but functional. And, this is our go-to bathroom ALL DAY LONG. Insert a little cash from Christmas and a handy husband and father-in-law ... they went to town last weekend!

BEFORE:



I even tried to paint the mirror and light fixture to tide me over for a bit. ;)



Pictures were taken when a little destruction was already in the works. Sorry - you get the idea.



AFTER:



Hello, new. Beautiful floor, vanity, lighting, and some new paint.





The crown molding does it for me. Simple, yet elegant touch that this little space needed.



Addison is already requesting and wondering why the upstairs bathroom can't look "this pretty". Made both of us laugh. A couple more years, dear Addi!

Valentine's Day

It's not too early to start thinking about Valentine's Day. Shortly after we took down the Christmas decorations (like one day later), Carter was quickly asking to decorate for the next Holiday. It's a ritual to have them help. We pull out the next bin, and go to town ... although, we have yet to pull out anything red, pink, or with hearts. I am not sure where January has gone.

Today, I get an email from Tiny Prints. It's Valentine focus - ok, I am on it. Our goal for the weekend is to get up and get decorated for Valentine's Day.

Once I get a thought in my head, I start making lists. I can't help it. It's just me!

-Valentine treats for teachers
-Valentine treats for class mates
-Valentine cards for family
-Valentine cards for friends
-Valentine cards for classmates

Pinterest is helping with these areas (much more than I want to admit), but I had a lot of fun checking out Tiny Prints. I've never ordered from them, so was excited to see what they have to offer. It seems as though they have a ton of different options, in all different price ranges to fit any budget. Check them out and tell me what you think.

Here are some of my favorites:

Super Friend - Firecracker

Pirate Crew - Bay

And, wouldn't a Valentine's party be fun ...

Scrawled Love - Cranberry

Okay, Valentine's Day isn't just about the kids. I know that my life is consumed with finding the perfect card, treat, or expression for anything with my kids. Let's not forget about our hubby, friends, or family. I do have a couple neat ideas planned for Travis this year, and now Tiny Prints will be helping me to accomplish these goals. There are a different options for everyone on your receiving list.

There are so many ways that you can become connected with Tiny Prints. I encourage you to head to their website and see what they are all about. If you feel moved, you can like them on Facebook or even follow them on Twitter. Heck, my new favorite obsession - follow them on Pinterest.

Thank you, Tiny Prints! I appreciate the opportunity to blog about you. All of the opinions are my own.