Such is life

Today was a big day. A big, long, emotional day.

It was our biannual Allergy Testing for 'J'. It's a path we have been on since he was a newborn. I knew immediately that something was just not 'right', but was often dismissed as a "new mom". While nursing, his little face would get tiny little pinpoint dots on it- its just sensitive newborn skin, then came the spitting up/vomiting- babies always spit up, & the crying- babies ALWAYS cry, the odd type of diaper rash- it's probably from those cloth diapers. The list kept getting longer but everything seemed to have a "normal" reason/answer. Finally when he was 5 weeks old my sister (who has several severe food allergies herself) happen to talk to an old friend whom had children that had recently been diagnosed with an allergy to corn. It went untreated for YEARS. The more she described the early symptoms the more it sounded like 'J'. She called me immediately & mentioned that it could be food related. As I scoured the internet the picture seemed to get more in focus & a wave of emotions came over me, Yes! Finally, an answer! Followed by a long list of questions. 

What if it's severe?!

I'm breast feeding, what do I do?!

What is causing this?!

What can I safely eat?!

How could I be making my baby sick all this time?!?

What's the next step?!

My niece (also with a laundry list of food/environmental allergies, do you see a trend here? yeah...) steered us in the direction of the top pediatric allergist in the state. When I initially called for an appointment I was told he was booked up for 3 months. My heart sank & tears filled my eyes. I was speechless. 

But in my head I was screaming!

3 MONTHS?!? 

I CAN'T WAIT 3 MONTHS! 

MY SON CAN'T WAIT 3 MONTHS!

I broke down. The woman on the other end was very apologetic, not yet understanding why the crazy woman on the phone started to silently sob. I explained that my baby was only 5 weeks old & that I didn't know what else to do. I was at a loss & asked if she could recommend someone else to see.

"How's thursday work?"

"Really?!"

"Absolutely, I know the doctor would not want a child that young to wait. He would want to see him as soon as possible."

And with that our journey began. At the time I had tried to cut all allergens out of my diet, supplement with formula & pump at the same time as a bottle feed to try & keep my body in tune with his feeding schedule until my milk was "clean". As you can imagine it was a lot to add to the already full plate of a new mother. Looking back I probably wasn't the most pleasant person to be around. Hey, I was starving for crying out loud! All I could eat was some veggies & meat. And I was not a "diet" kind of girl.

We were a little sadden to learn at our first appointment that we couldn't do an actual test until he was 6 months old. But thankfully he had enough info (I had done my homework & went in armed with a stack of highlighted paperwork & a lot of detailed info) to put everything back into my diet except Dairy & Soy. It wasn't exactly what this cheese loving, ice cream addict, general 'foodie' wanted to hear, but it was better than nothing...which is what I had currently been eating....

A lot has happened since that first meeting. And a lot has changed too.

*At 6 months old he tested at the top of the charts for Dairy allergy. 

*We got our first (of several) prescriptions for an Epi-pen

*At his 12 month check he tested positive for Tree-Nuts.

*At his 18 month check the Tree Nut had gone down, so we did a Food Challenge (basically sat in the office for 4 hours while they slowly gave him tiny amounts of almond & waited for any reaction) & he PASSED!

*We discussed the possibility that he may have a more uncommon type of allergy, where when ingested it doesn't cause a reaction until several hours later when the food is broken down & the proteins released/absorbed into the body (I do not remember the clinical name for 2 reasons, 1-it is ridiculously LONG & 2-I don't want to deal with it unless we find ourselves face to face with it.) If so it gets a little more complicated.

Which brings us to today.

His 24 month re-check.

Here are the boys, enjoying some new shows we haven't seen before

He did great, considering that fact that he
didn't want anyone to touch him...

Tears were shed. 

Some by 'J', who is at the age of understanding more of what is happening around him. And has been in enough doctors offices to have a tiny fear brewing inside. Who is now at the age to say "no", & mean it.

And some by me, when our amazing doctor said 3 words I never imagined to hear, "It went down". 

3 little words that immediately brought tears to my eyes. Flashes of future birthday parties attended without fear. Flashes of lunch dates with friends, without me hovering over ready to grab anything that is 'shared' with the best of intentions. Flashes of a life not lived in fear.

From that first meeting I purposefully never imagined this day, so that I would not be disappointed every time we tested. And every time the outcome was just as I told myself it would be. No change. 

To hear those 3 little words come out of his mouth (which was grinning ear to ear by the way) was a moment I had silently wished & prayed & hoped for since my son was 5 weeks old. 

I know we are not out of the woods yet. Next is another agonizing Food Challenge. Only this time the stakes are a little higher. Because of the delayed IG reaction he will have to be monitored longer & we will have to keep a close eye on him at home the rest of the day/night. 

We quickly made phone calls, sent messages & updated Facebook posts to share the good news. There is indeed a little light at the end of the tunnel. 

And then this happened...

That is not 'J's back full of teeny tiny hives...it's little 'A's.

I had dairy last night while out on a date with the Hubs, partially because I really wanted some cheese & ice cream because it had been SO long & partially to see what would happen....

...and now we know.

It popped up 18 hrs after I ate that dinner, followed by spitting up/vomiting after every feeding & some general irritability. 

When people comment that "he looks just like his big brother", they have no idea how similar they really are, inside & out. 

So back on the beaten path we go, but at least this time we've seen where the road leads & we are ready for it.

Well Shit...

I need a vacation.
Hell, I'd even settle for a full day break.
Sans children.

I guess if The Hubs wanted to come he could...as long as he doesn't interrupt "quiet time", which may or may not last the entire vacation...

Back to reality & two very moody kids...

...Well shit...

In with the New~

In 18 agonizing short days I will no longer be able to say "I have 2 under 2". My "oldest" is in fact getting older & will be 2! As much as we love to see them grow & learn new things, we secretly wish they would never grow up. Le Sigh.

So here is my newest plan to distract me from the inevitable, birthday traditions! When 'J' was turning ONE, we didn't think about it much, because lets face it, they don't have a clue whats going on. We threw him a huge 1st Bday party (It was a Little MAN 'Stache Bash by the way & freaking awesome. Complete with 'little' food!). It was more of a celebration for us for passing the 1st year as parents than it was for him.
This year we are taking him to the African Safari Drive-Thru about 2 hours away in Ohio. Then staying the night at The Great Wolf Lodge. We are considering that as his 'gift', since we have a large family & he will be getting lots of gifts from others at his birthday party. A themed birthday party, because what's a party with no theme? Not one of MY parties that's what! To take a gander at some of the fun, click HERE.

So now he is going to be TWO, much different from ONE, as I'm sure you all know. He actually has an understanding of what is going on around him, so I think we need to make it EXCITING!

Now is the time, folks.
Now is the time to start Family Birthday Traditions that will carry through over the years to come.
Now is the time to put on our thinking caps.

Just to recap- The time...is NOW.

Here are a few that I have seen around or come up with:
*Every meal is a celebration! Put candles on a stack of pancakes in the morning, on a sandwich at lunch & finally on dessert (CAKE!) after dinner.
*Hang streamers from the bedroom door so as soon as they get up the party starts.
*When a little older add balloons to the bedroom floor during the night while they are sleeping.
*One we already started with 'J' last year is that we have him paint a small canvas & it goes on display throughout the year until his next birthday.

Here's his first Masterpiece :)

*A tradition from my family- you get to pick your Birthday Dinner. Whatever you want is what we have for dinner.

*A 'surprise adventure' on the day of. Like trip to the zoo, or putt-putt golf. Mini day trip if the Hubs can takeoff of work. I guess it depends on the weather & such, but something to add later on when a little older.

*I do have a tradition I do/did for myself, even though I don't care much for celebrating my birthday (Click here for my view on that)I refuse to work ON my Birth Anniversary. I can't really stick to that now, seeing as how I'm a "Homemaker, Child Rearer, don't get paid to WORK worker", but in my hayday I always took that day off. I guess it was more of personal principle than tradition. But all the same, that was my "thing".
And that's all I have so far.

What are your birthday traditions? Did your parents do anything special when you were little? Did you carry that through to your little ones?
Help a friend out, throw some ideas my way, pretty please?

Weekend Update

Sometimes it seems time is moving at a faster pace than I am, who am I kidding, it's MORE than sometimes...try always. How is it already almost July?! This week & weekend were no different, zip zap zow- gone. And the fact that it's already Tuesday, don't even get me started... I'll spare you a 50+ picture post & compromise with a 22 picture review of how we spent our Baby Daddy Father's Day Weekend~

Grab a treat, take a seat & enjoy the show...

Friday 'J' was a wonderful 'client' & let me cut his mop top while he snacked on Veggie Sticks & enjoyed a little "Canadian PBS" (< When we cut cable to help end the death grip tv seems to have on us all, we discovered we still got the basic primetime channels & because we are neighbors with Canada apparently we pick up what we have dubbed "Canadian PBS" which is actually a little better then our PBS. Thanks Neighbor!)

How A.MAZE.ING are these vintage shortalls we nabbed at Salvation Army?! We are most definitely doing 'J's 2 yr pics in these bad mamma jammas. No Doubt about that.

Believe it or not sometimes it's a GOOD thing that your kids get up around 6:30-7am, even on weekends. Its the perfect time to head out to Eastern Market for flowers, garden plants & fresh fruit & veggies. We scored these 3 giant flats, several replacement plants for the garden (we got bug problems y'all) & a couple bags full of fresh fruit & veggies for $35! Not too shabby. 

Then the Hubs & 'J' had some craft time while little 'A' slept & I...

worked on my dad's Father's Day prezzy. 

We filled it with golf tees & balls. The card is sporting an original 'J' masterpiece. And of course I go to buy just a little box of balls & discover that I couldn't buy one. No no, I had to buy a giant 25ct box. So after filling it with the bag of tees about FOUR balls actually fit in the jar. I did the classy thing & handed him the unwrapped box of remaining balls (still in the sporting store bag) after he opened the jar. 

Nuttin but the best for my Pa.

Saturday afternoon we headed out to a cookout with my FILs family to visit with an aunt & uncle in from Florida. I love this picture. 

The hubby rockin his SUPERDAD hat & 'J' on the right 

& my BIL & adorable niece on the left.

 Brothers. Friends. Fathers. Family. Love.

We got home in time for my niece Samantha to be dropped off for the big race Sunday morning! Yep, another 5K. We are kicking 5K's butt this summer. Hoorah! These are the shirts we stayed up making. 

I deconstructed my race tshirt into a less bulky workout shirt & I made the boys Pride Shirts to wear. It's Pride Week in our town & the 5K is to support acceptance & love for EVERYONE. The boys wore these to show the love for their "uncle" (my best friend) & his boyfriend (who will one day be his husband :)

After our baby alarm little 'A' woke up we couldn't wait to give hubby his Dad's Day Gifts :) He really is beyond amazing at being a Father, a Friend & a Role Model for the boys. We got him a box of Soap Stones to keep his classy drinks cold & a manly Double Blade razor & a set of blades. Since the razor didn't arrive in time, I had to draw a little picture of it. Frankly I was more proud of that little drawing I wiped up then I was when I actually thought to get the razor. Add that to my "things I'm good at list", awesome razor drawer.

This guy was ready to party. Stylin. 

Since the 5K was in our hometown we were actually able to walk to it. bonus! Here is Samantha & I in our event shirts, we were pretty proud, can you tell? haha.

Since it wasn't a 'competitive race' we signed up as "walkers".

At the starting line, We're ready!! 

And so were they!!

We walked 1/2 of it, & jog/ran the rest. In case you didn't see it on the shirts, this was called the "Rainbow Run", & that pink on the shirts...just the beginning. At every 1/2 mile point they threw colored powder all over you! It was pretty fun :)

Pushing 50+ lbs in a bike trailer definitely ups the 'workout' factor of a 5K, that's for sure! The hubs & I took turns, but he pushed it most of the race.

Samantha  I were pretty proud that we finished with the same EXACT time as our 5K last weekend, 51:28.0!!! This time it wasn't cross country or 90*, but the humidity was at 76% & we had to wait at a few crosswalks/traffic lights. 

And that folks, is why it's called the RAINBOW Run :) The color can be set into the shirts by ironing it before you wash it. We will definitely do this one again next year :)

'J' was glad to finally get out & stretch his legs. He did a GREAT job & didn't complain at all in the trailer, & best of all he kept his hands to himself & didn't poke at Little 'A'!

This little trooper hardly fussed & even took a short nap during the race.

After some celebratory Food Truck lunch we all headed home to take a nice long nap. Even though we all showered, you can see that the color lingered. Even 'J' & 'A' had a color mark from the hearts on the back of their shirts. Permanent marker on a shirt + sweaty kids= temporary tattoos.

We had to drag ourselves out of bed (& the boys too) to head out to meet with my family for a Father's Day Celebration. We surprised the Dads & met up at a bowling alley for some good ole' fashion fun. The tots were excited at first, then 5 mins later were so over bowling. haha. Then we went to my parents for a cookout to cap off our "I LOVE my Dad" Day. 

A fun filled, energy zapping, "where did the weekend go?" kinda time. But you know...that's just how we roll.

Q & A with Pinkapotamus

I'm linking up with Pinkapotamus today for a little Q & A :)
It's for her 'Under 300 Followers Link Party' & even though I know I have a lot of followers based on the number of hits my site gets a day, for some reason all but 7 of you are doing it on the sly & haven't "officially" joined the blog or introduced yourselves.
¿por qué no?
Are you in hiding?
It's ok, you can tell me, I can keep a secret.
Do you need a place to stay?
I mean, I don't really have a room or anything but I have a couch...& a dank musty basement. I guess you could stay here, but you'd have to give up dairy. I know thats a lot to ask, but come on now...I'm throwing you a pretty big bone hiding you out in my house, right? Yeah...so hop on the "Dairy-Free" train or find another railroad. But before you hop off remember to click 'follow' on the bottom right side. Ok? It's the least you can do for putting me out like that....


Back to the Q & A. Pinkapotamus asks:

1. If you were trapped on a desert island and could only bring 1 crafty item what would it be?

Does an airplane count as a craft item? I mean, someone MADE it piece by piece so it's kinda like a large scale model &  that's kinda craftish, right? No? Hmm, I think I would have to pick yarn then. I could fashion clothes, make a fishing net & hold together a hut. And I could also make little dolls to be my subjects, for I shall be Queen of the Land!!! Muahahah!

2. If your spouse (or significant other) made you chose between them and crafting .. what would you chose? {If you’re not a crafter imagine your favourite thing}

Wow, jumping right to the nity gritty on Ques 2?! Usually they save that for the end, but ok, it's your questions. I have to chose the Hubs, he's kinda a big deal to me...& the kids, don't forget about the kids! I don't know though, why is he giving the ultimatum? There must be a reason. Do I have a problem? With excessive crafting? Have they begged me to get help for the sake of the family, for the sake of the children?! It must be pretty bad if I haven't. Or have I & I couldn't stay on the wagon?! Wait- is the wagon good or bad? I always get confused by that. On the wagon, off the wagon. Who's driving this "wagon"? Maybe they were driving recklessly & I got off for my safety, not to use & it just so happened that I got dropped off in front of JoAnns. That's not my fault people. It's called Fate & you can't run away from Fate. 

3. What would be your Ultimate craft experience?

Not so much an "experience" as a life changing moment, but if I won some Ultimate Shopping Spree at Joann Fabrics & could take all the things I need/want/desire for free...without the police being called in & me being walked out in cuffs. Not that thats ever happened or anything...just saying.  

4. What is your favorite craft disaster?

Probably that one time I spent a lot of time making my ex-husbands mother, aunt & grandmother beautiful crystal bracelets & they didn't fit. Not one. So I had to remake all of them. This still happens to me, apparently I never learned my lesson. I recently made a newborn hat for a little girl, proudly went over & presented it to the new parents (it was one of my first hats so I was pretty jazzed) & when they went to place it upon her tiny little head...it was waayyyyy to small. Stupid website that gave me the stupid "newborn size"....

And there you have it folks, if you like crafts & baking & the like, click this here little 'button' below to check out lots of blogs you may not have found yet. There may be a new "favorite blog" hidden in there...just promise not to like them more than me, ok? Remember that time you needed a place to hid out & I let you stay here? Just sayin'...you kind of owe me..that's all.

On your mark...get set...

It all started when our friends challenged invited us to do a 5K in August in their hometown about 3 hours away. Challenge Invitation accepted!! I must add that we are NOT runners. Unless it includes a burning building or my life on the line... running & I don't mingle much. And the Hubs? Yea.... he's a 'computer guy', they spend their days behind the screen...in comfy chairs...not moving much more than their heads & hands. But once they confirmed that you can indeed WALK a 5K & that we could push the boys in the stroller, there was nothing stopping us! Maybe we're AWESOME 5Ker's & it's just taken this long for someone to see our potential! Maybe this is our time to shine! Or maybe we'll go up there, walk a 5K while pushing 50+lbs & call it a day. Only one way to find out...

Then next thing you know we start hearing 5K talk all over the place. My niece, who has really started to get in shape after years of medical issues holding her back, mentioned she really wanted to do a 5K. A friend of mine mentioned one in her area & I rallied her to do it. Then my weekend plans got botched so I was able to join, as well as my sister & sister-in-law.

I was really pumped to do my 1st 5K...until I woke up to 90* weather...& then showed up & found out we were running cross-country with no shade...

Have I ever mentioned that I hate the heat?

No?

Well I HATE the heat. So much so that most people leave Michigan when they retire & head to Florida...but I will probably end up in Alaska. 

But we didn't let that stop us. 

Notice in this 'before' pic that my sister & I don't have a running bib on the front? Yea, it was on the back. I think we saw that somewhere & figured we were experts enough (having never been to/participated in a 5K) to do it...or maybe start a new running trend or something! We were promptly told less than 2 mins before the race, while standing at the starting line, that your bib needs to be on the FRONT & visible when you cross the finish for your time to be recorded. Hmm, so it's not for looks? Gotcha. You have never seen 4 girls frantically move/reposition bibs as fast as us, that's for sure!

Then we were a little confused when they said "Go Runners!" or something along those lines & everyone took off. 

But wait? 

We're not 'runners', we're 'walkers'. 

Are they talking to us!? 

Should we? 

Shouldn't we?

GO GO GO!

I'm gonna get real with you here folks, it was hard. 

It was HOT! The air was thick & burned just enough to piss you off. The course was uneven, running up/down hills, on slanted slopes, dried tracks in the mud with tree roots everywhere. I'm shocked no one broke an ankle, it was prime ankle breaking terrain. We walked/jogged/ran all 3.2 miles. We huffed & puffed our way to the finish.

My sister even scooped up our cheerleader (her little girl) to carry across the FINISH LINE. Cause you know, that's what you do...or at least what they do in the movies. 

I am going to state, for the record, that it is not as easy...or flattering, as you might think to take a self-picture while running. The above picture is proof. 

But we did it! I said we could do it in about 45 mins & my official time was 51:28.0. Not bad if you ask me! 

Here we are in all our hot, sweaty, proud glory.

Then we headed to my parents for our weekly sunday dinner & soaked our toes in the kiddie pool while telling tales of our grueling 5K adventure. Ahhh... that hit the spot. Then the exhaustion/fatigue started setting in. I guess that's expected when you are still getting up every 2-3 hours during the night to nurse a 4 month old. So we headed home & I crashed into bed upon our arrival. Not that I slept or anything, I may not have mentioned it before, but my kids get their sleep "issues" from me. 

Then my alarm went off at 4:45am to remind me that I had Bootcamp that I had to get up for. And since I already paid for it I kind of had to get my ass outta bed to do it. Damn. Why did I sign up for that again? Oh yeah... peer pressure..

And lets not forget the sunburn.

Oh yes, the sunburn.

Just on my chest & the tops of my shoulders.

Why couldn't it be on my back or some area that can be covered up easily? 

So I guess I'll have more than just memories of my first 5K, I'll have a wicked tan to remind me too ;)

So true, So true

I saw this video today & literally Laughed Out Loud! I swear it's like I was watching the Hubs in this video. I have actually heard some of these things come out of his mouth...AND the guy kinda looks like him too!

Classic.

Cookin' in the Kitch {Granola Bar Pancakes}

I'm gonna say this right up front, these pictures aren't the greatest. It was more of an afterthought to take the pics, & I just wanted to do it real quick so I could dig into these Drool Worthy Pancakes!!! 

I have a habit of throwing things together when I get the urge or inspiration. It just so happens that you are in luck, because I actually used a measuring cup this morning!!! We tend to have a lot of eggs & meat for breakfast, but we have found that although we can eat it over and over and over again...toddlers tend to get a little burned out on eggs. So I like to mix it up & at least twice a week make pancakes.

I know what you're thinking...

"Pancakes? I thought you didn't eat grain! Liar!!!" 

Hold your horses, calm down...just calm down.

You can make pancakes with Almond Flour :) Yes friends, this is the truth I speak...ALMOND Flour. Not only does such a thing exist, it is amazing for cooking & baking. I use Trader Joe's Almond Meal (which is basically almond flour, just not ground as fine). You can get Almond Flour at Whole Foods, the health food store, even some grocery stores. Or just order online, you can get ANYTHING online nowadays, even new kidneys. Hmm, probably shouldn't say stuff like that, now I'm probably flagged for oversea travel...

Back to breakfast- I have a basic recipe I tend to use for pancakes, then I just adjust what I add to it. Here's what I used this morning

Ingredients:

4 Eggs (room temperature)

1/3 c Almond Milk

1 tsp Vanilla Extract

1 TBS Liquid Coconut Oil

2tsp Baking Powder

2 1/2 c Almond Flour

Pinch of Salt

1tsp Cinnamon

1/4 c Coconut Flake

1/4 c mini Chocolate Chips 

(we use Enjoy Life Allergen Free Chips)

1/4 c Chopped Walnuts

1/2 c Dried Cranberries

Mix Wet ingredients in mixing bowl. Then add all of the dry ingredients. Let batter sit for at least 5 mins while you get your pan & oil ready. When Almond flour sits in the liquid it will absorb it & plump up. Heat coconut oil over medium low heat. Using a 1/4 c measuring cup, scoop batter into pan & flatten out a little. You should be able to get 2-3 in your pan or griddle. Flip when bottom gets golden brown, and again pat down in the pan a little. It will probably take you a batch to figure out the timing, but its usually about 2 mins on each side. You will need to add a little more oil with each batch because the batter tends to soak it up a bit. 

Yields about 12 pancakes

As I mentioned above, that picture isn't very pretty...but believe me when I say "These were AMAZINGLY AMAZING!!!". I served them with market fresh sausage patties & fresh fruit salad. 

And not only are they yummy, but good for you too! Dairy free, grain free & soy free. Almonds help with anemia, diabetes, respiratory disorders & more. Cranberries are full of antioxidants, coconut is high in protein, coconut oil contributes to weight loss & digestion  & cinnamon helps with circulation. What a great way to start your morning :)

Let me know if you try them, I love to hear feed back. And don't be afraid to play around with it, try mashed bananas, honey & nuts or blueberry banana, there are LOTS to mix & match :)

*the butter in the picture is Earth Balance dairy-free soy-free spread. It is better than butter in my opinion.

Insta-Update

Hey there strangers

Things have really picked up the pace over here, as I'm sure you've figured out with the lack of posts the past few weeks. Time just seems to be flying by. One minute I'm updating with a new blog post, I go to bed, wake up & a whole week seems to have passed overnight! Man wouldn't that be nice? Sleeping for a week. Sometimes I envy Sleeping Beauty...all that uninterrupted slumber. Can you get a prescription for medically induced comas? I should look into that...

Anyway, they say a picture speaks a thousand words, so I thought that would be the easiest way to catch you up :) By my calculations, this should "speak" 32,000 words...

Now if you already follow me on Instagram (& if you don't, then why not?!its 'mama_kat', follow up ya hear), then most of this may seem like deja vu...but there may also be a few new ones in there too :) Only one way to find out- take a looksee!

Lots of family time. Thats always at the top of the list.

We had a bit of a heat wave (even a record setting HIGH!),

 which mean lots of fun in the sun!

Playing in the pool, the fun Kiddie Car Wash, 

& lots of naked time ;)

We took lots of walks, set out on new adventures & explored the zoo!

One of my favorite people treated me to a day at the salon!!! 

It was the best post-baby gift ever :)

We Planned, Prepped & Planted 

'The Garden 2012"!! 'J' even helped! (sort of...lol)

Girl or Boy, it doesn't matter, it's always fun to paint your nails ;)

I finally got some organizing done in my new craft area. 

It was long overdue.

Speaking of crafts, the invitations are 

under way for 'J's Camping Party!!

Lot's of play time, some solo...some with a brother ;)

I gave in to peer-pressure & signed up for a Women's Outdoor Bootcamp. It's 3 days a weeks...at 5:30am...what was I thinking?!?!?

'J' was featured as a model on a great new shop on Etsy!! Check out NowThatsNifty & see for yourself :) 'A' was featured as a newborn on a photography prop Etsy Shop. Now both my boys are models!

'J' made his first 'T' while working on our letters. 

I was so proud, as was he! 

We went to our Local Memorial Day Parade. 

It is Michigan's longest running parade. 

My grandfather, father & brother all served in their generations war, 

I always get choked up at this event.

'J' has shown a lot of interest in using a 

potty lately, so we're following his lead 

& practicing our doodling skills at the same time.

'A' upgraded to his big boy convertible car seat! 

He has gotten SO big that it was a tight fight in the infant carrier, 

not to mention breaking my arm/back carrying him in it!

The Hubs & I joined his family in celebrating 

the union of a super cute, ultra fun couple. We had a blast! 

We clean up pretty well, don't 'cha think?

And last but not least, playing in the kitchen. Some are winners...some...not so much...

There you have it, a look into how we pass the time. Hopefully we can get in to a summer groove that includes time for me to post more frequently again! Wouldn't that be nice? ;)