39:52 Sweet

I know that you all will think I'm a bit biased, BUT...

does this girl not have the sweetest eyes and smile?

39:52 Sweet

A sweet treat for a sweet girl

She turns two tomorrow!  And while it's true that I call her my firecracker, she also has the sweetest disposition.  She hugs everyone, loves on her baby dolls, and melts me with her smile.

Cute little headbands in her (finally growing) hair don't hurt anything either!
Neither do chubby little toddler hands.
Or kissable cheeks and button noses.
Or toddler language, for that matter.

Go see what's sweet this week in Maaret's world.

All Aboard!

Choo-choooo.  Hop on board the Diaper Express!

I only have one in diapers right now.

But you wouldn't know it by this supply.  

I stock up when I go to Sam's.
I've been buying my diapers there (or Costco) for years.

I was just thinking...

I've been buying diapers for nine years and seven months.

If I bought at least one box of diapers every month,

that's 115 months times roughly $40...

Oh, never mind!

That could be a depressing number.

As in like a Hawaiin vacation number.

But it's not worth considering.  I rather like being able to throw

dirty diapers in the trash versus the washing machine.

Now what would be interesting to know, 

is the number of diapers I've contributed to the landfill.

Let's see... five children...

It's a mountain, I'm sure.

Do I get any credit for at least recycling the cardboard box?

Happy Monday my friends!

If you're currently on the same train as me, may your diapering days be jolly!

Chugga, chugga, choo, choooo!

38:52 Outside the Lines

If I pretended we had a set of lines that we, as parents, were following for this journey called 'raising children', they would not be straight.
If you were to look back at our lines of the last nine plus years, you would find that while they started heading in one direction, they veered off course several times, and that we are no longer heading in the same direction now.
But I think that is good.
We are learning, and we are learning that what we once thought was important may not necessarily be so any longer.  I'll call that living. Living and learning.

While we may have once walked in narrow lines, I think they are starting to broaden. It's when we step outside of our self-created lines, that we push them out, expand them. I'll call that growth. Personal growth.


I think that I may have stepped outside of our pre-set lines earlier this week
(the only kind of growth I see at this moment is the tangible one of another breathing body occupying this household).
I brought home a four legged friend.

As crazy at it is to me, my kids now have a new best friend.

A very energetic, shedding, and kind of smelly best friend.  Oh, what did I get ourselves into???

But the kids love her already.  

They want to be in the same room as her.  

They think about her when we're not at home.

They give her endless hugs.

And they *cringe* share their snacks with her.

Definitely outside the lines!

I never would have thought this would be a sight you'd see in my home...

So yes, perhaps this step of acquiring a family pet was a bit 'outside the lines' for us, but then again perhaps it will soon seem very apropos and our lines will make yet another, broadening shift on their ever evolving course.


I'm linking up to Maaret this Friday.
Enjoy your weekend!

37:52 Emotion

We run through a lot of different emotions over here.

And while I knew I would have lots of different opportunities to capture some, what with five kids ranging from expressive, to funny, to sensitive, I ended up with something completely different than I thought I'd have.

We've had a few birthdays in this household lately.

Brant turned six. We didn't quite know how to wrap his bike, so we brought it into the room and then told him to open his eyes.

37:52 Emotion

Surprise!

Then, two days later, while all the family was gathered for a weekend camping trip, I threw a surprise birthday for my hubby.  Yes, the photo of him when he realized the party is his is fun.  But I liked this one from the day better.

37:52 Emotion

The children are excited, Dean is delighted, and his mother is ever loving.

These photos make me smile.  Do they have that effect on you?

I'm just as curious as you to see what kind of emotion Maaret's photos are going to evoke.  Who bets smile and who bets frown?

36:52 The Golden Hour

I never thought about how fast I run...until my neighbor told me she was a slow runner.  Then I started wondering where I fall.

Then we made a family trip to Buffalo Park and I had to run with my brother and my husband while my kids biked.

Now I know that I am a slow runner. 

Not only do I hold everyone up with my slow pace, I stop often to catch my breath take pictures.

Like seriously, how can you not try to capture this kind of beauty at sunset?

36:52 The Golden Hour

We saw this person paragliding off Mount Eldon and down into Buffalo Park.  I must say that I was enchanted. 

Ten minutes later though, the sky started turning yellow and orange.

I had the better show after all, put on by mother nature herself as the sun set the sky on fire before dipping out of sight.

And, I got to see it with my kids. 

It was a perfect evening.

I'm linking up to Maaret this month, so head her way to see her golden hour.