Bringing it in

When it's cold outside, I really have to put my thinking cap on and come up with fun ways to spend our days. We've been doing a lot of crafty things this winter because a. John Parker enjoys it and b. I feel like I can be artsy. We're working on learning colors and shapes right now. John Parker's favorite colors are blue and green. He knows them well and loves to make sure that he points things out around the house that are his favorite colors.

Claire is a cruising machine. She can pull up with such ease now. She loves to bend over and pick up her toys. She is so dainty and graceful; it makes me smile just watching her get up and down. She is much more bold than I expected, so I have to keep my eyes on her at all times. She makes a b-line for anything electronic--be it the remote or my new iPhone. The faster I move it, the quicker she moves. She's been riding around and enjoying some new push toys. It's all just a sign that my little baby is growing up so fast. Where did the time go?

Here are some of the ways we've been bringing our fun inside.

Little Miss Snuggles



Her Furry Brother, Duke



Cruising



My Winter Wonderland and nice Shiner



Watching Barney with Ava



Bringing the Sunshine in with Mommy's Loud Shoes



Having Fun with Humpty Dumpty

Everyday Messes

Meal time is becoming progressively messier around here now that Claire is eating table food. I don't know how you moms of three or more do it. John Parker is the condiment kid. I often catching him dipping his fingers in mustard once he's run out of pretzels. It's not uncommon to find him with mustard or peanut butter strewn throughout his silky blonde locks. Claire loves yogurt and playing with her food. She loves to drop her food onto her lap or share it with Duke. She grabs at the spoon whenever I'll let her. At times, it drives me mad but I know a day is coming where I will miss the spills and having to wipe my little ones' faces. They are growing up way to fast. I'm choosing to live in the moment today!

Chronically Behind

Oh, how I hate feeling behind!! It seems like the last couple of months, I can't seem to stay on top of anything. The laundry, keeping a clean house, updating our blog, working on photobooks, decorating our home, etc, etc. I hate that feeling. Can any of you relate? I know that at the end of the day these things hold no eternal value, yet my growing "to do" list makes me feel so inadequate. I want to invest in the things that matter--my family, my friends, our church, and our community. Perhaps, the Lord is trying to teach me that I will always fall short. My adequacy is not in checking off my "to do" list, but in who I am in Him and how I share his love with others. Thanks for letting me share my heart.

Let's Build It

He insisted on 2 paint brushes since that is his favorite number



Our little creation



I love how much this little guy likes to clean up



One Saturday, I enjoyed a sweet date with my little guy. We headed over to the Home Depot to enjoy one of their Saturday children's workshops. We had so much fun! I am quite challenged when it comes to assembling things. I can barely hang pictures on the wall! :)

We built a little piggy bank house and got to paint it. John Parker loved hammering the nails and enjoyed mixing the paints rather than painting the house. I wish you could have seen some of the parents faces when he mixed the colors. I wanted to kindly tell them he was just two!

We ended our date with a trip to Dunkin Donuts for mommy's favorite blueberry coffee and some munchkins. It was a great way to start off the weekend!