Six Months!

Lately I think about my blog in the same way you think about an old friend that lives far away....wishing you had more time to talk and catch up but life keeps moving on.  And so it is for me and writing.  Pretty much every day, there are things I want to write about - happenings in our family I want to capture, recipes I want to share, encouragement for other young mamas doing the day-to-day.  But life keeps moving.  The calendar keeps filling.  I keep making meals, folding laundry, tucking in toddlers, grabbing out the ice pack for boo-boos, brushing teeth, combing little girls' hair, driving to the store, reading books, grading math tests, spending time with people in our life, and at the end of each day, I am full and tired.  So the blog keeps waiting.  Maybe someday, it will be my season to write regularly, to share all my thoughts.  Maybe to even write a book (a lifelong dream of mine).  But for now, I will furiously type here and there, trying to capture some of life's beauty.

Today it is the beauty of my baby.

Today, Olivia is six months old.

My. Heart. Is. Captured.
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This girl...this girl is the most smiley, relational baby.  She is full of happiness and energy, drooly grins and loud squeals.  Her smile literally bursts so big.  She waves her arms up and down.  She kicks her little legs and does that adorable full-body-excited thing babies do.  She rolls around now, right off her playmat, and she puts everything she can reach in her mouth.  She still nurses regularly and [mostly] sleeps through the night.  She is starting to take more consistent naps and is starting to break out of her swaddle.  She loves the Ergo and has something in her mouth almost all the time.

In the past six months, Olivia has been to theater showcases and countless restaurants.  She has been to the gymnastics gym, the zoo, museums, and coffee shops.  She has been to a wedding and a funeral.  She's been out for girls nights and to Bible Studies.  She has been to Minneapolis, Grand Rapids, Milwaukee, Lake Geneva, and St. Louis.  She's been on the train and has spent hours in the car.  She has been to the parks and the apple orchard and to fireworks and the parade.  Her life has been full to the brim of people and smiles and songs and cuddles.  She has been with me wherever I go, like my little sidekick.  And I can't imagine it any other way.  She rolls with life like a fifth-child champ.  She is a rockstar.



I love how a baby can bring out the best in everyone in our family.  My kids melt when they see her.  Six months of being in our family, and they still argue over who gets to hold her next.  They love to hold her and kiss her, play with her, make her smile, and carry her from room to room.  This baby is one loved little treasure.  They all change their voices to talk to her in a higher pitch and still get excited at her smiles and her rolls.  It is precious beyond words, and it is one of life's greatest joys for me to watch my children loving on each other.

Olivia Grace, I cannot imagine our world without you.  You are beautiful and wonderful and fearfully made.  God's works are wonderful.  I KNOW THAT FULL WELL.  

Praise Jesus for your little life and for the joy you bring to our family.  You are loved beyond words, Baby Girl.  You are a miracle and a treasure.

Happy Six Months, Livi!!!!

One Month

Two Months

Three Months

Three Months

Four Months

Five Months

Six months!

The Frozen/Potter Party

Last weekend, we threw a big party for two of our kiddos, Ella and Micah.  Their birthdays are only four days apart in the end of August, so it only makes sense to combine their parties.  We love birthdays around here, so we always make big deals out of their special days.  They get to pick their birthday breakfast, dinner, and dessert, we decorate and make banners, and we throw a party with family and close friends.  This year, since we just moved and have been blessed with more space, we decided to invite a long list of our friends.  The whole thing was a blast, and I was thrilled the whole time that we could do this in our new home.  It was such a joy to have people gather together and watch the kids have so much fun together.  And so thankful that our kids are so so loved.

We decided to let the kids have the "themes" that they waned to for their party, even though they had absolutely nothing to do with each other.  Ella really wanted a Frozen party and Micah really wanted a Harry Potter party, so we decided....why not??!!  Let's do them both!

(Oh, these amazing costumes are from the amazing Auntie Julie...she gets the BEST costumes every year!!!!)

My sweet, little niece all ready for the Frozen party!

We decorated three "Frozen" tables and three "Harry Potter" tables.  Because it was a rainy day, we had to set up in the garage, but it worked out great!

We found a recipe for Harry Potter's Butterbeer online...

And we had a "Make your own Olaf" edible craft for the kids.

We had Harry Potter trivia, Frozen color pages, and a group game..."Pin the Nose on Olaf" and "Pin the Beak on the Phoenix." 

I think my favorite part was the Harry Potter Photo Booth...we got a cheap castle backdrop and Harry Potter glasses on Amazon, a $5 "flying broomstick" from the party store, made cardstock ties on popsicle sticks, and used old graduation gowns for the photo booth.  That was all that was needed, and the pictures turned out darling!  Here are a few of the kids and their cousins...

The best surprise of the whole day was Micah and Sammy's BEST buddies, Chuck and Nolan, arriving on our doorstep from Michigan COMPLETELY unbeknownst to us!!!  It was SO AMAZING!!!!

And their awesome Nana and Papa...best ever! 

Matchy, matchy Harry Potter shirts!!!  

(Can you tell we're all having fun with these books around here??)

For dessert, we did a Make-your-own-Sundae Bar....it was so fun!

The kids played outside, we opened presents, and then started a bonfire for whoever was still around!

It really was such a fun day!!!  So blessed by Micah and Ella and their precious lives, and so thankful to have such wonderful people in our lives to celebrate with!