Family Sized Fun

Cutest Little Tea Party

2012-01-26T08:28:00.000-06:00

She's 4

2012-01-10T09:26:00.000-06:00

All year she has been talking about her "Snow White Birthday" but at the last minute? She changed her mind.

And also at the last minute? I whipped up this fancy Barbie cake so her dreams could come true!

No worries. It was easier than you think.
Can you believe she's 4?
Yesterday on the way to school, she tells me, "MOM! I just read a WORDS! S-T-O-P! STOP!"

And the other day, she tells me,"When the tooth fairy comes and gets my tooth and leaves me money under my pillow? I'm gonna SAVE that money and buy a giraffe. WRITE THAT DOWN MOM!"
Indeed I will, Madee.

She greeted every guest at her party with a smile and a "Thank you for my gift!" as she ran away with them to the present area.

I love her.

I love everything ABSOLUTELY everything about her.

How could I not?

Here is a fun link to the first month of her life.
She was SUCH a beautiful baby.
She is such a beautiful girl.

She has to stop anybody and everybody and ask them their business, their name, and whatnot.
She is beyond charming.
She is still mine.
For now.

When she asks me to take her to school, i rush through getting ready for work and do my best to make it happen. I love to drop her off with her friends. They all hug each other and tell each other how much they missed each other and then they have their own world.

A world where I can see how she is less mine. How she will be less mine the more I share her, the more she shares herself. And she does. She loves to share.

She is the love in my heart.
The laughter in my soul.
And goodness knows she can test my metal.

But it is easy for me to remember how much I always wanted her.
Since I was a child, playing with baby dolls.
As I grew, thinking of how my children my be.
When I met her father, and knew she was going to be real.
The first time I held her.
Every time since.
The way she feels all curled up in my middle when I spoon her.
The way she throws her head back when she laughs.
The things she tells me.
The things she reminds me off.
She is so many things.

And today she is 4. Beautiful, wonderful, adorable 4.
We love you baby.
Like a firecracker.

Christmas is Happening, People!

2011-12-22T10:20:00.005-06:00

But here is a synopsis of other things that have happened right here, and I just haven't told you about it all yet.

Trick or Treating:

The girls got to do the rounds with their best friends.
There was a lot of giggling, running and candy eating involved.
Now they want to do this ALL THE TIME.

My favorite Halloween picture. That's my own parked car - do not be afraid, she was never in harm's way.

I told them to stay at the door with their treats bags extended until someone shut the door on them. Madee clearly took me seriously.

We went to the ZOO!
The Sanford zoo is tiny.
But there are a lot of keepers holding animals to pet along the way.

And lots of other random fun things to do.

Sophia's growly face.

Madee's "RAWR".

Listening to keepers talk about macaws.

The littlest feeding some yak looking things.

The cuteness we truck around town most of the time.

The races. Madee is clearly a rocket.

Girls do lunch!

And then there is ballet.
Madee loves ballet class.
And talking about ballet.
She works really hard at it.

The littles want to go to ballet class too.
But they have a good time raising a stink in the waiting area.

And we had our first horse ride.
They LOVED it.
Clearly.

And as always my little helpers are at the ready to help with any muffin making I might have going on.

Even if Eden's idea of helping is helping herself to spoonfuls of muffin mix.

We hope you guys have great holidays and we can't wait to share our holiday pictures with you!
Merry Christmas!
The Dervs

Punkins. Smashing.

2011-12-11T08:33:00.005-06:00

Everybody has their favorite poses for pictures.
I like to call ours "album cover".
And everybody strikes a "Beastie Boy" pose.
Word.

I love their faces.
And Madee's band-aid.

Nice hat.

Here's a late look at the pumpkin patch pictures from before Halloween.
We found a nice patch of uglies in New Smyrna.

I am pretty sure they go for like $10 per wart.
So we browsed around for a while taking pictures.

Rearranged a few.
Wondered what they tasted like.

And then settled on some pie pumpkins that we actually ended up making soup out of last week.
They were amazing.

On accounts.

Last Days of Summer

2011-12-09T08:20:00.004-06:00

Here are some pictures from one of our last summer beach days.
Not that it isn't 72 degrees today.
But the ocean water is definitely colder now, so we aren't so bathing suit-y when we play on the beach lately.

Beach fun fact: bikes are better on the beach. During low tide you can ride for miles, even if you are a little guy with a little bike.

And THAT makes for even more beach fun.
Madee loves to paint toenails. Here is the job she did on her sister. I should have taken an "after beach" picture because when the sand rubbed the paint off the skin it looked like it was done by a pro!

My angel. (mostly)
All growed up and jumping and surfing.

These two are the cutest two, and they are making their impression as beach locals.
I love them.

Dontcha just want to kiss her cheek?
I can't keep my lips off them!

.
My new favorite picture of the Littlest Van Derven.

Our lighthouse. which I will showcase in greater detail next week!

A random add on of a bike day. Yeah I totally roll with Little and the O in my trailer. Madee has a tagalong hooked up to Dad's bike. so we basically roll around oozing cute family vibes.

Have I told you about my new job(s)?
Not that I have time to right now, but I do have to go attend to that for a bit.
Have a great weekend, buy local, and love your babies til they claw their way out of your grasp.

Christmas is Coming

2011-12-06T06:09:00.003-06:00

And I haven't even started doing anything with our advent calendar yet.
Bah.
Must get on that today.

Anyway, here are the kids doing some painting.
They are quite little artists and love nothing more than cutting, coloring, and general masterpiece making. In fact, at school they can pretty much paint whenever they want to.
Just one more reason I love Inspirations Learning Center.

I have a lot of catching up to do on life. I have been pretty busy throwing myself into a new job that I am excited to talk more about, but it's gonna have to be later, because it's Wednesday and the kids are home from school, and they really want to go do stuff.

So don't wait any longer! Go see my little artistes!

Guess Who?

2011-12-05T06:53:00.004-06:00

I know, I know. you probably thought I might NEVER blog again!
Put away your tissue and tell all your friends that Family Sized Fun is back.

Where was I?
Well first of all, my old computer just decided one day to stop blogging. I don't know why, but it wouldn't and we were sad.

Then, I just started getting so busy. I guess I really started making myself busy. I have a bunch of new friends, the kids have school, my mom came to visit, then the holidays started, and before you know it, here we are in December.

I'd like to bring this story to a very important development involving Family Sized Fun's BIGGEST FAN!

My mother in law (HI JANET!) missed the blog the most! She must have, since she sent me a laptop she wasn't using so it could continue without excuses. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU Janet! As I am sure everyone reading this also wants thank you, here are a few more!

THANK YOU!
THANK YOU!
THANK YOU!
THANK YOU!
THANK YOU!
THANK YOU!
THANK YOU!

And here I am wondering how I am ever to work this back into my schedule. Luckily, I have some pictures to share over the next little while that have just been waiting in the wings for your perusal.

Behold, my kids at the local marine rescue center, petting sting rays. Madee says they give her a high 5!

I mean, look at the face. like a friendly little ghost. Aside from the slicker-y skin and stinger-y tail, I want to kiss him!

And some last days of summer shots at the beach.

A little tai chi...

Big smiles

and somebody is getting the hang of some waves, people.

It's nice to be back. I am excited to share with you some of the developments going on in our world. We have missed you, and we are glad we are back!

I also want to mention that we lost a dear family member in the interim of our time away. It is still very heavy on my heart to be without our buddy, Zeus.

This dog changed everything for me. He went from child intolerant to a LOVER or kiddos, he was loyal and loving like no other dog I have had in my life. In his day, a frisbee was his bitch and come to think of it so was every other dog on the doggie playground. boy dogs wanted to BE him and lady dogs wanted to be WITH him.

He was an amazing guy, and my heart still has a Zeus sized hole that can't be filled. I miss you biddy, you were SUCH a good dog. Our family and our lives aren't the same without you, and they wouldn't have been as sweet without your being there while you were.

We love you. ALWAYS.

Dad's Birthday

2011-09-16T05:35:00.000-05:00

Here is everybody waiting for him to blow out his candles.
I LOVE how Zeus is watching too!

Madee is INTO making you a cake or pie or whatever you want for your birthday. She picked this one out, helped me make it and decorated it all by herself.

Literally, in this picture, Eden said, "Daddy I need a spoon."

I think Madee has her "ohnoyouditten" face on for fear of it being gobbled up in one munch.

I think everybody here has wishes on their faces. And at least 2 of those wishes include being left alone with this pie.

First Day of School!

2011-09-15T12:17:00.002-05:00

Madee has been DYING to go to school for over a year now, and I started looking for something for her - something PERFECT for her - so it could go as smoothly as possible.

As I called around town, I got a lot of disappointment as preschool directors told me she would be learning her ABC's and colors.

Pshshhht. Eden is already a veteran of those things. Madee would be bored with that sort of agenda.

I wanted Montessori, yet not strictly Montessori. Some place where I knew she would be paid lots of attention, and pulled into a direction based on her own development/capacity/potential.

Some place where she was just as special as she is here at home.

I got a playground "head's up" about a brand new preschool (beachside, even) with a great staff, curriculum, and philosophy.

It was a perfect fit.
I signed her up right away, and we haven't looked back.

And here is my sweet first baby girl, slumming in her backpack and lunchbox like she was born to do this. And, oh my, is she.

Of course Eden thought she was going too.

2 days a week, for 3.5 hours, and it isn't enough for her, oh no.

I know some kids fret about being left at school or away from their parents, but not mu kid. She wonders WHY these kids would ever be crying. Then walks right up and invites them to play with her like a pro.

She wishes it was boarding school.
She has completed 4 days already, and her "pretend play" is increasing exponentially. Also she is teaching us everything she learns at school.

She loves it.
They love her.
Perfect fit for sure...

The Girls

2011-08-22T10:31:00.005-05:00

Due to some technical difficulties, last week was a little heinous, but here we are.
The girls and I went to a garage sale last week, and before we left the house they got into my "hair bob and baby jewelry" bin and went wild accessorizing themselves.

Madee has a bra strap on as a necklace.
She is pretty much brilliant when it comes to style.

And Eden? Oh, you, pretty little Eden "bwashing" your "hay-oo" in your "DOWA DWESS!"

They seriously left the house like that, only also with purses.
And I had to walk around resuscitating everyone who laid eyes on them, because their cuteness was so overwhelming that everybody was DYING from it.

Like, they are literally, too freaking cute.

See also: BEST FWENDS.

And who is everybody's favorite fur baby?
Ono!
Ono says "Hi GRAMMEE! (save me!)"

We have hurricane rumors flying around here, so we will be preparing for what we can before the storm hits. (if it does). We will keep in touch, but we have lots to do!

Lots of love!

Ferris Wheel

2011-08-11T08:01:00.004-05:00

Because Cousin Time is memory time, and what makes better memories than a ride up high in the sky?

It's pretty rad to be aunts and uncles.
I have the best memories of my aunts and uncles.
They were so cool.

Checking out proofs before the fun is even over.

Ferris Wheel
I love watching the girls get a little nervous before we load up.

And I love the awe on their faces as they go higher in the sky than they thought they ever could.

Sometimes when Madee is all dressed up and in her Easter shoes I think she is growing up too fast.
She tells me all the time she wants to grow up NOW.
I tell her I remember feeling that way.
And maybe she should just take it slow and have fun being a kid.

Eden LOVES the ferris wheel.
She thinks she can FWY!

What better way to end a day than margaritas and snacks!
The kids loved these little umbrellas.

And just maybe we did, too!

Cuzzies

2011-08-09T08:32:00.001-05:00

These 3 just fell right into their vacation together like it hadn't even been 6 months since they saw each other.
Oh.
Cousin love.
It makes me swoon.

How super fun for them to be the little gaggle of girls of the family
and pretty much be the same age.
Guh.
They are just all so cute together.
Like the 3 musketeers.
Only cuter and less facial hair.

Of course they are almost even more powerful when they are together,
since they form this sort of familial support team.
They totally had each others' backs.
For the most part.

And if things got a little too heated?
We'd just throw them in the pool.

Because, seriously, cooling off calms you down.

They had so much fun together that I can't wait to get them back together again.
I love watching them make memories together.
Childhood memories that are steeped in all the glory of new imaginations.

And I hope they still all want to sleep together in the same room until they are like, 25.

Of course I have lots more pictures to share.
See ya tomorrow!

The Last of the Inside

2011-08-04T06:54:00.004-05:00

So I hope you have been having fun going through my house.
Even though nobody said anything about the girls' room, it's kind of my favorite, and certainly the least occupied at any time throughout the day or night.

Maybe that is why I like it so much.
It's (usually) clean and quiet.

Okay no wait, I LOVE the playroom.
Especially since most of the kids' junk fits in there nicely.

Wait, maybe you haven't even seen my favorite room yet.
Let's walk through this door.
And I will show you the bedroom...

Mah bed.

My bed is one of absoLOO favorite pieces of furniture.
(Thanks MOM!)

Okay maybe ALL my favorite things are in my bedroom?
Because I adore the little side table we got for our wedding present from Auntie Tooie.
Because I LOVE the swirls in the candelabra.

And oh, the curves of this headboard.
I get lost in it.

Oh, and that lamp?

It was my Grandmama's lamp, so it is a TOP 3 favorite house thing.
Especially since I got close up for this shot and discovered the seahorse.
Do you see him?
It's like he couldn't be more perfect for a beach house.

And this is the wall I lay and stare at as I try to force sleep back out of my life for the day.
You DO know how good for you it is to lazily gaze at the things you love?
It is SO GOOD for your brain.
To see yourself happy.

Back to my work space.
It is so nice to have a little area carved out just for me.
A place with natural light.
I still making it "mine".

This is where I keep my littlest feelings!
Remember?

I only have 2 laptops here because I don't really have 1 that works completely.
I use one for blogging and surfing pages that need cookies enabled.

The other one barfs up cookies, but has a sound card.
One day, I'm gonna get with the times and try to have something a little more...
idk
all-in-one?

Doesn't matter.
I'm just so glad to have a space I call "mine!".

So last but not least?
Bathrooms!

The girls bath is also the pool bath, or "cabana bath" if you want to get all fancy when you say it.
Like I do.

I could have taken better pictures of my my bathroom and closet space, but I didn't.
I mean it has a HUGE separate shower, and the walk in closet is AMAZING but I lost interest in my own photo shoot in favor of other fun things to do.I can really only say that this bathroom/closet area is actually DEFINITELY my totally favorite part of the house.
And it would be yours, too.
Also I turned the water closet into an administrative space and communication mecca for the adults.

So there is ALWAYS reading material.

Hope you had fun!
Didi I leave anything out?
Probably.
So come on over and see what you missed!

The Great Room

2011-08-04T06:54:00.003-05:00

Weeeee!
It continues!

So this is the main living area.
I love how it is so open and light.

I tend to take my time finding furniture, and right now most of the seating in the living room is patio furniture.

I am just looking for the perfect lounge-y items to flop into/onto and read up yummy summer romance novels.

I also really enjoy all the open floor space (perfect for yoga!) and we tend to do alot of floor laying anyway with all this comfy carpet.

The girls keep their puzzles and books in this area. We spend a lot of time putting together some puzzles around here.

Again my beach wall.

When the sliders are rid of the little handprints that collect on it, there is a nice view of the pool and yard.

My inspiration color palette.

I LOVE my kitchen. The ENTIRE thing.

I also love my little laundry room. I wish it was a little bit bigger? But I am oh SO thankful it is just indoors!

See ow up under then cabinets there are lights? I literally had NO IDEA until I was going through these pictures.

True story.
And a close up look at my dining table legs. I really like that chunk of wood!

Bathrooms and my bedroom should round out tomorrow!
See you then!

The Girls' Room

2011-08-03T22:32:00.000-05:00

In looking back at the playroom pictures from yesterday, I noticed I left a lot of the room out of the picture.

Like the bed.
And the play kitchen.

AND the closet, but you won't get a chance to look in there until I get a chance to organize it better!

Anyhoo, I thought I would get to the main house next, but this isn't as organized as I had hoped.
Next on the tour? The Girls' Bedroom.

We like to make an entrance around here.
Sparkly entrance to the princess haven.

I was very excited to have the girl's share a room in this house.
I just figured they were really at the best age to do it, and that it would make things easier when we have guests spend the night.

Plus, this house just needs lots of places for people to sleep, because, duh, beach house.

E's letter e's.

Eden's bed is a cozy mattress on the floor which helps to keep her INSIDE the bed instead of rolling out of it.

My kids love their beds like that.

Madee has a box spring on her side, and when they are good and ready we will add some slats to the frames.

With the little canopies and "sunken" mattresses, it feels super cozy and contained.
Like Genie's bottle.

M's letter m's.

Still room to play, even with 2 beds! and that closet is perfect and fits both of their clothes!

A little star nightlight to keep little ones dreams nice and light.

And a painting I did in college in a fancy frame.

Send me links to your kid's rooms! I would love to see your space!

The Playroom

2011-08-02T08:18:00.000-05:00

When we moved into this house, we decided to try a shared bedroom, so we could have a playroom that would also be free for guests to sleepover, without displacing either of the girls.

I think they like the playroom more than their bedroom, so I have started lodging our guests in their two twin beds, since they would rather sleep here.
Or in our bed.
Or sometimes on the floor.
We have REALLY nice carpet.

Anyhoo, the playroom. I have started displaying words around the house. These are perfect for in here. We do a LOT of singing, dancing, AND playing.

Little shelves of happy.

The gallery wall.
Which I have BIG plans for.
Eventually.

And this is the view as you walk out of the playroom.

More tomorrow!

Hey Everybody!

2011-08-01T08:01:00.002-05:00

I'm not really posting this NOW, because we are WAY TOO BUSY raising some Van Derven girl hell with Cousin and my twisted Sister in Law.

And you can bet this smile right here is beaming all up and down the beach right now.

And we are probably finding all kinds of weird stuff and making up stories about it.

And probably hugging real tight.

And doing things so cool you probably can't even imagine what they are.

Like jumping over the moon.

Hope your August is as good as our August.

The Beach

2011-07-29T06:27:00.000-05:00

I'm pretty sure we aren't supposed to be on this thing.
Which makes it my favorite new thing to take pictures on!
Did you guys know that Cousin Rachel and Auntie Jess are coming to visit this weekend?
So yeah, I can just already see the three cousins up there now.

Every once in a while, a storm washes these
little guys up in bunches to the shore where they die.
Jellies.

Bad bad jelly.
You put vinegar on a sting if they get you.
Or meat tenderizer.
We found out the not-so-fun way.

But we still had a lot of fun!

Dad

2011-07-28T06:52:00.000-05:00

He's so cool.
And his smile just melts me.
How much fun do they have?

Dad jumps SO big.
And he inspires little jumpers.

To make BIG jumps.

Dad is always cool for wave jumping.
Even when Mom's not.
Even on jellyfish days.

These are his girls.
They love their Daddy hard.

Lucky lucky little girls.

Hoops

2011-07-27T07:26:00.000-05:00

Part of the girls' fascination with the ice cream parlor is the friends and the hoops.
There are just so many things to do with unlimited hula hoops.

E's pulling it off.
At least in this picture it sure looks like it.

My kid can curl her tongue. Any time, ANY WHERE.

YAY!

Where are they heading to now?

You'll find out tomorrow~

Surf Cream

2011-07-26T07:28:00.000-05:00

It's what's for dessert. This is like Madee and Eden's "local bar". They love to walk up and hang out here. And the guy who scoops the cream calls them "The Dolphin Sisters".

And this is going to go down as our favorite new neighbor.

It's hard to find the ice cream through all that hair!

My girls, on the verge of being covered in ice cream.
So, duh, HAPPY.

"E doit all by mySELP!"

Everything in this picture is just YUMMY.

Airstream Family Portrait

2011-07-25T07:26:00.000-05:00

This little trailer lives near our house.
I want it.
I can just really see our family in it.
On weekends.
Holidays.
Winter nights in the driveway.

So we went to get our picture taken in its reflection so we can even better visualize our family in this little jewel.

I want it.

And I spend my free time staring at this blog post thinking what I will do with one when I get it.

My Heart Swells

2011-07-22T08:01:00.003-05:00

There is just something about seeing my kids with my parents. Something that just makes sense, feels right, gives me warm feelings in my heart space.

Do you get that way?

Watching my parents with these little beings, who they have SO MUCH love for, and the kids? well let's just say instead of saying "cheese!" for pictures, these two say "GA-MAMA!"

Spending a week at the lakehouse with them was a huge bonding time for all of them, and it really touched me to see them start to make the kind of memories that they will keep in their heart forever. Memories of family, and fun, and figuring out the places that ultimately they come from, even if they aren't there everyday, or haven't really even been there before.

Tonight is our first attempt at an all-nighter at GA-MAMAs house. I am a little nervous, mostly for my mom, but also for Eden, who is a little young to understand what we are talking about here.

Madee is ready (so ready) to have a night out of my house - she is SO EXCITED to spend the night away.

So cross your fingers people, because this is definitely a trend I could make myself get used to...

Happy Anniversary

2011-07-21T08:07:00.004-05:00

Blushing bride.

You bet I do.Us against the world.

I'm more concerned about the world if that's the case.

That time I broke my face smiling so hard.

Still crazy (about each other) after all these years.

Happy Anniversary to the love of my life, my light in the tunnels, my chicken soup on the sick days, my love, my hero, my bestest of friends.

Wedding Day Eve

2011-07-20T08:24:00.002-05:00

Here I sit with Ono the night before my wedding, 4 years ago today, at my super mellow bachelorette party, where we filled little goody bags with kettle corn for favors for my guests.

I can't help but notice how young we both look.

In lieu of a rehearsal dinner, we had a cookout with all of our family and friends who had traveled into the remote woods of South Lake Tahoe to celebrate our union.

We aren't really a "practice" kind of couple anyway, so we just winged our wedding day without concern for who would stand where, or who would say what.

I love this picture.

My best friend, and maid of honor, Lisa. She is a most prized friendship and she is one of the few things I miss back West.

And I miss her DEARLY.

Seriously, there should be way more Lisa's in the world. Not generic Lisa's, but clones of this particular one.

Thought I would clarify.

Funny how I used to look at my grandmother's wedding photos, thinking she looked so young and vibrant and beautiful, and I can already find myself getting all misty and nostalgic while flipping through my own wedding album now.

I really wish I still had these upper arms.

I am still in disbelief that so much time has weathered my person, yet it still seems like a blink of an eye. So much has changed. So much beautiful.

And tomorrow I celebrate - WE CELEBRATE - that day we decided to change the course of our lives to follow the same path.

Til death do us part.

Bubbles

2011-07-18T08:52:00.000-05:00

It never ceases to amaze me the joy that is bubbles and children.
I have, in fact been known to hide bubbles from certain people just so I don't have to hear anybody screeching about "BUBOOLZH"!

But on vacation, anything goes.

Look at that form. Those are bubbling lips for sure.

POP!
A better look at the bubble lips.

They really work, too.

Oh and do I even need to draw attention to that curly little pony tail?
I want it on my own head.

Serious concentration.

Happy heart.

BUBOOLZH

I think that last one is a double bubble.

Sleepy Beauty

2011-07-15T08:50:00.000-05:00

We should all be so beautiful when we sleep...

The New House

2011-07-14T07:02:00.000-05:00

This is a little favorite place of mine.

A sunny spot in the kitchen that makes me smile.

On the way to the beach with the girls the other day, I found this table on the side of the road.
I love the bowed sides.
And the little brass caps and wheels on the legs.

Of course I wanted to make it cute and new.

So here is my hot husband in the hot sun sanding it up for me.

And here is the color i picked. It is called Eden.
Swoon.
And my color inspiration for our living room.
Cutest lap tray EVER.

I'm 2 coats in and still need a third.
I also plan to antique it a bit with a stain wash.
But I am loving it already.

LOVE.

Summers Are for Love

2011-07-13T13:46:00.003-05:00

Feet are for dangling.
Mornings are for fishing.

Hearts are for exploding with love.

This is a scene I couldn't have written, a sweetness I just HAD to share.

Yuminator

2011-06-10T07:17:00.003-05:00

Madee showcases a peanut butter jelly sandwich and pretzel kabob. Super yummy and TO GO!