Paint

My kids love watching birds, so I let them go crazy with paint and make a bird bath! It was so great! They loved it so much! I'm in love with these photos and some of them will most definitely be filling up the art corner wall in their room! :)

Snow

In the south it doesn't snow much... and even when it does, its not much. We got about an inch and my kids are thrilled! They stayed out for nearly an hour last night and are already running around in it this morning! Luckily my husband got a 2 hour delay at work, so he's outside while I'm warm, listening to Tessa baby talk in her crib, sipping my coffee and editing these pictures. Good deal!

This blog post is most certainly not really about the snow... its about Griffins quilt! 

Now, I'm proud of myself for making it, but not just because I made a quilt. I didn't really have doubts that I could do it, simply because I have made them in the past (just not the correct way). I've made 7 to be exact, 5 t-shirt quilts and 2 others. None of which were pieced, sandwiched, basted and bound correctly. But this time I did it right, and it feels good. It also feels good that I actually finished it! I'm a bit of a scatterbrain/procrastinator so I usually have about 5 projects going, which rarely get finished before I get bored with them! So yay for me! 

The nagging four year old waiting for his "orange and blue" quilt might have pushed me onward...

Now, I have the bug. I think quilting is a bit like tattoos. They say that once you get one, you want more and more until your filled with them. I can't vouch for that considering I don't have a tattoo... but I can say that I'm dying to start my next quilt, and I'm dying to have my home filled with them! I have plans for at least 3 in my head right now. I can't make a trip to the fabric store fast enough... snow go away and saturday please come quicker! 

So many more projects are laying out waiting to be finished... and for once I'm feeling motivated to get to work! 

Topsail Island Part 1

I've been going to Topsail Island my entire life. Each summer my entire family goes for a whole week. We take turns cooking meals and get the chance to spend lots of quality time together. Its so great, and its a tradition that I hope to carry on with my kids when they grow up and have families of their own.

Topsail Island is my absolute favorite place to be, ever. I used to think that I loved the beach, I was wrong. I love Topsail. I don't love sitting out on the beach soaking up rays or playing in the ocean. What I love is searching for the thousands of sharks teeth that swim in the shell deposits. I love the sound. I love sitting and watching the boats sail by and watching carefully waiting to catch a glimpse of a dolphin. I love the beautiful, amazing sunsets that fall over the sound each night, and the pretty haze that covers the water each morning. I love the slow pace of each day. 

This post is already a month behind and only shows a quarter of my favorites! Hopefully I'll get the second half up soon... but lets not bet on it! :)

Pre-Preschool

I tried to get a few pre-preschool pictures. It was somewhat of a failure. But in the end even the not as special pictures are just as important.  I got Sadie all dressed up in a cute outfit for once... the pink flip flops in tow. I made the polkadot skirt she is wearing, or "coconut" as she calls it, which is a little on the big side. She loves twirling in it letting the reversible yellow side peek out, which she didn't decide to do for me. But again, its all ok. Here are a few keepers...

Details

I love...

Sadie's punky bruster style,

pink flip flops,

obsession with tutus,

crazy hair,

big brown eyes,

squinty laugh lines,

sloppy kisses,

tight squeezes,

and life of the party attitude.

Griffin's serious attitude,

predictable outfit,

holy jeans,

shaggy dog hair,

chubby fingers and toes,

love for his cars,

and his sisters,

his messy face

his happy face,

and even his sad face.

Three

This is wordy, you've been warned.

The past three weeks has been a whirlwind. Its hard to believe that only 3 weeks ago I was in the hospital having my last baby. Its bittersweet knowing that she is the last newborn I will hold and love this way. Knowing that makes me want to soak up every little yawn and stretch, kiss her cheeks with extra love and hold her tight a little bit longer each night. Three kids is all we need, and the past 3 weeks have assured that more than ever. I'm not one to openly admit hard times, but its been a little harder than I had expected. My older two want a little more love and attention, and my youngest needs it just as much as they do. Balancing the amount of time we lend to each of them is what has us running around like crazy. We want to make sure they each know how much we love them. I think we are doing a pretty good job of it so far, and luckily they seem to know it. They are all three healthy, cared for and hugely loved. Its almost like I have a new love for my older two, a deeper love, watching them care for my youngest. Its amazing being a parent, and its not a job that I take lightly or would trade for anything in the world. I feel like if I don't do anything else with my life other than be their mom then that will be ok. I would have never said that before, but now I can scream it with confidence knowing its the truth. I love being their mom.

I hope that no one is offended by kids wearing only diapers or undies, or nothing at all. Thats how my kids spend the majority of each day. Proof is in the photos. Also I'm not a newborn photographer so don't expect to be wowed by cute photos of Tessa with her chin in her hands, because you won't be seeing them here.  

Although Griffin isn't quite potty trained yet, the fact that he is simply wearing underwear at all is a huge accomplishment. He wouldn't even attempt trying them on before, now he wears them all the time unless he's sleeping. That being said, he has still not actually peed "in" the potty. Its ok. One day at a time. He is in love with Tessa. He wants to kiss her and hold her every minute. He wants to get her boppy for me, cover her with a blanket and put her paci in when it falls out. Everything that has to do with caring for Tessa doesn't bother him one bit, unless he's left out of it. I was very afraid that he would be different with her being home, and he is, but in a good way. Not in a how dare you bring home another baby sister to steal my toys and attention kind of a way, at all. Its so amazing watching him love her, he's the most awesome little boy in the universe.

Sadie seems to have grown as big as a giant since we brought Tessa home. Her face seems big, her hugs feel strong and her voice seems much louder than ever before. She talks a mile a minute and has a comment to say about everything. She's beautiful and full of so much imagination and curiosity its almost scary to think about what she will be like when she grows up! She is going to keep us on our toes, and I honestly wouldn't want her any other way! She adores Tessa and is already such a wonderful big sister! She wants to smother her in sweet sloppy kisses and literally squeeze her every chance she gets! I think she will be an amazingly fun sister to grow up watching and learning from!

Our family feels so balanced all of a sudden, without even knowing what Tessa will be like. Its like she was meant to be here all along. I love my family and the bottom line is that I feel so loved, so blessed and so very happy. These pictures are far from perfect. I've chopped off fingers and toes (a pet peeve of mine) and have crops in weird places... but thats ok with me. The pictures I take of our everyday life are treasured and taking them is good for my soul.