Fall Days

Fall is my favorite. Here's a few favorite fall pictures from the past couple months:

7/52 - take two

Neva is five months old! I can scarcely believe it. She likes to roll over onto her stomach and then cry about it, watch her sister play, suck on her toes, jump jump jump in her exersaucer, snuggle with mommy and daddy, and recently has been found to LOVE swinging. And seeing as she has an older sister who has made it her life's purpose to push her on the swing, this little one pretty much has it made. I have been thinking lately about how very soon we will need to start her on some solid foods and I just can't even with that right now. TOO FAST. Can't she just stay in this sweet, cuddly, animated (but for the most part stationary), non-stinky pooper, rolly-polly-snuggle-butt stage forever??

Paisley has grown into her big sister role so terrifically. She LOVES to help take care of Neva. And the cats. And Brian and I. And all of her many, many (MANY) stuffed animal friends. I foresee her growing into an encourager and caretaker role in our family. She is constantly complimenting people (the other day she told a complete stranger, "I really love your shirt!") and comforting ("don't worry Mommy, everything will be fine!!") I know I said it before but I am SO enjoying this age with her. Two was a rough year for me and I wondered at times if I was cut out for this mother business and I also wondered at times if my child would always be this...how can I say this nicely...busy? Exhausting? (I was also pregnant for much of that year so maaaayyyybe that had something to do with it.) But three, or more so three and a half, is becoming more and more delightful by the day.

But still at times a little busy. Aaaaand once in awhile exhausting.

Previous 7/52

6/52 - take two

Two easter bunnies in their easter dresses (made lovingly by their Mamaw) coming right up!

L to the P over and out.

Previous 6/52

Playing Catch Up. 5/52 - take two

Since I have skipped...a few...of my weekly photo updates, I figured I would include several of my favorite pictures of the girls lately!

Neva is turning into quite the little charmer. She loves to smile at people, especially people who have black rimmed glasses like her daddy! She can roll over from both her back and her front, loves being naked and hates putting on pajamas. She gives out quick, fat, scrunchy giggles when you blow raspberries on her tummy. I can't wait for when she starts giving us real life belly laughs!

In other news, I've started wearing a new perfume. Called Chanel Number Spit Up. It smells so great! Everyone around me enjoys it. Light, airy, earthy.

I know I keep saying this about Paisley - I cannot believe how fast she is growing up before my eyes! But also? I am really enjoying this age. 3 1/2, thats where it's at. I'm almost positive. She's learning about how to write and how to be a friend. She loves to color and to recite books that she has memorized. She's learning concepts of things like time and counting backwards. She says things like, "Is this tomorrow?" She uses her words to comfort and encourage others, and to talk about her feelings. Today she told me that my bathrobe looks cute on me. Clearly she was confused. Oh be still my heart!

What? They look like sisters? I didn't notice.

Previous 5/52

4/52 - take two

Trying not to fall behind on my weekly blogging goal. It seems like this should be a simple and achievable task, but somehow I can barely get one load of laundry done in a day? And so what DOES take up all my time each day? Every night I ask myself this question and I'm really not entirely sure, although last Thursday it involved spending an hour with the girls driving all the way to Duluth and back without getting out of the car and then going into the library with soaking wet pants.

My apologies if that paragraph is mostly jarbled mom brain mush, my sleep is lacking. Please to forgive.

Anyway, on to the kiddie pics!

Neva's life's work is to fill her diaper. She does this bravely, passionately, and frequently. I find that much of MY life's work is to wait, patiently, sometimes in amazement and disbelief, for her to finish filling her diaper.

She's very good at what she does.

This picture kills me. Dead. Dead as a doornail! Or a doorknob. Which one is it?? I cannot believe how old my oldest baby looks in this picture. Last week we went to her preschool screening, which she will be starting in the fall. Preschool three days a week! I feel like having a kid in an actual school reaches some scary level of adulting that I cannot possibly be ready for.

And yet it also sounds very nice?????


Previous 4/52

3/52 - take two

A little glimpse into our day.

Here we have Neva, sweetly oblivious to the fact that she was almost stabbed in the eyeball by the pink parasol being wielded by her sister, who happened to be dressed in a dog suit. Made for a pretty nice picture.

We were having a dress up day. Or maybe I should say, PAISLEY was having a dress up HAY DAY and was incredibly pleased with herself. As one is when wearing six princess dresses at once. Plus a panda hat, flower necklaces, and Pinkerton.

Hi. I'm Paisley. Could I BE wearing any more clothes?

"Crazy" and "bag lady" are some words that come to mind while gazing at this photo.


Previous 3/52 - this was a good one. OH the cheeks of Paisleys past.

2/52 - take two

We're back with week two, and so it looks like my goal of "get back into regular blogging" is looking preeeetty on track so far. High fives.

Here's Neva at 12 weeks old. She is growing into the roundest, softest, gentlest little face you have ever seen. Just a perfect little circle of a head and a little round nose and little round lips!! How can there ever be enough of Neva? I am perfectly smitten with all the roundness.

And here's my other cutie. Her head shape is also extremely nice and receives many kisses from me, and I can't seem to stop playing with her hair which of course is so annoying to her. Is that some type of milestone? Becoming annoying to your kid? Maybe I should write it in her baby book.

This Daniel Tiger coloring book is certainly being used to it's very greatest potential. Not a page is left untouched!  And not a cap is returned to it's marker. Seeing markers left around without their caps on is the type of thing that gives me the eye twitches and makes me want to run and panic and drop everything because wait!! the markers!! they are drying out, horror!!!! My instinct is to pack them safely away in a cupboard where they will be snuggly capped and rarely used so that they never run out of precious ink. But then my question is, what's the point of having a kid if they can't even use their markers? Even if their memory is not yet adapted to returning caps to their proper mates. There is something in my personality that always wants to save "the good stuff" for "something special." (Big hand quotations in the air.) The good outfits, the good desserts, the good markers, the good coffee, the good smelling body wash. But you know what happens - they of course never get used! And we end up with six bottles of unused and forgotten "special" body wash from three years ago stuffed in the back of a cupboard.

We'll call this an opportunity for growth for me.

And so on Monday we are buying new markers from the good old Walmart because all of ours are pitifully shriveled and parched and very, very well used.

Good story Liz.

Thanks everyone.

And now, I leave you with evidence of a snow experience.

Previous 2/52

1/52 - take two

In hopes of getting back on the blogging train, I'm starting a new 52 weeks project. When Paisley was a baby I blogged one photo of her per week for an entire year. Now I have two little girls to document!

Neva is growing by the day, quickly gaining pudgy rolls up and down her arms and legs. She delights all of us with her sweet smiles and coos, and even Paisley can't seem to resist stopping mid-shenanigan to kiss her head before speeding on by.

Paisley is my spirited, very spirited child. This girl doesn't walk anywhere. In fact, I'm not entirely sure she knows what walking is. She knows all about running, jumping, leaping, hopping, galloping, dancing, make-believe ice skating, but there is no evidence that shows she knows anything about...walking.

Which brings me to bedtime. By the time bedtime rolls around I'm quite exhausted by the constant, bouncy, and quick non-walking movements of my three year old. I haven't entirely nailed down bedtime routines now that we have two, and the hubs is often working in the evening so I'm left to put the kiddos to bed myself. One night this week I was trying to convince Paisley that she should put on her pajamas instead of jump in and out (and in and out and in and out) of her bed. My temper was running short, Daddy wasn't home, and Neva was fussing in the next room. Paisley pulled her pink panda bear pj shirt half way over her head and started stomping around like an ape, waving her arms around saying "booka baka booka baka."

I was about thiiiiiiiiiis close to losing it and declaring "OK TIME OUT NO BOOKS BEFORE BED LIGHTS OUT GOOD NIGHT."

Untiiiiil I realized how hilarious she was actually being. Like, she was being super funny. Sometimes this girl's comedic timing is spot on. And this was one of those moments.

So then I started laughing. And the night got better. And we were friends again. And it still took forever to get the pjs the rest of the way on and the teeth brushed and the books read but we laughed for some of it and so...perspective right?


Here's week one of my 52 weeks project from 2013!