I have received so many questions about the play kitchen we built for Hannah's birthday.  I must give the credit to the wonderful Ana White.  If you have not visited her site you need to run over there and check all the amazing plans she has.  I am serious.....run, don't walk!  Ana White Play Kitchen

Danny and I worked on this project together......meaning he did all the cutting and building and I did all the painting and accessorizing.  I am sure he would tell you there was a little direction giving in there as well, but it was more just friendly tips. =) Starting out we pretty much followed the instructions from Ana's site.  The only thing we really wanted to change was the fridge.  I wanted it to be a top and bottom fridge instead of a side by side.  Many people out there in blog-land have built this fridge so if you get stuck or want other ideas just Google play kitchen and you will be amazed.

So much to catch up on and not even sure where to begin.....here we go!

We made our way to Walter's Pumpkin Patch again this year for our favorite day of the fall.  Seriously, if you have never made it out there you need to.  We easily spend the entire day and still feel like we didn't do everything we wanted.  The kids were so fun to watch this year.  Both of them were able to really enjoy all the activities and understand just what we were doing.  They were even brave enough to ride the train by themselves.

I am starting to feel a little bad that all of these posts are going in on one day, but I have to take advantage of the time I have. =)

Something is changing in our household.  It isn't a family addition......no big vacations......can you guess?!?!

Riley is starting Preschool!!!  It is hard to believe he is old enough to be in school and spending three hours all by himself away from people he knows.  For the past three years if Riley was not with us he was with family members.  It is such an exciting time.....but I will admit that it is a little hard to let your baby go.  Even if it is only for three hours.

The time has seriously just flown by. My sweet little girl is growing up so quickly that I almost don't believe it sometimes. She is so funny and full of life. I am amazed at how quickly she picks things up and repeats everything you do or say. She is my little daredevil and is not afraid of much.....except bugs. She definitely DOES NOT LIKE BUGS!!!

For her birthday we were able to celebrate with friends and family and have a fun day at our house. We went with the Owl theme this year because she fell in love with the Owl pillows at Target one day while shopping. It was such a fun theme to work around and definitely tested my cake and cupcake making skills. Daddy was busy at work building our little chef a play kitchen. It turned out FAB-U-LOUS and was a huge hit! I even was able to help contribute a little by picking out the accessories and sewing the curtains and towels. Danny worked so hard at making sure everything was just right and it definitely shows the love that he poured into it. The kids play with this almost everyday still. I am guessing that this will be a hard one to top next year.

The 4th of July was such a fun filled weekend for all of us.  We had so much going on but it was really a lot of fun to see the kids get excited about the day.  For at least two nights prior we had many "explosions" until at least midnight.  Which, generally is not a big deal, except the kids would not sleep.  They were scared and didn't understand what was going on.  Thankfully, the 4th fell on a Sunday and we did not end up with another two or three nights of the festivities continuing. 

Like most things in life lately, I am behind.  I am hoping to get all things caught up in the real world as well as the blog world. 

Let's start with our fun trip to Vegas......

I know, we have already been there this year but the opportunity to join our friends and celebrate a birthday was too good to pass up. It was such a fun few days spent relaxing, gambling, and eating some really good food.  The whole trip had such a laid back vibe and was so different than the first time we went. 

Actually, the birthday has past by a few weeks but I am just now able to share all about the special day.  I cannot believe the difference a year makes.  Last year Riley's party was fun and we were surrounded by friends and family, but he didn't really understand what was going on yet.  This year.....he TOTALLY knew what was happening.  For about a month before his party he would get up and ask, "Is it my birthday party today?" He knew his birthday was May 10th but he wasn't clear on when exactly that was.  The day before the party I baked cookies, cakes, and cupcakes that were so tempting to eat that we had a heck of a time keeping both kiddos out of them.  I crafted banners, sewed/ironed matching shirts, made door signs, bought all sorts of concession foods, and I am sure I slept in there somewhere. 

The day was so fun and I really can't believe just how much that year makes.  Riley was so excited to finally have some boys at his party. Since most of my friends only have girls his past few birthdays he has been quite the ladies man.  Having the playset built outside for the kids to play on definitely was a huge hit.  I think Hannah was quite content to just sit in her swing and let Aunt Jenny push her while she sipped on some ice.  We were surrounded by great friends and family and the day was full of many laughs. 


Since his party was on Saturday, I still wanted to do something special for Riley on his actual birthday.  So, I took off work and we dropped off Hannah at Nana's house and we had a whole day of Riley and Momma time.  We started the day with doughnuts at Krispy Kreme (healthy I know).  He had so much fun sitting in the booth and was shocked that I let him get a chocolate frosted sprinkle loaded doughnut.  It's just one day right?!?!?  Next it was off to the park.  We played for almost 2 hours going up and down the slides, swinging, and suprisingly enough spinning on the merry go round.  After we were all good and worn out we picked up Danny and went to lunch.  I think Riley's face says it all......what ice cream too?


With all that excitement, not to mention sugar, it was time for a nap.  As soon as nap time was over we went and picked up Hannah and the four of us all met for a movie date.  I am not sure that Riley was completely awake from his nap, because for the first half of the movie he sat on my lap with his ears covered. But by the end he was totally into "Rio".  Leaving the movie he told me, "Good movie momma!" I think the day was a huge success and he will remember his birthday for quite some time.  Now only 60 days until Hannah's special day.  I guess I better get started.

I love this time of year!  The nice weather and sunshine inspires me to make a fresh start to so many areas of my home.  During the winter it is so easy to not keep up with the closets, dusting, etc.  But once Spring rolls around I can't wait to make my house feel all sparkly and clean.  The warmer weather and spring flowers get me in the mood to make my house feel light and airy. 

While Danny was gone a couple of weeks ago I decided this would be a great opportunity to make a few changes around the house.  I have been wanting to get rid of the darker color scheme in our house for quite some time now.  I just couldn't figure out how to make all the colors work with our couches.  Since there was no way around getting any new couches I knew that any changes made would have to incorporate the existing couches.  Don't get me wrong I love the shape of them and they are so easy to keep clean with the two kiddos.  I just am not loving how dark they are. 

I seriously need to have this little girl give me tips in the morning.  I have seen this video so many times and each time it makes me giggle.  She doesn't even know how important it is yet to keep telling yourself how amazing your life is and here she is in all her glory!  L-O-V-E it!!!!

Sorry for the lack of posts here lately......as you can probably tell we have been busy around the Wilbert household.  Looking back I can't really determine what has taken up so much of our time but it feels like we have been going non stop for the past month.  I guess sometimes life can just catch up with you and all of the little things add up to a lot of time.  Over the past month Danny and I both have been very busy with our jobs and have definitely noticed that during the week it has been hard for all of us to be home at one time. 

All of this time away from the kids and my family definitely makes life hard.  I start to feel incredibly guilty and doubt myself as a momma.  Should we have waited longer to have kids, do I really need to work out tonight, why do I have no patience with the kiddos, and the list goes on and on.  Being a momma is so hard and life changing.  There are so many times that I think I am falling short and that I am going to let my kids and Danny down.

Since becoming a mom so many normal things have changed.  When you say them out loud I usually am met with a confused stare and misunderstanding.  I can no longer watch the news, watch movies with sick kids, etc......I hear about all of the bad news and wonder what I would do if that had been Riley or Hannah.  I think about how fast time is going and realize they are growing so quickly.  I feel like I am missing out on so much by being at work for 8+ hours a day. I second guess myself constantly.  Am I making the right decisons? Not just for them but for us as a family.

When I look in the mirror I am amazed sometimes at what I see staring back at me.  I can remember a time not that long ago when I would never dream of letting someone see me without makeup, or have something spilt on my clothes, or even think about not taking a shower that day.  There are days when life and family just takes over and I look so tired.  My body is not the same and no matter how hard I try I have realized that my body has changed.  There is almost a pride that comes with these stretch marks though.  I know that what I went through to have my sweet angels is worth more to me than looking perfectly put together all the time.  If I look tired......I probably am! There are days when I look at the clock and realize it is 7:30 pm and I have not taken a shower because I have been keeping two kids out of trouble.

The great thing about all of those "hard" times is that they are met with some of the most amazing moments in my life.  Words cannot explain how your heart just fills when you hear your baby laughing for the first time. There is such pride watching my kids learn something new and realizing that they can do it on their own.  My relationship with Danny has changed, but not in the way I thought it would.  I didn't think I could love him for wanting to change a diaper, clean up the puke, or that he would stop what he was doing just to sit and play with our kids.  I get to see a man who cares more about his family than anything else, and I realize just how lucky I am.  Each day I fall more in love with him.

So, I guess that is what I have been up to.  Being a momma and wife to the most amazing family.  No big events or plans, just life.  How lucky I am!

As I look back on this past year it is completely full of ups and downs.  Some of my favorite memories and most special moments happened in the big '10.  There were birthday milestones, new traditions started with the kids, Riley and Hannah both learning so much, finding my dad, and the AMAZING trips to New York and Las Vegas with Danny. We had such an amazing year together and I am so grateful to be blessed with the most wonderful kids and a pretty terrific husband.  This year has really brought the four of us together as a family.  No matter what happens I know I have my kids and husband here on my side.  Over the past year there are so many moments that I wish I could just make time stand still.  I know the kids are going to grow up so fast, but I want to hold onto this time as long as I can.  Danny is such an amazing father to them and they absolutely adore him.  Just hearing our home filled with their little giggles and knowing that Danny is always right there makes me grateful beyond words. 

I hope that 2011 is full of many more wonderful memories and surprises! (Seattle or New Orleans sounds nice) Here is just a look back at some of my favorite memories of 2010.