Holiday Cheer 2019 {6} - Commemorative Art

We had a few BIG changes this year that included moving and selling our first home. It was bittersweet to leave a place we love but it was also pretty exciting to have a new adventure for our family. In the whirlwind of all that was happening, I had the sense of mind to have several works of art created for us!

The first piece was created for a family photo session we had in May. We needed the perfect accent for it to tie it all together. This piece definitely hit the spot! I can't wait to have more pieces created. I have my eye on the children's names in the children's handwriting. Those might be on our Christmas list next year!

To check out more of this artist, check out Emily Cooper of RosellaMargaret on Instagram and Etsy!



The second piece we had done was a watercolor print of our home in Decorah. That alone made it special, but the cherry on top was that it was created by someone who I knew from Luther College! Hannah did an amazing job with the print and it is something that I'll cherish forever!

To check out more of this artist, check out Hannah Tulgren on Instagram and Etsy!


The last piece we had done was something that I've had my eye on doing for a very long time. I'm talking at least a year! I never felt quite right about having this piece done until we got the photos back from our mini session in May. It was an awesome way to capture a time of our lives that had so much change and so much excitement at the same time! And if you need a way to pass the time, I honestly find it so relaxing to watch this artist's instagram stories where she documents the process of drawing it out, tracing it over with pen, and then paints it with watercolors. It's so cool!

To check out more of this artist, check out Kody Stewart of Kody Stewart Illustrations on Instagram and Etsy!

Landscaping {After!}

Holy cow, you guys are in for a treat. If you drove by our house at all in the last year or so and then in July/August 2017, you got to see the transformation of our landscaping first hand. It went from downright dreadful to absolutely amazing so I'll be sharing the before, during and after photos you have GOT to see!

Ok, this is what you have all been waiting for. It's legit. Legitimately amazing. The weather was beautiful in August and September so the grass grew in so quickly. We watered the landscaping every few days if it didn't rain but we certainly got lucky that it did rain a few times throughout the month. I also really really really love the scale of the landscaping. Before it was so big, bushy and overwhelming. This now looks calm and actually makes me feel some peace in my heart. How landscaping does that, I'm not sure. Now if we could only keep the boys from stepping in the mulch!

Landscaping {During!}

Holy cow, you guys are in for a treat. If you drove by our house at all in the last year or so and then in July/August 2017, you got to see the transformation of our landscaping first hand. It went from downright dreadful to absolutely amazing so I'll be sharing the before, during and after photos you have GOT to see!

Now to get down to business! We decided to have Driftless Gardens do our landscaping and hardscape projects and they were great to work with. They are very methodical about their work and managed to get a lot done in a short amount of time. I highly recommend them! They started the job at the end of July, right around the time that RAGBRAI rolled through Decorah and of course when Nordic Fest took place. We lived with a mud pit for a week or two as they worked on another project but then picked back up again and had it completed a day or two later! Crazy to see all of the changes as they started to take shape. You can kind of see from the photos below that they first laid gravel and then a layer a sand before laying the bricks.  I was most excited about losing the handful of trees that had sprouted years ago and were starting to completely take over!

Jack {21 Months!}

As I start thinking about writing the kids' next update, I always reference the last post or two to see what I wrote last time, to see what might have progressed since then or to reference any other changes. With Jack recently turning T-W-O (how did this happen?!?), I was desperately trying to find his 21-month update on the blog and his baby book. Well, I apparently didn't write one! So, here we are, a few months after I would have originally posted it!

Jack is still a very sweet, cuddly momma's boy which literally melts my heart. Owen is more independent and prefers his daddy so it's nice to have one prefer me just to even it out. Jack is so excited when you come into the room, will run up to you to give you a big hug. He'll give lots of kisses (which is probably why he and I get sick so often these days!) and high fives and knucks. I hope he stays this sweet forever! Jack would win over all the ladies if he does :)

On the flip side, Jack also has a tendency to freak out a bit these days. He still melts to the floor but not nearly as badly as he has in the past. Instead, he'll just scream at the top of his lungs. It's such a pleasant sound.....NOT! It sure gets his point across though so I'll give him that.

A perk of having two kids close together is that they will likely go through developmental stages in a similar time frame. As Owen has learned how to use the potty, Jack has definitely become more and more interested. We talked about training him but decided to wait until he was in the next classroom at daycare. At this point, that's only a little over a week away so we might start training in a few months after he's adjusted to his new routine! Diapers have never really bothered me but it'll be nice not to have to spend so much money on them.

With the weather being pretty nice from September-December, we had quite a few adventures during this time. I'm so happy I was able to be with the boys more after deciding to stop working my second job. It's provided so many great memories! 

As far as stats go, his next appointment was at his two-year well child check and boy, am I excited to share that with you! Until then, here are some photos from all of our adventures!