Thirteen

I polled Insta the other day asking which affects mommas most...when their oldest hits milestones or when the youngest does.  I was surprised that most of the responses said the oldest!  Milestones such as....oh I don't know, TURNING THIRTEEN!  With all the crazy in our family/life right now, I wasn't preparing myself for our oldest becoming a teenager.  I mean, we planned how she wanted to celebrate and stuff, but my mind and heart didn't really go to that place of "how the heck do we have a thirteen-year-old!?" or "why is my baby growing up so fast?!?"  It kind of took me by surprise.  Truthfully, I'm of the camp that gets way more emotional when my youngest hits milestones...so whenever his thirteenth birthday comes around, forget about it!  But for our oldest, it definitely was one of those big birthdays and caused us to reflect on all the blessings and experiences she's brought to us as parents.

We started the day with her requested breakfast of cinnamon rolls, and later went into the mountain for a requested lunch of Shepherd's Pie.  We found the perfect little creekside picnic area, but as soon as we began eating, bees swarmed us and didn't let up.  So her birthday lunch in the mountains was cut reeeeeaaaaally short, but we continued up into the canyon to Tibble Fork...a beautiful reservoir for swimming, paddle boarding, etc.  She ended her birthday by having a few new friends over for cake (Unicorn cake, of course) and discussing how life will be TOTALLY different now as a teenager. ;)

Dear Time, 

Please slow down.  Just sloooooow your roll down, won't ya.  No need to rush...we don't have to be anywhere.  We're good right here at 13.  Got that?  K, thanks.

Signed,

Sentimental Momma

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Holiday Birthday Celebration | Christmas Cookies

With all the craziness of the holiday season, Blakely's birthday sometimes seems to get neglected a bit.  This year on her birthday we debarked our Disney cruise in the morning, drove home, and finished the day with a Christmas/Birthday party at my in-law's.  The cookie decorating is a Christmas tradition that the kids look forward to every year.  We all had a great time and I think Blakely felt special on her big day.  She was thrilled to get an electric scooter (which now all the other 3 are putting on their list for Santa)!

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Birthday Wish List | 2016

It's almost that time of year again...halfway across the year from Christmas.  JULY.  My birthday month!

While I have a short list of things I'll ask for my birthday (mostly from my husband), here's my actual  full wish-list (like a shooting for the stars wish list) I'm sharing with you today.  I usually keep a "secret" Pinterest board with things I'm either saving up for or have on my wish-list...I also keep an Amazon wish list.  If you also do something similar, it's good to let those sit for a while to make sure you do actually want to pull the trigger on them, rather than just an impulse buy.  Does anyone else do this?  Writing it out makes me feel reeeeaaaaaaalllly materialistic.  But hey, birthdays only come once a year, right?

So without further ado...My 2016 Birthday Wishlist!

^^^ Aren't these just fabulous!?!  You probably have seen them on Instagram with all their witty posts.  Make sure to check out Letterfolk! ^^^

^^^ Loving this bar necklace from Handstamped Gold ^^^

^^^ I have some knock-off Birks I got from Target last year that I really liked...but quality doesn't last that long with those.  AND, I'm needing some better support.  So Birkenstocks it is. ^^^

^^^ If you follow my Instagram account, I often mention how great I am about killing plants.  BUT, I've turned over a new leaf. (pun intended)  I've managed to keep a succulent, a fiddle leaf fig, and a plumeria alive for over a month, so I'm thinking I might have the hang of it...maybe. Pressing my luck, I'm wanting to get a snake plant for the house too! ^^^

^^^ Too many times lately, I've wished I had a waterproof camera, namely a Go Pro.  We've been in the water LOTS this summer so far, and I hate to risk my own camera or phone to get the good shots...plus video! ^^^

^^^ And again on the outdoor activities, this HydroFlask I've had my eye on for a while.  I've heard they're the bomb dot com on keeping drink COLD for the longest time! ^^^

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Build-A-Bear | Our First Experience

Ever since Bennett's pre-school took a field trip to Build-A-Bear, that's all he's talked about wanting for his birthday.  So last weekend, we finally made the trip up to the mall in Austin to get his his gift.  I was certain he'd pick out a Star Wars character, but his short-list included Minions and dogs...go figure.  If you follow me on Snapchat (@kristennjansen), I shared how I almost walked out of the store during the loooooooong deciding process (eye-roll).  Thankfully (and predictably) though, he settled on Chewbacca as his new furry bestie.

We were the only ones in the store, so he got undivided attention from the sweet lady working there.  Having never gone through this before, I was touched at how precious the process is...from kissing the heart, to deciding what "huggable level" to be, to brushing and washing his new friend.  We loved it and he thought it was just the coolest!

Our oldest is now saving up her money to go back and get herself a special Build-A-Bear friend.  I guess I had in my mind it was something stressful, busy, and only bear-centric...but in reality, it was a wonderfully uplifting experience that "bonds" kids with their special stuffed animals.  Definitely two thumbs up!

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May The 4th Be With You: B's Birthday

Oh how sweet that little face is!  Seriously, this kid melts my heart on the daily.  It's hard to believe I gave birth to him (the roughest delivery of all the kids) just four short years ago, but here we are celebrating with him Star Wars style.

Of course, he wanted to do a Star Wars themed party...but he really has no friends and we don't do big parties until they're a little older, so we decided on a simple family get-together at my in-laws...which was perfect.

^^^ Baseball with his only boy cousin...until late summer. ^^^

^^^ Chasing cousins ^^^

^^^ Opening gifts...Daddy reading him a card.  Clearly, he's hanging on every word. ^^^

^^^ Big blowout!  Luke Skywalker cupcake topper not pictured. :) ^^^

^^^ Star Wars nerds.  Blakely and I were the outcasts. ^^^

^^^ We found this Luke Skywalker costume in our Halloween box and it could not have made him happier! ^^^

Tyler Bree went through a similar Star Wars obsession around the age of 6, and she also had a themed party.  We went a little bigger with that one, so if you're thinking along those lines, there are so many easy ideas on Pinterest!
This kid lights up our lives.  He sisters love him so much and have just as much difficulty dealing with his rapid aging as I do.  I guess he'll always be their "baby".  Happy Birthday B-Man!

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Riley's Baptism

Riley's baptism is coming up this next weekend and we couldn't be more excited!  For those of you who may not know much about our church, most kids raised in our faith are baptized at 8 years old...which is the age at which we believe they can be accountable for their own choices and that they are old enough to understand the importance of convenants made during baptism.  Riley has made this wonderful commitment to follow her Savior and we are so very proud of her!

We got these cute invites made from Tiny Prints, which I was thrilled with.  I felt like the circular ones were so unique, and they looked just as I had hoped once they arrived in the mail.  Aren't they adorable!?!  Today, I'm mailing out the last of them (procrastination, much?).

A few weeks ago when the bluebonnets were still in full bloom, I snapped some shots of Riley in her baptism dress.  I thought I'd have a heck of a time finding a suitable one she liked (she has the most particular style of any 8 year old I've known), but we came across a gorgeous one from Zulily and she approved right away!  The pictures don't quite do it justice, as I didn't get a full-lenth shot of the entire dress...it's beautiful on her!

I'll be sure to post more photos of the actual day sometime next week.  Happy Monday friends!!!! Follow me on:  Instagram|Twitter|Facebook|Pinterest|Bloglovin

Surprise Party

As I mentioned in yesterday's post, we threw my mom a little surprise birthday party last weekend at my aunt and uncle's lakehouse on Lake LBJ.  We always love going out there, so getting my mom on board to have a little "mother/daughter birthday getaway" wasn't the least bit hard.  She thought we were just going out for a night and it would be pretty low-key.

While we were out on a boat ride, everyone showed up and got ready for the big surprise.  I was furiously texting back and forth on the down low making sure everything would be timed right....and thankfully, it did!!!!  She was so truly surprised and loved it!

And do you know what?  I think I've got myself a new motto that I'll share with you:

I believe EVERYONE should be thrown a surprise birthday party at least ONCE in their life!

Hopefully in the future, I can make this statement true for loved ones in my life.  There aren't many other ways for a big group of friends and family to make one feel most special.  

Have YOU ever had a surprise party thrown in your honor?

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Dream Catcher Birthday Party + DIY

Tyler Bree's dream catcher party was a success!  The girls had lots of fun making their own dream catchers, roasting s'mores, and ended up having a tumbling-fest in the twinkling lights.  She loved it and felt super special!

>>>Scroll down to the bottom for a little video I put together of the evening!

Dream Catcher DIY:

-Paper Plates (I found these cool tie-die ones at Hobby Lobby)

-yarn or wool

-feathers

-fun ribbon or twine

-hole puncher

-beads

The hardest part was cutting out the inner circle of the plates and then a heart (or whatever shape you want) from that.  Most of the girls needed a little assistance weaving the yarn through the holes while suspending the heart in the middle...takes some hand coordination.  Then they went to town on decorating the hanging-down ribbons and string with feathers, beads, etc.  This one (above), I did ahead of time as an example, but some of the ones made were quite impressive and detailed.  Such a fun activity to do with kids of all ages!

^^^ Golden Feather Cupcakes ^^^

White feathers from HL and painted on gold paint...easy!

"Stuck a feather in a cupcake and called it macaroni"...not the same ring to it.

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Did I Catch a Niner In There?

Today Tyler Bree turns 9!!!!

With her being our oldest, each year on her birthday is somewhat of a shocker for me because it causes me to incredulously wonder,

"How do I have a ___ year old?!?!"

And this year is no exception.  I'm gonna take a guess and predict next year's turning two digits (10) will be a hard one for me...however, right now I'm okay with nine.  She's the ideal nine-year-old in my mind...still innocent, sweet, brave, creative....yet starting to understand more and can have those deeper conversations with me.  I actually kinda love this age she's at right now.  And maybe it's child-specific (because I've always said my favorite ages are 18mo-3 years), but 9 is pretty great for Miss Tyler Bree.

I'll forever remember that day she made me a momma.  Nine years ago we woke up early and headed to our hospital in San Antonio...I was being induced because my soon-to-be 5lb,12 oz baby had been causing me trouble.  Little did I know that this little girl would bring us such joy and happiness...and teach her momma so very much.  We love our sweet girl tremendously!!!! Here's to a great NINER year!

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