Moo!

So, yeah. The boys had a great birthday party at Chick-fil-a. Back in August. Here you go. :)

They were a little excited. Teehee!

Everyone got to meet the Chick-fil-a cow.

The workers refused to share the gender of the cow when asked by all the kids.

Some cousins were a little intimidated by the cow.

Singing Happy Birthday with the cow.

Lots of generous gifts were opened.

And fun was had by all. BY ALL!

And a super-cool cake was served!

Fabulous Fall Fun

Hopefully someday I'll get around to posting some pictures we've taken over the beautiful summer we've just ended, and from the boys' birthday party... In the meantime, here's a peak at our first official celebration of fall. We went to the pumpkin patch with Grammy, Aunt Brianna, Laura Anne, and Caleb again this year. This time, Aunt Sheri and Stellan got to come too! For consistency's sake, we happened to choose another day with highs in the 90s. (No editing here. I'm just flinging them up, quick as a bug.)

 

This is Isaac. This is Isaac some seven feet in the air, climbing a horizontal ladder.

This day goes down in the books.

Finally, just some recent sweetness. I can't resist these shots of them vegging out together. And in pj's? Come on.

Sweet sibling fun. Anna is finally ready to really get in there and rowdy with her big brothers. These three were doing all kinds of adorable tumbles.

Dependence

Okay, so God is our all-in-all, and the only One we need. But He gave us relationships for a reason, right?

Atmosphere

I like to think today has been one of a sweet and learning atmosphere around here. We got to do some cool sand art from our neato Toy Story 3 project box from Aunt Nicole. (These pics are from the other day when we got to do tattoos and decorated 3-D foam punchout characters.)

Can you tell this was her first time with Playdoh? Yes, that's what's dribbling down her chin.

We also got to make some shortbread cookies together. We used our neato animal cookie-cutters from ♥IKEA♥. Unfortunately, the boys weren't too excited about the taste - I think I overbaked them. But they loved making them and agreed to try them again next time, when I cook them better. :)

We got to read together, something that's been a little neglected lately. We all miss it very much, so I'm jazzed to have it a priority again.

My princess and I got to spend some alone time together, since the lawn guys were outside interrupting her nap. All. Day.

After plenty of playing with our awesome new train set, we packed up and headed to church. We all love our church so much, but Wednesday nights are our favorite. Sadly, we had to say goodbye to their teachers, as they will be promoting to their new classes next week.

To top it all off, the boys got to cheat and watch some cartoons after church, too.

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I am so very excited to finally be able to hibernate in our house for a while. I love my sweet babies and have missed alone time with them so much these last few weeks. I can count on my hand the number of days in the last two months that we've been able to stay home all day. It's been a great summer of fun and a little adventure, but I'm definitely ready for a time of peace.

We miss our daddy very much already though. He's our strength and comic relief.

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Slowly but surely absorbing some Charlotte Mason goodness... Humbling stuff right here:

“That he should take direction and inspiration from all the casual life about
him, should make our poor words and ways the starting-point from which, and
in the direction of which, he develops—this is a thought which makes the best
of us hold our breath. There is no way of escape for parents; they must needs
be as ‘inspirers’ to their children, because about them hangs, as its atmosphere
about a planet, the thought-environment of the child, from which he derives those
enduring ideas which express themselves as a life-long ‘appetency’ towards things
sordid or things lovely, things earthly or divine” (Parents and Children, pp. 36, 37).