8 Years!

Okay, so I know I'm missing a few in between posts from the last time I blogged but this is better than nothing!  I swear to myself that I will "catch up" one of these days but it seems as if I ALWAYS make that statement and before I know it, another month has gone by!  The boys are ALL, repeat ALL sound asleep taking their naps so here goes a few words about today...8 years!

That was then:

 Life was EASY!  I was just getting ready to start my credential year at Chico State. We lived in a tiny on-campus apartment where rent was right around $100 a month.  We rode our bikes EVERYWHERE and loved living life spontaneously!  We were young, carefree and gosh, my hips were so much smaller back then!  =)

And this is now:

Life is BUSY!  I have the incredible privilege of raising our THREE BOYS as a stay-at-home mom.  I wouldn't trade my "job" for anything!  Jeff and I are much less spontaneous and much more planned in our life together.  Date nights are planned, dinner is planned, conversations are planned, our free time gets planned, even our sleep gets planned these days!  We pay too much for a house in Southern California that's too small for our growing family but such is life!  We are happy, healthy and have each other.  The bottom line is we are in this together and committed more than ever to surviving the lows and celebrating the highs.  Marriage is a continual work in progress and sheesh, is it hard sometimes?!  I'm so thankful to be walking alongside my best friend through it all; living, laughing and loving together!  Happy Anniversary to us!   

4 Months Old!

Carson's 4th Birthday!

I'm beginning to think that maybe I should start all of my entries with the phrase, "Where has the time gone?"  Each time I start off writing something like that, I promise myself that I won't do it again.  Well, here I am writing another post and the first thing that comes to mind is the phrase that I swore I wouldn't overuse.  Guess it just sums up this stage of life that we're in right now.  I tell people that my days are long but the years are so fast!  Life with a 4 month old, 2 year old and now 4 year old just couldn't possibly be moving any faster.  It's bittersweet for me...I love watching the boys grow and try new things but oh, how I sometimes long for the days when they would snuggle up into me as infants.  Then again, we've come so far...I think I'll stick to the progress we've made and remember to cherish each day just a little bit more!

This year, to celebrate Carson's 4th birthday, we had a "Bus Party!"  He has been asking to have a bus-themed party for over a year!  My first thought was, "A what?!?"  I've never heard of such a party but with the request in high demand, I just couldn't say no!  We celebrated here at the house with good friends and family and as you can see from the pics, EVERYONE had a blast!  Our birthday boy was in "bus heaven!!"

What a blessing and an honor it is to be the parents of such an amazing little boy.  He is such a light in our lives and we couldn't be more thankful for him!  Happy 4th  Birthday, Carson!

Bus snacks, of course!!

And a little sack lunch for the kiddos!

We hired this AMAZING tumble bus to come to the party because Carson really wanted to ride on a real bus.  Not being able to logistically figure that one out, we came up with this and let me tell you, it was a bus "ride" to remember!  This was Carson's favorite part of the party!  We all loved it!

Lining up to make their grand exit!

Next, it was time to sing "Happy Birthday" to our Birthday Boy!

A yellow and black treat bar for favors!

And of course, buses for the kids!

HAPPY 4th BIRTHDAY!!

3 Months Old!

The Bunny Hop!

Our family ran a Valley-Wide 5k run this past weekend to support Jeff and his staff.  It was a beautiful morning and it felt so good to be out in the fresh, spring air getting "healthy" together as Carson says!

  The boys all bundled and ready to go!!

Go Team Leatherman!  Hop!  Hop!  Hop!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

After a wild morning of trying to find the Leprechauns who turned our milk green and made a silly mess in their bedrooms, the boys and I headed out for some "green fun!"  (And I don't mean the Earth Friendly kind...we were green from head to toe, sun up to sun down!)  It was a fun, fun day for all of us!

Who turned our breakfast green?!?!

  Parker doesn't care who turned his food green...he's just happy to be eating breakfast!

We went to a St. Patrick's Day party and the kids cracked up at the fun magician who was there!  They thought he was hilarious!!

The Magician gave Carson a clown nose!

St. Patty's Day treats for our friends!

Our 4th annual "green beer lunch!"  We look forward to this all year!

Lovin' life with my 3 Little Leprechauns!!

2 Months Old!

He's Growing So Fast!!

Valentine's Day Love

It's all about love around here!  Take a look at some of our recent fun:

Valentine Treats for Special Friends!

Carson??  Or Parker??  At a Valentine's party!  They LOVED the slide!!

The Other One!!  =)

Yummy Pizza!  Happy Valentine's Day!!

Brotherly Love!

One Month!

One month ago, our Christmas baby came into the world!  Dylan is growing fast and now weighs over 10 pounds!  We are having fun getting to know him each day!   

A Bug Party!

With a newborn baby and the possibility of a January rainstorm, I knew long ago that I wouldn't want to host a party in our home or backyard this year.  We decided to have the party instead at the lodge of our community park.  Thank goodness we did because cleaning was the last thing on my mind and who would've guessed we'd have an entire week of rain before the party!  Friends and family came to celebrate with Parker and it was a super fun afternoon for everyone!  Everything turned out more "whimsical" than I imagined and we're still finding little plastic bugs all over the house!  Happy 2nd "Bugday," Parker!