Color Between the Wines 1.0 (Fall 2016)

One of the benefits of my new business venture with Usborne Books & More is learning about the benefits of coloring. I knew I liked it, but there's actual research behind the brain benefits for adults as well as kids! I decided to start having a few events with my friends. I had coloring books, crayons/markers/colored pencils, and snacks. We had so much fun! It was easy to plan, a lot of fun, and everyone keeps asking to do another one!

Christmas 2015 Post 1 -- Getting Ready & Decorations

As is our usual tradition, we break out the Christmas decorations the weekend following Thanksgiving. It now takes us several days to set up and I want to enjoy them for as long as possible, so as soon as Friday rolls around, I start taking all of the Thanksgiving stuff down so that when Seth is off on that Saturday, we can start putting up the Christmas stuff. This year, the boys were super into helping us put stuff up and actually did a good job of helping. They hung their own stockings for the first time which felt like a momentous occasion of some sort and Austin helped put the start on the tree. He didn't quite get it on so it fell and broke, but after some super glue and a little bit of drying time, it went right back up on the tree. Austin also helped put the Jesse tree ornaments in the correct box. He was really good and patient with this activity which was nice to see.

Hanging stockings...

One of my favorite decorations.
This will be different next year as I couldn't find a third coordinating frame.

The boys also helped put the little plastic pegs into the ceramic tree. 

It is such a great fine motor activity and they loved seeing it get lit up when they were all done.

I get so many compliements on this.
Most everyone says "my grandma had one like that."
And that makes me so thankful I have one.

Austin found the tree skirt I had gotten out of the box and decided it was meant to be a really fancy cape. He started twirling and twirling. I got to thinking about how the twirling must be a ingrained thing and girls just have more opportunity since they wear skirts. Around and around he went!

Then we decided to let them string lights on this little tree we put on the porch. These fun Santa lights seemed like they would fit well, but we ended up buying a short string of normal lights because the Santas were too big. They had fun putting the strand on the tree, though. Tons of ways they felt useful and accomplished and I loved all the little lessons and stuff they got by helping us work at Putting Christmas Up. (I joked to Seth "just imagine the workforce we will have here in a couple years!" and he responded that we should train each in a trade... AC, Electrical, and Plumbing. I said, but shouldn't they each know a little of all and he was like "maybe, but this way they'll all want to stay living near each other when they're older." and I was moved to tears imagining these boys all grown up and having families of their own and yet helping their brother with whatever trade they needed help with.)

As far as the big tree is concerned, I didn't have it in me to have us spend the time decorating with ornaments, so we just strung a bunch of different, crazy light strands we got from Gran's decorations, added our usual candy canes and called it a day. I liked how much more light the tree gave off with all the extra strands on it so much I might do that next year with a few strands of color lights. Then we'll have white for Seth and color for me!

before the star came crashing down

Using the Cheat Sheet to know where to put them.

Just waiting for cards to arrive and make this area pretty.

New tradition: books wrapped to open 1 per day during the month

As we started to do activities each day, they pilled up on this ribbon.

All folded up in the boxes in the Christmas Countdown Calendar

Fewer lights this year because so many had died.
Hoping for color next year!

Cute Pic Post -- October 2015

As always, October was CRAZY. September flew by in a whirlwind of sick and appointments, trying to get caught up on everything since the summer was super long-plus-infant summer, and then there were the family pictures... So we get to October and it's time to go to the fair, have the JCP pictures taken, do all the birthday events (which was more than in previous years because Austin started having his birthday parties this year because he's 5), and then I snuck off to go on a retreat (and Seth took the bigs camping), so it's such an exhale come Halloween. I hate being so excited when October is over because I love fall, but I feel like I'm head down, walking into a blizzard and then the wind and snow stop and I find myself in November actually able to take a deep breath.

Here's our month in pictures!

Carson worked hard on several teeth this month!

I love me some Anne and I love me some fall.

I tried my hand at wreath-making after Cyndi bullied me into it. ;-) We agree to each make Halloween wreaths and this is my take on it. Her's was totally different and I love that we both made "Halloween wreaths" and yet came up with such different finished products!

I have tried very hard to keep this in mind in life and a reminder never hurt!

He sure is Awesome!

God (and most people) knows how much I love sunrises. I'm tearing up looking at these pictures it was so gorgeous! We live down the street from a park, so when the sun comes up, it rises up right over the park. Carson gets up about 7am, usually, and depending on where we are in the year, that's about when the sun starts coming up over the park and I see it as I'm opening his shutters. I glanced outside and saw the beginnings of this and immediately grabbed the camera and walked down the street to get some pictures. I left three sleeping boys in their beds and just went. It was like I was being pulled closer and closer. The colors were completely unreal... starting so deep and fading to pastel later. SO pretty! (And all three were still asleep in their beds when I got back a few minutes later.) That's the thing about sunrises... they come and go so quickly, you have to grab them right then. They don't wait for you! (These pictures also reignited my desire to take a photography class, so I can use my camera on a non-auto setting to get the best possible pictures. I'm hoping to do that starting in 2016. Great Christmas gift idea. ;-)

I wanted my last baby to have this giraffe (Sophie)
so bad and he loves it!

We had some long-overdue brick work done on the house, and I'm SO glad. There is still another few places that need work, but these places have helped the house look so much better and I'm sure it helps keep the impending winter out as well. I didn't get a good before for the back section, but I was shocked when they just started taking it all down! And then up front, we had an old, nonworking intercom taken out and made to look like it never existed. I kept the intercom because it's original to the house and I can't get rid of stuff like that. But having that sealed up feels more airtight in a house that could use all the help it can get on that front!

The mesh was to prevent critters getting in.

It dried normal and cannot tell it was ever there!

I need photographic proof both fell asleep on me!

Um, this guy is not actually my dad. :-| Creepy.

salted caramel frap. YUM.

I was a little obsessed with apple cake this fall, trying to find the perfect one.

I love having talented friends.
Julee used her machine to make these towels with scripture on them for me.

The boys require a lot of physical play, and GA loves Daddy too.
This scene is so common, it's almost obnoxious!

October Chapters book

Go Rangers!

The middle of October. TOO HOT.

A rite of passage, right--assembling a bike for a kid? Seth did great and it wasn't in as many pieces I had expected. Loved this night. It felt so special and so Adult.

Between birthdays, I snuck away for a retreat with church at Camp Copass. I'd never been there before, but it was very, very nice. (And they've booked for the next two years there which is awesome.) It's on this little finger peninsula into the lake, so water is pretty much everywhere you look. And I love me some water. Next time, I'm bringing a chair (or maybe buy a few and donate to them) because there's this one spot where you can sit on a grassy bank, right close to the water and watch the waves. I got to room with Laura and baby Jonah and the speaker was hilarious!

We went for lunch on Saturday.

A giant chicken in the dining hall? Of course!

I spent my fair share trying out these couches and chairs
and I can attest to the fact that they are as amazing as they look!

Hallelujah!!! 

This was in the beginning, but I overtook the family room one day, sorting and purging clothes. 
I ended up sending two big boxes to Anne Marie, 
filling Carson's closet tubs, 
and washing a load that was ready for him to wear now.

That Smile. Those Rolls. That (Trump) Hair.
LOVE THIS SWEET BOY!

The height measurer got more marks this month!

Carson absolutely loves this jumper thing! Jump! Jump! Jump!

I repainted the canvas to coordinate with the new bedding.

I have three sweet, amazing sons. My heart feels like it might explode when I see these pictures of them all together. The above one is all of them at the October JCP pictures and the one below is all three at 6 months which are all 11x14 and hung in the hallway. I have this as my phone lock screen and never tire of seeing their sweet baby faces.

Helping Daddy put together the picnic table
(which I started while he was at work but couldn't finish).
Sometimes there are not enough adults in this house!

Well, we'd meant to cut that down anyways. Anyone got a chainsaw?

RIP Maureen. Immediately upon hearing the news, I popped this in.

We coordinated with the families from our small group to make "Blessing Bags" which are ziplocks with goodies in which are meant to be given to homeless people or people asking for things when we see them. The Staples hosted it at their house and Stacey did all the coordinating for it. We ate lunch after church and then assembled bags. The goal was 10 per family, but each ended up with a few more than that. The kids all did a pretty darn good job, but we were ready to be done when time came. One good thing is that Lyndsey's parents were in town and came to help. With as many kids as we have, having a couple extra adults is always handy! Our boys did a great job going through the line, picking up one of everything to put in their bag and then putting the bag in the pile.

Each family took a box and a bag of Blessing Bags!

"Pocus, Pocus, Wallykazam!"

Working on getting more floor time since
Dr. McColm "hinted" we weren't doing it enough.
The blankie he's sitting on was Seth's.

Graham got four bee stings one afternoon! :-(

These jammies will be too small come Christmas,
but he's so stinkin cute in them it makes my stomach hurt! 

sweet sleeping baby pictures

He is always flipped to his belly nowadays.

The cutest cowboy ever!

I couldn't attend the Halloween party,
but a friend took this picture for me.

Cut 5 inches off and went dark!

I was trying to get a picture of him holding the balloon.
See the funny?

I happened across an article that sent me through the roof with excitement! We have watched several episodes and I like it. The don't look the same, but they're still cute.

My friend Melody came over for a playdate and read to the kids while I made us lunch.
She looks like she's teaching a class there are so many kids!

seriously.

At the end of the month, we still had all these balloons left over from Austin's party and I declared enough was enough, so we got some pushpins and set the boys to popping! Surprisingly, no injuries were reported. ;-)