Everyday in Black and White

Kevin played with the camera the other day and made it take just black and white photos.  I didn't realize it until in a quick photo moment I couldn't figure out how to turn it back to normal.  So these shots are our everyday in black and white.

This is a scary game of "trust Daddy" that they play with Kev.  I know he would never drop them, but it still makes me nervous.  Libby is braver than Maggie.  One, two, three and she soars into his arms.  I think that he made it all the way to ten with Mags and there she stood.  Arms out and grinning trying to find the nerve to jump.

Two weeks ago Libby and I tried out a new church while Kevin stayed home with the little ones.  I found these gems hiding on my memory card from that day.

If you think that Maggie looks sweet, it is because she really is.  She has always been sweet, since the day we met her.  Her baby brother is sweet too, just look at him can't you tell?

Her morning hair is so special.

The itty bitty baby foot is my favorite part of this next picture and the little bit of baby chub that Mags is still hanging on to and that she is reading to him and her curls and the little chair she brought in to sit on.  I have a lot of favorites.  It doesn't take much.

Libby started ballet class at her school.  On this day she wanted a big girl braid in her hair.  Her hair is still so soft that getting a french braid in is challenging.  I managed to pull of a side french braid and when I came to get her it was so disheveled that there was no questioning that she was my child.  The apple doesn't fall far, eh Babette?

This package came from Great Grandad.  Packages in the mail are pretty much the best thing in world at our house.  You would be shocked if you could see how fast they mange to tear through the box.  Paper, cardboard, shrapnel everywhere.

Morning sun always looks so hopeful to me.  You have the whole day ahead.

This is a normal sight for me lately.  After I tuck the girls in this is what I find.  I have been trying to do bed time with the girls for several reasons.
1.  Kev does a better job cleaning the kitchen then I do.
2.  He falls asleep when he reads to them and then doesn't get to our bed until very late
3.  He falls asleep when he reads to them and I think to two little girls who would love to know what is on the next page this is bothersome
4.  I started our first chapter book.  We tried this last winter and I don't think they were quite attentive enough yet.  This time around Libby loves to here about Fern and her baby Wilbur.  Maggie loves Charlotte and believes that all of the spiders we meet are, in fact, her.

That's the end of the black and white from the camera.  Until next time he plays with the buttons and I ahve to remember how to get back to normal.

Sleep Baby Sleep

I am aware that I post many pictures of this baby sleeping, but there really is nothing sweeter than our boy resting peacefully.  I don't remember my girls sleeping this much.

His days are mostly 

Eat.

Burp.

Potty.

Change.

Sleep.

Repeat.

What a blissful existence he has.

Kev was offended that Cooper takes after his Mommy when it comes to his interest in robots.

Just kidding.  I'm very interested in robots.
I also never stretch the truth ;)

This post made me tired.
I think I'll go lay down next to Cooper while Kev works.

Unzipped Jeans

You know you are multi-tasking when you upload your pictures, post them to your blog but forget to write the post. Ha!  The girls were taking a bath yesterday when I was uploading pictures and editing.  I kept hearing splashing and screaming so I was up and down a lot!  Guess I hit post instead of save.

I took these pictures the other day after school for no good reason except I thought that girls looked sweet in their fall ensambles.  When I reviewed them later it occurred to me that Maggie's jeans were unbuttoned and unzipped and I wondered how many places I had gone with like that...surely I walked her through the halls of Libby's school like that.

Libby never wants to wear jumpers (pinafores) anymore.  Since she agreed to it on this day documenting it was necessary.  I might never get to see it again.

Love this face she is making and that she felt the need to include the stick in this shot.

Libby is purely just indulging me here.  Se was ready for some free time after school.

Maggie was telling me a story.  I have no idea what it was about.  I just love her pretty blue eyes, and dimpled cheeks.  Two year olds are so fun and challenging.

There you go, text with the pictures now.

When The Training Wheels Come Off

Sometimes when I am going about my day, I have a poetic moment and I think to myself "self, I'm going to blog about this thought."  I know I am not a great writer, but it is a creative outlet for me which for my sanity, I need.  

No really, for my sanity.

The problem is that my mind is a little like a sieve right now.  As soon as something comes to me it slips right on through into world of thoughts I have forgotten.  

So this post that was supposed to be written the day after Grandma left for the mother land is long since forgotten.  

I will say that her presence, along with that of my parents is missed.  The dusty floor, the dishes piled up, the laundry-oh the laundry- and the children say so.

I don't think that you will ever catch me pretending to have it all together.  Okay, so maybe sometimes I pretend to have it all together, but it is always followed by me tripping incredibly ungracefully in public.  For the last 4 weeks I wake up in the morning and yes, I brush my teeth, I even brush my hair, and every other day I throw a little makeup at my face, but the truth is I think that the only way I  even maintain that routine is through minute to minute grace.  

I include this picture just to point out that it would appear that Libby's doll is being eaten by a tortoise.  Poor doll.  Scary tortoise.

In the moment of having help around my house whether it was doing my dishes or laundry or entertaining energetic little girls, I don't think I was thankful enough for it.  Now that it is gone, I can feel it.  I should have said thank you a lot more.  So parents, thank you, thank you, and thank you a million times over again. As my very wise husband put it, we would have never made it through the first three weeks with out you.

 Okay, so maybe we would have made it, but I'm sure the dog would have been a goner.
If you actually read my blog, keep on scrolling, I have been trying to update for a couple of days now, so there are several posts from the last month of having our sweet boy in our life.
Grace and Peace
xoxo

When It Rains...

We put on  rain boots and splash in the puddles,

 We track mud and leaves and whatever else sticks to our boots into the house.

 We color,

 and color some more,

 and when the little girls go to sleep, I color,

 and play with focus on my camera,

 and take pictures of baby boy making funny faces.

 Look at all the cups on the table.  I count four in this shot.  The rain makes me thirsty.

Six days later, the sun came out.

Amen.

xoxo

Baby Boy

 Sleepy, snugly baby.

 Libby and Maggie have a lot of their own posts throughout the years.  It is only fitting that he should have a few that are his own.

Creepy hand.  I should have edited that out.

Post lunch milky dribble.  I kind of love it.  Life is so blissful for him in this moment.  By the way, he is about 10 times chubbier today than he was when I took this picture.

She loves him in a "fasten your seat belt" kind of way

 This next one makes my heart skip a beat, and just for a moment I have to pinch myself so that I know that this is real.

 There is a possibility that the following pictures are all very similar.  Choosing just one of them was making my head hurt, so I posted them all to save myself the heartache.  You know how that is, right?

xoxo