In August we...

Celebrated Deklan's 3rd birthday!!!! A few days prior to his big day we had a few family members and friends over for a train themed party.

On the actual day we went out to dinner, to the library and then had frozen yogurt. Deklan picked watermelon flavored yogurt with gummy worms and rock candy on top.

The days were longer in August, but we enjoyed some beautiful sunsets!

Grafton started kindergarten! He's going to a Christian school where he attends three days a week and works from home two days a week. There's only 10 kids in his class and he's doing very well with the small class size and hands-on curriculum.

My sister Hannah is getting married in November and wedding planning is in full force! I was able to attend a tasting with her caterer and my oh my is the food good!

My Nanny had knee replacement surgery and the boys and I visited her in the hospital twice while she was there. On our first visit we brought her a card, flowers and chocolate... All of the nurses thought Grafton and Deklan were so cute carrying the gifts around!

The hardest part of the month is when Grafton had to get some extensive dental work done. He ended up with 3 baby root canals and a few fillings. He had it done during two different visits and handled it well. He is very proud of his new silver teeth! I'm thankful that they're in the back of his mouth.

Our biggest change in August is that I started working part-time! I wasn't looking for a job, but a couple at our church own a business they run out of their home and thought I would be the perfect person to replace their employee of 6 years that's left because she's just had her second baby..... It's a perfect schedule because I work all day on Monday while Vince stays home with the boys (since that's his day off) and Tuesday and Thursday mornings while Grafton is at school and my step-dad takes care of Deklan.

Even though August was a good month for us, we are really looking forward to cooler weather and all of the fun that Fall will bring!

Fun Summer Days

This summer has been filled with swimming, play dates, trips to the library, and going to the movies. However, a few weeks ago the boys and I had a day that was especially fun!

We started our morning by going to the circus where a huge group of friends from church attended with us.

This was their first time going and Grafton told me that it was even better than he had imagined!

After the circus we had lunch at Chik-Fil-A and then met my brother-in-law and nephews at the movies to see Cars 2 on its opening day.

The movie ended around the time Vince was getting off of work, so we then met him for dinner before heading home.

We were gone for about 11 hours and thoroughly enjoyed our wonderfully exhausting day!

At the Lake

Last week we took our annual trip to Minnesota.... The difference this year was that Vince was not able to join us. :0(

I was nervous having to travel with the boys by myself, but they were so good! This was a huge relief to me.

We didn't leave my in-laws house much, but rather spent our time fishing (I didn't realize how fun it could be), going on boat rides, and eating ice cream every evening.

On our last day, the boys even swam in the lake with me and they went tubing for the first time. While we were on the tube Grafton said, "Now I know what the fun is all about."

Since being home we really miss the cooler weather, time with family, and all of the relaxing. However, it's great for the four of us to be back under the same roof again!

VBS

Last week Grafton attended his 3rd year of VBS at our church. This year was extra-special because his cousins, Levi & Drew, also attended and we even carpooled with them some of the days.

The theme was "FIESTA: Where the kids are fired up about Jesus" and Grafton spent his week worshipping, doing arts and crafts, playing games, and hearing Bible Stories. Of course, when I asked him what his favorite part was he replied, "snacks".

On the Monday and Friday of that week I met friends for breakfast and went shopping afterwards (to a boutique on Monday and Target on Friday) with some of them... On Friday we met at Chik-Fil-A and Deklan seemed a little lost without his big brother around.

This summer I'm having my own version of VBS by attending our summer Women's Bible Study. It's nice change because we meet in smaller groups in homes instead of a large group at our church building.

Our Bible Study theme is "Aspects of Friendship" where we learn about different parts of friendship and even have cute object lessons. For example, in the picture below we took a string of yarn and said something encouraging to another girl who sat across the room while passing the yarn to them. By the end of the activity, we were all connected!

I love that our family gets to spend our summer growing closer the Lord as we prepare for the business that the following months will bring.

Living in the Country

Even though we technically live in a suburb, with all of the wildlife we've seen lately, it feels more like the country around here and we love it!

A couple of weeks ago the boys & I were trying to catch a lizard... We could hear some rustling in a bush and stood outside of it with our nets while our dog Sophie dug in there. It was very surprising when a baby rabbit is what hopped out of it!

It ran right into my net (with Grafton chasing behind it) so we kept it for about 3 hours until Vince got home and could see it.

Shortly after Vince met our temporary pet we released him back to the bush where we found him.

The following week I was coming back from Bible Study late one evening and while backing into the garage my headlights shone right on a toad! We haven't seen a toad around here in over 5 years.

I caught him with a Tupperware dish and we kept him in a Rubbermaid out in the garage. The boys held him some the next day and that night we released him at the same place where I had found him the evening before.

I wonder what interesting wildlife we'll catch this week!

Cousin's Breakfast

It's a tradition every year that on Black Friday my two sisters, two cousins and myself spend the day shopping. However, we decided that only one outing a year is simply not enough!

So, on Memorial Day morning we met at Paradise Bakery for breakfast. We were having unusually beautiful weather so we sat outside for 3 hours and talked and laughed.

We unanimously agreed that our kids should also be making more memories together. As a result, we're planning a pool party soon!

A Birthday & A Graduation

A couple of weeks ago it hit me that time is going by way too fast! When I was pregnant with Grafton someone once told me, "The days are long but the years are short." Outside of the Bible, I think this is the truest thing I've ever heard!

On Wednesday, May 11th my oldest son turned 5. We had a little party for him a few days prior, so on his actual birthday Vince, Deklan and I took him to the mall. We went straight to the Lego Store where he picked out a couple of sets from the Atlantis series and then we headed to the Disney Store that had just opened that very day.

When we arrived Vince mentioned it was his 5th Birthday, and a few minutes later the lights and music in the store changed and this is what they did for him....

It makes me love Disney even more!

The next day was Grafton's preschool graduation!

After the graduation ceremony the kids did some fun activities in the classroom and then spent the remainder of the time outside for water day.

As we were leaving I started having a good cry (a 5th birthday and a preschool graduation is just too much for a mom in one week). We gave Grafton's teacher a good hug goodbye and I thanked her for being so wonderful all year.

Afterwards his entire class met at Peter Piper Pizza. I was thankful his teacher came and joined us too, so she could see I had pulled myself together.

We had such a nice time at lunch, that we're all going to meet again in June and July.... I guess I have a really hard time saying good-bye!

Make Over Mom

The week leading to Mother's Day I was given an official invitation from Grafton inviting me to his school for a little makeover.

It started it out with him making me a necklace and putting a crown on my head.

Next, he painted my nails.

Then it was time for makeup.

I was so thankful he took extra care in making sure my lipstick, blush and eyeshadow looked nice.... Some of the mom's ended up looking pretty funny!

During the makeover Grafton also put lotion on my feet & legs and tied my hair back (but the hair ties fell out pretty quickly). After the makeover portion of the morning we sat down at a pretty table and had Sprite, grapes, strawberries and sugar cookies.

We ended the morning with the kids singing some special songs to us. Whenever the song said "you", Grafton would turn to me and point.

As we left we were given a bookmark with our child's picture and a poem as well as a sheet where our child answered questions about us.

Here's what Grafton's sheet about me said...

My Mom's name is: Kareena

I like it when my Mom gets me dressed

My Mom can do many things! I think she's best at... doing laundry

My Mom is as pretty as a... flower

My Mom is smart! She even knows... everything

I'd like to tell my Mom... I want Legos for my birthday

Even though the school day was over we didn't want our Grafton-Mommy time to end, so we stopped by my Mom's work for a few minutes, went to lunch, and ran into a store looking for some Mother's Day gifts.

I love the wonderful memories we made!

Spring Things

In mid-April our church held its annual Women's Conference. This kept me VERY busy for a few months (which is a big cause for my lack of blogging) as I helped to coordinate it. This year I also had the special privilege to speak during our opening service. I spoke on 2nd Kings 4:1-7 about the widow with the jars of oil.

I didn't take any pictures all weekend, but you can view a video of the event by clicking here.

The following weekend was Easter. We attended 1st service and then participated in our church's egg hunt. Afterwards we went to my mom's house for a delicious lunch and we even "attempted" to swim. However, the water was way too cold for this desert girl.

A few days later Grafton's school had its last-field trip of the school year. We went to the park to play, sing songs, make castles out of sand play-dough and get wet at the splash pad.

Somehow Grafton got a hold of my camera on the way and took this adorable picture of Deklan...

The boys loved making their sand castles!

They, however, were not a fan of the water and did not participate in the splash pad. As a result, we spent more time on the playground and then went to Costco to have lunch and do some shopping.

On the last day of April we went to a friend's house for a Spring Lunch in which 7 families attended. We ate BBQ food at a beautifully decorated table and then headed outside so the kids could play with the chicken and goats.

It was a great way to end the month!