Category: Family

Our Christmas 2021: A Photo Diary

Posted on by Lauren Lane

Happy New Year, friends! I hope you all had a joyful and restful holiday season. I always find the time between Christmas and New Year to truly be a time of relaxation with so many people off work, and finally feeling like I can truly unplug from work email and tasks.

We had a really wonderful Christmas. Harrison’s excitement this year for all things Santa and Christmas Day was palpable and contagious. We had so much fun opening gifts from Santa on Christmas morning, enjoying a slow brunch with just our family and opening presents. It was so nice out on Christmas, that we actually got to play outside a bit. Then we had my parents over for Christmas dinner later that evening.

I wanted to share some of the photos from the day all in one place.

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Friday Favorites {12.17.21}

Posted on by Lauren Lane

I feel myself getting caught up this time of year in trying to have the perfect Christmas. Mostly ideas of peaceful cookie decorating, picturesque holiday movie watching on the couch with the whole family and a fire going, and doing all of the festive things like visiting Santa, looking at lights. And then there are little things too, for me, like wrapping each present perfectly. And I can find myself, if I don’t catch it early enough, with these high expectations of what this time looks like for our little family.

The holidays, and pretty much all special events, are better when I lower my expectations. When it doesn’t go perfectly, I don’t want my kids remembering a mom that was flustered and upset. I want them to remember these special celebrations as moments of joy strung together.

So as we head into this holiday week, I pray for you, friend, a week where we let go of the reigns a little bit. We lower the expectations of our children’s reactions and actions, the perfect picturesque holiday scenes we have in our minds, and remember that the best thing we can give our kids is a happy, joyful mom in the chaos and mess of it all. (And then let’s just all plan to have a virtual glass of wine together at the end of the night. ☺️)

Happy Friday, friends. And Merry Christmas week! ~Lauren

We went and visited Santa a couple weeks ago. I wasn’t sure how this would go, honestly. I was prepared for tears. Harrison hadn’t visited Santa since he was 1, and obviously has no memory of it.

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Halloween 2021

Posted on by Lauren Lane

Well, sometimes even though you have two days off work, you don’t get around to sitting down and writing instead of checking things off to-do lists. So, I’m sorry I disappeared last week! We’re still enjoying Halloween and fall over here, but I love that so many friends are starting to deck the halls!

This is my own little scrapbook of my boys’ life, so we’re going to stick with Halloween for a minute and I wanted to share some pictures from the holiday. We had so much fun trick-or-treating!

Friday afternoon, the boys had their Halloween parties at daycare.

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Our Seventh Wedding Anniversary

Posted on by Lauren Lane

Monday will mark our seven year wedding anniversary. As I sat down to write this post, I thought for a long while about what a surreal feeling it is to have spent so many years doing life with one person. The feeling that day to day feels like it bumps along, and not in the weight of hours, days, weeks, years we have spent working together as a team and loving one another.

But when you go to celebrate an anniversary, the weight of the words of seven years seems substantial. And I keep waiting to feel the weight of that. The weight of seven years. And still, I don’t. I look at our marriage…

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7 Quick Harrison Takes (v. IX)

Posted on by Lauren Lane

It’s that time again for seven quick Harrison takes. Harrison’s half birthday is in October, and I thought that would be a good time to do another quick round up of the things that Harrison is into, saying, and doing that makes me laugh or brings a smile to my face.

-1- While we were on our Florida vacation, one of our rental cars was a Mustang convertible. Harrison LOOOOOVED it. And asked the entire trip to ride in the ‘mustache’ car.

-2- Any red team playing football is identified by Harrison as the “Chiefs” playing. Any blue team playing soccer is “Chelsea.” And any green team is “the Broncos.” Why he’s insistent that the Broncos are green, we’re not sure. But he is insistent that they are Green.

-3- His current favorite foods: waffles and fig newtons. Seriously, fig newtons. Whaaaaat.

-4- He’s extremely enthusiastic to help Mommy rip out plants that he declares are “done for the season.” So enthusiastic.

-5- Equally so, he tells me often that my flowers are “beautiful.” Talk about getting at my mama’s heart.

-6- He’s referred to sunscreen as “skun-screen” for ages. And that’s what we call it now.

-7- His must-have’s for bed: Lovie, Monkey, and 3 cars (which he negotiates every evening from 2 cars, up to 3 cars).

My sweet little boy is headstrong, tough, and absolutely fearless. FEARLESS. I am in for it, folks. Harrison Thomas is going to test just to see how strong my heart is for all of the things he jumps at with absolute abandon.

At night, though, when I tuck him in right now, just before I close the door, he says, “Mom! I have to tell you something!” “What , buddy?” “Mommy. I. I. I love you so much.” I couldn’t have ever imagined loving another human being so much before my little boys.

What’s Up Wednesday {08.25.21}

Posted on by Lauren Lane

This might be my favorite post of the month. They’re the most fun to go back and read, it’s a little bit of food, a little bit of my Timehop addiction, reading, watching, all wrapped up in one post.

As always, I’m linking up with Shay and Sheaffer to share with you what’s going on in our life!

1: WHAT WE’RE EATING THIS WEEK:

We’re eating MY version of Iowa Girl Eats Cheesy Pasta Florentine, Asian Crockpot Pot Roast (the crockpot is coming back hardcore now that I’m starting to think about fall), and Parmesan Chicken Cutlets with corn on the cob.

2: WHAT I’M REMINISCING ABOUT:

We’re getting ready for our trip to my parents’ cabin in South Dakota. The last time we were there was 2019, and we looked like this…

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First Day of School 2021

Posted on by Lauren Lane

Monday was Harrison’s first ‘official’ day of school! While he’s still at the same daycare, he moved classes on Monday and officially started his ‘preschool’ programming on Monday. Harrison’s been looking forward to this day for MONTHS because he was so excited about wearing a uniform to school like some of his older friends!

Every morning for months, he’d want to wear his uniform polos, but finally, on Monday, he got to put on his uniform for the first time. And he was SO PROUD.

We got up, and made a special breakfast of green ‘good luck’ waffles to start the morning.

Harrison was thrilled. Not only was he getting his favorite breakfast, but they were GREEN. A real three year old crowd pleaser. 😊

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What’s Up Wednesday {06.30.21}

Posted on by Lauren Lane

The last Wednesday of every month, I love joining this little link up to share a little bit of what’s going on in our house this month. It’s a little bit of food, a bit of clothes, a bit of memories and exciting things coming up, all in one blog post. Head over to Shay and Sheaffer’s blogs to read through the rest of the links, too!

1: WHAT WE’RE EATING THIS WEEK:

I’ve got ingredients this week to make a shrimp and Parmesan pasta, tacos, and a chopped salad with shredded chicken. In what order those get made, I don’t know! We’ll just wing it!

2: WHAT I’M REMINISCING ABOUT:

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7 Quick Harrison Takes (v. VIII)

Posted on by Lauren Lane

I’ve been accumulating some really good Harrison takes over the past few weeks. Ya’ll, he’s a mood lately. And I love it.

If you’re new around here, every once in awhile I like to round up seven quick things that are making me laugh or melting my heart about Harrison.

I love going back to read these because it’s an easy way that I can memorialize these small little bits of his personality as he grows. He’s learning so much every day. He’s into something new every few weeks it seems. This is such a fun age and stage of life with him.

-1- The names he comes up with for his brother. Terms of endearment from a three-year-old. “STINKY BUTT!” “Jonathan Brooksie” (the family has adopted this one.) and out of nowhere last week, “STINKY JOHN JOHN!” All said with love and admiration of his little brother.

-2- I’ve got to wear my soccer shirt! (It’s his favorite thing to wear. I wash it, and it’s immediately put on.)

-3- When he’s mad at us for not letting him do something he wants, he declares, “You’re not my best friend!” Thankfully, about a minute later he’ll let us back into best friend status.

-4- He’s gotten into the habit when someone asks him to do something, responding with, “Ok, ok, ok, ok.”

-5- He asks us, “What’s for dinner tonight?” And when the response is not Mac-and-cheese, he responds, “I don’t like <Blank>. I want Mac-and-cheese for my dinner!” We know, buddy. You’d take Mac-and-cheese for every meal, every day.

-6- He’s got an insane memory. He’s in a big car phase still, and he knows what color of car is in what location of the house or which parents’ car, and when one is missing. 😳

-7- He refers to Band-AIDS as, “Boo-boos.” He’s constantly telling us he needs a boo-boo.

Harrison is such joy. He easily bounces back from obstacles, quick to smile and play with eagerness and energy. And he holds his mama’s heart. Love watching him grow.