A little Cute

We have a 3 season porch attached to our home and it is proven to be such a blessing.  We really miss it in the dead of winter when it closed off. Eventually when finances allow, it is both of our dreams to winterize it so we can sit on cold days surrounded by snow falling, sipping hot chocolate.

The boys are mobile and we have made the majority of the downstairs 'friendly' but this is where the three can be found most often. Someday this room will be a haven for Mom and Dad but for now it is the kids playroom.

So here they are.  Two cute pictures from the week.  A typical September afternoon... Just lounging around :)

Yet all who did receive Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God. John 1:12

Most Wonderful time of the Year.

We had our annual apple picking adventure early this month.  Gathered up our gear, some good family, great friends and headed to Windy Hill Orchard which is conveniently located up the road from us.  My mother, sister and one of my best friends Casey and her daughter Mak joined us.

The weather was phenominal and was just perfect for picture taking.  Here is some down time for Daddy walking the pumpkin field with the kiddos.

Makayla on the move. Feeling free and a well deserve moment of just being a kid.

Andrews first taste of fall....everything goes in the mouth.

Resting on the rock with all the rugrats. Three of mine and one I love like my own. I think four looks good on us....dont you..? Who knows..... maybe God has placed another little one on my heart after all

Beautiful Casey and Makayla.  Casey's strength amazes me.  Just a few months ago the love of her life Keegan went home to be with the Lord and she keeps moving one foot in front of the other.  I couldn't help but feel sadness for her on this beautiful day.  I could feel the heaviness. I caught a few quiet tears. My own eyes welled a couple times and there was a knot in my throat.I cant imagine the pain.  If I could take it away for just a little while I would. To trade places for a few hours because I feel broken and helpless thinking of how heavy this hurt is for her. There is a comfort though. My heart rests in the truth that God promises a reunion. It will be beautiful. In the meantime I am most certain that Keegan is watching closely in amazement at the strength of his girls.

Always learning. Such a clever and beautiful little heart. xo

Drew hamming it up with Auntie Casey. Drew has been known to enjoying nestling in with Casey. A natural Mommy.

Mimi and Addy on the hayride. :) Family is so important.  If I were rich I would buy a street and move us all in together.  Imagine the awesomeness of having everyone you LOVE on the same road!!  To dream...

Us Mamas and the wacky ones.  Our little girls are silly.

George laying in the field with Daddy. What a gorgeous day to just soak it all in.

The boys doing what they do best.

Joy.

On top of the world.

Feeling proud of his ability to move around independently.  You cant see the vicious tooth but its there!!

Drew and Georges first 'haystack' picture. I probably could have put more effort into their attire seeing as I knew they would be in lots of pictures.  The weather was so crazy.  Hot in the sun and freezing in the shade....it was breathtakingly gorgeous though

These boys will eat anything and for once are not told 'No No No' when they dig in.

Aunt Courteney and Drew catching some snuggles. Extra arms are always a mus. Love being surrounded by people I love.

Next year they will be walking through the orchard. I remember Addy this age....

Professional picker.  This kid will eat and eat and eat.

Sums up the afternoon.  Peaceful.

We had a hayride, picked Macs and Cortland's, fed some animals, played in the pumpkin field, ate candy and even did the Corn maze.  No successful pictures taken in the maze because it was actually very difficult and the mini girls were running in different directions!  Stressful!!! After about a half hour we found the 'entrance' once again and most gave up.....it was hard! Matt and one of the boys were still battling inside  so I ventured back in while the others laid in the sun on the hill. ( Technically Im the only one that went all the way through....just sayin'...lol).

It was a blessed and beautiful day.

To everything there is a season,
and a time to every purpose under the heaven:

A time to be born, and a time to die;
a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;

A time to kill, and a time to heal;
a time to break down, and a time to build up;

  A time to weep, and a time to laugh;

a time to mourn, and a time to dance;

A time to cast away stones,
and a time to gather stones together;
a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;

A time to get, and a time to lose;
a time to keep, and a time to cast away;

 A time to rend, and a time to sew;
a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;

A time to love, and a time to hate;
a time of war, and a time of peace.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

m embracing;

A time to get, and a time to lose;
a time to keep, and a time to cast away;

 A time to rend, and a time to sew;
a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;

A time to love, and a time to hate;
a time of war, and a time of peace.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

DREW number TWO

There are three very special men named Drew in our lives.  Two most of you know very well.  My Dad and one of our baby boys.  Then there is ....Dreeeewwww ( said with a tone of girlish taunting).

Part of the fun( and somewhat not fun) of raising a little girl (at least in our experience) is the instant love and interest in little boys. It seems to be part of the genetic make up. We try not to pay too much mind to it, but she certainly does a lot of talking about this little man.  Who knows, maybe this will be a cute little love story.  Twenty years from now of course.

Addison and Drew go to the same preschool and this is their second year in it together.  She was joyful on learning he was in her class again....then to spot him quite a distance away at her first soccer practice, well...that was even more exciting.  The grin, the fluttering eyes...yikes!!  She immediately ran to him and grabbed his hand.  Even asked me to take their picture.  

How unexcited I am to imagine there may (will) come a day where this precious little child gets her heart broken or is turned away.  Cant go there, don't want to even imagine. I pray that when those times come, like with any situation, that God places on my tounge the exact words she needs to hear. Words that lift her and set her eyes on God and His promise for her. ...that we could successfully provide the guidance she will need to navigate this world and all the gloomy places as well as the joyous occasions. May Truth be the light her feet follow and I be the arms she falls into.

She is going to be a lovely little lady.  She is going to have a beautiful life.  She will always be my number one girl. She was created by Excellent Hands and born to parents who adore her.

God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved; God will help her when morning dawns. Psalm 46:5

Almost 9 months....

How cute is this? Trapped in the livingroom so Mom can actually get something done.  They have free range of most of the downstairs but these gates are a lifesaver.  A few of the doorways have them available and we can adjust to our needs as the day moves on.

The boys are now almost nine months old. Look at them!  They are little boys now. My little men. The year has flown.  Both of them have settled into a pretty good nap and sleep routine ( which means we are starting to get back to normal around here) ,are eating all kinds of food, are super fast crawlers, can get up and down on their own, cruise furniture and occasionally even stand alone!  

Its funny to watch each day because they are not too far off from one another in milestones.  Typically less than a week.  The only difference now is the tooth!  Drew got his first tooth early September.  He is very proud too.  His second one is half in right next door but has proven stubborn.  My guess is George will make the tooth team this week.  He has two peeking through on the bottom and has been quite a little fuss budget.

How deeply blessed I am .Three kids growing like weeds.  Healthy and strong.

Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, the fruit of the womb...
~ Psalm 127:3 from KJV

 

4 folks in a very tiny tub

 Yes, I bathe with my kids.  Is that weird?? I actually find it much easier than leaning into a tub and crouching down for an endless amount of time.  Three kids to bathe is hard too and the boys cant quite be trusted yet to sit upright.  They just want to dive right in!  Plus....what kid doesn't like a nice long tubby.  If we all go in together we get more water time and enjoy each others company.

Most of you who read this understand how tiny both of our bathrooms are ( one doesn't even have a sink in it!).  Our tub is about the size of our largest bathroom, but guess what?  We can all fit in it!  I desperately tried to convince my husband to join us but he resisted the pressure.  So.....here we are any night of the week at about 7pm.  A nice warm bubble bath and its off to bed.

With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.

Isaiah 12:3

Freebies last week...

Tuesday: Wall Street Journal, Sample pack of Huggies and a money saving coupon.

 Wednesday: Wall Street Journal, 10 pack of gorgeous personalized business cards and a Slapgear watch.

 Thursday: Mens Health Magazine, Popular science Magazine, Popular Mechanics Magazine, Outdoors Magazine, 4 samples of Lactaid with coupon and 2 Huggies money saving coupons.

Friday: Two Huggies onesies, 4 Gerber coupons, sample of Astroglide, Wall Street Journal and a coupon for Good Start formula.

Saturday:Wall Street Journal, People Magazine, O Magazine and a free box of gently used clothes from Thredup with a credit I got for signing up ( had a large enough credit the S&H was free too)

12 pieces of clothing from the box I got for free.

...and Soccer has begun. It's in our blood.

 Soccer, Soccer, Soccer...yeah, we can finally have a sport playing kid instead of all the dance stuff.  The pictures are not in order of how they were taken but I wanted to share anyways.

 Over the past year we have had some worries as to whether Addy would wind up a handful with some of the behaviors we had been seeing.  Things have really turned around.  I can't pinpoint what exactly contributed to this change but she is a new girl.  Still has her spunk but is able to concentrate and follow directions.  This is her waiting on the direction on what to do next.

 Getting there I could sense that with all the excitement there was a bit of hesitation.  She had no idea what to expect of this ' soccer' we have been talking about since last June.  She stayed pretty close and with things that are new these days I get a slight tug of 'stay with me Mom'.  Its not often that I am needed by her for more than nourishment and art supplies these days so I hold on just as tight as she does.  After a moment or two, she does warm beautifully, usually after noticing a child feeling like her and walking over and offering a hand and smile.  Each time she walks away I get a knot in my throat.....I know its part of growing up, but its' proof that she can do it without me ( which I am very proud of but still makes me cry even writing about it).

 Lo and behold she knew lots of the kids.  Our old neighbor pal Ella was there and so were two friends from school ( not to mention the numerous slightly familiar faces from the town pool and town events). Along with another close girlfriend Phoebe , there was also her little crush of two years.  The beloved Drew.  She ran to him and they held hands.  I thought it was precious( at this age), Daddy just shook his head.  My Mom in law got some pics of them together so I will add them when I am smart enough to figure it out.

 Man oh man did she pick it up quick.  I was fighting back tears....seriously, I have been doing that a lot lately. Either I am getting old or pregnant......the later is quite impossible considering how much time we have on our hands here. 

 Learning to dribble with Daddy.  Just look at that little cute outfit and body on her!!  Like a real grown up kid!

 Ready....set....

 Also learning to stop the ball.  This was harder than just belting it into the distance.

 Fun with team spirit.

 Laughing with the kids after a very long and actually strenuous looking practice.

 The Crew.  The Vipers.  They have a cute little tough way to say it with a hand motion too.  This coach is top notch.

 Minor meltdown.  She needed to pee and thought that she wasn't allowed to leave and go.  I assured her it was ok to take a break but she does not like to break any rules ( at least not with other adults).  The little gal on the left is Phoebe, one of Addy's good buds from school.  This is their second year of preschool together and they also did dance last season together as well.  I think we will be seeing a lot of this little girl in the many years to come.

 Drills of dribbling and of running.  You wouldn't believe it unless you saw her for yourself.  I know I am her Mom and Mom's are obnoxious with their insatiable love for their kiddos, BUT...this kid is fast!  Not a little , not one of the fastest...THE fastest.  I could not believe my eyes.  Every run she was rocking it. Track and Field in our future.

 Taking them up and back. They did this so many times I lost count.  Kids were melting everywhere from exhaustion.  I was quite surprised that they did as much as they did.

 Dribble. Dribble. Dribble.

 Starting to feel confident.

 Feeling proud....

 ......and so was her Daddy.

 Go Addy , Go!

 The end of the day.  A success and a beautiful memory.  Luckily Nana, Papa and Grammy were there to join in on this exciting new first.  They were able to play with the boys so Matt and I could take part.  Poor them with the bugs being so horrendous and me bringing the most ineffective bug spray ever.  George is covered in bug bites...they cannot be too different.

Another beautiful day.  Kids slept like rocks....not a peep from any of them until 7am.  Thank you God for these perfect weather days and for wonderful family to enjoy it with.  Thank you , in days like these , for the slowing of time.  Thank you for opening our eyes to the goodness, to the grace, to the blessings, to the understanding that your love provided all this for us. 

“The Joy of the Lord is my strength.” Neh. 8:10