2021; Our Year #LeParteyof6 Style

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Leaving 2020, we hoped that covid would stay with it and 2021 would bring everyone a fresh start, mostly pandemic free. Unfortunately, that was not the case and it affected this year just as much as the last.

But one thing is for certain, we tried our best to not let it hold us back from making the most out of 2020 and creating so many wonderful memories. With a lot of restrictions still in place, we spent a lot more time at home as a family and truly learned that there is “no place like home.”

As our kids continue to grow like weeds (ages 13,9,7 and 4 now – HOLY COW!), we’re recognizing their own little personalities develop, all while creating this special bond together. You can certainly tell Kaylei now is a teenager; independent with a side of sass, but we love it. You can easily tell that she’s the three younger’s favorite; always fighting for her attention. Mahkena is still her sassy-self, but this year she’s come out of her shell a bit and is still our talented little creative lady. Aubrey is as fearless as ever with the sweetest heart and would do anything for her family. Mason will always be our baby and is always making us laugh. I hate how fast our four are growing!

As we move into 2022, we’re looking forward to all that is to come. Here’s our family video for 2021; we sure hope it brings you joy of our year in review.

2021 Family Photos

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Every year we try to squeeze in a family photo session; usually during the fall so we can make the most of the photos and use them on our yearly holiday cards. Plus, it’s always nice to have these photos of our family, year after year, to look back on and see how much everyone has grown.

Ever since I’ve seen work by Mindy Joy Photography years and years ago, I’ve always wanted her to capture our family. I was so excited when I reached out to her that she was able to squeeze in sometime for us.

Truly, the hardest part of getting our family photos done is finding what colors and outfits we want to wear. Two years ago we went with the ‘mustard, navy blue, and maroon’ color scheme and after seeing the canvases hung throughout our house, I loved how they matched the colors in our home decor. We decided to stick with it again, but changed it up a bit with who wore what colors. Once again, Amazon came in clutch again for us and we found a majority of our outfits on there.

This year, the time got a bit ahead of us and having an outdoor session wasn’t ideal. I thought it would be a nice change from our usual ‘fall-themed’ photos and go for something more modern. We utilized the urban scape of a local hotel and I was so thrilled with how they turned out. With a little help of bribery in telling the kids we would take them to their favorite store after, the kids did SO good and made mom and dad very happy!

I’m excited to share with all of you some of our favorites from our session with Mindy Joy Photography! Which ones do you love?

October 2021; our month in video

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woah! can you believe that october is already over and before we know it we will be celebrating thanksgiving?

it was a very busy month for us between homecoming, adult trick-o-treating, hotel getaways, and lots of time with family. we ended the month of two nights of dressing up and trick-or-treating with the kids. always one of my favorite family traditions that we have.

did you do anything exciting in october? see what we’ve been up to!

Need fall bucket list ideas?

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ya’ll, the best time of the year is here…FALL! i’m all in for cooler weather, crunchy leaves, and spooky season! what about you? do you have anything fun planned this fall?

need some inspo? don’t worry, i got you covered! check out my list below for some fun ideas to truly enjoy this time of year!

  • a sport’s fan? watch lots and lots of football. one of my favorite parts about fall is the return of the nfl season. i love cozying up on the couch on a sunday and watching football all day long. whose your team?
  • maybe an odd time to do it, but go camping! pack up the family and enjoy the outdoors and what this weather has to bring. my favorite campground in the northern illinois area? this place, by far!

  • carve some pumpkins! as much as you hate the mess of pumpkin seeds scattered on the counters and floors, the kids usually enjoy it so just do it!

what’s on your fall bucket list?

LOVED & LINKED

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it’s been a while since i’ve shared some of my recent favorite buys with all of you, so why not share some now?! i’d love to know if you’ve used any of these or now plan to give them a try!

alright. don’t judge, but your girl is already getting hot flashes and this thing has so come in handy! it’s small enough to keep in my purse and the fact that it’s also a power bank is sooo convenient.

if you like a good thriller book to read, this is it. it’s perfect for a quick read and totally not what you’d expect.

i’m a sucker for a good set of press-on nails and these have been one of my go-tos lately. they’re classy, yet durable, and not over the top.

and lastly, who doesn’t love a good body product and one that boosts energy at that?! i stumbled across this line a few months ago and now have them scattered around home and even work. it smells so good and leaves you feeling energized!

HAPPY 4TH BIRTHDAY MASON ALLAN!

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Sometimes people walk in to you life just when you need it most. That was certainly the case with you, Mason Allan.

When I met your daddy, I knew that part of falling in love with him was making up a whole lot more room in my heart for you and your sister. That was the easy part; loving you three comes so easily. The hard part, though? Watching you grow more and more every day knowing that time isn’t going to slow down; that these moments won’t last forever.

Today, you’re 4, and goodness, the past three years that I’ve been a part of your life has been have been the very best. I’m so thankful that I get the opportunity to watch you grow, watch you learn, and being able to be a part of it all. I never knew how much I needed a little boy in my life, until you came along. You light up my life, our life, and we adore you so! To the moon and back, buddy boy!

FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL INTERVIEWS (2021).

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well, it’s that time again for another year of school and one of my favorite yearly blog posts.

our three brave girls weren’t so ready for summer to be over, but were excited to be back around their friends. i am so looking forward to watching more of them and the lessons that they learn – both in school and in life.

our girls started eighth, fourth, and second grade this year. we kicked off the new year with some of our typical “first day of school photos”.

and just like previous years, we made sure to do our first day of school “interviews”.

i asked the girls these questions and had to include mason too!

Kaylei

  1. age: 13
  2. grade: 8th
  3. what i want to be when i grow up: interior decorator
  4. favorite color: green
  5. favorite movie: fast & furious
  6. favorite place to be: at: in my bed
  7. favorite food: every food
  8. favorite subject in school: i don’t have one
  9. what do you love: mom
  10. favorite memory from this summer: going to florida

Aubrey

  1. age: 7
  2. grade and teacher: 2nd – Mrs. Timmerman
  3. what i want to be when i grow up: a vet
  4. favorite color: teal
  5. favorite movie: home alone
  6. favorite place to be: at: our house
  7. favorite food: hot dogs
  8. favorite subject in school: math
  9. what do you love: everyone in this house
  10. favorite memory from this summer: celebrating kaylei’s birthday so i could see how much money she got

Mahkena

  1. age: 9
  2. grade and teacher: 4th – Mrs. Binning
  3. what i want to be when i grow up: a plant shop owner
  4. favorite color: pink
  5. favorite movie: jurasic world
  6. favorite place to be: at: the plant store
  7. favorite food: mcdonalds
  8. favorite subject in school: art
  9. what do you love: family
  10. favorite memory from this summer: getting winnie jo

Mason

  1. age: 3
  2. what i want to be when i grow up: captain america
  3. favorite color: blue
  4. favorite movie: harry potter
  5. favorite place to be: at: hotels
  6. favorite food: candy and cinnamon rolls and pancakes
  7. what do you love: daddy
  8. favorite memory from this summer: snuggling with my family

“say yes to one more book, one more hug, one more kiss goodnight, tuck them in and snuggle them tight. one day you will tuck them in and they’ll be grown. they will smile and tell you they can do it on their own.”