Birthday Bonanza... and Grandma Carol

We had a fun week!

Ian got to attend his first and second birthday parties within a few days of each other (what a big boy!) Plus, Grandma Carol came to spend the weekend! We had a lot of fun with the great weather - playing outside, relaxing & the kids sure tried to wear out Grandma ;)

One of the best part about the birthday parties: Ian got to enjoy the peanut free cakes b/c mommy was so honored & thrilled to be able to make them! One problem: when he watches/coaches me bake he gets a little possessive... he especially cried when he couldn't eat one of the fun little Toy Story characters but thankfully I had more fondant at home to mold some special ones just for him! :)

Next up: Planning Ian's 4th Birthday Bash!

Weekend in MN

A Few More Projects Complete

Ian & I finally finished his special bedroom project! It's a bittersweet day when your little boy asks for different room decor - he's officially a big boy. We had this boot-bin/coat rack sitting in the garage for 3 years after our move. I spent a day cleaning, painting & making it sturdy - also built the book rack. I'm so glad we were able to give this piece of furniture new life as Ian's toy & book storage!

The "Cars" characters were a must on Ian's list. We opted for the removable wall stickers which I like better because they're cheap, subtle & can be tossed when he loses interest in a few years. We've been using the framed car picture above his bed since he was born. It's a hand painted, signed & numbered piece that I bought framed at a gallery sale for $10 - and he loves it. I bought it right after Brian & I got married with no place to hang it. I told Brian if we ever had a little boy I'd put it in his room, I must have had a feeling...
Ian helped pick out all the other decorations & he's finally old enough to handle having his Lightning McQueen clock & cd player out on his dresser :)

So... Audrey's bedroom wasn't "quite" finished. I had to say good-bye to the "Venetian Pearl" (mint green) and make way for a beautiful, soft pink & tan combination. It finally feels complete - thankfully Brian is equally supportive & patient with my ideas. He wasn't digging the mint & pink striped walls either. Sadly, the toile valances I made had to come down, but with Ian's help I found some new fabric for a new valance.

A Fun Week

We kicked off Memorial Day weekend with a trip to Milwaukee to see nana...

Audrey (cautiously) loves dogs! Hurray!
We went to this amazing park (complete with a splash pad) close to nana's house!

Audrey woke up & was ready to ride bikes waiting at the back door.

Ian was surprised with this great bike from Grandpa (a bike expert)

An early birthday present that he is enjoying every day!!!

Below: Grandma & Ian hard at work making ginger cookies - YUM!

Aunt Colleen & Greyson arrived on Monday making this an extra-exciting week for us!

We packed the week with lots of fun outings & every night before bed Ian would ask, "What are we going to do tomorrow with Greyson?"

They are quite the funny duo - I mean partners in crime :)

Get... that... goat... away... from... me!

I can't resist posting these cute "kid with animal" photos every summer

We really enjoy our days at The Farm in Door County!

Now that Audrey is keeping up with the "big kids" it's been a lot of fun to watch her enjoy the same outings. Here she is on her very FIRST Bay Beach ride. I held my breath but thank goodness she LOVES rides!

Greyson & Ian showing Audrey how to drive

Yep, this was the best I could get of all 3:

It might not win any awards at the county fair, but this cake was from the imagination of my very creative Ian. He was specific about daddy's birthday cake: blue bumper car and lots of "popcorn." We also added daddy's favorite candy, Dots

I did my best to meld the ideas & Ian oversaw the decorating process. Our crazy cake turned out absolutely yummy! I highly recommend marshmallows on cake :)

To take Ian's mind off Greyson leaving, daddy took him to the Home Depot kids' workshop.

We had just discovered this fun FREE activity the 1st Sat. of every month. Look what Ian got to build:

a mini soccer game!

90 Degrees & Sunny

This photo is really telling... Audrey wanted nothing to do with this amazing splash pool we added to our backyard "playground"

Good thing Ian loved it!

"I'll hang out here instead, mom."

Can you see Ian in the background?

Brian wants to point out our amazing lawn that only took 3 years to become usable!

This picture is here to showcase that Audrey is, in fact, growing some hair!!!

But hair or no hair, she is still our most precious, most beautiful little girl in the world :)

Florida Trip!

A free photo slideshow by Smilebox

We had such a fun trip to Florida for a week which included 4 days with Papa Frank & G'ma Sally & 3 days at Disney. It was our first real family vacation! Now that the kids are 1 & 3, both walking & Ian becoming more independent - we decided it was a good time to jump head first into a big trip. The plane rides went smoothly, every single activity we did was a huge success & we all handled the 90 - 100 deg. temps!

Things went so much better than we expected & we were all sad to say good-bye to sunny Florida. With Frank & Sally we enjoyed hanging out at their house, playing games, visiting MOSI, seeing Homosassa Springs, going to the beach & some amazing meals ala Sally. It was so nice to just hang out & enjoy seeing them on their turf :) Then we all headed to Downtown Disney which was only a little over an hour away. Frank & Sally joined us for dinner at Rainforest where Papa kindly walked Ian around every time the (robotic) animals moved.

Our hotel turned out to be amazing - beautiful, excellent location, impeccably clean with a refreshed room & homemade chocolate chip cookies every night - far exceeded our expectations. We did a lot at Disney (Hollywood Studios & Magic Kingdom). There is SO much to do/see & Ian was absolutely in heaven. He adores all the characters & was wrapped up in the magic of it all from start to finish... thereby making Brian & I feel like kids again! Audrey definitely enjoyed elements of everything & LOVED the rides - we had about 1 hour of each day when the kids coordinated their meltdowns. Other than that, it was unbelievably perfect. Brian & I never thought we'd make it to Florida/Disney with the kids so little - SO glad we were able to do it & had so much fun! Thanks Frank & Sally... and Mickey ;)

Audrey's New Room

BEFORE

AFTER
I primarily posted these pics for Jen & Colleen who kindly begged to see the finished result :)
Here it is! I had so much fun making her room more girlie & adding to the Beatrix Potter theme we started with.

The mural was a work of "heart" (hee hee)
Seriously though it is my passion to create & the kids LOVE it... my only goal.

While painting, I became quite fond of all the critters... but I think this squirrel is my favorite.

Also the little owl in the tree which was Ian's idea.

Many of you know I'm addicted to my newly inherited sewing machine. I found a beautiful toile fabric to dress up the changing table & window. I also recovered the blue rocker with a luscious pink fabric... we're really happy with our cozy little nursery to snuggle with Audrey in!