Candy. Week.

Happy Candy Week!

Are we the only ones already overdosing on Reese's and all other forms of Halloween candy?

One fall festival and two grandparents' houses later, we are drowning in chocolate and Nerds, and its a proven fact that I have absolutely no self control the last week in October.  And I'm not the only one.  I found incriminating evidence at the top of the trashcan in the form of a Peanut M&M wrapper that was consumed while Newbie and I were napping on Sunday.

And we haven't even debuted the homemade costume yet.

More candy is coming.

We're in trouble.

Singing

Missing my girls and thanking God from the depths of my heart today for


goldfish cracker crumbs sprinkling the backseat

juice cups littered down the hall and...in the toy bin(?!)

throw pillows never EVER in the right spot on the couch

muddy rain boots stuffed into the closet

curly hair peeking up into the rear view mirror

tugging, eager hungry hands underfoot in the kitchen

Nemo, a squirty shark, and a mushy alligator on the floor by my bed

"Happy morning, Momma!"

slippers hiding under the drapes

yogurt and oatmeal smeared on the placemats

pumpkins and paint and messy...everything

old diapers piled up on the step in the garage

new diapers sitting in a green box by the front door

"You wanna pray, Momma?  Dats a good idea!"

three rubber duckies all in a row on the bookshelf

and a quilt to match

(Thank you for the special quilt that came in the mail today, Too-Tee!  We love it!)

...Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. 
Ephesians 5:19-20

His Hundred Acre Wood

Happy weekend!

I've spent the afternoon watching football with the boys and digging up some favorite pictures of my little guy- just the everyday stuff that doesn't always earn a frame, but certainly deserves a day-in-the-life slideshow. Its the everyday stuff that makes life so sweet, and I wanted to capture some of it before the pictures found their way into the endless pile of photos on my hard drive.  I've got a longer version I'm going to burn to dvd with a couple other songs, but had to put together a mini version for the blog....because its Saturday, and slideshow making is more fun than laundry!

Make sure you turn your speakers on, or you'll miss hearing our current favorite song...




Hope you find some time to play today!  =)

*Music: "Winnie the Pooh"  Zooey Deschanel 

Birthdays and Play Dough

My sister reminded me that its about time for an update.

It's been quiet on the blog.

But we're still here. =)

Just trying to do a better job of being present with my family, and right now that looks like less computer time and more homemade play dough time.  And sometimes more napping when the little guys does time so I'm not unraveling by dinnertime.  A rested momma= a happy momma!

We've been doing lots of autumn-ing, as usual for this home team.  Lots of leaves and birthdays and inside-because-its-too-cold-outside activities (made all the better by the many Pinterest inspired ideas!).

("Say 'CHEEEESE!' Momma!)

(Happy Birthday, GiGi!)

(Happy Birthday, Grandma!)

(The Hubs and his bro reading a list of 50 things their momma taught them for her 50th b-day)

(My name is Newbie, and I eat lemons.)

(We love raiding Daddy's shaving cream for afternoon fun.)

(FYI: Jello play dough made with whole wheat flour is a lot uglier than when its made with white flour.  Pinterest fail!)

I'm off to a girls' night to change a diaper before I leave for girls' night.  

Happy Thursday!

coffee. cars. Friday.

coffee

jammies

puzzles

strawberries

laundry

dog food

cars

airplanes

pumpkin bread

coffee

books

spiders

pumpkins

closets

chili

birthday cards

socks

shoes

bonfire


Happy Friday from my day to yours.  =)

Of Apples and Autumn and Rest

We had a fall-tastic weekend, complete with a trip to the apple orchard just in time to have donuts for lunch on Saturday.  Pajama day turned apple day, and it wasn't a bad trade.

(We had to trade in Newbie's rain boots for his snow boots- it was that cold! We were goofing off by the bonfire waiting for Daddy to come back from the car with warmer garb.  He is such a ham!) 

(I wanted to take this cow home with us.  So. cute.)

(Newbie's dream come true: a giant sandbox full of trucks.  Forget the applewood bonfires and the bounce houses and the tee-pee and the ponies and petting zoo and barrel train.  This is all we did after he found it.  The. whole. time.)

(We did make time for the pedal go-carts.  We sold him on them by telling him they were like Lightening McQueen.)

Reason # 435,234,231 the Hubs is a fabulous dad:

(Totally still crushing on this guy after eight years)

(Would you like some hand sanitizer with that apple crisp donut?!? Classic Brittany. I never travel without it!) 

(Yum. The donut too, but mostly those chubby little fingers.  Yum.)

*****

At church our pastor has challenged us to read through the New Testament in eight weeks. We're reading through The Books of the Bible, a version of the Bible that has all the subtitles and verses and red letters taken out- it reads a lot like a story, and I'm loving it so far.  I'm playing mega-catch-up today, trying to get my game together before women's Bible study tonight (eek! Hi, Kristi! =]).  I'm in the middle of the book of Acts and was really struck by a verse that reads: "Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace and was strengthened.  Living in the fear of the Lord and encouraged by the Holy Spirit..."  Acts 9:31

I had to read it again to be sure I caught it just right because it was so very perfect.  God put up a hedge of protection around the church and blessed them with a season of peace where they could be strengthened and encouraged.  LOVE that.  Just love it.  Because it so fits where I'm at right now.

For the past...few months? I've been asking to be thrown a bone.  I know life isn't easy, and I know everybody has a different story, but for a while our story felt like it was in a whirlwind of challenge and struggle, and while we were learning and growing in ways that we wouldn't trade, it. was. hard.   Crazy hard.  Crazy lean into Jesus because its the only way to walk hard.  And in many ways, I loved it.  I loved seeing His strength in my weakness and feeling His closeness more than I ever had in losing my girls.  Because it was sweet- getting to know the Lord on a level that I hadn't before.  It changed me, and I am so much better for the hurting. But it was hard.  And now, I feel like for the first time in two years, my little family is experiencing such a season of peace.  A calm.  A moment in time where we can just rest and be strengthened.  Where we can breathe a little easier.   And I don't know how long it will last- maybe even just this moment? - but I'm diggin' it, and I'm drinking it in deep.

A couple weeks ago, the Hubs took a new job at a company that treats him well and is working in a role that he loves.  It has been a bumpy ride in the occupation department in the past, and we are so grateful for this opportunity.  We've felt the challenge of being a stay-at-home Mom/one income family since the day I quit working to stay home with Newbie, and it certainly puts a lot of pressure on the Hubs in the j-o-b department.  I'm so proud of him for continually trusting God to provide, and we are just thrilled with his recent job change. He is happy and working hard, and it is so nice to see him love what he does.  With this new job and the steady routine we're falling into, it feels like things are finally slowing down a bit after a crazy couple years losing Eden and then moving and then losing Jubilee.  The summer was busy, and we were numb for a good portion of it.  Its just been a wild ride.

I'm so thankful for this change in season, and in my spirit I feel very much like God is blessing us with "a time of peace" where we will be strengthened and encouraged by the Holy Spirit.  Our hearts are still aching, as they always will, and there is still a lot to process, but we can breathe a little easier in these days.  While we know (oh, how we know!) change happens, and there's just about always something around the corner, we are giving praise for this quiet bend along the autumn road and letting our souls rest in Him.  

Here's to autumn and the beautiful peace that comes when we are still and know that He is God.

(I'm not the only one digging this season of rest! ...he is actually currently having a hay day because I have neglected to put him in bed for an on-time nap since I've been blogging...time for him to catch some more Z's!)

Of Downtown and Dinosaurs

I can't believe its been a week since I woke up to Mount Rainier in Washington.  Last night we tied up the (very busy!) week since my trip out of town with a pretty bow, spending the evening with some dear friends.

We hit up the city with our kiddos after stopping for a quick dinner. The Hubs and I have known these two since middle school, and it was so surreal to be walking around downtown with two strollers.  Looking down at four pairs of shoes representing years of friendship and two sets of wheels representing two little boys who are sure to be buddies made me feel so happy.  At the risk of really pouring on the cheese....we've come so far and we have been so blessed!

(Me and my sidekick swooning over my sweet friend's newest addition!)

(Bundled. Up.  Fall is officially here in all its chilly glory. PS- giraffe hat and matching giraffe mittens?  Check.)

(There was a wholelotta "Do Not Touch" and a wholelotta little boy going on here...I have a death grip on the back of his coat.  He kept us on our toes!)

("Momma, what dat?  What dat?")

(Hello, cute.)

(Quick stop for some late night pumpkin spice lattes?  Yes, please!  I LOVE coffee shops in the evening.)

(We saw lots of art...this was a beautiful mosaic of the Garden of Eden- it was huge!)

(Not impressed.  But in his defense, it was past his bedtime.)

(We heart downtown at night!)

(The cool new parents! Momma is already a pro- feeding little peanut on the go.)

We topped off the evening with a pre-road trip diaper change in the back of our cars.  My, how the times have changed- from double dates at the movies to double diaper duty in the parking garage. I'll take it!

Newbie and I are hanging out on the couch this morning while Daddy-O sleeps in.  After waking up at 4 in the morning the past three days and working long hours, we figured he's earned it. (Thanks for working so hard for us, Daddy-O!!!)  But do you know how hard it is to keep a toddler quiet?!  If he's not whaling on Opie (his new wrestling buddy) and belly laughing, then he's shouting, "Dat's me an' da dinosaur!!!" over my shoulder while I upload pictures.   Its a little after nine now...if we make it until ten, I'm going to count it a success.

Its cloudy and cold outside today, and the first Saturday we've been together as a family in three weeks...I think I might smell a pajama day. =)  

Happy Weekending!