seven

can't believe i have a seven year old!

say "cheeseballs"

claire, nana and kieran

my girl

claire with her bestie

i can't believe my little lady is now 7. seems like yesterday we put her in the crib for the very first time and were amazed at how tiny she seemed. Thank you Lord for an incredible daughter. i can't imagine my life without her. love you ecm!

december is . . .

the annual carriage ride

andrew and henry watching the christmas chapel

picking out a real tree for the first time

opening a special gift from your teacher (and getting glasses)

the christmas parade with dear friends

playing mary and joseph

reading books under the tree

decorating said tree with grammy and nanny

more decorating


all while we anxiously await celebrating the birth of our savior. what an exciting time!

shopping

I saw this post and it really hit home! It was posted on Life as Mom.

It’s been a crazy weekend, hasn’t it? I didn’t go shopping, but just a glance online showed me there was a lot of fiscal activity going on out there. While I heard voices saying, “Calm down, this won’t buy you happiness, ” I also sensed a lot of folks worrying about getting more stuff.

There are good reasons for shopping. And there are good reasons for staying home. And there are good reasons for spending less than you ever have, just as it is perfectly fine to spend more –provided you have money to spend.

Whatever you do, think on these things:

1. Christmas morning will be over in a blink of an eye. Disappointments are generally forgotten fairly quickly.

2. Little kids often prefer the cardboard box to the actual present inside. Be creative in how you approach gift giving. Enough is as good as a feast.

3. It’s okay if Little Susie at school has more than your child. It is okay. Sometimes love means not giving folks everything they think they want.

4. People are more important than things. Rejoice in time spent together.

5. Jesus is the WHY of all of this.

fall stuff

can't believe it is almost Christmas! Trying to make the most of every moment, yet keeping it simple.

camping

enjoying the water park

kayaking with the kiddos

marshmallows

first things first (getting cozy)

taking a break from racing bikes down a big hill near our cabin

right before going back to work we took time out for a family weekend of camping. the kids had a blast making new friends, riding bikes, using the bathhouse and spending lots of time outdoors. we were fortunate to have awesome neighbors which made for an even better weekend. it was such a fun time and we hope to do it again next summer (without the chiggers)!

happenings

biking to the Gazebo

kayaking with the little lady

lemonade stand with neighbors

spending time with besties

last day of swim lessons

lost her first tooth. hmm, hope i wrote down the date

Let's see it has been far too long since posting. i guess that is due to summer coming to an end and being back at work. Sounds like a good excuse being that it was january when i last posted. i now have a first grader and a prek 4er -not sure how that happened! it has gotten a bit busy since august, but our school year is off to a great start for all.

She's 6!

My little lady turned six recently-I can't believe it! We had so much fun celebrating her special day (weekend) with family and friends. I am so thankful for 6 years with my sassy and silly ECM. I love you little lady!