A Few of My Favorite Things

In honor of my birthday, I thought I would share with you a few of my favorite things...all contained in one picture.

Plaid. I really like plaid. My kids don't really like being dressed in it, but since I get to pick out what I wear, I wear it a lot.

Flannel. I wear flannel a lot in the winter too. It's so soft and cozy. Kind of like wearing jammies. Which, I have flannel pjs too. They have cupcakes on them and my kids call them my hospital pjs because they remember me wearing them in the hospital when I had Callum.

Gnomes. I once saw a house that had hundreds of gnomes all over their front yard. #lifegoals. I once had a gnome stolen off my front porch and returned a week later. I was hoping it would of been returned with pictures of it traveling the world or something, but nothing. It just reappeared. Since that gnome is from Scotland and sentimental to me, I now have it in my living room and keep other gnomes on my porch.

Coffee. There's coffee in that gnome mug. Now you know why I'm smiling so big at that cup of coffee. I love me some coffee. #coffeeislife

I could talk about the lockers in the background too, if you would like. I love them so much. They were the biggest pain in the butt ever to move. Like horribly. Usually my husband goes along with all my ideas, but I think he thought the lockers were more trouble than they were worth. But I love them.

There you have it. I do have other favorite things, like my family, thrifting, bright colors, music I can sing along to, taking pictures, taco bell. But I'll stop here for today.

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A Cheeky Age

There is something about 16 months that's a cheeky age. Or maybe a curious age? It's the age where you have to move all the toilet paper rolls or they WILL be unrolled. And actually, shutting the bathroom door is better because otherwise the toilet may or may not get played in. The tupperware cupboard gets unloaded five times a day, along with the toy box and bookshelf. So I had to laugh when I found Callum in the above situation, remembering my other two in very similar situations. 

All three kids are just a couple weeks apart in age in these pictures. Actually, Connor and Isla's pictures are only a day in age apart, but Callum's is a couple weeks before. Also, apparently the first two situations happened while I was in the shower. These days I shower before the kids get up, but Callum still finds plenty of time to roam and get into things because, life/three kids. Can we also take a minute to notice how much hair Connor and Isla had compared to Callum. I was actually thinking the other day how thick his hair is getting...until I saw those full heads of hair!

I really do love the curiosity of children, even if it means a lot more clean up for me.

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Bad Mom?

Just be prepared. I am going to go on a bit of a rant here...

Keeping Callum entertained at Connor's baseball games can be a bit of a challenge. Lots of times the places he plays are not safe places to let Callum out of his stroller to roam around. And he's not content just being held by us. Couple this with it being evening time and it makes it quite the challenging couple hours. I have taken to getting him treats from the snack bar to keep him happy. And it's funny (not really haha, but intriguing) what people have to say about it. I get that giving a 16 month old cheetos isn't a normal occurrence. Heck, we don't even buy chips at all for our house. But sometimes there are just those do what you have to do to survive times and I would rather face them without people making comments about me feeding my kid cheetos...as if I am actually feeding him rat poison or something.

Which makes me think of the whole unicorn frappuccino fiasco last week. I saw someone in my instagram feed get attacked for posting a picture of her kid with one. One commenter even said she didn't deserve to be a mom. Really? Over giving a kid a sugary beverage? After watching so many people say so many negative comments about it, I did actually pipe up a bit to someone I know that commented about someone else I know's adorable children with their pink frappuccinos. I was just getting so tired of people sharing the nutritional information for a venti when in reality most people were getting their children a tall and that is HALF the size of a venti. Not to mention that no one knows how much the child actually drank. I mean, I thought those drinks looked so fun, I took my kids to get them...and that was the FIRST TIME IN THEIR LIVES they had ever had a frappuccino. Of course the unicorn ones were sold out and they had to settle for other flavors that they didn't particularly like or finish all of anyway. But my point is, how would anyone know that is the first time my children had frappuccinos, yet people love to judge.

People don't know that I put a lot of thought into what I feed my family. I read labels like no other. I avoid nitrates and high fructose corn syrup. And corn syrup, for that matter, along with artificial sweeteners. So when we are out somewhere and I let my kids have a treat, I let them have it completely guilt free knowing "everything in balance".

All people see is one event and decide to open their mouths. Why? Do they feel like the child is being raise incorrectly and their statement will change everything? Does it make them feel better about themselves, like they know something others don't? Or perhaps do they just like spouting off their unwanted opinions when they really aren't wanted or needed?

Now I know some will say that everyone is entitled to their opinions. And it's true. But just because you are entitled to your opinion doesn't mean you need to state that opinion out loud. We all are living our lives and raising our families how we see fit. And really...I mean REALLY...if no one is getting hurt, keeping our opinions to ourselves is probably a good thing.

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Because...

Because sometimes you get dressed in something other than a flannel shirt (hey, flannel shirts are my jam!) and go get yourself some flowers at the most adorable flower stand ever. 

Someone complemented me on my collection of flannel shirts the other day. It make me both smile and laugh. I seriously love flannel shirts. They are just so cozy and still count as wearing real clothes. I have quite the collection. At least 10. No joke. And, as anyone that sees me all winter knows, I literally wear them every day. It has gotten to the point that when I don't wear one, I usually get complemented on my outfit by people that see me everyday. I think it's their subtle way of telling me to stop with the flannel shirts. But I will never stop. They are my true love. 

Also, a little real life hack for you. I don't iron my clothes. I hate ironing. This shirt I am wearing, the collar gets messed up every time I wash it. I stopped wearing it because I didn't want to iron the collar. Enter my genius idea. I tried my hair straightener on the collar and it totally WORKED! I was pretty dang excited. Because, it's the little things, right?!

But back to the flower stand. If you are anywhere in the Modesto area, you NEED to check out Wild Blooms Farm in Ripon. It's the most adorable side of the road flower stand. The stand is right in front of the flower fields, so you can see all the beautiful blooms coming up behind it as well. If you don't live in the area, just check out their instagram. All those beautiful flowers will definitely make you smile. 

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little moments not to be forgotten

// blowing dandelions //

// bath time //

// baseball //

// playing with stuff he shouldn't be //

// siblings //

// trike ride //

// good morning //

// box fun //

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Easter Weekend

^^ That moment when you both see the egg and go for it at the same time

We started the weekend off by me riding the kids to my friend's mom's house in the bucket bike for an easter egg hunt. I was told we looked like an easter parade pulling up in that. Haha! But, I have to admit, my calves were burning a bit riding all three kids in that. I've really only ever done two at a time. My friend's mom throws some amazing parties, and this one did not disappoint. Callum's favorite part was filling his easter basket with rocks in the backyard and poking the bunny with his finger. Connor and Isla had a grand ole time running around with their friends. And the four of us overstayed our welcome by about an hour after the party ended...when the lack of a diaper (who brings diapers with them when they have babies?! oops!) sent us riding for home. 

But it worked out because when we got home, Callum went down for a couple hour long nap and it gave me the perfect opportunity to let Connor and Isla dye some eggs. Now they really enjoyed the egg dying part, but I really think their favorite part was after that was over when I let them mix all the colors together...and make a huge mess. They claimed they were doing a science experiment. They were playing so well together that I let the mess slide. I can pretty much let anything slide when they are actually getting along and not fighting!

Sunday morning we went to church together, then Ian took the kids while I worked in the nursery for the second service. After I was done we headed out to Ian's parents for lunch. My parents and brother came as well. It was pouring down rain, but that didn't stop the kids from running around in the rain collecting their eggs. After the kids were nice and hyper, we packed them up and headed back home for a quiet evening to ourselves.

It was a good and full weekend. Full of friends, family and love.

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Isla's Half Birthday

So one day last week, Isla says to me, "It's my half birthday in two days mom. What are you going to get me?" Insert dumbfounded mom look here. Which I then replied, "How did you know it's your half birthday?" And, I should have known...Isla replied, "Uncle Jeremy told me!" Of course Connor starts crying about how none of his half birthdays have ever been celebrated...ohmygosh. But, in true Jessica form, I knew I needed to mark the occasion.

You see, one year I made a huge stink about my half birthday. And some amazing people in my life went along with it. They sang me half the birthday song while presenting me with half a birthday cake. And I got half a birthday card. Three of these same people made a point to call me at 3:17am one year on my birthday because I made such a stink about that was when my REAL birthday was. I was such a stinker...of course, still am in many ways!

So, given my history, I knew I needed to do something. I got a birthday card and those two little things you see Isla holding. I woke her up singing "happy half birthday" and presented her with her half card and gift. She totally ate it up. She was all smiles. It was super cute and totally worth celebrating, just by the smile on her face.

Now here's to remembering to celebrate Connor's half birthday next month!

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Isla Lost Her First Tooth

Isla lost her first tooth on Sunday night. It happened while I was reading to her before bed. She was super excited and said it didn't hurt at all. Then she excitedly took it to the bathroom to clean. She put it in a ball jar (her choice) under her pillow...and continued to carry it around in the jar everywhere she went on Monday. It's cute how proud of it she is. It has been loose for a MONTH, so it really is about time that it came out. When she first told me it was loose, all those weeks ago!, I felt a little bit of sadness. My baby girl is growing up. But, when she pulled it out on Sunday night, I felt nothing but joy for her. Seeing her joy brought me so much joy.

Also, my kids know I am the tooth fairy but still play along. I'm really not sure if it's for my sake or theirs (or really just because it is fun). But I was a little nervous that Isla would blow it for other kids at school on Monday, but I don't think she did.

Because I get all sappy about my kids milestones, here is the post from when Isla got her first tooth...the very tooth she just lost. It's funny how I still totally remember the evening when we discovered that first tooth in her mouth, not like it was yesterday but certainly not like it was five years ago! Also, in case you care, here is when Connor lost his first tooth, complete with a video of him pulling it out.

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When Mama's Sick

This picture was taken literally hours before I got the sickest I have been in years. Years. It was awful. Had I known I was going to get so sick, I probably wouldn't have been smiling so big. And I probably wouldn't have eaten as large a lunch...because that all came back up. 

We started this past week off with Connor getting the stomach flu. Nothing too bad. It was going around his school. He got it and it quickly left. A day later, I either got the worst stomach flu ever or food poisoning. I was completely out of commision for 36 hours. For about 10 of those hours, I was throwing up every 15-30 minutes. It was awful...besides all that throwing up, I realized we don't have a low flush toilet in our bathroom. A toilet full of water, my face close, throw up hitting it and splashing ALL OVER ME. Which, this happened five years ago at our old house and we quickly changed that toilet out. Talk about deja vu.  Anyway, I was in so much pain because I was so dehydrated. Which, side note, I found out later from my nurse friend that you need to drink something with electrolytes to replace them within your body to help. Once I started doing that, I started feeling much better. Anyway, Ian had to take off work. I couldn't even get out of bed, or even hold a couple line conversation, let alone take care of three children. 

Most of that day and a half I don't even remember because I was sleeping so much. Even after all that sleep, I still felt so weak. It took another two days before I started eating again. I went three days without eating. It was all crazy and I am oh so glad it is behind me. Now here's to hoping that never happens again! 

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Our House Front Entry and Hall

So, funny story about this entry and hallway of ours. When we bought the house, I thought the only things that would immediately need painting were the living and dining rooms that were very dungeon like and painted an olive green. As soon as we got the keys and went inside, it became apparent that the white walls were dingy and dirty. So, we chose a light grey for the whole house and went to painting. The house also didn't have baseboards, but quarter round, and Ian wanted baseboards installed. So, to make painting easier, Ian decided to roll a strip of grey paint around the bottom of all the walls as it meant he wouldn't have to paint right up to the baseboards after they were installed. Imagine my heart attack (anger?) when I walked in and saw that stripe everywhere. That eventually turned to laughter and it's a good thing...because it took SIX MONTHS before we finally finished painting the entry and hall way. 

There was also a very decorative, i.e. belongs in a teenage girls room, chandelier hanging in the entry and we swapped that out for something a little more our taste. Lastly, in a little alcove toward the back of the hall, I made a little center for the kids to hang their backpacks and jackets, put their shoes and a board to put all those papers that kids need and I tend to lose. 

The bench in the hallway used to be seating for our dining room table. At our last house, I decided to make it into a bit of an entry bench and loved having a place for us to take off our shoes, set things when we come in, etc, so did the same thing at this house. 

^^ So you get an idea of the layout of the house, on the right of the stairs is the living room, on the left is the dining room, which is also connected to the kitchen. The door on the left at the end of the hall also leads to the kitchen. At the end of the hall, to the right is a full bathroom and a bedroom.

^^ One of my favorite additions has been this little catchall area for the kids. First, it isn't practical to store a school backpack upstairs when we do homework downstairs. Second, it's so easy to tell the kids to put their stuff away and it ALL GOES AWAY IN THE SAME PLACE. Genius. And when they ask where something is...BAM! Yep, love it. 

Want to see more of our house? Here is the living room (before I changed it up...I am a rearranging addict folks!), dining room, our master bedroom (which now has a couple additions), Connor's room (before he was sharing with Isla) and Callum's room.

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Baseball Season is Upon Us

Connor's baseball games began this past week. And it is all much different than tball. First off, they have one home game and one away game each week...some of the games are up to an hour away! In tball, all the games are home games. Also, starting in coach pitch, the games are played like actual games - three strikes and you're out, actual innings, etc. It seems like that has taken the kids a bit to get used to, but by their third game the other night, they were used to it.

It's fun watching Connor learn his likes and dislikes and learn to navigate being a part of a team. It's also fun getting to watch Isla get to play with the numerous little sisters from the team this year. There are so many of them and they instantly start running around together, which is so nice. Poor Callum though, he is pretty much trapped in his stroller. Since they are now playing in an actual stadium, it's dirt everywhere, and given that he is still crawling, I haven't braved just letting him go for it...not to mention the worry of him being taken out by someone walking by as there are generally a lot of people in the baseball complex.

Even though this is our third year in this whole sports world, I always feel so new at it. I never remember to bring chairs (just in case) or any of the other paraphernalia. And, sometimes when it's really windy, I escape to the car for comfort. But, I'm there and I'm learning and I'm trying, so yeah. But don't expect me to sign up for team mom any time soon.

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