Life in Smiles...mostly :)

Two and a half and up to…

                                                                 

    

 

 

      Things like this….(getting her own snacks)

 

 

 

 

     …and this….(sneaking into the crib and putting J in a headlock)

 

 

 

 

 

         …..and….this!!! (a terribly mischievous combination you see here—a scissors and a pair of ‘innocent’ eyes)

My Sweet Baby James…

 

 

         …is crawling crazy fast after anything and    everything including his mama, his sister, and toward the bathroom anytime he hears the bath water running!  He is down to just one nap most days to which, at first, I mourned; but now I say, why not??, because his sister refuses to nap altogether.  It’s a nonstop party all day around our house!

 

 

 

 

…is all eyes; his stand-out feature that everyone makes mention of…and who can wonder why??

 

 

 

      …LOVES to hug his adoring parents; particularly his “Big Man Daddy” (the descriptive nickname Eliza gave Chris the other day).

 

 

 

…is almost 11 months old and it has been a new journey.  He is more predictable than E was as a baby, he is independent but likes to reconnect with lots of jibber-jabber and hugs, he is observant, a lover of life, and full of fun and smiles.  He doesn’t object to much; but when he does he is serious about it…can’t wait to get to know you more little guy!

Winter Days

Here are some brief shots from our life---sorry for the short and to-the-point captions, I have a 2-year-old flinging spaghetti "noo-noo's" at the computer....and my face :)

This attire has been sufficient for most of this winter's outdoor ventures...me in a scarf and light longsleeve shirt, James over-bundled and sweating by the time we get back--

The first big snow we had---Bruno became part of the family!

The second big snow--and a doozy it was--we shoveled 8+ inches of wet snow and enjoyed the huge, beautiful snowflakes!

I'm sure they won't be this peaceful with eachother for very much longer!

This guy went from sitting up to speed crawling in a matter of a week!  He is so fun and gets me every time with those big blueberry eyes!!

I think he started crawling because this was just too nerve racking!!

A Flash Through our Holidays

I realize we have been AWOL...and I know that you all realize it as well as 'subtle' hints were dropped at each get-together over Christmas such as:  

"We weren't sure what the kids would look like since we haven't seen pics of them in 6 weeks."

Or...

"You guys are disappointing us! No blog updates!"

Or...

"Crazy how much they change...we sure like looking at your blog (a polite version of, "Get to it, we want more!").

To all of these remarks I smile..because it tells me there are many a folks who love and care for us.  So here is my answer to you all, a flash through Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and a little of the in-between!  :)



Pumpkin Carving, E loved it..from which I made my first 'from scratch' pumpkin pie...'twas delish!

We 'did up' the kiddos and went to a local church for fun stuff...decided it was not worth dragging a 2 year old and a 5 month old out for this one.  Ah well, we got to see some cute costumes and practice looking for one particular child in a very large crowd :) something I am sure will have to be done again in the future!

Had to chuckle about the fuzziness of this picture as they were a bit camera shy...and because of that these toes shall remain annonymous ;)

We were so blessed to have these good friends come for a couple days...yes, those are Hulk hands making our pancakes!  Thanks for the visit and the conversation, guys!

E trying out for the next Hulk movie...

Thanksgiving 2011 was spent at home...just us.  E and I donned our aprons and made a humble yet delicious meal.  It was restful and refreshing to be at home, all four of us, all day.

More thanks could not be given for this beautiful tree except to say that EVERY ONE of our family members enjoyed it.  Our malamute...a true outdoorsman...must have been in heaven having tree cover and balsam aroma IN the house!!

Of course, she had to check her Fantasy Football lineup before we left home for the holidays :)

Without snow, the snowshoes have not been strapped on yet (we remain hopeful they will be used soon) but these three enjoyed the balmy weather with many a walk through the woods.

I could say "...and I am so thankful for..." which, of course, would be true; but actually I just added this picture for the sake of bragging :)

      We hope your "holiday" season culminated with the celebration of the birth of the One who came to a dirty stable to redeem our lives from self-absorption and hopelessness.  This year I rested in the fact that my heart is reflective of that dirty stable, a stinky and dingy place, AND YET HE CAME TO ME; is working through my mess of issues and is making me new. 
   

Bugs, Hugs, and Hats

We have been practically booted out of our house by Eliza's favorite new buddies...boxelder bugs AND asian beetles.  As you can see, she enjoys catching them, putting them in bowls, and carrying them around the house :)  A budding entymologist I'm sure!!

And here, oh sweet boy, only the first of many times you will be forced to play with dolls.  But, you will have your day I'm certain, and this little gal will probably find worms in her milk cup :)

Can anything be sweeter than this?? Enough said.

Apple Orchard Fun!!

One really cannot beat autumn in MN: the leaves have been waiting all summer to flaunt their inner beauty, the golden corn stalks are standing tall, the apple trees are bearing their fruit, and we get to pull out our favorite flannels and enjoy apple cider!!  

Just because...

No caption needed...his shirt says it all!  (this pic was taken at 6 weeks)

Happy 3 months sweet boy!  Thanks for all the recent smiles!!

It's moments like these that make me stop and thank God that Chris and I get to be parents...together.

Our Sweet Girl is now TWO!!!

Cupcake #1: Yes, all the frosting is licked off of that cupcake...a far cry from her birthday debut last year when she would not for the life of her touch the specialty cupcake made by her Auntie Rachel.

With a lot of help from these two special ladies, as well as the ladies a couple pictures down, we had a great time showering her with birthday fun...cupcake #2!

Being completely enamored with bugs of most sorts, we went with a ladybug theme.  Though I'm now wishing her birthday was this month as she is finding those woolly caterpillars EVERYWHERE and they would have been much easier to design on a cupcake!! :)

Cupcake #3...after this I stopped counting...as her mother I am thinking, "after three what's another one??  She is already going to be running in 5th gear for the entire evening, throw an unruly tantrum before bed, and crash into a fitful sleep that will awaken me directly between James' night-time feedings when I am grasping for anything remotely related to sleep.  Yep, have another one, sweetie, it's your birthday!" 

Two birthday balloons from Daddy...dare I say, her favorite gift mostly because they are from her favorite person.

Celebrating SIX years!!

I know, I know...our anni- was in July but I came across this pic when I unloaded my camera onto my computer and it made me smile.  Six wild daisies from my love; picked from our backyard and delivered to my doorstep :)  Sweet... 

Celebrating 2 months of moments...

...like this...

...and this (that is cornstartch on her face; other instances have involved yogurt, sunscreen, and Vaseline)...

...and this (she pulled up all my pansies---by the roots!)

Gotta love bathtime with Daddy!

...and lots and lots of this.  This little man is a snuggler!  The last two months have been challenging to say the least--2 little bodies to care for and keep track of--we wouldn't trade it!