Spring seemed to “spring” on us early this year, and with a vengeance. Our weather had been abnormally warm all throughout the winter, so everything bloomed earlier, the grass was in need of cutting earlier….and the list of To-Do’s seemed never ending!
Outside of my regular excess of spring duties the kids like to keep me busy in the house as well. It’s nice though when Taly begs to go outside and take pictures, and we all get a little breather in, and i get to marvel in the beauty of these adorable kiddos we’ve been blessed with…
I think this girl loves the camera just about as much as it loves her!
Some days I wake up and decide to be a cool mom that day…..and I have a 4 year old who LOVES superheros so what better way to rack up cool mommy points than to make superhero pancakes for breakfast-
While we’re on the subject of cool mommy points, the week leading up to Kal’s birthday we wanted to do some cool stuff. He went through a phase a while back where he would wear his Fireman costume DAILY, and though he doesn’t wear it everyday he still loves all things to do with firefighting so we took a little trip over to the Fire House in our little town and took a tour, and this sweet little kitty greeted us outside and Kalvin and Talynn smothered it with love!
Talynn was going around smelling all the firefighter’s boots, she is quite the character this little one!
I also found some time to finish a little alphabet project in the kids room! I had been collecting letters for a while. I wanted a good mixture of fonts/sizes, and then wanted to paint them in different shades of their room color pallet. I’m pleased with how it turned out.
These two cute owls on the dresser are also a new addition….
I have a good friend that was getting rid of some lanscaping rock from their property and said I could have it. I got quite the workout lugging these bad boys around. I was able to redistribute some mulch and rock , and finish a little pathway on the side of the house which will eventually lead to a gate…..or prehaps we’ll do something completely different in this area, but atleast it’s not a HUGE eye sore for the moment.
Then of course Taly and I taking a little breather so she can pose for me. She thinks that anytime she gets dressed up we need to document it!
I can’t say I blame her considering her very interesting daily fashion statements…
We’ve had multiple high temp days already where we’ve had to cool down, and Artisan is big enough this year to join in on the fun….
Recently Jeff’s aunt had been posting lots of old family pictures on facebook, and I have never seen pictures of Jeff as a baby and such (his mom can’t find them) and wondered how much our kids resembled him at that age. So I thought I’d ask his aunt if she by chance had a couple from family reunions or visits, and she actually had a handful of pics that had been sent to jeff’s grandmother through the years. So I had some fun comparing our kiddos in their current ages, to us at corresponding ages!
My parents sold their house and are waiting to get into their new house so they’re staying with us for a few weeks. They’re staying in the basement which isn’t really finished. I needed somewhere for them to put their towels so I made a wooden crate out of some scraps in the shop to mount on the wall in the downstairs bathroom. I plan on making a few more of these eventually….one for the kids bathroom as a stool, and contemplating doing a crate compiled bookshelf.
With the plethora of warm days we’ve been able to work on our chalk skills again this year. Kal has become quite the artist the past few months. The cat drawing is compliments of him, and he loved coloring the outline we did of Talynn’s body to look like her.
When you have super hyperactive monkeys as children it is necessary to burn their energy daily, and stimulate their brains. Going to the park does both for these kiddos. They are constantly imagining new ways to stretch their physical capabilities!
Jeff got a new toy, like he will have no Christmas or Birthday presents this year kind of toy. He’s been wanting a nice telescope for over 10 years now, so we finally did it. It has been nice to go out after the kids are in bed and star gaze with this handsome guy. Hope to get a lot more use out of this throughout the summer!
Kal is the easiest kid to photograph, and he’s pretty easy on the eyes too!
It was a tradition to get a new Sunday dress every EASTER and I remember looking forward to it like CHRISTMAS! This girl LOVES her Easter dress and just twirls and twirls in it. Making the perfect accessories for her is also fun!
This kid is such a good big brother!
Talynn was being a bit of a pill at first….
…and I wouldn’t say Artisan was all too thrilled either.
But Taly eventually warmed up and turned on the charm.
Artisan took a bit longer to cheer up.
“There’s what in those baskets?! FOOD? CANDY!!!?? okay i’ll atleast stop crying”
OH man! I found so many cheap goodies this year. Dollar Store Iron Man Puzzle for the win!
Screw the toys i’m all about the food….
I love this picture showing them all in their own little happy worlds!
The flower that daddy picked for her may have been her favorite thing!
OM NOM NOM!
Well while you’re busy playing with silly things I will raid your basket for the good stuff….
This kid was a natural with the slingshot.
She wanted to wear all of her princess accessories all at once.
Daddy couldn’t let Kal have ALL the fun.
Now that I have coated my stomach and vest in sugary goodness I will smile for the camera!
I demand you bring me more Easter candy at once peasant!
Kal wanted to get right to work on his new puzzle!
…and as if Easter wasn’t exciting enough, we had my parents and siblings over that evening for EASTER dinner, and celebrated Kal’s and my dad’s birthdays. Some of us went in on a power-wheel for him, which he has mastered now. We don’t usually do big elaborate gifts like this but figured this will be something that will get a lot of use from all our kids, and it helped to divide the cost up between a few of us.
A video of Kalvin and Talynn out for a stroll in the “Polaris”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I4_SxLB71CM
Kal also got to have “friends birthday” this year. We did a superhero theme, and he of course loved it!
Here is the invitation i drew up for it. It reads “Kalvin Lee Harris was just a normal kid….”
…”who was ‘SUPER’ excited to be turning FOUR!”
“He immediately began dreaming of the perfect party! One in which Siderman delivers a heroicly delicious pizza, and Superman slices the cake with his lazer vision!”
“Now he just needs a few “Super” awesome friends to help him celebrate….”
We hope you can take some time away from fighting crime…
And of course I always do things the hard way and make my decorations by hand…. (pictures from the party are poor quality because they were taken quickly with my phone)
What’s a superhero party without some superheros. There was also a Cat Woman, Bat Man, IRon Man, Captian America and a few others in attendance…
We ate homemade pizza and other goodies and drank “Hulk Punch”
Captain America Shield Fruit Platter….
Kids kept leaving their food unattended so Artisan was cleaning up after them…..
Kalvin had a blast obviously I didn’t get too many pictures of him, he was busy running around with his friends, and that’s how it should be!
As I do every year on my kid’s birthdays we do a photoshoot. Here is Kal’s 4 YR Shoot. Love this handsome fella and all the ways he challenges me and forces me to grow as a person!
This kid is such a great helper, and loving big brother. I constantly have to remind myself that he is only 4 (or whatever age he happens to be at the time) and remind myself what that age is capable of, because he is so bright and mature for his age. He has such a thirst for knowledge and enjoying life. He makes me laugh with his crazy imagination! He knows how to melt my heart, and is quite clever with his manipulation skills. I sure won the lottery with this little guy!
oh I almost forgot, Taly made me take pictures of her while I was out there with Kal….
This girl kills me with her sass and personality. Holy theatrics!
Wednesday May 6th Ruby our new dam had puppies! 6 to be exact. 5 females and 1 male. They are cute as can be and she is a stellar mother.
You can view more pictures of the litter and keep up with their progress each week HERE!
Then the next day I was crazy enough to do Artisan’s 1 YR Photo Shoot and Cake Smash Sess. I had the hardest time narrowing down my favorites. This kid is such a ham, and full of personality. I was having lighting issues, so i guess I was happier with the outdoor pics. Inside was harder too because I’m 6 months pregnant, and he is a walking crazy active kid, so trying to place him then place myself far enough away, all the while he’s all over the place! I got my workout in for sure that day.
Of course Taly insisted I take one picture of her as well…
Then the messy good stuff….
My favorite part was when he began smearing his feet in the cake….
…and then eating it off his toes.
This kid was sooo serious during the whole cake eating thing. He was on a mission: Eat as much cake as quickly as possibly, no time for dilly dallying.
I can’t believe this kids is ONE already. In just a few short months I will have a new baby, and he won’t be my baby anymore. Artisan is seriously one of the sweetest happiest boys ever! This is the kid that was still smiling at everyone when he was in the throws of pneumonia over Christmas! He is bright and strong. He loves to observe and figure out how things work. He loves to dance and have a good time. I hope he will keep this care free spirit the rest of his life! Being his momma is a breeze and a blessing!
