All in a Day's ... Work?

Capturing sunshine in a water bottle ...
Practicing fine motor skills ...

Enjoying fine dining ...

Hanging out ...

Lovin' on Toby ...

Rebuilding a firetruck ...

Running off energy ...

Spinning the hula hoop ...

Playing at the park ..."Calling" an (old) friend ...

Creating masterpieces ...

Training the next generation ...

Cleaning up ...Loading the dishwasher ...

Catching a drink ... Enjoying post-bath rituals ...

"You smell so good I could eat you up!"

(VERY loud voices) "YOU LOVE HIM TOO MUCH TO EAT HIM UP!!!"

Reading a good book ...

Clunking ...

Ah, the life.

We are so blessed.

Clownin' Around

Clown Day, here we come!

365 Project | Week 7

Another whirlwind week gone by ... some days were more challenging than others, but the Lord truly gave grace for each day. It was hard to pick just seven pictures ... so hopefully the extras will appear later this week. ;o)

Day 42. He's a hoot! He spent much of Sunday afternoon wandering around like this ... maybe they read shepherd stories in the nursery? :o) (And yes, Aunt Janie ... he loves your blanket ... it's second only to Blackie.) ;o)

Day 43. Beautiful.
Day 44. My hubby's Valentine's surprise for me!!
Day 45. Long story short ... the Lord provided a mini-stockpile of a much desired seasonal item which went out-of-stock about six weeks earlier than expected!

Day 46. Grandpa's driver in training! :o) Day 47. Our first Daffodil! Later brought in for me by Hannah and Daddy. :o)

Day 48. Mommy and Hannah-bug spent most of Saturday "clowning around." :o) Daddy's old shirt + Mommy's old pants + a stockpile of eyelet ruffle from Mommy's childhood + polkadot ribbon from Hobby Lobby + Saturday = a 1st grade clown outfit! We had a blast (even if we did wear ourselves out!) ;o)

(I'll need to make sure to get a few pictures of Peter next week ... sorry, Buddy!)

365 Project | Week 6

We persevered. :o) And SUCCEEDED! Regardless of the fact that my camera was cranky and Daddy had yet another week of long hours. The cranky camera in particular left me less than excited about pulling it out, so most of these pictures happened post-7:00 p.m. when Mommy suddenly realized that it's nearly bedtime and I've yet to take my picture for the day. So, this week we get to enjoy some nightly routine. ;o)

Day 36. My little guy thoroughly enjoying his artificially-flavored, artificially-colored lolly dripping over his chin. :o} Love the eyes. Could lose the artificial-flavoring and coloring. ;o) Reminded again of why we enjoy such things is great moderation.
Day 37. Fact of life: One cannot consume as many calories when one is not nursing as one can consume while one is nursing ... at least not if one wishes to remain in the same clothing that one wore while nursing. ;o) I have finally conceded to the fact that the numbers on the scale are not a "fluke." Thankfully, however, consistent exercise plus reduced calorie intake is reversing the creeping trend ... and I certainly don't mind a free program that makes the whole thing feel moderately like a game. :o) (Let me know if you're interested and I'll send you an invite!) :o)
Day 38. Enjoying Bible time with Daddy ... if you haven't read The Jesus Storybook Bible, I recommend doing so. It's been an encouraging, fresh perspective ... for us as well as the kids.

Day 39. Snuggles with Hannah-bug. :o) Ah, my girl. Love you to pieces. So thankful for the privilege of being your Mommy.

Day 40. My bathroom is clean ... at least if one does not consider the water damage and mold growing under the tiles ... ;o) A(nother) bathroom project is forthcoming.

Day 41. Daddy earned the "Cool Daddy" award when he agreed to a Friday night slumber party on the floor. Mommy earned the "Cool Mommy" award when she put up the blue-striped "tent." :o)

Day 42. Pulled out the Lego train tracks this weekend. It's been a while. They're lots of fun. And they provide a multitude of "training" opportunities when one throws a 22-month old who likes to sit on the tracks and use BOTH engines into the mix. Hmmm. (Now why did we bring them out again????) ;o)

Thankful for my munchkins. And immensely thankful for my hubby.

More Random Smile Makers

What else makes this mommy smile?

My morning cappuccino ...
My sleeping baby's feet ...

The sun shining on my plant ...

Flowers blooming on my violet ...

Bright red berries coloring my yard ...

Squirrels eating dinner while I prepare my own ...

Yep. They're random. You can thank my 365 project again. ;o)

Mommy's Smile Makers

One of the extra blessings of my 365 project is that I'm capturing lots more photos than I used to. Obviously they can't all be the week's "final seven." But they make this Mommy smile none-the-less. :o) So here's some extra smiles for the week. :o)

Monkey laughing as he plays peek-a-boo!
Peter fascinated by the dot-matrix printer ...

Hannah-bug in her 100-day get up. :o)

Matthew "helping" Peter with his hole ...

Peter's construction efforts continue ...

My pretty girl! :o)

Matthew and his very favorite books. Pretty much every single Sunday someone in the nursery comments about how much he enjoys books. Yep. Most definitely. :o) Especially if they're about John Deere tractors. ;o) (Shhh! Don't tell, but I found a John Deere t-shirt he's going to be receiving for his birthday ... the only problem will be getting it off him once he puts it on.) ;o)

Peter's glad to participate in his sister's drawing projects ...

And everybody enjoys Thomas the Train. For the record, Mommy MUCH prefers Thomas over Clifford. Awww. My little guy was tuckered out.

Them's our munchkins and I'm thankful for them!

365 Project | Week 5

Somehow I suspect that without this project, nary a photo would have been taken this week. It was busy. Daddy worked lots of long hours. Mommy was walking tired most of the week. But you know something? I was walking. And caring for my three blessings. And many a woman has not the privilege of either. So I am thankful. And blessed. Above measure.

Day 29. Who can beat Sunday snuggles with Daddy?
Day 30. The first flowers of ... spring? Not according to our friend Punxsutawney Phil, but if "winter" continues anything like it has thus far, it matters little.

Day 31. Peter's garden has become a hole. A rather deep one at that. I took a video of him digging this afternoon, and I asked him why he was digging his hole. I quote: "I just want to dig a deep hole to show Daddy how hard I can work" (as he's huffing and puffing to bring the pick-shovel down with all his might!)

Day 32. Rainy afternoon activities. Mommy said "yes." ;o) That was my only contribution to the project, but it was enough.

Day 33. "If Peter digs holes, why can't I?" It was so funny watching him bring up his tiny shovelfuls of dirt. :o)

Day 34. Daddy brought home a dot-matrix printer for a brief history lesson. :o) Wow, were those things noisy!

Day 35. Daddy Pile Up!

And so our week went. Many lessons learned and looking forward to a new week ahead. :o)