Genius

I got a few more pieces done for our gallery wall that I am working on. This one was my favorite:

I plan to change the lettering with the seasons.

From asleep on my back to asleep in the crib.
Gotta love ninja mommy skills!

When Logan woke from his morning nap we got out and about for an errand day. David's mom treated us to lunch and then we were running around for the rest of the afternoon!

We got this boy some goggles!

These things are genius.  EVERY bathroom should have at least one.

Ayden powered through the day without a nap and did not have a single meltdown.  After dinner, David went to mow our property and the boys and I played outside until bedtime. 

"What the heck are these things?!"

Now he understands!

I figured that he's going to have to start wearing shoes since he's a big walker now.
At least in gravel filled driveways...

Errand days are the only long days for me during this season in my life. I am pretty tired but am glad to have enjoyed the day with my boys, as always.

Our big boy wanted a couple of new toys so he helped me find a few old ones to sell.
He picked out this helicopter and loves it so much he wanted to sleep with it.
He is sweet and adorable. That is all.

~Sarah

Flashback!  Here's what we were up to one year ago today: "5 Happy Things: Juggling"

Two years ago today: "How To: Boil Strip Cloth Diapers"

And three years ago today: "It's Official!"

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Split Up

If you hadn't noticed already, our days are typically split up into two parts. Before Ayden's nap and after Ayden's nap. Logan will still nap on the go pretty easily which is good because both of his naps ended up being that way today (he is officially down to two a day now, by the way). 

This morning, our before nap time block consisted of story time:

and letting one of our playgroup family's dogs out for a mid-day potty break. 

Logan was taking nap #1 at this point.

During nap, Logan played while I outlined my talking points for a job I have lined up for the next 6 months (more on this in a later post).

After nap was a trip to the chiropractor:

Nap #2!

And a check in at the beehives. Unfortunately, the split and requeening mission turned out to be a fail. The bees are all gone. My mentor is now thinking that the swarm I caught and gave away may have been one of my new queens who decided she did not want to stay once she was released. It is rare but happens...  Bummer. That would definitely explain the too-much-of-a-cooincidence timing of that swarm. If that is really the case then we totally bought a queen only to turn around and give her away. We have no speculation about what may have happened to the second queen... You live and you learn I suppose. The good news is that we have bees literally spilling out of our other two hives. They are going strong and we may even end up with a honey harvest that is comperable to last year's 120lbs of deliciousness. 

After that was dinner and bed time. David had a dental appointment after work and then stopped by Home Depot for some electrical supplies. He got home just in time to read the boys their second bedtime story and help me get them all tucked in. 

My preference for our days is to only go out once during and I typically try to make that happen in the mornings.  I also prefer to have a day or two where we don't go anywhere at all but we seem to be very busy bees in the Summer and just can't seem to find a way around that.  We go on a short vacation next week and then when we get back I'm going to really try and squeeze in as much pool time and summer fun as we can until Labor Day. If I am honest with myself, things probably won't really slow down until after we move and get semi-settled in our new house.  Yikes! We've got to just hold on and enjoy the ride as much as we can.

~Sarah

Flashback!  Here's what we were up to one year ago today: "Sweet Surprise"

Two years ago today: "Growth Spurts"

And three years ago today: "Hunting For Treasures"

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Still More Summer!

Nothing too exciting to report today.  I just enjoyed another sweet Summer day with my boys!

Back to school talk and supplies are everywhere now and it is starting to feel like Summer is over already....

~Sarah

Flashback!  Here's what we were up to one year ago today: "Sprinkled With Love"
Two years ago today: "To The Dentist"
And three years ago today: "Keeping Things Basic"

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Running Man

We had yet ANOTHER play group gathering today. This one was a baby shower. 

Cute as a button, indeed!

Logan officially spent more time walking than crawling today. 

The rest of our afternoon was very peaceful. The boys' naps did not line up and each played well while the other slept.

Logan was still asleep when David got home.  I was finishing up dinner and David was reading to Ayden when Logan woke up.  David went in to get him but I think he was feeling a little out of sorts.  He was fussing while David held him so he put him down.  He decided he wanted me so we started walking to me from across the house.  He got SO frustrated that he couldn't RUN to his mommy.  He just sat down and cried.  Of course I was walking toward him to so I scooped him up in no time but it was really adorable. 

Since it was Tuesday, David stayed home for quality time with the boys after dinner. I did some work on the computer and did some cleaning with my kid-free time. That may not sound very fun but with all the time spent making birthday and baby shower gifts this past week, I was glad to have a little free time to catch up on some things that have been on the back burner. 

It seems as though the rest of this week will be a little more normal which I am looking forward to.  I am craving a slower pace for sure!

~Sarah

Flashback!  Here's what we were up to one year ago today: "Logan's Maternity Photos"

Two years ago today: "Taste Of Fall"

And three years ago today: "Swing High"

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Goggles

I guess I am still not used to Logan being back to taking longer naps because twice within the past week I have gotten him up from his nap only for him to fall back to sleep in my arms.  

Though I am NOT complaining...

After dinner we went to swim in my parents' pool.  It was so much fun!

My niece left her goggles there and Ayden wanted to give them a try.  When he found out I had goggles in the pool bag he wanted me to put mine on too.  

I think I need a selfie stick.  ;P

He watched me dive for some quarters but he was not ready to put his face in the water yet.  He said he didn't want to have to wipe his mouth off.  Haha.  It was a really nice way to end the evening.

~Sarah

Flashback!  Here's what we were up to one year ago today: "More My Speed"

Two years ago today: "Making Stuff Up"

And three years ago today: "Crawl Watch 2012"

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Back To "Normal"

Woohoo!  Logan is taking a break from teething and stormy periods all at the same time!

The Wonder Weeks App rocks!

We started to feel a difference about a week before the stormy period ended and now we are really feeling it now that we are in the clear. 

Yes, he is sleeping with a paintbrush....
Isn't that what all kids do?  ;)

Nice, solid, predictable naps. Longer stretches of sleep at night. Only fussy for a legitimate reason. Less clingy. You know, all the things that are "normal" for our Logan when he's not going through all the stuff that comes along with milestones, leaps, teething, etc.  

The beauty that lies in all of this is that 1) The Wonder Weeks App is amazing in that it gives us a countdown to when the end of rough patches will come, which really helps our sanity and 2) We just don't worry about new undesirable behaviors as being a new "normal" this second time around.  We are confident that if we just ride it out and consistently keep doing whatever we were doing before the tough stuff began, it will all return back to normal as soon as he gets through whatever has him all out of sorts.  I LOVE having that confidence to just support him through it without worrying that we have to "fix" any new problem that arises.  It doesn't make it any easier to endure necessarily, but peace of mind about it all takes an element of stress out of those rough patches for sure!

In bee news, we had a small swarm show up on the doorstep of one of our hives today. 

Almost literally...

I sent this photo to my mentor and he said it was probably from a nearby feral hive that was beginning to starve.  Simply because it is so late in the season and the swarm was so small. They were drawn to all of the honey in our hives and that is how they formed their cluster where they did.  He said if it were our bees, they would have been larger and a little further away.  All season we have kept our 4th hive empty for catching a swarm and wouldn't it be the case that THREE DAYS after I use that 4th hive to do the split to save our 3rd hive that a swarm shows up in our bee yard...  Very funny bees, very funny.  I swept them into a box and gave them to a friend who is new to beekeeping this season and has been having trouble with one of her hives.  She got them installed and spotted the queen so they should be good to go!

And since sleep is something we are getting more of around here I shall leave you with this sweetness.  :)

~Sarah

Flashback!  Here's what we were up to one year ago today: "Fudge Happy"

Two years ago today: "Hat Day"

And three years ago today: "Big Boy Toys"

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Social Calendar

Ayden's social calendar this past week was jam packed!  We ended the week with a bang by attending the birthday party of one of his play group friends.

That means that the play group technically met three times this past week...  I guess we are trying to get as much out of Summer as we can! 

She is going to be a big sister in October so I made her a diaper bag and some diapers for her baby dolls. 

She is already a little mommy so I hope she enjoys her new mommy accessories!

~Sarah

Flashback!  Here's what we were up to one year ago today: "35 Weeks Pregnant"

Two years ago today: "Hog Heaven"

And three years ago today: "Christmas In July"

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Fun Filled Friday

Today was a Friday full of FUN!

This is what Summer is all about.

~Sarah

Flashback!  Here's what we were up to one year ago today: "
Two years ago today: "World's Best Chicken Seasoning"
And three years ago today: "Ayden's Favorite Things: 6 Month Edition"

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Cuteness Overload

I was overwhelmed by the cuteness of my boys today.

 They are this cute every single day and I really do try my best to notice but it's hard sometimes when life gets in the way...

Today, I really soaked them in and it was wonderful.

"The most precious jewels you'll ever wear around your neck are the arms of your children."

~Sarah

Flashback!  Here's what we were up to one year ago today: "Sleep Sweet"

Two years ago today: "Love Letters"

And three years ago today: "Beware of Baby Trainers"

Thank you for stopping by Life With the Ladniers!

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