A letter to my favorite FIVE year old

Dear my favorite Addie girl,

I cannot even believe that you are FIVE already!  One whole hand, a handful some would say :) FIVE seems so old to me for some reason, especially when it seems like just yesterday we were bringing you home from the hospital and navigating this whole parenting for the very first time.  YOU made me a mom and it's by far my favorite job I've ever had and I am forever grateful for that.

At FIVE years old, you are so smart.  You amaze me on a daily basis with your vocabulary and the questions you ask.  I attribute your vocabulary partly to Fancy Nancy though :)  This year you are in the Panda class at Oak Grove Preschool and you absolutely adore your teachers.  You know all of your letters and can almost write them all too.  You are even learning French!  You love to learn and I cannot even believe that you will be starting Kindergarten next year.

At FIVE years old, you are beautiful on the inside and out and don't ever let anyone tell you differently!  No one else in the world is just like you and you should be so proud!  You have the best personality and such a love for life!  You are fun and energetic, people just love to be around you and that says a lot!

At FIVE years old, you are such a mommy's helper.  Your little mama instinct is so strong.  You are so caring and loving to your brother and sister (most of the time), other little ones, and even your friends when they are sad or scared.  You are always helping me keep Noah safe and when I'm busy you are the first person Bella turns too.  You take your big sister role so seriously - and you are pretty darn good at it!

At FIVE years old, you are a Daddy's girl and you have been since day one.  You look at your Daddy differently than you do anyone else.  You absolutely adore him (and completely have him wrapped around your finger!)  You light up the second he gets home from work and make him about 100 pictures every day for his "workshop" because you miss him.  You've even agreed to let him live with you at college when you are older, although I'm sure that will change!

At FIVE years old, you have the best imagination.  You love to play "family" "going to the ball" or "married" and are always in charge of delegating the parts to everyone.  Right now, Bella happily plays along (sometimes you even convince Noah to play) and does whatever you say, but I have a feeling that won't always be the case.  The two of you will play up in the playroom together for hours and I love to stand outside the door and listen to your little conversations.  You guys have the best little imaginations and it's so cute!

At FIVE years old, you are an artist.  Drawing, painting, writing letters, you name it - you love it all!  Crafting is your jam and you would do it all day long if I let you.  We got you a caboodle filled of stationary and gel pens this year for your birthday and you love it. 

At FIVE years old, you are a people person.  You make a friend every where we go and just love being around other kids.  I pick you up from the Y, you've made a friend, we go to Chick-fil-a, you're inviting a stranger over to our house for a sleepover, we go to Disney, you find another little kid in line and they are instantly your best friend.  You are a social butterfly and so much more outgoing than I was when I was a little girl - definitely a trait you get from your dad. 

At FIVE years old, you love to be outside - at the beach, the park, or just riding your scooter in the cul de sac.  You refuse to leave the house in anything but a twirl dress and eat more ketchup/ranch than I am willing to admit.  You refuse to try any kinds of new foods and instantly tell me it's "disgusting", unless I bribe you with a pom-pom for our pom-pom jar.  You love things that are beautiful aka sparkly jewelry, high heels, and most recently thanks to the bibbidy bobbidi boutique - make-up.  You are 5 going on about 15 and I am sure not ready for those teenage years any time soon!  You are obsessed with princesses, playing sports, ballet, and digging in the dirt, you love hot weather so you can go swimming, but love the snow so you can sled ride, you are a perfectly well rounded little girl who can (and will!) do whatever you put your mind to. 

Happy birthday to our sweet Addie girl.  You are something special and I hope you always remember that.  You are smart, beautiful, kind - and all around a pretty cool kid.  I love watching you learn and grow every single year and although I don't know what the future holds for you, I know it will be something amazing and I'm pretty lucky to be a part of it!  Happy 5th birthday, I love you to the mood and back Addie girl :)

Love,
Mommy

Noah - 18 Month Update

Back in November, our little man turned 18 months old.  Now that it is already February and his second birthday is quickly creeping up on us, I figured better late than never to do an update on our favorite little guy.

-Right before Halloween this past year, Noah finally figured out this whole walking thing and pretty much hit the ground running.  He hasn't stop moving since!
-This kid is all boy!  Give him a ball and he is happy for hours.  He loves shooting basketball, reading any book with a ball in it, quickly notices if Daddy puts on sports and will point out the ball, and anything else sport related.  I know Eric is already counting down the days until he can sign him up for his first baseball season, I mean the kid does have a pretty strong arm already :)
-Noah has a huge obsession with Mickey Mouse and its grown even more since our trip to Disney World.  He drops everything the second the hot dog song comes on to go over and dance, wants to wear his Mickey clothes daily, and even points him out at stores.  His second favorite character is Donald Duck, but no one can quite compare with the mouse himself.
-Molly is Noah's girl and it is young love at its finest.  They've been together since the day they were born, but this age is so fun.  They give the sweetest little hugs and kisses every time they see each other and we may or may not already be arranging their marriage in about 25 years :)
-Noah also has a thing for his sisters.   The second he wakes up he asks for Addie and Bella and he loves to follow them around to play.  Unfortunately for the girls, Noah's new line of defense when things are going his way is hair pulling and that boy has got a grip!  He knows what he wants and does his best to get his way, although that usually doesn't work out for him in the end.
-Noah's favorite word is "Snack" and his favorite phrase is "More snack please!"  This kid loves to eat and he literally doesn't stop all day long.  His favorites are bananas, pineapple, pancakes, peanut butter and jelly, yogurt, and pretty much anything else he can get his hands on.
-Noah is the best sleeper in the house.  He sleeps for 12+ hours of sleep per night and never ever wakes up in the middle of the night (unlike his sisters!)  He naps for about 2 hours every afternoon too.
-He is currently taking a class at the Little Gym and he absolutely loves it.  I love that it is our little one on one time together since we go when his sisters are at school.  He loves the balls, bubbles, and to run around and climb on just about anything he can find.
-Right now Noah has a mouth full of teeth, is constantly mimicking words that he hears us say, and is counting down the days until he gets to go to school just like his sisters. 
-At 18 months Noah weighed 22 pounds (20th percentile) and is 31 inches tall (10th percentile.)

Noah, you are such a happy little guy and at one of my favorite ages right now.  We love watching you learn, grow, and explore the world around you.  We cannot wait to see what the future holds for you.  We love you to the moon and back Noah Ryan!

Addie's HALF Birthday

Addie, we celebrated your HALF birthday back in August, but hey life's been a little crazy over here.  I like to write little updates every 6 months because I feel like you change so much in just a short amount of time.  Addie, at 4 1/2 (ok maybe weeks from being 5) you are confident, out going, and always keep us on our toes.  You are FULL of personality, you love BIG and are the happiest when you are surrounded by people, especially your friends and family.  You are a social butterfly and you make a friend pretty much every where we go (and at this point are usually inviting them over to our house for a sleepover, which is a little awkward when you've known them for 5 seconds.)  

The past 6 months were a little crazy in our house with the move, but you handled it like a champ.  It was a 3 month long vacation in your eyes and you were so happy to be spending your days by the beach or at Grandma and Pap's house, but at night you broke our hearts a little bit when you would cry and ask to go home to your bed.  You are easy going and flexible, but still like routine in your life.  It was worth the wait though and you are loving everything about our new house and our new neighborhood.  We have the nicest families and tons and tons of kids right outside our door, which is amazing.  You could spend hours riding your scooter and just playing outside with your friends.  

Another highlight right now is school.  You are in the 4 year old panda class and you love it.  You ask every single day if you can go and always proudly hop in the car at the end of the day to tell me what you learned or a new song you sang.  I always hear a play by play of what you did on the playground and you always make sure you show me how you can count in French.  We started your second year of ballet in September and you are so happy to be in Miss Olivia's class again with some of your buddies from last year.  You are a girly girl at heart and are constantly playing dress up and twirling around the house.  You have the absolute best imagination and will play house or restaurant for hours, you even have Bella playing her part.  I love to sit upstairs in the hallway and listen to the little conversations the 2 of you have, there's a lot of little arguments between the two of you these days (hopefully it's just a phase, a short one) but also lots of sweet conversations too.   The big sister role is serious in  your eyes and you are always looking out for Bella and Noah.  They have a second little mommy following them around :)  You love all things princess and ask to go to Disney pretty much on a daily basis.  Pancakes, pizza, ranch and ketchup are probably your favorite foods - you are a condiment girl for sure.  You would drink chocolate milk all day long if I let you, but you have at least tried some new foods lately so I'll take it.  

Addie, you are smart, beautiful, and the most perfect little 4 year old.  I love watching  you learn and grow and seeing your personality continue to shine through.  I can't believe kindergarten is in our near future, time needs to slow down.  I will be over here soaking up all the crazy moments and trying to figure out how to keep you little forever :)  We love you and the little lady you are becoming Addie girl!

Fall Bucket List

Happy October!  With the change of season and finally having some routine back in our life, I thought it would be fun to make a fall bucket list.  We love having things to look forward to and our kids are at such fun ages right now for all the seasonal things.  Here's 10 things we can't wait to do this fall...

• Pumpkin everything :) - visit every pumpkin patch, carve pumpkins, and bake a few new pumpkin recipes
• Daddy daughter date to a local high school football game - Eric and Addie did this last year and she loved it!  She was mesmerized by the whole Friday night football atmosphere and it's a fun little tradition for them.  Bella and Noah aren't crazy about loud noises quite yet, so they may have to wait a few more years.
• Busch Gardens Halloween - They have a cute kids' themed Halloween event that we want to try out this year. 
• Paint pumpkins - This is the perfect theme for a fun play date with our buddies.  A little messy, but lots of fun. 
• Family Friday's - We are in the middle of Eric's busy season so the girls count down to the weekend every day.  We just finished our new movie room so we are looking forward to family movie nights and lots of popcorn.  
• Outer Banks trip - We always join Eric for a work trip and this year will be extra fun since the Hendry's are coming too!  I love the beach at this time of year and can't wait to do all of our favorite things. 
• Boo your neighbors - I absolutely love our new neighborhood, so the girls and I want to share some yummy treats with our new neighbors :)
• Curl up with a good book and a homemade pumpkin spiced latte - My friends and I are starting a book club and I'm excited to get back into reading.  It's so relaxing, especially on a cool, fall day.
• Watch an outdoor movie - As the nights get darker and cooler, I thought this would be a fun new activity to try out with our new neighborhood buddies. 
• Bike ride/scooter at the boardwalk - Our girls are bike/scooter obsessed these days!  I can't wait to have a change of scenery and try out their favorite activity with a pretty backdrop.

I hope you and your families enjoy as many fun, fall activities as we will this season!!!

Summer Review

I'm trying to play catch up on my blog - mainly to share with family and to have as my own virtual scrapbook - and I figure better late than never, right?!?  This summer was busy, in an already busy season of life.  We moved out of our old house on May 1st and didn't move into the new house until August 1st, which meant we spent this summer on the move - literally.  We stayed local for the first 6 weeks, moving from Airbnb to Airbnb.  We were lucky that all of our rentals were either right at Chick's beach or in the Outer Banks, so we got to kick off Summer 2018 with a bang.  Lots of beach days, evening walks at the beach, etc. and it was so nice.  Those first couple weeks of moving around really felt like we were on vacation.  We also tried to do all of our favorite summer time activities in a short amount of time, since we knew we would spend a lot of the summer in Pittsburgh at my parents house.  We went to Busch Gardens, botanical gardens, the pool, and had as many playdates with our little buddies as possible.  During this time, we also had a lot to celebrate!  Our favorite little man turned one and we spent a long weekend in Sandbridge celebrating with family and friends.  We also celebrated my birthday, Mother's Day, and Eric and I's 6th anniversary.  Towards the end of May, we packed up our stuff and had our 2nd annual Riverwalk vacation in the Outer Banks.  We rented a beach house together and had so much fun with our buddies hanging on the beach and the pool during the day and playing games and relaxing at night.  

Another highlight of the summer was our little ballerina had her first recital.  She danced her little heart out to "The Good Ship Lollipop" and made her mommy proud as she knew every single step.  It was so stinkin' cute!   Grandma came into town to watch her recital and we had a surprise visit from Brianna, so Addie was a happy girl to say the least.  After her recital, she was spoiled with flowers and gifts and a yummy brunch before we were on our way to Pittsburgh until our house was finished.

For the next 6 weeks of summer we stayed at Grandma and Pap's house in Pittsburgh.  We kicked off our stay with my cousin Anne and Dave's wedding.  Noah was the most handsome ring bearer I've ever seen and the girls killed it in their role as the flower girls.  After the ceremony, we all danced the night away at the reception and the girls still ask regularly when they can go to another wedding :)

We played tourists for the month of July in the Burgh!  We took advantage of being in a new city and explored the heck out of it while we were there.  We went places that I grew up going to as a kid, Scott pool, the zoo, the SSJ festival, Station Square, Kennywood, and the castle park.  We tried out some new spots too including the water steps, Just Ducky tour, and the Living Treasures Animal Park.  In between all of our outtings, we also had a lot of things to celebrate.  We celebrated the 4th of July with a huge picnic at Grandma's house, Grandma's birthday with a party planned by Addie and Bella, and an early surprise party for cousin Bryan with the most fun Minute to Win in games.  We got to spend lots of time with our Pittsburgh and Ohio family, as well as our close friends in Pittsburgh, which was amazing!

We FINALLY closed on our new house on July 31st and we were beyond excited to finally be HOME!  Moving with 3 little ones in no joke, even I underestimated how much work it was, but we did it.  Eric and I survived our summer on the move with our kids and with the help of some of our amazing friends survived moving day.  We are beach people at heart, but this summer moving in to our dream house in the most amazing neighborhood is the highlight this year!  It sure does feel good to be home :)

We spent a whole 10 days in our new home before we were on the go again haha!  Our annual OBX family vacation was in August.  The night before we left for vacation we celebrated our Bella bean's 3rd birthday, Elmo style.  Then we woke up bright and early the next morning and we were off to the beach!  We had the best weather this year, which meant you could find us on the beach or in the pool from sunrise to sunset and it was amazing!  I'm going to add a separate post on all of our fun vacation memories, so stay tuned for that... 

We returned from vacation with a few more weeks left of summer.  We tried our best to live it up between all of the unpacking and house to-do's and I think we were successful.  We did all of our favorite things, went to the beach and pool, Busch Gardens, the botanical gardens, and had the most amazing "Bye Bye Summer" play date with our buddies.  We said goodbye to summer with our friends and again with our family when Eric's cousin and family and the Hazelwoods came into town for Labor Day.  

Summer 2018, that's a wrap!  Until next year...

Back to School 2018

We started back to school this year with a whole lot of excitement in our house.  The girls were literally jumping up and down all morning long as we got ready for their first day.  This year, Addie is in the Pandas class and Bella is in the Owls class like Addie was in last year.  They are both going 3 days a week this year.  They both have some familiar faces in their class again this year, which has also added to the excitement.  I absolutely love everything about their preschool, their teachers, and the families that also belong there.  I know both of the girls are going to do great things there this year and I can't wait to watch them learn, grow, and make lots of fun memories.

I thought this was the perfect time to ask the girls some questions that would be fun to look back at for years to come. 

How old are you?
Addie: four
Bella:  "This many" (as she holds up 3 fingers)

What is your favorite color?
Addie:  Rainbow
Bella:  red

What is your favorite food to eat?
Addie:  pizza
Bella:  pancakes

What is your favorite TV show or movie?
Addie: Belle
Bella:  Elmo

What is your favorite toy?
Addie: my doggies
Bella:  Elmo

What do you want to be when you grow up?
Addie:  a vet (this is a new answer, on the first day of school it was a rainbow mermaid)
Bella:  superhero

What do you love most?
Addie:  My family
Bella:  Addie :)

I hope your back to school came with as many smiles and excitement as ours did!

Bella's 3rd Birthday Party

Bella's birthday party this year was brought to us by the letter B and the number 3!   Yes, an Elmo themed party at the birthday girl's request, complete with an Oreo cake and a dance party.  Since her birthday party was planned for about 10 days after we moved into the new house, moving and unpacking left little time for actual party planning.  Luckily, a trip to Party City and a few printable Elmo themed signed from Etsy made for the cutest Elmo themed party for our sweet girl.  I wanted to do something different with the food, I was kind of sick of the usual hamburgers/hot dogs, pizza, or Chick fil a take out, so I decided to serve "Walking Tacos" and they were a hit (and made for the easiest clean up ever!)  I made some nuggets on the side for my picky little ones and everyone was happy!  After dinner, Bella opened her presents.  Grandma and Pap got her a new, red (her favorite color) Radio Flyer tricycle and it even had Oreos (her favorite snack) in her little trunk.  T got her some ribbon dancers and a disco ball, which was the perfect distraction while Daddy got her present from us set up outside.  The kids twirled and wiggled all around and we had one happy little girl!  The last surprise for our birthday girl was her very own bounce house!  She absolutely loved it (and still does!)  We spent the rest of the evening outside, the kids jumped in the bounce house and rode their bikes in the cul de sac.  We ended the night singing happy birthday and eating the most amazing Oreo birthday cake.  It was the perfect evening celebrating the most perfect 3 year old :)  Happy birthday Bella bean!