Happy Halloween!

All the credit goes to my mom. It was all her idea. And I LOVED it, so she got the go ahead from me to make the costumes.

Yes, I am blessed.  She made the costumes.  So stinkin' cute!  

I am not too thrilled with the pictures though--but that is all on me, the amateur.  

We didn't have a beautiful back drop to take the pictures at like last year and the year before.  Such is living on the wet side of the state now.  So inside it is, using a sheet as a backdrop and opening all the curtains as wide as possible--allowing in as much natural light that can be obtained on these gray dreary days.  That said though, I can't complain--'cause this is home.  And I love home.  I really do.

That and then our little guy isn't sitting up just yet either, so it's called draping a sheet over Daddy's arms to hold Little Brother upright.  Little Brother is just a bit too wiggly and girthy at this point, so the Peanut can't quite handle him on her own.  But we made do.

So here they are in all their glory....

 And let's be perfectly honest...most pictures were like this:

The little brother being none too thrilled in his circumstances.  We even had a casualty in the process--a piece fringe was dismantled in all the commotion.  And Dorothy?  Well, we are still working on looking at the camera.  Not just facing the camera--but looking at it.  I always have way more pictures than not where her eyes are darting somewhere else--anywhere else--besides the camera. 

It's a work in progress.

Now onto the church carnival!

4 Months and a Pinterest Success!

I can't believe my sweet little boy is 4 months old today!  Where have these last three and half months gone?!?!  He is still nursing like a champ.  I don't know exactly how much he weighs at this point (his check up is next Tuesday), but I am guessing he is around 20 pounds.  He was just over 17 at his last appointment and that was about 5 weeks ago, so that is my best guestimate of where he is at currently.  He has started rolling over (front to back) and his index and middle fingers are his favorite to munch on.  Both hands.  At once.  Cutest little chubby fisted boy if I ever did say so myself! 

And my girl....she has become quite the writer.  When she started school early last month, asking her to write her name brought on melt downs of gargantuan proportions.  Now?  No big deal--like she's been doing it for years. 

I found the artwork idea on Pinterest.  Where else, right?  With our Peanut in school now, I knew I wanted to get that done as soon as possible.  And who am I kidding?  Have Hubs do it as soon as possible.  And the best part about it?--aside from the fact that I LOVE LOVE LOVE it? 

It was free. 

Had the frames, had the paint--just took some time to actually get it done.  But I am so glad I Hubs did it. 

But it was my idea.  ;)

A Week {or so} in Pictures

Just a few of my favorites from the last few days weeks....

Alternate Title: Why I Don't Do Photo "Sessions" On My Own Anymore

My Two Little Pumpkins

I won't even share how many were taken to get this one.  But I'm glad I got it!

Baby Gum Smiles

Can't we just freeze time?

 

How Long Will It Take?

My friend's mom (Hub's and my matchmaker) tells a story of my friend and her two little brothers--when they were all much younger  My dear sweet friend had her younger playmates brothers at her complete disposal, until of course, when (as her mom jokes) they turned about six years old and they figured out they didn't have to do what their older sister said any longer.

Fast forward twenty five years and my friend has two children--an older girl and younger boy.  Our matchmaker further jokes that it only took her grandson about 18 months to figure out that he didn't have to do what his older sister said.

I wonder how long it will take our Little Guy?


  

My Mom is Awesome

When we announced "we" were pregnant last fall, I asked my mom to be on the lookout for some furniture for the baby's room.  She is a thrift shop junkie and has made turning trash into treasure an art form.

I do mean that in the utmost complimentary way.  Because I am not that talented. But I trust my mom completely because she has vision like you couldn't believe and she, well, to put it simply....

she ROCKS. 

Now, when I made this request to her, knowing we were going to be moving home and living with them for several months, she told me she would definitely be on the look out for some furniture, but she probably wasn't going to get anything just yet, because we had about another 8 months to find some stuff and she didn't want to deal with storing it. 

Fair enough. 

She called me about two weeks later and said she had found two dressers and a desk for a total of $30 and brought them home. 

Now, what was that about not wanting to store them?   I totally get it though.....in terms of getting second hand things, you have to strike while the iron is hot.  And she did. 

We still have to find a replacement handle on this one, but other than that, it looks amazing.  And it's a great height for a changing table.  At least for Hubs and I.  He's definitely tall and I am on the taller side as well, so it's perfect for the both of us. 

Well, I saved the best for last.  Because you think the changing table turned out good? 

Take a look at this transformation:

My aunt, who went shopping with my mom for these treasures, told me just this last weekend, that she simply did not see it.  She is a visionary as well, but she thought this piece was hopeless.  It was missing it's back and was scratched and dented to heck.  Plus, the finish needed to be completely redone.  My mom was intending to paint this piece, but after sanding it down and removing all the finish, she realized that the wood was actually really nice {we think it's cherry}.

Knobs refinished courtesy of  RustOleum's Oil Rubbed Bronze spray paint. 

Amazing don't you think? 

Don't ya'all wish you had a mom like mine?


  

Fall is Falling

Fall is finally starting to settle in around these here parts.  I absolutely love summer and I am sad to see it go, but I am ready for boots and sweaters, soups, and catching up on fall TV.  Speaking of boots, I think my feet grew with my last pregnancy.  Because the swelling is all gone now and most of my shoes are a smidge tight now.  Kinda stinks. 

Anywho.

My mom sent me home the other day with a bag of fall colored card stock and said it was for the Peanut.  So in my efforts in trying to be a "fun" mom, we made a fall leaf um, swag, for lack of a better term.

You can find the patterns for the leaves here, in case you want to be a fun mom too.  

We still have lots of paper left over, so we just might be doing a Halloween and/or Thanksgiving countdown paper chain too. 

I even made her some orange and green play dough.  You know, to make pumpkins and stuff. 

I KNOW. 

I can't hardly believe it myself. 

We also took a walk the other day and I brought along the camera to record this fall deliciousness for my sister.  She absolutely adores fall and let's face it.  You don't really get "fall" living in the high desert. 

So here you go, Big Sister.  In all it's glory:

Finally, some of the kidlets....do you know how hard it is to get both a 3 month old and a four year old to look AT the camera and smile?  Just. doesn't. happen. 

I think I statistically have a better chance of being struck by lightning twice {in the same spot!} before that would occur.