Another Pajama Monday

Last week Newbie pulled a late-nighter, refusing to go to bed at a decent hour.  After many tears, he hitched a ride downstairs to hang out with Daddy while Momma packed away all kinds of baby supplies that have been begging for organization.

Then this happened:

We're having a climb on top of the big Sterlite tub and own it kind of Monday, and in our jammies to boot.  I've had some sort of allergy monster plaguing me the past couple days, so we're having a pajama day, but I've climbed an Everest of laundry and worked through some pantry paper pile demolition to make up for the lack of get-it-together this morning.  It feels good.  It feels stand on top of a box with your arms up in victory good.  If I had the energy to climb on top of the washing machine and punch my hands in the air, I totally would.

We had a packed weekend, and I think I'm on fun detox today.  That would explain the laundry and the pantry sorting.  We're going to low-key it for a bit to make up for the go-go-go of the weekend.

Yesterday in a nutshell:
-The Hubs and I subbed in Newbie's nursery where we got to meet a few of his regular Sunday buddies. 
-We high-tailed it over to my parents for a quick corndog lunch before Newbie napped and I went with my mom to the baby shower of a dear friend of ours. 
-We zipped home to host our first small group meeting where we grazed on baked potatoes and a wonderful dessert. 
-Uncle J and Aunt Corndog babysat Newbie for us through dinner and hung out for a while when they brought Newbie home.  (I love it when my bro-in-law hangs out for a while because it usually ends in him fixing something very broken on our computer.  I'm glad I married into a family of fix-its and handymen. =])

Whew.  Even the list wears me out.  It was a busy day.  So for the rest of today, its cuddling and reading and "bubble"...not to be confused with bubbles.

 

Newbie hasn't mastered the "p" or "z" sound, so he's dubbed this his "bubble".  I found this puzzle at a kids' consignment shop for a dollar fifty last week, and Newbie has LOVED playing with it.  I set it in front of him at the table then went to get dinner started, and when I stopped back to see how he was doing I found the puzzle like this!  I hadn't shown him how to piece it together- he just figured it out on his own.  What a smartypants! =)

 

We are now obsessed with the bubble and we like to carry it through the house and make pit stops to try and fit the pieces together.

 

 

The bubble is always more fun with a sippy cup in hand, and baby hair is always more fun with a little bit-o-style:

 

BAM.

I'm off to catch a snoozer with Newbie before I remember something else I'm suppose to get done today instead.  I hope y'all have a great start to the week!

Happy Monday!

PS- Did you see the Texas game on Saturday?  Ouch. We didn't watch, but we saw the score and heard it was brutal.  YOWzers. I think if we can teach Newbie to "Hook 'em Horns", we might have more luck next time.  We'll work on it this week.

Counting...

I hope your day is full of counting gifts.
*Mute the music in the player at the bottom of the blog to hear the video

Happy Sunday. =)

Cider, Crafts, and Crocodiles, Oh My!

There's a lot of things in life that I love, and Girls' Night is definitely one of them.  Last night a few ladies came over to bust out some crafts, laugh 'til our eyes watered, and eat all kinds of fall yummies.  I am so thankful for the incredible girlfriends God has placed in my life, and I love it when I ask the Hubs for a Girls' Night and he always, always says: "Go for it!"  I think my man knows Girls' Night is good for the soul.  He took our little man out on the town and then brought him back home and tucked him into bed while I hung out with the girls downstairs.  No question: the Hubs is a keeper! =) 

We had a ball and promised to do it again soon.  I love when Girls' Nights end with do-it-again-soon's. 

(Dontcha wish I could have figured out how to turn that mason jar-o-lantern right side up?  Yeah, me too.)

Our fun Friday poured into a Saturday morning that started with pumpkin pancakes and tumbled into a trip to the zoo.  We loaded up the lunch box, the diaper bag, and the wagon, then hit the road.  Newbie has been to the zoo several times in the past, but this was the first time we've been together as a family.  He came to the zoo with me a lot lot lot last summer while we planned Aunt Corndog's zoo wedding, and he's been with his Aunt Corndog and Uncle J because his aunt and uncle rock, but he'd never been with Momma and Daddy-O just for funsies. Today we made it happen.

You might be wondering why Newbie's got some face furniture. Right before we left the house, Newbie took a right hook shot from Opie, which landed him in a rad Lightening McQueen Bandaid just in time for the 114 pictures Momma took of him at the zoo. Total buzz kill.  But the good news is, Little Man rocked that Bandaid and took it like a stud.   He's such a tough guy; he just punched out a few tears before saddling up in the wagon and heading out for the zoo.  I'm telling you, the man would not even accept the ice cold help of the Boo Boo Bunny who's been living in the freezer for the past year.  Like I said: STUD.

We spent the morning checking out the petting zoo then had lunch and explored the aquarium and the monkeys and bears and lions.

 

(He went scrambling back to cling to his daddy's leg when the big wave came through the tide pool...I love that his daddy makes him feel safe.  His daddy makes me feel safe too. Number 465,343,328 why I love my man.)

Turns out there's a reason why zoo admission is cheaper in October...half the animals are MIA, a lonely "Seasonal Exhibit- See you next year!" hanging from the cage where cute little Lemurs or boingy Wallabies should be.  Ah, well.  Its the money we saved on the Lemurs and Wallabies that bought Momma and Daddy a package of Snickers and Candy Corn tonight.  Totally WORTH IT.

Tonight I'm plowing through the early Halloween candy while the Hubs is catching the Tigers vs. Rangers game after jimmy-rigging our rabbit ear antenna outside a downstairs window with- I KID YOU NOT- duct tape. No doubt about it: we are classy with a capital "C". 

Hope y'all are enjoying your weekend and have a blessed Sunday!

October's Motorboats...and a PAR-TAY up in HUR

***UPDATE!*** 

Updated to add that this is our 600th post together at Sprinkles & Wrinkles!!! That's a lotta posts! A lot of rambling about Lucky Charms and pregnant cankles and crazy puggles and adorable babies and talking toddlers and the best Hubs ever. A lot of writing about the incredible faithfulness of my God and the amazing depth of Jesus' love for us. 

I feel like we should have a party...let's celebrate, shall we?

A big thank you and [hug] to those of you who've been with me for years...

A big welcome and high five to those of you who have just started reading...

A HUGE thanks-a-bunch-for-stickin'-around to everyone in between!

And a big double thumbs-up to those of you who "follow me" on the right sidebar- I love seeing your beautiful faces and know who's reading! Come on over and join the party if you haven't already! =)
If I could get all of y'all an Oreo Blizzard to say "thanks for reading" and to celebrate #600, I would.  Or better yet, I'd throw us all a party with apple cider and pumpkin spice donuts with cream cheese icing and some Frances England music. I really, really would.  But it ain't in the budget, so I'll send you all lots of bloggy love and thanks, and we'll stick with what we know: a true-to-form Sprinkles & Wrinkles post. 

Thanks for hanging out and reading- you guys are da bomb-diggity.
 *****
Happy Friday! I just stepped on a wayward binkie land-mine, and I'd be lying if I said I didn't want to cry a little.  YOWZERS.

Friday's to-do list is intense this morning.  There's lotsa cleaning and cooking and grocery-getting to be done.  I've got a couple friends coming over for some fall-crafting tonight and then we're hosting our small group meeting Sunday afternoon.  Something about having people over makes me so so happy and also compels me to scrub a few toilets because MANNERS.

Speaking of happy, last night my FIL came over and fixed our leaky fridge that had been oozing icky water for 7 years strong.  Now all I want do is fill my sparkly, non-leaky fridge with fall delights.  We've had two crisper drawers I haven't been able to use since we got married 4 years ago, and now I am dreaming of going to the store and filling the drawers with apples and lettuce.  Que angel chorus.

Wow.  Yes.  My fixed refrigerator makes me THAT happy.  A BIG thank-you to Newbie's grandpa!!!

Newbie got in on the fix-it fun last night when Grandpa came over.

 

I love raising a boy.  He is too. much. FUN!
*****
A few days ago Miss L and I took the boys out for a day at the gardens.

It was awesome.  I love Miss L and her little family.  It was a harvest garden party complete with scarecrows and a beaver den and, of course, some fountain play because what's a 80 degree October day if your jeans and t-shirts aren't soaking wet when you leave?

Check out that motorboat face.  That boat is cruisin', baby. I'm so happy Miss L talked me into letting my guy get all wet and soggy before we left the gardens.  Sometimes you gotta let 'em be boys...even if it means a wardrobe change in the back of the car before strapping him into his carseat.

I'm off to conquer the insanity that is my to-do list.  I know I promised a giveaway this week, but things have gotten busy busy busy (eep!). The giveaway is in the making and will debut some time next week-  Stay tuned!

Wishing you all a fabulous Friday, and watch out for wayward binkies- they're not a good time.

Happy weekending!!!

Happy Fuzzy Feet

This makes me so happy:

We went to the store yesterday and picked up a package of socks "just like Daddy's" because Momma is Queen of Always Losing Socks. 

And Opie is Pauper of Eating Socks.

What's a pauper?

The Hubs is the king.  The King of Always Looking for Socks.

You know, "Always Looking" because he's married to the Queen of "Always Losing".

It's a terrible cycle.

So naturally, we needed more socks.

And now, we need dinner.  Which is a problem because I know whats coming: 10 minutes of leaning on the refrigerator door while I stare inside and wonder what on earth we're going to eat because I didn't thaw anything.  Then I'll spend another 10 minutes leaning against the counter devising a way to avoid cooking dinner.  Then I'll go back to the fridge and nudge a few things around.  Then I'll take a step back.  Then I'll sigh, shut the door, and go look at the dinner menu I planned out three days ago.  I'll chuckle thinking "Yeah, right. Meatloaf and mashed potatoes?  Not in this lifetime," because its already dinner time and that would take fo-eva.  Then I'll pull out a box of macaroni and cheese.  Or leftover burritos.  And I'll smile because VICTORY.  I don't really have to cook. 

All that dinner drama because its Tuesday, and I spent the afternoon thinking about how happy those two socks make me and picking out puzzles at the local kids' consignment shop instead of pulling out something to thaw for dinner.

Ya gotta do whatcha gotta do, and sometimes ya gotta do socks and puzzles.

I hope you find something that makes you happy today...so happy that you forget to make dinner. =)

**Stay tuned for a fun Start 'em Off giveaway coming soon!

Pumpkins for Free (well, almost free)

This weekend G-Mama and I took Newbie to get pumpkins from the best pumpkin stand ever.

 

Yep.  Read 'em and weep: pumpkins 25 cents a pop, baby.

They just don't make pumpkin stands like they used to...except at this little stop tucked away deep down in the boonies beyond several winding roads and cornfields.  But its totally worth the drive, as my mom and I decided last year.  Because you just can't get a decent sized pumpkin for 25 cents anywhere else.  

 

And the corn stalks?  50 cents.  I. am. not. kidding.

 

Its like this little old farm was made for a woman on a budget knee-deep in a fall decorating frenzy.  Aka: me. 

 

Last year my mom and I stopped by the same place and snapped some pictures of Newbie on the pumpkin cart:

And this year we did the same thing:

What a big boy!

 I can't believe how quickly my little guy sprung up from a roly poly baby into a wobbly wiggly toddler.  I think its safe to say that while I'm not sure where the time went, I have enjoyed every minute of it!

In addition to pumpkin gathering, we also made time to Skype Mutte and Great Grandad on Saturday. I'm not sure how it took me so long to jump on the video-chat train, but we grabbed a ticket a few weeks ago, and its a great ride.  I love that Newbie gets to see his great grandparents on the computer screen and that he gets to talk with them too!  He saw a clock hanging on Mutte's wall and started clucking his tongue like the tick-tock, tick-tock of the clock...it is such fun to watch him show off his tricks for the camera!

 

(Of course, Newbie had to sport his Texas Longhorn hoodie for our Skype date with Mutte and GD!  Hook 'em horns!)

 Speaking of fun, Aunt Corndog and Uncle J were out of town on Saturday and came back yesterday with a special something for Newbie:

 

I love out-of-town souvenirs, especially when they are handmade and wool and involve pom poms and Elmo.  Newbie does too.  He was so excited about his "Melmo" hat, but when we stopped to take a picture, he pointed to something on the table he must have thought was a necessary accessory to his outfit...

("Melmo...Melmo....Meelllmmmoooo)

Ah ha!  That's better!

 

And when he had his Elmo slippers in hand, suddenly all was right in his world.

Would now be a good time to tell you that before I had kids I was SO convinced I'd never let them wear corny cartoon character stuff?   I am such a sell out. But I can't help it- he just loves them so much.  Who wants a boring pair of slippers when you could have Melmo slippers?  Or a boring hat when you could have a pom pom the size of a donut hole sticking out beneath two Elmo eyes?  I can't deny him all the fun that comes with wearing a favorite, so I am proud to say we are all about the Melmo accessories over here.  Also Lightening McQueen, and Curious George and Clifford.  All our homies are fair game.

You know what else we are all about?  The poofy vest. I could have just eaten this boy up with a spoon before church on Sunday:

 

A marshmallow puffy vest makes a cute toddler about a thousand times cuter.  Who would have thought it was even possible?  (Hi, Opie!)

I think that just about does it for the weekend recap.  I'm out of pictures and out of words and out of brain power now that the clock says its past my bedtime.  

Hope your week is off to a great start!

Adios!

A Sunday Something

Hi, friends!

I just wrote out the following as an email to a few friends, and then realized I was adding email addresses at an alarming rate that was flirting with "forward" territory. You know, "forwards": where you send out something cool to everyone you know- usually like a cute picture of a cat eating Oreos or something.  The problem is that this is way better than a regular "forward", and I wanted to share it without people deleting it thinking I sent them a cat eating Oreos to greet them from their email inbox Sunday morning. 

So I decided to post it to the blog because its definitely something worth sharing. =)

*****

I am loving Shaun Grove's testimony and witness.  He has given up a lot to love God and others well by pouring himself into the Compassion International ministry.  I've been reading a lot of his stuff (a lot of the bloggers I follow go on trips across the globe with him to promote Compassion International), and I am so challenged by his commitment to REALLY really really live for Christ in a culture that screams "more is always better" and "its all about me". 

While reading his blog, I'm tempted to say, "I wanna be more like that guy."  Then I stop myself and realize what I really want to say is "I wanna be more like Jesus"  ...and I only get it flip-flopped because this guy is SO living like Jesus.  He is doing something right in a world that's doing a lot of things wrong. Its incredibly inspiring, and I'm learning a lot from his example.

I ran into His latest blog post tonight and had to pass it along.

Also, I'm totally getting his Third World Symphony CD. I've been listening to bits and pieces for a couple weeks and its awesome.  Love the music, love the project. Do I sound like a Shaun Groves commercial yet? Ha! =)

Check. this. out: http://shaungroves.com/2011/09/label-me-this/

...and have a happy Sunday!