His-n-Hers

Our nighttime ritual...after 9:00!

That's What I Love About Sundays

Morning worship at church as a family.

Home to lunch and naps.

Outside to enjoy the day.

Observing little creatures who dwell beneath our feet.

 Sidewalk chalk on the driveway.

 Puzzles? Outside? YES!

 Watching this little one play.

Laughing while these 2 scoop poop donated by a nearby dog.

 And dispose of it amongst the cluster of trees. =)

Just checking on it... (kids are fascinated with poop!)

 Pulling brothers in the red wagon.

 Watch carefully while these 2 climb their favorite tree.

 Take in the joy of this little baby.

 ...and the sadness of another. (he was frightened by a dog who ran through the yard) 

 It's about simple things.

 It's about love.

That's what I love about Sundays.


blessings,
~k.

Apple Dilemma: Preserve or Eat!

My mother and father-in law recently gave our family a large box of yummy yellow apples!  I was so excited to get them in the freezer...after eating a few and tasting just how delicious they were.  

This fancy apple slicer you see here belongs to my sister-in-law and she was so kind to loan it to us so that we could preserve our apples more efficiently.  The kiddos thought it was something from a movie! When I brought it out of the box, their eyes grew wide and you would have thought it was a brand new toy delivered by Santa himself! What probably would have taken 5 minutes to put together, turned into 20! "Savannah, can you get Levi a toy?" "Noah, hold on just a minute, let mommy put it together." "Don't put the apple on yet, please." "Hand me the screwdriver, Noah." "Oh, it's a phillips...Savannah, can you go and get a penny from mommy's wallet?" "Levi, what is in your mouth?" ( I know...you ALL are saying, WHY in the world did she try to put that thing together with all of her kids?)
So, maybe I could have prepared ahead a little better, but look at all the fun they had! 

Savannah and I were turning the slicer and as the peeling fell off, guess who was more than ready and willing to take care of it!

From the looks of this table, you'd think we had sliced a dozen apples...Try 2! 

Seeing that more were being eaten, squished, stepped on...etc. etc. etc....we tidied the table (which means, I cleaned while they ate) and put away the slicer, for mommy to resume at another time...like nap time!  

We'll be delivering that back to our "Aunt Neese" soon (and I'm sure the children will surely miss it!).

Thankfully, we have lots of baggies in the freezer filled with apple slices. Thank you, sweet family, for the apples and the memory.

blessings,

~k.

A Week Away!

I neglected my blog for an entire week while our little family spent a week away at the fabulous Myrtle Beach! We started counting down the days back in July! I cannot express how wonderful it was to pack our car to the very max, drive for 3 hours late into the night while our sweet wee one's slept, and arrive in a place where responsibilities consisted of making sure the children were fed, clothed, and that we relax! We are so thankful for this time...truly a retreat.  We enjoyed the time spent with "mimi" and "peepaw" and are grateful to them for opening their home to our crazy crew!

Enough chit-chat... Here's a look into our week away.

 Can you tell how much baby LJ loved the sand? 

 A little view from the balcony (one of their favorite places to play)...And yours truly (mother hen) was not far off!!

 Can you believe how fast this one is growing?

 Noah loves Myrtle Beach...isn't he a cutie?

On our very last day, we took S and N to a painting class. Most everyone had gone home on Sunday, so we had the room to ourselves.  Savannah chose to paint an ice-cream cone magnet and Noah...a turtle magnet.  

The ladies who helped us then dried the magnets and applied a glaze to them making them glittery and shiny! They were lovely!!

What a wonderful trip.  And we came home with only 1 load of laundry (thanks to the washer/dryer in the condo!) It was so good to have Dolan with us for this amount of time! Missed him so much on his day back. 


Thankful for memories made with our precious family on our week away. 


As for today, our responsibilities are greater and we aren't nearly as relaxed...but the memories really are just as precious!


blessings,
~k.

Checkout Lines are SO FUN!!!!!

...when you are under the age of 3! =)

This is the conclusion to a typical grocery shopping adventure with 3.  Where is Savannah? Well, she is exploring the nail salon behind me in Wal Mart.  It seems there is always a bench or chair nearby no matter what grocery store (or checkout line) we are in.  She found one today right next to a gentleman waiting for his dear wife as she enjoyed a manicure.  He, with newspaper in hand, apparently did not speak English. And Savannah thought he could not hear her.  I finally realized what was going on from the checkout line when I hear her loudly ask, "Do you like your book?" The newspaper still in front of his face, I'm assuming he is either completely annoyed by a chatty 4-year-old, or he just simply doesn't understand her.  Poor girl...she later told me he wasn't very nice to her. 
Motioning for her to sit down and to talk more quietly, I turn my attention right back to my busy boys...one of whom is mashing every single button on the credit card machine (grinning ear to ear), and the other is on his feet reaching for the plastic bags, probably attempting to eat one.  And the couple next in line, well they're just enjoying the entertainment! (and most likely thinking...glad it's her!)  


And guess what? I am too. I am glad it's my job to closely watch a busy red head who just can't sit behind that buckle but for so long.  Glad it's my job to compare the prices of split chicken breasts while keeping watch to assure an active little girl doesn't run into an elderly shopper.  Glad I get to hand a baby one cracker per minute just to keep him seated (and from eating the produce just placed next to him).  And THEN there's all the comments from others....like my favorite, "Are ALL of them yours?" They always ask with a smile, and after I respond with the typical, "Yes, ma'am they are"  I smile and say, "And they are a joy!"


Because, whether or not my body experiences complete exhaustion after falling into the driver's seat in the parking lot of the store, my children are a joy.  They are precious!  They are a heritage of the Lord and I love them with all of my heart!


*But, I am thankful that grocery trips are only once a week. =)


Blessings,
~k.