v day blast

this kid will drive someone crazy someday.....i mean someone else:) he'll forever be my valentine.

he worked hard creating these cute valentines for his classmates. they were not to include candy or food so we came up with a new plan. autumn helped us out with a free printable....so we cut, punched, and added names and straws....tada all done.

at the same time, a was working on making some marbled beads to create a key chain her her teacher.

all of our time was definitely not spent inside. we have had some gorgeous days to play in the snow. usually in wisconsin we get 2 or 3 actual days where the weather is just so that the snow will pack and you can make a snowman. this is a's second of the year....somehow neither of them are actually in our own yard. i will be wishing for more super nice days so that we can at least make one more.

h did help a little...especially with keeping coulter, the big german short-hair pointer puppy who weighs at least 80, busy. we lost a few arms before h showed up and the hat and mittens surely would have been next!

h's main priority was taking laps around the farm. uncle brought out the kitty cat and h and k took turns looping around.

danyelle also helped us with creating these sweet treats to spread the love in zach's office with this free printable.

 a and h also got surprises of their own. i picked up a few surprises and hid them around the kids' rooms with the help of the dating divas and these printables.

 there you have it....a little love and cheer shared with our family and friends. we are anxiously awaiting little one's arrival.....23 more days until the expected due date. whew. i am definitely at the "i hate pants" stage but...it is winter and this is wisconsin...ummmm....i would freeze and cold is not my thing. so, grow baby grow and i will keep contemplating the page long list of names for boys and girls. just the right name is bound to make itself known.

early june

everything about june seems like a complete blur. we started the summer by picking strawberries or what few there were after the warm spring followed by cold.

we then booked it on up to the farm for the dairy breakfast. it was a long line and a hot day but well worth it.

i am totally jealous of how close these kids are.

lots and lots of hot boiling days has meant lots of time spent at the beach. h loves to go out until just his tippy toes barely keep him above the water while he bounces. and, a loves to swim more than the fishes.

we then travelled home for a family fun night with the coolest face and arm painters! and, a few karate moves! watch out.

and, that was not even half of june!! can you tell why it is taking me so long to post?

too hard to believe

welcome to summer!

a long time ago, my daughter stepped off the bus for the last time as a 4ker. she is now an official kindergartner!!

we all worked hard (to not eat the m&ms and dough:)) and made all the kids monster cookies and topped them with a's favortie characters.



then h and i sent a off on the bus in the morning and continued all our hard work to make up a few of these water balloons!!

he totally looks like he doesn't have anything up his sleeves. ha! just come a little closer.

it was a great way to welcome in summer and surprise the girl as she got off the bus.

wishing

image from http://blog.zerodean.com/2012/motivational-images/dont-wish-away-your-days/

we have been in full throttle mode. there never seems to be time to slow down as there is nothing i want to miss out on. i almost think that this feeling is 10x worse for a kid. we have been busy visiting the farm, riding bikes, having playdates, visiting the other gramma and grampa, getting used to daddy's new schedule, playing tractors, riding in tractors...... there is so much that i wish for. most importantly happiness and contentedness. i need to know that my kids are happy, paul and i are happy, and that what we do and are doing will only add to that.

all are now sporting new superhero capes. i found a tutorial from Lara here. i tweaked it a little to make them wider at the top and bottom. their superpowers have not totally gone to their heads! not totally!

there are plenty of big wheels to ride in and to spy from.

that sneaky bunny seemed to pop up lots of places and was able to find us even though we were not home. he even left us surprises at the nursing home with great gramma. a won the second prize and now has a new pink bunny.

just wishing and playing and loving. need i say more.

sneaky little one

a and h had an awesome day searching out all the tricks and treats that sneaky little leprechan left for them. for some reason even the milk was green and there was fruity cereal on their chairs. after they followed all the clues they also found jelly beans outside.

we need more little surprise days.

st patty's day fun

i just found the crafting chicks and have been all over the site. so many great ideas. for st. patty's day, jamie posted a treause hunt with these adorable for personal use printable clues. check out their site here. 

jessekate designs also has a fun treasure hunt with a twist. check out her site here.

the crafting shicks also featured these cool printables for an awesome teacher. they also have a notecard that you can fill in 'Lucky to have you because...' i think this would be a totally unexpected surprise for a neighbor left on their doorstep with a treat.

can't wait to surprise my two littles with the sneaky little guy that has been turning things green all over town. he got the donuts at the supermarket already and the neighbors front door with a st. patty's day sign. i wonder where he will strike again!

it is totally a first

we did it!! 1 husband, 2 kiddos, 1500 miles (one way), and lots of excitement!!! could you do it? i must say roadtripping with kids was not high on my list but, it went really smoothly and we really enjoyed eachother and all there was to see in the daylight hours.



these kids had all the comforts of home right in the car. i totally think that we overpacked! but, to be fair, we only had a 4 days notice that we were going on vacation!!! so, super excited me packed really hastily in hopes that i was not forgetting anything. and low and behold, things were forgotten but, not important.

we passed through 7 states. seeing our name in big bold letters was ever sooo cool for mr. h.

we ended up stopping for the night twice on the way down. the second day we stopped at high falls for lunch just south of atlanta. it was the perfect weather for a picnic lunch and stroll to stretch our legs. h also helped the rangers by gathering sticks into a pile.

when i see this photo, i immediatley think how fast she is growing and how independent she will be shortly.

i wish we would have taken more on the road photos and/or had more time to explore some of the other parks along the way. tennessee was full of them and the mountains made for a gorgeous background with added waterfalls from thawing water running along the highway.

h is checking out our first florida morning as we made it halfway down the second day.

see...still smiles after 1500 miles! we made it to a wonderful home away for the week.

such an awesome house and such a great way to relax.

ava and hudson got right down to business and donned their swimsuits and caught a fish in like 5 minutes!

3 hours later we got to watch our first florida sunset over the bay.

the next day, we visited john pennekamp park. we did some beachcombing and water scouting and then headed out for a glass bottom boat road. never again. well, maybe if i take the drugs. they warned us about getting seasick and planes, carrides, lakes, etc. do not bother me so, i thought nothing of 3 foot waves.....until we got out there and then i wanted nothing but to return to land. a and i spent most of the time on the top deck. h and daddy viewed the bottom of the ocean from inside. i swear nothing phases that boy. sorry no cool fish and coral photos from me that day.

the next day we plopped our wisconsin butts down at harry harris beach. a totally free beach during the week. right away when we got there we spotted a crab in the water and when he had not moved after we came back from exploring we thought he might have been dead. surprise on us. 20 minutes after allowing h to carry from up and down the shore i heard "yikes! he, tried to pinch me." what a stinker and lesson.

the next day we headed almost all the way down the keys to bahia honda park. absolutely my favorite. perfect sand for building a castle, a little warmer water, and lots of paths and wildlife to explore. we walked all the way out on the bridge over the water. amazing how far up you are and that it was constructed in the early 1900s. across the gap you can see the other part of the bridge that is deteriorating from the elements.

the altantic side of the park was completely different. the waves were much rougher but, it would be the ideal spot to read a book. i just needed an adirondak chair to sit in.

 along with the jellfish that swam with us all day. we saw these 2 splashing about in the bay. 2 mantees! i wish i would have gotten a better picture but, h was travelling the other day. they are big!

 all i can say is ahhhh. we so enjoyed ourselves and our getaway. it was truly a blessing to spend this time together.

ps. on the way, almost anything goes including giant sugar icy slushies from a gas station. i cannot believe how quickly they sucked those things down. we came back to a lot of snow but, thankfully our neighbor had taken care of our driveway and this week the snow is all gone and the temperatures are hitting the 60s. spring here we come?