family photo time

We FINALLY got around to doing family photos again.

The last time we had a photographer take a picture of the fam was when Wyatt was a newborn... definitely time for an update haha.

We always use the same photographers - Madix Photography - and we love them. we always have such a good time with them and we always have AMAZING pictures as a result.

Here are a few of my favorites!

friday funny

just today i read a blog post about organizing kids lunches... great ideas there... i am going to work on actually making lunches the night before for the family (we have to send lunches with the kids to daycare and of course me and colin need one too)... we are terrible at this plan... always forget the night before and i have to get colin to do it while i get ready for work (no way i have time in the morning to do it! he can even watch tv while he eats breakfast... i sometimes get him to make MY breakfast so i can actually EAT before work... you'd think i would get up any earlier for this?! of course not..)

anyways, i just loved this little part about bobby pins...

i know exactly where i put my things on the floor.  just like all my bobby pins...i purposefully put them in random places all over the house, so that in case i need one, i have one hiding in that room.  mr. anderson likes to play "let's find all the bobby pins".  i think that's rude. 

look, i'm doing him a favor by not making him get up and get me one later.  i'm always thinking of him.

makes perfect sense right??

early halloween

the kids have been wanting to play dress up lately... i should probably buy them some actual dress up clothes instead of relying on halloween costumes... but this is fun too.

we have pretty cool neighbors, so all 4 of the kids found something to wear the other day...

summer highlights

summer is almost over. how did that happen? where did time go? 

we vacationed

we relaxed

i canned.... jam, jelly, pickles and beets, oh my!

visited with friends

drank wine

played soccer...

is that all? wow. 

some of my highlights this summer:

 Wyatt swinging on a swing all by himself for the first time...

just because he wanted to be like his bro... seriously... he's 19 months old!

Happy 4th birthday to my firstborn... Love you Leo!

can you believe he's 4 already? I can't...

 Our yard is FENCED IN!!!

 I think it makes our yard look bigger 

and more like our own very private park :)

 we had grandparents visit us!

 we used our new(ish) van for roadtrips!

 just enjoyed the heat and our own backyard!

 Leo wearing sunglasses on our road trip during a lightning storm 

in the middle of the night

"too sunny, mommy"

 we visited my dad!

went for walks

love wy's creepy eyes here haha

 visits with lots of family this summer

fun at the beach with oodles of family... 

 Leo loving the boatrides!

and watching my super sensitive and tentative boy 

ride the kids "Ski trainer" was AMAZING

Not looking forward to summer ending, but it was such good fun that i wouldn't have traded a minute. wishing for more time next year to do more, visit more...  but i am also looking forward to fall and slowing down and enjoying winter with my boys too. 

how was your summer?

10 Secrets to a Happy Marriage

So I'm in the middle of reading this series of books by Karen Kingsbury and I came across a really great list of secrets to a happy marriage. I'll list them first and then talk about it after.

Ten Secrets to a Happy Marriage  (from the book Forever, by Karen Kingsbury)

1. God has you here to serve one another. Love acted out is serving.
2. Women need respect and nurturing. Love your wife so she knows you'd lay down your life for her. Continue to date her and admire her. Share a hobby - find something you can do to have fun together.
3. Laugh often.
4. Be patient. Love crumbles quickly under the weight of unmet expectations.
5. Spend more time trying to fix yourself than your spouse.
6. Keep short accounts. The Bible says, "Do not let the sun go down while you are angry." Make it a habit to forgive.
7. Determine upfront that divorce is not an option.
8. Learn about love languages. Not all people show long or receive it in the same way. You want a back rub and your spouse wants a clean kitchen. The love languages are fairly simple: acts of service, time, physical touch, gifts, and words of affirmation. Learn them. Love is better received when it's in the language that person speaks.
9. Words of affirmation are a love language for all men.
10. Men are born to be leaders. He cannot lead unless she gives him the confidence to do so. If you love your husband, build him up. Confident men do not seek love outside the home.

So what did you think?? 

I really didn't think I would go for a book series like this one. I never really got into the Christian book thing after elementary school... not that I didn't like it, more that I just never took the time to get into it I guess, or find out if I liked it or not...

So when a few friends mentioned how they loved the karen kingsbury books, i thought I'd check them out. I'm always looking for a good read! At first while reading, I thought, 'how cheesy and unrealistic...' but then I realized that it might just be me! Maybe other people really do talk to God this way, this often. It was a real eye opener for me and my own relationship with God. I have a lot to learn and discover about Him since reading these books. 

So anyways! When I came across this list, I thought 'Wow, this is exactly what I needed to hear, something that I can do to keep my marriage healthy.'  It all is common sense for relationships, but put down in a list makes it easier to reference and easier to work at and remember. 

I know I've heard of the love languages before, and I know there's a book out there about it too I think... but it's good to be reminded of them... and try to remember this when I want to do something nice for my husband. I guess that means I should make his lunch more often... I KNOW that's one of his love languages(acts of service)!!

Leo..

We are still working on potty training my almost 4 year old - there has been lots of success with him, but he still refuses to do it himself... someone has to be there the whole time and help him. i think he likes controlling the situation/us this way..  currently:

• we have nixed the pull ups at nighttime though... a few accidents but nothing consistent so that's good. 
• Leo hates the smell of his urine... he gags almost every time he goes potty... maybe that's why he's taking SO LONG TO POTTYTRAIN!!
• i think this kid is giving me grey hair with all the stress and frustration!

Do any of you ever read the blog  http://crappypictures.com/ ?? It is hilarious. seriously. and probably the reason why i find it so funny is because it usually reminds me of my kids.. or something i figure my kids would totally do one day. kids say the funniest things and they are really, just so smart. 

So i was reading this particular post the other day on that blog - http://crappypictures.com/2012/01/parenting-smart-kids.html - and it TOTALLY reminds me of Leo. 

know how i said above that i think leo likes to control situations or us? that post is exactly what i think Leo is thinking in his head when potty training! He LIKES it when we are involved in pottytraining. it makes the whole thing more fun for him somehow... even when i get mad when he has an accident (on purpose)...

so anyways, check it out... i have lots of good laughs with that blog.

so one final piece of advice i keep having to give to myself... right now i've got this horrible cold... and of course i blame it on my kids... but really it's my own fault.

so my advice is this.... when your kids are sick, do not give said kids any kisses or let them give you kisses! apparently i have a hard time remembering this and have since gotten sick every. single. time. they are sick. i never learn...

Instagram

so i don't have an iphone... but i LOOOVE stealing my husbands phone when i'm with the kids..

instagram is so fun. i think my favorite filter (is that the name for it?) is "earlybird"... 

what's yours??  

for some reason my samsung galaxy q phone can't get instagram? i found a lightbox app, but it's not quite the same... and i haven't figured out how to really use it yet..

anyone have any favorite apps or computer programs (free?) that they can share?

so here are a few from the last couple of months..