Long weekend...

What did your Memorial Day weekend look like?!  This is what ours looked like...

Malts with Grandma & Grandpa

John Deere Green

Seat built for two

Roasting marshmallows

Mmm...S'mores

Pool ready

Splish, splash

Fun in the sun

Enjoying the extra day!

A little something that we watched this morning on TV really left a mark on Mike and I.  Today is about remembering those men and women who lost their lives while fighting for our country.  Neither of us know what it is like to send each other off to war and our little girl has never had to wonder if Mommy or Daddy will be home safe.  While we have truly enjoyed the benefit of the long weekend, this picture and the song "She Won't Let Go" really put the meaning of the day into perspective.

We wish you all a Happy Memorial Day!

What's Going On?!

This post is a mash-up of what we have been doing for the past month!  It seems like we have been on the go ever since Lila's birthday.  I'm not complaining, but it does sometimes get in the way of my blogging! 

The day after Lila's birthday party we went to my Grandma and Grandpa Harvey's house in Strawberry Point for a late Easter dinner with that side of the family.  Gram and Gramp winter in AZ and Mom and Terry are in OK a majority of the time, so while everyone was back we got most of us together to spend a little more time together.

When we got to Gram & Gramps the girls dove right into their Easter Basket hunt!  Gram always has the cutest clues for the kids to read and figure out where the next one is...

until, low and behold they find the baskets full of goodies!!!

This year it was a conglomeration of stuff from where Gram and Gramp live throughout the winter!  Including a beautiful "gypsy" style skirt like Gram wears when doing Zumba!  The girls loved them!

On Sunday, May 6th we got all dressed in our warm gear and got up early to attend the March of Dimes walk.  Our dear friends Brad & Amber Holub put a team together each year in honor of their preemie babies and we are so thrilled to suppor them as well as all the millions of families who are walking for healthy babies! 

Amber and the kids were unable to join us this year as they were in Arizona visiting Amber's Mom, but Brad was there with enough charisma for the whole family! 

Team 2 Miracles & 1 Angel photo board and a proud Dad!

After the walk we made a very special trip to Lindale Mall!  I had been asking Lila for months if she wanted to get her ears pierced and she would either say no right off the bat or she would say yes and then by the time I would go to get her ready she would change her mind.  Getting her ears pierced was one of those things that I wanted her to do, but I most certainly wasn't going ot force her into doing it.  The Saturday before the walk I had asked her if she wanted to get them pierced after we were done on Sunday and she said, "yes!"  I had no reason to believe that this yes was any different than any of the others, but for whatever reason, it stuck!  After asking her 24 times on Sunday if she was sure we made our way to Lindale to the Claire's store to finally get her ears pierced! 

Pre-piercing!

I will be totally honest with you, I still thought the minute we got to Claire's she would change her mind.  She didn't.  Even though there were 3 other people ahead of her in line and it took what seemed like forever to finally get them done, she sat up in that chair like a brave little girl!

Henley watching as her bestie gets her ears pierced!  She looks a bit concerned!!!

I should also mention that her Daddy was a nervous wreck!  It was actually pretty cute that he got so worked up about it.  He was struggling with the fact that we would willingly put her in pain.  Lila did such a good job that there were just a few tears and once the girls handed her two suckers as a reward, she was good to go!

Freshly pierced ears with pretty pink earrings and two suckers to go!

The girls that pierced her ears were actually really good with Lila.  They even pierced puppies ears first to make sure Lila knew what was going to happen!  That puppy, I tell you...he is with her all the time and goes with her everywhere! 

After the ear piercing we strolled down to the kids area to see the trains and take a few rides on the mechanical toys!  The girls are too darn cute together!  We were so thrilled that the Hahn family joined us for such a momentous occasion in a little girls life!  We hope to be along when Henley gets her ears pierced someday!

Life with a three year old has been good to us so far!  She has been a bit more challenging at times, but I have to remind myself that she is such a good girl and that her bad days or moments are tame in comparison to what I have heard others deal with.  Lila is truly the light of our lives and she is always dancing or singing around the house, skirts are a staple item in her wardrobe because they spin while she dances! 

Even the puppies get in on the dress up!

Last weekend Dad and Laura requested all the girls for a sleepover!  We dropped Lila off on Friday and took advantage of the night off and had a date night, just Mike and I!  We had dinner in Iowa City at Three Samurai and then met a few friends out for drinks. 

The girls had quite the adventure with Grandpa and Laura!  They visited the Bever Park Zoo, went to the Farmer's Market, bathed in my old bathtub and ran wild!  On Saturday they even had cookies and ice cream before lunch!  I guess that is what you are supposed to do with grandparents!

At the market

Bever Park

Bathing beauties!

Of course this is after the bath!

When we aren't on the run, you can probably find us spending time outdoors.  Lila gets so excited when Mike grills for dinner because she knows that means there will be a good amount of time spent outside in the evenings!  And on the weekend it is hard to convince her to stay inside at all! 

If there isn't a basket for puppy, we improvise!

Beep!  Beep!

Other things that keep us busy are things like painting our nails and goofing around!  We are always sure to leave some time for beauty and laughter!!!

Manicure!

We leave you with a SMOOCH!!!

Mother's Day

This Mother's Day followed our usual tradition!  Daddy and Lila let me sleep in a little and got breakfast started!  I awoke to egg casserole baking in the oven and presents awaiting me in the kitchen!  Not only did I get a beautiful orchid, but I got a fantastic Burberry bag and some new shoes, I must be doing something right!!! 

After breakfast we cleaned up and headed out to Culver's which is a local greenhouse & nursery, it is another part of our Mother's Day tradition.  We needed to get our flowers for the season!  It seemed a bit late this year since we have been so blessed with warm, sunny weather, but I just couldn't bring myself to go out there earlier. 

Lila helped me pick out a beautiful purple potted plant for the front steps, a gorgeous blooming hibiscus tree and a few other odds and ends to finish up some of the other pots we needed to plant.  Before we went home we stopped at Dairy Queen and picked up ice cream and surprised Grandma and Grandpa Eddins.  We spent some time enjoying our cool treat while catching up with them on the porch.  Lila was sure to give them a show, she is quite the sassy little girl these days!

After our stop at Grandma and Grandpa's it was homeward bound to start our planting.  Daddy and Lila were so into it and Mike was letting Lila work right along side him as they planted my special tree.  I am not sure what Lila enjoyed more, the planting or the watering?!  She is quite the whiz with a watering can!

We got cleaned up after our afternoon of planting and Lila and I headed to Jason and Jen's for a Mother's Day grill out.  We met my Dad, Laura, Carson and Cade there with our goodies in tow and had a wonderful afternoon, the kids even got in some pool time!  Mike wasn't able to join us as he continues to practice for his upcoming alumni football game in June.  He is pretty excited to play, but I think Lila and Mom might be a bit more excited to watch!

 

It is really hard to believe that this is my 3rd Mother's Day!  I am so priveleged to be in the elite group of Motherhood!  I wear my Mom title like a badge of honor, often telling people that being a mother is my biggest accomplishment.  Creating a beautiful little soul and nurturing her into the sweet little girl she has become...that is truly the sweetest success there is!

Party Princess!

On Wednesday, April 18th our little Lila turned 3!  What a whirlwind the past 3 years have been!  It seems as if only yesterday Mike and I were driving home from the hospital with a brand new baby girl in tow.  Yet at the same time we don't remember what life was like with out her?!

Little Lila is all about princesses, so it was only fitting that we have a "fairytale" themed party for our very own little princess!  And you can guess what most of her gifts revolved around!

The Birthday Girl!

I took the day off on her actual birthday to spend some quality time with her and she actually wanted to go to Connie's in the morning to spend some time with her friends and take her birthday cupcakes!  I told Mike that I felt a bit slighted that she already chose something over me, but if I am being honest with myself, it made me feel pretty darn good that she loves her daycare as much as she does!
She was so patient to wait until Daddy got home to open her gifts.  Once he got home it didn't take long before she was ready to rip into the paper and unveil her birthday surprises!  She is always so gracious and does the "ooohs and ahhhs" that just about melt your heart!  She even said at one point, "I always wanted one of these," when opening up one of her DVD's!

That's right...7 Princesses!

She couldn't be more proud of her armful of dolls!

Lila's friends Dylan and Danielle have a wonderful art station at their house that Lila gravitates towards when she is there, so inquisitive as to what it is.  We thought that was a must this year for her birthday!  She got the art station along with paints, markers, crayons, scissors and anything else you could imagine to make a really fancy picture!  We are taking requests for a one of a kind Lila Eddins masterpiece!

Ta-Da!

The last surprise from Daddy & Mommy was a new set of wheels!  We have debated on when to get her a bike and almost got her one for Christmas, but felt that it was kind of mean to get her a bike in the dead of winter where she can't use it, so her birthday seemed to be the perfect time!  She was eager to take a spin around the block with Daddy's help, of course!

We ended the evening with her favorite confetti cupcakes with pink frosting (only pink would do for this birthday girl)!  She was so excited to turn three, she had been practicing how to show people on her fingers for weeks! 

On Saturday, April 21st we held her actual birthday party with some family and friends.  We had a birthday lunch of turkey burgers and hamburgers and other delicious sides!  Lila's closest friends were there to help her celebrate! 

Getting the house ready for the fairytale party!

Celia, Ruby & Lila welcoming Sloan to her first birthday party!

 After enjoying a delicious lunch it was time for cake!  My Grandma Harvey is notorious for her yummy cakes and she created a cake suitable for a princess.  It was equipped with a beautiful crown and all sorts of sparkly jewelry!  She even brought a second cake to celebrate Mike's birthday earlier in the month!

The Princess and her cake!

Make a wish!

After lunch and cake it was time for presents.  To say Lila was spoiled is an understatement.  She got so many wonderful things.  A super fun car-style toy for outside, movies, dolls, books, a DVD player, a backpack for school in August, clothes and so much more!  Mike and I looked at each other a little puzzled as to where we were going to put it all.  After all the excitement the kids were able to go outside and enjoy the swing set and the beautiful weather we have been having and burn off some energy!

Not only are we so blessed to have such a beautiful, smart, wonderful little girl, we have a lot of family and friends who love and adore her!  Thank you to all of you who helped make Lila's day so special, whether it was attending her birthday party or wishing her a happy birthday from miles away it helped make this her best birthday yet!