Fall Family Fun

It’s fall y’all! My favorite time of the year, and not just because I have an autumn birthday, but also because the weather is glorious, crisp, and refreshing. And even more importantly, there are so many fun things to do together as a family. Last weekend we spent a morning exploring a fall farm festival, like we do every year.

There were pumpkins (which Lydia used as a fairy princess throne)…

DSC_9382And there were animals (Caleb tried to hug the donkey through the bars, but had to settle for petting him on the nose, since Caleb was far more enthusiastic about the donkey than the donkey was about Caleb)…

DSC_9320And there was corn (this is Alethea’s interpretation of what a “Corn Fairy” might look like, I think she got it spot on)…DSC_9255And more corn (which Caleb preferred to play with while standing outside of the box, since he had a hard time walking through it)…DSC_9227

And even more corn (because I can’t resist a fun photo op)…DSC_9213

DSC_9288HURRAY FOR FALL!

What We Did This Summer: June

Our summer is absolutely flying by. We have been super busy. Too busy to write as much as I’d like to, but I thought I should at least share our month-by-month highlights. I give you… June.

We worked on the deck….

DSC_4770And Alethea graduated from kindergarten…

DSC_4813We celebrated her graduation with a trip to Como Town for rides and cotton candy…

DSC_4863 DSC_4973And we worked on the deck…

DSC_4987Caleb turned one and we celebrated with a baseball party…

DSC_5780And in what might turn out to be the highlight of the entire summer, the girls and Caleb sat on the grass behind second base and ate cake with their bare hands to conclude his smash cake photoshoot…

DSC_5826And we worked on the deck…

DSC_5697We played in/on/near the water every single day it didn’t rain…

DSC_5675And made several trips to the library and various playgrounds…

DSC_5287We enjoyed hanging out (and being goofy) with our neighbors…

DSC_5391And we did some more work on the deck…

DSC_5681We met this guy at the nature center…

Snapping TurtleCaleb thought it would be a good idea to pet him…

DSC_5534The girls thought it was a better idea to stay a long way behind him…

DSC_5536After working on the deck some more, we planted a fairy garden…

DSC_5705And the girls looked to see if they could find any trace of tiny magical visitors…

DSC_5728Alethea took her very first ballet class…

DSC_5610And she loved every minute of it…

DSC_5611All that along with a couple parties, trips to the beach, hanging out with friends, and lots more working on the deck made for a busy, but good month. And spoiler alert for the “What We Did This Summer: July” post, the deck still isn’t done and we’re not exactly sure when it will be. It’s ended up being a beast of a project, but we keep telling ourselves, “It will be so nice when it’s done.”

Here’s hoping this finds you all sitting back, sipping lemonade, and enjoying the sun!

Happy Birthday, Alethea!

Gotta hold on easy as I let you go

DSC_0226Gonna tell you how much I love you, though you think you already know

DSC_3562I remember I thought you looked like an angel wrapped in pink so soft and warm

DSC_4948You’ve had me wrapped around your finger since the day you were born

DSC_7708You’re beautiful baby from the outside in

DSC_2132Chase your dreams but always know the road that’ll lead you home again

DSC_2529Go on, take on this whole world

DSC_3749But to me you know you’ll always be, my little girl

DSC_3939Happy 6th Birthday, sweet Alethea Margaret!

You are our precious little girl and we know you’re going to do great big things!

Hugs and Kisses,

Mommy & Daddy

Spreadin’ the Love

Today was the first day of spring. Oh, I know it’s not official, and we may (probably do) have snow coming our way yet, but it was over 50 degrees here today and I wore flip-flops, so I’m calling it close enough. That’s why I’m putting up Easter decorations tomorrow. The weather is glorious, and I’m tired of looking at my Valentine’s decor, so why not, I ask you, why not?

But before I do, here’s this year’s February memory table, featuring photos of the girls from Valentine’s Days of years past, along with an arrow-pierced heart carved by my great grandfather, and some white tulips…

DSC_2185For the mantel, I did a quick and easy craft project that I whipped up after a trip to Michael’s. I was so inspired by their spring line, I had a hard time choosing just one project to make. And no, they didn’t pay me to say that. But seriously, four vintage-looking metal letters, a pre-made riveted burlap canvas, five minutes and a bit of super glue was all it took to make this little baby…

IMG_2015Which was inspired, of course, by the Robert Indiana “Love” statue in Philadelphia, ever of significance in our home because we were standing next to it when Peter proposed to me. (And it’s where we took Alethea on her first ever airplane trip in October of 2009.)

Philly Trip 09 009

I used this free printable as a guide for my chalkboard art. Then I added my five-minute canvas to the mantel with an assortment of other items I already had on hand and after a few shifts, tucks and tiny tweaks, I settled on this arrangement…

DSC_2694My best Valentine’s mantel ever! (Okay, so it’s only my second year doing one, but who’s counting? Not me!)

And now that you’re feeling all lovey-dovey inside, let’s move on to Easter, shall we? Hurray for SPRING!!!!

Happy Valentine’s Day!

I’m not terribly good about blogging on a schedule, you all know this by now, but one holiday that I’ve managed to mark for several years in a row now is Valentine’s Day. In fact, I’ve posted something on V-Day four of the five years my blog has been in existence, which is probably better than I’ve done on any other holiday.

So to keep my hot streak going, happy hearts day from three little valentines…DSC_1917DSC_1864DSC_1805DSC_1874Rest assured, no babies were harmed in the making of this valentine…    DSC_1907DSC_1922XOXOXO,

Alethea, Lydia & Caleb

DSC_1809PS. You can check out Valentine’s Day posts from previous years here: 2010, 2012, 2013 & 2014

Glimpses of the Future

Today I did a little Valentine’s Day photo shoot with the kids. Alethea was a bit reluctant at first, even when I promised a treat afterwards. “I’ll smile, but it won’t be fun,” she told me. So to sweeten the deal I suggested she put on her favorite pink fancy Sunday dress. “And besides, I need photos for your photobooks,” I added.

Well, those were the magic words. She ran to put on her dress, quickly returned to “set” and promptly proceeded to tell me exactly what images she needed for her next book. “Take one of me smiling,” she directed. And then, after getting carefully into position, “Now, take a picture of my hands holding this heart.”

DSC_1858I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. Nothing makes me more excited than diving headlong into a new project, and everyone is always telling me how much Alethea takes after me. Still, you know I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t thrilled to constantly be reminded that she has such a strong creative bent.

She is my beautiful, thoughtful, passionate, creative girl, and I absolutely cannot wait to how she uses her gifts and what God has planned for her life.