Birds of Prey

Liam has shown a big interest in peregrine falcons lately so we thought it would be the perfect opportunity for him to see his first one in person when they had a free kids day at the Birds of Prey Center a few Saturdays ago! It was up in the lower foothills so we even got to see some snow while we were there. Birds are always the hardest to see whenever we got to the zoo but these cages were so open (not a lot of fluff inside) and well lit making every bird really visible. They still didn't move around much but even Lyla was interested in looking at them. Here is their beautiful peregrine falcon and Liam's favorite part of the whole morning ... 

They offered a brief show and tell of a couple of owls they have there. I think I have close to 1,000 pictures of these two owls that Liam took with my phone. He's a pretty great little photographer, don't you think?!. ;)

It is mostly elderly volunteers that work there and they all look so jovial and fascinated with these birds. This particular guy told us about the owls' diet, habitat, facts about its body, etc. and then opened it up to the audience for questions. He mentioned they do flight shows with the peregrine falcon in the fall. We're already picking a weekend to go!

After the demonstration they had several kid friendly rooms where they could touch and feel pretend eggs, look at feathers under microscopes, and even try on their very own bird costume. How cute is my peregrine falcon?! ;)

With our friends, all the kids got to make their own binoculars. My creative one took matters into his own hands and stacked his toilet paper rolls on top of each other to make a telescope.  

Lyla testing out her binoculars on the bald eagle. ;) She looked like a mini Dora the Explorer!

After touring the place all morning the kids were tuckered out. Lyla woke up particularly early that morning and just couldn't quite make it to bed time without a nap in my arms. I wasn't complaining one bit!

date night, girls' night

Being able to stay at home with my kids is such a blessing to me. I am grateful that there isn't a moment during the day where they don't have me if they need me but it also makes the days really long sometimes and some of those times I miss adult interaction and connection. Thankfully I have made some of the best friends here and sister-in-laws to do play dates all the time with so I can fill my cup too when I need it. And then there are some of my favorite special occasions ... date nights and girls' nights! Two to remember from January ...

We had such a good time at the sledding hill in town when we went on Christmas Eve that I knew I wanted to squeeze it in for a date night too! It was so much fun to go at night after dark and it kept us feeling young, bold, and brave being surrounded by a million teenagers for a night . ;) haha We dove on our tubes like penguins without a care in the world! I love my time alone with this guy so much! After sledding down the hill as many times as possible during our allowed window, we finally used some gifts cards that Edie sweetly gave us as prizes from our family Halloween party (2 years ago haha) to a small coffee shop. Those strawberry smoothies were well worth the wait let me tell you! 

Speaking from someone who's love language is quality time ... I think "experience" gifts are the very best kind of gifts to get! My mom surprised me with a ticket to see the Broadway performance of Fiddler on the Roof with her girlfriends while it was in town. She has the best group of friends that are all so sweet to me. We car pooled with several of them downtown and all met for dinner at a new-to-me restaurant called "Bonefish" for bang bang shrimp from the happy hour menu. TO DIE FOR!

The show was so so incredible! The main actor who played Tevye deserved every minute of his standing ovation at the end of the performance. I had the soundtrack playing on my Pandora station for my kids to hear for days following. It was such a fun gift (thanks mom!) and girls night! 

new years eve

No matter the hardship, I always tend to look back fondly on every year of my life as it comes to a close. 2019 was no exception. These were the "top 9" moments from Instagram that people loved to see the most from our family. A whole lot of spunkiness from Lyla Mae, the dollhouse, and lots of family hugs!

We were so happy to have Nic home with us on New Years Eve! We took the kids to the Childrens' Museum during the morning and they made cute hats to ring in the new year. 

We usually have a low key celebration at home for this holiday but that doesn't mean we don't pull out flashy tinsel necklaces and crank the music!

My two favorite little humans right where I like them most, wrapped in my arms!

While dancing in the front room we got a knock at the door and found a belated Christmas gift from Lyla's nursery teachers at church. It was this adorable photo book of pictures they had taken of her and her friends on Sundays throughout the year. Her reaction was so cute!

We watched the ball drop at "6 pm", put the kids to bed at 7, and stayed up just long enough (10) to see the East Coast ball drop and then it was off to bed for us too. ;) 

Have you seen the tv show, "This is Us"? He's my very own Jack Pearson ... the best dad I know!

Looking forward to this new year with my favorite people!

Family Pictures with my Momma

We had family pictures on my mom's side taken right before Christmas time. It is not only rare to have my brother home with us but also to have pictures together so I really cherish these. Thanks mommasita for the beautiful pictures and sorry my children didn't cooperate in the ice cold that day, especially after Lyla tripped and face planted it in the dirt. haha

Lyla's Dollhouse

I can't tell you how old I was or what daycare exactly but I have this vivid moment as a child when I saw my very first Victorian style dollhouse. It was something that had been passed down in that family and I could tell, was very special to them. At this daycare, we weren't allowed in the bedrooms of the children who lived there. All the toys we played with were in the living room or outside but one day she made an exception long enough for her daughters to show me their dollhouse. I remember it sitting on top of a small night stand, the outside painted pink with white shutters. It had intricate staircases of the swirling nature leading to different bedrooms on different floors. The beds were adored with the perfect amount of floral and while I didn't touch a thing, it was the most incredible thing I'd ever seen.  

When I had Lyla I dreamed of making her one for Christmas someday and this was the year! My creative side reveled in every moment I spent on this special keepsake for her. I bought a kit from Hobby Lobby at the beginning of November and finished it on December 21st, just days before giving it to her. It came in a thousands pieces of raw wood that needed to be labeled, organized in phases for assembly, sanded, painted, and wood glued together. I learned the true art of how long it takes for wood glue to cure and dry, it took the most amount of patience I'd say. But it all resulted in this and it was exactly as I had dreamed ...

The original had a second tiered porch which explains the side door from the master bedroom but an open balcony just fit what I imagined so much better. 

And what says Christmas time more than tiny little wreaths on every window and a "baby it's cold outside" front door mat! 

I covered the chimney and front porch steps with tiny bricks I made out of a painted egg carton. 

A view of the inside from the back ...

The cutest mommy and daddy mice ...

I made all the rugs out of velvet paper and sewed the bedding so it would have sheets the mice could slip underneath when they go to sleep ...

While I wanted her dollhouse to be unique, I also wanted it to be special and reflect the things she not only loves but that are in her own childhood home a little bit. The living room had to have a mini version of our family picture on the wall and a tiny blanket ladder!

I also designed the fireplace for the perfect tv stand and sewed curtains for the window in this room.

I love the two toned staircase so much!

This is the master bedroom ... I made the canopy bed and found the sweetest print of an angel bunny to remind her of Rue in heaven that I turned into wallpaper from this room. The fluffy white pillows were sewn from the same fabric I made our living room pillows in our real house and painted the nightstand pink just like her pink dresser in her own bedroom. 

The wallpaper is my favorite!

That tiny picture of her and Liam ...

This is the kitchen with the most adorable floating shelves filled with everything the mice need to have a dinner party. ;)

One side has the cutest hatch to play in the back of the bathroom or dining room ...

Everything is cuter tiny!! Like that little wooden stool for a piano bench, a tiny mirror, and the light fixtures. 

This is the hodgepodge room. haha It has a spot for the piano, a washer and dryer, and the bathroom in the back. The herringbone floor is my favorite part!! All of the floors were incredibly time consuming but so worth it in the end ... I made them all out of stained or painted popsicle sticks to create wood floors. 

The sweetest scalloped wallpaper in the bathroom ...

The attic is the most played with and loved part of the whole house ... I made it with the baby mice in mind ...

I can't get over how darling they are!!

There is another bed up there and a tiny little dollhouse that opens and can fit things inside. 

I also adore the attic wallpaper. The tiny little snowflakes in the winter floral pattern will always remind me of this special Christmas, when I gave Lyla her dollhouse. 

There were a few dollhouse pieces that survived our house flood back in the day that I was able to use and it made it extra special having some pieces to include from my childhood. The piano for example which I painted black and the forest green bed in the attic. The rocking chair was also mine and was broken but I glued it back together and it doesn't look too shabby after I covered it in a coat of white paint.

Next to having my children (haha), it was my favorite labor of love. I hope she cherishes it for years to come and that one day I can pass it on to my grandkids.