Another Month Down

And I can't say I am sorry to see June go--just means October is one month closer to getting here! The heat is unbearable and I want the days of evening walks around the lake and playing outside before nap time to come back to us. I have been picking up way to many toys lately due to being stuck inside so today we decided to changed things up. Mommy and Kaden had a little movie date and Grammy joined while Daddy and Logan did the grocery shopping.

We headed to the movie theater to beat the heat and see Madagascar 3 Europe's Most Wanted. Kaden has been watching Madagascar 2 for about a week and half so it just made sense that we venture out for his 2nd trip to the movies this morning. We decided that since the movie started at 10 we would arrive about 10 minutes late to skip the previews. Movies tend to be a tad long to keep Kaden's full attention so we certainly didn't want the previews to make it worse. The movie was really cute and besides a couple slow parts it did a great job of entertaining us all. And we only had to take 2 trips to the bathroom. Pretty sure the second trip was just to wash his hands again in the really cool sink.

And well, since Logan isn't quite old enough to go to the movies with us, we still managed to have our own fun while Kaden continued to snore. This little guy is fearless and frankly he scares the living pee out of me at times. Like all momma birds do, we gotta let them spread their wings and fly even if that means taking a fall once in while. Today he decided to act out a few tricks that he has seen his big brother do. He took on the Big Blue Rocking Dog.

The 'Mom PLEASE Don't STOP Pushing Me' Look.

The 'Look MOM! I can stand with NO hands on the Big Blue Rocking Dog' Look.

The 'I can CLIMB over and stand on the Big Blue Rocking Dog's Nose' Look.

We also had fun playing with a case of water. Who knew water could be such fun. He literally climbed up, down, around and tried scooting it for 45 minutes.

And then tonight we had some additional eye candy. Baby Nathan came to hang out along with his mommy and daddy. It had been about 2 weeks since we had last seen him and boy has he grown. I just can't get over how much he has changed but guess that comes with the territory. And like last time, Logan really could care less about Nathan, he just continued right on playing but not Kaden. Kaden loved looking at Nathan and helping when it came to changing his diaper. He was the official 'changing pad layer downer'. We sure love seeing that family of 3 (and I love saying family of 3 too!) How cute is this little guy?!?

I think its time...

And no I don't mean for another baby! I mean to get Kaden his very own bowling ball for bowling is in his blood. Could this kid have better form? And look at that follow through. (Let's hope he has that good of a follow through when it comes to basketball!)

As you can see this morning we took a little trip to the bowling alley. Ms. Brenda has been taking the kids on Friday Fun Day--who am I kidding, everyday is Fun Day with her--and Kaden has been eating it up. It doesn't surprise me though cause he really does have it in his blood. Justin comes from a very long line of bowler, how long that line goes back I'm not really sure but the point is, Justin's Grandmother and Grandfather use to own a bowling alley so it was literally like growing up in one for Justin. It comes to no surprise that Justin would want to share this with his kids and it is one sport that Mommy isn't all that good at and I will happily stand back and let him do the teaching. (Note that I said one sport, there isn't many that Mommy won't give her two cents on!)

After seeing how much fun Kaden had Justin decided it was time that he had his own bowling ball. What two year old doesn't have their own bowling ball, right? So we are officially on the bowling ball hunt. Just one more thing this kid will out grow too quickly but I certainly can't say no to a Daddy teaching his boy the game of pins!

Where was Logan you ask?

He was there, right in the middle of it all. Just taking it in.  He especially loved the vent which shot out air to dry off your hands. Couldn't get the kid away from it.

*Logan has had a rough couple of days. On Thursday night he fell playing "chase" with Kaden and hit our bed railing right on the brow. Luckily, it didn't split open and only bruised a little. Then yesterday he fell trying to push one of the push cars outside and he split open his lip and got a bloody nose. Poor kid has been through the ringer but that still hasn't stopped him from smiling.

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Kaden loves to "drive". Anytime we are outside playing in the front yard he always checks to see if the cars are unlocked. If they are then that is where you will find him for the next few hours. Ask him where he is going-"Grammy's House" or "Papa's House" with a "Be Right Back. You stay here." On this day I got "To get lunch." and when I asked what we were having-"Pizza" was his response. I told him to be careful and not to drive fast, he climbed in, shut the door, waved bye-bye and then "drove off". Not 10 seconds later he climbed out of the car and delivered me the "hot" pizza. Then I snapped the below picture. Monkey See, Monkey Do. Maybe?! I might talk on the phone when I drive but I certainly don't drive with my feet but I might if I could get my foot up there like that!!

His imagination is really starting to take off and I love where it is going. I {HEART} him. And Logan!

Pinterest Project: Monogrammed Wall Art

The boys' jack-n-jack bathroom is almost complete. A big thanks should go to the wonderful ladies at Pottery Barn Kids for setting back the last of the soap dispensers until I arrived. Had it not been for them, I would still be on the hunt for the perfect accessories. Early last week I was searching the internet for ideas when I ran across these Primary Countertop Accessories.

And I got so excited I sent a text to a friend to show her but when I went to put them in my cart-they were all sold out. All but the trash can which wasn't cool. It was an all or nothing kind of thing for me.So the next morning I made a few calls and the ladies at PBK came through. I had to have these because I knew they would go perfectly with the striped towels my co-worker-and the mastermind behind everything I do when it comes decorating-found at World Market a few weeks back. 

When it came to their bathroom I really wanted a pop of color but then I wanted to throw in something that was more neutral and "earthy". I had remembered that I had pinned the perfect thing on Pinterest a few months back when I was trying to get ideas for the boys' room. So now that we had the towels and the accessories, we needed a little wall art to tie it all together. With a little help from Kaden, we were able to tackle this project while Daddy watched the Royals give up 10 embarrassing runs in just 2 short innings. 

My inspiration came from here. And as you can tell, I really didn't try and change it up at all because, well, it was just what I needed for the space. 

All it took were two 1/2 off frames from Hobby Lobby, a 3/4 inch mat, two letters printed on card stock (which I created myself on the computer), and some burlap for $3.99 a yard. 

See. Easy Peasy. And once we find the perfect shower curtain (haven't really looked since the boys only take baths and it would just get in the way) and a rug to go in front of the sink, I'll get to post a few pictures of the first "finished" room of the house. I know what you are thinking, it is about time we got something done around here. I'm just not that good at making big decisions like these...

Chubby Cheeks and Belly Laughs

It is no secret that our dearest Logie has some of the cutest but chubbiest cheeks around. The kind that grandmas won't be able to keep from pinching and kissing every chance they get. I mean, I do it at least 10 times a day as it is. And seeing how much the kid eats, it doesn't surprise me one bit that he still has them. The kid is a porker but then again, he only measure in the 48th percentile when it comes to weight-guess he just got my mom and I's height!

I have often wondered, 'Can this kid get any cute?' And I know, I am his mom, and I should think he is just the cutest thing in the world (along with his equally cute big brother of course) but I have people all the time saying the exact same thing, 'Stop it Kayla, could he be any cuter?'. And just when you start to think, nope, he is as cute as humanly possible. It happens. His infections, belly laugh. One that I could listen to all day long.

The last few nights he has gone through a period of about 10 minutes where he just laughs and he laughs loud and hard. He seriously cracks himself up.

One of the first nights I was checking his teeth to see if he had any new ones coming in and sure enough, there were two. As soon as I touched one of them he bit down-HARD and I pulled my finger back and yelled "Ouch". He started giggling so I went with it. I put my finger back in his mouth, pulled it out (quicker this time to keep from being bit) and yelled "Ouch" agian. He lost it. His whole body was shaking from laughing so hard. And his smile with those chubby cheeks, well it could turn the saddest day into something pretty special.

We had another experience last night and this time it was while we sat on the floor playing a game of Jumping Frogs from some kid pack we got a few months back. Basically you try and flip the frog into the box, nothing too exciting but for some reason this kid thought it was the funniest thing he had seen since he bit Mommy. He just laughed and laughed and laughed.

The sad thing, we tried catching it on video but we were too late. He had been laughing for so long that the laughs were starting to get quieter and quieter and even though we got a little bit of him laughing on tape, it just wouldn't do it justice to post. So tonight we waited. With our camera ready…and nothing! Go figure. Hopefully we will be able to post something very soon.

In other South news--and news that has pictures to go along with it, the boys are playing so well with one another right now. Kaden loves to have Logan follow him around and Logan loves to follow. Most mornings we start out with a little milk with a few Fruit Loops and we turn on the movie of the hour---Toys Store 3. And they just sit and watch. It really doesn't matter where or what Kaden is doing, Logan is always no too far behind. I love having two boys and watching them interact and love on one another like only brothers can. Its something special.

In 24 Quick Hours...

Not only did we host a shower for my SIL yesterday but we also got to check a few more things off Kaden's list of firsts. We got to water the tomatoes, actual tomatoes and not just plants this time. He got into a little water hose fight with Grandma Sara and I am pretty sure he is the only one that could have gotten away with it!

We also got to visit with the horses that live behind my parents' house. There was what appeared to be a baby horse but upon closer inspection it was a Shetland Pony but for Kaden's sake we went with a baby horse.

Papa Tom mowed the yard and multiple times he stopped to see if Kaden wanted to ride. Kaden said yes but as he got closer he stopped fast in his tracks and backed away slowly. After Papa was done mowing Grandma thought she would give it a try and well, lets just say that Papa wasn't very happy with the outcome.

That was kind of the end of the firsts but that didn't stop the fun. Zack and Lindsey came over for a quick maternity shoot and Kaden came out to join us towards the end. If this picture doesn't make you smile, I am not sure what would…

Big boy underwear and all. Love that kid! And that bench, I use to sit on it all the time at my Grandma & Grandpa Hartley's house when I was Kaden's age. Kind of wish I had it here in KC with me!

The boys decided that they would go "blow things up" and headed out to the shooting range while the girls tended to the shower. It had been awhile since I had seen my niece Lauren so we took the opportunity to get a few photos in. 

And just to note, yes, I know how pale I am. Might need to do something about that and give up the comfort of the air conditioning and get outside a little. I just hate the heat! Maybe when the pool is finished!

Pinterest Project- Gallery Wrap Me

This was kind of easy. It really didn't take too much planning, just picking out the perfect picture, sending off for the canvas and waiting for the open back frames to go 50% off at Hobby Lobby. I got the idea to do this project when an awesome Living Social Coupon was sent my way-one gallery wrapped canvas 20x24 for $49, regularly $109. Gotta love a great deal! Oh and I should mention that these are all over Pinterest and no ideas were my own! I borrow and reuse.  :0)

I chose a picture of Logan that had some pop of color but that would also feature those chubby cheeks, pouty lips and baby blues he has. After having the picture picked out I contacted the company who hosted the Living Social Coupon, Image Canvas and asked if I could upgrade the canvas to the next largest size and pay for the difference, I was really wanting to get a 20x30 and lucky for me, they said no problem. They updated my codes and when I checked out it was like getting $129 for $69. (I actually bought two of these coupons and upgraded them both and ordered a family picture for the other--still waiting on that one!)

So now that I had the picture picked out and the canvas ordered it was time to figure out a frame. I wanted to keep with the "proclaimed wood" theme since we had made both boys growth charts from Grandpa Earl's barn wood so we went with a wood frame that was a little bigger than the actual canvas so that there was space between the canvas and the frame. Kind of in love with how it turned out!

Pinterest Inspiration: Click to see a similar idea.

And if you are interested in a canvas print, I have a couple of codes that you can use. I am not sure if it is a one time thing on not but it doesn't look like. I have a 16x20 for $29.95, a 20x24 for $39.95 and a 20x30 for $49.95. and then one for 25% off all year long. If you would like any of these codes, just let me know and I would be more than happy to share. I was very happy with how the canvas turned out and the customer service was great.

She's Ready To….

POP! 

This morning I had the honor of throwing my SIL, Lindsey, a baby shower with my sister and a lot of help from my mom! I was a little worried about planning the shower from Kansas City since it would be held at my parents house but actually it worked out perfectly. I was able to give my mom a grocery list and a few other things that I wouldn't be able to get up here and she made sure it was all at the house and ready to go when I arrived. We burned the midnight oil, literally, getting the food, drinks and decorations in place. Once we woke up we only had a few things that needed to be redone and luckily for us the boys have super early internal clocks and were up at the crack of dawn so we had about 3 hours to get everything back in place, the food out and the kids and I ready. We finished with time to spare! 

Now onto the party. It was a great celebration. So many of our friends and family showed up to help Zack and Lindsey celebrate the pending arrival of their little girl Madison Eve. I couldn't be more excited for my brother and Lindsey. They are going to make great parents and since a little girl may not be in the cards for us who better to spoil than her!  


When we decided to host a shower for them I instantly went to Pinterest and started pinning away. After finding a few ideas that I liked, I cross-referenced Etsy to see which theme had more to go with it. 'She's Ready To Pop' won out and I contacted the Etsy seller to see if she could tweak the color scheme. She did and we were on our way! 

We centered the food around popcorn and threw in some cake pops, snap crackle and popsicles, and then some blow pops. We served your usual tea and lemonade but wanted to have a little something special that went along with the theme so we went with Strawberry and Grape soda pop and had custom labels made for them. All in all it was the pretty fantastic.  

My favorite thing about the shower (besides the people) was the absence of games. I am not a big fan of games so most of the showers that I plan don't have games. Instead we did a few other things. We had wishes to the baby where each guest filled out their wishes for Madison and Lindsey will be able to take these and create a little scrapbook with them. We also had 'diaper thoughts' which consisted of writing fun little messages on diapers so that when they are up in the middle of the night changing a diaper they have something to make them smile!

Before the pictures I need to give a big thank you to my mom and sister for all their help! To Lindsey for carrying my precious niece. And then to Mo Mo Roo for the delicious cake pops, I got so many compliments on them!! 

To Nanny's House We Go

About every other week we try and get out to see Nanny at Little Sisters. Nanny is the boys great grandmother on Justin's side and we know how important it is to take advantage of the time while we can, especially since she just lives on the other side of the state line. We usually make an event out of it though. We start with dinner, we pick up Grammy and then we meet Adam, Becky and Colton out there. There are times when someone isn't able to make it but everyone who isn't working or out of town is there. 

Usually Nanny is just getting done with dinner and making her way back to her room when we arrive. Sometimes she might be asleep in the chair and other times she could "running" laps around the floor. We almost always get the "I don't want to go outside." or "I don't feel like a walk." but with a little bit of pleading, she usually gives in and makes the walk with us out to the garden area. The kids are able to run free and chase the ducks as we all sit back, talk and relax. And although she doesn't admit it, she couldn't be happy that she gave in and allowed us to drag her outside to enjoy the beautiful weather. 

We don't stay long, maybe an hour or so but the kids have a great time and hopefully when they are older they will remember running around in the garden and running alongside Nanny with her walker.  When it is time to say our goodbyes, the boys hand out their hugs and kisses and race to the elevator to push the button. And as we find our way out of the building Kaden has one last stop to make, he signs us out at the front desk.

Till next time Nanny, we had a very lovely evening with you tonight. 

The Boys Meet

It had been a little over two weeks since our very dear friends Jennifer and Jake welcomed their first little baby into the world, a boy named Nathan Patrick Walsh. Justin and I were very fortunate to be able to meet him in the hospital but we really didn't think it was a great idea to take the boys with us. We called up Grammy, dropped the boys off and we headed up to meet the newest addition to the group. He was tiny, oh so adorable and had the cutest little cry that I have heard in over a year…

With traveling for work and potty training, we haven't gotten back out to see Nathan and the boys had yet to meet this new little guy who is destined to be their best friends. And yes, Jake, best friends FOREVER!

The husbands planned the menu (and did the cooking) and the women had their selves a cocktail (I might have had two and you all know what that means--Chatty Kathy!) And although it had been two weeks since we had seen the little guy, he was still so small and so completely adorable and lovable. His mommy looked AMAZING and really fresh for having a 2 week old and Daddy, well he looked right at home with his little boy in his hands and laying on his chest. 

I'm not sure if I could be any happier for these two. They have watched a number of people marry, get pregnant and have a baby (Justin and I included) all while hoping their time would come. And it did. Just the way it was suppose to. He is perfect in every way and such a big miracle in such a little boy. We are so in love with this little man and we can't wait to watch him grow up alongside Kaden and Logan. Who knows, maybe Logan can be his Pledge Pop like Justin was to Jake...

Holding Nathan and getting to love on Nathan made for a great evening but what put it over the edge, seeing Kaden interact with Nathan. Kaden wanted his turn to hold his new friend. I wasn't sure what to expect since when Logan was born Kaden thought it was neat for about 10 minutes and then he went back to playing on his own. This time around Kaden didn't want to give him up. He was so content with just sitting there and holding onto Nathan. 

Not long ago I announced that Justin and I wanted to have two more kids and that I had babies on the brain like no one's business but lately things have really kind of settled down and we seem to be in a zone. A good zone and life, is well, pretty great. Now we have went from 'wanting two more kids' to 'maybe one more' to 'maybe we are good with what we have'. Then I captured this…

Kaden is a great big brother but because the boys were so close in age he didn't really understand what was going on at the time. But here and now, he totally does. Not sure I could deprive him of being a big brother again, its just too precious to see.

And how cool is Nathan, he has his own Jones Soda! We wanted to get him a keepsake that would mark his birthday so we took to the web and had a few sodas created with a picture from the hospital and all his birth statistics on the back. Hopefully Orange & Cream Soda stays good for awhile cause not sure its currently in his diet.