February 2014

Here is what we were up to in February:

Our dear friends had a birthday party for their little boy who was turning two. We went bowling and had pizza and cake. She gave each of the boys who bowled a trophy. Grayson won the "most stylish" award and Aidan earned "most improved." I thought it was a really cute idea to make each of the kiddos feel special. The boys loved it!

The kids both came down with a stomach virus this month that would NOT leave. Typically, at least for us, a a stomach virus is 24-48 hours. This one lasted on and off for over a week. They would be fine one day and the next day they would puke. It was quite unpredictable and no fun for any of us.

We also bought new bedding for both boys this month and upgraded Grayson to a big boy bed. He loves it! I still need to find headboards, buy new curtains, etc. I don't think I realized that when I bought new bedding it wouldn't just be new bedding, I was essentially redecorating both rooms. Oops!

I also did some baking and worked on a paper for school which is taking up quite a bit of my time. I will be happy when it is completed.

I took the kids to see LEGO movie with my mother in law. Then we spent the day at her house playing games and just hanging out. Aidan loved the movie but it did not hold Grayson's attention. I thought it was cute.

Since it was February we spent a lot of time crafting and making valentines. Aidan made the heart shaped mustache valentines for his classmates. We loved how they turned out.

I cut out hearts and wrote little notes to the boys on why I love them and what makes them special. I put them on their doors one night while they were sleeping. They were surprised when they woke up and really liked their little love notes.

Tommy and I try to go on monthly dates. Each month we rotate who is planning the date. February was my month to plan and I thought it would be fun to go cross country skiing. We had a blast! I had never been before and Tommy hadn't gone in years. We both fell a couple times, which was hilarious. After, we went out for a drink and an appetizer to People's Perk in downtown Waukesha. It was a gorgeous day! We had so much fun!!

Overall I would say Februrary was pretty typical month for us filled with some really great times and some not so fun times. That being said, we are looking forward to Spring and are hoping it comes with some warmer weather!

January 2014

My poor blog has gone untouched for months. I can't even remember the last time I was able to blog, which makes me sad. I decided to try to post once a month just to document what we have been up to as a family. Here is what we were up to in January:

Date nights! Tommy and I were able to go on several dates in January. We checked out a new restaurant, saw a movie and went to a couple birthday parties. We had a great time!

January was COLD. Even colder than normal, so the kids were stuck inside for most of the month. We baked cookies, played tons of games, dressed up as superheros, went to the water park, and played "ships." Grayson also figured out how to "escape" his crib. Looks like it is time for a big boy bed!

We had several family gatherings and birthdays in January too! This year we celebrated Christmas at Tommy's parents house. My father in law put together a "Christmas Olympics" which was really fun! We played darts, pool, golf and "shut-the-box." Aidan won at darts! All the winners earned trophies. :)
We also tried several new recipes from SkinnyTaste, one of my new favorite food blogs.

I turned 31 this month and had one of the best birthdays I've ever had. My parents and closest friends went out to dinner to a restaurant we had never been too and it was AMAZING!

I also got breakfast in bed, a mani/pedi with one of my girlfriends, drinks with my best friends and a new bike. Aside from this month being incredibly cold, it was a fantastic month!

InstaFriday {Changes edition}

I'm calling this week's InstaFriday post the week of changes. So many new things are happening around our house. 

Tommy and I celebrated our fifth year wedding anniversary on September 1st. We put the kids to bed early and had a grown-up supper with actual adult conversation. It was lovely. So was the food and drink. The fight before supper, not so lovely but it happens. I don't want to pretend like we are some perfect couple with perfect kids in a perfect house because that is not reality. I want to be honest with all the happenings of our lives. Fights suck but we survived. We always do.

Tell the truth. This nail polish looks like pea soup. Doesn't it?! I am so MAD at myself. I was at the spa getting a wax when I noticed that OPI had a new collection out. I saw this color on one of the girls who worked at the spa and I thought it looked really fresh and springy, so I bought a bottle. Words cannot describe how UGLY this color looked on my nails.I had to change them back immediately. Yuck. Super bummed.

Look what we did!!! We FINALLY changed painted our beautiful library table. I'm not utterly convinced you can tell the difference between these two photos but we primed and painted the table white. I love how it turned out. Now all we need to do is get some hardware for the drawers and then I can start putting things on and in the table. I am so excited!

We had Kit, my in-laws dog, over the weekend. I learned that as much as I like dogs, we are not anywhere near ready to have one. Maybe some day I will change my mind.

Grayson changed classrooms at daycare. tear. This means he is no longer in "the baby room." The transition has been difficult for me. I'm just feeling like I'm not being communicated with, which is really frustrating. I'm trying to keep in mind that the first few weeks of a new routine are always hard and that things will improve. Grayson seems to be doing OK so far and ultimately, that is what matters.

This little book was in his bin of things to take home. His old teachers made this book of memories for us. The book includes tons of pictures of Grayson during his first year in their room, art projects and stories. Things we've never seen before. At the very end they wrote Grayson a little note. I cried. (Shocker, I know) I am so grateful to be able to look back on his first year and see how happy he looked and how well taken care of he was.

We bought Aidan this Lego CITY police station for his birthday. He built it all by himself. I was very impressed. He is just getting so old. Before I know it he is going to be off to college. I can't allow my mind to go there yet.

We were welcomed into the wonderful world of kindergarten this week. Aidan is absolutely loving it and is doing great with the change. The school district we are in actually has the parents attend the first day of school with the child to try to make the transition a bit easier. I can't stress what a great idea I think this is. It made me feel much more comfortable being able to be there on his first day. Plus, we got to meet with the variety of specialists that will be involved in our children's education which is always a good thing.

Happy Friday people! 

(Sharing our daily moments with Jeannett at LifeRearragned)

Summer Recap {2012}

It's official. Summer is over. womp.womp. On a happy note though, pumpkin spice lattes are back at Starbucks today. (yay!!)

I created a little to-do list for our family to work on when summer first started. I thought it would be fun to look back and see what we were actually able to accomplish from the list. I was surprised. We did more than I thought we did. However, not everything got crossed off the list but who is able to accomplish everything on their to-do list? Certainly not this girl. Although, I secretly wish I could.

Here is a reminder of our list:

1. Go to the Farmer's Market in Madison
2. Brewers Games
3. Camping with Aidan (even if it's only in our backyard)
4. Fishing
5. Trips to the zoo
6. Bike Rides
7. Travel Up North
8. Boat Rides
9. Fireworks
10. Enroll Aidan in t-ball and soccer
11. Watch Tommy's baseball games
12. Go to the beach...build a sandcastle
13. Take family pictures
14. Host a book drive
15. Go on a picnic
16. See a parade
17. Go to a fair
18. Attend Jazz in the park
19. Participate in a 5K
20. Catch a sunrise
21. Run through the sprinkler
22. Learn to golf 

The things in bold, we didn't get to. Kind of a bummer BUT there is always next summer. We could still do a few of  these things too as long as the weather stays nice (like camp, see a sunrise and golf). We missed our chance to see a parade and go to Jazz in the Park. Even though we didn't get to everything on the list, we did a few things that weren't on the list. We grilled pizza for the first time, I planted flowers in my garden for the first time, we had lots of smores and celebrated veterans. We managed to do all of this with record setting temperatures here in Milwaukee.

We went to several Brewers games. Uncle Danny took Aidan fishing while we were on vacation. We went to the zoo a few times. Road bikes almost daily. Went Up North for a week in July and went on plenty of boat rides. Saw fireworks on the 4th of July. Aidan played both t-ball and soccer. Auntie Lindsay took Aidan to the beach on his birthday. We took family pictures in June. We collected books to be donated on Grayson's behalf for his first birthday. We went on a picnic while on vacation. We went to state fair and had a blast! I did my first 5K a couple of weeks ago and Aidan loved running through the sprinkler. We also celebrated all of the boys birthdays. I'd say it was a good summer! 

How did you spend your summer?! 

InstaFriday

I can't believe summer is almost over and Labor day is already upon us. Where did the summer go?! As much as I love the heat, swimming and all that summer brings with it, I love fall even more and am looking forward to the weather changing. Hellllllllllo pumpkin spice lattes, football, slow cooker meals and leaves falling. 

I digress...we had another busy week in the Rapp household. (Are you seeing a theme here? Every week is a busy week!) Check out my instagram pics...

I participated in the Color Run with a few of my girlfriends. Have you heard about the awesomeness that is the Color Run? If not, it's a 5K that has "color stations" staggered throughout the run. Basically a variety of people throw different colored cornstarch at you as you run through each station. Then at the end of the race you participate in a color release. You get a little packet of color and throw it up in the air only to have it land all over you. Hence the pink spots all over my hair and face. To say I had a blast, would be an understatement. It was absolute amazingness (is that even a word??). I loved it and cannot wait to do another one. 

We had Aidan's pirate party at my MIL's house on Sunday. We are so blessed to be able to celebrate the important events in our lives with both of our families.

Although Aidan's birthday was celebrated on Sunday, his actual birthday was on Monday. We blew up balloons and put them in his room while he was sleeping so that when he woke up on his birthday he found balloons everywhere. My sister made him a birthday crown to wear too. She also took him to the beach during the day since Tommy and I both had to work. When we came home we made his favorite meal for supper, sang happy birthday and had cake.

I made this blueberry oatmeal monkey bread. Go make it. Now. For reals, it is so so good!

Gray baby is sick. Again. :(
Double ear infection, fever, cold. We spent lots of time snuggling, wiping boogies and watching Elmo.

Aidan had Kindergarten screening and "Welcome Night" at school this week to prepare him (and us) for the school year. K5 here we come!!!! 

Have a great weekend! Are you doing anything fun? 

(Linking up our everyday moments with Jeannett) 

Aidan's Pirate Party

We had a little party for Aidan on Sunday to celebrate his 6th birthday. Last year we had a huge party with family and friends so we decided to keep things a bit more low key this year. Aidan is really into pirates so choosing a theme was easy. I lucked out in the party planning department because my MIL wanted to host, which made things really easy for me. I didn't have to do much of anything but enjoy myself, which was nice.

She found these cute napkins from Target...I thought they went perfect with the theme.

Aidan and Grandpa built both of these Lego pirate ships for Aidan to just play with when he goes over to their house. We used them as centerpieces. I wish I had taken a close up. Cathy, my MIL, also bought pirate themed stickers so Aidan could "decorate" the tablecloths however he wanted it. My only real contribution was the eye patches that we put around each pirate ship for party-goers to grab and wear. 

The eye patches were definitely made for small children who don't have large heads though. Many eye patches broke because our heads were too big. OOPs. We tried, rather unsuccessfully, to take a family picture. Aidan was doing his "Arrgh matey" and happened to punch me in the face.It was hilarious!  

Cathy made delicious food! We had the choice of steak, chicken or pheasant kabobs with potatoes and veggies, a lettuce and pear salad and fruit salad. SO GOOD! 

We are blessed with very generous family and friends. Aidan was spoiled rotten and got really nice gifts. His favorites were the Lego City Police Station and his "army guy" buildings. Grayson didn't want to miss out on the action either. He was happy just playing with the wrapping paper though. 

Aidan with all of his "loot." 

Isn't this picture great?! He looks so serious. Nana and Papa got him some "spy gear" which was equipped with a set of walkie-talkies and  this awesome headset. He LOVES it!! After he opened gifts it was the first thing he played with. He also got a marshmallow shooter from Great Grandpa that he carried around with him to shoot all the bad pirates at the party.

After eating and playing with a few of his gifts, we sang happy birthday and called it a day. Happy 6th Birthday Monkey!!!! We love you and hope you had an awesome party!

Dear Monkey

Dear Monkey,

Today is your 6th birthday. I can't believe its been SIX years since you were born. Your Daddy and I were so nervous when you were in my belly. We didn't know what to expect once we brought you home from the hospital; but we had no reason to be nervous. Since the day you were born, you've taught us so much. You've taught us how to be patient. How to be let go and be silly. How to persevere and never give up and how to love unconditionally.  

You are starting Kindergarten next week and will now be in school every day. No more Auntie days. No more Grandpa days. No more lazy mornings at home. You are growing up right before my eyes. You are so kind and have such a big heart. Treat others the way you want to be treated and respect other people's differences. You are so smart. Dr. Suess says, "You have brains in your head and feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction you choose." Never forget that. Most of all, I want you to always remember how much you are loved. You will always be our #1 boy!

All my love,

Mama

You know the deal... InstaFriday

What a week we've had...birthday celebrations, a new job offer, preparing for my first 5K, bathroom renovations, and more. So many fun and exciting events and opportunities. We have so much to be thankful for! 

Clearly, I am NOT a cake decorator. These were supposed to look like baseballs for Aidan's little Brewer outing on Sunday. I think they look more like railroad tracks. But Aidan thought they were "awesome." Thank goodness for little boys who don't care about silly things like poorly decorated birthday cupcakes. In my defense though, my dear husband cut the licorice strands and clearly he cut them too big. Right Tommy?

The boys had a blast at the ballpark. Note to self though, if there is a next time we will definitely go to a park or something before the game versus tailgating in the parking lot. They wanted to run and play and I was a nervous wreck with all of the hot grills around us. The Brewers lost which was a bummer but judging by the fact that Aidan fell asleep on the way home, I think he had a great time.

I debated even sharing this on here because these pictures are NASTY. ew.ew.ew. This would be the current state of our basement bathroom. The person we bought our house from purchased it and then flipped it. Everything is new, except the basement, which is unfinished and has this beauty in it. I think it is the tiniest bathroom I have ever seen but I'm just thankful to have a second option. We just purchased a new toilet, pedestal sink, drywall, flooring etc. We are hoping to make progress within the next couple of weeks and boy do we have work to do. These are the before pics.

For Grayson's birthday in June, we collected books to donate to Children's Hospital of WI. We collected a total of 56 books, which is so awesome!! I finally got around to delivering the books this week.  Aidan wanted to come on Grayson's behalf and share with the Child Life Specialist what we did. It was really neat to hear him verbalize why we decided to collect the books and I think he felt good afterwards. The hospital gave us little Thank You certificates. I tried so hard to get the boys to sit together for a picture and it was IMPOSSIBLE.

Champagne to celebrate the new J.O.B!!

I'm participating in the Color Run today and I am SO excited!! I painted my nails last night to be extra festive. I'm looking forward to a weekend spent with friends and family to celebrate my big boys birthday and my new job! Have a great weekend! 

(Linking up with Jeannett)

InstaFriday (my favorite post ever!)

So I've come to the conclusion that my InstaFriday posts are my favorite posts EVER. I love sharing how our little family spends our time. Haven't heard of InstaFriday? Check out Jeannett's blog Liferearranged. Anywho... back to what we've been up to.

Aren't my Grandparents adorable?! We took my Grandpa to a local event to celebrate veterans and had an awesome time.

The weather has finally cooled off a bit here so we've been spending a lot of time outside. We took out Aidan's old slide to see if Grayson was ready to play on it and we had a ball. He wasn't so sure at first but ended up loving it.  One of my aunts also gave Aidan a set of "rocket launchers" that get played with daily. Even Grayson wants in on the fun.

We went back to school shopping for my little kindergartner (tear). He is all set to go and couldn't be more excited. I am having a hard time with it and I'm not really sure why. He has been in 4K and did preschool so its not like this is first time he is going away to school. He gets it and is more than ready. I don't know if its the whole "he is getting older and is going to ride the bus to school every single day thing" or what. I'm sure after a couple of weeks of adjusting it will be just fine.

While we were at Target, Grayson was into everything and I mean EVERYTHING. He is walking now so he wanted to touch, knock over and play with anything he could get his hands on. Like this hat. He wore it around the entire store and then screamed bloody murder when we put it back before we checked out. We weren't in the market for a Paul Frank hat, as cute as it was.

Definitely not the best picture we've ever taken but its us nonetheless. One of my besties moved back here from Kansas City to complete her fellowship in emergency medicine at our local Children's Hospital. We had a girls night on Monday that consisted of drinking margaritas, eating bad food and watching trashy TV. It was a perfect night for us.

PS. how delish does this look?! Yum-o is all I have to say.

I went to dinner with my MIL, Aunt and cousins. We thoroughly enjoyed our wine our time together.   

What are you getting into this weekend? Aidan's 6th birthday is coming up so we are taking him to a Brewer game on Sunday. Should be a good time! Happy Friday peeps!!

Share your everyday moments with Jeannett!!