Little Monets

Lately we have been spending quite a bit more time inside. We sure miss the freedom of running in and out all day. Now, even when we have a random nice day, I find it hard to gather up enough energy to round everyone up for shoes, coats, and anything else that needs to be brought outside. Anyhow, we've been using our indoor time to expand our creativity with all kinds of art. The kids love to spend time coloring, creating, and using their imaginations.

A lot of our mornings have been spent with a nice, long coloring session after breakfast. Once we got over the hurdle of who gets to use the big crayons (nothing a little run to Walmart can't fix), it became quite an enjoyable (peaceful) way to start the day.

I've spent time searching for fun and easy projects that both kids can do. This one turned out to be more fun for Daddy than anyone else. Leah lost interest in about 5 minutes. I know, shocking, isn't it?!? But Daddy and Caleb worked for quite awhile on their candy corn mosaic.

And of course, there's the annual pumpkin carving night. The kids had a blast getting their hands dirty, picking out their pumpkin faces, and watching Daddy and Grandpa do the carving.

We've also come across (thanks to a little boy that likes to search through the bathroom closet) a few fun bathtime art supplies. The bath paints and crayons were presents the kids got awhile ago....possibly even as far back as last Christmas! Anyhow, they were discovered and then talked about in great detail enough times that we finally made it a point to take them out and use them! Both the paint and crayons were really fun to use and even washed off really easily from the walls. We still get asked just about everyday if they can be used again, but we're going to try to make it more of a weekly event than an every-single-night-ritual.

I couldn't leave out this shot....yes, they'll resent me one day for it, but it's just too cute not to share!

Since when....

....did my babies grow up to be big kids?

I really don't know if it's pregnancy hormones or just the true reality of motherhood, but I could seriously cry at the thought of how quickly these little loves are growing. I cannot thank God enough for the blessing of being home day in and day out with them. Despite the incredibly trying moments that test every last bit of my patience, I have cherished everything about being a stay-at-home mom for over a year now. I can't wait to meet our baby boy in just a few short months. Yet, at the same time, I'm just not ready to blink my eyes and see yet another tiny miracle turn into a big kid!

Our Little Ring Bearer

On Saturday, my cousin Rob married his beautiful wife Katie. Caleb was lucky enough to be a part of their special day and he enjoyed every minute of his special job. We spent a lot of time talking about how important the ring bearer is and made sure he understood that he needed to do the best job he could. He did a great job and had so much fun getting loads of attention and hamming it up for the camera. His favorite part of the night was chasing around the flower girl, who wanted absolutely NOTHING to do with him! He's still talking about her today and I'm sure we'll hear a lot more about Lilly in the days to come.

Farm Fun

The weather this past week has been absolutely beautiful. We have been making sure to enjoy every bit of it because we know that winter will be here all too soon. One morning, we decided to head with Grandma Leslie to a local farm that has tons of activities for kids. Caleb and Leah had a blast jumping, riding tractors, playing in the corn pit, running through the straw playground, and conquering the corn maze (which we did a much better job of completing this year as compared to last year). I sure love these days at home with my kids and am so thankful to spend time making these precious memories with them!

Busy Weekends

We have had a few very busy weekends this past month, and the fun just keeps going with two more busy weekends ahead of us. In some ways, I'm looking forward to the slower pace of winter when there isn't much going on besides being lazy all day on Saturday and hanging out as a family. I'm sure my thoughts will quickly change when those lazy weekends are followed by seemingly endless weeks at home, stuck inside, all day, every single day!

In the middle of September, we decided to get the kids' room ready for the big move (Leah will soon be joining Caleb in his room in order to make room for the baby). We wanted to get Caleb used to having the beds debunked and rearranged before adding the excitement of a permanent roommate! So far, the kids love having their own beds and spend a lot of time playing in there. We're hoping the playfullness only happens during the daytime once we make the actual switcheroo. Somehow, I think that's not going to happen and we'll be spending a lot of time telling our two monkeys to "cut it out and go to sleep"!

At the end of September we geared up for our annual breast cancer walk downtown. Unfortunately, we didn't get to complete the full walk due to the fact that it began to pour only a short while into the walk. We forgot to bring umbrellas and the kids were soaked and cold. It was definitely not the kind of morning we had hoped for, but memories were still made!

This past weekend, we made a trip to Champaign for a couple days. We spent time tailgating, going to the game (which was AWESOME), walking around campus, hanging out/swimming at the hotel, and picking pumpkins and apples at Curtis Orchard. Everytime we're back in Champaign, we realize just how awesome our years down there were and even get this itch to pick up and move back. There's something about that town and being an Illini that will always be such a special part of our family!