Celebrating our favorite guy(s)

Then came June and what better way to start the month than celebrating our favorite guy's birthday on the first! As tradition from his childhood holds, he requested Red Lobster for dinner and surprisingly enough, I'm not sure we'll be back again next year. Poor guy ended up with a pretty bad stomach ache from his meal and immediately regretted his choice. When it came time to follow it up with dessert, he was only able to eat a few bites of oreo cheesecake but it made for a fun extension celebrating his birthday the next day too. 34 never looked so good! 

Then a couple weeks later we celebrated lots of our favorite guys with a Father's Day bbq! So grateful for the amazing role they all play in my children and I's lives!

After patiently sweeping the grass from our sidewalks and patio with a big broom for the last 10 years, we decided to gift Nic his first blower and I'm not sure he's ever been happier about a gift! The kids' cute card was a favorite too ...

Nic is such an incredible dad! He finds ways to spend time with our kids and make them feel special every day. I forgot to get a picture of Liam's but I loved Lyla's cute answers from the Father's Day questionnaire she filled out at church with her Primary teachers ... especially the "don't get out of room at night" one. haha So sweet that her favorite thing is daddy/daughter dates and I couldn't agree more that he is really good at taking care of her and giving hugs! Liam's made me laugh too because he said Nic's favorite food was salad. haha I mean, I do make that a lot. ;)

Our Christmas Card & Letter 2020

I didn't send a Christmas letter with our card this year but if I did this is what it would have said. 

Merry Christmas!! We hope during this crazy year that this note finds you healthy and well. Like many of you, 2020 definitely looked different for our family but it taught us to cherish the one thing that is most important in the world, time together. Liam's last year of preschool was cut short in March and I became a full time teacher to two at home through the end of May. Our classroom was filled with walks and bike rides around the neighborhood having the hardest time not going to the parks while they were closed, doing Cosmic Kids Yoga in the living room, learning letters, numbers, colors, and shapes at the kitchen table with endless art supplies, experiencing virtual Disneyland rides on YouTube, building towers with magnet blocks, and so much more. The crazy thing is, I had prayed for just a little more quality time spent with Liam before sending him off to Kindergarten ... I didn't know what that would look like or what I was actually praying for in the moment ... but I learned it was this. It was getting to teach him his last few months of preschool and having him home every day with me. It was an answered prayer in the hardest but best way. 

In the summer we took our annual trip to Pocatello and Bear Lake. It is always one of the highlights of our year! Both of our kids have asked many times since when we get to go back. Other than that, summer was quiet. No swimming lessons, Roaring Springs passes, Children's Museum, etc. Instead, we spent many days with our blow up swimming pool splashing in our own backyard! We also transformed our yard this summer into a space we all love! We added a cozy sectional out there, a fire table for s'mores, a swing, beautiful flowers, trees, and shrubs we planted with our own two hands. We had a cement pad poured on the side of our home with our hand prints etched in it. 

In the fall, Lyla started her first year of preschool. She LOVES it and wishes she could go more than 2 days a week. She got her first haircut (bye bye baby mullet and hello baby bangs!), learned how to ride her hand-me-down balance bike like a champion, and was completely potty trained night and day by the end of the year!! Proud of that girl of ours!

Liam's school year started 100% online until slowly he went back every other day, to eventually the elementary schools opening full time. He is thriving in Kindergarten ... reading above grade level and making all kinds of new friends! His dream of riding the bus came true, too! He learned how to ride his bike with no training wheels this summer and is the such a good example to those around him at school. We are so grateful for him!

Nic has spent the better part of a year working from a home office! It has not come without its challenges but we love getting to see him more often and spend every lunch together! He has helped the hospital in so many ways through Covid and is officially the first member of our family to be vaccinated! He is always our rock emotionally and physically and he is helped complete more projects around our home this year than he probably cared to. haha We adore him!

Then there's me. Sometimes I struggle to see the difference I make around here until I get sick or something and see many of the plates I keep spinning in the air fall. Then I realize one of my truly greatest strengths is juggling ... schedules, schools, laundry, meals, emotions ... haha! It's a real art! ;) Jokes aside, I our kid's schooling and our home were my labors of love this year. I transformed our kids bedrooms into places that make them both smile and gave me a creative outlet that I really love to express. I finally found answers to the source of the headaches and pain I'd been experiencing for over 2 years and feel relieved to say that I now have coping mechanisms in place to keep it really well managed. It has been a huge blessing!!! 

So you see, 2020 really was filled with a lot of blessings. No matter how many things were canceled or closed, times when we couldn't see family and friends, masks we had to wear, or bottles of hand sanitizer we went through to try and stay healthy. I hope you can see the blessings from your year too. They are there and I know it is thanks to a Savior who is watching over all of us, especially during hard times. 

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! We love you!

Nic, Meagan, Liam, and Lyla

Celebrating Our Favorite Guy

He's silly.

Incredible with our kids!

He's easy to please. 

A bowl full of ice cream is the way to his heart. 

And dang, he makes 33 look good!!

Happy Birthday babe, we're so glad you were born! 

We love you!!!

9 years

9 years married to this handsome guy and as you can see, our anniversary celebration looked a little bit different this year. It was my year to plan it and back in January I began dreaming up a night away in McCall just the two of us. It would have been the first time since Liam was about 18 months old. We'd get room service, sleep in, and relax in the hot pools. When the corona virus hit, I was in denial and kept postponing canceling until literally the day we needed to in order to get a full refund. After I made that phone call it was the first time I really let myself cry and feel disappointed for some of the things I felt like this virus has taken from me. Then I had a moment of clarity where it made me realize how grateful I am it didn't interrupt our wedding day like it has for so many. That was a beautiful day!

My favorite thing to do with him on our anniversary dates is spend time reflecting on every moment leading up to and since the day we became husband and wife. Boy how I wish I could go back in time and tell those two young and in love souls, just wait until you see what you have in store for you! Slow down and take it all in. These are some of the moments you won't ever forget! So many of those moments along the way stand as a witness of why we are so great together. Marriage is not always easy but we fight for each other and communicate through the hards things until we reach the other side even better. I adore him.

We were so lucky this year to have two dates! Yes, it involved wearing masks and the weather wasn't in our favor most of the day but we may not have ever chosen to bring blankets, string lights, and pick up take out dinner to eat in the back of our car by the river either. It was simple, just like the dates we used to have when we were first married. And truthfully, there wasn't anyone else in the world I would have been there with than him. I love you, Nic Williamson! Cheers to 9 years! XO

Mother's Day & Father's Day 2020

What is it about Mother's Day and Father's Day where your kids act up more than usual?! haha Somehow, both days turned out that way. No breakfast in bed for us. ;) They were waking up early, crying at the drop of a hat, and running to their rooms any time someone angered them. My sister-in-law texted me "Happy Mother's Day! I hope it is a peaceful and relaxing day!"

.....................................

Peaceful and relaxing indeed. 

Oh I'm just kidding, we adore those little stinkers so much! Our world wouldn't be the same without them and we cherish being their mom and dad, even on the hardest of days. 

There were definitely some bright shining moments for me on Mother's Day! For example, while Nic isn't the 'kids, help me make mom breakfast' type. He does always remember that I love getting one of these from them ...

How cute was that?! And pretty spot on too, actually! Although I find the fact that my pickiest child said his favorite food I make for him is ALL OF THEM. ;) Probably didn't think about having to choke down broccoli. haha I definitely do love him something fierce!! Both of them!!

Along with that sweet card in bed, they gave me a 'Lyla' necklace to match my 'Liam' one. I love it so much!!

The one part of Mother's Day that was really special for me was spending time with my mom. It was the first time after 2 months apart that we broke our social distancing and had a picnic lunch together by the Boise River. 

 We let the kids take off their shoes and put their feet in the water. They found rocks to throw in and sticks to bring home. It gave me time to talk and catch up with my mom. Everyone was happy and having a great time! 

The sass came back out when it was time to go back home. haha

My mom gave me the most beautiful bouquet of blooms from her snowball bush in her backyard that I loved having on my kitchen table for a few days!

I absolutely adore this picture of Nic and our kids on Father's Day! He is THE BEST dad in the world! He makes them feel so special and loved. For example, this backpack he bought on his own for Lyla after she was sad she didn't have one like Liam. It came in the mail in her favorite color with her name embroidered on it. She was beaming when he gave it to her! And Liam, his dad is his best friend. Their world together revolves around lego building and space ship battles. It's my favorite thing to watch!

We went over my to my dad's for dinner that night and it was our first time back together as a family! The only member missing was Brendan so my dad had us make this sign and we all Facetimed him with it. He later sent me a cropped close up of Lyla's face and I about peed my pants and fell over at the same time from laughing so hard. She'd had a rough week with potty training and it showed. haha

So many mother and father figures in our lives that we love! Hope you all know how special you are!

June Birthdays

I love that I share a birthday month with my favorite guy! I always look forward to June 1st because I jump at the chance to celebrate him. What was cute to see this year is that the kids feel the same way!  Here I am telling Liam, "daddy wants pancakes for his birthday breakfast" and the next thing I know, he is requesting we get paper plates with Hulk on them (what Liam deemed Nic's superhero character) and birthday candles to go on top! I like the way you think Liam Rex. ;) So we sang 'Happy Birthday' to him over breakfast instead of birthday cake.

During the day we stopped by a new ginormous Albertson's they had built close by. It was created as more of a marketplace with lots of different prepared foods and even has a restaurant inside! I think the kids sampled one of everything in the whole store ... watermelon, cookies, popcorn, etc. In the seafood section they had a lobster tank and they pulled out a lobster for us so we could touch it and see it up close! Neither one of our children was brave enough to touch it but they both had smiles on their faces!

During nap time I gave Nic some quiet time while Liam and I went out in the backyard and made targets for his new squirt guns!

After nap time we squeezed in our first time at the waterpark for the season!! Liam was bravely trying every single water slide in the kid section he could find while Lyla didn't want to be set down or touch the water at all. haha She preferred the lounge chair with the water bottle to play with!

 We left the kids behind that night for date and kept the childhood tradition alive with dinner at Red Lobster and ice cream for dessert! I kind of felt like it was my birthday all day long because I loved it so much. I think all holidays are like that for me! ;)

Hope you had the best birthday, babe! 32 never looked so good!! 

A few weeks later it was my turn ... the start of the last year of my 20's!
My favorite gift of all, Nic took the day off work!!!
We spent the morning shopping at Target and playing around the Village ...

Then we went to see a movie (Lyla's first one!!) and saw Secret Life of Pets 2! It was hysterical and adorable just like we thought it would be! Not so good on my headache but worth it! Lyla made it through 2/3 of the movie on popcorn and candy and then had to walk the aisle and hall. Pretty great for her first one and not even 2 years old yet!

Sweet girl napped while I opened my gift, a new Anthropologie comforter I had been wanting for our master bed! I love it so much! Liam wanted to post as I took a picture of it ... ;)

Later that night we went on another date, this time to PF Changs and ice cream to follow for me too!! I had so many messages, phone calls, and texts throughout the day from all the people I love and I felt so special! Here's to my last year in my 20's! 

8 years

You guys, summer is so wonderfully crazy, fun, and busy! I have so much catching up to do!
Let's start with one of my favorite days of the year ...

Nic and I celebrated 8 years of marriage in May!!

I made him this video (linked here) and it brings me to tears every time I watch it. So many unforgettable moments and a beautiful life we've made together! We watched it laying in bed that morning and I think he loves it just as much as I do.

In the morning we visited the Boise Temple grounds where we were married. It was our first time taking our kids there and it was like being in this crazy time warp seeing how much our lives have grown and changed since that beautiful day!

Liam's first time ever taking our picture! haha

And the second ... there are our heads! haha

I love that our love created these two beautiful humans!

In the afternoon Liam had a play date and Lyla took a nap while my sweet step mom stayed with her so we could have a date together! We haven't been in Boise on any of our anniversaries so far so Nic planned the most special walk down memory lane starting with the Idaho Botanical Gardens where he proposed 9 years ago. He reenacted the moment in the very same gazebo and got down on one knee and gave me a set of silicone rings to wear when I exercise/do yard work/hike/etc. It was so cute and thoughtful! In the moment I remember saying, "what are you doing?!" haha because I was so thrown off by it and it was the best surprise!

The gardens were covered in the most beautiful pink peonies and we were so entertained by the ginormous coy fish and lizards running around on the rocks.

After the gardens we stopped by The Bishop's House ... a beautiful old Victorian house where we had our wedding reception! There was a big sign in the front yard telling people to stay off the property and that there was some event soon so we quickly popped out of the car long enough to snap a picture and drive away.

I can not imagine my life without this handsome guy in it. We've been through so much together ... school, buying and selling houses, babies, new jobs, a big move and through all of it, there is no one else I'd rather have by my side. I'm so grateful for our marriage and excited to see what the next 50 years will bring! Love you so much Nic Williamson, Happy Anniversary!! XO

The high fives and side eyes of Father's Day

Parenthood ... our never ending, wild and crazy, send you to the moon and back again kind of roller coaster! I feel like many of our days are filled with a few "high five" moments and a few "side eyes" of how we could have made it just a little bit better. Father's Day was one of those days.

The high five moments ...
Both kids slept in past 7 AM (that is a RARE gem these days!!!)
They also took naps (a Happy Father's Day indeed)!

The side eye moments ...
Both kids were sick (boo on you summer colds).
Nic cooked his own dinner because the kids needed constant entertainment and attention from me.

What Liam made his dad for Father's Day this year ...

No idea where he came up with 44 years old and he chose red for the favorite color part because that's Liam's favorite color. haha The best part of all, in my opinion, is that adorable family picture!!

Parenthood is a wild ride but there isn't anyone in the world that I'd rather be sitting next to than you, Nic Williamson! You are everything they need in a dad and more and we all love you so much!
Happy Father's Day to our own dad's too!

Nic's Birthday

We celebrated Nic's 31st birthday on Friday and he has gotten a "Happy Birthday, Dad" from Liam every day since! haha The concept that a birthday is only one day has apparently not clicked yet but lets hope that by the time October rolls around it has! 

That hard working man had to work for most of the day so I took the kids by myself to the mall to shop for a present from them. After going through 4 different stores and spending an hour in the toy aisle at Shopko with an indecisive Liam and a screaming Lyla, I determined it wasn't the best idea I've ever had. ;) Liam eventually picked out a Star Wars lego set and his favorite candy (m&m's) for himself, oops I mean for his dad and has thanked Nic every day since for giving him his birthday present. haha What a guy!

I don't think Nic got to open a single one of his presents but he didn't care. Lyla kept trying to go straight for the bows and paper (a premonition of what will go down on her first birthday here in a few months perhaps?!). 

I made him his favorite cheese tortellini for his birthday dinner with Cold Stone's ice cream for dessert. The birthday boy got 3 candles on one side and 1 on the other for the big 31 and I sang solo to him while he kept our kids from touching any flames. The evolution of Lyla's reaction was the most hilarious thing to watch. Her first time seeing fire ... curious but not sure what to think ...

followed by CLAPPING!

All I had were trick candles and the kids were giggling up a storm every time they re-lit after Nic blew them out! My favorite picture of the night for sure! Love that happy bunch so much!!!

Happy 31st Birthday babe! Hope you felt special on your day. I'm so glad you were born!! We love you! XO

this is us

It's not very often that I get a picture of the four of us together but it always mean so much to me when I do. A little glimpse of our family at this very moment because heaven knows, life moves faster than we can even imagine and our babies grow bigger every single day. So in an effort to capture pictures of the four of us more often and to remember the sweet and silly things about each of us at every stage together, I'm starting a new series called "This is Us"... 

L Y L A 

s i x   m o n t h s

Is as stubborn and sweet as they come! She started doing this closed mouth smile that is equally as heart melting as her wide open one. She has no interest in learning how to sit up when she can dig in her heals and someone will help her stand, her favorite way to see the world around her. She loves nursing more than solids and wants very little to do with sleeping, especially through the night.  

L I A M 

t h r e e   a n d   a   h a l f

Is talking up a storm and beginning to ask questions about everything! He has an internal alarm clock that wakes him at 6:45 every morning but every other day or so he'll patiently wait for his "OK to wake" alarm clock to turn green so that he can have is beloved donut reward. He is starting to fight nap time more and more lately but when he does fall asleep he has to be woken up or he'll nap for a good 3 hours. He begs to watch Blippi and is obsessed with transformer toys. His favorite thing about preschool is snack time. ;)

N I C

r o c k i n '   t h i r t y

Is as incredible of a dad and husband as they come. He gets home from a long day of work and doesn't hesitate to fold the pile of laundry that didn't get done or help give the kids a bath while I clean up the dishes. He remembers the little things like making sure my car is filled with gas and grabbing a burp cloth for me as I'm about to nurse Lyla. He diligently gets up to exercise every morning whether I can or not from being up all night with the baby. He'd eat scrambled eggs and peanut butter toast for breakfast every morning and pizza for dinner for the rest of his life if he could.

M E A G A N

t w e n t y ' s   f o r e v e r

Is lucky if she can get a loud of laundry and the dishes done every day but diligent about dance parties in the kitchen with her kids. She misses being able to clean the house in one sitting but is slowly recognizing this just isn't the phase of life for it. She is obsessed with taking pictures and videos of her kids and is learning the ins and outs of Lightroom to find her photo editing style. She adores kissing Lyla's neck rolls, snuggling with Liam in his bed for story time, and holding Nic's hand while out and about (something that is rare with kids these days). She has never been more tired in her whole life but also never happier either!

Father's Day 2017

For SO many reasons, this guy makes our whole world go round ...

Let me share just a few from Father's Day (a day I might add that is supposed to be all about him yet he made it about everyone else because he is incredible selfless like that, so add selfless to the top of that list!) ... 

Reason #1 | He got Liam dressed and wrestled his feet into these shoes that are incredibly tight as Liam was kicking his legs a million miles a minute making the process entirely impossible. Meanwhile, he gave up the last few peaceful minutes before church to me so that I could finish getting ready. 

Reason #2 | The men in our ward were given muffins for Father's Day and I practically begged him for the apple crumb muffin because it was my favorite and guess what, that is the muffin he took. Come to find out later, the chocolate chocolate chip were his favorite and were sitting on that exact same table. Sweetest husband award, selfish pregnant wife award. 

Reason #3 | Because our church time goes until 4, Liam took a very late in the day nap and we had to wake him up about an hour later for dinner. He woke up super cranky and only wanted daddy so Nic had to eat his dinner left handed with a two year old strapped around his neck. 

Reason #4 | Instead of enjoying relaxing in a lawn chair in our backyard in the evening, he gave Liam a piggy-back (or "choo choo" as Liam likes to call it) ride while running around our backyard and chasing Rue all because it made Liam laugh. Sweetest dad in the world!

He is so much more than selfless ... he is loving, incredibly patient, so hard working, and thoughtful in every way! We adore him and I know our daughter will too!!

Liam got his dad this tie for Father's Day with a picture of the two of them on it, I made him his favorite homemade pizza breadsticks for dinner, and baby girl gave him a few kicks while we smothered him in hugs. I sure hope a few of those things made him feel special yesterday because he deserves to feel that way every day! We love you so much, Nic Williamson! Happy Father's Day!

To my own dad and father-in-law, we love you both so much and hope you had a wonderful Father's Day! Wish we could have spent it together but know we were thinking of you!

Nic's SURPRISE 30th

Yesterday our favorite guy in the whole world turned T H I R T Y!!!

Liam and I were still asleep when he left for work for the day so we wanted to make him something special on our driveway to come home to ...

Entering a new decade makes for a pretty special birthday so I decided it seemed only fitting to round up as many co-workers, childhood friends, neighbor friends, and his parents that I could to share this special day with him. I spent a great deal of the day lying to him about where I had to go and what I was doing so I could pull off what felt like a pretty great surprise party! 

I contacted one of his co-workers early in the day to help me keep him at work so I could get everything set up and ready for the party but that stinker wouldn't listen to them or respond to me about his timeline for the day (insert: I had NO idea when he was going to be coming home). There were several times throughout the day that I second guessed my sanity trying to throw this party by myself while 6 months pregnant (examples include: a lady trying to charge me $264 for 14 balloons at Fredmeyer, or the fact that half of those balloons popped while trying to get them in the back of my car, or the mounds and mounds of bird poop covering the picnic tables that I had to scrub clean for guests and food to sit on!) but thanks to a husband who could probably care less about the balloons, a whole heck of a lot of clorox wipes, a few tears, and a retired father-in-law who was willing to help a girl out, everything went off with a bang!

Nic got home from work at 4:15 for the day and I lied and said I had some last minute birthday errands to do. I encouraged him to relax and enjoy the time to himself while I took Liam with me. Then the crazy party prep went down and I left Liam with grandma at the park while people began to show up and I went back home to pick up Nic. Lie #2 was that I dropped Liam off at our friend's house who was babysitting him for the night so we could have a date. He was so excited that I sincerely hoped I didn't disappoint him when he found out that we weren't ACTUALLY going out on a date (thankfully he wasn't, but I still owe him one!). Lie #3 I told him he needed to be blindfolded so the place we were going to dinner would remain a surprise. I drove around in circles until he could no longer figure out where he was. haha Then we finally showed up at the park for the party!

Everyone shouted SURPRISE as I took off his blindfold and he was surrounded by people who love him!! I had his favorite (Wingers sticky fingers) as part of the dinner and Better than "You Know What" cake for dessert. ;)

Besides the many balloons that popped (including the big gold 30 ones that I never did end up getting his picture with), I hung these two posters as part of the party decor ...

Hilarious baby and childhood pictures in the shape of a "30" and a flashback to all the things that were popular in 1987 including 79 cents a gallon for gas and cell phones that were the size of a man's head!! haha

I put the poor man to work cleaning up his own party when it was all said and done ...

And Liam got to drive us home (living his BEST life)!! Before you start to panic, we are about 5 houses down from the park. ;)

We hope you had your BEST birthday yet, Nic Williamson! We are so lucky you are ours and can't wait to spend your next decade of life with you!! Love you!