Friday Phone Dump...

1. We enjoyed a little painting yesterday...James only tried to eat the paint one time...I say that is serious progress!

 2. Elsie has become a very clean painter...she said she was painting scenery...

 3. For dinner one night Elsie sat in the high chair...with the tray on! James thought it was funny that his sister was sitting in the high chair!

 4. I am ashamed to admit that I got some fabric out and sewed a little leash for James...he won't sit in carts when we go shopping...and he enjoys hiding from me when he is not in a cart. So for his own safety I made a leash so I know where he is at! One day while I was bagging groceries I looked up just in time to see James headed out the main doors! Enough to freak me out and make a leash. Yesterday though I just left him at Grammie's house when I went to the grocery store!

 5. All dressed up for Halloween! We texted this picture to Daddy since he was working out of town.

 6. Halloween morning the kids and I went up to the local Dollar store and found these adorable pumpkin earrings...to top it off they were blinky earrings!!

 7. When I asked if he had been eating markers he shook his head "no" with a very serious look on his face...something tells me he was not telling the truth!

 8. I am a very relaxed mother...and maybe I brought Elsie to the store wearing mis-match knee highs and light up twinkle toes shoes. She was happy and that was all that really mattered in my book!

 9. One night James found his sisters doll and insisted on sleeping with it...melt my heart.

 10. WILD kids! They were each wearing undies/diaper and a cape...and running through the house playing some crazy chasing game. They were laughing so hard they both got hiccups...which made them laugh even harder! I want to point out that it was after bed time and they were still that wild!

 11. Last weekend my sister Ceara kept an eye on my children so I could get some shopping done. I stopped at the Salvation Army and picked up this vintage print...perfect for the bathroom! and it was only $2.00!

 12. My score of the day was at Goodwill...an outdoor rug for the deck. Brand new with tags still on from Target...market at 39.99...but my lucky day, green tags were 1/2 off!! I have wanted an outdoor run since we first moved to our house...so excited!

 13. James found a ball-point pen and drew all over his pants! I was rather upset. These were some of my favorite jeans of his...the knees were just getting thin enough to start tearing...and I love baby jeans with a nice little hole in the knee!

 14. James is wearing one of Uncle Colter's old flannel shirts! I remember Colter wearing flannel shirts almost every day of his toddler days...so it is so sweet to see my boy wearing one of Colter's old flannel shirts!

 15. Earlier this week I was laying on the couch having severe ovarian pain...since I couldn't get up the kids thought it was the perfect opportunity to dance on the end tables like a couple of wild children! Shortly after my sister, Lisa came and got them to settle down! What would I do without my sisters!?

So, there ya have it...a peak into our daily life via phone pictures! I am linking up with Life Rearranged again...

Birthday Girl...

Happy Birthday Miss Elsie Jane...my baby is 4 today...4 years old on the 4th of November...her Golden Birthday...very fitting for a girl who loves anything that sparkles! It seems almost impossible that my little girl is 4 today. Yet I can hardly remember life before Elsie was part of our family. 

 Elsie Jane~2 weeks old

I remember the day we found out I was pregnant with Elsie...I had not been feeling good for a couple weeks but kept getting negative tests...so I went to the dr. for a blood test...a couple hours later the dr. called and said "Congratulations!" We were excited! From the moment we found out we were expecting I just knew we were going to have a girl...I even began collecting Girl things way before we had an ultra sound! You can only imagine our excitement when the ultra sound showed my feelings were right!

 Elsie~ 6mo.

Elsie was a perfect baby...she was a perfect sleeper, a perfect eater {after she figured out the nursing thing-thanks to my mom!} a perfect rider in the car, always pretty happy! Every time we brought her out several people would complement her on her big eyes. She was the spitting image of her daddy...and still is!

 Elsie~ 1 year

Elsie has always been a major Mama's girl...she has always followed me around, mimicking everything I do. She has always had a sweet personality, but she also has a very stubborn sassy side she likes to show all to often!

 Elsie-2

As Elsie grows up I love watching her personality change and emerge more and more every day. I love her new ways of thinking, the big words she enjoys using and her creativity...especially when it comes to clothing creativity!

 Elsie~3

I think 3 has been my favorite age...I love the 3 year old mind, independence and wit! My crazy and wild 3 year old...

Elsie~almost 4

Happy Birthday sweet girl! Love you more than you will ever know! I feel so blessed to have you for my daughter!

Halloween 2011

Halloween night...one of the most anticipated nights of the year...besides Christmas's and Birthday's! There really is something magical about dressing up in fun costumes and parading around town begging at strangers doors for candy. When I was younger my family quit trick-or-treating because we regarded it as something "bad" or "evil"...but we have all slowly changed our opinions on the matter...we treat it like a fun little holiday for Children. In all truth you can make something as evil or good as you want...and we choose to make Halloween a fun event for the kids. Elsie and I pick out the perfect costume choice months in advance, lovingly create the costume and wait in anticipation for the special day to arrive...

 This year Jon was busy working...he tried to get the day off, but he was in the middle of a 2 week tour and couldn't come home...bummer. So I planned on taking the kids out trick-or-treating alone...we decided to go to Grandma B's house and trick-or-treat along her block. We asked Emma and Marissa to go with us too...and soon all the aunties heard about all the fun...so everyone decided {the night before, I might add} to dress up and make a fun evening of it!

 We had 3 little cowgirls...well, really 2 matching cowgirls and 1 little Annie Okley. Could they get any cuter!?

 My little Annie Okley girl...

 My most favorite picture...you can almost feel the excitement of the evening when you look at her eyes! Auntie Ceara used a black eye liner pencil and gave all the cowgirls freckles...how perfectly adorable!

 We had the kids dress in layers under their clothes so they would stay warm enough with no coat on. Who knew you could wear a short sleeved shirt and a hoodie under a turtle neck!?

 My little guy was a puppy...a brown and black spotted puppy.

 He was a pretty mellow puppy who just barked a little. He loves his puppy costume...he loves to put it on and admire himself in the mirror. In his little mind he truly becomes a puppy when wearing that costume...magical, I tell ya!

 My "Costume" consisted of long fake eye lashes, crimped hair, light-up pumpkin earrings and a pink hair extension. Pretty wild! Oh, and my sparkly high healed shoes...I wore them walking up and down the streets, trick-or-treating with the kids...and my back doesn't hurt a bit! {cue the hallelujah chorus!}

 My sister's and I...an exercise girl, a diva, a pirate and me...quite a good lookin' crew!

 Just maybe I was squeezin' the girl's butt cheeks for a laugh...call me crazy...

 ...but at least we got some good laughs. Sisters bond well over crazy things like squeezin' butt cheeks!

 My babies and me. We didn't get any pictures of just James and Elsie...because our little puppy kept wandering off when not being held in place!

 I think I am the luckiest Mama around to have such an adorable puppy and cute Annie Okley!

 Our little crew all ready to head into town to knock on strangers doors and beg for candy.

 James had no idea what was going on...but we told him to sit still and hold his pumpkin and wait for some candy. He did just that!

 Our first stop was Ceara's father's-in-law-to-be house. He took pictures of the kids and dropped candy in their pumpkin baskets...then we headed out to the next stop...

 Our next stop was the bar...really, no kidding! Grandma B. works at a bar/restaurant...we picked her up and brought her home so she could walk around her block with us and go trick-or-treating. The kids got lots of candy!

 When we were done at Grandma B's house we surprised my sister's family and begged for candy there. We then just drove around and found random houses that were all decked out for the Holiday...my favorite house was the one below...talk about decorated...complete with a fog machine and sound effects...very fun!

 My sister Laura's boyfriend dressed up as the pirate from Pirates of the Caribbean...his costume was so good...the long beard is all fake...he glued it on! He did the face paint himself...rather freakish when he closed his eyes! My favorite touch was the little cassette player playing the sound track of Pirates of the Caribbean. I though it was sweet he went through all the trouble of being so decked out just to bring his girl friend's little sister's house to house trick-or-treating! {I think he is a keeper!}

It was a successful night of tick-or-treating. The kids came home with enough candy to keep them on a sugar high for at least the next month! Great.

Letters and Pickles...

Elsie's favorite thing to do lately is to write words. I love it when she is sitting at the table with her little notebook and pencil and she yells into the kitchen, "mom, how do you spell party" {or some such word.} She is getting pretty good at knowing what each letter looks like, but ever now and then she will throw some crazy looking marking in there is not even a letter at all! She is also into making letters "look all nice and fancy"...thus making so darn many curly-q's on every letter I can hardly even tell what letter it is! I have heard tales of how I exasperated I made my mom because of my extreme decorating of every letter I made...so I kinda cringe a little! And my mom laughs and says, "pay backs!"

 A while ago I found these cute little letter stampers in the dollar section at Target...and I thought they would be a perfect way to help Elsie work on letter reconization while still being fun!

 A big jar of freshly canned pickles for a snack during stamping time is always a plus...

 Elsie made little papers for her aunties...she stamped thier names then added, "love Elsie". All I had to do was tell her what letter came next and she figured it all out.

 Please ignore the super long and dirty nails in these pictures...when working on letters who has time to clip and clean nails?! After vouge sees these nails it just might be the new "in thing"...so think of us as super trendy!

My {busy} Boy...

James is quite the little go-getter...never still for long...he sees something he wants and he works and works until he gets it...right now he drives me insane. But I hope he never loses his determination.

 James began pulling himself up in a standing position at 6mo...he was walking by 9 mo...and he just keeps going. Right now his latest thing is climbing...he drags the little chairs where ever he pleases and climbs up to reach whatever he wants. I am not lying when I say nothing is safe from this boy!

For my own sanity I had to pack all the little chairs away...he was getting into far much trouble being able to reach everything! But don't think for one minute he has given up on climbing...he just uses anything he can find for a stool now...a box, a piece of tupperware, a toy...he is creative! Today I watched him as he pushed the doll stroller along, stop at the counter, give me a corny little grin then, quick as a wink, he whipped that little doll out and crawled into the stroller himself and stood up in it...all so he could reach the grapes on the counter!

I think this boy just likes to see how far he can push me before I official lose it! Lately most things he does makes me want to pull my hair out...He is the complete opposite of Elsie. Daily I send my mom text messages of some crazy thing this boy does...she just laughs and assures me it is just the beginning of the joys of raising a boy! {Gray hair, here I come!}

Fall...

I am writing this on Sunday night and scheduling it to post Monday night...because tomorrow night I shall be busy traipsing around town with my children, knocking on doors and shouting "Trick-or-treat!" Then by the time we get home I am sure we will have a big overly-tired and too much sugar melt-down...more than likely it will not be a pretty sight because I will probably join my children and have a melt-down with them...simply because that is easier just to join in on the melt down rather than try to be the only sane one. But I am sure before the melt-down begins, we will be having a blast...and I am sure I will take far to many pictures...

 These pictures were taken a few weeks ago when the leaves were just beginning to turn...now very few leaves are left on the trees. We have a couple trees in the side yard that turn a lovely bright gold colour...I love the look of coloured leaves all over the side walk and grass...you will not catch me raking those leaves up...not because I am lazy, just because I love the look of fallen leaves so much...

 My kids still get confused about the weather...they are slowly catching on to the fact that cooler weather means you must wear shoes and a coat. Lately on the radio we have heard the weather guy talk about a mixture of rain and SNOW! Elsie gets very excited when she hears that...she has visions of waking up to piles and piles of snow.

 After Halloween it feels like fall is over...we replace the Halloween decorations for the Thanksgiving ones for a few short weeks before those are replaced with the Christmas decorations. Time marches on, sometimes a bit to fast...