On the mend.

  I've been using the fun 1SE app for the last year-ish- it's so cool to mash together small parts of our days and see a little yearbook video of our family. I'll spare you the clips from January/February- they're still a little hard to watch. But when I put together the clips from March, phew. I could literally see a shift. We're on the mend and it shows! More normal. Better health. Less trauma. I mean, I know that things have leveled off and we are tapering from doctor appointments, but it was really good to see it, too.

  I know I've been a bit vague when I talk about Caleb's health on this blog or on Instagram, and that's ok. His bacterial pneumonia (turned whole body infection) was just really really awful and left a couple of permanent side effects. It just feels odd for me go into specifics or details in these general places, when it isn't my story to tell. He'll likely have lifelong impacts from the infection and while he's only a toddler now, he'll be a adult one day and we want to give him a chance to talk about it however he wants. Justin and I have a feeling that, as he gets older, some of these things will end up being funny stories he tells or party tricks to shock people. But overall, we're thankful he's 3 and will hopefully have so few memories of these surgeries or how his little body worked before he got sick. Kids are crazy resilient and, to look at him, you would NEVER know how sick he was just a few weeks ago or that the infection caused some serious damage. And every doctor has agreed on one big thing- it is a real life miracle that he is here and thriving today!

  Ok, that got dramatic and I didn't intend for it too. The whole point of this post was to mark the change and shift back to normal around our house! We're seeing less doctors (I quit Caleb's OT/PT this week! One doctor doesn't need to see us again until June!) and Caleb has been back at school for a few weeks. I'm thinking he'll have another minor surgery soon-ish and he has a big-ish appointment next week at the children's hospital, but those are all scheduled and predictable things that seem manageable. Outside of his anxious attachment to me (to be expected) and his feelings of being entitled to endless 'treats and presents' (hey, we've been indulgent lately)- he's pretty much back to his old self. Three weeks straight without surgery or anesthesia is good for a kid!

  We're still pretty paranoid about him catching any viruses while his lungs recoup and until we find out what immune system issue is going on, so we're avoiding the germiest places (aka everywhere fun). Which makes waiting for warmer weather feel extra hard- why is it still snowing in Indiana in April?!?! So of course we're counting down the days until we can simply be outside. It honestly feels as if these past three months were just skipped over (because we haven't done a ton of life outside of our little family) so I'm hoping spring doesn't happen and we just go right to summer. Anyone else with me?

  But this video. Such a good reminder to me that season change (they really do!), that even the hardest things can have bright spots, and that these little normal days add up to something really sweet!

Our summer in seconds.

  It seems as if Labor Day weekend and the first of September mark the unofficial end of summer. And man, was it a good summer for us. We were busy and not busy and did fun things and normal things. I set out to make it an intentional summer (we even made a bucket list!), and I can officially say that happened. Here are some fun clips of our summer!

1SE of Summer from katie rush on Vimeo.

Summer '17 highlights:

visiting friends

taking advantage of our neighborhood pool

a trip to the beach

ice cream (so much ice cream!)

date nights
celebrating birthdays 

visiting a fire station

exploring new parks

spending time with family

soaking up time outdoors
catching lightening bugs

ps. If you aren't using the 1SE app, you're missing out! 

Mother's Day 2017.

  I know Mother's Day is one of those holidays that everyone experiences differently. The emotional aspect combined with expectations means it just looks different for everyone! I remember feelings of longing after our miscarriage and after trying for over a year to get pregnant, and then just excitement as I was 8 months pregnant, and sweetness as I held my babies on the holiday years later. This year was just as sweet! 

  I have no real expectations for Mother's Day, except maybe eating some good food and having to change a few less poopy diapers? I'm easy to please, really. 😋 We had plans to spend most of Sunday with my mom and sisters, so Justin took me out for an early supper with the boys Saturday. We hadn't been to Chuy's in forever (the jalepeno ranch dip is AMAZING) and its one of our favorite kid friendly places. After that, Caleb helped me open my new running-themed gifts (new shoes!!!). Nothing crazy, but exactly what I love- intentional time with my boys. 

  Sunday morning we headed to the other side of town after church and Caleb was SO excited to celebrate grandma and see Mia at Pizza Choo Choo (Pizza King that has a train to deliver your drinks). Nevermind that there were 14 of us there, he was primarily fixated on Mia 😂 It really is neat to live close to family, especially as we keep growing. We managed the chaos of 6 kids under 5 and had fun eating pizza and celebrating my mom (and each other) before sending our husbands home with the kiddos. My mom, sisters, and I treated ourselves to some shopping and a movie and it was amazing. I don't remember the last time I was at a theater and the one we went to had cozy leather recliners to sit in. My mom even fell asleep during the show (she'll swear to you that she didn't though). It was the best! 

  And, because Justin is amazing, I came home to a perfectly quiet and clean house after the movie. He took the boys with him to grocery shop and brought me back some gelato to share. Guys, it was the best. The entire weekend! Time with my kiddos, time with Justin, time with my mom and sisters. Not fussy or fancy but just right. I spend pretty much all of my waking hours with my kids, so it honestly is extra special to have a day where its acknowledged. I won't ever feel guilty for loving Mother's Day! Also, matching outfits for the boys for every Mother's Day- its a new tradition I'm establishing. 

Easter. (2017)

  Ten years ago, I would have guaranteed you that I would be living in another state (likely along the coast) or another country altogether by 2017. Oh how my ten-year-ago self would be surprised by my life now. Though I do still really have dreams of moving closer to the water one day! Instead, I'm still here in my home state and really only 45 minutes from my hometown. Even more, I'm only a little over a mile from one of my sisters and just across town for the other. Not at all what I would have predicted, but a really sweet surprise in life.

  Living close to my family has its perks and it seems as if those are only highlighted now that we all have kids of our own (six, going on seven, cousins!). Those cousins love love love each other and it is fun to see them developing little friendships and memories. We try to spend lots of time together in normal life, but holidays are always an extra fun excuse to get together. Easter was no exception this year! (We missed my oldest sister and her kiddos, but we were able to see her for lunch this week so Caleb was excited to have her all to himself!!)

  Highlights from Easter this year (so I can add to the boys' Project Life books!): Tyler being old enough to join the egg hunt, Caleb's solid love for his Uncle Adam, my mom's yummy spread, Caleb's new microphone, continuing the 'cousins on the couch' photo, every kid playing with the big cat toy instead of the bagillion toys in the playroom, Leo's sweet attachment to the first thing he found in his Easter basket, Mia's domination of the egg hunt, and just seeing everyone together 😊

hashtag REAL LIFE

Life lately

  At 16 months and nearly 3, it seems like we're back in a sweet spot with the boys. I remember that as one of the things Justin was worried about before we had Tyler- throwing a kink in the routine/life we had down-pat with Caleb. Having the boys 18 months apart surely created a bit of chaos (don't all babies/kids?) and I had forgotten how babies change so much that just as soon as you have a routine, they're ready to switch it up. 

  But we're in a groove again and it's just plain fun. And winter is OVER (more on that later). This weekend we had gorgeous weather (no rain!) so I scooted to boys and dogs out the back door to get in a few hours (!!!) of playing and plain ole Vitamin D. SO GOOD FOR OUR SOULS. Or just mine? 

  Tyler ate lots of dirt, fell a dozen times, and discovered his new love for our dog poop scooper (awesome). Caleb is in this fun phase of big imagination, so he spent 3 hours pretending to be a boat captain, race car driver, and treasure hunter. We also had lunch outside and it was a ton of fun...until it wasn't. Notice Tyler's reaction to me not letting him steal Caleb's plate. Gah. Love these kids and these warm Spring days and just the sweet, sweet, grace of winter being over!

Passing time.

  It's that point in winter where I'm starting to feel antsy. Maybe its because we came home from our tropical vacation to find 50° weather (that only lasted a weekend). Or because the sun has been out for two days straight now. Or maybe it is because all of our winter sicknesses seem to (finally) be fading. But if I'm honest, I probably start to feel like this every year when the calendar flips to February. Either way, I'm itching for Spring and all the Spring things.

 Too bad it's not Spring and it won't be for a looooong time (hi, midwest!). That's not awful, but I still want to find some ways to pass the time until the days become longer and warmer (!!!) and the world seems to come out of hibernation. I don't want to wish time away, so I came up with a little list of ways to happily work through February (how can the shortest month feel like it lasts forever?!). A lot of the things on my list are kid-friendly, but you can do them even if you don't have any little ones running around!

• make valentines
• bake/decorate heart cookies
• go on a date (hey, hey gift cards!)
• sister's night out
• family day date (zoo or museum?)
• take the boys on walks (even when its cold out)
• pick one room and decorate it with things we already own
• find homes for new magnolia wreaths
• 3 morning trips to the gym each week
• weekly craft with the boys
• write a letter to our World Vision kiddo
• host a dinner party or game night with friends
• host a galentine's party (I'm most excited about this one!)
• breakfast date with my dad
• visit my parents

  After looking at my list, I'm already feeling less antsy. Lots of family time, loving on others, and self care to look forward to in February! 

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Family photos. (2016)

 Every year, I debate paying for family photos. It seems so silly to spend any amount of money to pay someone to take pictures I could hypothetically take myself (but I never do). Then we do them and get the proofs back and I remember how wonderful it is to capture each season in life in photographs. 

And to have someone else who is solely focused on capturing my family for an hour instead of it being me chasing everyone around with my camera (which always results in my not being in any frame). The same sequence happened this year- I debated and put off photos for a long  time this fall before contacting Kristen McG. And I LOVE the moments she captured. 

  This exact season of life with two kids two and under is fun. It's busy and hard and sometimes exhausting, but also really silly and funny and sweet. I think the nature of life with little little kids is that its sort of a blur- so these photos are extra special. Some days we collapse into bed and its wonderful to have these sweet reminders of what exactly life is like right now. 

 I love how these photos capture Caleb's 2.5 year old personality and his love for us and Tyler. And the shots of Justin with the boys! And I finally got in front of the camera! So many wonderful things that I know I'll love having in twenty years when these years seem like a blur and distant memory. 

I can't thank Kristen enough for these sweet images! And if you haven't snapped professional photos of your family lately, DO IT! You'd be surprised how affordable they can be and I promise you won't regret it.