reasons you make the day brighter...

Gloomy days, followed by rain, some sunshine and unseasonable low temperatures, even for Chicago, has us  well me in the dumps lately.  Thankfully sunny days are ahead and Lew is on vacation for a week.  Just us chilling out as a family.  Can't wait.  7 year anniversary coming up, father's day, and we are headed to VA for my sister's birthday.  Buck up girly, your days are getting brighter.  

What makes it all better?  Splashing in the sink with bubbles.  Seeing a one year old's cheesy grin as he giggles away.  Trying ice cream sandwiches for the very first time and throwing in the towel a couple bites in because it's just too cold. A morning run with the littlest dude because he is always up.  Playing in the train drawer just to be that much closer to your toys. And of course sitting in Mommy's rocking chair, watching a movie.

Going on a pajama walk with the hottest part of the day is at 6:30 pm. Creating a dino sailboat, that will of course take us to dino island.  Adorned with stickers and all. Showing off an amazing dino collection, and making a video about all the dinos names and what they do.  Totally awesome.  My little paleontologist. Snuggles and sleeping with daddy after a long day of bike riding and enjoying one of those sunshiny days. Sending Pape a picture of his grandson, who loves to see underwater in the bath.  Melts my heart. And just because, curly mess of hair on mommy, not sure where the curls came from.  Banana ice cream.  Yes.  Banana chocolate ice cream.  So delicious and all natural.  Yummy.

Off to get productive on that birthday quilt I am making for my sister's birthday.  Hope I can finish on time!  Happy weekending friends.

Blueberry & Banana Muffins

Lately I have been on a bit of eating clean kick.  Partly because I was feeling run down and exhausted by 5 pm.  Could be the fact that I have been getting up with a teething 18 month old, at the butt crack of dawn.  Taking care of two rambunctious boys, continuing with Will's school work (last week-thank goodness), and doing my thing.  It totally has taken a toll on my body.  So..I am focusing on me more.  Squeezing it in when I can, no MATTER what.  Hopefully adding yoga, along with my regular exercise routine will help when the boys are driving me crazy.

I have been pinning a lot of recipes, but this one just happens to be one of my favorites so far.  Super easy too. All you need is a blender!  So..into the blender in this order. Pre heat oven to 350 degrees and line with foil liners.  Must be foil or else muffins will stick.

1. 2 1/2 cups of oats blended into a flour before adding other ingredients 2. Add 1 cup vanilla greek yogurt, 2 very ripe bananas, 2 eggs, 1/4 honey, 1/4 cup of coconut oil-melted (trader joe's or whole foods), 2 tsp of baking powder, 1 tsp of baking soda, 1 tsp of vanilla bean or real vanilla extract.  Then blend.  

Note...you will have to mix a little to get it going and you want to make sure all the oats at the bottom get incorporated.  Once all is blended, use an ice cream scooper and scoop one spoonful into each muffin liner.  It should take between 12-15 minutes depending on your oven. 

They are super moist and totally yummy!  I store mine in the fridge, just to keep them extra fresh. Give them a shot and tell me what you think.  Clean eating doesn't have to taste like card board, believe me because I have a major sweet tooth.

Happy Memorial Day friends.

spring is here...almost

Feels like I am always playing catch up, but I guess that is the life of a parent.  We've been busy trying to bring on spring here.  Chicago is completely different from Annapolis.  By now in MD it would be hot and humid, flowers all in bloom.  Here things just started blooming, and it's only 55 today!  Crazy. 

We planted flowers, raspberry and blueberry bushes.  So far, the raspberry bush is doing wonderful but the blueberry is lacking.  Probably because the temps.

Will is signed up for camp and swim lessons, we are signed up at our pool.  Unfortunately, it's a little too cold to go.  Never thought I would say that.

We have trips coming up and a new addition coming to our family!  No, not a baby.  I have my hands full with two boys!  We are going to get a puppy!  I am so excited.  I keep telling Lew, that being here will finally feel like home, once we have a puppy.  He just laughed. We are going to get a Rottweiler again.  We just love the breed and it's all about how you raise them.  Our Ella was amazing, such a sweet girl who loved the boys and was such a great protector.  Plus, I get to name her.  I am thinking Hartley Grace.  

As for the trips, the boys and I are going to VA for my sister's birthday in June.  Then in July we are headed to Door County, Wisconsin.  Lew grew up going there in the summers, and it is something that we want the boys to experience.  So...we are going to be busy!

1.boys at daddy's favorite restaurant on my mom's birthday. 2.wondering if I look like my mom. 3.someone is not too fond of his bike helmet, safety first, buddy. 4.getting into mischief and getting so big. 5. a little luigi's mansion with daddy. 6.getting good at writing his abc's. 7. sunny day wagon ride 8. oreo cookie mistake? nope. 9. bike ride with the boys, hoping willsy is brave enough to lose the training wheels this summer.

1.baby boy loves the slide! 2.evening walk with some bubble fun 3. slide racing, he won. 4.dare devil running  down the hill, yes he did end up face first, but got up smiling. 5.chasing big brother=one tired baby 6.hill rolling and of course getting all itchy. 7.boys play dress up too, just in cute puppy dog forms 8.who can make it to mommy the quickest? 9.after dinner binki walk, the only one to do it.

Happy weekend friends!

Meaning of a Mom...

1. Loves you the moment she finds out about you

2. Dreams of your future when she feels you kick from inside

3. Knows what kind of child you will be by how active you are in her womb

4. Is the first one who gets to hold you close to her heart

5. Feeds and nurtures you from the very beginning

6. Takes care and snuggles with you when you get the sickies

7. Tucks you in at night, even if you are in high school

8. Is proud of every accomplishment, small and big

9. Shares her dessert with you, even though she was hiding it from all her kids

10. Scratches your arm while watching Thorn Birds

11. Gives the best advice, even if it doesn't sink in right away

12. Makes the best tacos and frozen pepsi's

13. Takes you on adventure you will never forget

14. Works hard and still manages to keep it all together

15. Helps with homework, even after a 12 hour work day

16. Makes you laugh when she says, Ni-Ten-Do

17. When you know what a wonderful daughter she is

18. Teaches you how to drive and tells you it's okay, we won't tell dad you almost took of the mirror

19. Calls you Boogie, because you are her very last baby

20. Teaches you that you love with your whole heart and do it, unconditionally

Happy Mother's Day Mom.  Love and miss you so much.

And Happy Mother's Day to all my bloggy mom friends.  Hope you have a wonderful weekend filled with all things beautiful.

Ft. Myers 2013

Trying to get back into the groove of every day life after an amazing trip is no easy task!  But, we are slowly getting there.  Unpacked, clothes washed, and beach pictures ordered.  If I didn't do it the second we got home, it would never get done.

Willsy of course, is my water baby through and through.  He loves the beach, pool and fishing with daddy.  He also wanted to save every piece of marine life he saw.  Sand crabs, Hermit crabs, Star fish, Sand Dollars and the little shiners daddy would use as bait.  He would pick it up and put it back in the ocean.  Because it needed the water.  Totally melted my heart.  The only fish that was eaten, was a sea trout.  The boys catch and release everything.  I asked Willsy if he was going to become a marine biologist and he told me he still wants to be a paleontologist, so he can dig up dino bones.

*One of many star fishes saved by willsy, love that smile, and the only catch that was eaten

*Mommy and Willsy having some time together on the beach, making silly faces

*Another star fish saved, making peace with the trout, and getting close

Baby boy Eli was not as fond of the beach/water.  He loved it the first day, then quickly changed his mind.  If you went in the ocean, he wanted to be held.  If you let him go on the beach, he would run everywhere!  Needless to say, when he was on the beach, we were always on the move.  He did like the pool but would go from the pool to dipping his feet into the hot tub.  At one point, I put him in his stroller and just walked around the pool because, he was just so hard to handle.  Hoping next year he will enjoy it a little more, and make my life a little easier.

*last night on the sand, tuckered out with thomas, always checking something out on the beach
*selfies with mommy, baby boy is getting some serious teeth lately, love him
*touching the sand for the first time, literally fell asleep at the lunch table, loving the ocean on day 1

*Daddy and Willsy making a trail of sand castles, digging a giant hole because that's what you do, one of many fishes they caught together, matching shorts and toys..love my boys

All the pictures from this vacation were taken with my iphone because someone stole our camera one morning when Lew was fishing on the beach.  We were totally shocked!  It had two days worth of pictures on it that hadn't been downloaded yet...boo!

Tell next year, Ft. Myers!

Long Over Due...

This post and this trip were and are long over due.  Does that make sense?  Being able to go on a road trip with your sister and kids was something for the memory book.  Being able to be on that road trip to Nebraska to visit my maternal grandparents, was simply amazing.

I have to get it all down before our next adventure, which is happening in just 3 days!  We are headed to the beautiful, Ft. Myers Beach in Florida.  So exited!

1.baby running main st 2. with the grandparents at the cheesecake factory, they were slightly overwhelmed 3. lilly taking baby eli for a ride on grandpa's 3 wheeler 4. baby eli sitting in grandma's chair/he was quite demanding of her attention when we were there, so sweet 5. grandma, jj and myself doing duck lips, too funny 6. lilly was in nebraska and iowa at the same time 7. grandma with baby eli 8. giving grandpa a smoochie...love him 9. will and lilly riding the 3 wheeler, it was pure entertainment for a good hour

1. will at the hotel taking a little swim 2. mommy on the 3 wheeler taking baby eli for a ride 3. swim suit is just a bit too big there eli, total water baby. don't look at my hair. total bed head friz mess! 4. baby model as we now like to call him. at the photo shoot in detroit for vw's summer catalog 4. lilly and will, up to no good 5. see...hours of entertainment on said 3 wheeler 6. will getting his modeling on 7. trying to control baby model 8. eli entertained by the $165 car...yeah i know, ridiculous!

One of my favorite pictures from the trip and of all time.  I love seeing the kids in the back, the endless side walk, the yard that I played in many a times as a child, and sitting on the front steps where I am sure my mom had.  So many memories there as a child, that are hard for me to remember without my older siblings.  Truly blessed to have amazing, loving grandparents and wonderful siblings to share these memories with.



Hoping to be more present on here after we get back from Florida.  With the move, spring break, and getting settled, it's been a challenge to get back in the groove.

Pre trip Pre easter Pre bloggy break

We have been on a bit of a break.  Home schooling.  Oh the joys... Moving.  Unpacking.  Many Target trips thrown in the mix for mindless things.  Decorating.  Making our new house, a home. 

A fun day of crafting thrown in the mix, to put smiles on all of our faces.

There is nothing like your smiles.  Will and Eli, you make my world so much brighter.  Thank you for the giggles, the brotherly love, the hugs and smooches (from Will).  And Eli, thank you for the warm, and sweet snuggles.



Big milestone happened today.  We signed you up for Kindergarten today, Will.  Didn't mean much to you, but my heart warmed and tears filled my eyes.  You are amazing. You taught me how to be the mommy I am today. Thank you.