Liam Owen's New Year's 2018 Review

Dear Liam Love,
What an exciting, crazy, adorable, challenging, but overall unforgettable year (almost) two that we have spent together. You are my littlest love and I thank God daily that we were gifted you. My rainbow baby, there is an incredible bond that we have and I know God has such a perfect and wonderful plan for you. You have made so much growth in the last few months. I can't keep up. You are my rough and tumble, my speed racer, my giggle box, strong hand thrower, you are my silly and my wiggle. You love to run circles, spin around, fall to the ground, go bonk. Your current favorite is shouting "ta-da!" before you do something naughty. You love wearing sunglasses upside down, a sock or glove on one hand, and are sadly a huge biter. We definitely have our defiant struggles but mommy knows it's a phase and I'm praying a special book I bought off Amazon might make a difference. Teeth are not for biting. I mean we are working through it. You love to laugh. Love anything round or a toy that can be thrown. You love cars and ramps. You call your paci a sassy (previously a pappi). You have been off bottles for month but are finally loving your cups. You are my eater and are not picky like your sister. Thank goodness. You finally found your sleep but sadly have lost it due to cold and congestion. This Christmas you were green for most of our two week break, but still you were filled with energy and spice. You have so many new words. Some of your favorites are, yes, sassy-paci, mik-mlk, Auby, sissy, yogut-yogurt, ta-da, book, monkey, car, puppy, down, stair, up, sak-snack, hat, hug, etc. You attempt saying almost any word. In regards to activities you love to give hugs, blow kisses, wave high, throw things, play with your sister. You love to sing when I rock you which may be my favorite thing in the entire world when I enjoy your snuggles. You have begun  holding hands recently and it's beyond words adorable. You enjoy watching movies, eating snacks, running through the house, playing ball, going to the park and climbing, etc. You still want to be carried downstairs and will throw a fit but you can easily slide on your belly yourself. You do not like to be told no and still have a very loud octave range. You may not be a fan of traveling but are learning to enjoy it. You LOVE chapstick as much as your mama and are the best little snuggle bug. Your peek a boo is adorable. Sending love and hugs to our youngest and thankful for your crazy and fun personality. You will lead one day sweet boy!

Aubrey Rose's New Year's Interview 2018

Aubrey's New Year's Interview
January 16, 2018

These are a few of her favorite things...
Age: 4
Color: pink and blue
Letter: Jj for jewels and juice
Number: 5 and 4 because I'm four
Movie: Frozen and Elsa (She also likes Baby Boss, Secret Life of Pets, Trolls, Tangled, Zootopia)
Favorite TV show: If you Give a Mouse A Cookie (We also like Bubble Guppies, PJ Masks, Umi Zoomi)
Princess: Cinderella
Super Hero: Super girl
Food: Cookies
Favorite Place to go and play: Old MacDonalds (she means McDonald's because she just enjoyed a date night with daddy there)
What do you want to be when you grow up: I want to be a big girl and a bigger sister
What job do you want: I want to clean up toys and share them with brother
Stuffed animal: baby deer named Bambi
Animal: elephant from the zoo
Teacher: Miss Wolfe
School: Preschool (The Heights)
Book: Moose and the Princess with the deer?
Favorite toy: felt pizza with 6 pepperonis
Bible Story: It's about the fisherman. They fish all day and didn't catch one single fish. Jesus got in the boats that belong to Simon and the net was breaking because the fish they were coming out. Jesus got all the fish for the people.
What do we know about Jesus: He's God's son because He's so really good. He loves everyone!
Mommy is - a teacher.
Daddy is- my father.
Brother is- my brother.
Aubrey is - a sister.

FOUR has to be one of my favorite ages. To my beautiful, kind-mannered and kindly defiant, energetic, cautious, silly, honest, daddy-loving, empathetic, sassy pants, I absolutely adore you. You are my big, little girl. You want to do it all yourself. You are our home body, miss dress up, hoarding obsessed, love all purses and bags, as well as all things pink. You take on the big sister role so well. Lately you have been asking for your bother to go upstairs and play with you. You both play together so well. I am loving your cuddle times. While you have always liked helping us cook, you have loved being your daddy's little seux chef lately. You love to play, to build, to craft, to do "big jobs," and to write your name. You have gotten so good at writing your name. I cannot wait to continue practicing writing and more academics with you this year and summer. You love going to Lucky Duck Kids Club and making fun crafts with free goodies. Each month we have started a new Home Depot wood crafting tradition and it's kind of a big deal now. You love cereal but are starting to dislike milk. You are a picky eater but LOVE your sweets (like mama). You love to read. You have such a good memory. You point out your letters and are starting to sound them out. You sounded out bus today. From a song you sing at school, we practice counting to 100 in the car each day. You can pretty much do it yourself. We are super proud of how hard you work. You love to jump on your bed. You love to sing and dance. I love that you are you and God make you special!

Daddy Daughter & Mommy Son Date Night

Something that is very important to us in our family is making quality time for each other as well as  quality time for each of our kiddos. This past weekend, the husband went on a fun daddy daughter date while mommy enjoyed my little man at home.

I just love the way she looks at her daddy. Daddy is definitely her first love. I am so thankful for this special bond and loved watching as Aubrey was so very excited to get ready for her date with daddy.

She may not get McDonald's very often but she she does daddy knows how to do it right... cheeseburger, fries, and of course a stop at Nom Noms for ice cream. This little girl was full of sugar and smiles.

While daddy and Aubrey were away, this little boy and his mommy sure did play. Liam LOVES to color. He loves all things arts and crafts, stickers, crayons, but more importantly... markers. We colored for over an hour as we enjoyed a bit of Moana and lots of snuggles. I am so thankful for a special and happy night with my little man.

Love this special time with our littles.

A Chance of January Snow 2018

I mean could this little monster or fox be any more adorable? I am so thankful for these adorable pieces of winter wear as we get ready for (fingers crossed) our first expected snow of the season. I love the powdery white of snow. The last time we enjoyed a "real" snow was when Aubrey was a little over one. I would love to watch the kiddos enjoy a snow day at home. Tonight we are to expect some snow and tomorrow' slow is said to be 13 and a high of low 30s (below freezing) So with fingers crossed and high hopes, I am hopeful that our precious fox and monster boy will enjoy some sweet fun in the snow tomorrow! Enjoy some sweet pictures of our babes.

January Instagram Fun 2018

This new year, one of my main focusses was to be more present, spend more time on myself and for my family. While picture taking has been somewhat minimal, here are some fun finds for this early January.

This is a perfect picture of my new year's focus. I absolutely love MOPS crafts and time with my mama friends. I am thankful for a group that I can truly be myself with, to share smiles, prayers, praises, tears, and fears. I'm thankful for an opportunity to be real, to enjoy a delicious warm breakfast, a fantastic speaker, and share in community with. Remembering to LIVE SIMPLY this 2018.

Genesis 2: 2-3
Rest may have many definitions including sleep, a sense of calm, peace, organization, being stress free.... but no matter what definition may fit you for the day, through His word, I'm learning it's importance to our mind, body, and soul.

My daughter just found this and told me it was her very special letter. When I opened it, I couldn't agree more. No clue where she got it or how, but we always need a precious reminder from above!

Princess Hugs to sweet Madeline
Each morning, Aubrey gets up and puts on full Princess dress with crown, ring, and necklace.

This month my bestie, Kristin, talked a few of us friends into doing Whole 30. While I may not be a full fan of saying good-bye to my food loves including dairy, grain, and all things that make me happy, I did find these Larabars to be absolutely delicious. Pie and bread? yes please!

Pesto has become my new favorite. I LOVE PESTO!

Thankful for the sweetest of snuggles with my sleepy little man on this super cold evening. I adore precious moments when all he wants is his mommy and pappi.

{My perfect view}

We may not have napped, but we sure know how to play hard.

This girl went on a bear hunt in school this week with her sweet Paddington friend. I do love all the sweet activities her preschool does.

This little speed racer has been running around at 100 miles a minute without skipping a beat. Smiles, squeals and all the feels.

Our Family Saturday at Home Depot and Hope Park

Because every first Saturday or the month should be filled with Home Depot wood crafting, a little girl who wants to wear a princess tiara while holding a hammer, so much sibling love, and a day of sticker fun and banging on wood with tools. It has become one our favorite family activities... and it's free!

{Daddy helping the littles}

{Mommy's little man}

Tada! Our final wood craft product, our New Years Calendar. We may have skipped out on the painting, but our morning of family crafting was a fun one. Since it was still early, we decided to make a pit stop at Hope Park. It was probably one of the first not as cold winter afternoons and a perfect day to get our energy out.

I surely loved this special time playing with my big love bug. She wanted to swing as high as the sky.

Ride 'em cowboy

{Aubrey's secret (or not so secret) hideout}

After an hour we found a corner of leaves and enjoyed the beauty of the day jumping and throwing leaves. May life always be as beautiful as an afternoon of playing in the leaves. There is nothing better, more free, and more fun that this special moment with my loves.

{Aubrey loves making leaf angels}

What a day of special family memories and a great way to start our brand new year.

NYE at NYLO 2017

Ringing in the New Year with this handsome hunk. Happy New Year my love. Prayers for our year ahead. I look forward to a fun and exciting 2018! May it be a year of excitement, a year of humbling, a year of healing, and a year of faith and family focus.

This NYE we gave our kids lots of love as we said our good-byes and made our way out for an adult only night at NYLO with friends to welcome our 2018.

We give the greatest thanks to Oma and Opa who loved on our littles while we were away. I'm so thankful for this special relationship!

Tonight we did FANCY well! For dinner, our sweet friends met at The Silver Fox in Plano. The food and drinks were absolutely delicious and the company was top notch.

I do have to say we really did enjoy the wine selection. Plus it had a perfect name, Raymond!

After dinner, we made our way to the NYLO hotel.
Our night was filled with adult only time, delicious drinks, fun décor (the moving balloons made my heart happy), dancing, a fun game of pool, and time spent with amazing friends. It was the perfect way to ring in the New Year!

Happy New Years Eve!

{Alicia, Kristin, & Stephanie}

{Adam, Ray, & Michael}

{I'm loving the artwork}

{Michael & Kristin}

{Adam & Stephanie}

{My fancy date for the evening
The husband & I}

Our evening may have been in the low teens, but we were smoking the dance floor. Ha! Love these sweet friends, these amazing memories, and time spent celebrating our upcoming year together!