Read Daddy, Read!

Jazz at Tate St coffee

2012-01-21T11:14:00.001-05:00

....Finley is amazed.

Millie out of town for the weekend....

2012-01-21T10:20:00.001-05:00

Fashion mishaps abound:

Nerd Alert part 2

2012-01-13T17:56:00.001-05:00

Nerd Alert!

2012-01-12T22:35:00.001-05:00

Can I borrow your pocket protector?

Cousins!

2012-01-11T16:09:00.000-05:00

Cousins came to visit for a whole week after Christmas. Oh what fun. Here they are rockin' their new "matchy matchys" as we like to call them. Sewing for boys is tricky business but I think I might have finally landed on an accessory so Jackson can join in the fun. Not to mention the ties are fun and fairly easy to sew. Bonus.

The ladies...

The ladies' man....

As Justin always comments after pictures like these..."we sure are losing money not hiring these kids out as baby models".

Favorites Pictures, the actual pictures

2012-01-09T20:11:00.000-05:00

Too bad these didn't load in the original post a week ago.

Here are the pictures that go along with that text..

oh the excitement...

the ring pops...

grayson loves the playdoh cake making station and finley loves juice...

the picture i am saving for her rehearsal dinner years to come...proudly showing off her new boots (she is saying "shoes" here and pointing)

Two Years Old!

2012-01-07T10:18:00.000-05:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY FINLEY!

Oh how we love you so.

Christmas Eve all wrapped up

2012-01-04T22:39:00.000-05:00

It was fun to spend the day playing together, then to get dressed up for church to sing and continue the celebration of Jesus' birth. As a side note, we did our Jesse tree again this year, which I highly recommend for celebrating Advent with little people.

So one of the projects I worked on while Shu Shu was here was sewing up these dresses for the girls. Grayson's ended up being way too big, so I added the sash and flower to make it all work.

I am glad we have these pictures to prove that Finley did wear this dress for at least an hour and a half. Because after church, on the way to MayMay and Peeps' house to enjoy a nice Christmas Eve dinner with family and friends, she promptly threw up all over the dress, the carseat, and the car. And I forgot to mention that we realized she had pink eye while we were sitting at church. Oh the joys. Apparently though, the barfies were either flukey or she is allergic to almonds. It's a long story, but she was perfectly fine, not even a fuss, and no one else ever got sick. We did all get pink eye (except Justin so far), but I would take pink eye any day over the throw ups. So for that, I am thankful.

Christmas Eve continued

2012-01-04T22:27:00.000-05:00

We decided that some years we might do a "share" gift instead of the "wear". Not sure how long that will last, but at least in these little years we think it will work. We found this swing at Ikea on our last trip there when we were gathering things for the bonus room. We decided to wait until Christmas to install it. Finley is finally warming up to it a week later but Grayson thinks it is the best thing ever. She asks to swing on it multiple times a day (it can be hung on the ceiling to get it out of the way).

First moments seeing it...

Pure joy....

Not so sure but will sit on it and smile for the camera...

This one cracks me up. Click on the pic and look closely at my face. She just about crashed into the edge of the desk. After this we made the rule to stop and start again if you start to swing crooked.

Justin posted this one from his phone already but it deserves a second post because it's just so stinkin cute and fun.

And yes, we felt like cool parents after this one was installed and ready to see for Christmas (Eve) morning.

Christmas Eve: Favorite Pictures

2012-01-04T22:12:00.001-05:00

Justin and I realized that if we let the girls open their gifts Christmas Eve morning, we would have more time that day to play and not be so rushed. So the stage was set...
Stocking's stuffed with new coloring books, ring pops, juice boxes, fruit snacks, and frosted animal crackers.
Following some advice of a friend with older children to keep the gift giving simple, each child gets a want, a need, a wear, and a read. We simplified it even a little more than that this year since they are a little too young to get that whole system yet. We also started giving each of them an ornament so when they leave home years to come, they will have their own set of ornaments for their own trees.

Look at that excitement. Finley's "want" was a Melissa and Doug latchboard.

Who doesn't love a ring pop.

Grayson was very excited about her new cake making playdoh station (her "want"). Finley was excited about juice.

Finley's "wear and need" combined were new rain boots just her size. She is pointing to them in this picture and saying "shoes". She was insistent that she try them on but they wouldn't fit over her footed pjs. This one is getting bookmarked for her rehearsal dinner when she gets married.

It's Beginning to Look a lot like Christmas

2012-01-04T21:57:00.000-05:00

On December 1st we hosted a Christmas party for some of our Young Life college friends at the house. Note to self: do this again because it makes us get our Christmas decorations up early to enjoy them all month. It was still sad, but not as sad, when it was time to take them down before New Year's Day. The 16 or so Lighted Christmas Balls in the yard are the only decoration still standing. They are really tricky to photograph, but I'll give it a whirl before we take them down to put on official record that we switched to colored lights this year. White ones seemed to fit the 100+ year old historical home we left. Multicolored lights seemed more fitting for the current 1970s house.

Christmas with Shu Shu

2012-01-04T10:45:00.000-05:00

Shu Shu came to town a few days before Christmas to celebrate. We opened gifts, played with gifts, and I was able to finish up my sewing and wrapping. New matchy matchy dresses, new baby dolls from Mamaw, new books and stickers and markers, and the best new outdoor toy that I somehow don't have any pictures of. It's one of those "turtle scooters" that I totally had as a kid, even though mom says she doesn't remember it. It's a triangle that sits on the ground with the handlebars in front that you swing back and forth to make it go. Justin and I promptly took our own turns on it. You know, just to 'demonstrate' for the kids. Good times. Thank you Shu Shu!

December Recap: Visit from Friends

2012-01-02T10:54:00.000-05:00

Before their visit, I was explaining to Grayson how I was friends with Kelly when we were little girls. I told her how we played Barbies and "restaurant" and "school" and baby dolls. Grayson smiled, still with a slight sense of confusion. Now we are 31 and have our own real life babies and little girls and boys who play their own versions of pretend. Its hard to believe. That was a whole bunch of cuteness cuddled up on the red couch. Now I just wish we lived closer so we could visit more often.

December Recap: Small Group Family

2012-01-01T19:02:00.000-05:00

We love our small group. It started through our church, but now has six families who represent three different churches. Between all of us, there are eleven children ages 4 and under, plus four more on the way in the spring. Yes, us adults are totally outnumbered.

We see each other here and there throughout most weeks, but we officially meet for adult small group time twice a month at 8pm. There are two families (plus ours) who have grandparents in town who can help with babysitting for this. Three families don't have this luxury, so we started this new tradition of a sleepover when we moved into the new house. Each of the three families takes a room (our master bedroom, guest room, and bonus room), we put up pack n plays and monitors, they put their kids to bed at 8, we meet for small group, and then around 11, they take their kids home and tuck them into their own beds for the night. Babysitting money can now be saved for date nights.

On our last meeting in December, those who could join us came for BYODinner, then we headed to the den for rounds of Jingle Bells, Away in a Manger, and Frosty the Snowman (we missed you Sassers!). These pictures crack me up. You should be able to click on the collage to enlarge it. It pretty much sums up the organized chaos of all these little ones running around. It can be crazy but we sure do love it. It is a joy to walk alongside families who are trying to love Jesus and love each other well.

December Recap: Ice Skating

2012-01-01T18:40:00.000-05:00

Justin scored 2 free tickets to the outdoor ice skating rink, so we headed there one Saturday morning. We decided that Grayson and Justin would skate, and Finley and I would watch. Grayson was about to jump out of her skin from excitement.

After a few trips around the rink she started to get the hang of it. Justin pretty much held her hand most of the time, but she loved every second of it.

Oh the excitement!

Finley did smile for this picture, barely, but was not so excited about being on the sidelines. A snack held her off for a while, but she kept fussing and pointing to the rink. Maybe next year little one.

December Recap: Last Day of Dance Class

2012-01-01T18:32:00.000-05:00

Correction on the last two posts...Justin is not the one blogging with the sinus infection or spray painting on a sunny afternoon...he is the one holding down the fort with the kids and taking care of everyone while mama is sick in bed. I was accidentally blogging under his username.

Grayson took dance again this year (aka Creative Movement II) but this time three of her good friends joined her. This was their last day of dance for the semester, so friends and family could come into class and take pictures of their mad creative movement skillz. Really, it just doesn't get much cuter than four year olds dancing. Little sister watched patiently from the stroller and then had to run around at the end to be a part of it all.

December Recap: Spray Painting Party

2012-01-01T18:17:00.000-05:00

We have had unusually warm weather around here lately, which happens to be good for spray painting. Our driveway has looked this way many days since our move 5 months ago. Neighbors love it. This sunny day I decided to drag it all out at once and knock out painting for redecorating our bonus/craft/play/office room. I am thankful for afternoon nap times.

December Recap: Candy House

2012-01-01T18:08:00.000-05:00

To ring in the new year, I'm sitting here in bed with what is most likely a sinus infection. Ugh. My crew has gone to MayMay and Peeps's house for a yummy New Year's Day dinner. One which I will enjoy later in the form of a to-go plate.

To make the most of it, I thought I would take a few minutes to recap some of the fun around here that went on in December.

To start things off, our friends the Chesney's hosted a Candy House party. It's a brilliant idea I tell you...Curtis built these amazing houses out of wood, you decorate it with loads of sugar, and then you just wash it off with hot water and store it to redecorate the next year. Three cheers for no more graham crackers falling off OJ cartons--hip hip hooray! Grayson had a fever (we have had a rough cold season this year so far) so I brought home the supplies from the party and we decorated ours at home. As usual, sugar produces much excitement in this house.

Finley decided that it was more fun to eat the sugar than decorate with it (duh). This face appeared when we told her it was time to stop eating or she was going to have to leave the decorating table.

Two cute girls proud of their creation. And yes, that is icing on Grayson's chin. Love it.

Silent Night...

2011-12-28T22:32:00.001-05:00

The only time Avery, Grayson, and Jackson were quiet was when peppermint ice cream was served.

--
Justin Smith

Indoor Swing

2011-12-25T00:29:00.002-05:00

We might or might not have installed a swing in the bonus room for Christmas.

And it might or might not be awesome.

Baking Cookies

2011-12-05T15:56:00.000-05:00

Mamaw's Sugar Cookie Recipe made it's appearance early this year. Both the girls did all the sprinkles and Grayson actually rolled out a few good cookies herself. All that playdough playing throughout the year paid off. Finley loved to roll the counter with the rolling pin. And then I let them each eat a cookie the size of their faces. Good (and very messy) times.

Thanksgiving

2011-12-01T15:01:00.000-05:00

Even though it was a bit of a whirlwind to see all of our family over four days, we sure are thankful that everyone lives in the same state for that to be possible!

We kicked it off with a Wednesday night dinner and a Thursday morning breakfast with Maymay and Peeps and the North crew (cousins) who were in town (pictures soon once I download them).

Then we headed out of town to Uncle Lee's (Shushu's brother) for a super yummy lunch. Grayson was excited in this picture because everyone gave her and Finley their prizes when we played a post-lunch game of bingo. It pays to be the youngest in the crowd. I remember those days. She had also just eaten two slices of pumpkin cheesecake and was working on a cookie. Sugar is an essential piece of the holidays around here.

Friday we had the same idea as half of the town of Raleigh and headed out to enjoy the weather at Pullen Park. I visited this park so many times as a kid that it was really fun to bring the girls. The park recently had a makeover and it was well worth being there with the crowds. We wore Mamaw out!

Friday night we headed back home and Pop-Pop came for a weekend visit. Here he was making up a song about Grayson's woobies before bedtime. She loved it.

We are thankful for our family!

Christmas is here

2011-11-28T20:25:00.001-05:00

We got out the Christmas decorations tonight while listening to Andrew Peterson's "Behold the Lamb". It doesn't get much better.

--
Justin Smith

Myrtle Beach 2011

2011-11-20T20:40:00.000-05:00

Today's highs were in the 70's. Unbelievable for November. With the warm weather I feel it is fitting to blog about our family beach trip in late July. I think the last time I had been to Myrtle Beach was in high school. But we had free hotel points to use and this hotel was the closest Hilton oceanfront with a pool and suites. Turns out it had about 4 pools plus a full blown water park along with the beachfront access and a daily free buffet breakfast. Sign. Me. Up. Now don't get me wrong, Myrtle Beach is a crowded beach for sure. But this hotel was great.

We basically spent a few days in the middle of our moving houses madness to spend time together just the four of us. Thankfully all those swim lessons where Grayson cried and screamed about going under water finally paid off. We gave her some goggles and under she went. Jumping in full force from the side of the pool even. Which of course Finley had to try as well and loved it equally. Grayson was also not afraid of the ocean this year. She would jump the waves and go under water, a huge improvement from last year. Finley did not like the ocean so much but loved the sand and shells.

Click on the collage below to enlarge the cuteness:

Costumes, part 2 & funny stories

2011-11-16T15:51:00.000-05:00

We headed over to the Chesney's for a small group dinner and Trick-or-Treating adventure. The first miracle happened when all six of our families were in one place at one time with all of our children to even have the chance to take a picture. The second miracle was that all the kids either sat or stood in one place without crying or screaming or pushing or running away, for so long that we were able to snag about 10 pictures and then tell them they could move because we were done. Miracle I tell you. And yes, that right there is 11 children ages 4 and under. All dressed up in super cute costumes by their super fun parents and dear friends of ours.

Then there was this bunny hopping on the trampoline (below). Looking all innocent and cute. You can't see it here, but in this picture she has on different tights and a different undershirt. Because only 30 minutes earlier, after we ate dinner, while all 11 kids were running around playing and us adults were trying to have some conversation, Justin walks in with Finley held out in front of him, soaking wet from her shoulders to her feet. He loudly announces while he is cracking up, "I found her IN the potty!!". As in IN the toilet water people. Half-sitting, half-standing there, crying or he would have taken her picture. I had thankfully taken off the bunny suit for the chili dinner but she apparently decided that it was time to go swimming and climbed right in to test the waters. Seriously. Let's just say I was thankful we were with close friends as she was dripping through the house. I about passed out from laughter as I got her changed. Thankfully Annabelle is the same size so we had clothes to borrow. I think she learned her lesson though as she has not tried (yet) to pull that trick at home.

Below is a cute picture of Grayson (black cat) and Anna (Olivia). The older kids led the charge trick-o-treating around the neighborhood. Let's just say we got a lot of candy. That I have slowly been eating and the kids have been begging for in the last few weeks. Finley was hilarious. At home, when we go on walks, after about a block she asks to be held. That night, she just put that bag over her arm, walked right up to all of the doors and held out her hand for candy, walked right down and did it again at the next house. Like she had been trick-or-treating for years. She walked around an entire square block of houses and never asked to be carried. It was a fun night with friends!

Costumes, part 1

2011-11-16T15:24:00.000-05:00

With a mask from ShuShu and a borrowed bunny suit, we pulled together costumes for the cutest black cat and white bunny rabbit I have ever seen.

Pumpkin Carving

2011-11-16T15:16:00.000-05:00

The girls were excited about this, even though it was mostly a "daddy" job.

This year's choices were a cat (above) and then a replica of one of Grayson's drawings (below).

They both turned out great because Justin is so good at carving pumpkins but my favorite is the one Grayson drew!

The Glider Sisters

2011-11-13T17:02:00.001-05:00

They giggle when they hit the wall...they're going to be something else when they hit 15 and 17. Here's praying they'll be a force for good.

--
Justin Smith

Where to begin...

2011-11-08T15:12:00.001-05:00

After taking a bit of a summer blogging break that has now lasted into fall, I thought a great kick-off-welcome-back-to-blogging-world entry was going to be celebrating an announcement that we were expecting baby number three. Instead, as my own heart broke in two, I had to watch as the ultrasound tech could not find the baby’s heartbeat at my 10 week appointment. Since then, I’ve been debating about what to write on this here blog. I have missed writing. Although I often feel one step behind in keeping up with it all, I have missed capturing photographs and tidbits of what goes on in our often crazy life with two small children. To pick that back up without mentioning our heartache felt wrong. But to not blog about Grayson turning four, or our recent fall family beach trips, or about how Finley has grown into a toddler in the blink of an eye, to not blog about all of that felt wrong too. We want this blog to be a place where we document our family life. Where we can look back and say, remember how the Lord was good and faithful to us?

“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” Psalm 34:18. Six weeks ago I made a choice when I had to wait for the midwife to explain the ultrasound, that no matter what she said when she walked in that door, I was going to stand firm on the truth that the Lord is good and that He loved me (and our family) no matter what. Since then I continue to battle for that choice, to focus on what I know to be true and right, and to not get caught up in what I can’t understand. It is a battle for sure. So here we are. I want to get back to blogging again. Even in the middle of all of this, the easy days and the not so easy days, I want to write about the little things so I can teach my heart to be thankful. Because it could use a little teaching on that right now. We are celebrating that one day when we get to see Jesus face to face, we will also meet this little one. We will continue to celebrate here in the everyday moments of our life together as a family until that sweet day arrives.

2011-09-17T11:51:00.001-04:00

Farmer's Market with Finley (1.75yrs) and Grayson (3.99yrs).

Boo boo

2011-07-29T13:37:00.001-04:00

Boo boo

We are still here...

2011-07-28T15:10:00.001-04:00

Boy, this moving business is no joke. I seriously cannot believe it's almost August. Oh my.

On the family front, Grayson has now enjoyed one week of dance camp and two weeks of Vacation Bible School. Shushu has been visiting weekly to lend a hand (thank you!) and she even brought Mamaw today for her first visit to the new house. We also got a quick visit from cousins last week for lunch and a bit of playtime. They are coming back next week for more fun.

On the house front, things are coming together slowly but surely. I was out to dinner with some friends the other night, answering their questions of what we were renovating. I made the comment about Justin installing the hardwood floors, to which someone said "I didn't know he knew how to install hardwood floors?" I responded, "Oh yes...he does now". Let me tell you, he also knows a lot of other things. Like how to rip down a cabinet and completely install a microhood...during naptime. And how to knock out a wall, re-frame it, move the plumbing and electrical, and hook up the washer and dryer so we can do laundry. He also knows how to patiently hold up the curtains with and without sheers for his indecisive wife and then proceed to install all of the curtain rods for her. Did I mention he has a day job? In finances? Yes. Seriously. Mr. Fix-It is racking up major points around here.

I have been busy wrangling the kids and trying to get some nesting done. I alternate between feeling like it's looking like home, where pillows and curtains make the den come to life, versus wanting to pull my hair out. Like when I wait two weeks for curtains to arrive and the curtain rod that I had picked out a month ago doesn't reach to the advertised length that I need without falling apart. I am constantly reminding myself that (insert whatever isn't going so smoothly) doesn't matter in the big scope of things. Seriously, it's JUST curtain rods. Reminding myself to be thankful for the millions of things that really do matter and that Jesus is there to fill in the gaps when I feel like it's falling apart. I have to say that here does not feel entirely like home yet, but I know that will change.

On a cheery note, I have been swooning over some decorating blogs that I resubscribed to now that I needed some inspiration for the new space. Let me just say, there are some creative people out there. I've bookmarked about 20 projects to tackle (and plenty more to just drool over), but this was one of my favorites that I wasn't sure I could pull off without spending a fortune on letters. Check out the ABC wall pictures. But then I got the chance to stop in at our good friend's sign business today and venture downstairs to pick out a letter (or two) they had to giveaway from old signs around town. It felt like Christmas morning to this crafter. I was about to jump out of my skin I was so excited. So, if you are local and you need a sign made, go to Bravo. If you want a letter to call your own, like them on Facebook. And yes, as many of you already know, I don't do Facebook (gasp), but Justin halfway does (he at least has a page even if he will never respond to your friend request--gasp again), so he was my "in". Thank you for the letters Matt! More pictures to come when they make it up on our walls. For now, enjoy the family pictures--

Breakfast Dates

2011-07-16T09:23:00.001-04:00

--
Justin Smith

And we move again...

2011-07-06T11:56:00.001-04:00

Tonight is the night we all sleep at the new house! The carpet was installed Saturday and Charlie and Charlie helped Justin move in all the boxes and furniture from the garage on Sunday (HUGE thank you!). We unpacked the basics on July 4th while Maymay and Peeps entertained the girls at the lake (another HUGE thank you!). Apparently we like to move on holidays as we moved out of the old house (picture below) on Memorial Day weekend. Crazy.

We are loading up our five weeks worth of things today at Toad Hall and the wild wooders are moving on. I'm sure Maymay and Peeps will be finding kid socks and toys and hidden sippy cups over here for the next year.

Things will be quiet on the blog front and busy at the house as we get internet connected, fix the wireless issue on my computer, install ceiling fans, tack up toilet paper roll holders (someone please tell me why these are so expensive), and continue to unpack the massive pile of boxes.

And the fun continues...

"Matchy Matchy" as Grayson likes to say...

2011-07-01T23:14:00.000-04:00

Den Sneak Peek

2011-06-29T16:19:00.001-04:00

Before...

After...(obviously in process but again, the miracle of paint!)

Kitchen Sneak Peek

2011-06-29T16:03:00.001-04:00

Before...

In process with painters...

After!

This qualifies as a sneak peek since there is still much to do here, but isn't it amazing what paint can do? Let me just say, my handy dandy Mr. Fix-It husband (with a little help from some friends here and there) installed those shiny new wood floors. In the whole downstairs. That's a foyer, living room, dining room, kitchen & eat-in area, den, and half bath...lots of square footage. Very impressive DIY skillz I must say. Changes: new floors, new cabinet paint, new cabinet hardware, new wall color, new scraped and painted ceiling. Thank goodness for our painters who ripped off all of the wallpaper and scraped the entire house free of popcorn ceilings. I sure am glad those jobs were not in our (huge) DIY list for this house. Whew.

Summer Update

2011-06-29T15:09:00.003-04:00

I finally found my camera cord. Thankfully it was not buried in our garage at the new house, better known as our storage unit, where the DVD that I owe to the library is conveniently still located in our DVD player. Which is packed in a box. Which is packed among lots of boxes. Stacked to the ceiling (sigh). At least I now have the camera cord.

Yes, we moved. Four and a half weeks ago actually. We've been camping out at the grandparents' house, better known as Toad Hall (for those Wind in the Willows fans, that will make more sense). If you know the story of Rat, Mole, Toad and their friends, it will make you laugh that I saw this drawing up on the front hall table here at the house. See here. In the story, all the "wild wooders" like the weasels and foxes and such take over Toad Hall and cause a big ruckus. We ARE the wild wooders. From our piles of sippy cups and wet bathing suits to Grayson's love for stacking cushions into crash piles and Finley's current love of swishing her hands in the potty, the wild wooders have for sure landed. MayMay and Peeps claim they love it. I do know that it will be very quiet when we leave!

Even though we have been renovating the new house like crazy in all of our "free" time, we still have been doing typical summer things. ShuShu has been coming to play once a week, which has been great for all of us. Finley is walking and talking and her hair is so long it's in her eyes. She rips out and tries to eat any clippie to hold it back. Grayson has taken a week of swim lessons, is getting more brave about going underwater, and is in vacation Bible school this week, loving every minute. We've been eating lots of ice cream and we made chocolate covered frozen bananas. We also made 24 sweet potato and raisin muffins (from a mix). The golden retriever ate 16 and had to take "medicine" to upchuck them because raisins are bad for dogs. Pure entertainment for a three year old let me tell you. Wild wooders unite.

Now that I have my camera cord, I will attempt to post in-process pictures of the new house. It has been quite the adventure, one that will continue for a while I'm sure. It's tiring, but good. We hope to be there in a couple more weeks. Here are a few shots that I've captured of some summer fun.

Swim lessons...

Bubble fun on the porch at Toad Hall...

On. The. Go.

More from the sprayground...

2011-06-06T15:53:00.001-04:00

Grayson was so excited she could hardly even speak. Finley thought it was better to sit in my lap and watch. This place is a sprinkler system on steroids so their reactions were expected!

Sprayground!

2011-06-06T15:48:00.001-04:00

Go city parks and recreation....free fun on a hot day!

The countdown...

2011-05-25T15:55:00.000-04:00

We load the truck Monday. Today is Wednesday. Oh my.

This is the view that greets you when you walk in our front door. Real life Jenga puzzle. Or Tetris. Take your pick.

Moving takes A LOT of cardboard. And tape. One week ago I would say that I hated packing tape. Yes, hate. It's a strong word and it was how I felt. Then I came across "Duck, EZ Start" tape at the store. I scoffed at it, mocking me with it's slogan "First time, every time. Frustration Free! No splitting or tearing. Never lose the tape end. Always unrolls "Smooth and Easy"." Yeah right. I bought it because it was less expensive than the name brand I knew but more than the off brand that I never wanted to see again. Middle ground is usually good and it's slogan sort of read my mind on my current frustrations with packing tape. Let's just say it lives up to it's name and I no longer look at packing tape with great disdain. It might not hold our boxes closed for life but I only need it to last about 1 month until we get these unpacked.

It's the little things in the moving process. Like finding that you did remember to keep out the camera cord to upload pictures. Unlike the Children's Tylenol that you packed up knowing that your in-laws had their own bottle (where we are staying next) but not thinking that your child might come down with a fever this week. Yep, she did. Yep, she's fine now. I bought more Tylenol the same day I bought the glorious packing tape.

Today, it is hot. Middle-of-summer-hot. With the frames off the walls, the rugs rolled up, and just about every toy packed away in boxes that are now surrounding us, I asked Justin to dig out the sprinkler from an already-packed box. Grayson was thrilled. Finley was not. First spray of cold water and she chose to sit beside me and watch. All of us were glad to take a break from the cardboard and tape.

A funny...

2011-05-17T15:16:00.000-04:00

I meant to include this in yesterday's post...

Over the past few months, we frequently loaded the kids up in the car after dinner and drove around to look at neighborhoods. We have lived in this town for six years, but still weren't exactly sure where we wanted to live next. Our outings often involved ice cream from Chick-fil-a or McDonald's to make the car ride a little more appealing. One night we were driving around, and Grayson said "I see a house for sale!" We said, "Really, where?" (she had learned to look for sale signs in yards by this point). She replies "I saw it on amazon". Yes, our three year old was referring to amazon.com. We order books and diapers on amazon, so I guess she had overheard us many times saying we needed to buy something from the site. Hilarious that she thought we could buy a house there too. If only it was as easy as a mouse-click.

And because posts are not as fun without pictures...here is a shot of the back of the house from the back deck. Yes, that is a balcony. What happened to the supports? Not sure. There is sliding glass door in the master bedroom that will be replaced with a permanent wall and windows. The balcony will be removed. Did I mention there were a few things to renovate?!

A Housing Update

2011-05-16T16:40:00.000-04:00

I should be packing boxes right now. Instead, I thought I would take a brief moment to provide an update on our life. Enter into the crazy...

In two weeks we move out of our current house and into MayMay and Peeps house for a spell while we renovate the new space. So we are packing (an interesting experience with small children) and wrapping up fixes for our buyers.

At the beginning of June, if all goes according to contracts and paperwork and nothing blows up (there is always potential for this but we are praying against it!), this will be our new place of residence:

Can't see it very well behind the masses of trees? Yes, curb appeal is one of the things we will work on. Don't let the trees hide it though; we will be the new owners of a late 1970's split level Tudor home. To keep a very long story short, after viewing over 30 houses, we landed on this one as a buy "as-is" deal. The family who currently owns it has been so great with us, and although it took us a while to make the decision, we are excited about how we can make it our next home.

I'm sure many more pictures will begin to appear on the blog as we update the house, but for a sneak peek...

The main level is the formal living room, dining room, and kitchen. The lower split is a huge den, laundry, half bath and garage. This is a shot looking down the steps from the kitchen/breakfast area into the den.

Then the upstairs split is four bedrooms, a master bath, a hall bath and a bonus room (aka my new craft room which I am super excited about..I might let the kids use some of it for a playroom....might.)

This picture cracks me up. Welcome to our 1970's master bathroom. It could use a little TLC. I love my Carhart-clad husband's look in the mirror that I captured..."hmmm...how will this look when we tear down the gold wallpaper and reconfigure the two vanities?" The second vanity is hiding behind another door with the potty and the shower. Yes, I call it a potty. Yes I have a three-year-old.

We, along with contractors we plan to hire, will have our hands full from now through the summer. Stay tuned for updates...although they may be few and far between!

Although my brain feels like it might explode from all of the busyness of this season, overall, we are really thankful for how this house selling and buying process has gone. We do feel like all of these "good and perfect" gifts are from the Lord, even if they need several new coats of paint and new flooring. I have Phillipians 4:4-7 on repeat in my head these days, trying to cut through the crazy: Rejoice in the Lord always, I will say it again: rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Family Camp 2011

2011-05-07T21:45:00.000-04:00

I could write five blog posts about all the fun we had at Windy Gap for Family Camp this year. But I'll keep the text short and include lots of pictures. Click on the collage below to enlarge it to see more of the fun. Justin, Charlie and Jeff were the funny guys who got to play dress up and make us all laugh. We got to spend some sweet time with the families of dear friends. Maymay and Peeps came to help out with Finley so I could be with Grayson while Justin was off being funny. Grayson was, quite literally, about to jump out of her skin all weekend long she was so excited to be there. There is just nothing like it. Windy Gap is a fun place even for three year olds. She has been there before, but this was the first time where she really began to understand all of the fun involved. It was such a sweet time as a family!
The pictures below were taken on Sunday as I was walking with Maddie and Grayson back to the cabin to get ready to pack and leave. They were holding hands and chit-chatting, which was cute enough, but then I heard this out of the blue:

Grayson: "Maddie, I love you".
Maddie: "I love you too Grayson."

I just about melted into a puddle on the concrete. I looked back at them and said "I could just eat you both up you are so cute". Grayson then turned to Maddie and made our "eating" sound that we do when we say that in our house. Hilarious. It sounds sort of cookie-monster-ish when he eats up his treats. Maddie giggled. Such sweet girls. Such sweet Windy Gap memories that I hope are just a few of the many yet to come for them.

Fuzzy but funny

2011-05-07T21:18:00.000-04:00

This picture is fuzzy but Justin let Grayson venture into the crawlspace under the house when he was loading concrete under there for Uncle Bubba to work on some footings. She was so excited. One of her new funny things goes like this:

Grayson: Mama, I got to go under the house!
Me: What?! Nooo, really? Wow!
Grayson: (looks at Justin and says in a half whisper:) She didn't believe it!! ("she" was me here, as in I was so suprised at what she told me that I didn't believe it). Funny girl.

8 Berries later her shirt had changed colors...

2011-04-27T14:24:00.001-04:00

What a fun spur of the moment trip after lunch today!

First strawberry from the field...

2011-04-27T14:22:00.001-04:00

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2011-04-27T14:20:00.001-04:00

Oh boy...

2011-04-27T13:27:00.001-04:00

Strawberry season is here!!

Happy Easter

2011-04-25T21:27:00.000-04:00

So I feel like I always say this on this here blog, but I really do have SO much to catch up on from the last few weeks. For starters, we signed a contract a few weeks ago to sell our house. Such a huge answered prayer and also a huge crazy time as we work through all of the details of the sale and hunt for a new house! We close May 31st and no, we have not quite figured out where we will be living next. Welcome to the craziness.

A week ago my sweet husband also surprised me with the best date night on record. More on that soon. How in the world he managed to pull that one off with all that we have going on is still beyond me. But boy did he pull it off!

First things first though. Happy Monday after Easter! We decided this year that we wanted to make the season of Lent much more meaningful for our family. We have greatly enjoyed our Advent Tree at Christmas the past two years, so we started a Lenten Tree this year. With 40 lessons to read we definitely had to double (or triple) up some days to cover days that we missed, but overall, it was a big success. Here is a picture of it in its more "pretty days". The leaves on the backyard peach tree branches finally fell off and the 40 ornaments started overtaking the branches towards the end. Next year I'll start with leafless branches and make them much bigger to hold the ornaments. Search for "The Lenten Tree" on amazon if you're interested in the book. I just photocopied the symbols for each day (author gives permission), mounted them on scrapbook paper and tied with ribbon. We all enjoyed it.

After walking through 20 houses Monday and Tuesday and not seeing anything we were super crazy about, we decided it was a good time to take a break to the lake with the holiday weekend. MayMay and Peeps were already planning to be there, so we joined them on Good Friday. Finley was rocking a new outfit from ShuShu along with her pigtails, cheesing it up for the camera.

On Saturday, we enjoyed a family egg dyeing session, and then headed off to a cookout and egg hunt with good friends. Grayson's excitement about the candy in the eggs was over the top. She was asked repeatedly this weekend "is Easter about the candy and eggs or about Jesus?" From an older expert sweet tooth, it is quite possible to answer this question correctly and still get excited about the sugar. We are celebrating after all!

Easter morning we woke the girls up and brought them into the living room for one more egg hunt. This time there was a special empty egg to represent the tomb being empty. When they found it, they both received a small gift. Grayson's other eggs had more candy of course, and Finley's were filled with baby puffs. Please note the top right picture in the collage below. I thought Finley was so cute eating all of her puffs out of her eggs, smiling and holding her bunny. Until I realized that there was bright red drool dripping from her mouth. Puffs are not red. Skittles are red. Sneaky.

We also made Resurrection Rolls for breakfast (just google for a recipe), which were another great addition to our Easter celebration. We rejoice that the tomb is empty. He has risen, He has risen indeed!

Test

2011-04-19T10:03:00.000-04:00

The "blog this" button in Picasa has been acting up lately. I'm just testing a quick post to see if it's working again. We have been incredibly busy around here so I've got lots to blog about! If the test goes through, enjoy these funny pictures of Finley at bath time. Sad that a toy was taken away and then happy once she had water poured over her head.

A Day in the Life

2011-04-07T14:46:00.006-04:00

I set up to work on this:

and the princess sets up Monkey to watch dance class in the kitchen:

14 Months

2011-03-30T22:01:00.003-04:00

Here’s what’s going on in the world of Finley at fourteen months:

Words.

Consistent words: Mama. Dada. Maggie.

Words she wishes she could say: Bebo. She says “baba” when she lifts her shirt and looks for her bellybutton. Gray-Gray for Grayson. Still sounds like “day-day” and only on occasion. She also really wants to say her animal sounds but we just get a cute grunt for dogs “woofing”.

Words we wish she could say: Please. Thank you. I need __________ please. We are smack in the middle of the stage of fussing and pointing and “AH AH AH-ing” to communicate what she wants or needs. Wow. I caught myself tonight mindlessly saying “Finley, please use your words” (because I have said this to Grayson for so long now). She stopped fussing and looked at me funny. Oh yes child, you don’t have any words yet. So sorry. Although we have tried and continue to try signing “please” and “more” and “thank you”, she apparently thinks baby sign language is overrated.

Crawling.

Everywhere and very, very fast. She ripped holes in the knees of three of her size 12 months pants (her cousin and sister did wear them first, but still).

Walking.

She will take a handful of steps on her own if we provide great encouragement and fanfare. Video proof will be uploaded soon. She’s either stubborn or just not sure of herself yet enough to keep it up permanently. Oh that toddle-walk. I can just eat it up it’s so cute. Also cute, instead of walking on her feet, she will often “walk” on her knees. When she wants to go faster, she knee walks sort of sideways, more of a knee shuffle. Grayson thinks it’s hysterical.

Climbing.

Literally on everything. I really try not to compare the kids (how do you not do this with your second when all you knew was your first?!) But, Grayson was not a climber. I had no idea. For Finley, tables are a current favorite. And she can climb up on top of one in two seconds flat. I finally gave up on the benches to the dining room table. She can climb them and stand on them as long as she does not climb on top of the actual table. I’m waiting for the trip to the emergency room when she topples off backwards onto the hardwood floor. It’s amazing actually how she does it. She lays that tummy on the bench, her little feet fly up in the air behind her and somehow she balances to her knees then her feet. I don’t have coordination like that. She must have gotten it from Justin.

Gestures.

She waves with her hand and not her whole arm.

When she wants to be held or wants a hug, she holds her arms out in front of her with her palms facing you, wrists up, fingers down. Hard to explain but it’s the cutest thing around.

When you turn on music and ask her to dance, she waves her arms back and forth.

She points at things she wants with one finger.

She gets really excited and points when she sees any animal in real life. She about jumped out of her car seat when we drove by some geese today.

Random facts.

She loves her woobie. I have taught her this and I recognize it will full admission. When you give it to her at bedtime, she turns her head to the side and snuggles it between her cheek and shoulder. A girl after my own heart. She also throws it out of her crib about half of the time when she sleeps. Minor details. We have plenty of time to work on that.

She still sucks her right thumb, but only on occasion in the car and then always when she goes to sleep. She sleeps in her sleepsack during the day, but without it at night. We are trying to avoid the sleepsack attachment issue this time around.

She eats almost anything. As Grayson said the other day very matter of factly, “she eats anything you put on her tray mama.” Except cheese. How the child does not like cheese in this family is beyond me. She has a love hate relationship with yogurt too, also surprising.

She is a really happy baby. She does not have stranger danger, goes right into nursery at church, and is usually content if you give her a spoon and a cup to play with. Right now is a bit of a different story. Let’s just say I hope these two teeth cut through soon and she learns a few words to help us understand what she wants.

When we sit down on the floor to play, Finley immediately will climb into our laps. She doesn’t stay for very long, but she comes back to visit often. It’s one of our favorite things.

3 1/2 Years!

2011-03-30T15:28:00.009-04:00

Hello long lost blog. I'm back. (At least for the moment. I tried to come back yesterday but blogger and I have been in a battle over this post. Apparently it's too long. They didn't know I had some catching up to do.)

Grayson "turned" three and a half this month. This girl likes to talk. Wow. It's amazing to me how they can go from babbling (which we also hear so much of right now, Finley's update will come later) to full-on talking in such a short time. This girl can "tell you a story" that will involve anything and everything from princesses to pirates to bears to "Laura and Mary and baby Carrie and Pa and Ma and Jack" (we just finished reading aloud On the Banks of Plum Creek). Almost all of her "stories" are seasoned with a "song" that she makes up which usually includes verses about "baby Jesus and Glory or Glorious" (we listen to a lot of worship music around here!) or a rendition of numbers "one one one, two three five, ten...one one one, two three five, ten ten ten". You get the picture. Hilarious and cute as pie. It's safe to say that she has a very extensive imagination.

She is very inquisitive. Which I'm trying to celebrate, but to keep it real, it can be exhausting! We talk all. day. long. Often she asks "Why?" with curiosity. As in, "Mama, why is that daffodil yellow?" The other half of the time she asks "Why?" with questioning authority. As in "Why do I have to clean this up?" Whew. Love her. But yes, exhausting.

These types of conversations happen multiple times a day. Here is a sampling:

We are driving in the car...
Me: "I need to write down to remember to look at the calendar for consignment sale dates and swim lesson dates".
Grayson (five minutes later): "My window is dirty, will you write down to remember to clean it?"

Grayson: "She was all open tears. Open tears, do you know what that means?"
Justin: "What?"
Grayson: "Open tears is a fancy word for crying."
Yes, she could write for the Fancy Nancy books.

I put pigtails in Finley's hair.
Grayson: "It's so cute mama! You made her look like a girl!"

We go to the science center and this big turkey follows us around. She was not a big fan and cried for a while about it. Very upset. Understandably, as he was as big as she was (And ugly. Amazing but ugly). We have not talked about the turkey for a solid 15 minutes and we are on our way home in the car.

Grayson (very matter of factly): "Mama, I think we should just cook that turkey".

Me: I could not say a word I was laughing SO hard and trying to keep quiet. I think I mumbled out a "mmm hmmm". We never even talked about how those turkeys are the "same" ones we cook for Thanksgiving! Smart girl.

She is big enough now to open the fridge on her own and get out her sippy cup of milk from the door. Which also means she's big enough to use a big girl cup. Which we do at mealtimes. Sitting down in the chair.

She still loves books. It borderlines on an obsession, which I am perfectly ok with. Especially now that I have another child who would rather climb on things than look at a book. She is especially fond of her Big Picture Bible these days, along with the latest library book, or magazine.

She is such a good big sister. She loves Finley and hugs her around her neck multiple times a day (as I'm pleading, "Easy on her neck, try her shoulders!"). We are venturing into the real world of "sharing with your sister" now that Finley can reach and take anything she wants.

She's starting to understand what it means to be kind and loving. Occasionally, without any prompting, she will say "I love you mama or I love you daddy". The other night she said a heartfelt prayer for a child that made me tear up. This is good news for the child that also says she wants to be a "shot nurse" when she grows up. Yes, she wants to be a "nurse that gives shots". She clams up a bit when you ask her why but let's just say that so far it doesn't seem to be because shots help people not to get sick!

When we see friends or she enters a new setting, she is still shy and hides behind me. After a few minutes of warming up, she starts talking their ears off.

Even though it can be tiring, we sure do love all of this talking and imagination at three and a half! Justin and I constantly look at each other and say "when did she become such a person?!"

Daffodils

2011-03-01T16:01:00.000-05:00

I love daffodils. They signal the promise of spring. They are the first sign of color coming back into our brown yard, and that color happens to be a bright, sunny yellow. I'm thankful that the previous owners of our house planted a few patches out in the front yard. Grayson has gotten in on the daffodil excitement this year too. When she noticed they were blooming (they are hard to miss), every time we get out of the car she runs over "to check on the flowers". When they first started peeking out yellow, Justin came home from work one day and she says with great excitement...

"Daddy!!! There is a surprise in the yard....the dandelion...it's like, crouched up, beautiful! Like, ah ah ah". Yes, dandelion instead of daffodil, crouched up beautiful (with coordinating hand motions to the ground and then jumping up to the sky) and the "ah ah ah" was very reminiscent of Ariel singing in the Little Mermaid, although Grayson has never seen the movie for the reference. Hysterical and precious, all wrapped up into one very "I'm not sure how to say this but I'm really excited about it" three year old statement. Love. It.

Sister Love

2011-02-21T15:08:00.000-05:00

Now that Finley is getting bigger and more interactive by the day, the sister-love in this house is growing by leaps and bounds. One of my favorite things is how they can make each other laugh. And how they hold hands in the car. We didn't rig it on purpose but it turned out that when we put Finley forward-facing in the car, both of their "sucker" thumbs (Grayson's is her left, Finley's is her right) were on the outside near the windows. So they don't have to give up sucking their thumbs to give some love. Justin laughed the other day while he was driving us around and I asked what was so funny. He said "them holding hands" and something to the effect of that he was staring at proof of his future orthodontics bill.

Cutest Girls Ever

2011-02-18T15:50:00.000-05:00

Aunt Ali found the girls and cousin Avery matching PJs that say "Cutest Girl Ever" on the t-shirts. Hilarious. It's 70 degrees here today so we rocked them to the park. Grayson promptly told Mrs. Katie..."this is a PJ shirt". Sharing the secrets. These pictures are not of the 'matchy matchy' but some cute shots from over the past few weeks. I'll post more details soon about what the girls are doing these days. Let's just say Finley is a climber (wow...as in she pushed the stool over to the kitchen counter, climbed and stood on it to reach a can opener that was thankfully chosen over the huge knife sitting next to it) and I feel many days like Grayson is 3 going on 13.

Happy Valentine's Day

2011-02-14T20:08:00.000-05:00

I know, I know, a post without pictures of the kids? Crazy. These were a few shots I took around the house this week. The new Valentine's fabric wreath has made me smile many, many times over the last few weeks. Funny enough I decided to hang it on the bathroom door. 1) because that's a cool (yes I said cool) unfinished door that you can see from the front door and the hallway and 2) because with two small children and only one bathroom in the house, I knew we'd see it a lot. I think it will stay up for a while. A few small pictures of beauty that remind me of His great, great love for us.

Happy Birthday Mama/Millie!

2011-02-09T12:31:00.002-05:00

Dear Mama,

Happy Birthday! I love you more than the dishwasher.

Love,

Finley

Dear Mama,

Happy Birthday. I love you more than my thumb.

Love,

Grayson

Dear Millie,

Happy Birthday! I love you too much to write about it on the internets for all to see.

Love,

Justin

January 2011: a recap in one post

2011-02-07T21:07:00.002-05:00

Seeing that it took me the whole month of January to update posts about December, I didn't want to spend the entire year always updating a month behind! So here are the highlights from January, all in one giant collage-filled post. Click on the collages to enlarge if the text is too small.

12.28.10

2011-01-31T16:40:00.000-05:00

Christmas festivities continued for us as we headed to great-Mamaw's house for gift opening, and then on to Shu-Shu's to spend the night.

Grayson was quite excited about her new pink scooter and pink princess helmet! Finley was mostly excited about the wrapping paper.

12.26.10

2011-01-26T15:59:00.000-05:00

By Christmas night everything was covered in white. The next day it was deep enough for sledding, building snowmen, and teaching Finley how to make snow angels.

12.25.10

2011-01-24T21:01:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday Jesus!

A couple of gifts opened at home, then a yummy breakfast at Toad Hall, then stockings and gifts and celebrating with family.

Then, a great surprise: a white Christmas!

Grayson caught the first snowflakes on her tongue.

Finley stayed inside...

but apparently thought she could snag one through the glass door.

12.24.10

2011-01-19T16:16:00.000-05:00

Christmas Eve!

I think this is the first time we've been able to snag a full family picture at Christmas.

The day was filled with lots of fun cousin time, including the gingerbread house adventure. They turned out really cute, and I'm still in the camp that gingerbread houses are just a good excuse to eat a lot of candy and lick icing off your fingers. We headed to church early that evening and then back to Toad Hall for a yummy dinner. A fun day to celebrate the coming of the King!

12.20.10

2011-01-17T15:13:00.000-05:00

Oh Christmas crafts.

I love to create. I'm still wrestling with how to make time for it, how to not feel guilty when I do find time for it, and how to not get frustrated when the time I find for it never quite seems like enough. But because I love it, I typically decide that making the majority of our Christmas gifts would just be perfect. This year, our house was on the market. So each time the room looked like the pictures below, I had to clean it all up if we got the call and then drag it all out the next day. It was tricky. Still fun to get to create some new things, but tricky.

Crafting essentials...mini hot glue gun: the best $3 ever spent. New silicone-like hot glue gun mat thingy: best $5 ever spent except that I need it to be about 3 times as big. My hot glue gun now thanks me that it doesn't get stuck to the random sheet of paper I used in an attempt to protect the desk. New sewing machine: deserves a whole post in itself but let's just say I had no idea what I was missing. Justin gets a shout out for spotting the deal online. My old starter machine was awesome for sewing straight lines. Buttonholes and zigzag stitches, not so much. This new lovely not only sews zigzags, but flowers, ducks, trucks, and dolphins. Yes, dolphins. A neatly stitched, tiny row of dolphins. And no, I'm not adding that decorative touch to any of my creations in the near future. I'm just saying that someone who can stitch dolphins with the press of a button might just be my new crafting BFF.

The larger shot of the room in action, including the essential ribbon holder in the closet, scrap fabric bucket, and new bucket 'o ruffle.

I picked up some pre-made ruffle at a warehouse sale when we went to visit cousins and finally got to use it for some cutesy-bootsy (thank you for the new phrase Kiki) skirts. My treasured rotary cutter is also peeking out behind the skirts; another crafting essential. I was apparently living in the dark ages with my scissors until I saw the light and started using the rotary two years or so back.

Grayson wanted to get in on the crafting action, so I gave her some supplies. Like mother like daughter. Ribbon, stickers, and "scrap favric" as she calls it. No hot glue gun for her yet but she sure has a big love for a glue stick. As in she can use a whole glue stick in 30 minutes kind of love. And I promise she's not eating it.

12.18.10

2011-01-12T15:50:00.000-05:00

This year we started something that I have a feeling will become a tradition in the Christmas season...we took Grayson to see her first performance of the Nutcracker. Let me just tell you, these 3 year old cuties might have been unsure of the Mouse King at first, but they warmed up to the whole idea pretty quickly. From piling into the Suburban together, to meeting the characters and getting autographs and pictures, to sipping "tea" afterwards at lunch, they thoroughly enjoyed their day.

It apparently left a huge impression too as its now almost a month later and I still get the request multiple times a day.. "ok mama, I'm going to be Clara and you be the Mouse King...wait...you be the snow dancers and I'll be Clara...wait...you be the mice and I'll be Clara". It goes on and on and on. She's almost always Clara though. She has a perfect white dress up gown for the occasion (thanks Aunt Ali, you didn't even realize it was going to be perfect get-up for pretending to be Clara!) Shu-shu also brought her a book this weekend that tells the story of the ballet. This has helped immensely with her reenactments!

Happy 1st Birthday Finley!!!

2011-01-07T10:11:00.001-05:00

12.11.10

2011-01-05T17:10:00.000-05:00

We bake cookies and celebrate Jesus coming with a new nativity set for the girls.

Finley really wanted to help...

Or maybe she just wanted some sugar...

12.4.10

2011-01-05T16:50:00.000-05:00

Enjoying the snowflakes...

Cleaning out the shed...

Cleaning up the house and taking pictures like this because...

yes (gasp), we put our house on the market. This was basically why December got really busy and the blog got neglected. To make a long story short, although we love our house, we've been talking about moving for about a year now. Just talking mostly, but we finally decided after much prayer that the Lord was saying to make the jump and list the house...now...in December...what? Really though, we would be happy living here a few more years or selling it soon and moving to a new (old) house in town. So we will see. No offers on the table yet to contend with. Only dog hair, toys, and laundry to contend with for showings and that open house we held the week of Christmas. Yes, we are crazy. And yes, we had a bunch of people show up. Go figure.

December Recap: 12.1.10

2011-01-05T16:31:00.000-05:00

December got a little busy for us and the blog got neglected. So I'm going to post a few of the highlights here in January before we get too far into the new year.

12.1.10:
We head to Lowe's and get our Christmas tree (it's hard to beat their prices!). Excitement all around, even in the cold.

'I'm walking my dog' she says so calmly...'

2011-01-03T09:40:00.001-05:00

At least it was baby and not her sister

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Dishwasher love

2011-01-03T09:33:00.001-05:00

NOT for the squeamish

2011-01-02T21:07:00.000-05:00

Consider yourself warned. Close this post now if you are squeamish!

I have so many blog posts to catch up on from the holidays, but this happened tonight at bedtime and was just too classic to not post. I feel like I vaguely remember this mistake in weaning Grayson, but maybe not to this degree. I've been weaning Finley over the last few weeks, and she has been liking her whole milk (so thankful!). Tonight was the first drop of the bedtime feed, so I naturally offered her a sippy cup of milk. She was totally enjoying it and drank almost the whole thing. Only problem is that I had momentarily forgotten that at dinner with friends tonight she ate a huge meal and also drank another almost-whole sippy cup of milk. Ooops.

This is what happened when she burped as I laid her down on her changing pad. It was a volcano. Ewe. I yelled for assistance, Justin took one peek, and said he had to get the camera. But she was happy as a clam the entire time! Into the bath she went and I've never seen her belly quite so large.

The Village People Private Concert

2010-12-26T16:22:00.002-05:00

grayson - "daddy! daddy! look, they're dancing!"

me: "i don't know sweetie . . . are you sure they're dancing?"

grayson: "yes, I put them each on a stage"

I doubt the inventor of Lincoln Logs saw that one coming.

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-25T21:00:00.000-05:00

"And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” Luke 2:8-12

"For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." Isaiah 9:6

Celebrating sweet baby Jesus today, the Messiah, the good news that causes great joy! Merry Christmas!

Icy day!

2010-12-16T09:50:00.001-05:00

Shutterfly Rocks

2010-12-06T00:29:00.001-05:00

With an entire assortment of codes, coupons, and credits, I just ordered $120 worth of shutterfly gear for $3 out of pocket. Long story short, it's way past my bedtime, but totally worth it. Here's a preview of one of the free cards I made. Word on the street is that I might get a $25 gift certificate out of this...

Dotty Holiday Monogram Christmas Card

Get custom photo Christmas cards online at Shutterfly.com.

View the entire collection of cards.

A Whole New World

2010-12-01T16:06:00.000-05:00

Justin caught Finley pulling up at the play kitchen a few weeks ago, so proud of herself. She had been pulling up to her knees for a while, but then finally figured out how to stand on those wobbly feet.

It took her a while longer to figure out she could stand up in her bed. Thankfully she figured out very quickly how to sit back down.

In other baby news she has made the jump to almost all finger foods now. Sometimes I give her a jar of mush if I've run out of things-that-can-be-cut-up-into-soft-small-pieces, but she pretty much turns her nose up at it. Favorites include mac n cheese, corn, peas, lima beans, peaches, pears, bananas, pancakes, and yogurt. Those eight teeth are hard at work. She will also really drink out of a sippy cup now. We've been sticking with water so far but it's just about time to try out whole milk.

She is babbling much more now, saying "mama" and "mah" for Maggie. "Dada" comes out on occasion, and something like "deh deh" sometimes comes out for Grayson (Gray-Gray). She also loves to take a burp cloth, cover her face, and then pull it down herself to play peek-a-boo. She's not picking up on any sign language yet, except for this one "sign" she makes that looks like the sign for "hot". We can't quite figure out if that's what she really means (we sign it when she tries to touch our blazing hot oven), or if she is just playing with it. She signs it at odd times.

She also seems to crawl mostly on hands and knees now instead of army crawling on her belly. And occasionally she lifts one hand high into the air and looks at you. It's hard to resist giving an almost 11 month old a high five.

Fall Photo Shoot

2010-11-22T15:16:00.000-05:00

The maple tree across the street has yet again been a faithful spot for our annual fall photo shoot. Wrangling two this time was a bit trickier but I hired Daddy this time as the sit-them-down-right-there...actually-bad-light-right-there-instead...or-how-about-over-there assistant. He can also make them laugh for the camera like no one else can.

2009 found here
2008 found here

Happy Birthday Harper!

2010-11-15T16:30:00.000-05:00

I was just back tracking through Picasa to see what I needed to catch up on here on the blog (how about the majority of our summer including a beach vacation?!). More recently though, at the end of October we got to take a family day trip to celebrate our dear friend Harper turning one!

Sweet girls. Harper turning one means that Finley is not too far behind. I really cannot believe it.

Reading with Daddy before Bedtime

2010-11-13T16:35:00.000-05:00

Trip to Shu-Shu's House

2010-11-12T22:26:00.000-05:00

I'm not sure who loves reading time more...Shu-Shu doing the reading or Grayson being read to!

Finley liked it too...

Shu-shu, Grayson cracking up, Finley squirming off the couch, and Great-Mamaw

We had such a fun time. I know this will be hard to believe but Grayson (at 3 years old) still sleeps in a crib. She loves it and has never attempted to climb out. Why change a good thing?! Even crazier, up until this weekend, she has slept in a pack n play whenever we travel. Have I mentioned before that she is in the 97th percentile for height for her age? Um, yeah. She never complained once about the pack n play being too small but seeing her curled up in there made me start to feel like we might get busted for child neglect. Or that she might bust a leg through a side one night by accident. So we decided this weekend we would sleep her on a pallet on the floor. She did great. Her pallet was in our room and she woke up when we came in to get into bed. Good thing, because she was burning up and covered in sweat. I panicked and thought she was running an outrageous fever. Then it clicked that we put her to bed in my sleeping bag. I used my bag for camping and backpacking, probably too insulated for sleeping in a heated house. Oops. Moved her under blankets instead and she slept like a champ! Maybe a big girl bed will be in her near future after all.

She'll be comin round the mountain...

2010-11-08T21:39:00.000-05:00

Apple picking was a stop on our way to visit Pop-Pop and my extended family in Cashiers. Grayson had a blast cooking with my Aunt Julie, exploring the apple trees and grape vines with Pop-Pop, opening purple bean seeds with Aunt Judy (saved to plant in our garden next year!), and "smelling trees" on her walks through the woods with Uncle Mark. We also had so much fun with my cousin Stacy's children on Saturday night for dinner, as the kids played and helped Aunt Julie in the kitchen.

I promise Finley was there, although she was only pictured in one group shot here. And Pop-Pop, you were there too, right? (wink, wink) Not sure how you got left out of most of the pictures too!

Apple Picking

2010-11-08T20:34:00.000-05:00

Mid-October we met Aunt Ali and cousins at Sky Top Orchard for a picnic lunch and apple picking fun. There were only a few apples left on the trees but I had fun picture-taking as Ali and Justin hoisted the kids up for turns to pick. It was such a fun place and we had perfect weather. If you go, definitely try the homemade apple doughnuts...mmmm. And we are still eating the apples from the fridge! Pink Ladys and Fujis were our favorites this year.

Apparently she wants to help...

2010-11-03T14:53:00.000-04:00

If only I could get this excited about unloading the dishwasher.

Cousins!

2010-11-02T15:37:00.000-04:00

Now getting four children to smile at the camera was a whole different ballgame. It's a happy time with cousins in town for a visit!

Costumes Continued

2010-11-02T15:31:00.000-04:00

Seriously, I could not decide which pictures to post. If only they took pictures this well all of the time!

Costumes

2010-11-02T15:17:00.000-04:00

I couldn't choose just four pictures of the girls in their costumes so I've got to load multiple posts. Amazingly, there were too many good ones! They were hamming it up for the camera. Maybe it was because they have a silly daddy who was jumping around behind me.

Look at those cheeks!

Sweet flower

Whenever anyone asked Grayson what she was going to dress up as, she would respond in one long fast run-on sentence: "I'mgoingtobeabeeandFinleyisgoingtobeaflowerandMaddieisgoingtobeabeeandTaylorisgoingtobeaflower..hahaha!" Our good friends dressed their girls up as the same duo without us even talking about it ahead of time. When Grayson found out she thought it was the best thing in the world.

Cake

2010-11-02T15:07:00.000-04:00

Justin's 30th Birthday Cake:

"Smith Island Cake" from the Cake Mix Doctor Returns cookbook (with a few variations):
-yellow cake mix poured into 7 disposable cake tins
-layered with homemade chocolate frosting topped with chopped up snickers
-topped with same chocolate frosting that was not-very-pretty-because-I-poured-too-much-on-top-and-it-hardened-too-fast
-inside of the cake was thankfully still picture-worthy
-tasted much, much better than it looked from the outside!

Fall Festival Fun

2010-11-02T14:57:00.000-04:00

Hey Sweet Girl

2010-11-01T22:40:00.000-04:00

When Finley gets tired, she sucks her right thumb and then rubs her head with her left hand.

Cutest. Thing. Ever.

Happy Pumpkin Carving

2010-11-01T21:59:00.000-04:00

Go Wolfpack!!

2010-10-29T00:04:00.001-04:00

Happy 30th birthday Hoosh!

Oh the imagination

2010-10-25T21:09:00.003-04:00

I walk in from cleaning up breakfast dishes to find her dollhouse people all sitting in their chairs facing forward.

I ask her what everyone is doing..."singing" she says, as she belts out her latest song full of made-up words to the tune of something sounding like a mix between 'jesus loves me' and the 'grand ol' duke of york'.

I have a boo-boo of dry skin around my finger where my wedding bands live. I took them off and put some medicine on it, as she was watching. She then says "EWE! Mama! You need to CUT OFF THAT FINGER!". I'm dying laughing. I say "what will I do without a finger?", she says "I don't know but you need to CUT. IT. OFF! Ewe!".

We go the post office and she asks for a "sticker". I give her one and explain to her that it's actually a mailing label. We mail our package to Aunt Kiki and get back in the car. I get everyone buckled in and she says "mama, look!". I look and the mailing label is stuck to her leg. She says "I'm mailing my leg to Aunt Kiki!" and laughs so hard. I say "how are you going to walk without your leg?" She says "I'll use my foot!"

All four of us are riding in the car. She asks Justin if he can roll down her window. He says no, because its too windy here on the highway. She says "well, can you roll my window down when we get on the low-way?" We laugh. And then she says "when are we going to be on the low-way?"

Seriously, I need to carry a notebook around to write down all of the funnies.

9.5 Months

2010-10-25T20:42:00.000-04:00

It's a little blurry, but I can't believe I caught this picture. This captures so much of Finley's personality at this age. The spiky soft hair that she rubs to get to sleep, the eight teeth peeking through that sweet smile, the squinted eyes when she laughs, and that nose wrinkle. Oh we just love that nose wrinkle!

Stats at her nine month check up:
weight: 20 lbs (75th percentile)
height: 29 inches (75th percentile but she was wiggly so they think she is actually taller, usually 95th percentile)

She army crawls on her tummy like a champ, picking up all of the dog hair and dirt from our hardwood floors on her clothes along the way. She has now mastered sitting up from crawling, which is so stinkin cute. When Grayson and I wake her up from naps now she is sitting up ready for us, which Grayson finds hysterical. She is happy when she wakes up and laughs and smiles when we come in to get her.

She just started pulling up to her knees on things, but not to her feet yet. I'm sure it's soon. Her favorite spot to pull up is the potty. Nice. What is it with children loving the bathroom? And yes, I only refer to the "toilet" now as the "potty" with a three-year-old in the house. Justin especially liked this vocabulary choice when we went with a realtor to look at a couple of houses in town and I was exclaiming, "oh this is a nice potty", "oh, two pottys would be nice". Ha. And no, we're not moving. Not right now at least, but probably at some point in the next 4 years ;)

Back to the baby. She likes finger foods. Most favorites include any sort of carb like cheerios, puffs, crackers, pancakes or waffles. She also likes chunks of pears, cooked apples, bananas, peas, carrots, corn, ground turkey and deli turkey. She loves yogurt and still eats a healthy amount of jarred baby food too, along with baby oatmeal in the morning.

She was nursing 4 times a day, morning, noon, afternoon and bedtime, but lately has become highly impatient and distracted. After a whole week of only wanting to nurse here and there and getting bottles here and there to supplement, it looks like she might drop down to nursing 3 times a day, morning, before nap, and before bed. We'll see.

She has started saying "mama" and "dada" and is getting more consistent about saying it right to us instead of just babbling it when we are in the room. She loves bath time and never cries when Justin pours water over her face.

Overall she is a happy little baby, as long as she gets her naps and is fed on time (aren't we all that way?!). She is also decently compliant on obeying our "no touch" wishes as she is into everything now. She still adores Grayson and echoes squeals when Grayson squeals first. She moves her whole body in excitement when she hears Grayson running down the hallway and squints and giggles when Gray runs into her room. She has started noticing Maggie more too, maybe because Maggie has started noticing her more that finger foods are being thrown on the floor. Thank goodness for a dog to clean up meal time messes!

The Party

2010-10-18T16:03:00.001-04:00

Only 22 days after the party preview post, I finally get the details blogged!!

One of Grayson's top things to play with is a sand and water table. So we decided to throw her a "Sand and Water Party". Borrowing 3 more tables from family and friends, we had plenty of sand and water for our friends to play with on this rainy day. It was so fun to be able to use the new screened in porch for a party! Here was the set-up:

The tables were filled with mostly water, some sand, and lots of seashells and toys. The seashells were from our family vacation, which was in September and has also yet to be blogged. Yikes. Anyways, the cake was an island with teddy graham bears in bathing suits, swimming in an ocean with fish, idea courtesy of Family Fun magazine (a favorite around here!). I got to buy a huge new sheet cake pan for this one and got to eat some of my favorite candies while decorating (during naptime of course or there would have been a riot). We collected a ton of seashells on our trip to give away as party favors.

And then there was the party garland! Seriously, it was much easier to make than I anticipated. I have been talking about making one for a while and Justin convinced me to just go ahead with it this time. He even helped me cut out all of the triangles (which took the most time but was still not too bad, especially with rotary cutters) and then I sewed it in about an hour. If you want to make your own, I used this link but instead of different smaller shapes I just made a pattern for one larger sized triangle. I also skipped the invisible thread after it kept jamming my sewing machine and switched to hot pink since most of my fabrics had pink in them.

Here are all of our friends and family enjoying the festivities. Click on the collage to enlarge it if it's hard to see all of the pictures.

Happy third birthday sweet girl!

Sneak Peek

2010-09-26T15:53:00.000-04:00

Today is birthday party day. And quite amazingly, we are ready an hour before it starts, so I had a minute to blog a sneak peek of party preparations...

Everything on this table was what it took to make her cake. Yes, that's some serious sugar.

Sugar is very exciting.

Even Finley had a tiny taste of cake. More sugar excitement.

And these pieces of fabric turned into one of the most fun projects I have ever sewn. Happy party day!

She's on the move

2010-09-22T21:03:00.000-04:00

First it started with rolling here and there. I would put her on the quilt and come back to find this:

Then she started the army crawl/scoot, which brought back funny memories of Grayson wearing a blister on her big toe from all of her scooting around this house. Finley is not fast yet, but she can throw out those arms and pull herself along anywhere. Thankfully I can still put her on the quilt sitting and it takes her a while to figure out she can bend over and get to scooting. But I don't think it will be long now. This week we have caught her rocking back and forth on her hands and knees.

Happy Third Birthday Grayson!

2010-09-18T21:41:00.000-04:00

Today was the big three! "I'm free!" she says. Justin helped her choose her clippie for today. She chose one, then says she wants this "birthday clippie". This was a Fancy Nancy clippie I made to match a tutu for a costume a while ago. Apparently it's now been dubbed a birthday special.

Since we were at the beach last week (pics to come) we decided to go to the lake this weekend. Riverbank is one of Grayson's most favorite places, so she beamed when we sang to her this morning then packed everyone into the car. Favorite sausage biscuits and scones were on order for breakfast in the car, along with a new coloring book and stickers for the drive. She opened her other gift from us when we got there, and we promptly played a round with Maymay and Peeps. I can't believe she is already old enough to play Candyland! After Finley's morning nap, we went to the dock for a picnic lunch...pimento cheese sandwiches, of course.

She got to swim, take her first ride in Peepsie's new boat "A Very Gray Jackfin" (Avery Grayson Jackson Finley), eat a yummy dinner on the porch topped off with super yummy pink cupcakes, open gifts from Maymay and Peeps, and then finish the night with a good Uncle Remus read from Peepsie. It sure was a fun day!

Grayson, we love you so much. We are so thankful the Lord brought you into our family three years ago. "Its a girl!" the doctor said and we laughed and cried happy tears. It has been such a joy to see how much you have grown this last year. We love you to the moon and back, moon and back, moon and back, moon and back.

Pink and pink

2010-09-18T21:16:00.000-04:00

She requested strawberry cupcakes with pink icing for the big third birthday. She about jumped out of her skin when I told her she could lick the icing.