Category Archives: memories

Farewell, summer! Hello, fall!

September 23, 2015

It’s hard to believe the summer has come to an end! I always say summer goes by too fast, and this year was no exception! It is definitely a summer to remember… we had Leo, ON my 31st birthday, June 8th! That kicked off a BUSY summer filled with lots of cuddles with him, adjusting to two kids, attempting to potty train, celebrating my sister’s baby, and spending almost every weekend at the cabin. I am always sad to see summer end. I’ll miss those hot summer nights, boating on the sun-kissed lake, basking in the glorious sun, swimming in the warm waters, staying up past our bedtime to soak in the sun, bonfires to the magnificent sunsets, and all of those messy popsicles dripping down Ivy’s face.

Indeed, this summer was one to remember!

So, farewell, summer… and HELLO fall! A season of pumpkins and sweaters! And that will create many fun memories to savor as well. Already can’t wait for Halloween!!

Oh and PS – today is the “autumnal equinox,” which is Latin for equal between day and night. It is one of the two periods of the year when the sun crosses the equator and the days and nights are in equal length all over the earth. It’s where the sun sets exactly 12 hours after it rises all over the world. Pretty cool huh?!

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Our Labor Day Weekend

September 7, 2015

We had a fantastic Labor Day weekend! We got a dose of family and friends throughout the days and had plenty of fun at our cabin and at the beach or on the boat. I hate to think that summer is almost over! :( I’m not ready for that yet! So we spent plenty of time outdoors and I’m kind of hoping for one last Indian Summer weekend with some big heat. It was pretty cloudy all weekend, but the nights were sunny and gorgeous, just in time for a pretty sunset!

John’s uncle John (yes, same name, hehe) and his wife Heidi and their daughter Ellen came to visit first. Really loved seeing them and Ivy had fun tubing with them! We hit a big wave when I was driving the boat and the tube went under knocking Heidi, Ellen, and Ivy off the tube! WHOOPS!!! Thankfully Ellen had a good hold of Ivy and all was good :) Thanks Ellen! And Ivy didn’t even cry, whew, she’s such a water baby!

Loved her swim cover up!! She got it from Nasty Gal

John twins

The rest of the weekend was spent with some friends and we hit the beach to soak in the couple hours of sun that finally peeked out.

Dear belly button, you can shrink back in now, ok? :/

John, Justin, and Shannon chillllaxin’

“Sand castle Daddy, sand castle!”

So confident…. love this chick

These colors and patterns in this photo! Oh and Daddy and baby, cute :)

Ivy, REALLY, damn…. the life of a toddler

Leo and the boys

Little Leo caught the cold that’s gone around our whole house, but he was still smiley as usual! We were thankful that Shannon, my friend and our pediatrician, was here with us! She’s a pro at suctioning the ickies out!!! He was still a tropper sleeping on the boat and at the beach dozing off to the sound of the waves… ahhh not so bad at all :)

Hope you all had a terrific holiday weekend! Thank you to all the hard workers out there that make our country amazing!

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Celebrating Baby Fleming and John’s 36th!

August 6, 2015

This past weekend we had a very special celebration, my sister Jillian’s BABY SHOWER! We are THRILLED for baby Fleming and cannot WAIT for her arrival, due September 16! John and I and Ivy and Leo all hopped on a plane and flew to Indianapolis. The flight went very well, both ways, thankfully, and we arrived in Indy just in time for a fab bbq with all of our family. My aunt Teresa from California came, my sister Catheryn from Portland, and my Mom all made the trip for the celebration.

Jillian and our Mama

Jillian and her husband Brian, the ecstatic father-to-be!

Saturday was the shower, and I got to host it along with one of Jillian’s best friends Georgianne and my other sister Catheryn. This was the floral invite we used, so gorgeous! We put together a wonderful shower for her and all of Jillian’s best friends and family were there to celebrate. Happy Shower Jillian!

The guests played bingo (cards from this Etsy shop) while she opened presents, and played b-a-b-y s-h-o-w-e-r acronym which was a ton of fun! Each bag, spelling baby shower, had a corresponding gift and the guests had to guess what item was in each bag. Loved it!

And our babies were very well taken care of by Auntie Teresa and Grandma Caleen while I hosted :) xoxo, lots of snuggles!

The shower was a big success and Jillian has the BEST of friends that gave her some amazing gifts. Great shower for sure! I was jealous of the Solly swaddles she received! I want them!

That evening we went to an event called Symphony on the Prairie and it was AMAZING. The music was a cover band for “Genesis,” Phil Collins’ old band. It was fabulous music, an amazing evening, delicious food, and we even had a sunset ride in a hot air balloon!

Leo and his double chin, SMOOCH

On Sunday, it was John’s 36th BIRTHDAY! Us ladies went out for brunch while the guys hung out before everyone flew back home. We went to a fabulous farm to table restaurant called Traderspoint Creamery.

After brunch, John decided to do something “family friendly,” which is amazing that he’s come so far! When I met him all he had was beer and ketchup in his fridge, so this previous bachelor is accepting his family fate! :) Ha! So we hit up the Indianapolis Zoo, I LOVE ZOOS! Very fun!

Happy 36th Birthday Johnny!! We love you!

And next time we visit, this adorable nursery will be filled with a beautiful baby! So close Jillian!

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Second Time Mom

July 29, 2015

With seven weeks behind us, I’m sitting here reflecting about how different it is to be a mom the second time around. I’ve moved from a rookie paranoid first time mom to a relaxed and go-with-the-flow (on most occasions) second time mom. The best thing about it is your EXPERIENCE. You know some tricks up your sleeve that helped you manage and just knowing what the heck you’re doing with this baby. Experience is on our side.

Top FOUR things about being a second time Mom

1. Being able to get out of the house. I remember having Ivy and being so scared to go anywhere, putting myself in a voluntary prison at home. Asking myself, how do I go to Target? How do I grocery shop? Well now that the car seat is in the grocery cart, where do I put the groceries?! These all make me laugh now, and we figured it out eventually, all trial and error and looking seriously ridiculous while seeing if there are other moms around that you can copy (oh ya, I did that many times). Now this time, we were out of the house right away. For goodness sakes, we have a toddler to keep up with!! I’m throwing the kids in the car and we are off. Going to art class, going to the zoo, going to the park, going to swim, stacking the groceries around Ivy and the car seat… we are out, and it’s so much better than being stuck at home! So first time Mom’s, get some NATURAL vitamin D on your babe and get out, you can do it!!

2. Being more chill about sleep. With Ivy, I was soooo paranoid about her sleeping, strict on white noise, strict on schedules, strict on bed times. STRICT. Ultimately, it led to her being a picky sleeper, she would only fall asleep in the perfect conditions, just like her mom. Ugh. So this time around, I am putting Leo into every sleeping situation and have been successful with him falling asleep anywhere. Thank goodness. That was too hard and stressful with Ivy! Leo has been much easier.

3. Letting go of that vice grip. Your first born child is “my precious” (think Gollum from the Lord of the Rings insanity). You have a vice grip on that thing that no one can break. I remember guarding Ivy from others, being scared of who was holding her, getting rid of germs, washing and sanitizing EVERYTHING. Well, second kid, I hand him off like a hot potato to whoever wants him.

4. And I think the BEST thing about being a second time Mom is SNUGGLING with your baby because you know how fast it goes!!! :(

Read these post for some funny laughs about second time Moms – here and here

The Black Hills

July 14, 2015

Last weekend, we headed towards the beautiful western side of South Dakota en route to the Black Hills. We decided to leave Ivy at home with Grandma Betsy to get some quality time with Leo, and let’s be honest, to make it easier on us! : / We hit some gorgeous hikes, shopped around the antique stores, and had a blast at the wedding! Congratulations Kyle and Celeste Horazdovsky!

We started our trip on Thursday and made a stop at Rapid City. To our surprise, it was the night of the Main Street Square Concert Series. There were two live bands playing, tons of people walking the streets, and a beautiful night to cap it off. John, Leo, and I, walked around, said cheers with some beer (well minus Leo…indirectly), and enjoyed the live music to stretch out our legs!

The coolest is ART ALLEY! It’s an entire alley dedicated to graffiti!

The next couple of days we hiked two different paths, walked around Sylvan Lake, and downed some more beer at the State Game Lodge in Custer.

FAVE when you get to cross creeks and dip your toes in the cool mountain water

LIke, HOW PERFECT IS THAT ACTION SHOT?! Exact leg placement, holla!

Solly Wrap came in HANDY

Of course John had to do some shopping for antiques and animal stuff for our cabin. This was a favorite! So West River, ha! I love it

Last but not least, the wedding night for Kyle and Celeste. BEAUTIFUL setting, gorgeous bride, handsome groom, and surrounded by fun and friends. Very memorable evening! Leo loved the disco lights :)

Next time, the kid in me wants to bring Ivy and hit Reptile Gardens and Bear Country! I know she had fun with Emmie and Papa though!