our newest house guest...

we recently set out on a cold, cold day

in search of the perfect tree

our first Christmas tree as a family, believe it or not

and my first real tree...ever (sad, but true)

*fun fact* #1:  this is the second time since we got married that a tree actually got put up

and it's not because we don't like Christmas

or decorations

or sparkly lights

all of that stuff is super fun, but i'm also super lazy...or busy...or something like that

and i struggle with saying no to all the Christmas happenings

in order to say yes to things like decorating

(plus that whole travelling every other Christmas thing...)

anyway, doesn't matter why we haven't decorated in past years

point is, we're trying to get better at it

because *fun fact* #2:  Christmas (and Easter, and birthdays, and any reason to celebrate, really)

is exponentially more exciting / fun / magical / awesome when there's kids involved

so we started at a garden center, 

but quickly realized that we weren't going to find the tree for us there

(without breaking the bank!)

we decided it would be way more fun anyway to head out to a farm

despite the glorious sun that broke through the clouds on our way over,

the air was crisp when we arrived

(which is a nice way of saying we couldn't feel our fingers, toes or noses

...or most of our faces, for that matter)

but we quickly forgot about the limbs we were losing to the cold

while playing hide and seek between the trees, 

discussing what types of leaves were our favorite,

running through the open space,

crunching through the frost with every step, 

and talking the girlies out of the ridiculously tiny trees

 as well as the gigantic trees that they were picking

(it was one extreme or the other - that is how they roll, after all)

we searched and searched

pointed out what we liked about each tree

aaaaand what we weren't so keen on

this was serious business, folks

then, finally, we saw it

the perfect tree for us

not too big

not too small

not too "bald"

not too thin

not too full

just right

so we cheered (first things first ;) )

and watched as Daniel chopped it down

then cheered again (because, why not?)

and finally, took our prize tree home!

such a fun adventure!

oh, and we named the tree bob
after Bob Ross
we like to think he is a happy little tree
so it seemed like a logical choice

what about you? 

Are you on the ball about Christmas decorating?  

tell me all your secrets!  don't leave anything out!  :)

Kings & Wild Things

a few snapshots from this rainy / windy morning

to prove that we are alive (hah!)

and to serve as a reminder to savor the littlest of things

like these two

and their paper crowns leftover from yesterday's homeschooling*

*we made the crowns a part of a "K is for King" lesson and they were SUPER easy to make:

just cut a zigzag pattern down the middle of a sheet of construction paper, 

then line up the two pieces side-by-side & tape / glue where the two ends meet

let the kiddos decorate then wrap around their heads to measure crown size

once you've determined how big the crown needs to be, use tape to secure the ends

sit back and make dinner in peace while hours of imaginative play ensue.

***

p.s. i've written countless blog posts in my head lately & have been stockpiling recipes to share

hopefully soon we'll figure out enough of a groove for me to post more consistently

until then

hope you are all well!!! 

(assuming anybody still reads this!)

Flashback Friday

it's a grey friday morning

i'm leaving for a girls weekend getaway in less than 8 hours

and instead of picking away at my packing

or cleaning my disastrous kitchen 

or heading out to the grocery store to stock up for the hubby,

who, bless his soul, will be wrangling our wild children all on his own while i'm gone

i've decided to take a moment...

...to sip on my americano

...to listen to a random youtube indie-folk playlist

....to look through these pictures from exactly one year ago

because as much as i've loved the seemingly endless summer we've been enjoying

grey days and slow mornings have a nice kind of feel to them too

also, these pictures were taken
exactly where i'm heading this afternoon, 

exactly one year ago today

and i had this conversation with my girlies this morning:

Me: My babies aren't babies anymore...frown emoticon
A: You're silly mama, babies have to grow up!
Me: But my babies were supposed to stay teeny tiny forever.
A: No mama, that's not how babies work.
I: Don't worry mama, we'll always be your babies.

true story.

apparently, my babies have to grow up - it's how babies work, after all

you know, you get a lot of advice when you decide you want to have babies, 

but they never tell you about that struggle in your heart

the one where you want to watch your babies grow up into who they were intended to be,

while simultaneously keeping them as your babies forever and ever

oh wait, they do

but words can't convey what a mama's heart feels

so sometimes you just need to look through old pictures, 

and gush over your babies

then look up and watch them grow up right before your very eyes

and realize how blessed you are to have the past memories and the here-and-now moments

Christmas in July

because it's July 25th

and i still haven't sorted through most of my pictures from Christmas

here are a few from our Christmas morning

when my babies were such...babies!!!

ah...these are sweet, sweet memories

i feel so blessed to have them frozen in time

this mama's heart = warmed & melted through and through!