Have I told you how much I love Instagram? Seriously. Love. It’s such a fun way to document our days, and makes it easy to look back to see that we are living! Sometimes when I’m up to my elbows in laundry and dishes and the boys are beating each other to death with their nerf guns, it’s easy to forget to make memories. To stop the craziness and enjoy this time. I don’t know what tomorrow holds and I’m not sure that I’ll be able to stay home with them forever. Everyday I want to make memories.
So here are some memories I captured with my iPhone in April.

April was full of firsts for us! I did my first market, took a trip by myself for the first time, Lucas lost his first tooth and Grayson learned to swim!
May you have big shoes to fill!

I’ve been planning a trip to Baltimore to visit my brother for…well since he moved there 3 years ago. Finally the stars aligned (or whatever) and I was able to make my big city dreams a reality this weekend.  Baltimore is a BIG city when you come from a little farm town, mmkay?

I went on this trip all by myself (does this remind anyone else of the hidden track on the Green Day Dookie album? No? 1990s grunge rock was the jam) to spend some much needed sibling time with my only brother. My only brother who has decided that he just has to live one thousand miles away from home.

I’ve never understood this and even have been a little hurt by his moving so far away, until this trip. I realized that he has found himself in this time away from home, in this city one thousand miles away.

I guess some people need to make their own way in this world, apart from the safety of the known.  To jump from the proverbial tree branch and learn to spread their wings and fly.
I, on the other hand, find comfort in the known. I love that I live in the same town that I went to high school in, and can run into old friends at the grocery store!  I’ll be in my soft little nest for.ev.er!

We are so very different (always have been) but where it matters…where the good stuff is found, in those things we couldn’t be more alike!

My little brother (13 months younger to be exact, when we were kids everyone thought we were twins) is one of my favorite people! One of the few people in this world who I can completely be myself with.  I know he will always have my back and whenever we get together we always just fit, you know?  This trip was exactly what I needed.  Perfectly timed.  A comfort and relief to see that my baby brother is right where he needs to be.  God is working.  Even in Baltimore. HA!

Thanks Je”Rad” for showing me around this new place you call home.  These memories will never be forgotten!

HAPPY DAY O’ LOVE!!   

Such a fun day for us.  The boys woke up way to early but I couldn’t send them back to bed, it being a holiday and all, so up I got.  Dinosaur pancakes with sprinkles were made

and devoured!

After breakfast we headed out to deliver our Valentine’s, the boys called them “heart-attacks.”  I just cut paper hearts out of some card stock and asked the boys what they loved about each of their grandparents and wrote it down on the hearts, they invaded the house running around yelling “We’re giving you a heart attack” taping the hearts to the walls furniture or whatever they wanted to tape them to.   We also made some super yummy Valentine cookies (recipe found here) to hand out to our loves.

I love this “heart-attack” idea, the boys had such a good time coming up with fun things they loved about each person, like “I love Gammy because she puts puzzles together with me” and “I love Nannah because she lets me feed the chickens.”   New Carlisle Valenine’s Day tradition started!

It rained on us all day here so any plans of going to the park or playing outside were changed to an impromptu Goodwill trip and them home for soup and naps…I was okay with the change.

My sweet Valentine brought me a dozen red roses which finally gave me the opportunity to put together this cute little Mason jar decorating kit I picked up months ago at Goodwill for one dollar!

Dear Mr. Carlisle,

We’ll celebrate 8 years of marriage this year and truly they are getting better and better!  I know that sounds cliche but it’s true.  We’ve had a mostly easy relationship, we’re both very easy going people who pretty much hate drama and conflict.  That being said I think  last year was our hardest year yet.  We had some major blow outs.  I was disappointed,  I was angry, you felt disrespected and unloved.  It was rough!  I think because we don’t argue over the little things on a daily basis when there were some big issues to deal with we were unable to navigate the new rough waters.    But for the grace of God we did it, and came out on the other side stronger in our marriage and both stronger in our relationship with Jesus!  We’re back to our silly, fun loving, perfume bottles in my pillowcase selves and I couldn’t be happier!!  I love you babe and thank God for making you especially for me!!

Dear Lucas Michael,

You are a peacemaker.  You are a lover and snuggler, your love language is definitely touch.  You are wise beyond your years, so smart, where do you get that vocabulary?  My fearless firstborn, my big blue eyed charmer. I love you bigger than big.  Now stop growing up already!

Dear Grayson Jerad,

Sweet baby Gray.  Mr. Independent.  My great helper.  You have a servants heart.   You are such a strong headed, strong willed little guy.  You love animals and gumballs.  Your sweet face and nature draw people to you everywhere you go and I’m sure that will take you far in life! I love you like crazy you wild thang!