still around...

Hey all... just in case you're wondering, I'm still blogging here. Goodness, it's been a long time. Spring has passed us by all too quickly and I can barely find time to get the regular things done around our home with all the extras going on lately. It all comes on at once!

If you follow along with us on Instagram or Facebook, you may have seen some of what has kept us so busy. Here's more of what we've been up to...

Aside from our normal weekly schedule of getting Kai to and from Kindergarten in the afternoons, visiting with both sets of Grandparents at least once a week, squeezing in play dates, and attending church functions 3 times a week, we've found room to cram some special activities in as well.

Spring is such a busy time all of a sudden with a kiddo in school. It seems they pile on events all at once. Last week Malakai's class had a field trip to Public Works. It was an open house day so there were a LOT of other field trips and families as well. I was able to take Malakai while Ben's mom watched Desmond and Aurelia. It was such a treat to help out with his class and have some time to just focus on him. It was also nice to connect with other parents, since Aurelia was born on the 3rd day of school I haven't been in his classroom as much as I had envisioned.

The following day we had a Jog-a-thon fundraiser for the school so I packed up all 3 kiddos and joined the other Kindergarten parents and students in the rain to help count laps as kiddos dashed around the track. It was such a blessing because although it had been rainy and was pretty wet, the rain let up for the hour that our kiddos ran. Desmond wasn't too into it, which really surprised me. I talked him into doing one lap around with Malakai and they walked huddled together the whole way around. Malakai did 19 laps in one hours, which I think is close to 2 1/2 miles.

We've spent a lot of time at our pediatrician's office lately. Unfortunately all 3 kiddos have been suffering ear infections. Aurelia has had 2 in the last 2 months, Malakai had one and Desmond had a double. Keeping track of medicines has been fun. I've been really thankful for my collection of essential oils right about now for general sickness, ear discomfort and seasonal discomforts alike.

Sadly Malakai will need surgery to have ear tubes put in to keep him from having so many ear infections. I had hoped we would get past this season with no more infections, but he had another right after allergies hit. I'm wishing we had done this last year, but we thought for sure he'd mature out of it. After school is out we'll get it all taken care of and pray that ear infections will be a thing of the past for him!

Lately I've been spending a lot of time gardening. We have quite a bit of green in our little veggie garden! I have 5 different lettuces, 2 tomatoes, onions, carrots, red peppers, cilantro, basil and strawberries clustered in big and small containers. We've already enjoyed a few salads out of our garden, the basil is new within the last few days, and sadly the birds got to the few red berries I had, but I'm hoping to beat them to the next round!

The only thing growing faster than our little veggie garden is our sweet daughter. She is doing so many new things! She's doing this hilarious scoot crawl and she is FAST. She is able to get into a lot of things and I've found myself cleaning the floors much more often. She loves to spit her food, even when she likes it. 

We've also been getting outside and taking advantage of the great weather we've been having as much as possible. Playing at the park or in our own front yard has been a lot of fun. Aurelia loves to watch the big kids play so we will often sit on a blanket together while the boys play on the playground. Her new favorite thing is to pick and try to eat the grass now that she can crawl to it. 

She used to hate the feel of grass but today I set her down so I could carry a watermelon in from the car and she was very excited. 

Hopefully I'll get to updating again here sooner than I have been. I have so much more to share and I still have a few informational posts about essential oils in the works too! 

sunny days

It has been a gorgeous week of sunny days around here. We've been limited in our enjoyment of it, but have been out in the spring weather when we could. Desmond is on a nap strike so I decided to wear them out earlier in the week and we went for a walk to the park in the mid afternoon. I got some fun pictures and had some sweet conversations. 

Desmond has been narrating everything he sees, he will ask some questions but mostly he tells you what he thinks about the world. Malakai still asks a million questions a day, I love it (most of the time). As we walked by a house with freshly cut grass and clippings on the sidewalk you could smell it in the air and Kai said "mama...I smell green beans" in a disgusted voice. I try not to laugh at him when he says things that strike me as funny, but it's so hard sometimes. I explained to him that it was the grass clippings, but he insisted it smelled of green beans. 

Malakai looks so big to me, walking around without someone holding his hand (until we come to a street of course, no one lecture me please). 

Kai got ahead of us once we were on the path to the park, Des had to catch up with him and I felt super slow lagging behind them. They did wait up for me when they got to the park, how nice. 

{not quite heavy enough to teeter totter on their own}

They climbed around on the play structure and went down the slides a few times as usual. It amazes me how independent Des is compared to the last time we played at the park on a regular basis (early fall). He's all over the place and I'm not too worried about him stepping off of ledges to nowhere. 

I always suggest they run up the hill when I want to wear them out and head home soon. It's their favorite part of this park. Kai took off and Des ran after him...

This is the only photo in this post that I edited, because I wanted to see the joy on their faces but they were a bit backlit. However, it doesn't post large enough here to see. Click through and you may be able to view it bigger. Such happy kids!

At the top of the hill they discovered a patch of dandelions with a cucumber beetle in it and they had to investigate. 

I suggested we go on a walk before heading home but Des was breathing hard after the hill so we found a picnic table to take a rest but instead they both picked me flowers. 

{I came home with handful of daisy and dandelion tops}

On our walk Malakai declared that white trees are made of paper...I love the way his mind works...

We walked a few blocks away before Kai declared he wanted to go home, so we turned around and  headed back. This was the first time that they've both walked the whole way to and from the park. In the past Des has gotten too tired and needed to be carried back or we've had the wagon. They were pretty exhausted so we took a rest when we got home and early bed time went very smoothly. 

Des is still on a nap strike so I'm thinking with this pretty weather (if it lasts) I need to get them out of the house in the mornings to wear them out in hopes he'll actually go back to nap. Mama needs a break!

I can't wait for this weekend, while I have a lot of decluttering to do I plan to spend some time outside with my guys! 

Happy Friday!

as usual

Just like always we have been busy little bees around here. Still in full potty-training mode with Kai and he's decided to add furniture-climber to his resume. We did a little furniture switch-a-roo last night which helped keep him off of the low dresser/changer at nap time, but he's still tempted by it in the playroom/Desmond's nursery.

Yes, the playroom is basically Des' nursery now. The crib has been in there since we put Kai's twin mattress in his room back in December, but the changer was still in his bedroom. Now that the crib and changer are back together, it's looking like a nursery...with a LOT of toys everywhere. I think it'll work well as both for now, but I'm sure it's not the last time we transition the two rooms. I don't think we'll be able to put them to bed in the same room for a very long time, so even though our home is small, I'm so thankful that we have 3 separate bedrooms!

Desmond's teething has calmed down a bit, which means better sleep...but not necessarily less drool yet. Kai was never a drooler, so this is new territory for us. I'm not sure if I should just carry around a burp cloth or put a bib on him. Maybe both.

I just updated my Project 365 blog. I always get backed up over the weekend.

Now I need to get back to tidying things up around here in preparation for tomorrow's small group meeting. Always busy, but super blessed.

Kai's Quotes + Anecdotes

I've been keeping track of the things Malakai says and does on a piece of paper on the fridge, we've compiled nearly two pages over the past few months. We obviously don't get it all on there, but when we remember we jot them down so we can look back on them.

Just this past week he's had a couple sweet and funny moments that I wanted to share.

Over the weekend we were riding to Grandma + Grandpa Pottorf's house when Kai saw the moon.

Kai (shouting): "The MOON!"
Ben: "Good job, that's the moon."
Kai: "I blow on it!" proceeds to blow at the window.
        "I missed it!"
Ben + I: "try again"
Kai: more blowing. "I got it!"

Last night before bed I prayed with him. I finished with "In Jesus name, Amen." and he repeated it. Then he said "Jesus is a baby... God is a dad." I don't know where he got that, maybe Sunday school, but I was pleasantly surprised and so proud!

Today he was playing with some play-doh. He always wants us to take it out of the container. It's not my favorite thing to do because it gets under my fingernails and is a pain to get out so to help him do it himself I got out a measuring spoon. He proceeded to scoop out little pieces and put them into another bowl I gave him to play with. He started to stir and I asked him if he was cooking.

Kai: "Yeah, I'm cooking!"
Me: "What are you making?"
Kai: "play-doh!"

That one made me laugh because he has such a creative imagination, but he can also be so literal. This is such a fun age for silly quotes and funny behaviors. I'm so thankful for these moments, especially when they break the tension of some not-so-fun moments that are also prevalent at this age.

Family Date Night

Last night we decided to go on a "family date" to get myself and the boys out of the house. Mostly, Malakai needed some room to run. We took him to the indoor playground at the mall so he could wear himself out and get some interaction with other kids. He loves it!

Then we grabbed a cheap dinner at the Costco food court and did a little shopping before heading home.

It was a simple outing with my guys, one that I think we should make a weekly tradition. Sometimes it's the littlest things that make the biggest difference.

Where do you like to go with your spouse and kids when the weather outside is less than ideal?

Our Playroom

The day Desmond was born I took photos of our finished playroom and that morning I mentioned sharing them with you in the update I posted minutes before going into labor. 4 weeks later, here are the photos of the boys' playroom.

This is the 3rd bedroom in our house that was once a guest room, it's right next to our main living space so it works perfectly as an extension to that area. We felt the need for a playroom when Kai was too distracted by the toys in his room to go to sleep. Since we transitioned him into a "big boy" bed he started to play instead of go to sleep, which was inevitable.

Since Desmond would be in our room for around 6 months we didn't need a nursery just yet. We've decided to evaluate whether Kai is ready to share a room when the time comes. If not, we'll transition the playroom to a nursery. For now, I love having all Kai's toys (aka mess) in one place.

{Kai at his table and toy storage}

{word art that I made + framed}

{the back of the room + a close-up of a bulletin board I decorated}

The clouds with raindrops are decorations I had made for Desmond's baby shower, the pennants are made of ribbon + foam sheets from the Dollar Tree that I just glued to an old cork board. The football toybox used to be his Uncle Cody's, the glider rocker is from Kai's nursery. I'd like to paint the dresser at some point to match the rest of the room. The alphabet painting above it is something I made with watercolors because Kai really loves to find and point out letters, but I wanted something unique to our space. I'd like to eventually add some curtains as we just have mini-blinds right now, but it's not a priority. 

So that's our playroom, when it's clean. Most of the time the floor is covered in toys. Pretty soon we are going to put away even more of his toys to help him focus on individual things when he is playing and to keep us all from stepping/tripping on things. 

Sunny Day

I was not expecting a sunny + somewhat "warm" day today, but here it is! Malakai hasn't tromped around outside in way too long with the cold + wet weather we've been having, so I jumped on the opportunity to take him outside.

I didn't feel like getting myself ready to go out, so we played in the backyard. I think it's safer that way anyway to be in the grass, leaves + mud than to want to play on the wet play structures and soggy bark.

He had a ton of fun and looked too cute in his galoshes + hoodie. He got super muddy because it's apparently hard to stand up after falling when your stiff rubber boots go up to your knees.

{we started out clean + dry and really excited}

{it didn't take long to fall + get wet, but it was still fun}

{the start of the muddy clothes phase}

{super grumpy about coming in for lunch}

I'll spare your hearts the ache of seeing his face after he got really upset about coming in. Luckily, he likes food just as much as he likes outside. Once he understood I was going to feed him, he calmed down considerably. 

I'm hoping for some more sunny days + time outdoors. It's so good for him to explore and really fun for me to watch him learn + play. 

Did you have sun today?

playtime creativity

With the cold + mostly wet weather we've been spending just about all of our time indoors. We usually get out of the house to get some errands done, but Ben has had the car on our days off from working daycare, so we've stayed home.

Also, Malakai's naps have been extra long (no complaints here) so by the time he wakes up it's even colder or almost dark. So we've been thinking up lots of ways to have fun inside the house. He has quite a few toys + I try to keep things interesting by rotating them so he doesn't get overwhelmed by too many or bored by playing with the same thing.

We read books, he has a ball pit (aka a turtle sandbox with plastic balls) in his room, he plays in the lid drawer or with his alphabet magnets in the kitchen while I'm washing dishes or preparing food, or another favorite is his mega blocks.

Sometimes it's fun to create new things to do.

{obviously enjoying himself}

The other day I went to get him up from his nap and he was marching around his crib. He was wide awake but not ready to get out of bed. So we had some fun playtime in his crib. 

{mama built a crib tent}

We had so much fun. We played with toys in the tent. We played peek-a-boo with the blankets. 

Then I turned down the lights to let the Twilight Turtle shine.

What are some creative things you've done to entertain your kids or yourself?

Happy Weekend,

One

photo friday: mish-mash

I've been working on a couple giveaways + reviews lately. Soon I'll be doing one for CSN Stores. CSN has offered me a Eddie Bauer diaper bag to review. With 200+ stores, CSN carries everything from cookware to sofas. Later today I'll be posting a very exciting giveaway, so be sure to come back for your chance to win!

As far as photos go, I've been working on a special post about Ben + I for almost a month now, and once again it's not ready. The last 2 Fridays I've been doing daycare for a whole 9 hour day and all the photos I need are on the desktop at home so it keeps getting pushed back. I'm really excited about sharing the photos and story with all of you. It'll happen soon.

This week I've posted most of my photos in previous posts already but here's a mish-mash of what I haven't shared with you yet.

{mealtime}

{playtime}

{naptime}

Miraculously I've been able to move Malakai from his carseat to his crib when he falls asleep on the way home from watching Henry. Hence, why he's wearing a hoodie to bed. My mama friends have asked me to share my "secret" but it's all Malakai and his amazing sleeping skills. I just scoop him out of the car, lay him on my shoulder, put a little extra bounce in my step as I walk him in the house and set him down. I am really enjoying this stage knowing it can't last forever. 

{let's call grandma!}

Malakai has been gifted most of his toys, this one is a new fave. He's been given toys that are supposed to look like phones or remotes, but they don't have all the lights and sounds like the real thing. This one has lights, buttons, sounds- the works! I can't wait til he pretends to talk on it. 

{daddy with his little conductor}

I just love seeing my boys smile. And aren't these overalls the cutest? I got them at a shower and Kai finally fits them. They have matching shoes and coat. With how wiggly my little bean is these days it's hard to get him to cooperate with my photoshoots so I haven't been able to get a good shot of him in the whole ensemble.

That's my photos for the week. Again, don't forget to check back this afternoon for a chance to win some goodies.

Happy Friday!

just down the street

When we first saw our house our realtor made sure to drive us by the park down the street on our way out. It's only 2 blocks from us and is perfect for kids of all ages. It has the typical playground equipment complete with a baby swing and smaller structures for the littlest ones. It also has a full basketball court, a huge grassy hill (that even I wanted to run up and roll back down), a field, and a sandbox with a water pump. So cool, right?

We finally made our first trip about 3 weeks ago when we finally had nice enough weather that lined up with our schedule being a little more relaxed. Right now the most Malakai can do is swing and play in the grass, but he absolutely loves the swing. It makes me heart swell to see him giggle while he's in it.

He laughs so hard that you can't help but laugh with him.

{I may have mentioned this before, but the shirt he's wearing here is one of my faves because Ben + I bought it before we were even trying for a baby. It was too perfect!}

The next day Malakai and I took our first trip to the park just the two of us. It was really sunny and I hadn't purchased sunscreen yet, so we spent almost all of our time spread out on my super huge beach towel in the shade of a tree.

 

I just love that the park backs up to a dead end street (no traffic!) and a beautiful orchard.

Since Malakai couldn't climb the play structures with the big kids, he climbed me and his stroller instead.

It was a lot of fun, but it's always more fun with company. So last week we went with some friends. 

{This is Haley, 13 months. Her mom Jessica and I met on The Bump when we were expecting these two cuties}

Today looks like it'll be another nice one. The perfect excuse to ignore the laundry and head back out to the park with my little man.

PS don't forget to cast your vote for Malakai P today and every day til 5/17!