Wednesday, October 16, 2013

The Life

 
I've said it before and I'll say it again, "This. Is. The Life." 

 
I am pretty spoiled.  I have the opportunity to stay at home with my kids while I watch them grow.

 
They teach me a lot of things.

 
They teach me patience.  They teach me how to laugh.
 
They teach me what is most important in life.
 
Family. Love. Kindness.

 
To a Toddler, sometimes it's more important to sit outside and eat ice and play with rocks and figure out how to climb up and down steps and in and out of doorways than it is to run errands or clean the house.

 
These kids teach me that it is much more important to explore and listen to the birds chirp and feel the sun on your face than it is to check Facebook or Pin something that I'll most likely NEVER make or have or do on Pinterest.

 
They teach me how to love.

 
They teach me how to laugh out loud at silly faces and at jokes that don't make ANY sense.

 
They teach me how to dance in the living room without a care in the world.

 
Because of these kids, I have a tiny idea of how much we are loved by our Heavenly Father.

 
My heart aches for them as they grow up in this cruel world that if full of hate and lies and deceit.  It scares me, letting them walk out my front door every morning, not being able to protect them from mean words, hurtful ideas, and evil influences.

 
They are God's children.  He has sent them to me to love and to care for.

 
Some days I take that for granted.  I get tired and irritable.  I say things out loud that I should have kept in my head.  I loose my patience too quickly and I forget to be sweet and loving and kind.

 
And then, some mornings, I remember.
 
I remember to sit outside and listen to the birds, feel the sun on my face ...

 
and just follow this cute heart bumb around my backyard.  Enjoying every single moment and exploring the beautiful creations that we have been given.

 
Sometimes I remember ... This. Is. The Life.
 
 
 
 
 
P.S.  A Heart Bumb is sometimes cutest when it is asleep.  Love this girl!
 
 

Monday, October 7, 2013

Ice, Ice, Baby


 
Avery has a bit of an obsession with ice.
 



 
If she hears someone filling up their glass with ice from the ice maker .. she comes crawling SO fast from wherever she is in the house.  She likes to be there to catch any ice that falls onto the floor.
 
 



Lately I have been filling up a small cup with crushed ice and giving it to her.  It keeps her quite busy.  She usually dumps it out onto the floor and then tries to pick up the melting pieces with her chubby fingers.


 
When she can't pick a piece up, she tries to suck it up off the floor.


 
Obsession I tell you.
 
Messy.  Messy Obsession.



Saturday, October 5, 2013

Avery - 11 Months Old

 
 
This little girl of ours is growing up way too fast.
 


 
She will not sit still for the life of her.  It is ridiculous.



 
I had to cage her up in her crib to try and get some pictures .. and they still didn't turn out.  She would NOT look at the camera, or smile, or keep her flower in her hair. 
 
 
Is all that just too much to ask of an almost one year old!?

 
Apparently.

 

 
 
This was her grumpy face.  She was over it.

 
She is taking more and more independent steps every day.  She sometimes walks more than crawls during the day.  It's crazy.
 
She loves playing with her siblings - following them around the house and stealing their toys.
 
She LOVES bath time.  She screams when she has to get out.
 
She is also a very tough little girl.  She gets knocked around by her brother, bangs her head into walls and falls down a lot ... and you barely ever hear her cry or complain about it.

 
We love our little Avery Girl!  She'll be one before we know it!