New Year, New Adventures

2016. What a year! So much happened this past year. Some good, some great, and some really tough moments.

2016 brought the loss of my Grandpa Van Gorp to lung cancer in February, and we also lost AJs father in June.

Jack turned one and Eslie turned FOUR (how is that even possible?!)

2016 was our first full year with Jack, and it was a wild ride! (The kid doesn't believe in sleep, and his no-fear mindset will give me anxiety issues one day.) But we have loved watching he and Eslie's relationship grow as they begin exploring this adventure of life together.

Eslie started "school stuff" with Mommy once summer ended. She is super smart (sometimes too much for her own good) and loves the one-on-one time, crafts, lessons, and challenges. She would literally do "school stuff" all day if it were up to her. (It sure makes it easier on this Mama!)

2016 was also the first year (ever) that we actually spent Christmas at HOME. (We went to Iowa early.) It was so fun (and a little weird) getting to spend Christmas with just our little family. No rushing around from place to place, and we could finally start some traditions with the kiddos. (And it was almost 70°?!)

2017 will no doubt be a big year of new adventures! We have a big move coming up in a few months, Jack will turn TWO this summer, Eslie will start SCHOOL in the fall, and she will also turn FIVE. (What will I do with only one kid at home?!)

2017 will no doubt be a year of adventure. Let's do this.

Hold On Tight

We arrived in Iowa around dinner time on Wednesday evening. That meant once we found our luggage, installed the catseats, stopped for dinner, stopped at the store for a few necessities for the week, and then finally arrived to the farm - we didn't have much time to play before bedtime. But that was okay. It had been a  l o n g  day, so we were all exhausted. Tomorrow was supposed to be in the low 70s, so we would get as much outdoor playtime in as we could.

We were in Iowa. Had I forgotten this detail? One word : WIND.

I had promised the kids we would play outside. So we did. Jack may or may not have fallen over a few times trying to walk across the yard into the wind, and the only direction the swings would go was crooked, BUT we played outside.

Our kiddos don't have the luxury of having a yard to just run around in, so regardless of the wind, they had a blast.

Airplanes & Kiddos

Ever since we moved to Arkansas, we have not returned to Iowa for Thanksgiving with it being so close to Christmas. We decided to make this year different.

This year, Eslie's  f o u r t h  birthday fell on Thanksgiving Day. Being we live 10+ hours away, we haven't had a big birthday party for her since she turned one. In addition to this, we are set to move late spring and will be even  f u r t h e r  away. So this year was different. We decided we were going home for Thanksgiving, and we were going to have a birthday party for Eslie.

But in order to do these things, we have to travel.

AJ doesn't have a whole lot of time to take off, so when we do decide to head north, the kids and I usually go up early and he will drive up and join us later. Driving 10+ hours  a l o n e  with two young kiddos is not something I feel comfortable doing. So we fly. Yes, I have heard I am crazy, but we have managed to survive and arrive to our destination safely the last four times, so we will just call it a win for now.

What do I take with me? We check one bag with a week's worth of clothes and minimal necessities for the three of us. We check both carseats (free). We have two carryon bags. One containing needs like diapers, snacks, wipes, snacks, kleenex, snacks, cups for drinks, and snacks. The other bag has busy items like coloring books and markers (crayola color wonder is literally the BEST thing ever!), stickers and memo pads, toy cars, plastic animals, books, foam puzzle pieces, and Eslie's tablet for watching movies. I also bring the umbrella stroller to contain the youngest in the airports. And two children- I bring them too.

We were off!

Pumpkin Carving

I decided to let Eslie tell me what she wanted carved in her pumpkin this year. I was hoping it wouldn't be anything  TOO  crazy, but she actually ended up keeping things simple! All she asked for was "a happy face with triangle eyes." I think I can manage that!

Also, she wasn't  q u i t e  as disgusted by the pumpkin guts this year. Still not a fan though.

(p.s. Who thought we would need sunscreen at the end of October?!)

Super Fast Alphabet

This is one of Eslie's new obsessions: doing everything "super fast". Talking fast, counting fast, and singing fast. Here she is singing the ABC's super fast :P

Tickle Giggles

I could listen to this all day.

(He truly enjoys being tickled. I promise I am not torturing him.)

Caught Rolling Over

F i n a l l y  caught this crazy boy rolling over! I have a feeling he is going to be just as stubborn as his big sister (so we are in  BIG  trouble!)

He has been consistently rolling over for about a week now, and this makes any tummy time Mommy tries to give him nearly impossible!