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!
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
age: 13
grade: 8th
what i want to be when i grow up: interior decorator
favorite color: green
favorite movie: fast & furious
favorite place to be: at: in my bed
favorite food: every food
favorite subject in school: i don’t have one
what do you love: mom
favorite memory from this summer: going to florida
Aubrey
age: 7
grade and teacher: 2nd – Mrs. Timmerman
what i want to be when i grow up: a vet
favorite color: teal
favorite movie: home alone
favorite place to be: at: our house
favorite food: hot dogs
favorite subject in school: math
what do you love: everyone in this house
favorite memory from this summer: celebrating kaylei’s birthday so i could see how much money she got
Mahkena
age: 9
grade and teacher: 4th – Mrs. Binning
what i want to be when i grow up: a plant shop owner
favorite color: pink
favorite movie: jurasic world
favorite place to be: at: the plant store
favorite food: mcdonalds
favorite subject in school: art
what do you love: family
favorite memory from this summer: getting winnie jo
Mason
age: 3
what i want to be when i grow up: captain america
favorite color: blue
favorite movie: harry potter
favorite place to be: at: hotels
favorite food: candy and cinnamon rolls and pancakes
what do you love: daddy
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.”
hey everyone! i hope you are all enjoying your summer months; can you believe fall is almost near? i figured we were long overdue for a catchup and i had a few minutes to draft something up.
i feel like our family is always up to something; so this is what our life has looked like a bit lately…
IOWA CABIN TRIP
over memorial day weekend my parents typically go to a campground in iowa with some of our family friends. this year we had the kids and made a family vacation out it. this was probably our first one yet all six of us together and we’re already looking forward to the next.
we rented the cutest little cabin nestled on the campground’s pond, perfect for fishing and letting the kids play on the beach. during the days we were there we did lots of playing at the park, dipping our toes in the water at the beach, and fished with papa. by the time the sun went down, the kids were all pretty tired so we’d enjoy a campfire here or there and then settle in for bed. it was the perfect little getaway and are already looking forward to going back next year.
4TH OF JULY
4th of july is always one of my favorite holidays to celebrate. it’s a perfect holiday to celebrate and really gets the summer going. this year we decided to have family over for a backyard party. we rented a large bounce house/water slide and broke all the kiddie pools. we spent most of the day in the sun and were all so exhausted by the end. i’d call that a successful day!
PUP-DATE!
winnie jo is almost 16 weeks now and is growing like crazy! i’m really trying to enjoy her still being on the smaller side and a big furball, but man, everyday we can tell she’s getting better. mazi and maci have really adjusted to her being around and are constantly playing. it helps out out so much by tuckering her out and lets us get a few more hours of uninterrupted sleep at night. she usually wakes up only once or twice at night now to be let out, versus the every-hour schedule she had when we first brought her home. going from two to three dogs was certainly an adjustment, but she’s fit in quite perfectly and we love giving her her FUR-ever home.
can you believe how fast the school year went? i feel like we were just preparing all of the school supplies and getting ready to send them out the door for their first day. and in the blink of an eye, we’re here and celebrating the last day of the 2020/2021 school year.
our girls started seventh, third, and first this year. and just like previous years, we made sure to do our last day of school “interviews”. i asked the girls these questions and i thought i’d share with all of you…plus we had to include mr. mason; scroll to the bottom for his hilarious answers.
aubrey
Grade: First
Age: 7
Favorite Color: Pink
Favorite Food: Buttered Noodles
What Are You Good At: Math
What Do You Want To Be When You Grow Up: Veterinarian
What Makes You Happy: Family
What Scares You: Ghosts
What Is Your Favorite Movie: Home Alone
Favorite Memory From This Year: Cabin Trip to Iowa
mahkena
Grade: 3rd Grade
Age: 9
Favorite Color: Pink
Favorite Food: Donuts
What Are You Good At: Drawing
What Do You Want To Be When You Grow Up: Veterinarian
What Makes You Happy: Seeing Animals
What Scares You: Aubrey
What Is Your Favorite Movie: Jurassic World
Favorite Memory From This Year: Getting A Bunny
kaylei
Grade: 7th Grade
Age: 12
Favorite Color: Green
Favorite Food: Pasta Salad
What Are You Good At: Being Mean To My Siblings
What Do You Want To Be When You Grow Up: Rich
What Makes You Happy: Food
What Scares You: Butterflies
What Is Your Favorite Movie: Fast & Furious
Favorite Memory From This Year: June 3rd, 2021 – Last Real Day of School
and although mason isn’t old enough to be in school, we thoroughly enjoyed asking him the same questions…
mason
Grade: Too Cool for School
Age: 3
Favorite Color: White
Favorite Food: McDonalds
What Are You Good At: Teaching Someone How To Do Flips
What Do You Want To Be When You Grow Up: A Bad Guy Or A Dragon
What Makes You Happy: When Mommy & Daddy Say “I Love You”
What Scares You: The Dark
What Is Your Favorite Movie: Matilda & Hocus Pocus
Favorite Memory From This Year: Having Family Movies
John and I have been tossing around the idea for a while of adding another golden retriever to our family. As our girl Maci Bo gets older, we wanted her to have another dog around to keep her young. And yes, we have Mazi, but let’s be honest we don’t call her “Big Mama” for nothing. She plays with Maci, but she can often show her cranky-old lady personality and isn’t always a big ball of energy.
We did some research and came across a farm in Wisconsin that had some puppies that were available to go to a new home. Saturday, June 19th, we woke up and VERY spontaneously decided to make the drive and “look” at the puppies. Look is the keyword, but let’s be real, we were coming home with our Winnie Jo.
Winnie was the third puppy introduced to us and it was one of those things that when we met her we just knew. All the other puppies when we would walk away would wander off, but Winnie wouldn’t leave John’s side. Ultimately, John had told me to make the final decision, but as soon as I saw how much she just wanted to be around us, the decision was easy.
So, that started our story with miss Winnie. It was a cuddly ride home; the whole time she sat on my lap and was just begging for love from John and I. She enjoyed staring out the window and took many breaks in between for a quick nap curled up on my lap.
I swear it was like bringing a new baby home and introducing her to the family. She’s the cutest ball of fluff right now and the kids are all obsessing over her. We’re excited to watch her grow, but hopefully not too fast…we are loving this puppy stage.
Enjoy these photos of our first few days together as a family. We sure love you, Winnie Jo…even your terrible, stinky puppy breath.
Can you believe that May is already over and summer is officially here?
This month was full of celebrations between Mother’s Day and birthdays and a whole lot of fun in between. We ended our month with a family vacation and man, we’re already looking forward to another one.
Hope you enjoy this little video of our month, #LeParteyof6 style!
32 years old today, and there has been quite a few things that I’ve learned through the years. I’ve made good choices, stupid choices, and learned that sometimes the only explanation for your actions is, “it seemed like a good idea at the time.” But through it all, I’ve learned.
And firsthand, from my own experience these are some of things that I’ve learned:
Seafood is still disgusting.
Your children pay attention to EVERYTHING that you do. Literally EVERYTHING. Don’t say anything in front of a 3-year old you don’t want repeated.
Soul mates do exist; believe me. I’m one of the lucky ones that found mine.
Having a big family is such a blessing. A benefit too; more kids to pay for a fancier nursing home when you’re older.
Life is much better with a golden retriever.
Work at a place where you actually like your boss and co-workers. Life is way too short to deal with Karens.
No matter how old you get, shots still suck.
Record your life. Have those memories to look back and smile at later.
Friends change and that’s okay. Sometimes the unlikely friends are the best friends.
Grey hairs come a whole lot sooner than you expect.
“One more episode” actually means four more episodes.
Hanger, it’s real.
Kitchens are made for dancing.
I will never be as happy as my two dogs.
McDonald’s Coke taste better than any other coke.
The person who invented Grocery Pick-up is a genius and all we mothers appreciate you.
At this age, you can pull a muscle in your sleep.
Costco is a very glorious place.
Airfryers are the bee’s knees.
Have date nights weekly with your significant other; make that time for each other.
Don’t get drunk and order food on Doordash; you will probably end up with $70+ of Chipotle on your front doorstep. Oops.
Spend as much time as you can with your grandparents. That time is so valuable.
Even if it scares you, still do it. Try those new opportunities.
It is possible to wrongly cook macaroni & cheese…sorry kids.
Sometimes those college degrees aren’t worth it.
Chips and salsa are the best snack.
Dad jokes are actually funny.
Never turn down the opportunity to take a good nap.
Caffeine is your friend.
You don’t need to buy every single houseplant you see.
