Miss PersonALLIEty

I don't think anyone will ever accuse Allie of being boring.  Really, there's just never a dull moment with this girl!  Yesterday she came in from the back yard asking if we had any bricks.  She wanted to build a pool!  I told her we didn't have any bricks that she could use for building a pool, so she went and got a piece of paper and started drawing plans for her pool.  I even heard her asking Spence if he wanted to help build the pool!  Then this morning she asked if I could help her dig a hole because she couldn't dig one in the concrete.  I told her she'd need a jackhammer for that!  She quickly asked, "Do we have a jackhammer?"  Ha!

We were at a friend's house yesterday and she wanted different food than my friend had set out.  She kept coming in the kitchen looking for something.  Finally she asked my friend, "Do you have any bacon?"  What a character!

Here are a few pictures from today.  One or two really capture that personality!

Silly hat day at school

Welcome to Snipits!  It's time for a haircut!

Very serious

Modeling her haircut and leotard

It was just a trim, but it looks quite a bit shorter to me!

Allie's bangs have been cut a few times, but I had never had her hair trimmed.  I decided it was probably time, and was going to do it myself, but received a coupon for Snipits in the mail earlier this week.  I decided to indulge the sentimentalist in me and take her to get a professional haircut for her first time.  I'm sure I'll be back to my cheap ways and trimming her hair myself soon enough!  You know, I am the family stylist for all my guys!

Coleman's Birthday Party

For his birthday, Coleman wanted to invite some friends over and have a bounce house.  The party was last Saturday, the most beautiful day we've had in quite a while!  The weather was like a birthday present from God!  And many of Coleman's good friends were able to come.  He was so excited and kept talking about how fun it was after everyone left.  If you know Coleman at all, you know this is a big deal!  It made me happy to see how much fun he had!

Testing out the bounce house before the guests arrive

Ready for pizza!

The cake (Notice the 3 light sabers which all 8 boys wanted!)

Opening presents

Group shot (several friends had already left)

Fun in the bounce house!

Yes, bounce houses are fun.... unless you are 37!  After all the boys left I decided to get in and jump with Allie and one of her friends.  My back is still paying for that decision!  But other than that, it was a great day!  And the bounce house company didn't even come to pick it up until the kids were heading to bed.  I'm so glad my little man enjoyed his party!

Something New from Something Old

In the past few years I've discovered the art of changing old things that I've grown tired of into something new that I love!  It's so easy and there are so many possibilities.

Sometimes I get used to things in my house and don't even realize I don't like them anymore.  The other day I was on Pinterest and found some really cool picture frames that someone had made to look like a wreath.  Then one that was an empty frame with a wreath hanging in the middle.  I went looking around my house to figure out where I could hang something like that!  My best option was in the dining room, where I had changed out a store bought framed picture with a homemade picture.  I just didn't quite get it right, and I never really loved it.

I decided to keep the frame and hang a wreath from it, but since our walls are dark, I needed a lighter background so the wreath would stand out.  I decided to go a little funky with the material, and found this great pattern that matches our green dining room chairs!  I covered the cardboard picture that was in the frame with the material and hot glued it into place.  Then I threw out the glass (after I broke it into several pieces trying to remove it from the frame).  I'm trying to decide if I like the bright ribbon or if I want to change it out for burlap ribbon. 

I think I really like this!  I like to hang crafty things like this and look at them for several days before I make a final decision of whether or not I love them.  Anyway, it was an easy project that only cost a little over $12!  Here's a link to the framed wreath I found on Pinterest that was my inspiration.

Monster Trucks

Last night Brian took the kids to the Monster Truck show.  It was Allie's first time, and her excitement could hardly be contained!  She couldn't wait to go!  I asked her, "What does a girl wear to a Monster Truck show?"  And she said with much enthusiasm, "Hello Kitty!"

Ready to go!

Daddy even bought them souvenirs!

Snuggled up with her monster truck

Happy Birthday!

Happy birthday to our sweet Coleman!

 

 The day Coleman was born - January 12, 2005

 1 year old

 2 years old

 3 years old

 4 years old

 5 years old

 6 years old

 7 years old

8 years old

A New Year

Happy new year!  I usually make New Year's resolutions, but this year I didn't.  At least I didn't write any down or say them out loud.  I didn't sit down and put a lot of thought into what my goals are.  I do have goals though, so maybe I'll write them down here and now!  I think mainly they are to grow each day to be more like Christ and the person that God created me to be, to genuinely love and care about others, and to enjoy my family.  During these first weeks of the new year, enjoying my family has meant letting go of the image of an ordered house and embracing the piles of legos that cover almost every flat surface in my home. 

The boys are extremely into legos right now, and years from now I don't want them to remember how anal Mom was and made them pick up their treasured creations every night.  I want to stop and look at what they've built, and maybe even build my own!  I do realize that one day there won't be any legos lying around.  And while I dream of a calm and uncluttered house, it makes me a little sad.  So that is one of my biggest goals this year:  to embrace this season of life I'm in and enjoy every second of it, messes and all.