Happy Birthday To MEEE!!!! Life at 31 :)

Life at 31 doesn't look too bad from this angle :)

I had a beautiful birthday this year that was full of love! Since my  birthday was on a Tuesday, Josh and I celebrated with a little weekend stay-cation before my actual birthday :). I dropped the kids off at Aunt Heidi and Uncle Dave's house because they offered to take them to my Mom's house out in Logandale for me as a Birthday gift! It was the perfect gift because then I could just head to the Aliante Hotel for a nice, relaxing weekend with the hubby without worrying about chauffeuring the kiddos back and forth :).

Preteding to ride Uncle Dave's motorcycle :)

The kids had so much fun! While the parents are away, the kids will play!

It was the perfect weekend! We relaxed by the pool a bit, but unfortunately it got stormy and they made us leave :(.... again, this spring weather has been really crappy this year! So instead we went inside and played Bingo with all the old people which was actually really fun and I would totally do it again! We also got to see a movie for the first time in a year! We saw Bohemian Rhapsody which seriously was incredible with the surround sound!! Such a great movie! We also ate to our hearts content and stayed up as late as we wanted because we got to sleep in as late as we wanted! That never happens in real life and it felt so luxurious! I also got to spend a morning at the spa getting a facial which was sooooo nice! That was my special gift from Josh :). Most of all, it was just nice being together. We talked and talked, and laughed and laughed. We felt so carefree and it was wonderful.

Relaxing by the pool! YESSSS!!!

Breakfast in bed was a must!

My facial was incredible and I felt like a spoiled princess in this moment!

But no matter how much I was loving the freedom, this little reminder in my book (a bookmark Austin made me) was enough to make me start missing my kiddos like crazy. I called them every night and loved hearing all their fun stories from their day! My life is dedicated to my children and I wouldn't have it any other way!

We checked out of the hotel on Sunday and picked up the kiddos at  my Mom's house. Her gift to me was the babysitting and I was totally okay with that! We spent most of the afternoon there at her house helping her move furniture around that she couldn't move by herself. She is still trying to figure out her life after the divorce and every time I go there she always has chores for me to do..... I was slightly irritated by it since it was my Birthday and all, but I tried to see past my own selfishness and remind myself that my Mom is like a child right now. She doesn't have the ability to see past her own needs and I have to be okay with that. You see, she told me that she would have a birthday cake and a birthday lunch waiting for me when we got there, but all she had waiting was a list of chores. So can you understand my slight irritation? Anyways, in the meantime, the kids had a blast running around outside and Josh had fun jumping on the trampoline with them. So it wasn't a total loss of a day. We got home late and had to hurriedly get laundry done, bags unpacked, lunches made, kids bathed, and everything ready for Monday because Josh and I both had to work the next day :(.

Then on Tuesday (my actual Birthday) I woke up super sick with a chest cold!! :( I started panicking that I had caught pneumonia again on my Birthday because I was struggling to breathe and that would just be my luck... But I pushed past it all day and refused to let my illness ruin my birthday! The kids made me a birthday breakfast of nutella toast, grapes, goldfish, and wheat thins :). It was the sweetest thing in the world and they were so proud of themselves! Austin was so excited to tell me that he was able to put the bread in the toaster, go poop, and come back just in time for the toast to pop up! I was suddenly totally grossed out by the fact that he didn't wash his hands and my toast had brown nutella on it. But i couldn't tell him that, and I ate it anyway :). I couldn't crush his little heart like that. Both kids had made me special cards at Grandmas house that they were excited to show me! I loved every misspelled word and stick figure more than gold!

My birthday breakfast surprise!!

Oh how I love those homemade cards :).

Then we took Austin to school and headed to Starbucks for my free birthday drink! Then Evie and I went to dance class and I happily watched my baby girl dance while I pondered on the beauty of life at this stage. Then my Mom showed up at dance class and got to watch Evie with me! She was supposed to show up in time to take Austin to school with me but she had decided to sleep longer instead and I chose to not be annoyed by it. Nothing was going to get me down on my day! At home my Mom made me the carrot cake she had promised and I got to work organizing the kids clothes to take inventory on what we needed for summer in hopes that the sun will grace us with its presence eventually!! Then I picked Austin up from school and was starting to feel REALLY sick and run down, but I pushed through it because, again, nothing was going to ruin my day! Josh brought home pizza and we all ate dinner and had birthday cake! The kids kept blowing out my candles before we could even finish the birthday song so it took about 4 rounds of song before I actually got to make my wish! haha! Then we played Twister and had a great time! It was a new game we had just gotten and the kids loved it! Then everyone took turns telling me what they love about me and the responses warmed my heart :). My Mom told me that since I was born, I've been the light in her life and she is so proud of the Mother I've become. Josh told me he loves how selfless and compassionate I am and is grateful for all I do for our little family. Evie told me that she loves me so much because I play with her. And Austin said he loves that his Mom is always trying to make him smarter and he really likes that :). THAT my friends is what life at 31 feels like. It is a simple party with simple pleasures, and lots of love from the people who matter most. And don't forget the constant laughter from kids who can't wait to blow out candles that aren't their own and from adults attempting crazy positions in a game that isn't easy unless you are a gymnast :). The happiness didn't last forever, unfortunately, because my Mom turned it into another chore for us to do for her (grrrrrrrr!!!!). She asked us to help her apply for a job in the middle of playing Twister and in that moment I seriously could have strangled her. Is it too much to have ONE DAY?! JUST ONE DAY ALL ABOUT ME?!! But this is seriously the story of my life. My Mom has always found a way to make everything about her, which is why I never allowed her in the room with me when I had my babies. There was no way I was going to let her ruin those moments for me, and I had no doubt that she would! But I swallowed my feelings, as I always do, and spent the rest of the night applying for jobs with her while Josh bathed the kids and my frustration grew and grew. I couldn't wait for her to get out of my house so I could go upstairs and spend the remaining minutes of my special day kissing my babies and hugging my husband. Can you tell that I am still feeling frustrated?! haha! That's the problem with swallowing your feelings, they never go away... Anyways, it was a good day nonetheless and I decided to stop blaming my Mom for her selfishness and just focus on all the good that had happened that day :).

Blowing out the candles (finally! haha!) and making my wish!

Evie was so excited that she blew the candle out for me! Just look at that face!

Evie and Mom kicking butt at Twister! We blew the boys out of the water! Must be all that yoga ;).

Life at 31 hasn't been anything glamorous, like it was at 30. But I feel a simple peace in my heart that I am right where I'm supposed to be. I don't long for adventure like I did last year. No, this year I long for simple, happy moments with the ones I love; memories to cherish for a lifetime. I am grateful to be alive another year and am excited for all the happy moments to come :). HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!!!

My sweet, crazy family! I wouldn't have life any other way!

Although my Mom drives me crazy, I don't know what I'd do without her. She is an important part of our lives and the kids and I adore her. Now if she could just stop being so annoying! haha! ;)

LaFeber Life Lately: January-March...Where to Begin?!!

This is the perfect depiction of our spring this year! It's either raining or snowing! I'm still in shock at how abnormally cold it has been! But that doesn't stop these two goof balls from having fun!

Wow, life just gets so busy! It's already the middle of March and I have so much to catch up on! We have had such a crazy winter/spring this year! We actually got snow! Like REAL snow! We woke up to a winter wonderland and we walked to school in the fluffy whiteness in total awe that this was actually happening. There was so much snow, in fact, that I had to go outside and shake our trees with a broom because they were touching the ground from the weight of the snow!

Day 1 of snow!

Which progressed to day 2!

Literally walking in a winter wonderland!

Such a rare moment when you live in the desert!

By day 3, the school district called a snow day! Evie was sooo happy to have her brother home for the day!

We also spent time out in Logandale over Martin Luther King Weekend for my Mom's 51st Birthday! We spent the entire weekend outdoors soaking up sunshine because the weather was too good to be true! The kids always love going out there to play in Grandma's gigantic 3 acres of land and I love the freedom it gives me! :)

I literally did yoga for 4 straight hours and loved every minute of it!

It was so beautiful to find my breath amongst the sunshine, fresh air, and sound of my children happily playing in the yard.

And of course I had company :). Lily sat with me the whole time and I was even attacked by a hummingbird! I took it as a positive sign that someone in the universe is very much aware of my presence :).

And of course I got to enjoy all these beautiful roses that my kids picked for me and laid carefully in front of me on my yoga mat. THIS rose in particular is the most beautiful smelling flower I have ever smelt in my life!

Of course the weather was too good to ever eat indoors! We enjoyed multiple picnics!

And we loved seeing all our family who came out to celebrate my Mom :).

My Mom is struggling right now with having just gotten divorced and learning to live on her own. So this was a nice bright spot in her week and it made me happy to be a part of that :).

Cheesecake for the win!

We devoured that cheesecake in less than 30min!

Cuddles with Aunt Heidi!

We decided to go for a family walk out in the desert to work off all that cheesecake :). It was such a beautiful night to explore!

Then we had a bonfire!

Austin especially loved the fire part :)

This sunset was the perfect end to a perfect day. It was hard not to feel God's love in this moment as we sat around the fire laughing and enjoying natures beauty.

Before all of the snow came, we had a couple beautiful weeks where we were able to play basketball and tennis as a family after picking Austin up from school! The kids loved it and are always begging to do it again! We just need some of that beautiful Nevada sun to come back and we will be all over that court again!

Tennis was harder than we had expected with little kids, but they still did great! It just took a little extra patience (haha).

Austin has been doing SO GOOD in Kindergarten! It's like he suddenly grew this second semester because he is no longer struggling with passing off sight words and he is catching onto things much faster now! I went into his classroom during reading week and read a story to his class. Austin was in heaven getting all the attention from his classmates who were eager to find out more about his Mom :). Evie was with me and did so good sitting next to me the whole time. It was like she was taking it all in, as she always does. She is so eager to grow up and start Kindergarten and I am eager to keep her small forever. Sadly she is winning in that department. She hates being left behind while her brother is off learning and growing. And growing he is! He is not only growing academically, but socially as well :). Every afternoon when I pick him up, there are at least 4 kids who are frantically yelling goodbye to him and he shyly responds with his sweet little grin :). My sweet, shy boy is finding his voice and making friends left and right! His favorite friend is a little girl named Harper, who just happens to have an awesome Mom that I love and a little brother almost Evie's age! So we always hang out with them at the school, or walk to the park together when the weather is nice. It's always so fun on those days because all of his other friends and their Mom's have the same idea and it turns out to be a big party! We Mom's sit at the bench and chat while all 20 kids run around wild. One day in particular, we couldn't find our boys and we started searching frantically until we found them crouched behind the bathrooms dissecting a dead bird with their bare hands!!! It was incredibly disgusting but hilarious all at the same time. We Moms were horrified and the boys were thrilled to tell us all that they had discovered inside that poor rotten animal. Oh the life of a boy-mom hahaha!

He has recently requested that I stop spiking his hair and start parting it to the side.... it is such a fun moment to see him starting to become aware of his appearance and finding a style of his own!

But don't worry, this wasn't his style hahaha! This was Austin dressing as an old man for the 100th Day Of School! See his lack of teeth?! hehe!

Riding his scooter to school on Hat Day!

Austin has brought home some beautiful art projects over the past year, but this one might be my favorite! I think he meant to say "Has a scarf" but didn't know how to spell it so gave up and figured nobody would know the difference anyway? hahaha!

Waiting in the car on one particularly rainy day for Austin's Fun Run Race to start so we could go cheer him on!

The A-Man all lined up and ready to go! This Fun Run was a fundaiser event to raise money for his school and it was sooo fun to watch! They earned money for every lap they ran and those kids took their job very seriously!

Run like the wind Austin! I couldn't help but cry as I cheered him on! Yes, I cried. Story of my life....

Every morning we do positive affirmations before school. It is so important to me that when my kids leave the safety of our home, they know who they are and what they stand for.

Austin gets slighty embarassed about it, but Evie drinks it up and loves all the special one on one attention :).

This morning we went to school an hour early for Pastries with Parents!

We sat next to Austin's friend Jane, and her Mom who also happens to be a good friend. I love that he and I have similar taste in friends :). It makes mornings like this so fun!

We also went to his school's Math, Science, and Literacy Family Night where we got to do fun science experiments!

The kids were both in heaven! It was such a fun night!

Evie has been doing so great in Preschool and Dance Class! She takes dance so seriously and is honestly the best dancer in the group! She also LOVES to learn and socialize which makes our little home preschool so much fun! She gets to see her little friends every week and when they aren't learning together, she and I are making fun memories and learning together :). She is such an intelligent, vivacious little girl and will be unstoppable in this world, of that I am certain.

The prettiest thing I ever laid eyes on :)

Evie and I found this jeep at Goodwill for $10 and it might possibly be the greatest purchase of all time!

She's obsessed with Candyland and always wants to play! I love that it teaches her colors and counting so it's a double win!

Painting our nails together! She chewed it off 10min later.....grrrr! Like her Dad, Evie has a habit of biting her nails which makes manicures basically impossible.

We finally had a beautiful Sunday morning to enjoy! Playing outside is the highlight of our days! Especially with how cold it has been lately!

At this particular dance class, I made the mistake of telling Evie to smile. She got upset at me and turned around all dramatically as if she were composing herself....

And then she commenced to dance backwards the rest of the day just so I couldn't see her face! She is such a stubborn stinker sometimes! But I couldn't help but love the view of that adorable little bum!

Playing Go Fish outside in the sunshine while eating Goldfish! This is another game Evie can never get enough of!

Such a beautiful day to roll down the hill.....I love how kids have zero inhibitions and live so freely.

Helping Mom wash the veggies to make some veggie soup!

My little helper in the kitchen! She loves to cut the peppers and I love all the skills cooking teaches!

This was a sad day.... Evie was sick and we spent the whole day cuddling and watching Disney movies.

She's also my constant yoga companion and loves to show me what she's learned :)

Shopping with Mom is hard work! :)

A little morning brunch date with my best friend :). We love walking down to Jolly Beans Cafe for some pastries and coffee. They have a fun game corner where you can play games and enjoy!

I picked these two cuties up from Preschool and they were so excited to show me their art projects! Today they learned about "Under the Sea"!

Evie's preschool class hard at work!

Are they not the cutest little girls in the whole wide world?!! I fall in love with them all every week!

More yoga :)

Chatting in dance class with one of her little friends :)

Another rare, gorgeous day calls for a park day and a stop at the Cafe!

This is what heaven looks like in my book :)

She loves the song PERFECT, by Ed Sheeran and we slow dance to it whenever it comes on, just like this. It makes me cry Every. Single. Time.

Cuddles out on the porch by the fire!

And more cuddles.... because this girl has been attached to me since the day she was born! Seriously though, not much has changed in 4 years in this department and I love it so much!

Evie got to go to her friend's Princess Party and had a great time! Aren't they all so adorable?!

During dance class, Ms. Vivian told all the little girls to fold their arms and Evie immediately thought it was time to say the prayer hahaha! It was hilarious and all the Mom's were looking at me like "What the heck is she doing?" :)

On Pointe :)

Evie's little dance class :). 3 year old ballerinas are THE CUTEST!

Aaaannd a goofy pic of my two goofballs because you never know what you're going to come across during the day :).

We also had a fun time cheering on the Patriots in the Superbowl this year! The kids were so excited to have an excuse to run around wild, drinking soda and eating snacks :). The Superbowl itself wasn't too exciting, but our little party was totally worth it!

Go Patriots!!!

We also have been making it a priority to have Family Home Evening every week and the kids love it! We let them help teach the lesson and try to make it very interactive. It also helps that we have ice cream sundaes afterwards to keep everybody's attention :). My favorite was when we were learning about testimonies and Evie told us that she thought she had a testimony, but then she looked all around her room and couldn't find it, so she doesn't have one anymore :). And then after we laughed, Austin went on to compare a testimony to the moon and how you still have one, even if you can't see that it is there. Mind Blown. Seriously, these two are the greatest!

Austin giving us his incredible synopsis on life.

And Evie verifying with the scriptures that her testimony was indeed lost in her bedroom... :).

Family movie nights are the best! This scene right here melts my heart like butter :).

Evie also graduated to Sunbeams this year and she was so excited! She couldn't wait to be able to get up and sing in Sacrament with Austin! He is her everyday hero and she wants to do EVERYTHING he does. I still can't believe our baby is getting so big!

The traditional Nursery Graduation Pic!

When you're the best of friends...

There is no doubt in my mind that these two were sent to conquer the world together.

So incredibly grateful for this family of mine :).

Especially when the hubby surprises me with flowers!

We also got a visit from Grandma and Grandpa Ronnenkamp a couple weeks ago! It was only for the weekend, and I worked the whole day on Saturday, but we made it count on Saturday night with a special dinner out at Rodizio, and on Sunday with church and an entire day of playing board games. The kids have turned into board game fanatics and can literally play all day long! This is such a fun age and we were so happy to have Grandma and Grandpa here to share it with us! I also have to note that the kids were incredibly well behaved at dinner! We never take them to fancy restaurants for obvious reasons so as I was getting them all dressed up that night, I explained to them the gravity of the situation and we talked about manners. We then made it a competition to see who could have the best manners and they took that challenge to heart! I was blown away by how long Evie sat still and how hard Austin tried to eat without spilling and to use the utensils correctly.  It was a proud moment for me as a mother and we were ALL impressed by how much Austin ate! We thought for sure that he would only be able to take a few bites of his dessert after eating all that meat, but he ate THE ENTIRE CHEESECAKE!! After we had bathed the kids on Sunday night, we had a really special moment with Janis and Steve where I was given a priesthood blessing to help me with the hormonal struggle I have had since the miscarriage and we opened up to them about our struggles with life, parenthood, marriage, etc. It was so healing to have this moment with Josh's parents because we don't get to see them or be real with them often. I know it was something josh really needed, especially since his Dad died. The spirit was so strong in the room that night and there was no doubt in our minds that God loved us and wanted us to know that we are doing a good job. It was the strength we needed to try harder and carry on.

Our night out at Rodizio!

A whole day of games and laughter :).

We also celebrated Valentines Day in the full festive spirit with Mom's homemade giant pink cookies, Dad's flowers and special gifts (I got a beautiful wedding band to go with my wedding ring and I love it so much!) and the kid's special homemade cards. Love was in the air! That's for sure :). It was also a fun new experience helping Austin make a mailbox for his Kindergarten Valentine Party! He took the job very seriously and Evie never left his side as she happily drew pictures that she felt matched the importance of his party :).

Hard at work on his Valentines Box for his class! He came home with it loaded to the brim with cards and goodies, expressing to me that this was one of the best days in the world! I love how kids make every holiday so much more exciting! :)

I got up super early to have these cookies frosted and ready to go for my loves when they woke up :).

My Valentines- 2019 :)

We had the most amazing time up at Mount Charleston this year! We were worried that waiting until Presidents Day Weekend to take our cabin trip might rule out any chance of snow, but boy were we wrong! It was the most snow I had seen in years!!! The snow came right up to the top of the street signs! We loved playing out in the snow and then coming inside the cabin to warm up by the fire and play board games on the big bed. And then we went back out for more! We made it even more fun on our last day there by saying that the loser of the board games had to go running out in the snow in their underwear hahaha! The kids thought this was insane and refused to do it until their crazy Dad went streaking by and started making snow angels in his underwear hahaha!! I wish I could have gotten a picture of their faces! After that, we all did it and had so much fun! And then we warmed up in the giant Jacuzzi bathtub in the corner of the one room cabin. It's funny how such a tiny space can hold so much fun! The kids fell asleep by the fire in their sleeping bags and loved every minute of it! And Mom and Dad stayed up late just talking and enjoying the view of the fires glow on our sleeping babes. It's moments like those that I hope to never forget. Those precious moments when it is just us, enjoying quality time together without any modern distractions. We were all SOOOO sad to go home :(. 

All loaded up and ready to head up the mountain! Mount Charleston here we come!!

Together we have it all :)

It was all sunshine and laughter in that winter wonderland!

As you can see, we got SOOOO wet and happily welcomed the warm fireplace :)

Building our snowman together :)

Austin was obsessed with finding the biggest icicle! And I think he found it!

We didn't have a sled, so I had brought white garbage bags in hopes that it would work!

And it sure did! They worked like a charm!

Sliding down the hill on our garbage bag and having the time of our lives! Talk about simple pleasures :)

Austin taking some time to sit at the top of his snowy hill and think.

Then he got back to building his snowman :)

My little angel making a snow angel :)

That face says it all :)

Snow ball fights get pretty serious around here ;)

So thankful for this man and all that we have created together :)

Warming up by the fireplace with some hot cocoa! Cheers!

Later in the evening, I taught the kids how to crochet as my Great Grandma Thayer had taught me.

These sweet, quiet moments were the best. I wished I could stop time and just do this forever.

But eventually the kiddos fell asleep :).