a new year

i like to think of my birthday (it was yesterday) as a good time to make goals and resolutions -
you know, just like you do on january 1.
and my birthday seems to be well timed to do this -
just enough time has gone by since january 1 that i may have "slipped" a bit from those new year's goals.

this year i hope to work on simplifying, focusing and being more intentional.
(of course i'd also like to exercise more, cook more from scratch, be more crafty/artsy, do more projects with ben, sew more, garden more, etc.)
but i also know that i have a husband, two small children and a home... 
those (very important) things take most of my time - which i love.

so for now i will focus on a couple of words that seem to be running through my mind quite often...

SIMPLE & SINCERE

 my mom sent me this gorgeous flower yesterday.

orange is my favorite color and i love gerbera daisies.

it is beautiful ~ thanks mom!

three months

this little girl is growing way too fast...

we love you julia!

and you love smiling, talking, watching your big brother and napping.

(you also love your fingers - especially your thumb!)

we are so blessed to have such a sweet baby girl.

a saturday evening post

what a week it's been.
as usually the days have often seemed long, but have quickly passed by.
monday started with a trip to the doctor - bronchitis was the diagnosis for ben.
tuesday jake traveled out-of-town for meetings.
wednesday jake was still gone, a friend dropped by with a beautiful quilt for julia, ben had fiddle class and we had a couple of friends over after dinner.
thursday jake returned before dinner, ben had story time at the library and we had lunch and play time at a friend's house.
friday was spent looking forward to the weekend and making a visit to jake's office and the wildlife and parks museum.
saturday has been spent trying to get the laundry under control and doing some cleaning. jake and i also had a nice takeout dinner at home while the kids spent the evening with some family friends.

and now, everyone is sleeping but me.
so here are a few pictures...

 hate seeing this little guy not feeling well - 

but at least he was able to rest after he got his medicines.

and with ben resting i couldn't resist a few pictures of julia.

 with the heat wave mid-week, 

we made it out for some much needed fresh air.

 ben called this his first picnic of the year.

 why the lovely pole and wires you ask -

because there are two planes of course.

very important to a certain three year old.

 this is the lovely quilt made for julia.

 did i mention we play a lot of uno around here???

 

visiting the museum out at dad's office.

hope you are having a nice weekend too.

julia & the elf

this little girl melts my heart every. single. day.
i took these yesterday while ben was sleeping.

jake's talented cousin erin makes the sweetest gifts for the kids -
and this little elf is one of them.

julia is starting to make discoveries too.
and little elf is one of them.
her feet are another!  :)

did i mention it is 73 degrees here today!?
outside we go.

kleenex, uno and hearts

yes, i know valentine's day was a few days ago,
but we seem to moving at a slow speed lately.

i think we've had at least one of us feeling congested with some kind of cold for the last three weeks!
it makes me want to cleaning EVERYTHING - but it's the last thing i feel like doing.
and it really makes a case of cabin fever (which i think we all have too!) that much worse.
so here i am - trying to delay monday morning.
even though i don't "go" to work everyday,
there is something about the start of the week that i seem to dread.
i think it's mostly because the weekends are spent with all four of us together -
i really enjoy our time as a family.

especially as ben learns how to do things like play uno and crazy eights,
wears underwear (so excited that he is using the potty!),
tells us stories,
helps with small chores,
and enjoys completing simple tasks for stickers.

julia is growing and changing all the time too.
she is truly a content and happy baby.
at least for now -
jake says that she's probably going to get us down the road.
you know, the teenage/college years.  :)
one of the sweetest things - along with her smile, sounds, chubby cheeks and sparkling eyes -
is the way she watches ben.
every single thing he does.

and he loves her too.

since i seem to be inside so much lately, and still a bit of a night owl
i finally signed up for pinterest.
it's over on the right side - take a peek.
i'm trying to limit my "pin time", but it really is a great way to stash ideas until i have time for them...
in about 18 years.
hope pinterest is around for a while!

i would also like to thank all of you for your thoughts and prayers for my friend nikki,
her new baby and their family.
she is improving everyday.
and that little baby girl is just perfect.

if you would like to help

last wednesday my friend nikki was in a horrible accident.
i wrote about it here.
she was moved out of icu today. what great news!
so many people are keeping her, her new baby and their family in their thoughts and prayers -
it is wonderful to see the outpouring of love.

there has been a family fund established at their local bank
to help with any costs they are incurring from the accident.
if you would like to make a contribution,
please email me or leave a comment with your email address and i will send you the details.

with love

happy valentine's day!

with love - jake, kristin, ben & julia

 

a blur

the last two days have been spent on the road with a friend, on the phone, and at a hospital.
i think most of you reading my blog have probably already heard about the serious accident one of my oldest, and dearest friends was in yesterday.
it was horrible.
and it is a nothing short of a miracle that she and her baby are both alive.

i am home tonight with a renewed perspective.
so glad to see my husband and our two children.
the other stuff (that i often get caught up in or worried about) just doesn't matter.

please pray for my friend, her family and that precious baby.
they still have a tough road ahead of them.

good night.

hold the binky please

She prefers her thumb.

For about 3 weeks now Julia has been spitting out her binky,
and working hard to get that thumb in her mouth.
It's a little noisy sometimes (especially during the night), but it's much better than searching for a clean binky.

every night is bath night

you'd think it was spring time around here with the warm weather we are having.
i'm kind of missing the cold winter days, but it is nice to be able to escape to the outdoors too.
the days can get a little long when we are inside all day.

however, this also makes a bath a necessity almost every night for one three year old.
it is truly wonderful to watch him as he creates his own stories and imagines.
our garden makes the best place for the "construction site".

LOVE the last one of him -
can't tell you how much i already feel like my baby boy is trying to fly away from the nest!
makes my eyes water...
oh, and those are peanut shells in the pictures. 
dad and ben like to take breaks while working.