Oh Hey, Friday!

Another Friday is here! I love when Friday comes because that means we get John home for two days starting after work. I'm blessed with an incredible husband and I miss him during the week. I think. Kai does too. He's not old enough to understand where daddy is going but on the weekends he knows he hasn't left. If daddy is still in bed on Saturday or Sunday morning Kai will not stay in the living room. He continually crawls to our bedroom until John gets out of bed to play. He loves his daddy! Anyway, again I'm linking up with September Farm and The Farmer's Wife. Check them out :)

{My Five}

{One} Yesterday Kai and I went to the Minnesota Zoo with a friend. We purchased a dual adult membership ($100) in which one adult is named on the card, me.  It allows me to bring any other person with me and Kai is free, so we've gone a handful of times with John and a handful of times I've brought friends.  It's been a very worthwhile investment for us.  Recently the zoo built a carousel and yesterday was Kai's first time riding it.  He did get to ride one in Florida last March but he was sleeping while riding in the Ergo, so that doesn't count.  Man did he LOVE it!  My heart was a mess of happiness just watching him right.  He was smiling ear to ear the whole time.  The only thing I wish was that John was there to see it.  It was the highlight of my week and probably Kai's as well!

{Two} A new development for Kai is tantrums.  Thankfully they're not quite the loud, screaming ones yet, but I have to try not to giggle when they happen.  He starts to throw toys and hit his hands on the floor.  Most of the time it's adorable and this week I've tried hard to communicate with him that I want to understand what is making him upset and I think he's starting to understand that and then he tries to help me understand.  I'm so intrigued about how his little mind is working.  I love that he's becoming a little boy and we're starting to communicate even if it's not verbal quite yet.

{Three}  I've been perusing Craigslist for quite some time for a Little Tikes Climber with a slide.  (I like to search for items on Craigslist often, but this has been my recent en devour.)  They are pretty expensive brand new and some people still want quite a bit for their used ones, so I'd been picky about what I want.  I didn't mind at all that it would be used because Little Tikes products can take a beating, but I knew I didn't want it to look ruined and I didn't want to spend more than $100.  Last Sunday one popped up for $60 and the picture made it look great, but it was taken apart already, so it was a little hard to picture what it would look like set up.  I emailed the poster right away.  We emailed back and forth a few times, agreed on $50 and John and I went right over to pick it up.  Kai loves it although he's still figuring it out.  I had to put a stool behind it to help him get up, but I know next year he will love it!  I am so happy that we found one!

{Four}  Tomorrow is the Open House at my in-laws garden center.  I always enjoy spending the day there and seeing all the people.  John grills hot dogs and we just do what we can to help.  (Feel free to stop by for free lunch!  Here's the address:  Midwest Garden Company 21392 CSAH 18 Dassel, MN  55325.  It's easy to spot from Highway 15.)  I hope Kai decides he's going to have a happy day and encourage all the customers to buy lots :)  Thankfully my parents live less than a mile away so Kai and I can sneak away for a nap or two if we need to.  It should be a fun time full of lots of sales on plants and anything garden related!  I'll try to post a photo on Instagram (emhammar) of all of us wearing our Midwest Garden Company shirts :)

{Five}  Chicken Corn Chowder.  This recipe from Freetime Frolics was delicious!  It was a bit time consuming and hard with a toddler clinging to my leg, but it was worth it.  It could have been a bit easier if my chicken was already cooked or if I used canned/frozen corn instead of off the ear sweet corn.  I felt like a true wonderful wife serving it because I worked hard and it was delicious. 

Do you have a worthwhile memberships to have with toddlers? What are your best Craigslist finds? Random question becuas I've been contemplating a very personal post... Where do you draw the line on what you share on your blog or on social media?  

Thanks for stopping! Check back Monday for Hopes and Plans!

Oh Hey, Friday!

As always I'm linking up with September Farm and Farmer's Wife, click the icon at the bottom to check them out :)

{My Five}

{One} Tonight John and I get to go on a date!  We've been out together without Kai maybe three times since he was born (I know, not great for our relationship!) so I'm pumped for tonight.  We're celebrating my birthday so I got to pick the place and decided on Fujiya. I am oh so excited to stuff my face with delectable raw fish and maki rolls I can pack in.  I will definitely try not to late afternoon snack today!  My mouth is watering just thinking about it...  John said I can choose what we do for our weekend too.  Not sure yet what sounds fun. My birthday was actually on Wednesday and it was delightful.  I got to snuggle with my boy, meet my mom for coffee (Caribou offers a free medium drink for birthdays!), have Chipotle for supper and watch the season premiere of The League.  Here's to a great 27th year!


{Two} My sweet youngest sister got crowned Dassel Ambassador last Saturday night!  I couldn't be more proud of her. When I ran I lost, so she said I could borrow her crown sometime.  What are sister's for? :)

{Three} So The League premiered on my birthday which was a treat.  It is honestly one of my favorite shows.  It's about a group of high school friends (and one of their wives) who are in a fantasy football league together.  The humor isn't for everyone, but holy buckets does it get me rolling sometimes.  I remember nursing Kai as an itty bitty newborn and he was just vibrating because I was laughing so hard.  Seasons 1-5 are on Netflix and John and I have watched them over and over again.

{Four} To make The League and the NFL season a little bit more fun this year I joined John's friends Fantasy Football League.  Truthfully someone dropped out and they needed a tenth player.  I jokingly told John I'd love to join and on draft night he came home having drafted two teams instead of one.  He did a pretty good job, but I totally feel like I have something to prove since it's me and nine other guys competing.  Week One started last night, so we'll see how this goes.

{Five} I'm going to try and end on a funny note.  Kai hasn't been feeling the best this week, but we've also been trying to wean him off of nighttime nursing.  I'm so tired of getting up at all hours.  I'm fine if he eats after 4am because he'll go back to sleep.  If he eats earlier than that he wants to get up at 6am and this momma can't handle that.  It was midnight on Tuesday and he was screaming.  He's smart and he has us wrapped around his little finger.  We were trying to help him settle down, but nothing was really working and we figured it was his cough and stuffed nose bothering him.  He kept reaching for the nightstand so I was handing him everything one by one and he was pushing everything away.  Finally I handed him a breast pad (I have to put one in on the side he isn't feeding on still because I would be soaking wet if I didn't, sorry TMI) and he put it into my shirt.  I thought maybe it was an accident, so I put it back on the nightstand and we did the same little song and dance again.  Can this kid seriously be so smart?  I feel bad that sometimes I don't think I give him enough credit.  Good grief baby boy.  I love him to death.  After I was stunned by his intelligence he got what he wanted and slept until 6am.  I should have told him all I wanted for my birthday was a good night's sleep.

 

 Thanks for reading!

Oh Hey, Friday!

I missed a week.  Oops :)  Here's my next Oh Hey, Friday check in.

{My Five}

{One} The wedding went great.  Kai did awesome.  It was beautiful and another sister is married.

From Left to Right: Me, John, holding Kai, brother-in-law Ethan, sister Hannah, brother Caleb, my mom, my dad, sister Caitlin, sister Erin and brother-in-law Ryan.

{Two} One of our cousins decided to make their trip to the wedding their summer vacation with their young kids and we got to spend an evening with them and Erin and Ryan.  It was a lot of fun.  They came over and we shared pizza and lots of good conversation.  I wish they didn't leave six hours away.  Kai enjoyed playing with their kids Reese and Asher.  I need more mom friends.

{Three} My sweet baby turned one!  Holy buckets!  Where did the time go?  Here's a letter I wrote to our new one year old...  We learned he LOVES cake!

{Four} I made his cupcakes and frosting from scratch and they were wonderful!  I would highly recommend the recipe.  I found it on Pinterest, click here to check it out. I had to double the recipe to accommodate all t our guests but I ended up with 30 cupcakes even though it said it would make 24 and doubling the frosting was crazy, WAY TOO MUCH!  All things considered they were delicious!  I love to bake. 

{Five}  Today we had his one year appointment.  Three shots and a finger prick to take blood.  Big boy was a champ even though I was trying not to tear up.  It's awful to watch him endure pain.  Thankfully he still loves his milkies and he calmed down quickly.

Until next week!

Oh Hey, Friday!

Third Friday in a row and this one will be easy :)

I'm still linking up with September Farm and The Farmer's Wife.  Check them out, they're fabulous!



My Five {Wedding Edition}

{One} My sister and her high school sweetheart are getting married tomorrow!  I'm so excited for them as it's been a long time coming. Yay to Auntie Hannah and Uncle Ethan!  We wish you both many years of happiness, laughter and love.

{Two} Our dresses are long and chiffon (similar to this dress or this is the dress I'm just not sure).  They are light, light pink with some pleating on the bodice. I feel like I look pregnant in it, but they're pretty so we should be a pretty rocking bridal party.  The guys are just wearing black pants and black vests and ties.  I think Ethan might be wearing a suit coat as well.  I'll be Instagramming all weekend.

Bridesmaids Caitie, Erin, Emmy, Sarah and Bride Hannah.

{Three} My mom is a florist at heart and is putting together all the flowers as I type.  She has done it before for our sister Erin's wedding and for mine and also for some friends.  She has had great luck ordering flowers in bulk from Sam's Club until this time.  Everything was supposed to come on Wednesday, but she only received about half.  After about 45 minutes of me calling around to FedEx and Sam's Club I found out there was basically nothing they could do to help us.  Surprise, surprise.  The carnations were delayed because of a shipping error in Tennessee and the hydrangeas were stuck in customs in Florida.  I know I was very polite on the phone, but after thinking about it I was a little upset they weren't more helpful.  It's one thing to get a shipment wrong when there's no time crunch.  Thankfully the delayed flowers came yesterday, albeit not all the correct ones, but enough for my momma to finish everything she needed to make.  (Sigh of relief...) My flowers were one of my favorites parts of our wedding, so they'll be gorgeous I'm sure.  Next week is going to have to turn into a picture follow-up :)

{Four} Kai is not walking on his own yet so it's been decided that he'll walk down the aisle with myself and the groomsman I'm paired with.  As long as he's not cranky it should go pretty smoothly I think.  The rehearsal tonight should be fun.  Kai has a mind of his own.

{Five} After tomorrow more than half of my siblings including myself will be married.  We're all growing up.  Crazy and awesome and bittersweet and hard and fabulous all at the same time.

Thanks for reading!  I post a lot more frequently on Instagram if you'd like to follow me there: emhammar :) Have a wonderful weekend!

Oh Hey, Friday!

It's another Friday and I honestly almost forgot to post.  Here I am though, so here it goes :)

My Five

{One} Kai took his first steps two days ago and a few more yesterday and today!  I'm one proud momma!  He has one week to be prepared to walk down the aisle at Auntie Hannah and Uncle Ethan's wedding though.  Can't say I believe that's going to happen.  He's going to be darn cute in his little suit though!

{Two} Last weekend we went to Ikea and there was a tent/tunnel that Kai fell in love with!  He was crawling back and forth and even pushed an older kid out of his way so he could get though (we'll have to work on that!) After that I thought it would be a stellar birthday gift.  I remembered seeing one at TJMaxx, so off I went to purchase it.  It's this model.  Feels a little flimsy, but we don't plan on going camping with it, so it's great for us.  I also couldn't wait until his birthday so it's in our living room right now and Kai is loving it and the dog has been sleeping in it.  It's fabulous!

{Three} I've been working on being a better wife.  Sometimes I get wrapped up in being Kai's mom that I forget that being John's wife is equally if not more important.  My relationship with Jesus comes first, then John then Kai.  I just feel like I've been slacking in loving John well, so I'm working on a list of tangible things to do.  I am planning to keep that list in a place I see it so I can hold myself accountable.  Maybe I'll share some of them if I have some free time :)

{Four} I made these muffins and used this acorn squash recipe this week.  Of course I added chocolate chips into the muffins.  Both recipes were winners. Oh how I'm longing for fall.

{Five} I'm in the market for a wrap baby carrier and/or a ring sling type carrier.  I'm not sure if I should make one or if I should just support another momma on Etsy or go cheap and buy a used one on eBay.  I'm at a loss.  I've done a lot of research and still can't decide.  Any suggestions would be awesome!

Two weeks in a row, here's to hoping I post next week as well :)  Until then, have a wonderful week!

Oh Hey, Friday!

I'm a little saddened by the fact that I haven't blogged in SO long, but I'm chalking it up to life and soaking up every ounce I can of my baby boy and our little family.  Some of the blogs I regularly read do a post called "Five Things Friday" and I'm going to try and stick with that.  Here goes nothing!

My Five :)

1. Last week we took a family vacation to St. Thomas, in the Virgin Islands.  John and I have been there three times before so we felt comfortable bringing Kai.  He did incredible besides crazy terrible sleep (but what's new there).  He loved the sand and the ocean and snuggling with mom and dad for literally every nap.  Best part, watching him take it all in.  He learned and grew so much!  He would sit on the beach and watch the waves roll in, digging his feet into the sand.  When he got courageous he would crawl back and forth into the waves and back out into the sand.  He ate his fair share of sand and salt water and peed all over me while nursing on the beach the only time I forgot a swim diaper.  It was also wondering to water Kai interact with John.  He is enamored with his daddy!  I could tell he loved having uninterrupted time with him.  Family vacations are the best!  To see our vacation photos click here!  (They're worth it just to see the water, the perfect shade of turquoise!)

Magen's Bay Beach, St. Thomas

2. I can't believe we're approaching Kai's first birthday.  It's bittersweet for me!  My little baby is gone and in has come a fiery and giggly toddler.  I was attempting to make some invites before starting this post, so we'll see how those turn out.  I can't wait for his party :)

3. Three is a big shout out to my incredible husband.  He had a big project at work (which came to a good point before vacation) so we've had him around a bit more often.  Kai loves it, I love it and the Comet loves it.  I couldn't be more thankful that he is such a hard worker and so motivated.  Sometimes I'm not a very uplifting to him so I'm making it a point to try harder.  John deserves the best from me as he strives to give me his best.  Plus he's the world's best daddy!

4.  Confession:  I've been feeling like motherhood can get lonely, but at the same time sometimes I feel I need time to myself.  Maybe it's because my adult interaction is a lot of times limited to John or because Kai is still little and needs so much attention and care.  It could also be that I'm not very good at looking out for myself.  I basically get whatever time is left after Kai, John, Comet, the house, my family... so there is no time left.  I should probably be working on that.

5. Lastly, since it's August 1st, I'm going to strive to smile more, laugh more and give more hugs.

Thanks for reading!  I'll be back next Friday (hopefully!)

Linking up with Amy @ The Farmer's Wife and Karli @ September Farm today for Oh Hey, Friday!