Blessed

On the day of my last blog post a tragedy occurred. A dear friend lost her sweet baby girl and my heart has been aching for her and her husband. I'm in awe of their strength and courage during this devastating time. They wrote a letter about what happened and their last request was this: appreciate the moment by loving on those around you - give them kisses, hugs, high fives, hip bumps, do whatever to show you care!

Sometimes life is crazy and I forget to take time to appreciate the moment and all the wonderful things in my life. I truly am blessed and here are a few reasons why...

my sweet sweet boys

my lovely family

my girls - i love these ladies!
I am so lucky to have found such amazing friends and despite the miles that separate us, we are still just as good of friends (perhaps even better!) as when I lived in So Cal!

my sweet Jenna who knows me inside and out and despite all of it still loves me!

and some of the wonderful friends we've met here in Alaska

and my amazing book club and Waffle Wednesday buddies! I love these women and they have made living Alaska truly wonderful.

I am so blessed and these are just a few of the things that make me so happy in my life.

Any guesses of who was behind this?

Your first question is probably, what in the world is that? (A cheese stick, of course!)

Your second question is probably, why in the world would anyone have one of those in the bathroom?!!?!

Well, that's what happens when you don't pay attention for even a second in my house. A crafty little fellow swipes it from the counter and then proceeds to take it to the toilet to see what

Just in case you need helping figuring out the answer....

Sunday Snapshot

So grown up!

When I saw this picture of Jaeger Ray I couldn't believe how grown up he looked. It's hard to believe that he is almost to the 18 month milestone. Where did the time go? Take a look for yourself...

Maybe it's the outfit or that he's on the go or maybe it's the fact the picture is taken from behind, but Jaeger Ray looks like a little boy.

Sniff, sniff......

It's hard to imagine, but this sweet baby boy...


has turned into a Lego stealer, remote control kidnapper, phone grabber, door opener, toilet water lover, Bailey bonker*, food thrower, nightlight swiper, and basically all around mischievous LITTLE BOY!

I do have to give this little boy credit though, he sure knows how to turn up the charm. Literally as soon as he's gotten into trouble, he comes running up to me with this adorable grin...

What's a mom to do?
I think the only answer is to swoop him up into my arms and kiss those adorable chipmunk cheeks as I do nearly every single time.


*Stay tuned for pictures of Jaager Ray harassing poor Bailey!

Sunday Snapshot

Look who else thinks ambulances and fire trucks are pretty cool!

Happy New Year!

We're in LOVE!

with the Peppermint Joe Joe's from Trader Joe's that is.

My mom sent me a lovely Christmas care package filled with all kinds of lovelies from Trader Joe's and the overwhelming favorite was most definitely the Peppermint Joe Joe's! They are basically a cousin to the classic Thin Mint - all dressed up in a dark chocolate coating and sprinkled with bits of candy cane.
TO.DIE.FOR!!!!!

Here's Jaeger Ray indulging in our new found holiday treat!*

*Notice the flashlight in the other hand - we were reading stories and indulging in yet another Joe Joe in our fort in Dane's room. I figured if we were doing something somewhat educational (reading a book) we could be rewarded with another Joe Joe! ;)