Hello! I don't even know how to blog anymore. It's been so long. A good year since I shared about our IVF journey and our failed transfer/chemical pregnancy. A lot of life has happened since then. The greatest of all is that in a deep heartfelt conversation - & wise beyond her years - Magnolia told me she is happy being an only child. Her peace allowed me to close the infertility/IVF book for good. I'm the oldest of four and I only know life with siblings that are my best friends. I envisioned that for Magnolia and God had other plans. She is the center of my life and I celebrate daily the moments we get to share together. I don't miss a beat and we are side-by-side 90% of the time. I tear up thinking about how God had this plan for us all along. Our souls so greatly intertwined and a connection that is indescribable. The song Past Lives by Born is the melody of my heart for her. 

A few weeks ago we did photos down by the water. We were both very relaxed and the cool summer breeze made it unforgettable. I'm forever grateful to Allix with Serendipity Photography for capturing our laughs, twirls, and splashes. 

My blessings from above. 

Magnolia turned SIX years old on the third. She had a Ballerina Bath Bomb birthday party at Buff City Soap with her cousins and dance + neighbor friends. It was the most fun party we have ever had. On her actual birthday she wanted to control the day, basically a YES DAY, and from the moment she woke up until bedtime she was in charge. It was a blast for me too and I made a reel on Instagram if you want to see little pieces of our day. I feel like so much has happened in this month of February. She went with me to almost all of my IVF appointments and we are so grateful to have one frozen embryo. Her very first tooth fell out! All three of her dances took first place at her very first dance competition of the season. It's been a very fun and blessed month!!!

Magnolia shares my love for VALENTINE'S DAY! The night before our photos with Shelby Lynn we were at dinner, and she said "we need to hurry home and get to bed" because she had to get up early and get ready! And she woke up at 4:30 am, we definitely did not need to get up that early, but she's an early bird and was excited to start the day. She had so much fun at the studio and loves the camera, she also adores Shelby! Doing mini sessions with Shelby is always the best time because she can work her magic in 15 minutes or less and the kids stay excited and into it the whole time. If your local to Kansas City, you just have to do a session with her. Photos to CHERISH FOREVER! See other photos we did with Shelby here, here, here, here, and here. Every single time I open an email with photos from her it will literally take my breath away. Talent, passion, magic, love, timely, creative - you name it - she's got it!

The Zombies movies on Disney are all about dancing and singing and they were the inspiration for this year's Halloween costumes! The kids decided on their characters and costumes late this summer and they immediately started to put a dance together to perform on Halloween night. Magnolia was Addison the Werewolf, Addy + Lucca were Addison the Cheerleader, Ollie was Zed the Football Player, and little Isla was the Alien. I will match or coordinate Magnolia's Halloween costume as long as she'll let me, so I was a werewolf right along with her! Magnolia yelled "JACKPOT" from the wagon numerous times Halloween night as she could barely hold in the excitement over her growing bucket full of candy. Earlier in the night I told Magnolia to get me some peanut butter cups. As the night got dark and we were approaching home, she called me over to the wagon as she sang "ohhhhhhh MOMMY, look WHATTTT I got YOU!!!" Her little hand held up a full size Reese's peanut butter cup, and my heart just about exploded. She had the opportunity to get a full size candy bar for herself, but she picked one for her mama instead. I have a photo of it below because it was just the sweetest thing. Our neighborhood knows how to do Halloween and we all made some very special memories. 

Our October weekends are always full and the one thing we look forward to the very most is our annual family trip to the pumpkin patch. It makes for a magical day when the kids find fun around every corner. The DJ always has the best music playing, iced cider slushies + pumpkin spice donuts leave the kids smelling like sugar & spice, they get to pet long-haired cows + sweet llamas + cute little lambs, train rides & pony rides, corn maze + corn pits, and we'll always find the happiest people especially Mag's favorite person Grandma Oops! 

One of my treasured photos from the day is the one of Magnolia on the swing with her cousin Ollie and Isla. The girls' little hands are on Ollie's legs and all I can see when I look at the photo is a dream come true and answered prayers. Ollie was only days old when we found out I was pregnant & I often envisioned moments just like this past weekend and I am forever grateful. 

OCTOBER we LOVE you! We are only half way through this month of FUN and I feel like it's only just begun. This weekend we are doing our annual pumpkin patch trip with the family & Sunday we are going to a Coppelia Tea Party at Magnolia's dance studio. I have to share a bunch of photos from the past few weeks because I've been snapping away and keeping all these special memories close to heart. The biggest news of the month is that we are taking Magnolia to DISNEY WORLD!!! We've been talking about this trip for years and we are finally making it happen, I think Ryan and I are just as excited as Mags about this dream come true. Ryan & I celebrated our seven year wedding anniversary and Magnolia was our photographer before we left for our date. My sisters, mom, and I threw a little Hocus Pocus 2 watch party for the kiddos and Ryan let us crash his carriage house/man cave/movie theater room. We loved all the dancing and singing in the new one. There was a field trip to the Kansas City Zoo, Plaza Art Fair, our town's Oktoberfest, Ollie's baseball game, and lots of other little magical moments as we celebrate the everyday. Oh, and other BIG NEWS, Ryan and I had our IVF consult the first week of October and I'll share more about it in another post. 

A milkshake bigger than Magnolia + one thousand sprinkles + cookies & cupcakes made for a memorable afternoon painting pottery at Creative Culture KC. I promised Magnolia we'd go here to celebrate the day she got her cast off, and I don't know how it happened but summer got away from us! Today is our last Friday before Kindergarten & there was no way I could start the new school year without keeping my promise. It was a rainy day and the perfect day to paint our hearts out. We go back in two weeks to pick-up our pink petal dish and blue llama. It was such a fun afternoon & I can't wait to do it again. 

This past weekend felt extra special.  I got to take my soon to be kindergartener school shopping. Eeekkkk, it feels very surreal that she's about to start school. We got lots of comfy clothes since we will be doing school at home, but of course a few cute dresses. There will be lots of pink, lavender, and polka dots in her wardrobe this year! She had her heart set on a unicorn backpack that was sold out at our local Target, so we called Ryan and he ran to another one and surprised her with it when we got home. She’s excited! I’m excited! Feeling blessed!

I usually say the 4th of July is my least favorite holiday because it's alway a sauna outside and fireworks make me a nervous wreck. It's hard for me not to love it now, our little Magnolia Caroline literally lights up with joy with all the festivities that come along with America's birthday. I think we did it all this year from decorating our house with the American flag and banners + 100s of sparklers + firecrackers + blue cupcakes that stained the kids' mouth & faces + driveway parties with country music + bomb pop flavored seltzers + hot dogs + s'mores + homemade strawberry crisp + days at the pool + sun tanned cheeks + cherished time with family & friends. My brother moved to Jackson Hole last summer and made his first trip home since to celebrate with us & now we just want him to move back home! Last night I was getting Magnolia ready for bed, way past her bedtime for the second night in a row, and the last thing on her sweet little mind was to sing Happy Birthday to America. The older I get the more I realize how blessed we are to be born in the USA. We are so grateful for all the veterans that have sacrificed their lives for our freedom. 

Magnolia is five years old, but this was my sixth Mother's Day. I looked back at all the years past and got incredibly sentimental. It was Mother's Day 2016 that we were just a few days shy of our IVF transfer. I'll say it a million times, but I will never ever forget that one. It was the year we had one single frozen embryo waiting for us. Only God knew what our life would soon look like. My heart ached for a child and all my thoughts revolved around a baby. FAITH OVER FEAR was/is the motto of our life. Mother's Day is always such a bittersweet day for me because I know there are so many women suffering for many different reasons, many of them longing for the gift of a child. For all those women I hope you feel comfort and peace each day knowing that God's plan for you will turn the darkness to light. 

This year we spent Saturday picking out new rose bushes and few annuals to add to our yard. We planted wildflower seeds in our garden and they are already sprouting! We had a quick Mexican lunch and then spent as much time in the sun as we could. Sunday, Magnolia and I went to lunch with my mom, sisters, and all the babes. Ice cream for dessert plus play time outside with tons of people around us was the end of a happy weekend. And I mention all the people because before 2020 I took for granted how much I enjoyed being in a crowd and all the glorious energy of strangers having fun. I hope we never have to experience a lockdown again. 

And of course we snapped lots of photos! 

Easter 2022! It was a memorable one to say the least. Other than our strong cookie limping around on a broken leg it was a good one. Honestly, I was in a funk, I think I intuitively knew something was wrong with our baby girl since she wasn't walking on her leg, but I was trying to be optimistic and hopeful that she was okay like the ER doctor said. Easter is always my favorite because of all the pastel colors, flowers blooming, birds chirping, cute little bunnies everywhere, and of course because of God's reminder and what our Pastor always says "the worst thing is not the last thing." Hope, it's the season of hope. Magnolia and I spent Easter Eve baking brownies and coloring eggs. The Magical Jelly Beans arrived and she planted them in our garden where they grew into lollipops overnight. All the family came over on Easter Sunday and we had a casual day inside because it was cold and rainy outside. The kids had a blast searching for eggs, and then re-hiding them in all the hardest places for the adults to find. I'm still finding Easter eggs around the house, and they were smart enough to remove the candy before the adult hunt. So no more Easter peanut butter eggs for me. 

I turned 41 last month!!! And it's been a complete whirlwind since. The weekend before my birthday we went out for Japanese Steakhouse with the family and then back to our house for cake. This year was all about fun & simplicity. Balloons, Trader Joe's flowers and a last minute Target bakery cake. The weather was gorgeous and the kids did a lemonade stand after cake. The neighbors were so generous and they made $50 that we are going to donate to an animal shelter. On my actual birthday, Magnolia and I went out to lunch with my mom, did a little shopping, rode the carousel at the mall, and did 1990 photobooth style photos. It was a great day & also an awful day. The day ended with a trip to the emergency room after a trampoline accident at my sister's house. The ER doctor told us Magnolia's leg was only bruised and not to unnecessarily expose her to radiation. I was so grateful to go home with a wasted ER visit. After five days of her not able to walk on it we went to the pediatrician, who sent us for x-rays. After x-rays we got a late night phone call and found out she had a buckle fracture and needed to see an orthopedic. The following day she got a bright orange cast on her left leg. She's been an absolute inspiration. I dealt with major mom guilt for days, meanwhile she has been so optimistic and such a good sport. She's barely complained about it and has made the very best of a crappy situation. I am so proud of her and I hope she'll forgive me for not taking her to the doctor sooner. Ugh. My heart. In two weeks the cast comes off and I can't wait to see her dancing on stage again. Praying she'll be able to do recital in June. It'll be off just in time for the pool opening and we are grateful! Anyway, sharing a bunch of random photos I snapped on my bday for memories sake. 

My sister and I were talking about photos with the Easter Bunny and she had the genius idea of borrowing some real bunnies from a friend and owner of Paramount Pony. Friday after school we all met at my sister's house and the kids got to play with fluffy bunnies and tiny little chicks as I snapped photos for the memory book. 

It's finally feeling like spring now as the all the trees are blooming, tulips are popping up from the ground, and thunderstorms are waking us up at night. We have a mama wren that built a nest in our wreath that hangs on the front door and now we are all anxiously waiting for four little baby wrens to hatch any day now. We just love this time of year! Next weekend we will all get together again for Easter Sunday at my house and we are so excited! 

A Divine Dream 

We finally got to take our princess to Disney on Ice for the very first time. We had VIP tickets in 2020, a Fancy Nancy dress, and a very excited three year old and it was cancelled because of COVID. It was our first "event" to miss and it seems like it sticks out in our mind more than anything else. This year, Magnolia wore her Elsa dress and I snapped a ton of photos because I knew it was a day I wouldn't want to forget. When Elsa and Anna came out she waved with all thrill & happiness you could imagine. On the way home she said it was the "best day ever!" Ryan and I are hoping to take her to Disney World at the end of summer.