Trains and Tiaras

So, last year we had the twin's 3 yr birthday party and Easton's 1 yr birthday party within two weeks of each other. My baby was going to get his own special first birthday party, but I basically knew the moment I started planning that from there on out, the kids would be having a combined party. That is what happens when your birthdays are 2 weeks apart during an insanely busy time of year. :) They do everything together anyway - might as well party together, too!

That brings us to this year. When I asked the twins what they wanted at their birthday party, Caden immediately replied "trains" and Jenna immediately replied "princess." Lucky for them I follow a blog of a mom who has quadruplets (3 boys/1 girl) and she had thrown a Trains and Tiaras party. Perfect! At times like this, you have to love the internet and gleaning off others creativity. I took a few ideas here, a few ideas there, got super lucky the Dollar Store is carrying Disney princess party stuff right now and used the 497 trains we have laying around this house to throw together a party.

Ryan was gone most of the week for work and a dear friend's son (2 years old) was hospitalized with serious complications. That combination plus the fact that I am soooo miserably tired these days meant the party was down a few notches from the usual. But seeing my friends journey up close and seeing my three children run around healthy and happy and at home made that "party" enough for me. I still love throwing a serious party for my babies, it is just something I always will have in me. It is a serious reflecting time for me that they are here and call me "mom." So many prayers and tears were cried for them to be here so you better believe I make a big deal of their birthday.

Special thanks to my sister again - without her most of my life would be documented in a blurry cell phone picture. :)

choo choo! 

Hallelujah for Dollar Store princess gear 

The girls had their own princess room to dine in 

Whole Food cake didn't happen. Tragedy. Thank goodness I have an extra Thomas or twelve to throw on a cookie cake! 

Thank you Pinterest, my first successful birthday "cake" homemade. 

Princess Drama of course had to wear her new yard sale princess dress. 

I just love this picture. Deep conversation about something with those two. 

Candy-necklace making station

These two together are TROUBLE 

I printed lots of Thomas and Princess coloring sheets. Papa T (my dad) was so excited. :) 

Trying to make his move

killed it. 

Easton showing everyone his new Thomas pillow. He bear hugs that thing every night as he falls asleep. Adorable!

My two four year olds and one two year old. Yes, it will mess with your brain, read slowly.  And yes, Jenna had a wardrobe change. 

Hello & Goodbye, Fall

Well, Santa came through. I'm typing on our new laptop where it took 2.4 seconds to open up the Internet, the space bar has worked every single time and...wait for it... every picture I selected uploaded the first time. WHAT? 

Anyway, the only pictures I currently have loaded on here are the few I snapped of my fall items as the twins were ravenously taking down any pumpkin they saw getting ready for Christmas decor. So, just sitting down to get the feel of blogging again with the only pictures I have access to. Enjoy some orange since we have all moved on to red and green. I get the feeling that will be typical - me, this blog, pictures....a few months late to the party. :) 

Our Thankful Tree this year. Items included: grass, the sky, the "jumping place", football,  Jesus, God in Heaven and "I can jump." 

My amazing blocks from my friends at Carolina Homemade on Etsy. Awesome, awesome. AND - they are reversible. I have already made the "flip" to the reverse side which says "jingle bells." 

Yes I sure did make that! Got crafty with my extra time on vacation at the Lake this year. 

Why yes I did make this one, too. I shocked myself! 

Super Huge Picture Frame

What do you do with one that is just sitting around? Enter Pinterest.

(I had this for sale on craigslist but the guy who came to  buy it just wanted the picture itself, not the frame. Hey, whatever you want when you still pay full asking price, right?)

A can of spray paint, a yard of super cheap, adorable fabric and prints of your precious babies and voila!

BEFORE

I'm pretty happy with how it turned out the 3rd time. First time, I had the pictures glued to foam board on top the fabric on TOP of the glass. The pictures bubbled with the type of glue I used, so I peeled them off and used a picture glue. Still a little bubbly so I just abandoned the canvas 2D look and put the pictures behind the glass so they are protected, flat and secure.      



AFTER

                    

Kids Say...

Oh my goodness, when your little toddlers start talking, it can usher in some of the most memorable moments of parenting! Here are some things the kids say that I can't stand to forget. And yes, I've been kind enough to use them in a sentence for maximum comprehension.

- Slip-aly. Otherwise known as Slipery
Mom, the floor is slip-aly where I spilled the water.

- Poop Duck. Otherwise known as Duck Poop
Ewwww, mom, look at all that poop duck on the (car) window. Mom, the geese left all of this poop duck on the road...gross!

- Yeg. Otherwise known as Leg
Caden: mom, my yeg hurts from jumping too much today. (I'm sad to say that since I first wrote this down, Caden is now correctly saying "leg." :( booooo for maturity!

- PonyTails. Otherwise known as Finger Nails.
Jenna: mom, can you please paint my ponytails?
Caden: ooohh, mom, I love your beautiful ponytails!

Say What?

Your eyes do not deceive you. This blog actually has a post again! Word on the street is that Santa is bringing us a new laptop and it is my number #1 priority in using that computer to start using this blog as a tool to remember our life happenings again. Blogging has fallen by the wayside for two main reasons: 1- our current computer is a sure way to send my blood pressure skyrocketing. It takes 30 minutes to turn on, another 30 to get to blogger, good luck getting a picture to import and the space bar sticks. So, needless to say, blogging wasn't worth it and I don't have an hour to just get to the main blogger page. 2- any free time I have has been spent on home projects or sleeping.

Anyway, working through a difficult parenting time this past spring/summer has shown me how much the Lord has blessed us. I have been given an amazing opportunity to spend my days with my kids and the stories and lessons learned are too good not to share. Plus, if I've learned anything in the parenting journey it is that we have to do this life together! We were not made to live life alone or on an island. Community...the Church...is a beautiful thing. If we could be a little more open about real life I think many of us would realize we are not alone in our thoughts, our struggles, our victories and celebrations. So.....if Santa delivers, then that is my commitment to myself and my lonely, ignored, sweet blog. :)

Sharing is Caring

Another fun video to prove a) the kids DO share AND get joy from doing so at times (a reminder for me that these moments exist on those "special days.") and b) to document perhaps the first and only time Easton has willingly given up food to someone else.

p.s. yes that is a bandaid on Jenna's forehead. No, she was not injured.


Sharing is Caring from Casey Little on Vimeo.

The Easton Dance

A glimpse into our evenings.....looks like Easton is turning into our little family clown! A few things I love about this video: a) the belly laughs from the twins b) the stomach poke out mid-way through - a new move Easton threw in there for us and c) that the twins still ask Easton to do the tip toe dance weeks after he started it. It is neat to see the twins ask Easton for entertainment instead of mom / dad / each other.


The Easton Dance from Casey Little on Vimeo.

Let the storm rage on...

Well, we missed the phase when everyone posted their toddler singing "Let it Go"from Frozen. We were just waiting for the right moment and friends, I think this is it.

Be sure to note the Jenna-Sass tell Caden to "let me hear it, let me hear it" like she is trying to find the correct pitch (hilarious!) and then I challenge you to pick out Jenna's voice vs Caden's voice.  I may be mommy blind, but I'd say they nailed the high note. :) Enjoy.


High note: Nailed it from Casey Little on Vimeo.

Catching Up

Since I had to relearn my password and way around Blogger to type my Father's Day Bomb post, I figured I would give this blog thing another try. So, in a desperate attempt to catch up, try to keep up here. This is a highlight post with mostly pictures, so it will be bearable. :)



 

I FINALLY took Caden to get his prize for night training. Remember, he trained day and night in a weekend back in ...gulp, January.

From the first moment I mentioned "any toy you want" he consistently said "Diesel 10." Like a kid in a candy shop looking at all of the trains. Made my heart smile!

This is the picture I took 2 days after Easton was finally prescribed a high power antibiotic after being sick for 3 months. Four doctor appointments and three different doctors later, a (lady) doctor finally agreed with my momstincts that something was not right and diagnosed him with a sinus infection. After three months of canceling play dates, missing church, fine one day, snotty mess the next, he was totally better almost instantly with this antibiotic. No more dirty looks at church even though I had multiple doctors tell me he was perfectly healthy. ick, ick. moving on... Finally back to my Easton!

Just a favorite because I'm that kind of mom. Laughing hysterically at Jenna's drama fall.

We got to see everyone on Ryans' dad side of the family for Pape's 90th birthday. A very fun weekend!

The twins face when we told them Gigi had bought Frozen for them to watch.

 

We LOVE our neighborhood and we love our street. The older neighborhood kids are so great with our little ones who want to keep up. Here is Caden and Jenna schooling them in some hoops.

We went on our first beach trip right before Easter. It was cold and rainy so we hid eggs under the beach house and bundled up for some beach time. Love this shot of my big little guy.

Speaking of big, little guys....he instantly turned into a toddler....like in one day.



As messed up as this boys ankles were/ still are, he sure can jump. He cries later that night because his "yegs" hurt, but he sure does have a fun time in the moment!

We are no longer Farm Days newbies. We had an awesome time with Nana and Papa and learned what not to do for next year. (and if someone from Farm Days ever reads this...for the love, set up like 25 baby chick stands. I know you can find that many. It is a little kids dream to hold one of those furballs, but you make it a mama's nightmare when we have to break the news that we can't stand in line for hours.)

I took the kids to our neighborhood spring festival. I'm not sure what Caden is doing to Mr.Bunny. It was all fun and games until it came time for the under-five group to run out and collect easter eggs in the grass. The organizers must have thrown out exactly 22 eggs because in 2.2 seconds, there were none to be found. Many poor kid (mine included) came walking back blank-faced with empty baskets. Good thing we had Aunt Alice's house (read:plethora of eggs) to go to next!

Ryan went to France again so I had to keep myself busy at nights again....



Good news is that he likes it! whew.

This is a really old hobby horse-mine or my sisters- that came out of the attic cobwebs to Gigi and Papa T's house. Jenna rides it fearlessly. Caden as expected, very cautiously and respectfully.

We took the twins to the circus because I won free tickets. That's probably the only way we will ever go back...if it is free again. Hello, dark, smelly, shady characters, "family" event.

My little Easter darlings

We immensely enjoyed our first Spring in the house. I was constantly reminded how blessed we are. So very thankful.

 

The spring also brought this friend. He got away from me 3 times. Since then, I have seen his smaller counterpart numerous times and just recently, a baby snake skin. oops.

 

 I think that brings us to May. Not too bad, eh?