skittle fetch: where children fetch the skittles you throw.

post by casey.



my sister and I were sitting around bitching speaking of our husbands and laughing about how they probably think we just sit home all day, online shopping at the Loft, throwing Skittles into the living room to distract the kids from bothering us. And then our laughter kinda trailed off causeeeee waitttttt...do you think they might actually think that's really what we do all day?! 
That actually sounds like an ideal day;).

i've got a pretty stand-up husband and so I shouldn't/can't/try not to complain too often but just when I think he 'gets it'...he'll say those 6 words that could put me in prison: "what do you do all day?". He's not lived a life where I 'don't do anything all day'. I wouldn't wish that on him;). 

even when I'm NOT doing anything...shit's gettin' done. Lists and worries and the future and plans and dreams and dollar amounts are being made in my head. Maybe our inability to 'shut it off' is our super-hero strength and yet our biggest downfall. 

anyways. Mostly, just wanted to share cause I feel like I just came up with an epic game and it's called: Skittle Fetch:). Guaranteed to give you hours of leisurely time away from your kiddos that you can use to make a photo-book or take advantage of an online sale or just space-out. :) Get to work ladies;).


here we are yesterday. I had a husband's hand to hold and the kiddos had a dad to jump on:) It was one of those really, really good days:).
Anyone else gotta grab a paper bag to breath into just thinkingggggg about cold weather!? Summer can never be over...I won't allow it!!!!:)

Thorp Aquatic Facility

these kiddos had.a.blast!!!!! Some days shit just seems hard...or they make all.the.things SEEM hard. But yesterday was not one of those days. The stars aligned and they just...had fun:) My cheeks hurt from smiling!

we bought Homer a pair of goggles and it was the best thing I've ever invested in! He came out of his water shell!!!! Jumping in, going under, trying to do headstands...he was jacked andddddd it was adorable! So proud of this guy!

harper lake is a pretty name for a pretty lake.

my aunt and uncle have THE best property on Harper Lake in Rib Lake, WI. It's gorgeous and they've built - completely on their own - this amazing little cabin! It's funny that we spend a lifetime 'collecting things' and then the other 1/2 of our lifetime trying to live as minimally as possible. I feel fortunate, that at the ripe-ol'-age of 34, I already know that we have so much more than we'll ever need/want/deserve and so I've already started trying to minimize and look towards the future and make decisions that will reflect what I see for us in 5/10/30YRS.

anyhoo...have I mentioned that I lose a lot of sleep andddddd cry a lotttttt during pregnancy?! Kinda my thang';).

my aunt and uncle are so generous in letting us spend time here and we just love and appreciate it SO much! And much appreciated that no one judges me squeezing into a 1-piece bodysuit...that, so obviously, wasn't meant or prepared to take on what I've dealt it;) Mostly thankful that it's a private and quiet lake;).

looking through these photos makes me so happy:) Seeing the kids all just having so much fun - so much in part to all the work that my uncle does in setting things up and letting us just take over!!!;) - and the great weather and the beautiful views and it's just so damn peaceful.

also, these photos are from a few weeks ago...so that bodysuit has been retired for the remainder of this pregnancy;). We've been back to the cabin since and so I'll have more photos to share soon!

hope you've had a great holiday weekend!!!! Happy 4th of July, Friends:) 

in case you're into bodysuits, I found mine at Forever21 and, for me, they were a GREAT alternative to a 1-piece swimsuit. I bought a few, for less than $10, for our vacation to Mexico - see that vacation HERE. 

Similar options HERE HERE and HERE.

birthdays + a meat show.

post by casey.

well, Theo turned 3. And this seems completely unreal and all too possible...all rolled into one:)

she was a handful in the beginning (reminder: not sleeping for the first 7WKS of her life. Seven. of the weeks. Of life. No Sleep. Really. NO. Reallllyyyyy). I went back to work after having 8WKS off with Theo. At the very end of week7, I remember sobbing over my keyboard while drafting up an email to my boss about how I couldn't possibly come back...I couldn't function...I was considering seeking council...shit.wasn't.good. And that night she fell asleep for a whole week - can you HEAR me rolling my eyes?!?!! The girl has timing;)

since then, she's been such a joy:) Funny as all hell! And she sleeps. Like a freaking champ!!! I tell ya, I'll never be afraid of not sleeping again. I never dread those newborn days because Jacob and I will look at one another and say: it couldn't be worse than Theo...it couldn't. Really.;)

the last few weeks have been so busy and so I'm terribly behind on posts. I want to do a sequel to our Stop and Drop Your Diaper Bag post - SEE HERE. And I haven't shared/bragged/rubbed your face in all of our Tulum photos;)! Those are coming soon!!!!:) In the mean time, we've been celebrating countless birthday's...including my own and taken a little getaway - see below - and celebrated more. And so basically, I'm glad to have those photos from Tulum, where my bikini body was documented, because I think I've had a piece of birthday cake every day since we returned;)

I'll let the photos do 'most' of the talking...here's the last week of Theo and The Meat Show and there was a zoo and more cake:)

theo daisy 3.30.14

the evening of Theo's birthday, also landed on the Annual Wisconsin Association of Meat Processors Convention - or better known to us as The Meat Show:). Jacob attends every other year, to learn/collect information/samples for Smith Bros. Meats and of course, we're lucky enough to tag along and enjoy the pool and 2 sleepless nights in a hotel room, watching HGTV and the cooking channel until the wee hours of the morning. We love it:)

the pool was SO warm. Like 72 degrees. I kid you not. You know how sometimes you run back and forth from the pool to the hot-tub?! That wasn't necessary...the pool rivaled the hot-tubs heat! It was so so perfect and I'm ruined for all other, cold pools! We spent hours in here. HOURS.

i wouldn't call myself a Masterrrrr Packer...quite the opposite. Forgot the pack and play. Forgot my own swim suit. Didn't bring jackets for the kids - so lucky it was so nice on Saturday when we went to the Zoo. Was very fortunate the hotel had a pack and play and that Target was right around the corner;)

rocky loved the water so much! It had to be because of the warmth. I'm still dreaming about that pool:):)

and then the Meat Show. Where we taste all the samples and eat hotdogs and fill our pen quota for the next 2YRS:)

take #163

doesn't this photo make it look like they get along?! Like Homer doesn't constantly piss the other 2 off? Like Theo doesn't scream for no reason? Yeahhhhhh;).

who cares about anything in this family photo besides Theo's face?! 

we stopped at the Zoo before heading out of town early Saturday afternoon! It's a FREE Zoo in the Madison, WI area. Really worth at least an hour of your time - don't forget to donate:)

Henry Vilas Zoo

there was nothing in this one...but we just let it play out for a while:)

theo and Will were born just 3 days apart - remember THIS announcement?!:):) - ..and this is just, downright, special to me:) They couldn't be any less alike but they're gonna get to do this life side by side and I couldn't be more excited about that:)

theo got a bike...that she doesn't quite have the hang of yet...so Homer's been riding it because his training wheels are broken on his bike and it will absolutely be no less than 4YRS before I replace those. :):)

happy Birthday, baby girl. You made me a girl mama...which really means nothing...besides that changing a vagina diaper was life-altering in comparison to a penis - I mean...HOW DO YOU SHIT INTOOOOO YOUR VAGINA??????;) 

you've always been incredibly special. That little unicorn swirl of hair. You're adorable sense of humor. You're insane bedtime routine...that includes anywhere from 3 to 100 million dolls...but we won't know until you get into bed which we forgot and which weren't invited and which you'd like to sit facing the wall on the other side of the room and which need clothes and which need a blanket and which don't and this one needs it's eyes to close but THEY DON'T CLOSE...

it's all good. It's.Alllllll.Gooooooood;)

we could not love you more. You always have been an incredible gift:)