Simple things we enjoyed this month

Art projects... Even if our little girl thinks our trash can is part of our family.


The coziness inside our warm home; a sharp contrast to the extreme cold outside. After returning to work, I value these cuddles even more.












Sledding party with friends.








Taking monthly pictures of our little man, with a helper.





Sneaking peeks at moments like this:


And this:


And this (our little girl playing "fundraiser"):


Finding this unexpected note while out running errands. A pay it forward of sorts, the day after I paid for a stranger's parking.


And big smiles from our kids!











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If I could stop the hands of time

If I could stop time, I'd freeze these last few weeks. We are caught in that wonderful place where fun and exciting things are happening every day- simple things like smiles from our little guy, holiday festivities, and new family traditions (Elf on a Shelf and Christmas movies) and old favorites (Bentleyville and bell ringing for the Salvation Army).












Our little girl has concerts for Sunday school, preschool and dance.











We've enjoyed Christmas parties and she is over her fear of Santa.






She's excited to give the gifts we've chosen and made for others. She understands giving. And wants to give. She's keeping secrets of gifts we've bought and writing out names of those we care about on presents. I'm aware of how much she's grown and learned in the last year and I love to see these glimpses of a child wise beyond her years mixed with the awe and wonder of delight that is just as it should be for her age.

I love our home decorated for the holidays. And since I'm home on maternity leave (best timing ever) I can sit and enjoy quiet moments at home with my little man, the Christmas tree twinkling, baby sleeping on my lap, beautiful snow outside our windows as I appreciate the warm house, healthy baby whose playing, exploring, smiling (!!!), and these moments that I know won't last forever, but sure wish they could.


























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Summer bucket list update

It seems like Labor Day weekend marks the official end of summer. There are of course still many opportunities for us to be outside, but I thought I'd review our Summer Bucket List:

-Take our last family vacation as a family of three: yes!




-Go to the beach: yes! and yes!
























-Go to the zoo: my mom and brother took my little girl to the zoo!
-Go boating/tubing: yes!








-Make giant bubbles: yes!
-Eat outside as often as possible/ yes!
-Create a picnic nook in our backyard: yes!
-Ride the train: no
-Throw rocks into Lake Superior: yes!




-Go for a family bike ride for ice cream: yes!
-Go to the water park: no, but have a trip booked in a few weeks.
-Check out a new restaurant: yes!




-Make homemade ice cream: yes!












-Host a family gathering: yes!




-Play on the slip & slide: yes!




















-Have a water fight/water balloon fight: yes!
-Go to my brother’s softball game: yes!








-Visit out of town friends and family: yes!




































-Get caught up on my scrapbooking: yes!!
-Spend the night in the playhouse: no
-Make s’mores over a campfire: yes!




Oops... My daughter had a little mishap with her marshmallow and her friend.




-Check out a new park: yes!












-Pick strawberries: no, but we got deliveries of fresh picked strawberries from friends so we didn't need any more:)
-Go on picnics: yes!








I'd say our summer was a smashing success, a summer filled with meeting new babies, spending time with family and friends and being outdoors, having fun!
-Angela