in our home :: iowa vacation

We were totally itching to get back to Iowa to see my family for awhile now. Especially since my parents have bought (and moved into) a new home. It's been over a year since we had been back and we figured it was time to bite the (money) bullet and take the whole family for a week.

Here's our trip in review...

1) Thank you Allegiant Airlines for flying direct to Cedar Rapids, IA. You've made my flying life significantly easier.... especially with two little ones.

2) Nora was all smiles upon entering the plane and flying on an airplane. She LOVED it.

3) I just had to swing by my parents old home (the one I grew up in) and take a quick picture. For memories sake (tear).

4) And this is their new place. Their new place is a perfect home to host family and friends in and to grow old in. There will be so many memories made in this home - we loved it!

1), 2), 3) & 4) Despite it being a very mild winter, we were super stoked to have one of the few snowfalls happen while we were there! And Nora was even more excited than we were! I can't get this girl to wear a coat in AZ (too restrictive I guess?) but as soon as she heard that in order to play outside in the snow she'd need to wear snow pants, boots, coat, hat and gloves, she was all about it.

Alan spent hours outside with Nora - building snowmen, sledding, throwing snowballs - all of the fun things you can do in snow (and not in the desert).

I unfortunately played outside for a total of 10 minutes before landing the sled (which Nora and I were both on) on the corner of a step. To my embarrassment (and everyone else's humor) this little "accident" landed me in the ER with a broken tailbone.

Let's just say I was thankful for the pain meds and inflatable donut for the remainder of a trip.

If you'd like the extended version of the story you'll have to call me. It was actually pretty hilarious. Let's just say the extended version includes three pairs of ripped pants, blood, frozen peas, my dad taking me to the ER and the ER Dr. telling me "Looks like you broke your a**!" Good times.

**Note for all of you mommy readers - don't break your tailbone. Just don't do it. It's amazing how dependent you are on it when it comes to caring for children :(

1) & 2) Alan and I spent one of the days we were in Iowa traveling to Ames - where we met 10 years ago (aww...). This was the first time we had been on Iowa State's campus since graduating so it was a wonderful treat to drive and walk the campus and see all of the changes that have since happened. We loved the four years we spent at ISU.

In all honesty it kinda made us want to go back to college. We had such incredible memories in Ames.

3) & 4) We were also able to meet up with some friends for the afternoon and evening. Brian and Allie are two of our dearest college friends. We had a little double date with them in downtown Des Moines. So. Much. Fun.
Love you Allie!

And these are my wonderful parents with the girls! We couldn't appreciate and love these two more than we do! What a blessing it was to spend a full week in their home.

We also spent s significant amount of time seeing other family members that live in the area(ish) - both sets of my grandparents drove to Mt. Vernon for a few days, my aunt Peggy was in town for a day, and my uncle Mike and cousin Matt flew in to see the girls for a day as well.

1) & 2) Here we are at happy hour with my brother, Erik, and his wife, Amy. Buy one get one free drinks? Yes please!

Every minute we spend with these two makes us want to live closer.

3) & 4) And then it was time to go home (boo).

It was an awesome trip! Definitely one of those trips that makes you miss "home."

Thanks mom and dad for your incredible hospitality and generosity. We love you!

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In Our Home :: These Days

I'll be honest... I think I post these posts simply for my own pleasure. Isn't that what mommy-blogging is really about anyway?

There's just something about the simple (and in some cases mundane) moments of family life. I'm so very thankful that I'm able to capture them in photos as I know I'll be looking at them 20 years from now and wishing back these days. :)

In Our Home :: These Days ....

We're not huge Valentine's Day people but because I love me a good party I figured I'd throw a little play date party for some of our friends.

1) I printed out this little sign that I found thanks to Pinterest! (aw... gotta love Pinterest) Print your own sign here.

2) Nothing says "I Love You" better than a fresh donut from Rainbow Donuts!

3) I made it a point to take pics of all of the mommies and their kids at our Valentine's Day play date. I very rarely get a picture with both of the girls and am so thankful to have this one from this past Feb 14th.

4) Like I said in this post - I was a little late in planning for a "gift" for the girls to give Alan this Valentine's Day. In a last ditch effort I designed this "I Love Daddy" card up really quick for all of the kids to color at our party.

1) Go Cyclones! This is just a random Saturday when the girls were cheering on ISU from afar!
2) & 3) We are LOVING this warm weather and spend lots of time at our local parks. Thank you Arizona!

4) Some friends and I co-hosted a Sip & See for my sweet friend Brittany a couple weeks back. This is my new favorite way of celebrating Baby #2 in a casual party setting. Wine, Dessert and Baby - Love it!

1) & 2) I can't say it enough... I LOVE my Mommy Planning Mornings.

3) & 4) Nora has been very excited about the possibility of flying a kite these days. So much so that every morning she upon going outside she'll ask if it's windy so we can fly a kite :)

These are a couple pics from Family Kite Flying Take 1. We were too lazy to walk to the park and ended up flying the kite in the street (probably not a good idea... just so you know). Thankfully we had a super windy day just yesterday and took the kite to the park for Family Kite Flying Take 2. It was a huge hit with Nora (and a pretty decent workout for Alan actually). Definitely worth the $10!

...till next time....

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In Our Home | Potty Training & Elsie in the Hospital

First let's clear something up... the two items mentioned in the title of this post 1) Potty Training and 2) Elsie in the Hospital happened THIS weekend. Yes... I'll repeat that. THIS weekend. At the exact same time.

Fun, right?

I suppose it wouldn't be fun regardless of if they happened in back to back weeks (or even in the same month for that matter) but it was extra special that they happened the same weekend.

Impeccable timing.

Let's start with the first....

Potty Training.

We decided to start our potty training adventures this past Saturday. I did some research into various potty training techniques and decided on the 3 Day Potty Training guidelines (with a few "Steph/Nora tweaks" here and there).

It was all or nothing and we were "IN!"

Here are a few of the reasons why we decided to start last weekend (for those who are interested)...

- Alan had a 3 day weekend. Gotta love some daddy help.

- We didn't have anything else on the schedule. Perfect.

- Nora seemed interested in using the potty.

- Potty Training isn't an optional activity. Although if it were up to me I'd NEVER potty train. It's not much fun (just being honest here).

And some notes about the above photos...

1) I was given the opportunity to review the Boon Potty Bench (note: be sure to check Scottsdale Moms Blog in early February as we'll be giving away a Boon Potty). I'll tell you more of my thoughts about it on SMB but for now let's just say that we've loved it.

2) Yes - Nora is reading a Barney book on the potty. No explanation needed.

3) & 4) One of the cutest parts of the 3 Day Potty Training philosophy is that the "student" wears around panties/underwear (the wording of this item is a much debated topic in this home - which side are you on?) around the home without any pants. For 3 whole days.

So cute.

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Elsie in the Hospital.

On the first day of our potty training adventures we noticed that Elsie just wasn't acting like herself. Sure enough that evening she had a temp of 102+, had diarrhea and vomited.

We took the best care of her that we could on Sunday and decided to take her into the Dr. on Monday morning as she wasn't doing any better. At the Dr. we were advised to watch her closely and if she became more lethargic or if she didn't have a wet diaper in the next 5 hours she suggested that we take Elsie to the ER.

Unfortunately both of those things happened so we were headed into the ER (mommy and Elsie that is.... Daddy needed to stay back with our newly potty trained Nora) with the assumption that we'd be in the ER for a couple hours and then head home later that evening.

No such luck.

We were admitted that evening because Elsie was dehydrated and the Dr. wanted to hook her up to an IV, pump some fluids in her and observe her for at least 24 hours.

It turns out Elsie ended up spending 2 days on the Pediatric floor at Scottsdale Shea Healthcare. Just. So. Sad.

Throughout the entire process we were humbled by God's faithfulness and our loved one's generosity. There is just so much we are thankful for...

Thank you to all of you who visited and kept me company while in the hospital with Elsie. It was difficult to not be able to be with Alan and Nora b/c of child visitor restrictions at the hospital due to it being RSV season (and the above mentioned potty training situation).

Thank you to all of you who brought Alan and I food the past couple days.

Thank you to all who prayed (and there were a lot of you) and showed support through FB comments, text messages and phone calls.

And lastly - thank you Lord for your healing powers.

Elsie is now home and doing much, much better! Praise God.

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In Our Home :: This Christmas

What a wonderful weekend!!! Full of lots of love, family, friends, yummy food and celebration! We couldn't have asked for a better way to celebrate Christmas and the coming of the newborn King!

Here's a quick little glimpse into our weekend.

We spent Christmas Eve celebrating with our dear friends, Jeff & Kristina H (and family of course). Few pictures were taken; however, we did get a chance to snap an updated family shot.

And then Christmas morning came .... in PJ's (or jampas as Nora calls them) of course...

1) Santa arrived just in time for the girls. Somehow Santa knew Nora wanted a new Barney book (thank you very much St. Nick) and Elsie received a new toy for the car.

2) Elsie watching the present opening with anticipation.

3) Our family was just too good to us this year. We had LOTS of gifts to open.

4) Our Christmas morning Caramel Tea Ring. A Flies family tradition. Soooo yummy!

1) Nora isn't showing it here but she loves her new Melissa and Doug toy - the Pizza Party Set (thanks Nana).

2) Another Christmas morning tradition - watching A Charlie Brown Christmas.

3) Again... Elsie is excited about all of her new toys (and clothes).

4) A must-snap picture of the little girlies in their PJs in front of the Christmas tree.

Unfortunately we took very few pictures after we got showered and changed but we did snap this pic of lil' Elsie.

awww... I know! Don't you just want to eat her up?

Hope ya'll had a wonderful Christmas!

Now onto the New Years Eve preparations and planning!

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In Our Home :: December (thus far)

For those of you who are just joining us... welcome!

Last week I launched a new series on our blog entitled In Our Home. In Our Home posts are a unique blend of the meaningful and inconsequential parts of our life. There will be things to make you giggle and things that will make you think. And of course lots of pics of our two sweet-as-can-be little girlies.

So here starts the second edition of In Our Home :: December (thus far).

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I LOVE December. Everything about it. Sure, there's a decent amount of hustle and bustle BUT there is just sooo much fun to be had. From the never ending treat selection, to mailboxes stuffed with Christmas Cards sent with love from friends and family - what's not to love about this time of year?! There's beautiful Christmas music playing everywhere. There's lots of gifts to buy to express our love for one another. And specifically in our home, there's even a blow up Santa right next door that Nora insists on visiting every single night to say "Hi Santa!" and "Bye-Bye Santa!" (just. too. cute.)

Here are lots of pics (not exaggerating here) to give you a glimpse into our lives over the past few weeks as we anticipate the celebration of the birthday of King Jesus.


1) This year we decided to buy a Costco Christmas Trees (for $45 we thought "Why Not?!"). We're loving the yummy scent of evergreen that fills our home day in and day out.

2)& 3) Each day (it seems) I'm floored by how creative my friends are! Here are just a couple of pinterest inspired gifts that I've received over the past couple of weeks. Personalized coasters from Katie and the cutest little bag (for Nora) and coffee mug sleeve from Allie.

4) Doesn't this girl look just like her daddy?! I think so.


Our Annual Cookie Decorating Day was just this past weekend. This day has become a highly anticipated day in our home not only because we leave with all sorts of yummy cookies but because we get to spend time with our family.

A huge thank you to Aunt Jane and Uncle Tom for hosting each year. We're so thankful for your hospitality.


1) After spending a little time in a friend's outdoor playhouse I've officially put in a request to Papa Scott to make (or help make) the girls one ASAP. Nora loved it.

2) I'm not gonna lie... I'm a bit in love with my wrapping paper this year. Pinterest inspired of course. (from Hobby Lobby - in case you're curious)

3) & 4) This past weekend we decided to take the girls to Dave & Busters for a family outing. Nora was a bit too little to really play the games but she certainly wasn't too little to enjoy picking out her prizes. We left with a princess ball and an Angry Bird. Jackpot!


Scottsdale Bible Church held their annual Winterfest celebration this past week. Nora especially loved the petting zoo (see above pics of her petting the sheep and the miniature pig), the snow and the cookie decorating room (figures!).

So. Much. Fun.


And last but not least was Alan's work Christmas party at The Phoenix Zoo. Nora is constantly asking me to take her to the zoo so this was a great excuse to load up the car and go. On this specific trip she especially loved the giraffes, camel and riding the carousel.

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Next up this week - a Disneyland Recap (yes... for serious).

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In our Home :: Christmas Season

{I know, I know. I've yet to blog about Disneyland.

You see if you wouldn't mind giving me a few more days to process

how I want to blog about our experience that would be wonderful!

Thanks for the grace, blog reading friends!}

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In the meantime I wanted to launch a brand new series on our little nook of the web...I'm calling it In Our Home.

In Our Home posts will give ya'll a little sneak peek into our lives. It will be a unique blend of the meaningful and inconsequential parts of our life. There will be things to make you giggle and things that will make you think. And of course lots of pics of our two sweet-as-can-be little girlies.

So sit back and enjoy our very first edition of In Our Home :: Christmas Season.

1) All was a little too quiet around this home one morning. Let's just say we're working on keeping the pretty ornaments ON the Christmas tree. It's a daily chore.

2) The Advent Book. Nora received this book as a gift at her dedication a couple years ago and we're just now using it as we anticipate Christmas Day. This beautiful book has quickly become one of the highlights of my day. I love everything about it.... the scripture....the story of Jesus' birth.... and the beautiful illustrations. I'd highly recommend it.

3) While I look for a stocking for Ms. Elsie I figured a mini pink stocking will work for now :)

4) After arriving home upon selecting our tree (at Costco) this year, we all enjoyed a yummy cup of Peppermint Hot Chocolate for a mid-afternoon treat.
1) The Pickle Ornament Tradition. Yes... there is such a thing. I didn't make it up. Essentially the pickle ornament is hidden on the tree and whoever finds the ornament first gets a little gift to start off the holiday season. This was the first year that Nora was able to find the pickle herself. So fun.

2) A must see in this home. Frosty the Snowman (the original of course). Nora. Is. In. Love.

3) One of the things I've loved about this Christmas season is the lovely gift of Pinterest. Yes, Pinterest is a "gift." And what I mean by that is that never has finding creative Christmas gifts been as easy as it is through Pinterest. Here is just one of the many Pinterest Inspired gifts that I've received thus far. (Stay tuned for the Pinterest Inspired gifts that I'm giving to friends and family this year)

4) A pic of Elsie...just in case you thought Elsie was missing. :)

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