{week 42}

It's fall, y'all! We headed into Week 42 with a trip to the Pumpkin Patch with some friends. Nothing says fall like hot apple cider, photo ops with tractors, hay rides & choosing just the right pumpkin. Or two. Or four. The week was surprisingly calm and aside from a moustached stranger showing up for dinner one night, we just ambled through the week. Kalea had her 4 year old well child check on Wednesday. She grew 4 inches & gained 5 pounds in the past year - apparently twice as much as average! After three shots & a finger prick she was worn out, got a fever & had to stay home from school the next day. She never does well with the day after vaccinations & this time around was no different, but she recovered after 24 hours and is now taunting her sister with her upcoming well child check shots! We celebrated her wellness with homemade apple tart & caramel sauce. It tasted like fall to me & both recipes were ridiculously easy. You should try them. Really!

At the end of the week we headed down to see Gran in Macon & spent Saturday with her at The Rock Ranch, a 1,500 acre ranch located about an hour south of Atlanta. They host special events throughout the year & we enjoyed lots of their fall activities including hay rides, bounce houses, pumpkin chucking & fishing during their Family Fall Days. It was such a fun time that we'll definitely go back next year or before, during their Christmas celebrations! We ended the day with Cade's family birthday dinner. He was spoiled with Mickey Mouse cupcakes & great toys from his cousins, aunts & uncles.

Fall sure does keep us busy but we love it!

{week 39}

The week got away from me and, although it wasn't well documented photographically, we had a great week: Michael finished up his camping trip, Cassidy had Kilometer Kids, we attended Science & Math night at Cassidy's elementary school, Michael & I finally hung some better frames in the living room, Cassidy was chosen to attend the first "Character Breakfast" of the school year (a breakfast with the principal) and went on her very first field trip. Then on Saturday, we hosted a house full of 3 & 4 year olds for Kalea's Jake & the Neverland Pirates party, climbed some trees & watched the Georgia game with our good friends.

{happy 4th birthday, captain kalea}

Happy 4th Birthday to our sweet Kalea Lynn!

We started the day with some gifts from us, Grandma & Grandpa. She was tickled to get a bunch of Jake & the Neverland Pirates accessories & outfit, among a couple books & clothing. Cassidy, of course, had to help!

Then it was on to soccer practice while Mommy set up for the Jake & the Neverland Pirates Party.

Once friends arrived, it was a flurry of pirate & princess dress-up, making pirate bandanas, pizza, pirate booty & making spy glasses for the treasure hunt. Which was a bit of a crazy mess, but what party isn't, right?

We ended with singing Happy Birthday, loaded the kids up on sugary frosting & sent most of them home! :) It was a beautiful & fun day celebrating our sweet girl. It's so hard to believe that she's grown up so much into the kind, thoughtful, silly & loving big girl that she is today. 

{I am the Lorax. I speak for the trees!}

Michael & I were could not stop laughing. A few weekends ago we spent a Saturday morning at Red Top Mountain, about a half hour from our house. The weather was perfect for a picnic, play & "hiking" - and by hiking, I mean walking from the car to the picnic area to the playground & back. It's a start, right? Anyhow, as we hung out at the picnic table, Cassidy started pontificating on nature & taking care of it & the Lorax. To which Kalea climbs up on the nearest tree stump...

...to do her best Lorax impersonation. It was a good one too, complete with finger wagging and that Lorax look. This girl cracks me up. Cassidy had to get in on the act too. Then Cade climbed up because, well, everyone else was doing it, but they don't hold a candle to her expressions. Hilarious.

After the Lorax lecture, we had a great rest of the day checking out the views...

and playing on the playground.

Next time maybe we'll venture more than a few yards from the parking lot! 

{yes...mess}

It was my birthday this weekend. Michael did a really good job at coming up with some good ideas to spend time together as a family doing things the I really like. We spent Saturday at the farmer's market then went out to eat. Sunday I sang at church, we had a lazy afternoon and then some friend's came over for dinner and cupcakes. Delicious chocolate cupcakes with peanut butter icing. Oh my. But I digress.

We had some time on Saturday afternoon and ended up playing in the garage. I don't know why we don't do it more often. It's just the right size - and flat - for bike riding & scooting scooters, it's enclosed, close the the bathroom and any other thing one might need.

After the kids had exhausted the fun of biking & scooting in the garage, they started going through the craft stuff in our craft cart. They noticed the big roll of builder's paper (I totally stole this idea from "9 Reasons Every Home Needs Butcher Paper" by Kelle at ETST). And the finger paint. Then they started to strip to their skivvies. (Don't you paint in your undies?) The fingerpainting body painting began. And by body painting, I mean they got as much on their bodies as they did on the paper.

Then Kalea looked at us with those big eyes and asked if they could paint the wall, "Just a itsy, teeny, little, tiny bit? pleeeeeease?" Who were we to say no! You should have seen the looks on their faces when we said YES! Priceless. 

 And that, my friends, is how the story of how we have the best looking garage wall in the neighborhood. 

{melt into me}

There's something about this girl that is transforming from her little toddler self into a big girl. Right before my eyes. Middle sister is independent, goofy, curious, talkative, caring and loving. Every so often though, she melts into me and my baby girl reappears, needing me just about as much as I need her snugly self. 

{week 20}

Summer begins!! Week 20 was the last week of preschool for Cassidy & Kalea. We celebrated at the school picnic on Tuesday. I hit up Pinterest & found a cute gift idea for the class gift for Kalea's wonderful teachers. (Cassidy's teachers are fantastic too, but I just wasn't the room mom to create a class gift!!!) The kids & I celebrated Mother's Day by spending Sunday at church & then heading out for brunch. Michael came home from his trip right after lunch & spoiled me the rest of the day...no diaper changing or cooking for me!! We hit up the zoo with a friend mid-week where the kids got to pet some goats & ride the merry-go-round. I visited with a friend from out of town Thursday on a rare night out mid-week which was super fun...until Cade woke up at 6:15 the next morning. How do they always know?!? We ended the week with some more yummy food, a new app for editing pictures on my phone & a performance of "The Gardening Show, A Musical" written and produced by Cassidy, starring Cassidy, Kalea, Cade and Michael. In our backyard. It was stunning!

{week 19}

Despite Week 19 being a busy week, I didn't manage to capture many pictures! We had a fun start to the week hanging out with some friends who put sponge rollers in Cassidy's hair for the first time which was beyond thrilling to her. The girls had preschool field day & Cassidy had her 4K graduation (I do have pictures, but they're all on the "real" camera. I'll get to those...sometime!!!) She was super excited to get a couple cards & gifts in the mail from family. She's been doing her "homework" almost every day since without us even prompting her!. In the midst of that, I caught strep & was completely out of commission for a day and recovering for another one. No joke, that strep!!! Thankfully nobody else got it though, especially since Michael had to head out of state for work! Cade stepped it up on the exercise front & has begun adding marching to our routine in addition to the "sitting on Mommy's stomach" crunches. Kalea continues to emulate her Aunt "Messy" Jessie on a daily basis - I swear I've never known a messier child...especially when chocolate is involved!!! Good thing she has that silly smile!

{week 18}

Week 18, which feels like a long time ago, kept us busy. We enjoyed the Kentucky Derby with mint juleps & fancy hats, had final soccer games & practices for the season, went to Cade's 18 month well child check (24.6#, 33" tall & just perfect!), the kids exercised with me - Cade sat on my stomach during crunches, Kalea passed out on the couch but Cassidy managed to do many of the moves! 

Cassidy & I attended her Kindergarten orientation mid-week where she got to see her new school, meet some of the teachers, check out a kindergarten classroom and get a little more comfortable with a new place. We tried a couple new recipes, including a seared tuna with avocado salsa that was in the latest Cooking Light. It.was.delicious! And then May snuck up on us and started during all that! 

{week 17}

Week 17 was well documented! Both Cassidy & Kalea had their (first) gymnastics recitals. Both girls did a great job. While Cassidy was poised and proud, Kalea made the whole audience laugh because she had such a big grin & waved the whole time - pretty indicative of their personalities! We had a couple play dates at the house & the park behind our neighborhood then headed to visit Gran & Poppy for the weekend. While we were there we visited a strawberry farm a couple miles from their house. All three had a delicious time picking strawberries & eating fresh strawberry ice-cream afterward - as evidenced by red strawberry faces! 

{week 16}

During the past week it was reaffirmed that I have some of the cutest kids on the planet. Just in case you were wondering. Although Cade went on a sleeping strike two nights out of seven, he still managed to steal my heart one day insisting on snuggling chest to chest on the swings instead of being a big boy & doing it himself like usual. Cassidy's preschool "graduation" pictures came back from the school photographer & I suddenly flashed twelve years in the future. And promptly decided that she isn't allowed to grow up any more. The girls crafted with fruit loop necklaces along with the daily coloring, writing & reading routine every afternoon, we caught a renegade squirrel stealing sunflower seeds from our bird feeder & headed to the Big Shanty Festival on Saturday afternoon with some friends - which wore out everyone & led to dinnertime snoozes for the girls which is practically unheard of at our house. We're getting used to the spring weather & counting down the days until summer vacation and our trip to Pennsylvania!

{week 15}

Over spring break we scheduled just enough stuff to keep us from driving each other batty, but not too much stuff that that the girls didn't get a break. We hit the zoo (& somehow have no IG pictures???), hosted a pajama playdate (where the kids destroyed their room & subsequently lost upstairs toy privileges for a week!!!), the kids went to a drop off playdate (thank you to my sweet friend for that break!), we did a couple of Pioneer Woman Home-school inspired science experiments, did some yoga, took a bunch of walks & bike/scooter rides & headed to Chattanooga's Children's Discovery Museum thanks to our friend Beth on Friday when Michael took a special day off work to hang out. Overall, a fantastic week. 

{week 14}

The week before spring break was pretty low key with just a stripping while napping Cade & some reading & writing (I swear we ought to buy stock in paper, glue sticks & Crayola). On Friday the kids & I went on an adventure to Ikea in the morning, swung by Michael's office on the way home, then made a stop at our neighborhood park on the way home where Cassidy successfully crossed the monkey bars on her own & ended the evening with a Peter Pan pizza night! Saturday Michael & I got to have a "date" going to a CPR training & then out to lunch. It's really nice that Cade, especially, is getting older so we feel more comfortable leaving them with a babysitter for a few hours. 

{week 13}

Lucky Week #13! We spent the week doing the following: ear check for a little man who decided sleep wasn't cool anymore (no ear infection, probably teething), mommy-baby boy day while the girls had a playdate after school on Tuesday. I registered Cassidy for kindergarten!!!!!!! (with only misty eyes, no tears! but oh my gosh!!), caught the kitties snuggling, had a hundred gazillion practice egg hunts in the house, the girls had their preschool Easter parties on Thursday and then discovered our engagement party & wedding pictures on Friday and Kalea kept exclaiming, "You & Daddy are falling in LOVE!!! Awwwww!" They had soccer practice & pictures on Saturday after which Kalea got to drink some, "later gatorade" while wearing her "shin gardens" (I nearly fell over laughing). Then we changed out of grubby clothes & little guy sported his adorable bow tie & headed to Macon for a busy Easter weekend. Lots of fun. 

Hope you had a wonderful Easter!!

{week 12}

Last week I tried to make up for the lack of pictures for the prior week by going way overboard in documenting the event of the week. That, coupled with a bunch of stuff going on, led to a crowded collage this week! Michael spent the first part of the week out of town for work. While he was away, we weathered a tornado warning (three kids, mommy & two cats in a very small half bathroom. good times) one evening, Kalea celebrated "green day" at school with some appetizing green macaroni & cheese & had a playdate with cutie pie Emma, Cassidy had gymnastics & school, we saw one of a hundred trains that go through Kennesaw - but this time Cade said, clearly, "choo chooo twain". We ate a yummy feast of cabbage soup, salad, quiche & apple pie one day &  yummy chili later in the week. On Friday, after spending the day with Cassidy's sweet friend, Seren, Michael & a friend convinced Jackie to drive two hours to see a free Blake Shelton concert & it.was.so.much.fun! He played for just over four hours! The next day was a rainy day that we spent in our pajamas doing chalk art & hanging out. Overall, it was a great week!

{week 11}

While Michael & I battled germs this week, the kiddos stayed healthy...but not well documented! It seems like Cade was the only one who stayed still long enough to be photographed except an airplane ride on my feet for Kalea on Saturday while we spent a beautiful day outside with friends...and three bobcat scoops of mulch that Michael spread in our flower beds!

{week 10}

the first full week of march brought more snow, wacky wednesday, more foodie pictures as well as a new TV show obsession for the girls - the pioneer woman, a couple more hats for cade's hat obsession, playgrounds, playdates & silly time with friends, and jewelry making with some of the craft supplies from grandma betty.

{week 8}

Talk about a fast week! The girls were off school on Monday & Tuesday for President's Day so the rest of the week just flew by. I actually woke up on Saturday morning panicked that Michael was late for work because the week just seemed off to me. On Monday, we had a fun playdate with a bunch of MOPS/preschool buddies. The house was filled to the brim with kid activity while the mommies relaxed. Later in the week the girls had fun helping make dinner - while sneaking vegetables like cabbage & carrots! The weekend was the highlight for Cassidy, who got to go to a little girl spa for part of a friend's birthday party. There were chocolate facials, cucumber eyes, manicures, pedicures, tiaras, boas, blue & purple eye shadow with glitter plus blue hairspray. She.was.thrilled...and looked just like an extra from an 80s music video! 

{be mine}

Valentine's Day was a hit this year! Cassidy & Kalea decorated the house with pink, red, purple & green construction paper hearts & 99¢ Super Girl Valentine decorations from Michael's craft store. We spent at least four nights making Valentine's boxes, bags, little gifts to share with friends and made, upon Cassidy's request, pink lemonade cupcakes to share at school.

Michael took off work for a couple hours to help in Kalea's Valentine party & I helped in Cassidy's party the same day. It was fun to have some special time with just the girls while Cade stayed at a friend's house for the morning.

{week 7}

We had a blast last week...Valentine's Day projects & parties, fastnaughts for Fat Tuesday, playdates & an end of the week pajama day. And, despite both Cade & Kalea ending up looking like unicorns with run ins with the hardwood floor & a bookcase, week 7 of 52 was a success!