pictures in equations

kids love for ice cream + mom and dads love ice cream = ice cream is important in our family

Riley's new bike + Riley's old bike = hours of fun

3-year-old + fashion = this

2 little ones + 3 super helpful cousins = an awesome time (I wish they lived with us)

Riley in back seat of car + pen = creative body tattoos

2-year-old + big slide = scared boy

sleeping handsome husband + sleeping adorable little girl = sweetest picture ever

needy hyper kids + quiet 3rd child = 3rd child gets seat under the table

park + food = happy kids and clean kitchen

sister + sister = beautiful

We went to Target

This morning I decided to take the kids to Target. We were completely out of diapers. Once we arrived at the store, I briefly went over the rules. You know, the typical "walk next to me", "don't touch anything", "don't pee your pants", "hold my hand if I ask you to". My routine is to rush to get the things we need. If all is going well, we browse the rest of the store. Our trip went well, so I decided to get the kids some ever famous Target popcorn.

We sat in the cafe area to enjoy our snack. Within 5 seconds of sitting, Quinn spilled half the bag of popcorn on the ground. A few minutes later, Riley spilled her glass of lemonade. Popcorn and sticky lemonade were covering the table and floor. There we were, stuffing our faces with popcorn surrounded by a complete mess.

Maybe I am finally getting use to the chaos. Maybe the rough days make the good ones even sweeter. Maybe I am finally learning to find peace in imperfection. I do know that 2 years ago, I would have been upset and embarrassed. Instead, I smiled at the rolled eyes as they looked toward our table. I found even greater joy when those mothers with small children gave me the "I understand" smile. It was perfect.

Random

* Reese slept through the night for the first time in a while. I was so excited at 5:30am that I had to get up.

* After 2 months, I was so over Riley and Quinn sharing a room. They were too hyper to sleep and momma was about to snap. Riley shares a room with Reese and Quinn has his own, much needed space. Riley handles the middle of the night crying well. The other night at 3am Reese was crying. I went to get her and found Riley sitting in her bed singing a song. Quinn does not have a sister to bother, so he falls asleep pretty quickly now.

* Potty training a boy is, well.... interesting. We have observed Quinn scooping pee out of the toilet with an ice cream scooper, putting his head in the toilet, and sticking his finger in the toilet bowl to taste the water. Yes, it is gross, but overall it has been a much smoother process then it was with Riley. He is doing great and I am so relieved it has not been a battle.

* Riley only wants to wear dresses now. I asked her to put shorts on and she told me, "but mom, shorts don't twirl. I want to dance."

* Reese is trying to roll. I would be ok if she held off for a while. My other two rolled, crawled, and walked early. I'm liking this laid back baby thing.

* I will leave you with a few pictures of my cuties.

Picture Post

Apparently, Quinn wanted me to have a special present on Mother's Day. There are 2 other walls with drawings on them. Good thing he's cute!

Reese loves her swing. Look at those eyelashes!

I sent the kids outside to eat lunch in their house. They thought it was awesome! I ate alone in peace and quiet inside and had no mess to clean. We will be doing this often.

I took about 10 pictures of him and this was the best one.

Riley has been trying to write her name. She can almost do it. She loves writing and drawing. That girl is going to love school!

10-4 Good Buddy Answers

Below are the May questions from my good friend Abby's 10-4 good buddy link-up. Check out her awesome blog here!

1. What is one quirky thing about you?

I am obsessed with clean babies. I give my kids too many baths. And they must always have Johnson and Johnson baby lotion on so they don't smell like spit up.

2. What does your perfect date look like? {Not the person...the activity}

A walk and dinner on the beach at sunset. By the way, I have never really had a date consisting of these two requirements, but it sounds amazing!

3. What is your favorite picture from last month {April}?

4. What are your top 3 favorite TV shows?

The Voice
Who Do you Think You Are
Parenthood

5. What is your favorite outdoor activity?

Going on relaxing walks in the evening. The relaxing part is few and far between these days.

6. What is the last movie you saw?

Chipwrecked.... don't judge

7. Look up from your computer right now. What is the first thing you saw?

Reese lying on the floor chewing on her bib. Yes, she tries to eat her cloths now.

8. What area in your life are you working on improving right now?

Patience with a certain 2-year-old. Also, working on having a good attitude during those rough days of parenting.

9. What is your favorite post that you wrote last month?

Contact Deleted

10. What would be your dream job?

I would love to be a photographer or an owner of a cute coffee shop.

Never Once

It has been a year and 2 days since I saw my dad take his last breath. Some days it seems like it was yesterday, other days it seems like I haven't seen him in forever. Yesterday my family gathered at the gravestone. We shared memories of a man that impacted all of our lives. We laughed, we cried, we remembered. Even through the hard times, never once did we ever walk alone.

If you are going through a dark time in your life, may this song remind you are not alone.

Fun in the Sun

The weather was wonderful yesterday, so we decided to take advantage of it. We went to the zoo in the morning. Let's just say it was interesting. We may or may not have actually looked at any of the animals. I forgot my camera, but truth be told, there was no time for pictures. I need a nanny. The afternoon went more smoothly. Riley was so excited to finally wear her swimsuit. We ate ice cream cones and played in the sprinkler.

This sweet girl is the Queen of all things loud and random. Here are a few quotes she shouted to herself as she was playing in the water: "I'm so proud to play in the water", "I have a mother", "I have 2 ears with water in them", "I am awesome".

I woke this cute boy up from his much needed nap so he could join the fun.

This picture makes me laugh. She didn't realize how fast the slide is when wet.

When did she get so big?

He loves ice cream, running, and getting dirty. He had a dream afternoon