Carter's 4th Birthday Party

Today, we celebrated Carter's 4th birthday--at least for the first time--with family. Tomorrow will be another with his friends. He is a BIG TIME fan of Disney Planes and that's what he wanted for his party. And what little dude wants, he gets! I love throwing a party, and this was a fun theme to do! :) 

 I was excited when I realized my mom still had the globe from when we were little and it perfectly represented the "Wings Around the Globe" rally.

He talked and talked about party hats, so I'm thankful I was able to find some! 

I made "pilot badges" for all the kids. It was just too stinkin' cute to see them running around all day with these on. 

A couple weeks out, I saw this precious Dusty fabric and couldn't pass it up. I had no idea what I was going to do with it until about a day or two ago. And I'm SO GLAD I decided to do this. It was so, so cute. We got photos of the birthday boy with each guest at the party (we missed a few though). :) (Some photos below)

Baggage claim! I got each kid a little aluminum water bottle. I found these on sale at the Disney store a few weeks before the party! I got the babies in attendance a little organic squeezie but then forgot to give it to one of them before they left. Boo!

I made all the signs and details (for the most part). Most of the stuff just fit in with an "airplane" theme. 

I was trying to think of how to use my chalkboard and came up with this. 

Face painting station! I was envisioning them picking a sun, star, etc. NOOO. Mr. Elijah picked a T-REX!! Stinker. :) I had to google it but we survived. We also had a balloon, a shooting star, a heart, and some letters.

Centerpieces (that kept blowing over)

The birthday boy and guest of honor. He LOVED having so many people there loving on him. He was just so precious and appreciative of everything. It melted my heart. 

In the photo booth with mommy and daddy! 

For food we had meatball subs, coleslaw, "Dusty's Dippers" (Fruit w/ dip and veggies w/ dip), chips, "Cloud 9" parfait (Jell-o and cool whip) and cupcakes and ice cream! 

Digging in! 

Pretty sissy! :) 

We had such a blast celebrating the little boy who made us mommy and daddy. These four years have FLOWN by so lightning fast. We cherish all the sweet giggles, activity, and love he dishes out. He's truly a little sweetheart (that keeps us on our toes)! Happy 4th birthday (in a few days), little dude. We love you SOOOO much! 

(Friend party post to come...)

Easter wrap-up and spring happenings

Well, that was an unintended break! It was kind of nice but if I'm going to have these things to look back on, I need to keep up with it! :) Spring has been busy so far -- these little munchkins like to keep things lively! 

 Enjoying some ice cream on a nice afternoon...

Leading up to Easter, we painted eggs. Carter was really into it this year, but I'm pretty sure Addison could not have cared any less. She was cranky, though, as she had been for a few days (more on that in a bit).

Easter morning! They were very excited to get their baskets (from the Easter bunny, but that mommy and daddy picked out for them...he just brought it. That stinkin' rabbit isn't getting all the credit!) :) From about this point forward, Addison was really fussy. Like...really fussy. She seems to have some pretty bad separation anxiety right now but we were at home, so that didn't make much sense. 

Trying to get some photos before church. HAHAHA. This was basically the only one I got of Carter and she would have nothing of it! 

I managed to get a decent one in the church parking lot. We'll call that a WIN! And, not that I'm biased, but I thought they looked just precious so I was glad to get one shot. 

During church, Addison cried A LOT. She screamed and screamed on the way to church, said her arm hurt, wouldn't go in the nursery, and was just generally miserable (as a side note, she had done something to her arm at daycare on 4/10, but then as quick as something came on, it went away. Since that day, she had been especially miserable, so we were starting to wonder if maybe something happened. Her teachers also said that she had a decreased urine output, so we kept note of that as well.)

We went to Gramma and Pa's house after church to celebrate with the Lauver side of the family. It was a gorgeous day! Carter had a BLAST with cousins but Addison had a rough time all day (you know, until the last hour...). Seth and I chatted about taking her to the ER to check her arm and for a UTI since something just wasn't right. We did end up taking her Easter night but everything checked out just fine. (Who knows?! Teething? Terrible twos?)

This is the kids getting their Easter baskets from Gramma and Pa (also known as: CALM BEFORE THE STORM). Major excitement in the moments that followed! 

Time for the egg hunt!! 

He wanted me to take pictures of him the whole time...it was so cute! :) 

A picture of all the grandkids plus cousin Lukas (Otherwise known as THE EASTER MIRACLE!).

All in all we had a great, blessed Easter season. The spring has been crazy but it was nice to enjoy the holiday with some time off work to relax with friends and family. Carter turns 4 soon which is UNREAL, and we're in full party planning mode over here (and feeling behind!). We also had a yardsale this past weekend and it went REALLY well. We sold off some baby gear (and now begin praying even harder that we don't accidentally get pregnant or we are in biiiiiig trouble). Feels good to get some spring cleaning done! Seth's softball starts this week, so the weeknights are about to get extra hectic too. But we love hanging out with the other moms and kids and meeting new people! 

We're working on our "vegaval" garden as well (Carter's request), and have planted a blueberry bush...YUM!!! Excited for more fun to come this spring. Hope your spring has been blessed so far. :) 

Dentist appointments x 2

On Tuesday morning, both kids had dentist appointments. I was taking them alone, which always is a little scary. :) Addison has never been to the dentist before, so I was extra nervous. HA! 

On the way to the dentist that morning, I was reminding Carter of what they were going to do, the sounds he'd hear, reminding him to be brave, etc. He cut me off mid-sentence and said "Mommy, please stop talking. I'm trying to calm down back here." I just about lost it while I was driving. This kid is hilarious. And, as a side note, he is NOT nervous at the dentist. He did just fine!! 

Here he is with his shiny teeth after his cleaning! Pretty cute if I do say so myself. 

The Addison part of the dentist story will be pretty quick--she freaked. She eagerly got into the chair but the second the dentist started to recline it she was like NOPE and lost it. Because she is under two, they call this the "happy patient visit" just to get them used to the dentist and if they start to cry, they stop so they do not associate the dentist with being terrified. So...no pictures. Mama was calming a terrified little girl! :) 

Exercise and Weight-Loss Update

It's been a while, so I thought it was time for a weight loss/exercise update. I'm pretty proud that I've kept up with the gym since the fall. Generally I lose interest in that pretty quickly. The KEY has been joining the gym at work because I can get my workouts in over lunch (with friends!), take classes, and then not have to worry about it at home at night. Then, any walks or "extras" we do at night are just bonuses!

I haven't really lost any more significant weight since Thanksgiving despite a 3-4 days per week intense class schedule at the gym. My nutritionist says that's super common when your body gets in the routine of the same class, SO in the last week, I've decided to switch things up and make Tuesdays and Thursdays cardio days to kick it up a little. Since the weekend, I've now lost another pound. Gotta watch that diet, too! :) 

The one thing I have noticed is lost inches. My arms are hands-down the area I notice it the most. Last I checked, I think they were down 1.5 inches (each) or slightly more. I'll have to get an officially measurement tonight. My legs are also much more muscular than they were and the fat that is by the armpit is basically GONE! WOO HOO! Still working on that darn stomach area. Grrrrr.

I definitely feel stronger and more confident in many ways and just today, on my new cardio day, I did 20 minutes on the elliptical and then got borerd out of my mind (that's why classes are better for me!!). I decided to jump on the treadmill and see if I could run a mile without stopping. I haven't done that in years (though can't say I've tried too many times). I DID IT. And, most importantly, I lived to tell about it. I didn't even WANT to pass out. It felt so good to be able to do that again. It goes to show that even though I haven't been doing super cardio-heavy workouts the exercise is still working. 

I'm so excited for spring when we can get the bonus walks in at night, play outside, go hiking, etc. (Sidenote: the kids can't either; they're about to lose their minds from the winter stir-crazies!!!) :) 

Rock-a-bye, big boy

It's irrational, I know. But it's a fear I can't seem to shake lately. And my guess is, you've likely felt it at some point in your life. Probably since Addison has been born, I've had this underlying fear that something could happen to Seth or I or the kids at any time, and am aware of the horrid grief it would cause. I mostly started realizing it when the kids became particularly "clingy" to one of us--right now, Carter to me. Big time. What if something happened to me?? How would he ever get through that? How would Seth grieve while comforting our babies? (I know, it's deep.)

His preference for one parent (generally me) is annoying at times, but seems to be especially frustrating at bedtime. In fact, a lot of times, we find ourselves getting frustrated by it because I feel gypped on free time and Seth feels gypped on father/son bonding time. Tonight was Seth's night to put Carter to bed and Carter was fine with that...until the time came. At which point he promptly lost it. 

He cried and cried in his room and I was standing my ground--"daddy is putting you down tonight." Seth tried and tried but he really wanted mommy. 

But then that white elephant in my brain crept in...God forbid, what if something happened to him tonight and you were too stubborn to just go in and comfort him? I would never, ever, ever let myself live that down. 

I went in and my precious little boy was sweaty, blotchy, and doing the post-cry heaving. 

"Mommy, rock me." 

Lump in the throat, for sure.

So we rocked. I cuddled and hugged. I sang. I cried a little. And I could slowly feel him relax and start drifting off. I've been here before and I had deja vu. But for some reason, it hit me extra hard tonight. No one is promised forever on this earth and I want to soak up that baby (um, toddler) sweetness as much as I can. 

He's now happily drifted off to sleep and I got extra snuggles with my love bug. 

I'll love you forever, I'll like you for always.

As long as I'm living, my baby you'll be. 

An exciting start to 2014!

I've never claimed our life is boring, that's for sure!! 2014 has been off to an active start. The theme seems to be snow and sickness if we're being honest. :) We've had several little (and not-so-little) "storms" so far this winter, and it is complicating work schedules and such. Seth has missed five days of school I think, which means he's lost all of his make-up days and Easter break. I've worked from home quite a bit as well on those days, which is...interesting with two little ones under foot. 

One day I was home, I just took a few personal hours so that we could play in the snow. As you can imagine, it took twenty minutes to get suited up and they lasted outside for about five. Standard. 

Mid-month, we had an overnight visit from Michael, Sarah, and Ethan! We went to Chuck E. Cheese and the kids (and ahem, us!) had a blast. I was expecting it to be dirty and crowded but it was neither. 

Addison continues to get ear infections pretty frequently, and both kids get colds like it's their job. Addison got sent home from school last Thursday because she threw up. I got the call LITERALLY as I sat down to my desk at 7:30 a.m., so I made the drive back home right away. She was a stage 5 clinger all day and was a little mopey but never threw up again. The next morning, she seemed fine so I decided to take her to school so I could work. I was punching the code in the door at daycare and she barfed. Of course. Back home we went! We saw the doctor and the cultures in her ear came back negative for bacteria so I guess just something viral. 

Fast forward to Saturday. It was a busy day for us -- Seth had to judge an event at the high school, I had a cupcake order for Owen's 1st birthday and then we had Owen's party (as a sidenote, Feb 1st was POPULAR. We got invited to five parties that day!). I was FINE all day and was fine for an hour or so when we got to Michelle's house for the party. About twenty minutes before the party, I started to feel nauseous and it all went quickly downhill from there. 

I spent three glamorous (sense the sarcasm) hours laying on her bathroom floor, using a towel for a pillow and another towel to cover me since I had the violent shakes. I was MISERABLE. I managed to make it to the steps to watch Owen smash his cake and I probably shouldn't have because that stomach bug spread like wildfire through everyone there over the next two days. WHOOPS. 

Nonetheless, his party was precious....and I missed it. :( I don't even really have a good picture of him. So sad. Here are some pics of the party: 

Fortunately, I felt well enough for us to make the drive home and aside from feeling dehydrated, nursing a wicked headache, and cramping, I at least stopped the worst of it. Sunday was spent moping around and majorly disinfecting the house to prevent everyone else from getting it. Another snow day on Monday gave me an extra recovery day, which was awesome. Back to work for a day and then ANOTHER snow day today. Oy vey. Tomorrow is to be generally okay, but we're expecting another storm this weekend. I have a cupcake order this weekend but the mom and I decided we better plan for a Friday night pick-up to be safe! :) 

Hopefully everyone is having a great year so far and staying healthy and safe in this crazy winter weather!! 

My favorite products right now

Like any other mom, there are several products that are must-haves in our family. Here are a few of my favorites at this point in our life! 

Clorox Anywhere Spray - I use this stuff like water (which is sort of ironic since, you know, it basically is). It's flu season and I can think of no greater torture than toddlers with the flu, so we've been cleaning away with this or Clorox wipes as often as possible. I discovered a few years ago the recipe for it, so I haven't bought it since. The recipe is here. 

(source: clorox.com)

Olay Moisturizing Cream - So, this one's more for the mamma, but I figured I better start using some form of moisturizer while I'm a spring chicken or I'll age even faster. ;) I discovered this stuff at the pharmacy and it's like $6, so you can't beat it. 

(source: craffts.com)

Gummy Vitamins - If my dad were reading (which I suspect he is not), he would be saying "Told you so" I'm sure. I HATE taking vitamins. I'm sorry...for some reason swallowing horse pills every day makes me want to gag. I started taking the kids' dino gummies several months ago and discovered they were delicious. Silly me forgot they make gummies for weird people like me in adult form! Seth and I now take them every day and, for the most part, we've been healthy all winter, even when the kids are snotting and coughing all over us. WIN! 

(source: walmart.com)

LeapPad 2 - Carter got this for Christmas this year and I sometimes want to hug the person who invented it. It has the ability to quiet him down, calm him down, and help him learn--all at the same time. That's like the trifecta of toddler awesome. Shout out to my parents for getting it for him! 

(source: amazon.com)

Take and Toss Cups - Our kids are apparently sippy cup hoarders. At the end of a day, I can seriously find like six or eight all over the house. And they constantly need a drink in their hands, it seems. For $4 a pack, you can't beat these. They are toss-able--which we don't--but it's nice knowing that when we accidentally leave them somewhere--which we sometimes do--it doesn't really matter because we have 1,920 more at home. 

(source: bestgeekfriend.com)

Change of plans

After two vacations in 2013, we said we were going to take 2014 "off" and get some things done around the house. Well, while my desire to get things done around the house has not changed, we backtracked on our no-vacation in 2014 rule and booked a week trip to Ocean City, Maryland! We were there in 2011 and had a blast and friends of ours graciously offered us their condo for a STEAL, so we weren't about to pass it up! :) 

I love the beach and everything associated with it and can't wait to take the kids! 

Now to just focus on those house projects that need to get done! We teeter back and forth about doing the siding this year or waiting one more year. I'd love to do the kitchen counter tops and paint the cabinets. I need to finish sanding and staining the kids pallet bookshelves that Seth and his dad made and get those hung. And we really need a new grill and patio furniture. We'll see what projects we get done in 2014! 

(image source: google.com)

My 2014 Goals

I'm not calling them "resolutions" because when I "resolve" to do something like this, I don't. So, we'll call them goals. :) My time is limited so I'm keeping it realistic. 

1. Continue to focus on fitness and losing weight. Come on, this is on everyone's list. BUT, I think I'm finally to a point where working out is part of my life now, so I'd like to keep that going. I'm stalled at eleven pounds but with Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays in there (and me being out of the gym for three weeks), it was sort of to be expected. Back at it now though--and currently sore beyond explanation for Monday's Tabata class (OUCH!). Swimming suit season is a mere five months away and we may be taking a little beach trip after all thanks to a gracious friend who offered us their Ocean City condo for virtually nothing! 

2. Go on date nights with Seth. If mama and daddy ain't happy, ain't nobody happy. This one speaks for itself. 

3. Take the kids on more fun outings. I love to see their excitement at amusement parks, the pool, parks, etc. so I'd like to do more of that this summer. On my agenda would be Hersheypark, a zoo (other than the local one we've done), and camping, to name a few.

4. Be more intentional. This applies to many things--doing devotions at night, pleasure reading more, focusing on my hobbies and doing something I love for myself (photography, for example), and playing with the kids. I'm ready to make-believe the heck out of all their things like I did when I was a kid. Is it too soon to introduce Addison to the wonderful world of Barbie??? :) 

What's on your list for 2014?