It's the little things...

Our little toddler is keeping me on my toes!  And as you can see...

 my time online is limited these days because my hungry baby might just eat the computer.  Ha!  :)
The slower pace of summer is just what we needed.  Here are a few of the "little things" that I'm relishing lately...

Oh, for the LOVE of babies with bed-hair.  Babies with bed-hair until 1:00?  Thank you, summer vacation.  Lots of playing and swimming going on around here...but one little activity we're all enjoying is keeping a journal.  Sometimes they write freely, and sometimes I give them a little prompt to get those creative juices flowin'.  ;)

 I think sweet baby hair swirls and curls are one of life's sweetest sights to behold.

 Charly...where are you?  Or as Camille says..."Ca-ow Ca-ow, aaaa oooooo?  This girl doesn't go anywhere without her huge purse hanging on her arm.

A new discovery (thanks mom, for the idea!) Almond butter+oil on top=a big giant mess to stir.  Enter the hand mixer.  It works!!!  Took a little muscle, but it really works.

The ONLY show on tv I care to waste my life away watching enjoy.  :)

Only one more day of work for my man before his two week vacation....that REALLY makes me smile!! :)

the old apple trick....

worked again!   Graham loves his new look and has been doing his best alligator wrestler impression.  ;)  His hair has gotten SO long and has got some serious curl in the back.  Daddy's ready to "summer-ize" his look, but I like it.  The longer it is, the younger he seems to me, and I'm sick 'n tired of all of this growing lately!   I'm so grateful that even though he's getting bigger, he's never too busy or proud to spare some sugar for his momma.   It's amazing to watch my boy becoming more and more independent.  Speaking of independence...he also learned how to ride a bike this week!  Yay!

It's been a big week for Mr.G.

A report from the front lines

-rescue a climbing toddler from peril (repeat about 100 times)
-repair Barbie's amputated leg
-attack mount laundry--vowing never to lose this much groud again.

Baby Steps

Millie's a super cruiser, a lightening fast crawler and climbs like a monkey...and now she can take a few steps, too. On this night, she had an audience to provide plenty of encouragement. :)  Time to fall into bed-I'm worn out from chasing this cute little girl all over the house!

Headband Holder

Here's a little project that was inexpensive and super easy.

Problem: Headbands everywhere!  :)  They fall on the floor, get chewed on by the dog/baby sister, and the bows get squished up. 

Solution: Homemade headband holder!   

Supplies needed:  empty extra-large oats container, contact paper of your choice, (found this one at Tar-jay) for about 5 bucks-with lots left over to line the bathroom drawers....or maybe some other fun projects to coordinate??)  ruler or eyeballs ;) ,  scissors

Step one: measure (eyeball) and mark on back of contact paper where you want to cut.  Glad for those gridlines on the back that make it easy to get a straight line. 

Step 2: Cut

Step 3: Peel off backing

Step 4:  Stick it on!

Step 5: Put the lid on and put your headbands on it all pretty-like.  

When I finished, Hannah Reece cried.  CRIED!  Not happy tears either.  She said she liked it better the other way.  A good lesson that my girl does not mind the aesthetics of things, she can appreciate the function, and so shall I.  :)

I could very faintly see the writing through the contact paper.  You might need to put on another layer if you chose a lighter color of contact paper for this project.

Next up, cleaning out the garage with my dear Daniel.  :)

Summa-summa-summa time!

Been thinking a lot about summer lately.  Only 4 more weeks, yay!!!  I enjoyed a conversation with a dear friend today and she shared this article with me. What an encouragement that even just a little planning will help foster an enjoyable summer for all. As ideas pop into my brain, I try to jot them down in my master list notebook so I won't forget.

In our culture,  it is a temptation to over-program our children, sometimes without even realizing it.  I think that the fear of boredom and that somehow our kids might "miss out" on some special activity, camp or experience can be overwhelming. I have felt the pressure even more now that I have two school-aged children. Our parents small group at church is working through this material on maintaining margin. It is SO challenging and encouraging. I highly recommend it if you find yourself struggling in this area.

In summers past, it's been pretty low key around here. (Except last summer when we were in the middle of a move and re-model.) The idea of enjoying a relaxed, steady-paced summer day is so appealing to me. In the busyness of life, I think we all crave some down-time. Even if it takes a couple of weeks of redirecting the occasional "I'm bored!" surely the rest and relationships built will be worth it.   I can tell the kids are ready for some down time, too.  Today Graham said "mom, let's not go anywhere today.  I just want to stay home in my pajamas!"  You got it sugar. 

We have a few activities planned to break up the routine like a short roadtrip, Vacation Bible School, and swim lessons...but other than that we're going to make space for freedom.  Freedom to play, freedom to think, freedom to create, freedom to rest and be.

I fully expect the first week of debriefing from the rush-rush-rush, to be a little tricky. To encourage the kids, I plan to have a list of "what-to-do-when-you-don't-know-what-to-do's" posted on the fridge with ideas for self-directed, imaginative play.  Things like: blow bubbles on the porch, playdough, re-read an old favorite, play catch with Charly, listen to a book on cd . I'll probably schedule in a little mommy-directed activity once or twice too.  For example, when we are cooking together or reading books together. 

Speaking of simpler days, I have to link up to this post.  And these thoughts are also very encouraging as we strive to simplify all of our days and create healthy margin for our families.

What are you looking forward to this summer?

Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails.

Proverbs 19:21

Sweet Tooth