Outnumbered!!

After a brief hiatus we're finally back to the baby making business!  For all my talk about loving babies and wanting a million, the truth is these little suckers are HARD.  I have to give Ryan credit, he's a lot braver than I am when it comes to growing our family and approaches the idea with a nonchalance I wish I could claim too.  Instead my tendency is to look at Evie crying at my feet, yelling "UP!" and Lyla climbing inside of our fridge to grab the milk to pour for herself, which will surely get spilled, and I imagine an infant somewhere in that picture.  And then I curl into the fetal position myself.  ;)

For a long time I've known I want more kids (kid?  The final amount is very much a question mark at this point, but I also feel very sure that Evie's personality is not cut out for being a middle child ;) but I also feel just a little bit crazy for that.  But we (I) finally made it to a place where there is just pure excitement to be adding another little one to our team. 

To be honest there were so many nerves with each of my pregnancies before.  That first one is so scary, not knowing what to expect.  But it's also a little bit naïve because you don't know the full depth of how hard it really is.  Or the amount of crazy love that will rock your soul.  The second time around you're wiser, and it made it even more scary for me.  I couldn't imagine being more tired than I already was, and more than anything I couldn't imagine another kid.  All I could see was another Lyla, I didn't quite comprehend how I could love anyone else as much as I loved her.  And then Evie came and my soul got rocked again.

This time around I look at my two little girls and I see their similarities and their differences and I love their individual personalities so very much, and all I can do is daydream about what this next little baby will be like.  The funny things they will say and do, their likes and dislikes, and I know without a doubt he or she will multiply the love in our little family by 100 times.  I also know without a doubt that I will get my socks knocked off with the work of caring for 3 little ones.  Because, like a wise woman recently told me, none of this is very convenient.  But oh man, the inconvenience is so worth it.

- K

Our tiny little baby at just 9 weeks.

Giving us a little wave at 16 weeks!  Can't wait to meet you, little babe!

Our Denver Trip!

Well, it's been over a month since we actually went to Denver, so this seems like the perfect time to finally post some photos.  ;)  We had a poor, sickie Evie Sis and not very much sleep, which always makes traveling extra fun, but seeing all the fam is always worth it!  Here are some pics!

- K

Our first stop was seeing our old condo (which is officially sold!), then we headed downtown for a carriage ride down the 16th Street Mall.  Ryan and I stopped at Wahoo's Fish Taco, one of our favorites in Denver that we would always walk to from our condo.  I ordered one shrimp taco for myself, and there were a variety of others for Ryan.  This is a picture of him eating MY taco.  Not bitter at all.  ;)

All the baby girls sure loved these horses and the Christmas lights!

Speaking of baby girls, there's another one in this family!  The baby you see in that belly is here, and she's beautiful!  So many girls, so little time.  :)

This is Grandma and Pop's cat, Fancy Pants.  She is ornery as hell and for some reason that makes the girls want her even more.  They've learned to tuck their hands in their sleeves before petting her though, so that's good...?

Resting B Face is real.  Even for cats.

Aunt Dodo surprised us with a visit while we were in town.  So fun!

This poor sickie had strep throat for the first time ever.  A paci, videos and mama were about the only things that didn't make her scream.

Lyla and Brailyn had so much fun together.  Brailyn loved playing with Lyla so much, it was adorable.  She also had a pretty stellar pout face whenever Lyla had to take a break from playing.  Ain't nobody got time for lunch when you've got a big, fun cousin to play with!

They were the cutest.

Bucking up for a quick horse ride!

This is Brailyn's dog, Peyton.  I'll spare you the details, but he had a pretty rough weekend.  Poor guy.  ;)

This horse is the coolest.  It actually rides across the floor, and the girls (all of them!) are obsessed.

Taking a quick break from that paci for a little ice cream.  Strep is not fun...for anyone involved.

Luckily, this girl was happy as ever!  My sweet little Lyla.

We had lunch with Grandma K, Auntie Sav and little Bane.  He is such a cutie pie!  So many good faces.

Lyla and Grandma K cuddles.  Love this picture  :)

Finally on some antibiotics and feeling a little better.  And sillier.

Exploring with a magnifying glass.  :)

A) I cannot get enough of this chick, strep and all.  And B) why is she getting so big?!? 

Stop. It. Time.

Lyla got to play with her friend, Jackson, again!  They are such little best buddies and they rarely see each other.  I love it.

The sillies played school and stamped each other's foreheads with "Very Good!" stamps.  :)

Lyla's favorite game at Papa's house is cat hunting.  I think the cats might feel differently. 

This seriously might be one of my favorite photos of all time!  That cat face.  Haha!

Papa took us girls on a winter sled dog adventure in Winter Park!  It had just snowed and was so beautiful.  Lyla and Evie loved every second, despite the 7 degree weather that froze my own toes.  They were total troopers!

If there's something that looks climbable, you can bet she'll be trying it.

Such a fun trip!!

MLK Day

There are a lot of things I hope to teach our kids.  I hope they learn to be hard workers.  I hope they learn the importance of honesty.  I hope they learn to be responsible with their finances.  But the thing I hope for most, the thing I'll truly measure my success as a mom against, is their kindness.

I'll be honest, it's been quite a while since I've really paid much attention to MLK day.  And that's not because I don't have respect for Martin Luther King Jr., he's been one of my historical heroes for as long as I can remember.  I think the reason it sort of became another "banker's holiday" to me is because in my mind the issue is settled.  Equality wins.  We aren't to be judged by what's on the outside, but what's in our hearts.  And WE aren't the ones here to judge anyways.  All we're called to do is love.  But unfortunately you turn on the TV and it's clear that this issue that feels like it should be yesterday's news is very much still today's news.

We talk a lot about loving each other and being kind in this house, and it dawned on me today that the guy we're celebrating is one of the very best examples of that message.  It also occurred to me that I can't just hope my ideas on equality get transferred to my kids through osmosis or something, it's still a message that has to be taught.  So we went to Target (pretty much the only store I can make it to before needing to rush home for nap time or making dinner), but they had no MLK books!  So we settled for some YouTube videos of people reading books, and even found a video of his actual "I Have A Dream" speech. 

One of the coolest things about Lyla is that she's actually interested in history, and she sat and watched these videos patiently and enjoyed seeing real pictures and videos of the man we were talking about.  We talked about him more during dinner, and it turns out the whole message is a little hard to explain to an almost 5 year old that looks at you like you're an alien when you say that people couldn't eat in restaurants or use water fountains just because of the color of their skin.  But we fumbled through it the best we could, and if nothing else the foundation is there.  I look forward to how this new information will tumble out of her little mind at some future date, most likely in the most awkward way possible.  ;)

- K

Here's a couple pictures from the day!  (We also dyed hair pink and stopped for donuts! :)

Hello 2017!

I tend to think every year is amazing, but 2016 feels particularly amazing as I look back at it.  Some of my dreams came true (becoming a stay at home mom, and a new car!!!), we went on some incredible family trips (Florida and Alaska!), Lyla started school, the girls grew into best little friends and playmates, and Ryan even got a big ol' fancy promotion at work.  Each one of those things took an awful lot of hard work to accomplish, plus a big huge dose of faith and following God's path for our family.  What a year!

2016 also held struggles and heartache, a lot of heartache.  I can appreciate the resounding excitement that is heard for a fresh start in 2017.  But a fresh start doesn't necessarily guarantee days filled with rainbows.  2017 will hold just as many struggles for just as many people - it's just the world we live in.  Nothing here will ever be perfect, but I heard once that life is only 10% what happens to you, and 90% how you react to it.  That sounds to me like perspective has a lot to do with how we get through life.

Some of the best people I know are going through some of life's hardest trials, and their perspectives are what amaze me every time.  They choose to look through the darkness and find the good that still surrounds them.  I think that's what perspective really is, a choice.  A choice to either be swallowed by the bad, or to be so aware of the good that the bad can't take your joy.  Not forever anyways.

So, here's to 2017!  A fresh start, a good perspective, and more joy and blessings than you can even bear.  Love to our friends and family!!

XO
- K

Here's a little Christmas picture sesh I did with the girls this year!  :)