perfect

finally after 8 inches of snow (still bitter, i know), the sun shined and the temperatures rose and we were able to go outside without coats and a bundle of blankets in a carseat. for a few short days, we played outside, went to the park, grilled out,etc.etc. on monday as we played outside, carter said, "daddy, today is what we call perfect!" 

this is miller's favorite thing to do right now-RUN!

what a boy!

a self portrait of mommy & spencer

a short walk to the park

i think she was right! i can't wait for spring!

oh, snow!

sorry for the long delay brought to you by comcast. comcast decided to take 5 days to get my chosen images from colonel awesome's computer to mine. (what do you think? is the name thing working? i didn't think so.) "ridicilus", as we like to say at our house. 

so, two weeks ago, it was rumored that we were in for more snow. carter had a birthday party to attend and josh had a bridal portrait to take, but the stars aligned and we were going to be able to do everything with a hand off at the portrait location. if you live in the south, you know that snow, real snow, is rare, and so is accurate weather forecasting. fast forward to halfway through the party when it starts to rain, then sleet, then snow in a matter of minutes. after i pried spencer from a grandmother's arms, we headed to meet the boys. by the time we made it to the location, the ground was covered and it was snowing hard. we headed home and i could hardly see a thing. my windshield wipers were not working very well and the street was covered in slush. by the time we made it home, it was almost dark. it snowed all night for a total of 8 inches! what?!?

josh played the guitar at an event after the portrait and the next morning at church. our kids didn't get to go play in it until the next day at 2 pm. look at how much snow was left!

snow is yummy!

so yummy, you should share it with a friend!

do you know what happens when you live in the south and you leave your umbrella up and it snows 8 inches~

that's what! nice.

4 days later after preschool, guess what was still on the ground? that's right, snow. now, don't get me wrong, i like snow. especially pretty, thick snow that makes everything look magical. i like it better when we ALL get to stay home and play in it and watch movies and drink hot chocolate while snuggled on the couch. i also like it better when it is gone when we return to our regular routines. this snow lingered, much like winter has altogether this year. and, i am SO OVER winter. 

my mom is not. she built this snowman with my kids after preschool. they made it a pirate snowman because that is the only hat they would let the snowman borrow. my dad found some sticks in the back yard and i pulled buttons from my stash. my mom found part of my broken tail light (from when josh backed into the fence ;) for the mouth and, voila! this was the response when i said, what does a pirate do? miller was heart broken about something. he never recovered. well, you can't make everyone happy! 3 days later we watched the last of our snowman melt. finally! and, it looked like spring was on it's way . . .

it's already starting

what? you ask.

this. this is what i dreaded my children would do. as a teacher, i dreaded they would be the free art kids. free art kids love the free art center. love it. they spend all of center time creating to their heart's content and then gingerly place each creation in their cubby for mommy to find. 

this is miller's first creation. i found it in his cubby a few weeks ago. as i removed it, the puzzled look must have said it all because one of his teachers quickly jumped in and said, "oh, miller cut that today and said, 'my mommy will love this.'" thanks, buddy!(insert sarcastic tone.)

why am i so unenthusiatic already? you ask. because below you will find a week's worth of free art from carter's first week of school. by the way, she only goes three days a week. 
this is the second year i have received such beautiful creations. please, don't get me wrong, i love that my children create. but what in the world am i supposed to do with it all. what?? please tell me. 
i mean how many pretend homework pages for miller can i own. notice not only does she make miller his own homework page, but she actually does it for him!

yummy fruit, anyone??

and, one of my favorites-this is from early fall, too. and, as it dictates, is a sweet picture of miller SO sad because he cannot find cookie. this i understand. this i want to keep, but what about the rest of it? should i feel guilty if i only keep the ones i think are special (because she thinks they are all special!)? help! otherwise, it is going to take over our tiny house!

same song, different verse

do you remember this?

well, look how they've grown! same kids. same chair. different wall color. different matching pjs.

bittersweet. (sigh.)

it won't be long before we squeeze three pajama clad cuties in such a picture. (sigh.)

the anatomy of an announcement

so several weeks ago, we loaded up the car and headed to my parents house in an attempt to capture the perfect photo of our new precious bundle of joy to use when we announced her existence to the world. i had the perfect idea in my head and i had to figure out how to get my idea through josh's eye and camera. let me just say that past experiences of josh trying to get the photograph i have envisioned have not always been pleasant, quick or successful. in fact, they are usually the opposite. my idea completely hinged on a vintage chenille chair at my parents' house. here is said chair:

. . . adorned with an adorable little boy who was more than happy to be our stand-in.

i could just eat him!

precious tiny baby feet

sweet big brother trying to make it all better. 

these two have such a sweet relationship. he says,"she's so cute. i love her."

the one. not exactly what i saw, but super close.

the runner up. also, not exactly what i saw and not as close as above.

and, now that they are in the mail, announcing . . .

it's not easy being green

as the parent of three children and a bible believing christian, i feel the need to do my part in caring for our planet. God gave us the earth and as his people, i believe we should take care of it. unlike many tree huggers, i do not believe that it will go away if we do not. i believe only God can do that. just as i should take care of my body even though God will choose when it will no longer be needed. all that said, we still try to do our part here by recycling cardboard, paper, plastic, glass, etc. we try not to litter or waste materials and so on. i am sure we can do more. and, we try to incorporate things as we become more aware. 

i know many people use these:

and, i think that is great. it is not for me. as a parent of three, i can hardly keep up with the laundry we produce, much less if i had a bucket full of these at the end of each day. plus, our almost three year old boy is still in diapers (i know, i know) and, well, if you saw what was in them, you would agree that we shouldn't use cloth ones too.

but then, i found these:

seriously, some things should not be reused. if you don't know what they are, look real close. that's right. i understand some of the benefits of cloth diapers, such as: 

saves money

safe for the earth

healthier alternative

the same benefits apply to these i am sure, but, really. 

and, i don't care how cute the fabric print is, that's just gross!

ugh!

"what in the world is lightening mcqueen doing on my hard wood floor?" you ask. i was wondering the same thing, so i investigated. 

paper? no.

sticker? no.

what in the world.

oh my gosh.

it's a rub-on. 

a rub-on. on my hard. wood. floor.

and it wasn't just lightening. it was doc. it was sheriff. and it was other various cars inspired parifinalia.

seriously. how did this happen? 

well, it turns out the cars rub-ons were in a box of stickers and paper miller begged to bring home from meme & papaw's. turns out, no one knew they were in there and miller didn't know what they were so they had gone unused. turns out, that his sister found them, knew what they were and knew how to use them. hmpf! of course, it did not turn out that she knew how to clean them up. ugh!

the colonel

are you a blog stalker?

i am. my friends and i talk about it all the time. how you click here and here and before you know it, you have fallen down the rabbit hole. then, when you land on one you love, you start at the very beginning and read every post they have ever written. if they still have your heart, then you add them to your favorites or your google reader or add yourself as a follower. and, within a few posts, you're besties. or at least you feel like it, but you've never met them or talked to them. like i said, you're a stalker.

one of the girls i stalk just so happens to be a bride of josh's. she has chosen to document her wedding ideas and plans on a blog. what a great idea! when i got married, you used a 3-ring binder. i still have it. somewhere. 

now, when your husband is a wedding photographer, you look at a lot of wedding pictures and, therefore, a lot of dresses, flowers, decorations, cakes, shoes, etc. i actually enjoy this. it is fun to see what people come up with. i think that is why i enjoy reading the pink paisley bride. she has a humorous way of covering all the details you dreamed about from the day you were born and still enjoy admiring long after your big day. another reason i like her blog is the nickname she has given her fiance-captain fantastic. i may have to steal it. it just sounds cool. example:

captain fantastic and i took the kids to the zoo today. 

oh, wait, if my husband sounds like a super hero then i will have to change my kids names, too. hmmm. 

and, the other reason i read the ppb is that she loves many of the same things i love-monograms, paper, silhouettes, etc. i know you love these things, too. so, i thought i would share a recent find on etsy.

you can find it here. i love it! i want one. but not of colonel awesome and i, but of our three wee ones- super diva, lieutenant awe, and the babe. (okay, so maybe the new monikers sound a bit ridiculous.) how cute would they be! but, for all you brides out there, this would be really cool with one of your engagement pictures. then, you could put it on thank you notes, a return address stamp, enclosure cards, etc. and, i would definitely frame one, too. oh, i can't wait!

oh, yeah, and if you are a blog stalker, comment every once and a while and then it's not so weird-advice i am going to take myself.

a little boy

i cannot believe it is happening. it breaks my heart a little. i know it will only get worse, but it has definitely begun. 

miller is no longer a baby or a toddler, he is a little boy. it hasn't happened suddenly. i have noticed one thing here and there. after giving birth, of course, i noticed how much bigger he looked and how he no longer looked like the baby he had the day before. but, then i noticed his hands had thinned out and were no longer chubby or dimpled. then, i noticed that he was just so full of energy all the time. he already creates running games that appear to have no true rules or goal. one such game took place while we were waiting for our valentine crayons to cook at my parents' house. 

my parents have this crazy steep hill in their back yard. miller would run to the top of the hill and then run as fast as he could down the hill looking as if he would fall every step of the way.

ready . . .

set . . .

run!

smile! 

well, at least that is what i said when i wanted to document the crazy outfit he was wearing. this is not what we wore to meme and papaw's house! my kids are obsessed with changing clothes at my parents' house. miller found these pjs from last summer and demanded he wear them. we gave in, of course, so we could laugh at how ridiculous they looked. they looked even more ridiculous when he put his converse on to go outside. now, you tell me, does he look like a toddler anymore to you?? where did my baby go?!?

a valentine tutorial

we made these really cute heart crayons for our valentines this year. they are not a new idea, but i thought someone might want to know how to make them. so, here goes!

first, we peeled the paper off of the crayons.

then, we broke each crayon into four pieces and separated the crayons by color. 

next, we placed about 12 pieces in each heart of the heart shaped mold. somehow i have no picture of this step. oh no, this tutorial is going badly already! then, we placed the mold on a cookie sheet (to protect your oven & make for easier in & out) and put it in the oven at 275 degrees for approximately 10 minutes or until the crayons had completely melted.

this is what the crayons looked like as they began to harden. i say begin because, if you look closely, you can see where each of my children put a finger in one of the top molds. 

here they are once we removed them from the molds.

this was a great craft for the kids. peeling the paper, breaking the crayons and separating into the heart molds is great for fine motor, too. (sorry, that is the teacher in me!) but, beware that when taken out of the oven, it is like hot molten lava and is not a kid friendly. i think this would be fun for various holidays or birthday party favors. in fact, you may see them again in a few months!

tips & tricks:

i have received several questions so i thought i would answer them here in case anyone else was curious.

*the crayons were purchased in single color packs of 12 at www.dickblick.com.

*the silicone mold was purchased at target in the $2.50 section. i would not use the same mold for food because i doubt it would ever come clean enough. 

*i put the mold and cookie sheet out of the oven straight into the freezer to help speed up the cooling process.

*you do not want to overcook the crayons because the wax separates and some color is lost.

i adore . . .

i adore any holiday that you can make decorations for. i guess you could make decorations for all of them, but i think it would be weird if you were to walk in my house and see a banner with several presidents hanging on the mirror. it would at least be a little creepy! so, instead, i will create things for the day of love.

so, here is a simple banner made with a fun scalloped oval. it is simple because i couldn't figure out how to embellish the oval shape without it looking weird. but, simple is good. i like simple.
i love it's location. i thought because it was such a short word, it needed a smaller home. i liked the way it looked so much, that i told josh it may hang there until september. why then, i don't know. i guess it just sounds far away. i have high aspirations for crafting this week, but we shall see!

splish, splash, spencer's first bath 01.31

so, um yeah, we are just keepin' it real here in blogland! if you read the entire title which includes the date of the photos, you are probably thinking to yourself, "her first bath was january 31st, wasn't she born on december 29th?" and, yes, you would be correct!

hey, don't be a hater! she is third, and until she can take a bath with the other two, bathing her will be, well, inconvenient. just to give her this bath, someone had to empty the dishwasher to have a place to put the pile of dirty dishes in both sides of the sink and do several loads of laundry just to find the counter.
and, someone had to go in the attic and find the correct box that contained the newborn bathtub and someone else had to rinse it out. we also wanted for the weather to warm up just a bit as not to scar her mentally from taking a warm bath in a frigid, old home.
and, honestly, we waited that long because we just never had time to do it before. i know it is sad, but life is a little hectic with three children and a husband who works multiple jobs! and, it's not like newborns get dirty!
just look at that sweet face. doesn't she look precious and happy and clean!

mawwage is what bwings us togetha today

carter has been obsessed with getting married for a while now. she is always telling me she wants to get married and tries to get miller to pretend they are getting married. (for a long time he said no, but he is coming around. poor little brothers being bossed around by their older sisters!) 

it is not uncommon for carter's preschool teachers to brag about something she created. when i was teaching next door (before spencer was born), they would frequently come over to show me something she had made. if you know carter, you know she loves to create-kinda like her momma, i guess. so, anyway, one day i was greeted at the door by ms.carla telling me i had to see what carter had made. she was right. it was precious. when i asked carter what is was, she said, "me and milluh getting mawwied." 

i love it! i love the detail. i love the hands glued together! i love that she loves her brother. and, i love the stage when girls want to marry their daddies and brothers because they love and look up to them so much. one day, somebody will have mighty big shoes to fill!

let it snow 01.20

a few sweet pictures taken before preschool on one of the many days it has snowed here. look at the single flake on miller's eyelash! and, carter trying to taste the snowflakes. i love that they think snow is magical (even if i am over it this winter!)

cause & effect

everyone asks, "how do carter and miller like her?" or "what about carter & miller?" or "do they like having a baby sister?"

and my response is always the same: "they love her!" and it is true. and then i say, "sometimes too much!" and that too is true. see example below.

A

plus

B

equals

C

we joke that her first words will be "go away" because she is never left alone. bless her heart! everyone wants to be loved this much, right?!?

to whom it may concern

dear mother nature,

i believe you have made some horrible mistake. or maybe i am trapped in a bad cold dream. it seems you have forgotten that i live in the "midsouth". it is here that we have ridiculously long and humid and hot summers; very short, blink and you miss them springs and falls, and mild might snow once winters. this has been the pattern for as long as i can remember. so, why must you change your mind now? are you angry at all al gore's fame? i know i think it is ridiculous too, but must you punish the rest of us just to prove your point. please, take pity on this precious new one that just entered the world.

should she look like an eskimo just to drop her sister and brother off at preschool? she has on more layers than one should. thank goodness she's not mobile yet because she wouldn't be after the way i dress her to keep her warm. not only are the temperatures ridiculously cold, but the wind, oh the wind, makes it feel worse. then, the rain and the snow-we have gone to preschool twice with snow on the ground. yes, i said on the ground! i know, i am being a bit melodramatic. okay, maybe more than a bit, but seriously. please, help me. i can't take it anymore. my skin is dry, my hair is static-y, my house is cold. i need sunshine and warm weather. soon. 

sincerly,

bitter & cold in tennessee

oh, and noggin, winter is not the most wonderfulest season.