Favorite Fall Pictures

Beauty

I've been thinking a lot lately. Beauty. Just how it is something that is cultivated and grown, something that is so inward and attractive.
I want it, and I want to be that example to my children. I crave for them to know a beautiful and nurturing mother. A mother slow to anger, and quick to show love.
I've got a long way to go.

I keep thinking that Eden is three now. Three. I can't believe it and remember the day she was born like it was an hour ago. I remember teaching her the first words she would say and knowing how to make her laugh hysterically.
Micah is now one. He seems like such a baby to me in the sense of the word,... needy, cuddly, dependent. But he's one. He knows some words, catches onto things like I can't believe, and loves attention.
And with all these pleasant memories of my children, I keep thinking that I really need to get my act together.

God has given me two beautiful kids to shepherd, love, and protect. But I need to do more. I need to be that person that stands out.

This past week, I ran into a few of those people. Stunning people.

Simple acts, immeasurable beauty.

I was at Target. Pushing two carts, one full of boxes, and one of kids, and having quite a time. I had to keep stopping every five feet or so because all of the boxes were falling out of the bottom of my kid cart. A lady, totally out of the blue, stooped down, helped me clean up all the boxes, and gave me some encouraging words. She then asked me where my car was and told me that she would help me get there. It's so simple. But this little simple act, really got me thinking, am I ever "that" person?

Yesterday, we dropped Eden off at Sunday school before heading to church. Usually it's an ordeal, and one that I don't do well with. I'm a softy, but yesterday was so different. Eden's teacher, who Eden told me that morning was her favorite, was waiting near the door with her favorite doll. She had it actually in her hands and ready for Eden. I felt like crying there on the spot. For someone to show my child love like that meant more than the world to me.

I don't know how to explain it any more simple.

Random people going out of their way to make someone's life a little brighter and theirs a little less selfish. I hope I learn soon, and I hope that I can teach my children true beauty.
It's such an amazing thing to me. Love.

Feeling Overwhelmed

I know feeling overwhelmed can be a good thing, but that isn't the kind I'm feeling.

I feel overwhelmed, as in I can not accomplish all that I need to. We move in six days. At the moment I want to call a 1-800-GOTJUNK truck and tell them to haul everything away.

Yesterday I took the kids to the park and met a friend there, afterwards we went to the library. After all of this, Eden sat with a quivering lip in her car seat saying that she didn't want to move. She said that she didn't want anyone else to live in our house. Oh sweetie, you'll never look back, that's what I wanted to say, and I guess did more or less.

I have been really conscious of my "agenda" this week to get us packed. I think Eden and I have done more projects this week than we have all month. It's amazing to me, just how kids roll. If things start going downhill between Eden and Micah, what I've been doing is just immediately stopping what I'm doing and giving them 100%. I wish I always did that.

Even if I just go lay on the floor, they're crazy for climbing on me, I love that.

I am so blessed.

I still can't believe that God has provided this opportunity for us. We prayed for so long, years actually. That makes me feel really overwhelmed.
The overwhelmed in a good sense, I much prefer that one.

My happy kids in the midst of it all:

A tea party

We went to the most fabulous tea party last weekend. It was so beautiful in so many ways. It was one of those things that you keep asking yourself "why didn't I do that?" I mean a tea party for little girls is so adorable, why aren't they happening all the time? Anyway, I loved it and Eden was enthralled.

It was such a special treat to be invited.

Our friend/host also planned a little craft. Adorable. It was a little felted acorn necklace. So. Cute.

Usually I'm not a big social person. I like my time with my kids and my hubby, but all week, I was looking forward to this tea party. I thought it was so special that I had this opportunity to spend with my daughter one on one. 

I love the memories we created last weekend and have thought of them so often this week. 

Thank you friend, for having us, we had a blast.

Little messy housekeepers

We are moving in 11 days! The condo is always a disaster, but it hasn't bothered me. We're moving for goodness sake. It has been really hard to get things packed. The kids love boxes.

Climbing on them, stacking them, trying to stand on them when I'm not looking, or making pretend little houses out of them, it's all good fun to them.

They seem to not even notice that the condo looks like a bomb shelter,

which is why I love children so much. They're little sweet nature totally uninhibited by trivial things.

But, boxes bore me. So a couple of weekends ago, I went rummaging, by myself (thank you Mike). I found this adorable little hutch at a preschool rummage. It was rough. I wish I had taken a before picture, but it was so unattractive, I couldn't bring myself to take a picture.

After hours and hours of sanding, adding new knobs, cleaning out the mouse nest, and getting it to sit flat, I am thrilled with how it looks. There was so much paint on it to that the drawers hardly moved and now they easily come in and out.

Take a good look because Eden and Micah are more of the messy type of housekeepers.

They've been having a blast with it though and playing together nicely when sharing isn't the major issue.

I love when they play together, it gives me little glimpses into the future of what I hope will be a life-long friendship.

But for now, I'll enjoy the two minutes that it lasts before the hair pulling, hitting, kicking, and screaming ensue.

Thankful she's three!

Today my little girl turned three. The birthday started early, I think she was too excited to sleep. Daddy got up with her and Micah and I tried to sleep, but all I couldn't ignore my little girl's excited voice talking about how she was three now and that today was her birthday. I quickly got out of bed disappointed that I had already missed the first few minutes of excitement and we got her special day started.

Eden's been waiting to be three for soooo long. We had her party combined with Micah's a little over a month ago but even before then, "when do I turn three? Octover sixteenth!" After Eden opened her presents I tried to make her requested caterpillar cake. I was going to put decorated cupcakes together like I've seen done everywhere, but that would've been too easy. I added almost a cup more water than I should have and forgot to add the oil. Such a disaster, and from a box no less, that's embarrassing.

After church, Eden opened up all her birthday cards. She got some tattoos from Grandma and I'm proud to say I have one on my foot, daddy has one on his hand, and I think Eden has one on her foot and three on her arm. Ink by Eden, just kidding.

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 We headed to the zoo where Eden couldn't wait to ride the chicken (it's a rooster I know) and Micah enjoyed his first carousel ride.

Micah was still mad in this picture that his ride had to come to an end, but I'm just happy we're having a family picture. Grandma and Grandpa Belland joined us and it made it really special for the kids.

I know Eden's out of focus in this picture, but her attitude is the goat pen is just a hoot. She thinks she owns that place and that somehow by feeding those goats, they owe her a friendship or something. She's hilarious.

This was also Micah's first time in the goat pen. I don't know if I've ever heard so many delighted squeals come out of a little boy, but I loved every second of it.

I kept coming back to this picture because it's just hilarious. Apparently Eden and I thought something was just over the top, and my heart just swells when we share those moments.

Micah kept signing "more" after we'd walk away from an animal he liked. It was really cute, and clever, I think, to ask for it like that.

Just Mike looking like a lost little boy. Actually, I was just trying a different setting on my camera and thought he looked uber cute.

Speaking of little boys... is that normal?

So, my the requested "pink and purple caterpillar with blue ears" birthday cake or cup cakes was a total flop, but I did draw one with a little frosting tube on a store cake. She liked it and requested the piece that had the entire caterpillar on it. Sound like a win, win for me.

The funny thing was, we sang to Eden, with candles and all before her cake was cut. When she got full of frosting, she requested a pink candle on her cake and for us to sing again.

Micah enjoyed the whole bit. He's a good sport lil' brother.

See all her tattoos in this picture?

But more importantly, I think this was the fifth or sixth time we sang. We'd sing, she's blow out the candle, we'd hoot and clap and she'd get a serious face and say "one more time".

It went on and on, I'm thinking we sung maybe nine times. But she had so much fun every time and why say no. I love seeing the joy that children have over such simple things.

I still can't believe she's three. I thought that I'd made it through the day without being emotional, but at bedtime we had a tender talk and my memory was just flooded of her being a baby, then one, then two, and now three. I took special note of the time today that she was born and had the days events three years ago in the forefront of my mind. I'm nostalgic, but love the present. She's so beautiful, and I keep thinking of what my mom said to me the other day on the phone about her "who knows, maybe you're raising a little Mother Teresa". 

Their little slice of heaven

A few weeks ago,  a friend sent us some passes to the children's museum in Milwaukee. It was such a treat as I haven't been there ever with Micah and only once with Eden nearly two years ago. At that time she was so small for so many of the exhibits, but this time it was so perfect.

She stayed in the little mechanic area for quite a while,

and it was so adorable to watch.

And that's when I decided that we have some similar interests, my little car mechanic.

The little Sendik's grocery store was her favorite

and she had some serious talks with Daddy about his phone battery dying.

I love the face that Eden is making when she's creating.

Micah had a lot of fun too. Right after this picture, he almost flipped the rocking horse. Boys!

I know the kids both had fun, running everywhere and touching everything their little hands desired. I think they thought they were in heaven. But I think the highlight of my day was having Mike with us. He walked over from work and we got to spend some one on one time with each of the kids. I'd rather have it been one on one time with each other, but soon, soon.