The Busy Man Chronicles {18 months}

One & a half.

And boy, you think you're big stuff.

And, I think you're still a baby.

Well...I can live my dream & you can live yours.

:)

You are still so happy.

And loud.

And silly.

And fun.

And lovin' to your mama.

And you still love dogs, cars, balls, & running as fast as you can.

You are so adventurous.

We've found you on ladders, under chairs, in the backyard (thanks to your newfound skill of opening the back door) driving your go-go (car), clearing out cabinets, turning over laundry baskets...you are busy.

You see sports on tv & get super excited.

Your dad thinks that's awesome.

You now think he's as awesome as mama.

Maybe a little more sometimes...

You are long & lean.

You wear Tiny Toms & people just can't stand it.

You just got new flip flops & you think they are the best thing EVER.

I think you think they make you run faster.

You give us a lot of laughs in those things.

You are terribly sweet to people you love.

You give such great hugs; hugs with really big pats. Awesome.

Phones, remote controls, & gadgets are heisted swiftly when you enter a room.

You can climb onto the couch now.

And you finally have 2 molars.

Which is a grand total of: 9 teeth. Nice.

You have expanded your vocabulary to include: dog-dog, gall (ball), yeah, na-na (snack), joos (juice), shoe-shoes, nu-noon (moon), ing (sing & swing)...& still the squeals, nods & grunts.

You are a boy.

I joke a lot about chasing you around & you wearing me out.

But the secret is...I can't get enough of you.

I will chase you until you beg me not to anymore.

You are something special.

Now...I need to squish you.

Sweetness in quiet times

Back from a night away, celebrating 8 years of marriage.

And a break from the chaos that was our life this past week.

Enjoying that our tv is in need of repair.

My 4 year old is not begging for movies all day long anymore.

Only a few times a day now...

The quietness that is my house is oh so peaceful.

And taking time to breath again.

It's been crazy. And at times overwhelming, this week.

But, He reminds us, it's all for His glory.

And that we have it pretty sweet.

God is good. Even in chaos;).

Summertime: At the harbor

Summertime is such a busy time of year for us.

As I am sure is true for many.

We like to take the open weekends & try to make them relaxed, fun, & life-giving.

And mostly about being together.

We've been to the Harbor quite a few times over the past few weeks on a Friday or Saturday evening.

Watching the fountains.

Staring out over the lake.

Dreaming of the beach.

Enjoying the sounds of summertime.

People outdoors. Loud music. Boats cruising on the lake.

Oh, and eating ice cream.

And just being funny kids.

They love their daddy.

Spending a full Saturday with him is a highlight of our week.

And lots of open space to run free in is...priceless.

Especially to our busy man.

To this mama, a break from constantly chasing him down, thanks to the open field is...priceless.

I'm a lover of summertime, despite the busy-ness.

Especially with 2 fun-loving kids who love to be outside.

Summer has won me over...officially.

Taking the time to breath helps.

It keeps our minds in a good place.

This week is a busy one...but full of promise.

Will you pray for the kids coming to Kids Kraze this Thursday, Friday, & Saturday?

For open hearts, true understanding that runs deep, & minds focused on Jesus?

Thanks! It should be a great time...crazy, but great.

The 2 most loved things in our house...

Blankies.

They're always under our feet.

Being danced with, snuggled, & hunted down.

They're always around during playtime, just in case.

And they keep all the munchkins around here happy & content.

They're good friends to have around.

Attention...we have a 4 year old!

Parker's birthday was 2 weeks ago today.

I was slow getting these together, & then I ruined most of them with too much editing.

Grr.

But we had a super fun party for our big girl.

The idea was a movie outside, I got the idea from here.

But, it rained, so we changed plans, moved all the decorations inside, & made the best of it.

We had a bunch of movie goodies.

Big pickles.

Popcorn.

Buttered & kettle.

You need the kettle corn recipe.

Oh yum.

And popcorn cupcakes:).

(Just cupcakes, frosting, & marshmallows on top. Oh yeah...and the wrapper, made by Mitchel. Of course:)...)

If you ever need to make popcorn cupcakes, I'd go with white frosting.

The chocolate was, super obviously, brown.

Not popcorny at all.

But they worked...

Popcorn balls to say thanks for coming.

We had some coloring & crafts for the kids to come in to.

Wilbur the pig to color & spider web hands...

We had 2 of our favorite visitors from the north, who are now resident Illinois-ians (is that even right?)...

And that baby Owee should've stayed here with us...he's much too cute to live that far away.

That sweet baby brother had fun celebrating his sis.

Especially once the cupcakes came out.

Happy Birthday to you...

She blows through her teeth.

We worked on it, but she still needed help.

Reminds me of how young she really still is...sweet.

Cupcakes=happy kids.

Plenty of presents...

Then it was time for Charlotte's Web.

"The one with the real people." :)

And...on her actual birthday morning, her present from Dad, Mom, & Tuck:

a Hello Kitty bike.

My parents got her a helmet with bunny ears sticking out the top.

Awesome.

Happy Birthday sweet Parker girl...you are so much more than we could have ever asked for.

We love, love, love you!