Summer is Winding Down

I know most people have already started school, but for us summer is lingering on. I realized this weekend though that we are almost done with this summer and it made me a little sad. Don't get me wrong, I am ready for Mother's Day Out for Ben and Preschool for Addie. They need some time with friends and more structure and I need some one on one time with Garrett. But I realized that next summer our family will have changed so much. What brought this all on was our last trip to the pool of the season. We have had a lot of fun at the pool this summer, all of our kids love the water and we love how close it is. Since it was our last trip I grabbed the camera on the way out the door. I tempted fate by taking the camera into the pool with me, but I had to capture some of these special moments that I know I don't get back.

I love the expression on Ben's face. He is so brave around the water he has to have his floaties on and he LOVES his shooter gun.

I love this picture because Ben is still holding his shooter gun while he is flying through the air, I told you he loves it.

Addie's turn to go up high.
Now it is Daddy's turn to jump in, he is mentally preparing.
I love this crazy man.
So sad, the slide was closed. Ben loves this slide and Addie has gotten a lot more brave this year. People are always amazed to watch my little dare devils go down with no floaties.
Little man chilling in his floatie. He loves just being in the water.
Addie loves this tube that Aunt Shana and Uncle James gave to her at the beach. It has gotten a lot of love this summer.
Addie loves jumping in.

This is not Garrett's most flattering look, but I loved the baby mohawk and you can see his jagged little teeth that have come all the way in on the bottom. Still only those two.

Garrett loves the water, and he is happy in his floaty, but he is happiest when we are holding him and he can splash in the water. Daddy was getting some BIG kisses.
This picture just makes me smile.
Our happy little splasher.
Trying to blow bubbles/drink pool water.
Gare Bear's turn to go up high.
I am such a lucky mommy.
And the evening was ready to come to an end, Ben got stuck trying to get into Addie's tube. Being the awesome Mom that I am, I stopped to take a picture before I rescued him.
Addie telling Garrett a secret.
I realized looking at the kiddos in the wagon that next summer they probably won't all fit in the wagon. At this time next year we will be sending Addie off to her big girl school. I am excited about the experiences that are yet to come with all of our children, but I am enjoying this crazy stage that we are in right now too.

Your Son and My Son

Have you ever called your husband to tell him something that "your son" did. Today was one of those days for me. I was heading upstairs to get Ben up from his nap and I knew there was a problem before I opened the door, I could smell it. When we rearranged the boys' room the changing area on the dresser ended up right at the foot of Ben's bed. All of the diapers and things are in the drawers so it hasn't been an issue. I started leaving a thing of powder in a cute little cowboy crate this week and today during nap time Ben found it. He emptied almost all 15 ounces of powder. Ever wondered how far 15 ounces would go? Jon thought the whole thing was pretty funny.



He was very proud of himself and didn't really see a problem with the whole thing. I guess me going and getting the camera probably took away some of the gravity of the situation, but I know I will look back on these pictures and laugh one day. I did think that as much of a pain as it is to wash all of the bedding on both beds, vacuum and dust the whole room, at least it is powder and not poop. The things that keep you going as a mom.

Now on to "My son". Garrett was in our room and I heard him banging on the guitar. I went in and got these pictures. Then he was still having fun so I got a video of him. You can watch my little musician here: http://www.youtube.com/user/TheHilton5.

I love both of these boys so much and all of the fun that they bring into our lives. I did ask Ben if he was going to play with the powder again and he said "Yes". We had another little talk about how we don't play with powder and he said "I sorry Mommy". Those words will always melt my heart, even when he does it again. Hopefully we just won't give him the opportunity, powder is now a controlled substance in our house and will not be left within reach of the little people.

Gettin' Things Done

There are times with small children that I feel like I am just keeping my head above water, trying to keep everyone fed, the next meal planned and the house reasonably clean. I have had a big project sitting out in the garage for a couple of months now and I finally tackled it this week.

There is a room in our house that we call the nest. It is a small room off of the master bedroom and I have claimed it as my space. It sat almost empty for a while, it has held several different chairs for napping or feeding babies, it has held the pack and play for a long time, but now Garrett is sleeping in his own bed, and sleeps through the night some of the time. I have really wanted a day bed for this room so that the kids and I could all cuddle up and watch a movie together. It is also a nice place to nap, or just relax. I did not want to buy a day bed because we have been buying furniture for the rest of the house.

I was at Lowe's one day when I found these cafe doors. They were marked 75% off the original price, only $20 a set. I bought two sets of them and came home with a vision. Jon doesn't always share my vision, but he is always so supportive. He helped me with the first couple of cuts and then I was ready to take over the project myself.

This is how the frame turned out. I know it isn't fancy, but it is sturdy.

And this is my cozy daybed, couch, little piece of heaven. I am working on more pillows for it, but it seems to be a big hit around here already. Addie wants me to paint it pink and Jon has already claimed it for his weekend naps. I love it when a project turns out how I it looks in my head.
Here is today's project. I know I have talked about Pinterest more than once, but it is awesome. I saw this picture on pinterest this morning and already had the burlap and the need for a new wreath. I picked up the straight pins and wreath form while we were out today. I am happy with the way the wreath turned out and now and I am on to my next project. I have to take advantage of these productive times because I never know when it will end. I hope you are having a great week so far!

Great Day

So if you have spoken to me recently you have probably heard me talk about Pinterest. It is a really fun way to waste time looking at pretty pictures. I have tried to be more intentional about doing some of the really neat projects that I am inspired by. These letters were one of those projects.

This is one of the walls in the boys' room now that I have rearranged some of their furniture.

Here is Garrett spending some quality time with me this afternoon. I was experimenting with different settings on my camera and he made it a lot more fun.

After Addie and Ben woke up they spent some quality time together watching a movie and eating a snack.

Everyone was anxiously awaiting Daddy's return from work. This picture was also inspired by one I found on Pinterest.

I hope you had a great day, we did.

8 is Great!

Do you see this big man trying to pull up already? He has started scooting to get to things while laying on his stomach and he is almost crawling. He pulls himself up onto his knees whenever he can. He is a great eater, he will try anything I give to him and he is always eyeing our food.

Bennett loves being a big brother, but he is struggling right now with having to share with everyone. He wants to play with Addie and her toys so sharing is an issue there and now that Garrett is almost crawling Ben has to share all of his toys again. It is hard being a 2 year old boy and a middle child.

Usually when I get the camera out he can't help but smile at me. Today I took him outside for some pictures and he was so distracted by everything around him that he would barely look at the camera.

Garrett has 2 teeth and we think he is working on a few more since he has not been sleeping.

I enlisted the help of my assistant to try and get Garrett's attention. Garrett adores his big sister and she was such a big help. I had her sit down so I could test a shot and she would not smile for me. Finally she started giggling and I asked her what she was thinking about. Addie told me that she was thinking about the sneezing baby panda from earlier in the day. That is how she made herself laugh.

She is such a sweet girl and a great big sister.

Even inside this little guy did not want to look at the camera or smile.

I know I am partial, but I think he is still a cutie.

We love this sweet little boy and can't believe that time is going so quickly.

Sneezing Baby Panda

Today while the kids and I were looking for breakdancing videos on Youtube we came across this video of a baby panda. It is really short, only 17 seconds, and it has Addie and Ben completely cracking up. Hope you are having a happy Monday.

New Shoes and Ice Cream

This little man is by far the messiest eater that I have had so far. He takes any opportunity to spread food over his face, legs, and tray. I made the mistake of leaving the bowl of food on Garrett's tray and this is what he did. It is a good thing he is so cute.

We went back to school shoe shopping this week. Addie didn't mind picking out shoes, especially when she got sneakers with Princesses on them that light up. Ben on the other hand thought we were trying to torture him. He actually started screaming as soon as we walked through the door, it was pretty pathetic. In the end we left with two pairs of snazzy new shoes and a promise of a treat.

We had promised ice cream, and then we couldn't find an ice cream place. Who knew that a cookie shop would have ice cream? Addie and Ben were so excited about their treats, it was a good time.
I wanted a picture of the boys in their outfits and forgot to take a picture all day, so we stopped just outside of the outlet mall to take a few pictures. I'm sure we looked a little crazy, but that is nothing new.
Garrett loves standing up. If you try and sit him down he becomes rigid and will not bend so you have to stand there holding his hands. He has been pulling up onto his knees whenever he gets the opportunity. Addie and Ben did NOT do this and I don't know what to expect with this little man. He is still not quite crawling, but he gets where he wants to go with rolling and scooting. Jon and I laugh at him when he is standing because he is so little.
Addie is such a good big sister. She was so excited to help Garrett stand up for a picture. Just second after I took this picture they both tumbled to the ground, I guess holding Garrett up is a lot of work for a little girl.