They Grow So Fast, It's True

Could he be sweeter? 

My one and only son is growing fast. He is happy, cuddly, crazy tall, giggly, and basically adored by everyone he meets. And me? I'm crazy about him!

Where'd Those Extra Hands Go?

Its been a hard year for us, anyone who knows us knows why. But the last few months have been very special, with more visits from family than ever. 

July: my little sister Kelly and brother-in-law Brian came to visit. 

August: my oldest sister Lynnae, brother-in-law Mike, and new niece Zoe came to visit. 

September: my dad and his sweet wife Rosie came to visit. 

October: my father-in-law and niece Kyli came to visit. 

And now...there are no more visitors coming to Arizona. At least not this year. With each goodbye we knew a hello was coming right behind, which made the goodbyes much easier. This time saying goodbye was harder, not knowing when we'll get another visit. Chris' family lives in Illinois. My family is back in Georgia. 

Thankfully my mom moved here over a year ago. She had been living in Saudi Arabia for 7 years, and when the time came for her to move back to the states, she moved to Prescott. And I'm so thankful! 

We love our family, and now it's our turn to go visit. That will be fun, too, whenever it will be. But there's something about having family in my home...cooking for them...showing them around town...letting Harper show off her pink room that she loves so much...and having an extra set of loving arms to hold, soothe, and love my babies. 

So if your family is far away, too, and you need someone to feed you a yummy meal and love you like family, come on over. I have a nice big kitchen and a pretty messy dining table. Perfect for a big family dinner. 

No, My Car Doesn't Stink

If you ever happen to drive past me on Hassayampa, or any road near home for that matter, and I'm holding my nose shut, chances are I'm singing. Yes, it is weird...but there's a reason. 

Nap time is an important time. Important for kids, and equally important for moms. Kinley loves sleeping in the car. She can't fight the slumber-inducing motion of a vehicle. And although she isn't the easiest kid to get to fall asleep, once she's asleep she sleeps well. 

(Oh that face!)

This has a connection to my non-stinking car, I promise. 

We were on our way home the other day from I don't remember where, and nap time was in sight. (The problem with Kinley sleeping in the car, is that not only does she not transfer to her bed, but that 10 minute cat nap will keep her going the rest of the day.) I see her eyes start to close about 5 minutes from the house. I call her name, but she doesn't care. I try to tickle her foot behind me, but her feet are up in her seat. Then I think of "This Little Light of Mine," it's one of their favorite songs. I start to sing, Harper chimes in, Kinley smiles, and I'm hopeful...I only need her to hang on 4 more minutes! But just as fast as she smiled, her eyes start to close again. In a moment of desperation, I plug my nose and sing. 

It works! I'm the funniest person on the planet, and Kinley is awake and laughing hysterically! So I'm not gonna lie, I've used this trick since, and I will use it again. 

Now it's entirely possible that my car might stink on occasion...I have 3 very young children after all. But chances are, I'm a tired mom, exhausting every weapon in my arsenal in order to have an hour of quiet while my two youngest nap at the same time. Some things are worth fighting for. 

The Party

I thought I was ahead this time. I mean, I had 22 capes sewn and ready by Tuesday. That's planning ahead! Then the rest of the week I was swamped, and before I knew it the day was here. (Insert husband's 'I told you so' look) I do it every time. But we had fun getting ready yesterday. I made a huge mess in my kitchen making the cake, which turned out pretty good. 

We have a thing called 'the 2 year old test'. We use it when drawing our stencils for my LumberJacks and Jills shop. If our 2 year old (almost 3!!) can tell what it is, we've got something good. Well, the cake failed the test. She knew it was a 'K'. Win. "Kinley, what's next to the K?" "A snake!" Fail. 

So in case you're wondering, it's a cape. It was my first time ever carving a cake to the shape I wanted. Usually I use a pre-shaped cake pan, but believe it or not, I couldn't find a flying super hero letter K. But it tasted great!

Then there's the venue...I called around to different parks to try to rent space. I've never done that before, and I was shocked at how expensive it was. Most of them were $75-$85 for a half day. One was $150. As I said in an earlier post, I love to throw a big party, but I have no desire to go into debt over it. So I called the little park right up the road whose pavilion is old, tiny, and not all that nice. I thought for sure it would be more affordable. Nope, same price as the others. So I ask if there's a charge to just throw a party on the grass field, and they said we could use the grass for free. I even clarified that if someone ended up renting the overpriced pavilion, we could still use the grass. Perfect! 

Unless of course you show up, and there is a party under the pavilion, and not only did they fork over the money for that cement slab, they also rented a huge princess bounce house, sitting right there in the grass field. Crap. There was still room for us, but we hesitated. Do we switch venues? Do we try to call everyone frantically and send them to the camp instead? My level-headed husband found a spot in the grass and we set up, despite the massive, cooler-than-ours party happening behind us. Well, they don't have hand-made super hero capes for every kid, so at least there's that, I thought. Until the first kid shows up, overjoyed at the sight of the bouncy house, only to learn that she can't play in it, and bursts into tears. DOUBLE FAIL. 

But we ended up having a great time, and the capes really were a huge hit. We had a picnic style party. My mom read the ABC book, in an animated way that held the gaze and attention of every child there, in a way only she can do!

We had cake, Kinley opened her presents, and the kids played on the playground. 

Chris prayed for Kinley before the presents, our family tradition that he started with Harper's first birthday. It's our favorite part!

Kinley got a handmade Olaf from Nana and a light-up singing Anna dress from her Grandpa.  

And my little Super Kinley was happy, which of course is the whole point.

WIN.