barnyard bash 2011.

After our anniversary, we began celebrating Titus' birthday. He got it this year and began asking for cake 10 days before his birthday! He also would start singing "Happy Birthday" to himself all throughout the week. It was so so much fun to celebrate his 2nd Birthdaythis year.

In December while visiting my parents, Titus discovered his love for cowboys and horses with my Dad. They watched old westerns each night. On the way back (while being stuck in WI) I noticed adorable felt barns in the dollar section at Target. I then decided a Barnyard Bash was in order!

My awesome sister shared graphics, invites, and fabric from her daughter's party too so we had a ton of stuff for the festivities. Each year I look forward to his party.. esp the planning! I know he won't always want cupcake toppers and a party at home, so I am embracing this season. We had a waterin' hole, pigs in a blanket, haystacks, chicken feed, farm fresh egg quiche, Titus' garden, chicken wings, cowtails and cupcakes. Thanks to the blog world for the borrowed ideas!

Ryan got involved and built Titus a barn in the computer room out of a fridge box. He loves it and it is still in there. Hopefully, it will be going to

the basement soon, but his favorite thing is for us to get in the barn with him! What a good Daddy!!!

Our basement was turned into extra play space...

buds!

Simon, the cowboy!

Our house was full and we felt so blessed for the great friends and family that came to celebrate our boy!!

put a bird on it.

I am SO not a bird person. They creep me out, really. I celebrate you bird lovers out there. I'm so glad some people love them. I wanted a dog as a kid and my parents bought me a bird named Petey. I did not like Petey and we gave him away. We also learned Petey wasn't a boy, but a girl. I guess that doesn't excuse the lame name though! Then we got a dog.

However, since I live in Portland it only seems fitting to decorate with birds. See below.

If you only knew how accurate Portlandia was....

So.. back to putting birds on things but not liking them in "real life." I wanted to spring up my bathroom and found this for my inspiration (the bird hand towel).

then I took this and

painted it to this... The mirror above hung in my sister's room for years, however I managed to get it, but the black lines were coming off since it was in our bathroom. No worries, I just scraped it right off!

Then of course, I found some birds, but wanted them to match and look less modern so they went from silver to this...

Then, I added some new mats from Homegoods and filled my apocathary jar with eggs I had and painted this little table and stool "just because."

New bathroom for $50?! Yes, please! :)

thankful for mundane tasks.

My two least favorite chores include

1. going grocery shopping and

2. folding laundry and putting it away.

I really don't understand why I hate both of those. I used to really not like cleaning the bathroom, but decided it's not as bad as the above! Ryan actually agreed to go grocery shopping for me during my birthday week, but let's be honest... I stay at home. He goes to school, work and does a drill weekend each month. After just picking up things here and there, Titus and I did a big grocery trip today. The bad part is that I forgot his healthy eggs that he eats each morning. Clearly, a big deal right(insert sarcasm)!?

I actually felt sorry for myself. I know, I'm pathetic, but with a 2 yr old fussing most of the way in one grocery store when we have 2 to go to, I start stressing... and sweating!

And then I remembered 2 pics I saw at church Sunday.

http://www.blog.allseasons-homecare.com

http://www.japanearthquakepictures.com/

In a second, I got over my pity party and thanked God for the gift of food to buy at a grocery store. The 10 minute line I had to wait in does not compare at all to what many Japanese are facing.

Hello, reality check. I'm thankful now!

my favs on my twenty-fifth.

So does 25 mean mid-twenties? I hope not, because I really love being a spring chicken. Although, I am 25, I feel like most days I am around 22. The past 3 years have seemed like a blur in some ways. But a really good blur, but moving at warp speed!!

My favorite things (at the moment) of course include my fabulous family and friends, but at twenty five.. I love..

1. The idea of...

settling down in one place we love. Owning my own home and putting sweat equity into something. I love the idea of yard work on a Saturday or laying tile on a Friday night with my man! I know it's the American dream which parts of me wants to rebel against, but the settling in one place that we love sounds like something we'd enjoy! However, home is where we are..togther..and I feel the truth surrounding that each day. I could be way more specific here but in an effort to be content.. I'll leave at that.

2. The hope of...

Jesus. Seriously, I can't imagine the lack of purpose and joy without him. I know it sounds so cliche' and sunday school like answer, but his redemptive work in my life is a gift. Everyday.

3. The joy of...

motherhood is beyond my wildest dreams. It's no secret it is hard work and exhausting, but is amazing. As hard as it is, I find nothing more fulfilling. Have I mentioned that it is really hard some days?! :)

4. The love of..

my husband shows Jesus to me. While he will be the first to admit he is not perfect, I see his sacrifical love for me each day in some way. I definitley love him more today than the day I married him.

5. The gift of...

my new camera lens makes me verrry excited (it couldn't all be sentemental.. just keeping it real). It's safe to say I've been drooling over this for over a year and my man got it for me. You can watch and see if my pics look any less "homemade." Although many things look awesome "homemade" I have an a sweet knack for flops! ;)

I'll leave you with my fav pictures of the year ..

uhhh...

...not that one..

technical difficulties...

so I'm not sure what happened but the praying for eli button was redirecting to my flickr account! Boo.. because it went to Julie's blog before.. so I thought!

Also.. jessicaepp.com is some weird music download again. I probably need to re-up on the name, but instead I switched back to www.ryanandjessicaepp.blogspot.com

so complicated!! :)

Thanks and after playgroup I'll fix the issues.. or try! :)

two.

I have a two year old who is (at this moment) running in circles around the vacuum in his diaper dancing with Hillsong United blasting in the background. Now he is on the floor trying some break dancing. It's a sight for this over anxious mom in the midst of really heart wrenching and stressful week in our family.

Titus is every bit of two. He is fiercely independent, but also compassionate and caring. If someone is crying, he is concerned and the first to suggest we "tiss it" (kiss it). Ye

s, it's safe to say, he firmly believes kissing boo boos makes them all better. I wish it were true.

He wants to do things by himself. He usually says, "no, ty ty do it." This

can be quite interesting. No question on his birth order here.

He sings all day long and especially at night in his crib. Yesterday, 1 1/2 h

ours after we put him down we heard his little voice singing to his "anmals." This doesn't happen every night, but the kid loves to sing and try to count. It usually goes "1, 2, 8." He is so proud though so we just cheer and tell him how smart he is!!

We tried potty training. He did really well with just an accident a day except

for nap times and bed time when he wore pull-ups. After the week, I was beyond exhausted and he started not wanting to go on his potty. I decided we will re-visit this in a couple of months. He is still little and I didn't want to force it.

He did say goodbye to his pacis by "mailing them to the new babies at the hospital." He cried and cried when we put them in the bag and wanted to check the mailbox just to see if they were really gone. It was a little traumatizing for us both, but I'm so proud of him. After he said "bye" bedtime and nap times were relatively easy. Much easier than I expected.

We partied our hearts out this weekend. He woke up wanting "more happy" on Sunday. I'll post more on his party later, but planning birthday parties for my kid is one of my most favorite things. I'm having a hay day with it while he is little knowing when he is 16, he probably won't want a banner and a cardboard barn.

Titus is long and lean. He is in the 90th percentile on height and def less on weight. The doctor was not concerned because he has been consistent. Her prediction is that he will be over 6ft. Go figure since I'm 5 ft 2 on a good day and Ryan is below 6 ft!

Oh my Ty Ty,

You are so so loved and a joy to your parents. You make us laugh and when we aren't with you, you are the center of our conversation. We pray we can raise you in the love and knowledge of Christ so that one day, you will follow him with reckless abandon. Please give us grace, we are still newbies and can never live up to the perfect parent we long to be.

Happy 2nd Birthday!

-Mommy and Daddy

life.

(taken the day Julie found out she was pregnant)

Life. It can be so heavy, can't it? 3 days ago, the biggest thought in my mind was if my sister was going to have a boy or a girl. 3 days later, she and her family are facing huge news and big decisions. The whys flooded my brain within 5 seconds of hearing my mom say something was wrong. I knew something was when I heard my mom say, "jess."

It brought me back to waiting 5 1/2 years ago when I was in Greece for a semester abroad. I waited on my international cell phone to hear if she was having a girl or boy. The news that Samuel would not live past birth was received with a punch in my stomach. Now, as a mom I "get things" on a whole new level. It's not that I am better than non-moms but it's just that I understand how crazy moms feel about their children. It's a love I've never experienced before and a love I could never have anticipated.

I know for certain, Eli will be celebrated and loved. I pray our family will rally around my sis and bro-in-law. We will cheer him on and pray endlessly for God to do more than we could ever imagine. I know he could not have been chosen for better parents. Parents that will do anything and everything to raise him in the love, grace and knowledge of Jesus.

Titus will be the closest-in-age-boy-cousin to Eli and I am praying that God will give them a special relationship. We have been working on his name with T, and I am enjoying getting into auntie mode.

Please pray for sweet Eli and his family. My sis and bro have lots of research, decisions, doctor calls etc etc to make. We love you.. baby Giordano number 4!!! You can follow her blog here.

she's one of my favorites.

Does that count? A person. I think without a doubt, my mom has got to be one of my favorite people. I'm probably not suppose to have favorites, but I assure you, the list has more than one!

I long to one day have a daughter to be what she has been to me. A blessing. Of course, hopefully I can be that whether I eventually have girls or just my boys! Seriously, you would love her too.

My mom is itty bitty petite and is as meek as a lamb. She is quiet and has learned the art of holding her tongue. Her life reflects Jesus and her love for him is deep. She loves her children and grandchildren, but understands her first obligation is to the Lord and then, my Dad. What a blessing to have that modeled to me! She goes out of her way to help people and has a heart for what seems like the whole world. She teaches 5 year olds at school, teaches women in Sunday School, volunteers at a crisis pregnancy center and goes to her weekly missions meetings for her yearly overseas missions trip. It's not about her works though. This is just an outpouring of her heart!

Does that sound like Mother Teresa or what!? My Dad often says He knows people have to treat her well because if he even looks at her wrong, he feels chastisement from the Lord!

Even though I'm far away, I feel really close to my Mom. I am also grateful that Titus is close to her and my Dad. He loves them, knows them and talks about them all of the time! I am so blessed that we can connect on a friendship level, but also a spiritual level. She challenges me in my walk with God, and my greatest hope in our relationship is that I can be a blessing to her!

I love you, Mom... Happy Birthday!

march is my favorite.

I love March. My anniversary, my mom's birthday, my son's birthday and my birthday along with some other very special family members. You might be thinking March leaves us broke, but I'd say it leaves our love tank filled! It's really a month of celebrating. I started decorating today and I hope our house looks like a party the whole month. Since it's my favorite month, I'll share some fav things this month.

The first is the song My Beloved by Kari Jobe. It's just beautiful. If I was having a wedding today, I'd have this song played to mirror the marriage of Christ and his bride. Since I'm celebrating 3 years, I'll just play it a lot! :)

You're My Beloved

You're My Bride

To sing over you is My delight

Come away with Me My love

You're Beautiful to Me

So beautiful to Me

Under My mercy

Come and wait

Till we are standing face to face

I see no stain on you

My child

You're Beautiful to Me

So Beautiful to Me

I sing over you My song of peace

Cast all your care down at My feet

Come and find your rest in Me

I'll breathe My life inside of you

I'll bear you up on eagle's wings

And hide you in the shadow of My strength

I'll take you to My quiet waters

I'll restore your soul

Come rest in Me and be made whole

You're My beloved

You're My Bride

To sing over you is my delight

Come away with me my love