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!

Birthday Party for Jesus

I love that our Christmas season started with a birthday party for Jesus. My dear friend, Jaillene, made the gathering so special for the little ones. The kids finger-painted crosses and listened to the Christmas story. They were far more interested in the cake than the Christmas story, but we figure this tradition will get richer as they get older.

Table Talk

I love the banter between my little ones at the table. John Parker loves to pull Claire's highchair as close as possible. They love to egg each other on by seeing who can scream or talk the loudest. I probably should limit the yelling, but it's so stinkin' cute to watch them play and it gives me a few minutes to breathe. :)

Random Fall Favorites

All smiles



So Big



Painting our mini pumpkins



Loving Will's hair



Sweet Innocence



Our little pianist



Obsessed with Pumpkin Bread



Celebrating Katie's Birthday downtown



Pancakes with friends at IHOP






I have fallen quite behind in blogging due to computer issues. It's been quite frustrating, but nice to have such a technologically savvy husband who can make sense of our storage and hard drive issues. He's managed to make sure that all of our photos and videos are safe and secure!! This post is a compilation of some of my favorites from this fall. I have lots more posting to do in the next couple of days. :)

The Fireman and Cupcake

We had an eventful Halloween in our home this year. Our neighborhood really goes all when it comes to Halloween. Our neighbors had a dress up party for the parents and kids. We went to another neighbors' home for a fall craft party and enjoyed a pizza party in one of the cul-de-sacs before trick or treating.

I had aspirations of dressing the kids in themed costumes this year, but couldn't get my act together.:) Instead, we did a last minute Target run to pick out John Parker's fireman outfit. He loved, loved, loved it! I don't know many two year olds that keep a hat on, but he felt like a hometown hero when wearing it. It was adorable watching his persona change once he sported the coat and hat. Claire was a cupcake--cute as can be. I could eat her up literally with those kissable cheeks and toothy grin. She just enjoyed the ride and even spent a little time in the Radio Flyer while John Parker went door to door.

In Search of the Perfect Pumpkin

Showing off our little pumpkins



Big Smiles



Trying to eat the Pumpkin



Bringing little miss his pumpkins



Love this one



Trying to lift his pumpkin



Eyes



There first of many pumpkin patches together




The famous tractor ride (we all looked thrilled to be looking into the sun)



I love pumpkin patches!! I am an idealist at heart--always chasing that "Norman Rockwell" moment. I have such fond memories of picking out the perfect pumpkin as a child. My mom would always take the cutest family pictures of my sister, brother, and me on top of a mound of pumpkins. This is one tradition that I hope to keep with our kids.

We went to Berry Patch Farms again this year. The last time we went was when John Parker was 5 months old. It was the perfect day to go since the Georgia game was on and the patch wasn't crowded. We could have road the tractor around the patch again and again were it not so chilly outside.

John Parker loved the tractor; he kept talking about riding it the whole time he looked for pumpkins. He especially loved picking out the baby pumpkins. Claire was so content to sit and try to nibble at the pumpkins. One of my favorite memories was of her surrounded by baby pumpkins that John Parker had put around her. I enjoyed my seaonal apple fritter and cider, and John went home a happy man because I finally stopped talking about the pumpkin patch!