Love.These.Kids.

We've been doing a lot of playing outside these days. It is great having a yard, quiet street, and driveway to play on. And, neighbor children to play with. Aidan asks me everyday, "Can I go play with my neighbors?"
 I started watching a little boy today and will continue to do so part-time for the next little while. I am trying to save up a little extra money for plane tickets to Kansas for Christmas. Aidan is only about 2 months younger than him and they actually play well together, so I think it might actually be a win-win situation.

Nora is walking really well now and can go up and down the driveway at record speeds. She loves being outside and screams if you open the door, but don't let her out. She is really cautious about steps and stands at our front steps and holds out her hand sweetly for help. Her newest words are "step" and "dance."

It was in the low 60s today and we had fun wearing jackets. It was 94 yesterday and we were in shorts and tank tops, so it was quite a change this morning. I enjoyed dressing the children in long pants today and love the cooler weather. It is supposed to warm up again into the 80s next week, so we'll be back to wearing summer clothes, but the taste of fall is still nice. We baked cookies this afternoon and took a long walk around our neighborhood. It has been awhile since I've had both kids in the jogger together because most days Aidan wants to ride his bike instead. We had a nice little stroll though and it ate up the last bit of the afternoon before Daddy came home.

Is it just me, or do my kids look more and more alike?

So He Says...

Aidan purposefully dumped a cup of water out of the tub onto the bathroom floor. I (Seth) went and got the wooden spoon that we use for spankings.
"Aidan," I said, "You deserve a spanking for pouring water out of the tub. You know you aren't supposed to do that. But I'm not going to spank you; I'm going to give you grace."
"What's grace?"
"It's when you deserve a punishment for something, but I don't give you the punishment."
"You aren't going to give me a spanking?"
"No. You deserve one, but I'm going to give you grace instead."
"I like grace!"


Aidan: Do I have dirty sin?...in my bottom? (very interested about sin, grave, heaven, and Jesus these days)

Aidan talking to us at dinner: "Yesterday we drove to heaven with you guys and saw Davis."
Me: "Where is heaven?"
Aidan; "He's Davis's daddy!" (Kevin)

Aidan putting on a new pair of pants: "I get to grow up in these pants?!"

One. Wow.

Nora,

My dear baby girl, you are now one year old. A walking, gibberish talking, snack eating, peek-a-boo playing, one year old.

You are such a cutie patootie. You are jabbering more and more now and have the sweetest little voice. You can say, "mama", "dada", tasha, baby, bath, hi, bye, Aidan, and "peek-a-boo". You like to play peek-a-boo by covering your ears and saying peek-a-boo to us. It is so cute. 

You are a great walker. You started walking just a little bit after you turned 11 months and now are doing such a great job. You really like to wear shoes and you love to go outside and play. You have worn holes in shoes from running down the street in your walker. You spend most of your day walking around inside though...and carrying things. You love to have a snack cup in hand and as I write this you have one in each hand. If you don't have a snack you usually have a baby or stuffed animal, or two babies in your arms. You never seem to be empty handed. You love to put things in odd places. For instance, I found my wallet today with the dishtowels and you love putting magnets under the stove or in the cabinets. 

You are an excellent eater for the most part although you have decided to be a little more picky about eating your veggies. You love fruit, especially  mangoes and grapes. Your faovrite snacks are Cheerios, puffs, rice cakes, and crackers. You also love popsicles and smoothies. You devoured your entire cupcake at your birthday party and really know how to cram the food in. You are still nursing about 3 times a day and sometimes at night when you wake and are inconsolable. You do drink almond milk in a sippy cup during the day now too. 

You are such a delight and add such joy to our lives. What a wonderful first year!

Love,

Mama

I've Seen Better Days

It is easier to write about things after you've let them muddle in your mind for a few days. We had a major disappointment this week and it clouded my thinking.

When things start to look like they are turning around for the better it is easy to get caught up in the joy of those moments. So when calamity strikes again, the let down is almost greater than before.

Plainly speaking, our week unfolded as such:

We bought a 2nd vehicle
We did not want to spend money on another vehicle, but with Aidan starting preschool, Seth unable to get consistent rides to work, and his commute being about 35-40 min. now, we were forced into making that decision
The vehicle we bought broke down
The vehicle we bought was a lemon and we lost all our money
No one was available to give Seth a ride to work
Our van's check engine light came on (thankfully it was nothing major)
Aidan started preschool
We began searching for another vehicle

This week has been rough. I haven't felt like blogging. We have felt stressed with all the little details of our lives and the huge hassle it was to find transportation for everyone.

But the sun will come out tomorrow and Nora will be turning 1! Yippee!

Speaking of which, I just love that girl. She has such a funny personality.

This is what I found in our kitchen the other day: doll stroller with a car, bottle of nail polish, and 2 puzzle pieces. She is one for gathering things and putting them in drawers, under the stove, in her stroller etc... I think it is so funny.

Love that she can now walk and that she can use those little snack catchers!

And this is my all-time favorite face she makes! Hilarious!

First Day of School

Age: 3 year 5 months
Favorite things: Backyardigans, drums, music, bike riding
Favorite food: PB and honey
Wants to be: Fireman or a "churchman that plays drums"
Favorite thing about going to school: playing outside, circle time treats

Between a teething baby, who is now walking, and a naughty little 3 year old who likes to draw pictures on the kitchen floor, I have been busy. Keeping the peace is my motto around here.
Here's what has been going on in a nutshell:
Due to inconsistent rides to work for Seth, we started a serious car search this past week. With Aidan starting preschool in just 2 days, we needed a way for me to actually take him there. So, as of last night, we are now, after almost a year, a 2 car family again. We found a very inexpensive old car we hope will last us for at least a little while.

 Nora is still struggling to take one good nap a day even though she decided to drop the morning nap on her own. She also seems to be working on her molars and having issues sleeping through the night again (surprised?--I say not). She turns one on Sept. 10th and is walking all over the place.

Aidan has just been finicky. All sweetness and then extreme naughtiness all wrapped up in the same little 3 year old package. He has been a little "up and down" which is similar to how he was when we first moved to SC. I am thinking the new house and schedule are causing some adjustment for him. He starts preschool on Tuesday.

 I have been in major craft mode....mostly late at night when little ones are sleeping, dishes are still piled high, and floors unswept. And because I really don't have much more to say, here are some more pictures of things I am working on. My current project is a tutu and hat set for a newborn. Can't wait to finish it. A new blog for all things crafty is in the works and my sister and I are setting up our shop. Hopefully we'll be good to go sometime this week. Then, you'll probably hear less about crafts and more about the fam on here.

A few things I've been working on

I know the pics are not so good. Our camera lense is kinda broken, but I keep "fixing" it to take pictures because I don't have the time or money to worry about it. So, our pictures will just have to be what they are for now.

Anyway, this is what I've been working on. Starting up a shop soon. As soon as I get my hubby to work on the website. :)