These Days

Some days I miss the sweet cuddles of sleeping babies.  And I definitely miss being able to lay them down in one spot and know they will still be there when I return. 

But these big kids, they're an awful lot of fun. They are characters. Packed full of personality and spunk.  With tons of energy and big belly laughs.

With so much sweetness and silliness, I never know what to expect. They run around the house screaming like maniacs one minute and cuddling together on the couch the next. It's never a dull moment around here.

This little girl likes to start her day off with cereal and a cartoon.  And it's always nice to have a friend or two to sit with.

Dance parties are an (almost) daily occurrence.  When she got the pom-poms as a "prize" for being so brave getting her flu shot she waived them around continuously.  They definitely took the dancing up a notch!

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This guy has needed a haircut for about two months now.  The shaggy look had to go.  I'm grateful for his daddy's patience and the green apple sucker that kept him occupied for a good 15 minutes.

One of the coolest things about the kids getting bigger is their excitement about new things.  Avery loved helping daddy carve the pumpkin. 

Of course, with a daddy like this, it's hard not to have fun :)

You want me to stick my hand in that gooey mess?? Um, OKAY!

Yes, these days they're exhausting.  They require lots of patience and even more grace.  But they are fleeting and will be gone far too soon.  This kind of innocence, it doesn't stick around long.  So I'm going to enjoy every second of it it and do my best to make the most of these days.

A very special baby shower

In (hopefully) less than two months I am going to be an aunt!! My sister is having a baby girl and I am so excited to meet her!

Last weekend I flew out to Colorado, kid-free, to help my mom host a shower for my sister.  We had such a wonderful time together.  It was nice being able to just sit and talk with my mom, to spend time preparing for the shower without interruptions, to relax and rest for a few days!

My mom and I drove up to Fort Collins Friday night to have dinner with Stef and decorate her house.  We had a lot to do in one night but it was so fun to be with the two of them!

 

It was fun decorating Stef's house, it's already so beautiful, it just needed some pink touches!

We are blessed with a BIG family on my dad's side and it was so nice to see many of my aunts, cousins, and my grandma!

So many special faces in this picture! I love each of these women so much and miss seeing them on a regular basis. 

The beautiful momma-to-be! 

I am already counting down the days till December when I get to meet this sweet baby and see my family again! 

I Heart Fall

My favorite time of year is finally here!

We have a pumpkin patch / petting zoo close to our house so we met up with a few friends and enjoyed the beautiful day.

Matt and I took Avery to this same place two years ago and she was not impressed. At all. Thankfully this trip was completely different.  She loves animals so much and was very brave petting and feeding them. 

She wanted to take this little baby goat home with us :)

Learning how to milk a cow!

Oh, and Asher was there too.  Unfortunately he got bit by a donkey within the first few minutes of being there and wanted nothing to do with the animals.   Poor little guy, it just wasn't his day.

Having a blast!

After an hour or so he decided to give it another chance and tormented this poor bunny... 

Thankful to be spending my days with these two!

Watching the pig race!

Hay ride time!  Despite the picture, I think this was Asher's favorite part!

Feeding the ducks!

Picking out their very own pumpkins :) 

Our sweet friends from MOPs! So thankful to be getting to know these ladies better!

Avery Lynn - 3.5 years

Asher Bug - 18 months