Birthday in KC

Last weekend was my mom's birthday.  My sister and I met her in Kansas City to celebrate!  The first thing we did was buy a selfie stick.  It sounds silly, but I've wanted one for a while- it's a great way to get everyone in the picture without asking a stranger to take it.  Unfortunately, the one we found didn't work with me phone so Sara got it.  It was harder to use than we expected.

The rest of the weekend was spent shopping, eating and laughing.  We also saw a movie in a very fancy theater.

Shopping for hats.

We has so much fun.  We decided it should be an annual thing.   Happy Birthday Mom!!!

SWING SET!!!!!

Gramcy and Boca came to town in April and got Nola her very own swing set.  

SHE WAS SOOOOOO EXCITED!!!!!

It got delivered (all 1200 pounds of it) a few weeks later and spent a few more weeks sitting in our driveway like this:

Nola would walk by it and sadly say, "my swing settttttt".  Weather, and the fact that the online reviews said installation took forever, kept us from installing it until Boca and Gramcy came to the rescue.  Rob and Boca spent 2 full days putting it together while the girls shopped :)

It's the perfect addition to our backyard and Nola LOVES it. 

We have one week of summer under our belts and about 100 hours logged on the swing set.

Thanks to two of our favorite men!!

Baker

Baker University is a small college in Baldwin Kansas.  My grandparents went there and my grandpa was on the board for a while.  Baker is also where my parents met!  My grandpa asked me to paint a Baker rocker for the president and a chair for himself.  They where fun to paint and I love the way the turned out!

If you are interested in getting something custom painted, visit www.swirlsandstripes.com for details and pricing. 

Variety Show and Mother's Day

Once again, I participated in the CHS Staff vs. Students Variety Show.  And for the first time in Variety Show history- STAFF WON!!

We won with a lip-sync number where we sang individually (I sang Ghost by Ella Henderson), then we sang as The Spice Girls.  There were only 4 of us so we had a stand-in. 

I also participated in the opening and closing dance numbers.  The following pictures were taken from the Columbus Telegram website- that's right, these bad boys made the paper.  

It was fun to win, but I'm not sure we deserved it.  The kids were talented and we just made fools of ourselves.  Oh well, at least we get to brag a little bit.

Sunday was Mother's Day and Rob brought me a bundt cake from a yummy cake place in Lincoln.   He also let me relax all day, which was nice.  

 Nola made this really cute card and flower for me at daycare.  

She told me, "Happy Mother's Day" about a hundred times during the day and a couple of time the next day.  That's right Nola, everyday is Mother's Day! 

Weekend in KC

We spent last weekend visiting family in Kansas City!  We got into town Friday afternoon, before our room was ready, so we hit the hotel pool.  Nola loves to swim and actually floated by herself- in her lifejacket.  Pretty exciting stuff for a 3 1/2 year old!  

We went to dinner with some friends on Friday night at our favorite restaurant.  They have a little girl who is about a year younger than Nola.  A year must make a difference because she behaved a lot better than our child.  Nola has been a little crazy ever since she turned 3 1/2.  She refuses to listen and likes to run away, which was really fun when you're in public.  The only time she was clam at dinner was after she ran out on the street and saw a street magician.  We stood and watched him do magic until Nola got upset because he hadn't asked her to be his assistant.  Sad day.  

On Saturday we hung out with my grandparents.  We had breakfast then headed to Deanna Rose Children's Farmstead.  The Farmstead is a huge place with animals and activities.  Nola ran around from one place to another and we just sort of followed her.  She got to ride a pony, pet a cow, milk a bucket, and feed a baby goat- and lots of other fun farm things! 

The best part was when she fed the goats.  She said she wanted to do it so we got her a bottle and walked through the gate.  The goats charged her, which I'm sure was terrifying, so I took the bottle with Nola's hand and stuck it into a goat's mouth then walked away.  Nola screamed the whole time she was feeding them and I just laughed because I'm a terrible person.  

We had dinner then Old Buddy, Nola and I took a walk around the lake near their apartment.  A woman with a cane passed us on the path then Nola found a stick and mimicd her.  It was pretty funny.

On Sunday we had brunch with more family- Grandma June, Pudge, Aunt Dawn and Courtney.  We laughed a lot a ate delicious food!  And Nola was crazy- did I mention she's been a handful lately?!?

The best part of the weekend was watching Nola fall in love with Old Buddy.  She wasn't sure about him when she was a baby but she sure likes him now!  She's been talking about him non-stop since we got back and it melts my heart.  We love you Old Buddy!

Jonah

I got to paint letters for a sweet baby that I friend of mine had on Valentine's Day.  Jonah is Asher's little brother.  I tried to keep their names similar in color but unique.  

If you are interested in getting something custom painted, visit www.swirlsandstripes.com for details and pricing. 

Bunk Beds!!

Nola is finally out of her crib!  We kept her in as long as possible.  We lucked out- she never tried to climb out, liked sleeping in it, and even played in it occasionally.  Here she is on her first night in the crib and her last night.

I got a little emotional when I put these two pictures together.

Rob and I had been talking about "big girl" beds for awhile and back in February we had a free weekend to shop around.  We went back and forth about what kind to get her, but eventually settled on bunk beds.  We figured they take up the same amount of space with an added extra bed, which will be nice for sleepovers, visitors, or maybe a future sibling? 

I told Robert when we ordered the beds that I wasn't going to get new bedding until we figured out what the room was going to look like, but after a few minutes of online shopping I decided to have the bedding ready :)  I found the sheets at Pottery Barn Teen and the comforters at Target.  We re-arranged the room after they were set up.

Before

After

Before

After

After

We had a little hiccup when we found a crack after they were assembled.  We had new ones delivered and Nola could still sleep in them while we waited for the new ones, so it worked out.  She has transitioned nicely, it took her about a week and a half to get use to the new normal.  The hardest part is putting her back in bed when she gets out without talking to her or showing emotion.  Especially when she's screaming, "I just want to cuddle a little bit!".   Tragic.  Another downfall is that she use to play in her crib on the weekends until 9:30ish.  Now she comes into our room when she wakes up at 7:30- 8.  I know I shouldn't complain about this-- what 3 year old sleeps in that late?  But still, it's been an adjustment!

Overall it's been a fun experience.  It's really made her feel like a big girl.  I can't believe how grown up she is!