365Project.2 | Week 3

Well, my friends, without doing an official count, I think I took as few pictures this week as I have in any week since the beginning of last year. It's a good thing I only need one per day! :) I seemed to be running tired most days and the camera lay forgotten in lieu of the cappuccino till sometime post-7:00 pm. Ah well. Some weeks are like that. :) Without further adieu ...

Day 15. If you've never noticed, two-year-olds can be very particular (and a bit difficult to reason with) once they've made up their mind. Thus, Matthew and I spent nearly ten minutes hunting for the perfect rocket "that can stand up" in the Microsoft Clipart Gallery. He was so pleased when we finally found it! :) (We won't mention that it was the same rocket I had suggested about eight minutes earlier ...) ;) Once printed, he had so much fun coloring it and carefully clipping all of its edges ... and once complete, he went through great effort to make sure his masterpiece was very. well. secured. to the fridge. :)

Day 16. Oh the joy of a Mommy's heart to see her children loving on each other! Hannah and Peter worked together during most of rest time to design Thomas the Tank Engine and a semaphore from the little Legos just for Matthew. ♥

Day 17. It rained this week. A lot. Oh, did I mention that it rained? Yes, it did. Quite a bit. In fact, most every day this week it rained. A lot. Rain is good. Rain is good. Yes, rain. is. good. Thank you, Father, for rain. And thank you for sunshine, too. :)

Day 18. Wheat weevils. Have you heard of them? Yep, ancient history. By all of about one week. Ugh. Sigh. However, on the bright side, I love organization. Seriously. Having things in nice neat containers is a source of genuine delight. In the past I have considered buying these containers, but deemed them an unnecessary luxury. Having the privilege, by necessity, to finally invest in them almost makes the battle worth it. Thankfully, the war was brief, losses relatively few, and victory decisive.

Day 19. Ah! Sunshine and wonderful fellowship with friends. Can't beat that! :)

Day 20. We love you, Toby! Thanks for letting me snap your picture when I realized after everyone else was in bed that I hadn't taken a single picture all day.

Day 21. Team Peter and Mommy won the game of Qwirkle tonight! :) Peter was exceptionally pleased with himself that he managed to get a double-Qwirkle that Mommy hadn't even seen! (Mommy must admit she was pretty proud of him for catching it ... and quite glad for the extra 12 points, too.) :)

And that's about it.
Just a pretty normal, very wet week of life. :)

Thanks for stopping by. :)

365 Project | Week 21

Has it really been two weeks? In some ways it feels as though it's only been a few days, and in other ways it feels as though it's been a lifetime. Regardless, it's been good to be home, and I am thankful. 

Day 141. We've been listening to Radio Theatre's "The Chronicles of Narnia" as we drive around town, and we're in the middle of The Horse and His Boy right now. Somehow "The Dog and His Boy" seems an appropriate title for this Sunday afternoon snapshot.

Day 142. Hannah took it upon herself to design and create costumes for the self-directed play "David and Goliath." Unfortunately, the play has since been delayed until further notice. The costume designer failed to consult with the lead actor concerning costume specifications, and the aforementioned and henceforth unnamed actor was not pleased to wear a robe with flowers on the material. ;)

Day 143. One of Mommy's goals for the summer is to explore a variety of our area parks. This particular one ended up being a bit disappointing, but I still love how this picture captures my kids' stages.

Day 144. Ahhh. The delights of a puddle. ;)

Day 145. On Thursday we turned our door buying adventure into a picnic adventure. We happily discovered a very nice park, and my crew wore themselves out after lunch. And what picnic adventure is complete without a silly face picture? :)

Day 146. A hose was a welcome addition to a rather warm Friday afternoon. LOVE Peter's expression in this one. He had the upper-hand, and he knew it. ;)

Day 147. With over 200 pictures taken, it's rather difficult to choose just one, but we enjoyed the blessing of a wonderful time of fellowship with the families from our "Homebuilders" class on Saturday. So thankful for each one who was able to join us, and encouraged to see how the Lord is growing each family.

Amazing to look back and realize that these pictures capture just the tip of the iceberg. So thankful to be able to spend these days with my kiddos.

Celebrating Matthew! :)

What a fun weekend we enjoyed celebrating Matthew's birthday. :) It started Friday morning with a little boy who was very proud to be carrying in a box of munchkins for his classmates.So thankful for his teacher, Miss Bethany! :)

Decorations arrived after bedtime Friday evening ...

Yep, it'll look pretty much the same a few more times in the next few weeks. ;)

He recognized the tractor. Success! :)

Birthday boy at breakfast ...

Opening a few gifts ... a few new, a few repurposed ... ;)

Matthew enjoyed cuddling while Daddy caught a little break after returning from the morning's work project at church.

After a brief siesta, we enjoyed a VERY fun afternoon at the track and playground. :)

Not pictured, but Peter actually rode for a bit without his training wheels! Watch out, Hannah! ;)

Mommy enjoyed her bike buddy ... :)

Daddy's bike is sadly in need of repair, so he took pictures. :)

After bike riding, we migrated to the playground. Mommy took over the camera at that point. :)

Hannah-bug does amazingly well on the monkey bars--and she has the blisters/callouses to prove it!

Love this picture! :)Matthew was a tweak nervous for the first few trips down the slide. He was smiling at the bottom, but his expression mid-slide was TOO funny!

He obviously got used to it though. :)

Ah, yes. He LOVED the slide. :)

So did the big kids, but they were more interested in the climbing wall. ;)

And of course, if the big kids are doing it, Matthew wants to do it, too. ;)

Do I know him? ;) Mommy definitely knows this little guy's smile. :)

After our park trip, Toby enjoyed sharing Matthew's birthday dinner of spaghetti and green beans ...

And yes, Matthew enjoyed it, too. :)

Along with the presents. :)

And the candle. Not the cookie. The candle. Blow it out? Not a chance. Daddy blew it out? Must. light. another. candle. ...

And so, our "little" man turns two.
He'll flatly deny it if you ask him,
but the birthday came and went.
It is official. My baby is two.

Top Ten | Matthew

By random selection, Matthew's up next. :)

:: 1 ::

:: 2 ::

Not perfectly clear, but fantastic for the circumstances. I had music playing as we busied ourselves about the house, and Matthew's whole face lit up when he heard "This Little Light of Mine." So excited to capture his smile as he put up his "light."

:: 3 ::

Loving my 16x zoom! I was standing by our porch steps--Matthew was past the shed at the edge of our property.

:: 4 ::

Matthew loves Toby. :) And Toby loves Matthew.
Mommy loves capturing a clear picture of boy + dog.

:: 5 :::: 6 ::

:: 7 ::

:: 8 ::

:: 9 ::

:: 10 ::

This little guy just makes me smile! :)