Random Photos

Little man was SO happy that big brother came home yesterday.

He wouldn't let him out of his sight all afternoon.

 Love this little chubby little nook in Parker's leg.

I cherish this image. 

I have the same picture of Payton's hand at this age.

There's nothing cuter than the little dimples they have instead of knuckles.

 Guess who finally started playing with trains today?

Considering we probably have several thousand dollars worth of "Thomas stuff" it would be nice if this turned into one of his favorite past times. :)

Brian took this picture on his phone when they were on the airport monorail heading to Colorado.

There's something about it that makes me smile.

I think it's knowing the anticipation that he was experiencing at that moment... pure excitement that only comes from knowing you're about to embark on something wonderful.

And he sure did!

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like...

...Christmas!!!

We will be traveling a bit over the Thanksgiving holiday week, so we decided to break the Cardinal Rule of "not putting up Christmas decorations until after Thanksgiving." However, we only put up the decorations that are kind of a pain in the rear - like the lighted garland that goes over the garage door, the front door and the entertainment center. It's a pain to put up every year, but it's so beautiful and really makes me happy once it's up. And, even though we put up those items, we aren't lighting the outside lights until after Thanksgiving. So really, we're still kinda playing by the rules. :)

Here's a sneak peek at the indoor decs:

(Entertainment Center garland with Christmas Village set up on mantel area)

 (Parker loves this by the way. He makes me hold him up and talk about each and every building and what's going on inside as he points to them and babbles at each one. So cute!)

 And the tree:

(Notice - no ornaments yet.)

I'm very excited to get home from vacation and get out all of the fun decorations. I have a feeling Parker is going to love the blow-up Frosty the Snowman this year. And Payton can't wait to get Percy the Elf out! So many fun things to look forward to.

And since I'll be taking a blogging hiatus this week with the boys being out of school and traveling for a couple days, here are some random photos from the past couple weeks to tide you over till I get back...

We had new attic stairs installed last week. Our old ones broke and the company had gone out of business, so we got some spiffy new stairs that are SO much safer. Even the boys can climb them (with supervision of course!).

  The boys had so much fun up there - I was tempted to close up the door and let them hang out for a while! :)

Parker and I enjoyed our first candy cane of the season at Publix last week. It was yummy. 

Now that Payton takes showers instead of bathing with Parker in the tub, the boys have found a new way to play together during bathtime..

Payton fogs up the glass with his breath:

 Then draws things in it for Parker.

Then they banter back and forth at each other.

Sometimes ending in a kiss-through-the-glass!

Brian and I went out to dinner with a group of amazing friends last week. We were celebrating a new job for our good friend, Neal. It was a celebration in the sense that we know he is going to touch so many lives and be a huge impact for God in his new church. But at the same time, there were some tears shed at the idea of them moving to Virginia Beach. We love them so much. It's going to be a very hard goodbye.

(sorry for the horrible pic - the lighting was bad, on top of having the hostess take the pic who didn't know how to use an iphone camera :))

Here's one of me & Neal's wife, April. Such a sweetheart.

And one last random pic to share. I never want to forget this stage of Parker's life.

He is a very strong-willed child, but at the same time he can be so sweet and cuddly.

This is his favorite position in the world. Sitting with his bunny, blue blankie in hand, paci in mouth and gently rubbing his nose with the corner of the blanket. It's just so. darn. precious.

Okay, that's it for me.

I'll be back in a few days to share fun vaction pics.

Have a safe and wonderful Thanksgiving with your family & friends.

And remember... we all have so, so much to be thankful for.

Last week...

The weather has been amazing this week. Not gloriously sunny and warm, but kinda grey, overcast and cold. It was the perfect weather to snuggle up and get ready for the holidays! We did of course have some beautiful sunny, cool days in there too. Which of course call for us to be outside...all day!

Some days we go to the park, some days we go up to the Village, some days we just walk around the neighborhood, or sometimes... we just play in the driveway.

This day, Parker carried out his stuffed dog ("Foof," as he calls him) and his stuffed cat ("Nom," as he calls it) and played for the longest time!

That same week, he also took the same stuffed animals and made a little blanket sitting area in front of our fake fire place. It was a really chilly morning (at least 50 degrees for you Northerners - HA!) so we had the fire place space heater on and he grabbed his two favorite stuffed friends and set up a little play area. He loves watching the fake flames - it's hysterical.

 

Payton had a friend over on Thursday and they played LEGO's in his room. I was so surprised (and thrilled!!) when I walked in to find that they actually let Parker sit up on the bed with them while they were playing. Usually this is a "NO PARKER" playzone when the LEGO's come out - because he just destroys them - but for whatever reason they let him play. And he LOVED it!

Last week, I shared a link with you for a blog where you could print out Thanksgiving printables for free. I thought I would share with you how I used some of them.

Two of the most influential people in Payton's life right now - outside of immediate family - are his two teachers (he's in a co-teaching classroom this year). They are both wonderful and he is learning so much. So we wanted to give them a little Thanksgiving treat to tell them how grateful we are for them.

I printed off these "I am thankful for you because" templates and then had Payton fill them out for each teacher.

Then we baked mint chocolate chip brownies together and put them in little plastic containers. I topped each one with another printable.

And then put them in little gift bags with another printable for the tag.

I got notes back from both teachers saying how much they appreciated it. 

So now I am really anxious to see if that blog puts up Christmas printables. Stay tuned - I'll pass along the link if they do!

And since we're on the topic of Thanksgiving, here are a few Thanksgiving decorations we have been enjoying this month:

Payton made this cute turkey at school. The bag is filled with beans, so it sits up nicely.

Parker made this "turkey" at Miss Patty's last week. She said, "I let him put the pieces wherever he wanted, so it's a little art deco." LOL! :)

 I love that she used his little hand prints - that's a keeper!

And I printed off a few Thanksgiving poems for Payton to read to Parker:

However, I'm a little sad to say these decorations are now up in the attic.

Why?" you ask? Well...

...this is what went up in our house this weekend!

More to come...

Deep Breath

After the past couple weeks, I feel like I just need to stop and take a deep breath.
It's been a little crazy around here. Busy schedules, travels, major virus, some unsettling health news, and of course saying goodbye to Rohy. I haven't cried this much in years. Sometimes, I am able to stay busy and host crazy, loud playdates with 8 kids and distract myself from things...

(I'm not sure where the other 2 kids were in this picture - probably outside... and yes, my house does look this messy sometimes.)

But sometimes - like last night when the house was quiet and no one was around - I just have to have a big ol cry. I'm talking sob on the couch, ugly cry, swollen eyes, you've-just-watched-the-saddest-part-of-Steel-Magnolia's-kinda cry.

And ya know what?

I felt really good afterward.

I think as a mom and wife, I try to "keep it together" and not break down in front of everyone. I want everyone to be okay and not be sad or worried. But as 37-year old woman, facing some yucky stuff, I sometimes just need to let it out.

Thank God I have some good eye cream that reduces puffiness. :)

So, with all of that being said, please pray for me. Even if you aren't filled in on all the details just yet. Can you just pray for peace of mind, a calm spirit, and comfort? It really means so much to me. And I truly can feel so many people praying for us. All of the love and support is overwhelming...in a good way.

And now that I've dumped a week's worth of emotional baggage on you... let's move on to some lighter topics, shall we???

This week we:

"Boo-ed" our new neighbors.

Just look at Payton's face in this picture. He thought he was so sinister being able to ring someone's doorbell and run away before they answered.

The two of them were like ninjas hiding behind cars, running from one house to the next. It was pretty hysterical.

We got to watch Payton play catcher & pitcher in his baseball game.

He says he likes to play catcher because he doesn't have to run around much. Go figure!

We've relaxed around the house, snuggled in bed & enjoyed lots of time outside.

Parker thought he was such a big boy sitting at the kitchen table with Payton.

Parker sat inside the laundry bin on his window seat for the longest time just looking out the window. I'd love to know what he's thinking sometimes.

The weather has been beautiful this week, so we've spent most mornings & afternoons outdoors.

And made plenty of time for cuddles in bed...

And maybe...just maybe I've been enjoying some of these on the side...

 (They're pumpkin shaped, I had to buy them!)

 My sweet friend April made these for me the other night. Homemade with cocoa and all of the other ingredients that go into homemade brownies (which I don't know because mine come out of a box).

There's somethin' to be said for homemade brownies. YUM!

The End.

Hee...hee...hee.