Summer Bucket List Part 1

We are doing a pretty good job of getting things checked off our summer bucket list! It's been super fun and exhausting summer already and I'm scratching my head wondering how in the world July fourth has come and gone already.. We are keeping the kids majorly worn out right now which seems fun in the moment and like you are being cool parents keeping them up all late and what not until your husband gets to go to work the next day and your stuck with these tiny demons you created yourself for the entire day. That would be the only downfall of summer fun, but we are just getting them naps whenever we can and not basing what are children say when they are sleepy on their general personality because otherwise we should question our parenting am I riiiight???

I told my husband that a dad should have to be responsible for few things in life but those things are making really delicious smorgasbord breakfasts on weekends and video taping our children's lives, I mean not asking a lot, but here I am picking up his video taping slack..haha I've done a decent job at keeping that bad boy charged and on hand for everything so I'm hoping by the end of the summer I can get some video conglomerations together! Our first big check off the board was going to Dutch Wonderland. Its a short drive for us and the park is small enough to finish in one day and the kids are able to ride just about everything. Lancaster is pretty dreamy to drive through and Crew was in utter heaven seeing all the horses and farm animals and loved the buggies. For a quick trip it is one of our favorites and the kids ask to go back each year, definitely suggest it for families with young kids! Stay tuned for the rest of our summer bucket list completions!

Red, White and Blue

Summer time for me is pretty much free reign to wear red, white and blue. With July 4th right around the corner I have included some awesome family finds. I like to get the kids a bunch of things they are able to wear the whole summer and I have found some of my favorites this summer. I also included my favorite summer shoes..gingham. I am slightly obsessed with gingham so these are perfect and a summer classic! Enjoy these finds and share what are your favorite things to wear for fourth of July!

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Summer Bucket List 2017

We are geared right up for summer! The pool is super warm and tolerable by adults now, the kids have been in since it was 51 degrees they clearly can swim under any circumstances. We thought it would be a fun idea to give the kids an opportunity to pick some fun summer bucket list ideas that we could do together as a family. Parents included we each picked a few things that were a must for us this summer. Russ thinks I'm crazy but I'm obsessed with getting great pictures and video of the kids, which isn't easy with three and also just wrangling them in general when we are out in public but it is my goal this summer to capture more memories! With that being said I am struggling on finding a way to get all my photos and home videos on dvd's that we can actually watch as home videos on our TV so if anyone has suggestions on a great way to accomplish that I'm all ears. Obviously I would love some super cool videos with music and the whole bit, but I'll settle for them being on the disk and able to watch period. The kids had their priorities straight with all the eating and ride choices! We are really excited about doing some super fun things with our kiddos, summer time is the best and we are going to eat up every moment of it! Let us know what you and your family are looking forward to doing or if there is something we must add to our list! xo

Pantry Goals

I'll admit a dumb mom move, when we moved into our house we have lots of new big cabinetry and I filled a large drawer close to the bottom with our snacks. The "snack drawer" quickly became a nightmare when Tilghman and Crew were going in there day and night and pulling out every snack we had. Most of the time the Chips Ahoy were all over the floor along with pretzel salt. So I decided enough was enough and made a quick trip to Lowes. I bought white shelving that would hold enough weight to make into a new pantry area in our mudroom. It was not a utilized space in our mudroom that mostly just held the dreaded old mail pile and my diaper bag. I love a food storage container and so it was pretty easy to jazz it up with some baskets and jars. This has proven to be my new favorite area. I can easily see when items are getting low and best of all tiny snack thieves can't reach!

Wire Baskets Copper Basket Glass Jars OXO Pop Containers

Graduation

I mean if you had asked me three years ago if I thought that I would be writing this post in the blink of an eye my answer would obviously be "no." How cliche I know, but the years have flown by and Harper graduated preschool. As we sat in the pew and watched her on stage in her tiny cap and gown we did what we expected..sobbed. I thought the entire time how this came so quickly and how in the world I could freeze time. The teachers so graciously put together a ten minute video of pictures from the entire year and super sappy songs, and it was then I realized we have been prepping for this and enjoying every moment of the journey. Her preschool is the epitome of what you want for a child's school experience. They have adorable artwork, projects and parties for every occasion. They are truly able to be kids and they learn and grow and are never happier than they are in the classroom. It's never easy letting go of something and not walking her through those doors of St. John's preschool next year will hit me like a ton of bricks but what I have learned from my parent experience is to keep making school fun and a party for her. She can always learn and have fun and make the best memories of school. Nothing can replace our love for that little school but we are thankful, thankful, thankful for all it has done for our first baby. So in preparing for the next two kids who will one day be graduating from SJP we will bring lots of tissues take a ton of pictures and thankful hearts for the next step! Kindergarten ready or not our girl is coming for you, she is thrilled and can't wait! 

Griffin Grabs

This spring has been quite the tease..how annoying. I'm over winter and the kiddos are over winter so if the warmer temps would stick around instead of jumping back and forth..I mean c'mon. Iv'e probably said it before but my kids are so hard on shoes, with two boys I think that I will from now on always be buying food, and shoes. Might as well take some stock out in Nike and milk. I was on the lookout for some good spring shoes in hopes that we will soon be peeling out of our boots and coats. I have been a huge fan of Freshly Picked moccasins for a long time but with Tilghman especially they are perfect. He is a shoe ninja and can get any pair off in lightning speed, but the moccs stay put, they are easy to clean, walk in and all the colors are amazing. Also, after coming into the real world three kids later I finally got a new diaper bag, and to say its heaven is an understatement. Where was this bad boy three kids ago! It's a backpack which, hello, mind b l o w n! Having it on my back is so much easier holding babies in one hand and babies in the other hand, babies on babies on babies. The compartments on the inside keep everything in their place and easy to find, and the fabric is perfect to just wipe clean, with baby wipe of course, you can clean basically anything with those suckers, and if not, you're not trying hard enough. Harper is turning 5 in a week.what, whatttt! We are pumped and both Harper's and mom's dreams are coming true with the new Beauty and the Beast movie coming out! Gap has a new collection of Belle clothes and lets just say its a shame they are only in kids sizes, if you feel me. Spring we are ready for you, please stick around!!

Belle Jacket   Fawn Diaper Bag    Camo Sneakers   Moccasins

Heart Month

With February being heart month, we can't help but be so thankful for all the amazing technology there is and the wonderful blessings from God that fix all the hearts, and especially for a tiny heart in our house that has just been declared "cured"!! Here is Harp's story..A year and a half ago our daughter Harper was having a little belly trouble and it quickly became much worse. After taking her to the local emergency room we were told that they felt she had a bladder or kidney infection and it would be best for us to make the two hour drive to A.I. DuPont for better care. We came home packed a quick bag and we were off to Wilmington.  Once we arrived at the hospital we were taken to the urology department and it was determined that it would be best for Harper and I to spend the night so that she could get some IV
antibiotics and be feeling much better tomorrow. While we were all a little scared we knew she was in the best hands possible and hoped she would be feeling more like herself in 24 hours. The night went well and early the next morning they told us that she would be free to go by the afternoon, but before discharge she would just be getting a quick check up from the pediatrician on call. We packed up all our things in the adorable wagons provided by the hospital in hopes to heading out shortly. The doctor came in and began listening to Harper’s belly sounds, lungs and heart rate with his stethoscope. Being a nurse myself I know that listening to the heart usually only takes a minute or so and this was going on much longer. He asked Harper to lie down and then stand up all while listening to her heart. We were all a little confused but went along with what he asked. He then quickly stood up and told us not to be alarmed but that he would prefer to have the cardiac team come down and listen to Harper’s heart before we head home. The doctor stated that he was hearing an extra heart sound that concerned him a bit and he felt we should investigate further. To say that my husband and I were shocked was an understatement. She had come in for something pretty “routine” and before discharge we are being told she is having heart trouble, we were worried and confused. This was May and by August and after seeing top notch cardiologist it was determined that Harper had ectopitc atrial tachycardia. In other words, her heart was beating at a rate of 100-150 beats per minute at all times, when a normal 3 year old heart should be between 60-80. Her heart was constantly beating as if she were running a race. Throughout the summer she tried several different medications to bring her heart rate back down to normal. A couple weeks before she was to start preschool in August her cardiologist called and said they were seeing no improvement at all with her on the medication and that she would need to come in for heart surgery the following week. On top of this devastating and scary news were had recently found out we were having a third baby, building a new house and take care of a three and one year old. Throughout all of this we remained ever hopeful as we knew this was all in God’s hands and all we could do was trust that he would guide the hands of the surgeons and our precious tiny angel. The day came and she was taken back kicking and screaming into the operating room. We had to wait five hours while she was in surgery and it felt more like a lifetime. What a helpless feeling when your three year old’s tiny heart is in the hand of many other people. We were given constant updates throughout the surgery and soon we were able to come back into recovery where she was. That was probably the hardest part since she had to remain lying down and completely still for 4 hours. The cardiologist came out and gave us the outcome of the surgery. While in the operating room he was unsure if he would be able to cure the problem within her heart, there were many things that could go wrong. The area of her heart that was affected was the opposite side of where he had gone in and if he were to cross over into that section it could have caused her to have a heart attack. He was shocked and surprised when he located a small hole in the center of Harper’s heart. It was with that hole that he was able to place his tool through and fix the area of Harper’s heart that was causing the fast pace. We had done many tests prior and nothing had showed that small hole in her heart. It was that small hole that made all the difference. The doctor felt very confident that he was able to correct the area and that Harper should be just fine. We were cleared from the hospital the following day and sent home with our little champ. We know that what occurred in the operating room was nothing short of a miracle and God made the way for her to be healed. The hole is something that no one including cardiologists that are the best in the country could detect and it was the defining factor that fixed her heart. Later in other scans they would not see the hole again. While we always kept our faith in our Lord and Savior we were given first hand a miracle to see and further our need for him. Harper was recently dismissed from her cardiologist in January and he said she is “cured”. We have and will continue to serve our God and be grateful everyday for the miracles he has shown in our life. 

Snow Day

We had a snow day today..technically the snow melted around lunch time but the kiddos made it out in time this morning! While I'm not partial to winter I love a good snow that is beautiful to look at. In Harper's words "it's like we are in a shimmery ice forest!" She would be correct, the snow stuck to every little branch on all the trees and it was gorgeous! Usually, like all parents experience it took twice as long to dress the bunch, then actual play time, however there are some essentials that make playing in the snow that much easier. First off are the always adorable duck boots. I have found since Harper was little that these little gems are a life saver. They are easy to get off and on and come up high enough to keep the snow out but still easy enough for the kids to walk in. I have been able to use them as hand me downs for Crew and hopefully, Tilghman. Can I get a hallelujah to that!! My kids are sooo hard on shoes and that is a pet peeve of mine..roughed up shoes.. talk about ruining an outfit, am I right hahah! These are sturdy and last my kids rough use. Secondly, is waterproof mittens. This may seem like a no brainer, but there are so many cutesy mittens/gloves out there and we get so few snow days that they seem to be a purchase I had put off simply because I thought they weren't necessary. Wrongo, I went ahead and bit the bullet and it has paid off. Not only do the kids have their hands all in the snow getting soaked but the cotton mittens always fell off and left their tiny little digits freezing cold, which would shorten the time outside..if that's possible. The waterproof pairs I found have a velcro strap which you can tighten and keep on the tiny wrists, and hands stay warm! I'm happy to say the snow is almost melted but we had a touch of winter bliss for a short time anyway and they always look stinkin' cute out there! Do you have any must have winter play accessories!?

Mittens       Duck Boots