More Summer Fun

The temperature is getting cooler. The days are getting shorter. It's sad to say, but summertime is slowly fading away. We have had a great summer this year (and continue to do so). We got to play again outside with our slip-n-slide. What a great invention.

The boy LOVES it! He loves to slide (OK, he likes to be pushed, but it's all the same to him), and when he slips on the mat, he laughs and says "It's slippery, Momma." Yeah baby, it's slippery all right.



My girl thinks it's fun to play with as well, and I have to admit, that really I just love to get her in her swimsuit. Miniature swimsuits are so cute - especially on my baby.



Please Summer, can you stick around a bit longer? We've had such a great time enjoying your long days, nice warmth, beautiful sunshine, and good times. Please, pretty please?

You Can Be My Cowboy

She rides the range here at the house - attached of course, to 4 posts and some safely covered springs. She's a miniature expert on handling this pony. She has so much fun, that her brother can't help but climb on and join the party.



"Hey" she says, "You can climb on, but I'm driving this steed - just hang on and let me do all the work!" Spoken in true cowgirl fashion if I do say so myself.



Yep, this little lady's gonna be the sheriff around these here parts . . . . I can already feel the winds of change blowing in from the west . . .

Hair

She's discovered her hair. She likes to touch it and rub it and play with it. The unfortunate part about this is that she mostly likes to do this after a very messy meal. This leads to some pretty fun bubble baths with lots and lots of head scrubbing on my part. She's paying attention, and she proves it when her brother gets in the tub with her. This is her new favorite thing to do . . . .



Yeah, she's washing his hair. Actually, she's HELPING me wash his hair, and the funny thing is that her brother doesn't seem to mind. Maybe it's all the bubbles, maybe it's the bath toys, but normally if she touches him he screams like a crab just pinched onto his pinkie toe and won't let go.



By golly, I think he's starting to like her, and I couldn't be happier about that!

I ♥ Faces Challenge: Nostalgia

It was cleaned and ready for him when we got there - that old truck that had been so loved and played with so many years ago. My father, my uncles, then my brother and my cousins - everyone had taken turns driving this thing around the farm - through the dirt, the mud, the cow pies. My Papaw had cleaned it up, and as he gave it to us he apologized for how rusty the truck had become. I was thinking that after years of love and adoration of generations of little boys, this truck was lucky to have 4 wheels and the bed still attached to the cab. His thoughtfulness touched my heart, and made a tear or two well up in my eyes. My son didn't see the rusty old truck that my Papaw thought it had become - he saw a new toy - something that could haul sticks and rocks and dirt - something that he could play with for hours in the yard - through the dirt, the mud, and (in our yard) the dog piles (we do try to get those up though).

Seeing him with that old toy takes me back to my childhood - playing at my Nanny and Papaw's farm with all the "new" toys. Like the old cast iron stove that sat on their patio -I made many a delicious (according to my Papaw) mud pie out there, or the red boucing ball that belonged to my uncles, or the Lincoln logs in the closet or Tinkertoys that sat right beside them. Nothing too over the top - nothing extremely special - just overly loved - which is exactly how I remember feeling on the farm, and something I hope for my children when they look back on their childhood.

Here's to seeing things through a childs eye. Here's to generations of love that were handed down to my son. Here's to family that always wishes they could do more. Here's to remembering. Here's to simple love - of a great grandfather to his great grandson . . .

To see more pictures that evoke nostalgia, check out all the posts at I ♥ Faces this week!

Our Early Morning

We dined on lemon yogurt, dry Kix cereal, raisins and applesauce. It was our breakfast picnic, and the kids sat in the stroller with their jackets on while I sat on the park bench. We talked about all the early morning sounds - crickets chirping, some distant dogs barking, and even further in the distance, a train. Just beyond the park bench, the playground was waiting - it called out to my little ones several times during their breakfast. "Be patient" I told them - "It will be there when we finish our picnic." For a full hour, it was all ours - alone in the park - just me and my munchkins. We played and laughed and ran and climbed.



And as the sun rose above the tree tops, we were swinging as high as we cold go!

It's About Time!

I FINALLY got my little lady's artwork hung above her crib. I made these before she was born, and I just now got around to hanging them. Interior designers, I don't envy you at all - it took me a good 45 minutes and many, many tries to get those things in a straight line. Our poor plaster walls have more holes than they need behind those little canvases.



She did notice them though - with her little 15 month old eyes - and she smiled! It's the little things that make my day!

National Agriculture Hall of Fame

We took a little trip to the National Agriculture Hall of Fame. As much as our little guy LOVES tractors, we figured this would be a fun adventure.

Our morning was filled with tractors, train rides and giant chickens. Our little guy was in heaven, and I had a great time too.



What a gem of a place. I'm so glad it's here in our back yard!

Easy Like Saturday Morning

Ahhhhh . . . . canned biscuit donuts . . . .



Deeeeee-lish!!



Donuts and cartoons - what a great way to start your day!

Noise

The noise . . . it carries me upstairs to my bedroom. The dogs are at my feet - trying to hide under my legs and looking up at me as if to say "Make is stop, Momma." Shrieking that sounds like a toddler version of a firetruck fills the house, and then nonstop belly roll giggles and screams and laughter - the kind I could listen to forever - the kind I hope to always hear. I find my munchkins and husband playing on our bed and hiding under the covers and getting tickled until their little faces look like they are about to explode from all the redness.





Good times, yes, definitely good times!

Dirk + Yvonne = LOVE

We returned last month from a very special wedding. I say special because it was my Dirck's older sister's wedding, and wouldn't you know it, she found a nice Midwestern boy named Dirk as well! Those Dir(c)k's - great guys!! It was also very special because she got married in Estes Park, Colorado, and this allowed our family to have a little mini vacation - which we all loved and needed.

Here are a few of my favorite images from the wedding festivities:

Some sweet black and white details:



Some sweet colorful details:



A few more colorful details:



Nothing like the look on a groom's face when he sees his bride on their wedding day.



Kisses are the best, aren't they?



The new Mr. & Mrs.



Did I mention that it rained during the ceremony? No one really seemed to mind. It was so beautiful - even with the rain.



A few pics from the wedding party:



First dance, parent dance, and Yvonne looking at Dirk as he plays and sings a sweet tune:



Fun Stuff!



We had such a great time in Estes Park at this wedding. I wish Dirk and Yvonne the BEST!

I ♥ Faces Challenge: Bubbles

OK, so I know this challenge is probably for the blown bubble variety, but as I was going through my images, I just kept coming back to this one. It's bubbles, right?

This is one of my favorite pictures of my little lady. I love the upward glance and that tongue licking those bubbles. This photo just makes me smile, and I guess that's why I like it so much. Eating bath bubbles - gross, but adorably cute as well.



If you'd like to see more bubble pictures, check them out at I ♥ Faces.

Their Special Days

This past week each of my kids got their very own special day with me. Well, in thinking about that, I guess I'm the one who got a special day with each of my munchkins. I love one-on-one time with my babies. They are growing so fast, and it's nice to be able to slow it down just for a day and really enjoy hanging out with each of them.

My boy and I went to a puppet show. He loved pointing and laughing at the puppets.



He also got to roll around on this mat while a lot of the other kids were dancing and following the direction of the puppets - so much for listening skills. I guess that's a learned skill?



This poor kid here had my guy in his face for a majority of the show. You see, this kid made a very fatal mistake of wearing a John Deere T-Shirt and well, my boy just had to tell him all about it. "That's a John Deere." "That's a tractor on your shirt." "Tractors have big wheels." "It's got a motor on it." I could go on, but I think you probably get the idea.



My girls special day was the following day and we went to the park together. We got to slide and swing together and just run around and play in the grass. She and I both had a good time.



She really likes the slide, and tries to climb up it rather than slide down it.



Yep, she's having a good time.



And this shot . . . well, I was just trying something new. It's not the clearest or the best photo in the world, but I like how it turned out, so I thought I would post it.



I sure do love my babies, and look forward to every single little day that I have with them!

I Heart Faces Challenge - Silly Faces & Pets

This weeks challenge is silly and funny faces at I ♥ Faces. This is Mason. He's my friend Kindra's little boy. We wanted to get some sweet pictures of Mason, and this was about all he would give us! I loved it though (and we did end up getting some sweet smiling shots too).



While we were at the park taking his pictures, Mason noticed this rather large bullfrog, and I took this picture for him. Hopefully it makes him smile!



To see more silly face and pet photos, head on over to I ♥ Faces.

Happy Birthday Jordan

We went to the most amazing 2 year old birthday party ever! It was all for this happy guy . . . meet Jordan:



There were cute decorations and games. The obvious crowd-pleaser was the Fishing for Letters game. My little ones could have played for hours (and they did!).

Jordan was so excited to catch a letter here.



My little guy was just so excited to get a fishing pole that I had to make him share with the other kids.



My little lady here was just content to splash and play by the side of the pool - she could have cared less about the fishing pole, but she liked grabbing the letters out of the water!



And my little guy had REALLY been practicing singing Happy Birthday, so he was SO EXCITED to sing to Jordan when it was time to blow out the candles.



And, well, he may have tried to blow out the candles too - he didn't though. Jordan did it - all by his big-boy self.



Yes, all this was possible because of the hard work of one determined momma. . .



Cindy, the party was lovely, and we had a super great time! Thanks for inviting us!

Happy Day!

Hope you have a SUNSHINEY kind of day!





Happy Saturday!