Month: May 2014

parks, parks. we love parks.

Posted on by mommyinthemidwest

I am always looking for something free or cheap to do outside with the boys. This time of year we can find lots of places to go. My favorite things about living where we do include proximity to Indianapolis (15-20 minute drive to the heart of downtown on a good traffic day), great local restaurants and other businesses, and of course, the abundance of parks nearby.

Friday afternoon when I picked up the boys, it was obvious that rain was coming.  We stopped at one of our favorite parks on the way home. It’s special to me because it was built with all kinds of kids in mind.  It’s wheelchair accessible, brand new, rarely busy, and just the right size. It has plenty for the boys to do but isn’t so spread out that I lose sight of one of them if they go separate ways.  When it’s hot out, there are fun water features. Additionally, because it’s wheelchair accessible, the playground area has that rubbery flooring stuff which means it’s never muddy.

Saturday morning we got up and went to a very small local farmer’s market. There isn’t much there yet. Lots of plants. I’m looking forward to going back when I can buy tomatoes (not tomato plants) and corn on the cob. My green thumb is non-existent. There were plenty of delicious baked goods to take home though. 
Afterwards, on the spur of the moment, I wanted to take the boys to a park in the town where I work, 20 minutes away. Such a neat, big, wooded park. It was a nice morning so I was surprised again that practically no one else was there. 
I’m having a lot of fun getting to know my new 50mm 1.8 lens. 

Scared of swinging but not scared of heights…I’m so confused.

  

Exploring.

Ever seen a kid this big in the baby swings? Me either. Except for this one.
Afterwards we went to one of my favorite local restaurants and ate outside.  Tired boys. It’s been such a fun day and Mother’s Day weekend so far. 

Hope you are enjoying the weekend,
~C~

a busy 34th birthday week

Posted on by mommyinthemidwest

What a busy week we’ve had!  Monday night the boys caught their first fish! My birthday was Wednesday. Thursday morning Dexter had his first dentist appointment and that night Ryan and I went to a terrible photography class…thankfully it was free!

My original birthday plan was to get together with 2 or 3 other couples for dinner, using my birthday as an excuse to have a fun date night out in the middle of the week. Quickly I realized that lives are far too busy this time of year so instead I suggested a ladies’ night to a some friends. They all agreed and plans were made to have dinner then go bowling.

On my birthday, Theo and Dexter were excited to present me with my birthday gift…

Be jealous – it’s a Wyldstyle Lego watch! 
They weren’t as excited to see what Ryan got me…
A new 50mm lens! It doesn’t zoom…I feel quite lost with this on my camera. It will definitely take some getting used to but I’m excited to play around with it. 
This is the part where I become a wuss.  The boys were excited for my birthday. They must think grown up birthdays are as thrilling as theirs…haha.  But it was sweet and cute. They couldn’t wait to sing to me and were asking about my “party” and cake.  Whoops, well… guilt had been creeping in for about a week over not spending that day with my family but I tried to push it away. When they started asking about my party and cake, the deal was sealed. I told Ryan I wanted them to come to dinner. I’m glad they did. It was really fun. 
After dinner, it was off to the bowling alley. We had so much fun and laughed a lot. I’ll spare you the several hundred photos we took to create hilarious action sequences. 
Lucky to have these ladies in my life – so glad they spent the evening with me. 

Whitney, Angie, me, Erin, and Brandy.
Thursday morning, bright and early, I took Dexter to the dentist for his first appointment. My loud, vivacious boy was so quiet and nervous! 

He did everything she asked him to do but didn’t say much more than “uh-huh” and “okay” the whole time.
No cavities!
More stuff to keep us busy – Mother’s Day, Dexter’s birthday, and his birthday party all within the next week.  May is such a busy month but we’re not complaining!  
xo,
~C~

catch the moment 365: week eighteen

Posted on by mommyinthemidwest

Yay for the month of May! We are getting closer to summer and further away from that putrid winter that couldn’t end soon enough.  We have been busy having fun and spending time outside on the really nice days.

Linking up again this week with Mindi from Simply Stavish, Sarah from Nurse Loves Farmer, and Stephanie from Behind the Camera and Dreaming.

120/365: April 30th.  Sea of Legos.  Cute boys working side by side. Not always as harmoniously as what you see here.

121/365: May 1st.  The first day of my favorite month of the year! Unfortunately, it was kind of cold and dreary. Dexter thought it would be a good day to snuggle up with monkey and watch a movie. Apparently our kitty, Niko, thought so too!

122/365: May 2nd. We didn’t have a whole lot going on Friday night.  Played at the gym for awhile, grabbed some Wendy’s for dinner, picked up some party supplies for Dexter’s birthday, and finally went home to color and play with Play-doh til bedtime.

123/365: May 3rd. Ploppin’ pepperonis on our homemade pizza. And poppin’ a few in their mouths simultaneously. 

124/365: May 4th. Tired (and heavy) little boy wanted to be carried for most of our 2 mile nature hike. Makes for a great workout. 
125/365: May 5th. We had an impromptu dinner with friends and I got to spend some time with this wonderful girl.

126/365: May 6th. This is cute, y’all.  One of Theo’s favorite things at school is stringing beads or making bracelets and necklaces. I am getting quite an extensive collection of handmade jewelry. Every day when Dexter sees that I am wearing a pretty new (always pink/purple) bracelet, he asks for one. But he makes sure to tell Theo that he wants his to be blue and red.  Months of this, you guys.  Months.  Well, on day 126, Theo FINALLY remembered to make Dexter a bracelet of his own. It made Dexter’s day and just about made me cry.  Ssssooo sweet. 
That does it for this week. Which photo is your favorite of these seven? Is it wrong if I say my favorites are 123, 124, 125, and 126? What can I say…it was a great week. 
xo,
~C~