Snip, Snip

Maddie took the plunge this afternoon and went from flowing locks to a bouncy bob.

Here she is just before heading to the hairdresser.

Upon arriving at the salon, Maddie walked up to the hair stylist and exclaimed, "I'm here to get my haircut!" Pretty sure there's not a shy bone in this little girl's body.

The after. She couldn't wait to go home and show her daddy.

I felt like I came in the door with one little girl and left with another, but I love her new look and it seems as though she does too.

As much as I would like to think that my influence changed her from wanting only Rapunzel hair to suddenly being ready for a haircut, I owe it all to Dora and Boots and this video that we found at the library a few days ago. That, and Isaac reassuring Mads that getting your haircut "doesn't hurt, it just tickles a little bit."

Loving Right Now...

Pineapple Chobani Greek yogurt. Best flavor by far.

Thermal Blackout curtains. Because we are the eastern end of the east coast time zone, it gets light here around 5am. These curtains help keep things cooler in the summer, warmer in the winter, and my kids sleeping for hours after the sun starts to shine. 

I love any workout video by Jillian Michaels (she scares me), but this one is my latest fave.  30 Day Shred and Banish Fat Boost Metabolism get honorable mentions.

Rain in Connecticut. Did you know that it rains more inches per year in New England than in Seattle? Seattle has more rainy days, but we get harder downpour. It reminds me of my mission days in the Dominican Republic. It makes everything unbelievably green. So green, in fact, that when we were about 5 minutes away from ending our cross-country trek en route to CT, I told Isaac we were getting really really close to our new home. In a panic he belted out, "But I don't want to live in a forest!!"
Running in the rain makes me as happy as can be, and I get giddy every time I think about how beautiful fall here will be. 

Living so close to so many awesome cities. We took a day trip to Boston earlier this week. Here we are in front of the Boston Harbor. We got to spend the afternoon with Ryan's brother (Devin and Krystal are vacationing in Boston right now) and explore the city a tiny bit. Can't wait to go back.

Spending Time in Springfield

My sister Brooke and her family live a short hour's drive from us in Springfield, Massachusetts. It is so wonderful to have family so close! In the month that we have lived here, we have seen each other 7 or 8 different times between them coming down south and us heading up north.

The other day we drove to see them and take the older kids to see Cars2 (Brookie watched the D-man for us). All packed in the Corolla because it's so much cheaper than our gas-guzzler of a minivan. We didn't tell Ike what we were doing until we bought the tickets, just in case they were sold out. 

Our Lightning McQueen fan was pretty excited when he heard the news. 

Brooke and Jeremy don't need any toys to entertain the kids---Homer their turtle and Pee Wee their Chihuahua keep the kids plenty busy...that and their big screen t.v.

D used to be afraid of dogs but all the time with Pee Wee has pretty much cured him of that. Unfortunately I  don't have a pic of the dog. Next trip for sure.

Ike and Homer.

We spent the 4th of July with them as well, eating yummy food, baking red, white, and blueberry cupcakes, watching cartoons, and going to Massachusetts' "best parade." It wasn't.

Playing games and eating treats after the kids went to bed on Sunday night.

Waiting for the parade to start. An hour and a half after the parade was supposed to begin we were still waiting and decided to concede, opting for slurpees and treats from the 7-11 instead. The kids didn't seem to mind. 

Still waiting...

Sisterly love.

Maddie showing her patriotic side.

When we got home we blew up the kiddie pool that Uncle Jeremy gave the kids. It was a hit.

Sunbathing, unaware that anyone is snapping her picture.

We LOVE sharing in our family...

A much more comfortable arrangement.

D loves thinking that he is pushing Ike around.

Hope your 4th was a happy one! Thanks B, J, H, and PW for a great time!

Davis Reed at 15 months

This picture hangs on our wall in the living room. One of my faves.

• Davis has recently come to the conclusion that he is just as big and capable as his older siblings and needs to  do exactly what they are doing exactly when they are doing it...eat whatever they are eating...play with whatever toy they are playing with...and just reek havoc in general.
• Davis has learned that a train says "choo-choo!" What he hasn't learned is that not everything else does. For example, whenever we say, "Davis, what does a {dog,cat,bird, etc.} say?" He always responds with a boisterous "choo-choo!!" Isaac finds this game hilarious and they play it several times a day.

• He gives the most slobbery open-mouthed kisses you can imagine. If you shy away from him a little bit, hoping he'll just kiss you on your cheek instead, he will grab your face between his pudgy hands and turn it until he lays one square on your lips. His besos are always accompanied by an enthusiastic "Muuuuaaahhh!"
• He is quite advanced in the art of tantrum-throwing. I bet he could throw a bigger one than your kid any day of the week.
• He loves to blow raspberries and will blow them on anything and everything...my cheek...Ryan's arm...the couch.

• He eats more than either of his siblings and sometimes even more than me. Some of his favorite foods include bananas, grapes, pizza, quesadillas, any kind of meat (he's quite the carnivore), yogurt, milk, and clementines or mandarin oranges.
• He loves his older brother and sister and insists on following them just about everywhere. 

• He has become quite the social butterfly and says hello to everyone he sees, though he sometimes becomes shy when they say hello back.
• He is learning new words all the time. His current favorite is "MINE!!!" and he says it pretty much nonstop throughout the day. In all fairness, he can also say "gracias" and "por favor" and it is just about the cutest thing ever.

• He loves books and shows no interest in tv yet. I find this extremely baffling, because in all honesty, the boy hasn't been read to that much (my teacher self is hiding in shame). And I really wish the tv would distract him once in awhile.
• He is a daredevil just like his siblings and it's not uncommon to find him on top of the kitchen table or hanging onto our computer desk for dear life after leaping onto it from a nearby chair.
• This growing blonde-haired, blue-eyed baby has me wrapped around his little finger. I am nothing short of exhausted after chasing him around all day, but I'd do just about anything for one of his hugs.

All photos courtesy of Miss Chrissy Jo.

Then and Now

Isaac's preschool class. Taken May 2010.
(LtoR) Harrison, Chase, Carter, Alec, and Ike.

(LtoR) Isaac, Chase, Alec, Harrison, and Carter. 


All 5 boys a year later (May 2011) at a reunion bbq. I love absolutely everything about his photo and think Chrissy should win an award for capturing each of the boy's personalities so well.These boys and their families are a few of the many things we miss most about Iowa.

I have been trying to come up with a post about my love for the Midwest  for a month now, an "ode to Iowa" if you will. Every time I think about Des Moines it just makes my heart happy. I really can't find the words to do justice to the place we called home for 3 1/2 years. I will just say this: I am grateful for our time there and even more grateful for the people that we met along the way. They really became our Iowa family.