Cohen turns 3!

Still in a little bit of denial about my youngest being 3 years old, but moving on . . . 

When I was in the beginning stages of planning Cohen's party, I had a little bit of a hard time figuring out what the theme should be.  He's not a big movie watcher, and he's not super obsessed with any particular theme or toy, so my choices were slim.  The one thing he kept coming back to was asking to watch "Wreck it Ralph", and if you know Cohen in person, you know this theme fit him pretty perfectly.  He's a little bit of a wrecker.  :)

We held the party the weekend of his birthday in Iowa.  All of my family was already there for a wedding we all had attended, and of course Tyler's family lives there, so this was easiest for everyone.  My wonderful Sister was kind enough to open their home up to 19 people, which we were so grateful for!

A lot of the details of the party only made sense to those who had already watched the movie, so if you've seen it, you'll probably understand the inside "jokes"! 

The decorations were set up, hoping to look like the inside of an arcade game. 

"Stumps" for cupcakes

Yeah, royal icing cookies are not easy to make… :)

Brick juice boxes

Game controllers

Tappers Root Beer

The kids were all playing outside, and then our special guest for the party arrived… 

Fix it Felix!

My Dad… he's the best Grandpa out there!

The first game we played was a wrecking game, I painted these boxes with a sponge and red paint, and bought big "Wreck it Ralph" hands for the kids to knock the boxes over. 

Of course, Fix it Felix fixed everything they wrecked!

Can't you just hear him… "I can fix it!"

Next up, was building our candy carts!

Just like Penelope & Ralph did in the movie, the kids got to design and build their own racing go cart!

Lastly, it was time for gifts... birthday boys favorite part  :)

We even got to ride some of Uncle Shane's fun "toys" at the end of the party! 

We closed out the day driving home with such thankful hearts.  There's nothing like a birthday party for your son, surrounded by both of our families, to make a person feel loved.

Another birthday party on the books… it is so fun to be a Mom!

Erin Condren GIVEAWAY!!

I gave you a clue yesterday, when I said I'd be doing a giveaway for a discount on Christmas cards from my 

favorite

company

ever!

So, you already know that my giveaway today is from ERINCONDREN.COM!

I love this season for so many reasons, but receiving Christmas cards in the mail is definitely in my top ten!  I love hearing from friends and family, and even though I keep up with most of them through social networking, there's something special about getting a card IN THE MAIL from different families!  Ah, I love it so much.

Erin is known for her bright colors and happy designs, and y'all already know how much I adore my life planner, notebooks, cell phone case, stickers…. I could keep going but it would be embarrassing…. so I'm really thrilled to be teaming up with her as I check out the Christmas cards she is offering this year!  

So, grab a warm cup of Chai Tea Latte, and let's look through some of my favorites!

From their premium cardstock collection:

The colors make me so happy!

From their double thick (metallic!) collection:

Goodness, I bet they are beautiful in person!

From their TRIPLE thick foil collection:

And lastly, a couple favorites from their postcard collection!

I think these are super fun, and budget friendly…

If you're loving these cards as much as I am, you're in for a special treat today…

Erin Condren is giving away a $50 credit towards your order, to one of my lucky readers!  I am so thrilled to be teaming up with her to spoil one of you.

Here's the details!

You have the chance to earn 4 different entries by doing the following:

Leave 1 comment after you "LIKE" her Facebook page: ErinCondren.com

Leave 1 comment when you follow her on Twitter:  @erincondren

Leave 1 comment after you follow her on Instagram: @erincondren

Leave 1 comment if you SHARE the link to this post on any social networking sites!  (your choice, Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter!)  

You have the opportunity for all 4 entries, or if you'd rather just do one, that's great too.  Obviously the more entires, the better your odds of winning.  :)

Giveaway ends Monday, Nov 11 at 8am CST.

Ahhh!!  Good luck!!! 

This post is sponsored by ErinCondren.com.  All opinions are 100% my own.  

I was compensated with some amazing cards in exchange for writing this post.

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The winner has been chosen!

Using Random.org -- #41 was chosen

jodilea, please email me at meg.keith@gmail.com to claim your winnings :) Congrats!

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Latelys.

Goodness, it's hard to believe the summer is over and we are quickly heading into the colder months.  Daylight Savings Time has rocked ME this year… not so much the boys, but this Mama crashes early every night now, which is annoying since it cuts into my alone time with my hot man.

Summer was a blast and I feel like we did a decent job this year of spending every waking moment outdoors going on bike rides, spending time at the pool, taking the boys to different parks, and of course doing a fair amount of traveling.  Then we blinked, summer was over, and Jaxon was in school.

Tyler's work has slowed down quite a bit recently and he just survived another layoff.  There has been plenty of opportunities for us to simply trust in The Lord and his GOOD and PERFECT timing in our lives.  Last week we were given an anonymous gift that had both of us in tears.  I hate that it took a physical check for me to give over the control and stress, but admittedly it did.  I'm not sure why I continue to waste so much time and energy on worry when He continues to prove himself faithful time and time again.  He really does care about the small details of our lives.

My younger brother plays football for William Jewell College, so most of our Saturdays this fall have been filled with this.  It has been fun seeing my parents so much the last few months as they come to town for his games!

There's not much to say about these two that I haven't already said at least a million times.  My love for them grows by the day, which seems impossible, but it's true.  The more I get to know them, the more I love them.

I have thoroughly enjoyed my time alone with Cohen while Jaxon is in school.  It has been SO GOOD and SO FUN!  He really thrives on one-on-one time… so do I.  :)  Quality time is my favorite!

The way Jaxon spends so much time building Legos amazes me.  His teacher recently pulled me aside and told me after 17 years teaching, she thinks Jaxon is the most creative she has seen.  The details he thinks of, she said, are way beyond a typical 4 year old.  That was so good for my Mama heart to hear.  :)  I think we'll be having a Lego & Batman Christmas around here!

Psalm 74 has been rocking my world lately as David talks about how all of his enemies are getting all of these things, while he suffers.  In the middle of the chapter, he stops and says "…BUT THEN I ENTERED THE THRONE ROOM".  His perspective completely changes, the things that mattered before no longer do.  All that matters is intimacy with Christ.

I've thought about that so much lately as I still try to figure out the crappy sequence of events that seem to have happened to us this year.  Nothing horrible and I realize there's so much that could be worse, but if I'm honest, the unanswered questions still linger in my head.  BUT THEN I ENTERED THE THRONE ROOM.  What if bad things happen to good people because Jesus' ultimate goal is intimacy with us.  Yeah, sure, he wants us to be happy and enjoy life… but at the expense of closeness with Him?  Nope.  In HIM we find contentment… in HIM we find joy.



Just because it makes me giggle.  They are twins.

Church has certainly kept me on my toes lately!  Between multiple Women's fellowship events I've planned, PLUS hosting a big Women's conference at our church, I have been a busy lady.  I love ministry and I am still praying that someday an opportunity will open for me to work for a church.  I am so thankful for our church family and the way they genuinely love and walk beside us.  I'll say it once, I'll say it a thousand times… get plugged in to a church and small group.  Right now.  :)

I ordered my 2014 Erin Condren life planner!

This is news, people.

Pictures to come once it finally arrives… the anticipation MIGHT kill me.

I still can't believe my baby turned 3 a couple weeks ago.

I mean, the youngest person in my house is THREE??  We're officially "out" of the baby stage?!  Tyler actually had the guts to bring up selling the crib recently.  The conversation ended pretty quickly when I didn't respond and gave him a nasty look.

We had a super fun birthday party, "Wreck it Ralph Cohen", when we were in Iowa (pictures coming!), and then celebrated the day-of with a small group of friends.

Gahhh… I still can't wrap my head around this.

Oh Charlie.  She's such a great dog.

I wish she was about 10 years older… 10 years more calm.

But she's a great dog.  So protective and LOYAL to the boys!

Have you ever taken a "spinning" class?  DO IT!  It's a lot of fun… if you like feeling like you're going to die.  :)

I've still been faithfully going to the gym 2-4 times a week… usually closer to 2-3… and have maintained the same weight for 10 months now.  Which, by the way, is the lowest weight I've ever been, even through high school!  I've never been able to wear single-digit sized pair of jeans, and size medium shirts.  I'm not saying this to brag, but to simply encourage you to KEEP GOING!  It's so worth it. 

I love this new way of living, this new lifestyle I lead.  I am not going to the gym to lose weight, I am going to the gym to stay healthy.  To stay confident.  To stay happy.

Fall Mini Sessions are keeping me on my toes as well.  I love my job.

I've had this lightbulb moment in the last couple weeks when I've realized how thankful I am that my parents had 4 kids.  These people are no longer just annoying siblings, but really have become my closest friends.

Especially in the last year, they have poured into mine and Tylers lives in ways that we never would have imagined.  They've taken us under their wings, pursued deep friendships, been intentional in our times together, and have faithfully prayed for us.

Not only our siblings, but our parents as well.  19 people gathered in my Sisters home for Cohen's birthday party and just LOVED on him.

I fully realize not everyone has this kind of relationship with their family or with their siblings, and I don't take it for granted.  Thank you, Jesus, for your abundant blessings.

Iowa is really beautiful.  I still pray we get to call it "home" again someday.

I also recently participated in a Freezer Meals Workshop, through Wildtree!  Have any of you done one?  So far we have REALLY enjoyed every meal that we've made, and the math ended up being about $12 a meal, and most of the time we have leftovers.  It took me 2 hours of prep, but for 11 meals, that was really reasonable!  December is always SO busy that I hope to do another one, to prevent us from eating out.  And, now I'm hungry.

If God hadn’t been there for me,
    I never would have made it.
The minute I said, “I’m slipping, I’m falling,”
    your love, God, took hold and held me fast.
When I was upset and beside myself,
    you calmed me down and cheered me up.

Psalm 94:18-19

I hope you all have enjoyed the beginning of Fall!

I'll be back soon with PARTY pictures…

AND…!

A giveaway for some pretty sweet Christmas cards from my favorite company ever!

Preschooler!

Something BIG happened around our house this past week...

How is it possible my sweet baby boy is old enough for pre-K?

I really didn't anticipate all of the emotions I would have the morning of his first day!  The night before, I started taking trips down memory lane and got teary eyed remembering him as a itty bitty newborn from the hospital and laughing about his toddler troubles.  However, the morning of, I was a bit of a mess.  Even though leading up to this day Jaxon was super excited to go to school, all of the sudden he didn't want to, claiming he had already gone!  (to Parents Night, that is!  Ha!)  

However, he finally calmed down as we tried to remind him of the fun activities and friends he would make.  Mama, on the other hand, still struggled calming down.  :)

I didn't cry until after I walked out of the school, but I just had this PIT in my stomach that wouldn't go away.  Realizing this boy will go to school the rest of the years he lives at home was hard to swallow... it just felt like all of the sudden he was no longer a "child" and now someone who goes to school and has homework. 

Cohen and I had a super fun morning alone... we stopped for a Starbucks treat, and then headed to the park to feed the ducks and play at the playground.  I'm not sure which of us enjoyed our time alone more!

Before we knew it, it was time to pick big brother up!  Cohen greeted him with THE BIGGEST hug and my heart turned to mush. 

He had a great first day.  His teacher reported that he was shy and "observing" at first (totally Tyler's personality!) but came out of his shell within an hour.  When I picked him up, he told me he didn't want to leave... so that was a great sign!

So proud of my big boy.  Watching them grow up is such a bittersweet thing, one that I hope to never take for granted.

Oh, Coco bear.

One week from tomorrow Jaxon will be starting preschool, so we are soaking in every last minute of summer that we can!  Tyler's Mom and siblings came for a visit last weekend (which we thoroughly enjoyed!) and the summer heat has finally hit with full vengeance... of course, after pools are closed during the week.  Sweet!

Anyway.

I feel like I've probably mentioned a time or two on my blog how much different Jaxon and Cohen are in just about every way possible.  The way they look, their personalities, their likes and dislikes, and I could continue for days.

Instead of boring you with paragraph upon paragraph of their differences, I will sum it up with one simple story.

Every day when we sit down at the table to eat, Jaxon asks for a napkin to put underneath his plate or bowl.  He doesn't like messes.

Today at lunch, he asked for one, and I had to break the bad news that we were actually out of napkins.  I know, the horror!  He proceeded to cry and tell me a few different reasons WHY he needed one, so I found him a washcloth to use instead.  That temporarily satisfied him, but I have a feeling dinner time tonight will be a completely different story.

Also during today's lunch, we were talking about how Cohen had left his Mr. Monkey out in the yard earlier in the day while he was playing outside.  Jaxon was telling him that it wasn't a good idea to do that, because now it would be dirty, and what if birds would have stolen his monkey?!

Cohen's response?  "I kill da birds with my hands."

I laughed out loud, Jaxon was appalled, and we continued eating.

A couple minutes later, Cohen starts laughing and I look up to find he has shoved a macaroni noodle UP his nose.  I quickly tell him to take it out, give him a lecture on how it could get stuck up there, and helloooo that's disgusting.

He laughs his evil laugh, BLOWS IT OUT OF HIS NOSE.... and eats it.

Complete opposites in every way possible.