Silly Moose!

Love to see that (((smile)))...our little cheery guy is back and in full effect! Love him and his silly self!

After a couple days of not eating anything...just having popsicles and juice...on Sunday he learned how to open the fridge (something else M didn't do at his age) and he has been trying to make up for lost time in the eating dept. the last couple of days...He is our silly Moose!

"It Hurt Mommy"

Friday started off a little differently than planned...Mike had taken a personal day off from school, but Carter Buggins woke up sick...poor guy! He was so snuggly and like a newborn all day lounging on me...I enjoyed all the extra lovin from my non-snuggly kid...but it broke my heart to see him sick...

We were all supposed to go into M's school for a "Family Unit" lesson...We were going to do the letter Gg with games and the guitar...our little lesson got halved and Mike headed in alone with his guitar...I was so sad to miss his first "gig"... :)

Then M&M came back to SnugglySickVille...Carter got to have his paci out of crib...he was loving the perks of being sick...(the next few pics are of day 2...)

Found out little man has strep...he gets to be the first kid in the fam to ever get it...prob not what he would choose to be first @! He's been a trooper though for the most part! :)

Lots and lots of snuggling with our usual "on the loose Moose"...and Kayla was here for the weekend too as the rest of the Graham Fam visits with "the bride to be" in NC...

So nice to have a dog in the house...she is in her "golden yrs" and very chill...

School did not stop for the sick this weekend...M was ready to teach at all times! She loved on her sick little brother well this weekend and it warmed her Momma and Daddy's heart...and another sweet and sad thing this weekend...one of Carter's first 3 word sentences was, "It hurt Mommy" and pointing to his mouth...break.my.heart! He is feeling more like himself this morning and we are grateful! :)

Direction vs. Perfection

Went upstairs yesterday and found our little bookworm in a closet "reading"...my parents would find me doing the same thing when I was little...History repeats!!!! :)

Read this this morning and LOVED it (gotta love a coffee analogy!) and then had a lovely time at MOPS this am learning about the Lord and LIFE...We had a nutritionist come in to answer questions after we had a devo. from our Mentor Mom about "feeding" our kids spiritually...I loved a quote she used...it is all about "direction and not perfection"...the basis of what I believe (and live daily) is that I am not perfect and I need some one to be perfect for me..."the gospel changes everything" and I hope that our kids will see that although we aren't perfect and we fail every day before them and before God that He is perfect and that we are trying to "direct" them to look at the "author and perfecter of our faith" not us...

Being a parent is overwhelming when we think of all the ways we are trying to "do right" by our children...one of those areas is eating right...God gave us our bodies so we should take care of them...trying to be better about that myself! Trying to encourage our family to eat a rainbow each day and that "variety is the spice of life" and that too much of anything is not good for you. (drink more water and not so much soda for me!!!...I am good about trying to push them to be healthy, but not always practicing what I am preaching and I need to!) I want to check out this book that she highlighted...looks like a good read! And this one on body image....and we learned about the dirty dozen...lots of info to think about and try to live out...

I am grateful to MOPS and what I learn from it and the women there...The church is great and we enjoyed going there for our our evening on VDay...lots of laughs with the other couples we sat with and I loved that they had valet parking...it cracked me up! Can't believe it was our 10th Vday together...time is flying....I am very grateful to have had Mike in my life for a decade! Wish I had gotten a pic of us at dinner! This was the advertisement for the evening:

This special evening includes a five course dinner
(with a twist!),
childcare services (kids will eat too!),
valet parking,
and strolling entertainment.
Donations will be accepted for this event,
supporting youth group mission trips planned for summer 2011...

It was a super fun way to spend our 10th Valentines Day together! Loved seeing the Youth taking their jobs so seriously as we ate and that our kids were so well cared for while we enjoyed an evening with adults!! :)

VDay Picnic

The weather was so pretty for Valentine's Day and I just wanted to be with my little valentines in God's creation...so I packed lunches before we picked up M from school and we headed out on a little adventure...love how Carter turned around to say "CHEESE" as we walked to the water...

It was gorgeous but SUPER WINDY!!!!!

Slinky...I'm telling you...addicted!

"Enjoy the little things,
for one day you may look back
and realize they were the big things."
~Robert Brault

Love how our little boy doesn't yet get the concept of tearing the bread into little pieces...

After feeding the geese they wanted to play "school" or rather...Carter was game to play for a few mins and then he was up and running up and down the hill and throwing his hands around Momma's neck...melt my heart! Not so much to the "teacher's" liking, but to mine! :)

Grabbing a quick squeeze from my little man...

The boy fell down 191972829202 times, but kept at it...gotta love perseverance!

Then we made it back to our picnic spot and ate up the last of our grapes...love to see them sharing and loving on each other...What a special Valentines Picnic!

Can't get the video to load...will try again later... :)

VDay Eve and Morning

What pretty weather we are having! Got home from church on Sunday and headed out back to play...then the kids came inside to find Valentine Gift Bags left by MiMi and PaPa! We can't wait to use our zoo passes-- thank you!!!

M also got her first slinky from MiMi and PaPa which she loves and carries around everywhere now...see it next to her VDay pancakes the next morning? :) And Carter got a new dino to add to his collection! He was very excited!

Mr. Man wasn't interested in a photo opt with his heart pancake...The kids got little chocolates from us and they each got their first pez dispenser...and a card written by Daddy and decorated by Momma...it was a fun morning...

After breakfast and dropping M off to school we skipped out on shopping (usually get the groceries with the little guy on Mon) and we just came home and played and had tickle wars!

Then we sat in the pickup line and waited to hear all about big sister's VDay party at school and I snapped this pic...so grateful for these little ones in my rear view and their little personalities!

Happy Valentine's Day!!!!

“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”

Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God

with all your heart

and with all your soul

and with all your mind.’

This is the first and greatest commandment.

And the second is like it:

‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’

All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

~Matthew 22:36-40

Sweet Maggie

Mags is such a friend to our kids...she is constantly with them...

And I love that she found the perfect spot in the SUNLIGHT while the kids played school and dinosaurs...We love our sweet Maggie...

Good Times

We discovered our magnet letters stamp on our MagnaDoodle this week...we played with Momma's glasses...

And enjoyed some Banana Milk a la Pepere...good times....good times! :)

The BIGGER the HAIR the Better....

...the SLEEP!!!! Love this "bedheaded" boy and I love that he loves his family and talking about them! :)

Sweet Surprises

Mike had a meeting for work on Tues. and we were about to have leftover night, but Aunt Suzy called and said she was on our side of town...so we thought a trip to Chick-fil-A would be fun...
what a SWEET surprise and a double SWEET one when we learned it was Fam night and we got one of the kid's meals for FREE!

Then Mike got home in time to do the honors at bedtime! The kids love snuggling with him for book time! :) Lots of special time with people we love for the evening! What an unexpected Tues Night!

Super Bowl Weekend XLV

What a fun weekend! I left Friday for my church's Women's Retreat and had a wonderful time with the ladies learning about the Lord and thinking on John 16:33...so fun to have girlie time away...def stayed up late both nights chatting! And Mike and the kids had fun at home! It was fun to check in and see what all they were up to....Mike did so much with them and they got to see Uncle Matt for Bro Night on Friday night! :)
Got home in time to watch the game with the fam...we were invited to a party, but wanted to have some good family time since I had been away all weekend...it was fun to eat subs and watch the game together...
aka- play 10, 000 other things with the kids rather than watch the tv... :) I ran interference so Mike could actually watch the game...we played school, a board game, had a puppet show, amongst other things until half time and then I put the little ones to bed...it was a great game, but I got a little too comfy on the couch with the hubs and caught some much needed Zs before it was over!

Sweet Moments

These little monkeys can drive you bananas sometimes, but these sweet moments...my heart just melts! I hope they are always buddies! :)

Took some footage peeking in from the kitchen until I was discovered...(can't get it to upload will try again later)

Friendship Butterflies

We are having fun making Valentines for M's classmates before her rest time each day...Some of the parents had their kids make valentines for their classmates last yr and I loved that idea....we have been having fun making a few "friendship butterflies" each day! They were just heart cards from the craft store, but when I showed them to M she said, "they look like butterflies!" and they do! So we are decorating them and then putting a Fun Dip pack (YUM!) between their wings and into the envelopes they go! It's fun to craft and talk about her friends as she works!

Spring Fever!

Mallory is obsessed with school (must be genetic) and sometimes Carter is game to play along...I love washing dishes with this view from our little window into the family room... :)

Carter is getting more into coloring! Yay! I love hanging out at the table drawing together...it doesn't last long for him, but I love it! And here is a pic they drew for me together...Carter did the yellow part... :) And I'm a Momma Koala in this pic... don't you love my paws!?!?!

We have Spring Fever and we were excited about the groundhog predicting that spring is on it's way...we had a nice teaser of a day today...very spring-like!...no pics, but after lunch we spent an hour outside playing! :)

A River...

"Time is a relentless river.
It rages on, a respecter of no one.
And this, this is the only way to slow time:
When I fully enter time's swift current,
enter into the current moment with all the weight of my attention,
I slow the torrent with the weight of me all here.

I can slow the torrent by being all here.

I only live the full life when I live fully in the moment."
~Ann Voskamp from this book

Took M for a bike ride in the neighborhood I grew up in yesterday while Carter napped and MiMi listened out for him....we made it to your house Carla! I'm loving the book I bought yesterday during my time alone (quoted above)...M was in school and MiMi watched Carter for me so I could just hang out for a few hours on a Monday morning...sipping a latte and reading....ahhhh! Thanks MiMi!

"Time is a relentless river"... as we biked around seeing old friend's houses and seeing old neighbors I haven't seen in yrs and kids of kids I grew up with....but how special to be at a point in my life to share stories with my child and watch her bike where I used to...I loved sharing that with her yesterday... :)