Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Project Life Update

 It's been a couple of weeks since I have shared a few layouts. This weekend my mom and I are heading for our girls crafting weekend and I can't wait to relax, have fun and scrap away for three in a half days.

 I have loved doing this album all digitally this year which has allowed me to stay on track (uh..hem..my 2012 book is still incomplete..need to fix that this weekend!).  Come January, I just need to print out the book. Yea!!  Here's the end of October, in all it's festive spirit. Since I had so many great photographs from our day at Cantigny, I decided to add another layout to the book and I love how easy it is to accommodate those special photos.



Tuesday, November 5, 2013

Fill a Bucket!

One of our most favorite family books to read is,  "Have You Filled a Bucket Today?" It talks about being kind to others, offering a visual way of understanding the concept of how your actions affect others.  In the story, everyone carries around an invisible bucket that is constantly filled, or emptied, by themselves and/or people who surround them. The kids love it and we love the lessons taught.

Sometimes life's busyness allows us to forget the simple pleasures of being present and filling those buckets who are closest to us.  Life certainly isn't just lined with cherry trees with fresh fruit waiting to be picked, but life is still good but it sometimes just takes a few moments to sit back and realize how good it is.

This past weekend we did just that ---we filled each other's buckets by the handfuls. We picked up our kids and saddled them with a weekend of fun with a mom and dad who were 100% attentive and living in the moment.  It felt great.. So Really Good.  After a lazy Saturday morning, we drove to the city Children's Museum and had a blast. Wanting to continue our day into the evening, we found the most kid centric restaurant we can think of..The Rainforest Cafe ..where the Rylan was amazed we were eating in the rainforest with active storms without getting wet :).  Makenna actively led a safari hunt to find every animal on her search list, crossing them off eagerly one by one. And to end the evening, Daddy decided to high tail it to a surprise dessert stop, illegally parking the car and leading the two littles inside to pick out their freshly made doughnut at Firecakes. As they eagerly buckled back in their car seats with their larger than life doughnut, we drove home with a relatively and quite noticeable, quiet backseat. The beginning of the end to a wonderful day together.

With the sun shining brightly and the fall colors displaying their beautiful show, we woke up Sunday morning knowing that our to do lists can wait another day because nature was calling.  We drove a half hour to Cantigny where we were certain the colors would be prime..and it certainly didn't let us down.  Walking the grounds, climbing the military tanks and the trees, and enjoying the vibrant colors made for a nice afternoon.  There were so many moments when Scott and I looked at each other and thought, "man, our kids are cute" reminding ourselves how fortunate we are at hitting our own jackpot.   "Daddy I love hanging out with you," said Rylan.  And MC's just as cute statement, "mom, why does my shirt just say LOVE, it should say I LOVE MOM."  Filling our buckets for sure...thanks kids.

And since you know photographs are the key to this momma's heart, here's a *few* from our day. :)





































Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Happy Halloween!!!


We have been on the Halloween Fun Ride for the last week.  It all started last Friday night with a neighbor's Halloween party followed by a weekend of fall festivities.  Love this time of year!  We are in for a wet one today though, and with Makenna's school parade already canceled, we are hoping it is dry for an hour tonight so we can trick or treat our neighborhood.

For the past several months, the kids have been dead set on being the friends from Scooby Doo Cast for Halloween.  Makenna- Daphne / Rylan-Fred/ Mommy-Thelma/ Daddy-Shaggy/ Abby-Scooby Dooby Doo, of course!  However, come two weeks ago when we were making our final purchases for costumes, Rylan made a right turn. " I don't want to be Fred. I want to be BATMAN!"  After a few double checks, we knew he was not turning back.

However, these two costumes cannot fit them any better at this time in their lives. Makenna, always the girl full of confidence and girly sass who often asks older than her age, the teenager Daphne is perfect! And Rylan right now who is all boy, whom I have joked that at his fourth birthday he received a testosterone surge because he is now very physical and is attracted to ninja's, superheroes and anything with a sword- Batman makes sense!  Can you tell from these photos? They play these characters naturally.




Although Rylan changed his mind, Abby was still on the hook for being Daphne's back up help, Scooby Doo.  She looks a little bit more laid back though, right?  No nervous energy here. And she doesn't even require any scooby snacks!






























We hope you find a little magic in your day wherever you are.  Happy Halloween!