Me and my blender.

I had to laugh a little when I recently bought a small blender, and of came with a sippy top.... designed to drink straight from the blender, as of its just too much effort to put the drink in a cup, ha! Well, it turns out it's genius... I can often be found sipping my protein shake straight from this blender, just before washing it so I can do it all again! Here I am, just back from my morning stroll with Gus. Bringing the blended full of morning Shakeology was a first today... sometimes I wonder what the neighbors might think. At least it's so dark they can hardly see... I was so happy with my lazy little blender there!

Embrace the camera: September 29

For one reason or another, dinnertime has always been a rough time for Hannah. We try all kinds of different games to make it fun for her: everyone takes a bite at the same time, Daddy shows her a scab when she takes a bite (not my favorite, but it seriously worked for a week or so), fun cookie cutter shapes, eating races, and of course, the airplane. Micah is really good at making these games up, and here's the latest: moustache fun! This makes her laugh every time... can't be cranky when you're pretending to rock a 'stache! Aren't they cute?

Go check out some more fun photos like this one here Enjoy, and Happy Thursday!

Embrace the camera: september 22

Happy birthday to Micah!

Yesterday was Micah's birthday. Even though he does not care about his birthday, to me, it's a really big deal to make it awesome. Because it's the day he was born. My life is better because of him, and I love to celebrate it! Simply, though. That's what he wants. Well, here are some fun details from the day, and a photo that begged to be shared: cinnamon rolls and bacon in the morning (I baked both in the oven. At the same time. Didn't think it would work, but so thrilled it did, because I didn't want to reek of bacon at work. Imagine what high school students would say about that..."she smells like bacon...") New pair of shoes. Hannah stole them in the morning, but Micah had a chance to wear them on our date night: Daphne's for dinner, "The Help" for our movie, and Mint Chip Cold Stone to polish off the end of the evening. In the end he said it was, "perfect." Nailed it! YES! AWESOME!!!

Embrace the Camera: On the way to school

This moment coming to you from Micah's perspective. He does the drop-off for preschool in the morning, whether or not I am home to help with the routine, and this works best for Hannah. She's a wreck if I drop her off, but she seems to calm down much more quickly when Micah drops her off. I think he's better at making a quick exit! Anyhow, I was delighted to find this in my inbox one day at work... gave me a little slice of home life when I needed it most. What a beautiful morning to be headed to school!

Oh ps... I just got a new phone, and the good news is, it's blogger capable, so I can update more often. I have missed writing, and coming in to fall, there's lots to share!!!

Today is the day!

She pooped in the potty!!! Not an accidental, sitting there reading a book - she told me, and she went!
So hard to imagine a moment prouder than this... home alone without Micah this weekend, this is all the payment I needed! Stoked does not even begin to describe the state of my mind right now...
Even though she pooped her pants again like 20 minutes later. At least she did it once. It was still a giant step forward!!!
I will never forget this day. (Especially since I took the time to blog about it. You can thank me later that I didn't post any photos!)

Random Friday Fun

I look at pictures like this...



And realize that they're worth sharing.
Random, as defined by Webster, is: "occuring or done without definite aim, reason, or pattern." If you've spent much time with me, it's easy to see why it's one of my all time favorite words. I most definitely practice random acts of kindness, creativity, prayer, and anything else that might come up (randomly, of course). In this case, it's photography!

I love the Friday Randoms I see posted on some. favorite. blogs. (yes, there's three linked up there!) so I'm super thrilled to be sharing some of mine and linking up to Life Rearranged for the first time this week, thus giving purpose to my randomness, for this week, at least! I love that the one rule is that the pictures must be from a cell phone. Then I don't feel like they have to be perfect, and I remember to pull out the camera when we're out and about. Enjoy!


Homemade onesies for my niece on the way, Kaylee! (Well, at least the applique part)


Hannah rides a skateboard home from Mima and Pa's house. Note that she is only holding on with one hand, and never rolled out from under herself one way or the other (like me). Perhaps it is because she already rides like her dad - look at that stance!


We took a walking field trip to the park with Hannah's preschool! (I had to see how they get like 30 preschoolers to walk in the same direction... I was thoroughly impressed.)


After the field trip, I set up Hannah's blow-up pool for some backyard fun... but she was really cranky and giving me a hard time, so I told her to take a time-out and come back when she was ready to be a sweet girl. She had a tantrum on the timeout spot and promptly passed out for a nap.


A sunset date with the hubs. We ordered our usual sushi from Maki Yaki to go and drove down for a view at Heisler Park. Then we strolled to Gelato Paradiso in town to finish the night off. Simple, yet could not have been more perfect.


We went to the Angel Game with Uncle Gary and Aunt Candi. Great parking, great seats, great company.


It was really hot, though, so when we moved to the shade, Hannah took a great nap. On the spot. Treat for Mommy!


And today, painting at a playdate with our neighbors! So fun!

Life is awesome, and I never want summer to end!