Sisterly Love!

( I found this blog post in my drafts dated Feb 12, 2011, thought I would post it for fun)
Addison is all about Reese 24-7! She mimics the way we talk to Reese, holds her hand whenever possible, uses her shirt to wipe her teething mouth, and points to all of Reese's body parts that she knows how to say. She is up close and personal and Reese loves the attention!

Addison is genuinely excited to make her smile 

and loves to make her laugh! 

 Let the playing together begin!!

Brothers

"A brother shares childhood memories and grown up dreams"

lucky, blessed, and excited to have two brothers who have always been there for me and who continue to be such a big part of my life...

and who are the very best Uncles that my kids could ever have

Here are just a few of my favorite pictures

threw the years!!

Yep so lucky!!

love you Billy and Chris

This kid...

Reese is sweet, lovable, kind, and so special. She is a baby lover and is always around Nash and any other baby smaller than her. She is an energetic little 2 year old that has one speed and that is fast! She is excelling in gymnastics (and I am not just saying that because I am her mom) and doing a fantastic job swimming. Reese is fearless, independent, and a real go getter!

I sometimes think that I am a little too hard on her. I have to remind myself that she is only 2 1/2 and that her behavior is "typical" for that age group. She can be a bit stubborn at times (like me) and trying to get her to do something she doesn't want to is nearly impossible. I am learning a lot about myself and my parenting weaknesses through her. I have to constantly remind myself to stop and let her explore her independence and be in the moment and not rush her on to the next thing. She challenges me to give up control and that is a very hard thing for me. One example is her undying love for Nash. I have to find a balance of her "loving" on him and her being too overbearing (laying on top of him, twisting his arms, pulling his feet, etc.) I see sweet pictures of other kids and their baby siblings and think that I need to relax a bit and still keep Nash safe :)

Reese has this funny sense of humor and knows when she is being funny. She laughs at herself and loves to have an audience. When we go out to dinner she does the funniest dance while standing on her seat and although she shouldn't be standing on her sit it is too funny and cute how she sways and pops to the music. She still can be found wearing her beloved high heels at home and can be very opinionated when it comes to what she wears. One thing I have noticed lately is that she has more of a sensitive side to her. She can get her feelings hurt quickly and when she does she will immediately come to me or Kevin for comfort. She also does this when she is scared, in a new environment, in trouble, or embarrassed. I love these times because she just lets us hold her and cuddle her until she feels better. 

I feel very protective over Reese and so does Addison. These two together are so good to each other (90%) of the time. I see the way they pretend play together, the way they look for each other at church, the funny bedroom shananigans that goes on every single night and I am just so thankful they have one another. This blog is really special because as I sit here and type this post it reminds me of why I love being a mom. It can be really hard and the need to get things done and keep moving on can be daunting. Especially on the weeks that Kevin is traveling or has a busy work schedule. This little girl though is teaching me to let it go and to just be patient, live a bit, and surviving is good but living life is better. Reese I love you baby girl and will always strive in being a better mommy to you each and every day! xoxoxo

3 of a kind!

My fancy little lady

the one who makes everyday car rides fun

and this guy who is already full of personality

3 of a kind indeed! 

Catching Zzzz's!

Two things little Nash loves - is sleep and his thumb! Here is the proof from newborn baby to 4 months big. I cant get enough of these "sleepy pictures" of my Prince :) 

I could just sit and stare at him all day - he is so peaceful and so beautiful. 

I adore all his little features and am cherishing each and every moment. He is just perfect in every way and so loved by his family. xoxoxo

10 things

1. Elephant wearing newborns

2. Celebrating Kona and Liz with the little guy

3. Doctor Check ups!

she asked a lot of questions and might have told the nurse that her Daddy is a doctor 10 times or so - really cute and more importantly she is super healthy!

4. Exploring Huntington Beach City Park with friends

followed by some dressing up

5. Kevin and mini Kevin

6. Playdates with the lovely Hatcher girls

and their awesome toys! 

7. A season of no naps is hard but the trade off is early bedtimes and well rested kiddos! 

8. Fresno love!!

9. Dance class re-union! Love these girls and hanging out with their Moms at the park is the perfect morning. Although we have all moved on from the dance class where we met at it is nice that we still get together! 

10. Fancy Addison helping with the yard!

Friends!

I love my school, I love teaching, and I love that I get to work with truly amazing people. I recently decided that I would not be returning after Spring Break when my maternity leave ended.  It was a difficult decision but ultimately what was best for my family was for me to stay home. With the upcoming move I want to spend as much quality time with my friends and family that I can. Plus the thought of leaving all three kids made me very anxious and sad. They are growing up so fast and I don't want to miss a thing! Pictured below are two of my favorite people that I have met in the past three years that have changed my life for the better! My first friend Amy is one of those people that everyone loves. She is one of the best teachers I know, the most well liked teacher on campus, and hysterically funny. We are connected at the hip and I love that! Texting, playdates, shopping, and talking on the phone are a few of our favorite things to do together! Speaking of chatting on the phone I have repeatedly gone over my monthly minutes because of her, Kevin still kids about how much we talk! Another favorite of ours is Joe's Deli in Cypress. She and I would go every Friday to eat the worlds best squaw sandwich and catch up. She would make my hardest days somehow manageable and always do or say something to make me happy. People ask what I miss about working and I miss working with her! I can only hope that my kids have a teacher like Mrs. Laughlin in their future!  

Now for Jill. I vividly remember being at my old school and seeing the Roberson's Christmas card in the lounge and thinking, "She looks like a fun person!" Boy was I right and who knew that 4 short years later we would be sharing a contract and developing one of the most amazing friendships. Jill and I were simply meant to teach together. God put each of us in our lives for a specific purpose and that was to teach each other about him and about faith. Without her support, prayer, and love I would have not been able to successfully teach this year, and that is no exaggeration. We had this amazing chemistry as teaching partners that made sharing a contract effortless. We balanced one another out and I learned so many amazing tricks and teaching strategies from her. I value her friendship and will be forever grateful to her for finishing off the year for me. We have a difficult class and this going full time for her is a huge sacrifice. She is a fantastic teacher and the kids are very lucky to have her. Again if any of my kids got a teacher half as good as Jill I would be happy. 

Teaching was  my career for 8 years and I have so many wonderful memories of my students, the faculty, and the families I worked with. I will miss getting up in front of a class and teaching, it was a rush and a creative outlet for me. I am very much passionate about it still and feel hopeful that in the future some opportunities open up when I can again come back and work with kids and parents in some capacity. Who knows maybe I will be the next PTA president? Sounds fun to me! I am looking forward to whats ahead but wanted to take a second and and remember two of my favorite Huskies!  

6:00 a.m.

This is what the morning looks like when raising a Rockstar! 

It would be so much cuter if it wasn't so early!

10 things...

1.  The love him so much - they are always wanting to hug, kiss, and touch him. For me and my control issues it is really hard to let all their little germy hands on him but I am learning to let go ( a bit). I want them to have as good of a relationship as Kevin and I have with our siblings. This picture speaks volumes!

2. My yogi kids watching youtube while I try to be productive! 

3. Homemade pizzas for Dinner

4. Mommy and Nashee!!

5. Stylin sisters

6. Oak Nature Center - favorite place to run behind our house. It is quiet, beautiful, and my time to re-energize. I simply love this trail!

7. Date Day - We had HUGE plans to go to Disneyland kidless because our passes were expiring!! However those came to a crashing holt when we realized it was a blackout day. Booooo!! So after dropping off all the kids we switched gears quickly and headed to Huntington Beach for a long breakfast at Sugar Shack. It was so peaceful. Then we decided to go miniature golfing! That is right we went to Boomers :) and it was sooooo fun! 

only bad thing was that I lost!

and after golfing we might have gone to the batting cages! hahaha

it was a much needed date day for us and although it wasn't our first plan it turned out awesome!

8. GranDad loving on his grandson

9. Windy Days make it difficult to play at the park!

10.  Going out for a family dinner. Lots of energy and a little louder then normal but we wouldn't have it any other way