Wedding Weekend

After Hannah took the link of our paper chain this morning, we have two more days until we head to Florida. The Disney cruise is almost here!!! We had also been looking forward to another big event in March. Over the weekend we had a very good friend got married. Instead of just celebrating for the 5 hours of the actual wedding, we decided to have a whole wedding weekend. The fun began on Wed. night when our college friends came to town. My girls love playing with their buddy P and her baby brother is just as cute as can be. Before their visit, Macy would say, "Baby Boys Hideous!" However, after a few days of having this little man around I think she A-Ok with having a baby brother or sister!

We left the decision of what to do on Thursday up to the short-leggers and they picked the zoo. It was a great weather day and it wasn't too crowded.

Everyone was really excited about getting their picture taken!!

Friday we just had the 4 year olds and the baby so we decided to do some girly wedding prep. First, we had a tea party.

Then, we did nails. They were a bit upset they didn't get to go to the real salon with the mommies the night before, but I think they enjoyed their time getting pamperred.

Next, they relaxed in the tub. Looking back we should have done the tub first..........we had to do some reapplying to the nails after being in the water!

Once sisters got home and had their nails done, we headed to the backyard for a quick Easter egg hunt. The girls loved finding the eggs over and over and over and over again. We finally had to put them away until the Daddies came home to hide them!

Finally, it was time for bed before the big day! Lucky for us, our buddy came with a pair of jammies that we all had so we matched!!!!


We didn't really talk much about what a wedding was before we went. I guess I just assumed the girls knew. Kaylee was a little confused about why other people were there. I guess she thought we would be the only ones there. Macy wanted to know where Kerryann was the minute we walked in. We told her she was hiding!

Between the ceremony and dinner we made camp in a corner.

The girls thought Kerryann looked like a princess---and she did!!! Yes, they ALL match again!!!
Gymboree was having a sale on Thursday night and there was a matching shirt for the baby so it was a must. The Daddies weren't as excited about the find as the Mommies. Luckily, we will all be together on the cruise this week, so we will have another chance to wear them together!

Macy doing a little dance warm up at dinner!!!

Waiting for their turn to dance!!!

I wish I would have taken more action shots of the dance floor. Kaylee was actually the party animal which is usually not the case.

Macy didn't last too long............no nap during the day! Thankfully, she doesn't care where she is to sleep!!!

It may have stood for Kocher, but someone thought it was for Kaylee!!!

It got a little late for Hannah too!!! At this point we decided we better go!

Great Friends, Fun Times, Dancing and Love-----Life is Good!!!!

Three of a Kind

Once you spend about 5 minutes with my 3 little sweetpeas you discover they have very different personalities. Hannah is not afraid of any situation and will make a new friend anywhere we go. Kaylee is the shy, little lovebug and Macy is our funny, friendly Coonie.

As different as the girls are, they have a few very common traits too. All three are sassy, sweet and full of energy. The "Stash Busting Scrappy Skirt" by the Posh Petunia is one of my favorite patterns to make for the girls. I love it because you get to use all of your scraps that you don't have much use for and the end result is so unique. Dressing 3 girls is a lot of fun, but sometimes my little buddies don't want to look exactly alike. They all like this skirt because it is colorful, twirly and not just like their sisters'. It's a win, win for everyone!!!!!!

I made these spring/summer colored ones to take with us on our trip. I still need to get their initials on the T-shirts. The exciting 3 hour Bachelor finale last night distracted me!!!!! The sheep pillow pet is standing in for Hannah---now that she is in Kindergarten she isn't around to play all day!

I am hoping these fall ones still fit next year for the big girls, and I will only need to make another for Macy and possibly a new baby girl---Four of a Kind!!! I really will have a little sweat shop if I need to make 4 outfits everytime I do something new..........I actually did 4 this time because Cousin D wanted one too!

Life is Good!!!

"Why are we doing this?!?!?!"

Those of you that know my eating habits know that I am not a lover of meat! I am very picky about how my meat is prepared(well, well done--aka burnt) and how it is served to me(already cut on the plate and no sign of a bone anywhere). Being the wife of a man who grew up on a cattle farm and has worked with swine, cattle and poultry since we have been married this is a bit difficult! Over the last 8 years and a few months of marriage he has gotten over it and deals with it! He cuts my meat up when he gets the girls' ready and he helps me decide if I would like something on a menu. Many times during dinner at home, I will just get up and make myself a PBJ and he no longer asks questions or gets upset!

Well............for the last 18 weeks things have changed around here!!!! I have a new outlook on meat--I like it! I am still a bit particular about how it is cooked and how it is served, but I have been eating it a lot more. I am still dreaming about the filet I had at Sullivan's a few weeks ago!!! This brings us to last Thursday morning at 10am. I was in the mood for a sausage patty--not something we keep on hand. What goes best with a sausage patty?!?!?!................pancakes! This is when the thought of breakfast for dinner came about. A text to Justin and a quick trip to Kroger, and we were set for Brinner(breakfast/dinner)!

I thought it would be fun to eat in our jammies, so at 5:00 the girls got in the bath and enjoyed some "swimming" time. "Why are we doing this?!?!?!!?" Once Justin got home he got in his pjs and so did I. "Why are you doing this?!?!!?" Brinner was prepared(eggs, pancakes, sausage and strawberries) and we sat down to eat. "Why are we doing this?!?!?!?!" After the dishes were put in the washer we didn't have much to do since bath was already taken care of. We decided to make a big bed on the floor and watch Survivor and American Idol. "Why are we doing this?!?!?!" We all enjoyed watching Russell get sent home and the girls had a dance party.

It was a great night of unique family fun that we hadn't done before. If you haven't guessed who all the questions were from...........it was Kaylee. I guess we don't stray too far from our nightly routine and she was a bit confused why were doing things so differently. I think Brinner will start to be part of night adventures.

Life is Good!!!!............so are sausage patties!!!!!

1 Down.............3 To Go!!!!

This seems to be the season of vacations for us. Justin and I just got back from a work trip to Puerto Rico and had a great time. I did a lot of relaxing by the pool, reading a book and chatting with a friend while he was in meetings. Everyone seemed to enjoy the Mojitos, and I plan to have one on August 16th!!!! We have two more work trips this spring, but the one we are the most excited about is our family trip with some great friends on a Disney cruise in a few weeks. The paper chain has been made and one link is taken off every morning. The girls have Target sacks packed of all the important things they want to take. It may take a little bribbing to get them to leave a few of their treasures behind and let me pack the clothes they need. Since we haven't done a lot of spring shopping yet, the number of coordinating outfits for the girls may be lacking--may need to get to the mall ASAP!!!! However, Santa brought them very cute coordinating swimsuits and cover ups so we will be cute by the pool!!!!

Santa is so smart.........He knew we were going to Mexico right after Christmas!!!

One of my biggest problems for preparing for these trips is how do you make a pregnant mommy look cute?!?!?!?

Step 1: Go shoe shopping with a 4 year old, and she will tell you all the shoes look great and you should get everything you try one. She will also be interested in a cute silver purse and a hot pink wallet!

Step 2: Get your toes done so they look fab in the new shoes!

Step 3: Go through your maternity clothes and pack anything that fits and will look decent--a bit rough, but you gotta do what you gotta do!

Step 4: Make a cute swimsuit cover up so you don't have to be seen in the actual swimsuit!

Using the Sophie Tunic pattern by Sis Boom to get started, I ended up with this:

Not sure it will get me to August, but I put a high side slit in it, so it could expand with the belly!!! I may also need to add more fabric to the bottom as things get bigger!

Step 5: Make a cute coordinating beach bag. My friend, Erin, had a really cute bag in Puerto Rico...Amy Butler Cosmo Bag......and I now have all the pieces cut out to start making my own.

All of these steps take a little more work to make a preggo mommy look cute on the beach, but when I heard the little heartbeat(HPM was in the 150s) this morning it was totally worth it!!!

Life is Good!!!

5 W's and a H

Who, What, Where, When, Why and How?!?!?!?! I hear these words about a 1oo times each everyday. As the girls have gotten older, the way these words are used have changed so much.

Before Birth:

What should I eat or not eat to make the baby healthy?
How many onesies do I need?
What color should I buy? This could have been answered very easily, but we never find out!
What medicines can I take?
When will my body be back to normal? Still trying to figure this one out!!!
Why didn't this baby come out on the due date?

Wondering about many of the same things the 4th time around that we did the first time!

Newborn to 1 year:
Why does she have her days and nights mixed up?
How much did she get to eat? Is it enough?
How can one little body make some many dirty diapers?
What should she wear today to be warm or cool enough?
Why is she still crying?
When should we start cereal, baby food and real food?
When will she crawl?

We will be here again very shortly!!!! I hope we can avoid the first one and have an excellent sleeper!!!


1 year to 2 years:
When will she walk?
What do I need to do to the house to make it safe?
"Where's your nose, toes, eyes, ears, etc.?"
"How big is Macy?"----"Sooooo BIG!!!"
When will she start to "talk"?

This year always goes by so fast, and they change so much in this 12 month span.

2 years: The stage our Little Coonie is at!!!
She's talking now!!!
"What's that?"
"Where's Daddy?"
"What's that?"
"Macy, what color is that....what do you want for snack.....what do you want to wear today?"
"What's your name?"
"What's your sisters' names?"
"What's that?"

I love how excited Macy is about answering my questions and asking her own. Kaylee took a little longer to really talk, so it has been a bit since we had a little one chatting it up. Her personality is really starting to show, and I think she will be our funny one with a bit of naughty mixed in!!!!

3 years:

WHY?!?!?!?! WHY?!?!?!?! WHY?!?!?!?!?! WHY?!?!?!?! BUT WHY?!?!?!??!?!
If you have ever had a 3 year old you understand this!!!!!

Glad we have a little time before Macy hits this stage!!!

4 years: Our little lovebug Kay Kay Jean
"What day is it?"
"Who has school today?"
"Why can't I wear the same bright striped leggings with everything, everyday?"
"What is on Disney channel right now?"
"When will Daddy be home from work?"
"What are we having for lunch?"
"Why can't I have a hotdog again?!?!?!"
"Why is it raining today?"
"When is it my turn?"

This stage is great because I can answer all of the questions without thinking twice. If she does ask, "Why?!?!" I can usually explain once and she is good with the answer.

5 years: Hannah Banana
"How does the DVD player work?"
"Why can't we watch Sponge Bob Squarepants?"
"Can you help me with this level on the Ipad?" Usually I can't--she knows much more about than I do!!!
"How do you spell ________?"
"What does _____________ spell?"
"How does the baby come out?"
"How many days until my birthday?"
"When can I get a fish?"
"What time does the clock say when the big hand is on the 5 and the little hand is on the 4?"
"Hannah, what was that sound up there?!?!?!?!"
"Hannah, do you need any help making that snack?"

These questions have gotten a little harder, and sometimes I don't know the answer. (How does the DVD player work?!?!?!) Also, I sometimes find it hard to give an answer that is appropriate for a 5 year old, but that is honest.(How does the baby come out?...........Glad she didn't ask any clarifying questions and didn't wonder about how it got in my tummy!!!)

The 5 W's and a H fill our lives with a lot of questions, and I wouldn't have it any other way!

Life is Good!!!

31 Days!!!

We've been excited for awhile, but now it is official................31 days left until we set sail on our Disney Cruise. Lately, they have been promoting the ship we are going to be on for Disney 365, and the girls have me come and watch it whenever it comes on. Hannah has decided she isn't going to shop at Target with her money she has been saving. She wants to bring it on the ship and go to the gift shop---she has her purse in the picture. You can also see "Coon" in the backround. She wasn't too interested in being in the picture, she was more excited about digging in the pantry.

She found a Cadbury Egg...........one of the greatest signs that Spring is almost here.........along with yellow filled Oreos and Shamrock Shakes!!!!

Life is Good!!!

Busy Little Bees

The last few days we have been very "Busy Little Bees" finishing projects and doing some baking! For those of you that know me, you know baking and cooking are not my thing! However, a few hours in the kitchen was actually fun. As the weather gets nicer and the girls can go out and play, maybe just maybe, I will start cooking more dinners for us when Justin is out of town. Kathie's Kitchen(kathiecooks.blogspot.com) has some great recipes I would love to try!

The above blanket and owl was the first project checked off the to do list. We have a little cousin getting baptized in a few weeks, so this set will be headed to Iowa shortly.


Up next were two capes. Super Sam and Princess Avery both have March birthdays! There has been a request for 3 more capes from my little friends, so we will be headed to the fabric store on our day off of school tomorrow.

Mixed with love and a smile!!!

Shortly after this picture, Macy(aka Coon) couldn't control herself and had to start eating!!!

Kay took a lot more time and effort to decorate her "Rainbow Letters" than I thought she would.

Dessert for everyone--Minus an "E" for Kaylee, the M and a few bites of the rest of the Coons letters. The girls wanted to include the baby so we did "Baby" instead of "Mom." One more cookie for me!!!!

I saw this great idea for Handprint Trees on a friend's blog, and thought it would look great at the top or our stairway. For all the directions and materials needed, check out hangingonbyathread.blogspot.com The entry is called Mod Podge Hand Trees

We still need Daddy and Hannah's hands, but you get the idea. This forest of hands will be outdated in August when a new little tree gets added. I plan to keep this piece with pictures of the girls wearing dresses with the same colors of the leaves.

The only project I currently have left on the To Do List is the paper chain for our trip. With no school tomorrow, I am sure we will need something besides a trip to JoAnn's to keep us busy!!!

Life is Good!!!