Cute Pic Post -- March 2015

March was a month that definitely came in like a lion and went out like a lamb. We had another freezing spell that shut down DFW and the boys enjoyed watching the "snow." Seth and I got a date night in and I bought a new necklace from some of the money I got from selling old jewelry. Austin got his ears officially tested and he passed with flying colors! Seth and I went on a mini vacation to a marriage retreat, I got my car inspected, we worked on getting things ready for Carson's arrival, our Grace Group started meeting at our house for Family Night and we began incorporating some lesson/learning and started one day with some songs. Seth was out of town at the end of the month, I went on a hunt for my favorite laundry soap, and got a new wreath and a new pillow for the family room. I'm tardy in getting these all compiled so forgive the rushed/brief nature of this.

my new diamond cross necklace

Austin was leading Graham (eyes closed) to the backdoor to see the ice.

"snow!"

Best Friends

Austin getting his ears tested. Passed with flying colors!

We played on this once the testing was done.

Has there ever been a more accurate description of two polar-opposite people?

In the middle of converting the toy room into Carson's room,
the family room looked like this.

The boys looked so BIG while waiting for my car to be inspected. 

Them looking through the magazines just cracked me up!

This is what happens when you skip your nap.

I could not stop laughing when I saw this. whoops!

Finally got Carson's name ready for his room. 

I mod podged scrapbook paper to the front of the letters and painted the sides dark brown.

Can never have too many pictures of sleeping boys.

Ci Cis cinnamon rolls!

This is how I felt in my last month of pregnancy.

Love-Hate relationship with handmedowns.

His room is ready for him!

2015 Preschool Pictures.
AKA the year I dressed them the same.

Graham came with me to an OB appt and we found his birth announcement!

A new pillow. LOVE the sass here.

These big boys are about to get a baby brother and it made me sentimental for sleeping pictures of them!

Our small group at church has Family Night once a month which is usually fairly crazy. More like Circus Night. lol This night, we sang some songs... Father Abraham and Deep and Wide

Graham sitting with his leg like that cracked me up!

A new wreath my friend Melody made for me!

Sweet sleepy faces. Austin almost always wakes soaking wet and with crazy hair!

Spring has arrived!

These boys show love in a very physical way! Seth was out of town so his parents took me and the boys out to dinner and then Nonnie helped me get them into bed. As soon as Gramps sat down, the boys piled on top of him!

Cute Outfit. Big (Last!) Belly.

Love the John Frieda air dry hair product for wavy hair

My Firstborn. Always My Baby.

Drove all over town to find this, my favorite laundry soap. 

Decided to stock up as long as I had gone everywhere to find it!

The "Character Jar"

We started a new thing with Austin, to track good behavior, using what we're calling a "Character Jar." I bought some extra large marbles on Amazon, pulled a jam jar from the closet, and created some reward cards which I printed on cardstock, so there wasn't a whole lot of work or cost involved in getting it ready.

Here's how it works (so far, this is still our first time filling the jar):
-when we see Austin displaying a positive character trait (which is one of our biggest goals in our parenting style), we tell him that he has earned a marble for doing xyz
-he gets to pick a marble from the bag and put it into the jar
-once the jar is full, he will pick from the stack of reward cards (at which point the jar will empty back into the bag)
-he will keep the reward card in his wallet until he's ready to redeem it and will have to hand it over when it is redeemed
And then the process starts over!

Examples of character traits we look for include: Helpful, Cooperative, Kind, Patient, Generous, and Obedient. These sorts of things manifest in all sorts of ways, but so far some of the things he's gotten marbles for are helping Graham put his SuperWhy! costume on without being asked to help him, getting himself completely dressed by himself, cleaning up his bedroom without being harped on, buckling himself into his carseat, not complaining when asked to wait longer than expected, etc. So far we really like it. The best part for me is that it helps me stay focused on the positive behaviors he does rather than staying always focused on the negative ones and being a yelly/mean mom.

What it looks like when full.

Austin's reward cards.

Grandma and Dad Pass Through Dallas

It worked out well in mid-March that my dad was driving my grandma to her house in South Texas (about 12 hours south of me) and we got to see them on one of their pit-stops. They came for dinner, stayed a few hours, and then left Dallas the next morning. They didn't stop on their way back north, so I'm very glad we were available the Tuesday they swung through town!

Dad had barely sat down when Graham brought him this book and crawled into the space next to him to see the pictures. So cute!

Grandpa and his grandsons

We took the opportunity to take a whole bunch of generation pictures. The boys weren't totally into it, so we did the best we could, but I'm still extremely thankful we got these.

Whew! 4 Generations (with a baby in my belly!)..

My Aunt Mary had sent some presents for the boys and the baby, so we took some time after dinner to open presents. They had a blast, of course, because who doesn't love getting gifts!?

A Bible! for the two of them to share...

a hoodie!

Another hoodie! Perfect for next fall.

Grandma misses playing,
so she quickly sat down to our piano and played.

Then the boys got into jammies and had my grandma read them bedtime stories. It was such a sweet moment, I loved it!

Lastly, Grandma asked Seth if he would play a duet with her. They did such a good job! There's nothing quite as sweet as your husband playing a duet with your grandma. Heart. Melting.

Overall, I'm so glad we got to see them for even a little while. It's good for the soul, to see Your People whom you rarely get a chance to see. They came at a time where we were in the midst of going through handmedowns and sorting closets in preparation for the baby, so the house looked like a tornado went through it, but that's the nice thing about it being Your People, they don't care.

Love y'all! Thanks for stopping!

Christ 4 Kids "Open House"; spring 2015

Austin and Graham's school, Christ 4 Kids at Christ United Methodist in Farmers Branch, had their annual Open House and the preschool classes got to sing some songs for us, there was a silent auction, a bake sale, and a family dinner. (Just like last year.) Nonnie and Gramps came again this year and Austin did a great job performing his songs. He loves being on stage--his face just SHINES when he sees us watching him (as evidenced in the next few photos :-).

Here's a video of part of one of the songs.