Hit with the bug…

My sister was home from Colorado this past weekend. We were all SO excited for her to come visit…and it was great to have her home. BUT, we all got hit with the nasty flu bug.

I got the call on Thursday that Liv had gotten sick at school. Poor baby. This is the first time that she has ever thrown up. She wasn’t a spitter-upper as a baby either, so this was very new and scary for her!
Her daycare director said that it was going around…but it wasn’t the norovirus, it was quick. That kids would get it, but it was a 4-6 hour flu. Liv was pretty darn sick for about 3.5 hours, but then really came out of it. I figured that was it. Since my sis was just coming in…we packed up and headed to my mom’s to see her.

Fast forward to the next day…went to lunch, all fine. A couple of hours later, Blake is sick. Oh no. Poor baby. Blake’s lasted a bit longer than Liv’s.

My sis and I went out with friends on Friday night for a bit…all was well. Mary left there to go meet up with my parents and I went home to help Ry with the babies. By the time Mary had gotten home…she was sick. It hit that fast!

By midnight I was sick. My mom was sick.

By the next morning my dad was sick.

UGH…..I felt SO bad!

Luckily is missed Ryan, Lord knows how?!!? He must be strong!

Anywho..it was a rough 24 hours or so….but we are all better now. Knocking on wood that the flu bug is gone for good from our family now!!

New House

The new house is taking over my thoughts and taking up my time! I haven't had much time to post...but am looking forward to showing you what we are doing with the house soon!

Things are starting to come together. We are hoping to actually move within the next couple of weeks!

Stay tuned....

Friday Phone Dump

Just a few cell phoen pics this week. We have been busy moving and getting our NEW HOUSE ready to move in to :)

1. iPad fun....they love it!

2. My little moving crew...this is where they have been hanging out at the new house while we clean/move/etc.

3. Little cow-poke. He wore if cowboy halloween costume ALL.DAY.LONG. And he felt awesome :)

4. Is this normal? Blake is smushing Liv....and she LOVES it. I see some injuries in our future. Yikes.

5. Sunset....so pretty. On the way to our new house. Going to have to adjust to the daily commute!

6. Sorty of my life....clean, clean, clean!!

TGIF :)

And she ate cake...

Livi's cake smash photo session wasn't much of a smash at all. Our girl is an eater....and she eats like a big girl! She saw that cupcake and went straight for her mouth. Bless her little heart!!

Liv and Blake are opposites when it comes to eating. She is, and always has been, a great eater. She likes everything. She is always ready to eat. Blake could care less about eating. Eating is a chore for him. It is painful for him to come to the dinner table..he is simply to busy to stop and eat. Ha, I wish I had Blake's problem....too busy to eat?! No such thing!! Liv definitely takes after her mama!! :)

Oh How Pintererting

Today I am linking up with Michelle for Oh How Pinteresting!!

I am all over the place on this one this week!! Ha...I guess my mind is all over the place as well.

I LOVE this lampshade...and think that this is totally a craft that I could handle. I think that I may make one. I will show you if I do :)

How cute is this Valentine? I think that Blake would just love it. Totally up his alley.

Source: zakkalife.blogspot.com via Annie on Pinterest

And these look great for Valentines day too...what a cute idea!!

Source: pikadillycharm.blogspot.com via Annie on Pinterest

I am currently reading this book. I am about 1/2 way through. It is pretty good so far...but kinda sad, adn I see it getting sadder before it is over :(

Source: jodipicoult.com via Annie on Pinterest

We just did this in our new house under the kitchen sink. I HIGHLY reccomend this....it was cheap, easy, and it makes the space look SO MUCH BETTER!! Tile were between $1 and $2 each!!

Source: familyhandyman.com via Annie on Pinterest

What are you pinning? Follow me here...and link up here!!

Our Love Story

In the spirit of Valentines Day next week, I am linkingup with Mrs. Mama today to tell you our Love Story :)

1. How long have you and your significant other been together?
It will be 5 years in March!! Time flies when you are in love :)

2. How did you meet? {What's your "love" story?}
Well….kind of a silly story. We are from neighboring towns (about 15 miles apart), but we didn’t know each other. I am way older than Ryan (4.5 years to be exact). We were each at a small town bar in the summer of 2006…there was hardly anyone else there, and we had mutual friends. We were all dancing and having fun. Ryan had told one of my friends, Mandy, that he thought I was hot (that just makes me giggle now)…Mandy told me later that “Tito” (that’s Ryan’s nickname) thinks you’re hot….ha, I just kinda laughed it off and didn’t think about it again. Our paths crossed a few times because of mutual friends…and Mandy tagged a few pics of us on facebook. Other than that we had no contact. Fast forward to March of 2007, I was out with a bunch of friedns fror St.Patty’s day. Ryan was out with friends too. I recognized him from the pics on Facebook. He was dancing with this girl (actually I will call her a lady…she looked WAY older). Apparently I thought that he could do better, so I cut in..and told the ‘lady’ that I was his girlfriend..HA, too much green beer apparently {In retrospect, I must have gotten a boost of confidence knowing that he thought that I was “hot” because that is so not my style}. WELL, he must have appreciated me “saving him,” because, as they say…the rest is history!
3. If married, how long have you been married? If not, is this the guy you hope to marry? {do tell}
We got married on September 26, 2009. We have been married for almost 2.5 years!
4. If you are married, where did you get married at? Big or small wedding? If not, where would you like to get married? And will it be big or small?
We got married at our little church. We had a pretty big wedding. About 250 people at the wedding and we had a SUPER fun reception. I wish that I could re-live that day all over again!



5. Do you have any nick-names that you call one another? Do share!
EVERYONE else calls Ryan “Tito” and I call him Ryan, or Ry, of RyRy..so that puts me in the minority. Ryan usually calls me AnneMouse. Annie Mouse has been a nickname that has stuck with me since I was just a little girl….he just shortened it to AnneMouse.
We also use pet names a lot…honey, baby, babe, etc.

6. Name 3 things you love most about your honey.
There is A LOT of things that I love about Ryan. I think above all I love that he is the BEST dad ever. He is so hands on and does everything for his babies!! I also love that he trusts me and pretty much lets me “wear the pants” in the relationship. I am a bit of a control freak, and Ry accepts that and lets me be the boss (or at least makes me feel like I am the boss). I also love how loyal he is. Not only is he is loyal to me, his is a great friend to all, he stands up for those that he loves.

7. Tell us how he proposed? Or your ideal proposal?
Ryan proposed on Mackinaw Island. I had NO clue. I did not make it easy for him. Once again my controlling nature came into play. I was making plans and dictating our vacation/day….finally Ryan got me to cooperate and he took me to the highest point on the Island. He was so nervous, and I was so surprised. It was awesome.

8. Is he a flowers and teddy bear kind of guy for v-day, or strawberries, champagne, and rose petals?
Ryan is very thoughtful and generous when it comes to gifts. He is typically a jewelry kind of guy…I’m not complaining :)!!

9. Are you a sunset dinner on the beach kind of girl, or pop a movie in and relax on the couch?
We are typically pretty much home-bodies. We don’t get out much with 2 babies at home…but we do make a point to get out every month or so and go on a special date.

10. Tell us one thing you'd like to do with your significant one day. If you could do anything? Go anywhere?
Ryan would LOVE to go on an Alaskan cruise. Although Alaska isn’t my idea of a dream vacation…I would love to go with him, just because I know that it has been a dream of his for forever.

11. Tell us what you plan on doing on this Valentine's Day.
I guess we haven’t really even talked about Valentine’s day yet. Ryan did ask me to go on a date this weekend…so maybe that will be our “celebration.” The actually day isn’t that big of a deal to me. I remember a time, before I was married, that V-day was SUCH an ordeal…I guess when you have a great relationship 365 days a year…one day isn’t that big of a deal anymore!!

12. Are you asking for anything this Valentine's day?
NO...actually I hope that he doesn’t spend money on me this year. Just purchased a new home...and we have LOTS to buy for that! Just a card or love letter would be perfect!

13. Give us one piece of advice of keeping a relationship strong and full of love.
Make sure that you take time for just the 2 of you. That gets hard when there are kids in the picture…but time as a couple is SO important!! And kiss goodnight…and spend time talking (actual conversation).

14. Show us a picture of what love means to you.
Love is: {My Family}

What is your Love Story?! Link up today!

New House - Before Pics

We have had possession of our new house for 5.5 days now. I am more and more excited every single day. We have spent the past few days cleaning and preparing the house to move! I haven't really taken any pictures, but I stole a few from the listing to share with you!! The house is such a blank canvas right now. SO plain, and white, and bright. I am excited to put my personal touch on everything!! It is going to be a long process...but we will just go room by room!!


Kitchen. We just purchased a refrigerator today....look at all of the space!! The fixtures will have to be changed. I am not a fan of the gold....and I have to say that the previous owner loved GOLD....eww.

Foyer/Entryway.....

Family room...off of the kitchen. Again, the gold fixtures will have to go....but it is all going to be a work in progress.

I am so excited!! :)

Friday Phone Dump #3

I just have to say....I LOVE my iPhone! I didn't get one until December....I had been missing the boat. It is the greatest thing ever.

And because if that...here is another installment of Friday Phone Dump. Still not taking TONS of pics, but getting better...and I LOVE Instagram. So fun to play around with that app!!


1. 2 tired babies on the way home from grandpa and grandma's...took Blake about 2.2 seconds to fall asleep...Liv held on for a little longer to give the camera a smirk!!

2. banana cookies. delish! i have made 2 batches this week. they are SO good!

3. had Tuesday off...it was so nice out. Took the kids for a walk. Blake did more running than walking, and then had to sit down and take a break. This has been the mildest winter ever! Not complaining, but it's kinda strange. Not what we are used to in MI.

4. grilled cheese with provolone, avocado, and tomato. i could eat this every day! I am obsessed with avocado's lately.

5. had a little photo shoot with Blake. usually he HATES getting his pic taken, but he was asking and loving it...so I took advantage of the opportunity. He wasn't his pic with all of his little toys...then he would look at them on my phone and just laugh and laugh....man, I love that kid!!

cheers to the weekend!!

Movin' on up!!

Well, I can finally disclose the big news that I have been sitting on for months…we closed on our NEW HOME yesterday! I didn’t mention it before, because I was freaking out the whole time that it wouldn’t work out and that I would jinx myself by getting too excited! I am beyond excited about it now! It has been a very long drawn out process. We made the original offer way back in September, but there were a ton of issues with the previous owners…and Ryan and I just had to wait it all out. Well….now it is ours, and we couldn’t be happier!

It is the perfect house for us. Perfect location, close to both of our parents. Perfect house, 2x’s the size we have now with an awesome floor plan. Perfect lot, almost 5 acres! We just have to make it “ours” now. I see LOTS of work on our future…but it will all be totally worth it in the end!