To the mountains we go.

*WARNING: Obnoxiously overloaded with pictures, post. Don't say I didn't warn you. 

We packed our car to its max and threw a tail gate rack on the back and packed a little more. It was our first vacation as a family of 4 and we were thrilled to say the least. Four humans and a pup piled in and headed to the mountains. The normal 12 hour drive turned into a 15 hour torture chamber with a 18 month old and a 5 month old. But, we made it. The smell of the wet leaves and sound of the flowing stream welcomed us at 5:00am, Monday morning. We unloaded the car and carefully transferred the kids in their beds. We thanked the sweet heavens that no one woke up during the transfer and climbed into bed for the night 3 hours.

Our first day was interesting to say the least. We were all getting accustomed to our new surroundings that we would be calling home for the next 7 days. Madelyn was sleep deprived and insanely a little crabby. It took her a day or so (and a few time outs) to bounce back.

Day 1 we took it easy and spent a lot of time playing with bubbles and running back and forth on the deck while Ryan worked on a few things around the property.

Ever see what little sleep looks like on a toddler? Here ya go.

There are pictures of Ryan playing on this jeep when he was Madelyn's age too. Pretty neat.
She was determined to start the thing.

Another example...

We took things slow in the mornings and enjoyed big breakfasts made by this dreamy guy.

Every day we went up to The Downing's to visit their horses, Bill and Bob. We brought them apples and oranges. And soon became their best friends. 

Oh, and their pig, Rosebud. She made sure of that.

 

She's a gem right? 

We spent most afternoons on the deck while the babies napped.

Abby, the photo bomber.

 One of our days we decided to venture out to a new place, The Mountain Farm. On our way to stopped to get a few shots of these guys.

Mountain Farm

After naps we concluded the day making smores. 

Don't challenge her to a match of "Chubby Bunny', you'll loose. Trust me.

Towards the end of our visit other family members starting arriving It was great to meet new cousins and catch up with old ones. Madelyn and Ryder are only 2 months apart but you would have thought that they twins. They are shockingly similar and so very adorable.

Two very important things Ryan insisted on doing with Madelyn before we left the mountains were:
1. Search for salamanders.
2. Go on a jeep ride.

Our last day there, we did both.

It was a great trip with many memories sealed in my heart forever.

Until next year...

Soaking up the love.

Landon doesn't spend too much time on the floor these days because busy bee big sister likes the way her foot feels on his face. But, every now and then I will stay close and let her look (and poke) at him. This day however, she wanted to give him a kiss and my heart grew a little bigger. 

I know there will be a time, years from now, that sitting in the back seat together will be pure torture for these two. But, for now I am soaking up the love and sweet moments they are sharing. 

DIY: Ombre Utensils for Mom.

Hope all you mama's had a super special Sunday.

I sure did! I was surrounded by those I love and my sweet littles. Madelyn had the tail end of a yucky virus so I didn't have high hopes for the day. But, she said happy mother's day by taking a solid nap in the morning which allowed me to put my make up on at home instead of at a red light. It was a great day.

We went out to lunch, played by the pool and celebrated my birthday with family, too. Two celebrations in one day? I'll take it!

I gave a few handmade mother's day gifts out this year. Thought I would share one with you, here. I followed an easy tutorial but tweaked mine a bit, that's the beauty of making your own gifts. Here's the set I made. The steps are very easy to follow and I was very happy with the outcome. My mama was too!

Find the tutorial I used: here

Before:

After:

Really wish I would have made myself a set while I was at it!