5.5 and 3.5: A Half Birthday Celebration:

Another six months have come & gone and our two sweet babes are celebrating! We celebrate their half-birthdays right smack dab in the middle of both of their real half-birthdays and it is such a special day for everyone! They love getting their traditional half of a cake to eat and the biggest celebration is getting to say "I am 5 and a half now mommy, I'm not just 5 anymore, you know that right?". It's a big deal guys! ;)

There have been so many changes this year for both kids. For Charli we have added school drop off & pick up, field trips, early release days, homework and all the things Kindergarten related. For Crew, he has finally had uninterrupted Mommy time and he says it is his favorite thing {it's mine too}! I love our special time together. We have playdates, go to the Zoo, go shopping, we started MOPS {Mothers of Preschoolers} last year when Charli started school, and so many other fun things. I am truly soaking up every second with him as we will be getting him signed up for VPK this weekend... Mind officially blown guys. Our little man will be off to school before we know it and this momma will be home all by herself {tiny tiny happy dance ;)}. 

All in all, the kids are really so much fun at this age and boy am I going to miss it all one day. 

They truly are growing up so very fast.

Charli's Stats:

*Height: 49inches

*Weight: 56lbs

*Some Favorite Things: School, homework, Drawing, Singing, Dancing, Playing Soccer {just signed her up for Spring Season}, Tennis, Gardening, Flowers, Butterflies, Playing Outside, Daddy, Nana & Papa, her best friend Benjamin, her puppies, and her new found love... Disney World!

Crew's Stats:

*Height: 42inches

*Weight: 42lbs

*Some Favorite Things: Wrestling, Sticks, Trucks, Trains, Cars, his lovies, Playing outside, Playing with friends, Raisins, Snuggling, Nana & Papa, Daddy, his puppies, Sharks, Lions, and his new found love of Disney World!

Happy Half Birthday's Babies! 

Mommy & Daddy love you! 

Catching Moments: {3/52}:

*We have spent the past three days back and forth from the hospital visiting Daddy. It is never easy seeing a loved one sick, in pain, and pretty helpless but when it is "your Daddy, the man who can do everything, your protector, your provider, your family's rock" it is even tougher. The kids have been troupers with everything and though scared at times, they love when they get to see their daddy. {and yes, he is no longer contagious!}

{update on Steven: He is still in the hospital with no sign of coming home yet. The doctor ordered a CT Scan and after looking at the results stated "this is one of the worst lungs I have seen in a very long time". The Pulmonologist {Lung Specialist} has let us know there is a great likelihood that Steven will be having a procedure tomorrow {a chest tube put in to drain his lung cavity}. We will know for certain once he is re-evaluated in the morning. He has a blockage of some sort to his lung and has had no let up of fevers even on antibiotics which has been a huge concern. Please continue to keep this amazing man of ours in all of your prayers! You truly don't know how much it means to us.}

Catching Moments: {2/52}:

*When Mother Nature throws you some 80 degree days in January and you happen to be on vacation, you hang at the pool! The kids had an absolute blast while it lasted, because we are back to jeans, jackets, and fires! 

Catching Moments 2018: {1/52}:

I am so excited to be participating in my third year of Catching Moments. One of my best friends started this little project as a way to capture our families, our children, or our life in general, each week for the entire year. Sarah is an amazing photographer & blogger herself and I love that even though we can't see each other all of the time {military life}, that we are able to do this together. It is such a simple yet impactful project. If you would like to join us, please do! 

Here's to another wonderful year of

Catching those Moments!

*Since the New Year, the weather has been so cold here in Florida. It is slowly starting to warm up though now. Over the weekend we bundled up and took a family walk. I love that walks still put this little boy fast to sleep. Oh how I love him so! 

*Before starting Kindergarten, Charli was reading her little beginner BOB books, but watching how fast she has picked up on reading is truly remarkable. She seems to be a very fast learner and is already reading at a level that they look for by the last day of Kindergarten. She absolutely loves reading and though I do not, I pray she always has a love for reading just like her Daddy. 

Crafting Chronicles: Christmas Card Booklets:

Happy Monday & second week into the New Year! 

By now I'm sure all Christmas is put away, homes back to normal, and that hustle & bustle of Christmas and New Years has quieted down. But what to do with all those Christmas Cards that have been hanging up, adorning your home for the past month? Please don't throw them away. Start now by creating booklets each and every year. It is something I have been doing for the past five years and it truly is such a fun keepsake for our family. We love looking back throughout the years to see how all of our friends families have grown, where they are living now, etc. 

I've posted about this simple DIY in the past but I had several friends ask me this year what I do with them if anything. So here it is, I punch a hole in the top of every one and place a piece of twine through to tie it off. I keep all of these booklets together in a drawer and pull them out each Christmas season! 

I always place one of our cards on the very top to remember the year! This is something I will always do and cherish. So if you ever think your card is going to end up in the trash, just think about it being cherished over here for years and years to come! ;)

Happy January!