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!

A day at the Arboretum {spring 2011}

We've been part of a playgroup since last fall at our church.

We get to have fun twice a month with a bunch of little kid friends.

We went to the Dallas Arboretum back in April.

It was 90 degrees that day. Yep.

But it was still a lot of fun...you'll see.

Our cousin Ella was part of the group.

Extra exciting.

He loves his freedom.

Brings back memories of being a kid, playing Little House on the Prairie...

(thanks to Kelly & their field...remember when you used that water hose thing as your wheel chair? Still makes my mom laugh hysterically...)

They aren't the only 2 in the group...

but they do love each other.

She loves being his sister...most of the time.

She's sweet.

Preschoolers are a lot of fun.

And they have a lot of personality.

Turns out they also love giant goldfish...

My boy's double swirl head.

His favorite part of the day.

What 16 month old doesn't love a giant sheep up in his business?

Or actually...what sheep doesn't love a 16 month old up in his business?

He couldn't leave that fluff alone...between that & all the goat tails needing a good tug, he gave me my workout for the day.

Thankfully, the animals seemed very unsurprised by his antics.

That was one well groomed goat.

Her favorite part of the day.

Meow.

We had lunch with a panda, a tiger, & a cat...they were WILD.

HAHAHAHAHA

We need to go back again.

But I'll have to figure out a way to avoid the massive amounts of face paint being smeared all over the place...& maybe this time I won't have to explain 100 times why it doesn't stay on her face forever. Hard concept.

Three Year Times: 6 {Bigger}

You keep doing it.

You keep getting bigger.

I read this yesterday...

It makes no sense and makes sense of everything, this love for you, child our together love chose, and to be a mother, this is the rarest gift in the world. Forbid, that we just have children and that is all — when everyday offers the unwrapping of wondrous, holy grace...

Somedays you turn again and there it is again, how we once were, one, how I'd hold you and you'd meld into my shoulder, damp and drowsy.

How when I'd fall asleep, you'd too close your eyes...

You'll be 4 soon.

I hear it said often that time will fly as we raise you.

I've learned that, that "flying time" is not just time lost, or gone too fast, but it is made up of something a little more difficult.

It's called, letting go.

As time swirls on & we watch you grow, harder questions about you emerge.

As it always will be.

It's hard. Hard to know what is always best for you.

Because, I know what I'd like, but then again, it's not all about me.

It's about you. And the plan that was made for you long ago.

And that is hard too. When will it never be about me?

When will I ever think about the best for others with no concern for me?

The Lord is teaching me.

And as you keep growing bigger, I keep growing too.

Being a parent is an interesting thing.

It is full of joy & sorrow. Pain & celebration.

But. I promise you, we will always be full of joy for you & who you are becoming.

It is a joyous, infectious feeling catching the glimpses of that mighty woman slowly growing inside that little body of yours.

You are cherished and treasured.

We are so grateful we get to walk this road with you, little big girl.