enchanting...

she is.

(Showing off:

her first hair bow,

sitting up...almost,

and her personal favorite;
spit bubbles.)

first snow

I don't know about you guys, but our household is in a complete frenzy today.

Yesterday the kids glimpsed the first snowflakes of the season up at Grami and Grandpa's.
This morning I decided to wait and see who would be the first to notice their new world of white.

Not surprisingly, it was Gwyneth, upon sitting up to the table for breakfast. "It's snowing!" And they could hardly sit still long enough to eat.
There were shouts of joy, squeals of delight and stimulating conversation ("God makes some pretty tricky things!") as they scrambled out the door to taste, tromp and throw.
Even Adah was awestruck, gazing out at all that white stuff with her nose and hands pressed tightly against the window.

Seeing our world through my children's eyes is breathtaking.
Watching my children discover is beyond compare.

T.O.T.

1. Nobody likes me, everybody hates me. Guess I'll go eat worms.
A song that my cousin, Adrienne taught me when we were little and I still remember (nearly) every word. It pretty much sums up my attitude yesterday, a side affect of the minor health issues I've been experiencing since having Adah. But I'm over it now. God showed me how silly I was being when it suddenly popped into my head during the middle of my pity-party.

2. Today we went to visit my Grandparents. We need to go more often. It's one of those things I'm constantly convicted of. They live just across the lake from us and love to see the kids, but the best part? They love to see me even more. And that's something only a grandparent can give.

3. Speaking of grandparents; this week marks the 100th anniversary of my Great-Grandmother's birth. The very same Great Grandmother I named my daughter after. I never realized until after the fact that they were born almost exactly a century apart. How awesome is that! (Has anyone noticed the birthmark on her mama's neck, similar to mine? This is who everyone in my family thinks I resemble. Thankfully there are prettier photos of her (; She is my great-great grandmother.)

4. My home school journey has officially begun, at the insistence of my oldest son. We now spend our afternoons together working on all things academic and there is nothing I throw at him that he doesn't grasp. From printing letters, to phonics, to numbers, to patterns and even telling time. He devours it all and has left me wondering how I'm ever going to keep up with him next year, let alone after he gets past Kindergarten age.

5. Adah continues to woo us with her sweet, sweet spirit. Daddy says all the time that we envies her happy heart. She has a calming effect on me like nothing else. Truly medicine for my soul.

6. I've lost 5 measly pounds since determining to be my wedding weight once again. It could have something to do with the nasty addiction I have to Raspberry Chocolate flavored coffee creamer. I've cheered myself by stacking up five pounds of butter on the counter and imagining it slathered all over my body instead...and not thinking about the other 25 still smeared all over me. ugh.

7. I'm really mad at myself for wallpapering Gwyneth's room while I was pregnant, even more upset about how much I spent on it, and furious that I never finished it. Never attempt to decorate a room while pregnant. N.E.V.E.R.

8. My hubby recently bought me a Scentsy System. I LOVE it! If you want to make your house smell yummy, this is the way to do it! I love it so much I might even consider hosting a party, and that, my friends, is nothing short of amazing. (my favorite scents all reside in the "Scentsy Man" category. Not sure what that says about me...Rustic Lodge, Hemingway, and African Mahogany, to name a few. "Warm, outdoorsy, woodsy, rich–these words perfectly describe the fragrances in the Scentsy Man Collection. Here you will find scents dominated by amber and musk; woods such as cedar and charred oak; and spices like ginger and frankincense." Yummo!)

9. Can't wait to decorate my house for the holidays this year! Last year I was sick, the year before; twin terrors, and next year another into everything. I better enjoy it while I can. Christmas, here we come!

10. I'm really missing nap time. Now that Camden is doing school every day I get exactly zero free time. Zilch. Nada. It's rough, I tell ya. Does anyone out there have any suggestions on how to keep a pack of monsters 5 and under busy long enough for a few minutes of Mama time?

makin hay while the sun shines

I can't believe I almost forgot about these!

While at Grami's one day, I suddenly realized amidst all the chaos that it'd had been awhile since I'd last seen Camden.

This is where I found him.
Enjoying a few moments of solitude, peace and quiet.
And making "hay".

He could not have been more content.
Nor I.
One of my sweetest memories of summer...
Stolen moments, shared only by us.

blood red?

yes.
blood red. You can't tell it by the pic, but the red extends almost completely around her iris.
And you can see the incision when she looks to the side.

Right this very moment she's outside running around with her brothers.
How's that for resilient?

thank you

for all the prayers.

We most definitely felt them and could not have had a better experience!
Gwyneth was nothing but excited to be there and finally get that darn eye fixed.
She didn't shed a tear the entire visit.
In fact, I decided, on a whim, to decline the "kiddy cocktail" they usually give to relax them.
It's supposed to make the separation easier.
It didn't work the first time around and just makes waking up afterwards harder and more upsetting. (think non-stop screaming for 20 minutes or so)
I could tell they weren't exactly thrilled about my decision, but I think they were pleasantly surprised when our Dr. came in and asked Gwyn if she wanted to walk down to the operating room with her. Gwyneth said, "Sure!", hopped off the bed and strolled hand-in hand with the doctor down the hall without even looking back, let alone saying good-bye to Mommy and Grandma. Stinker.
Her doctor told us that after they got to the room Gwyneth announced that she had to go potty, so she took her. Something I wouldn't normally be comfortable with, but what do ya do? And I think it's pretty neat that she cared enough to help her. Gwyneth just loves her. She's been seeing her since she was not much older than Adah is now. And it's pretty awesome that God gave her a woman doctor (one of only four total pediatric eye surgeons in the area) given her extreme apprehension of most men.
Surgery went well. They only had to operate on one eye. I can already tell that it vastly improved her range of motion, if not fixed it completely. And I would really recommend not doing the kiddy cocktails whenever possible. Post-op was a dream! She woke up, drank some juice, had a Popsicle, got dressed and we were outta there! Not one bit of fussing the entire time! Well, until on the way home when she finished devouring her chicken nuggets and wanted more. Ravenous! I don't think I've ever seen her that hungry!
Her eye is bloody red. Although, not as bad as I remember it being last time and she is tearing blood. It's also draining blood out her nose. Disturbing. But she just thinks she has a sniffle and hasn't realized it's blood, yet. Ignorance is bliss.
She's already back to her sassy self and was too busy working on a craft project from Grandma to be bothered with nap time.
Thank you, again, for all your prayers!
I cannot even begin to express my relief that this is finally over.

Please say a prayer

for Gwyneth.

She has eye surgery at 8:30 in the morning.

Possibly on both eyes.

And while you're at it say a prayer for Mama, too.

There's no doubt I'm more nervous about it than she is.

Golden

Not a day goes by that I'm not thankful for our family.
Lyle and I are blessed with brothers and sisters that are our best friends. And lots of 'em!

Ryan and Crystal and their beautiful girls.
After looking through all the pics I'm quite certain I'm no longer on Ryan's list of friends.
It kinda reminds me of the groom who did everything short of cussing me out at the wedding I photographed.
No matter. I know he'll forgive me when he sees how happy I made his wife with these..

McKenna and Ava are such naturals.

Gretta is a hard one to crack.

(Where's Uncle Lyle when ya need him?)

But I kinda like this anyways.

It's just so "her".

I always love watching these two together...

She loves her Daddy!

These could have been better.

I'm sure Crystal can do something splendid with them.

Thanks, you guys, for letting me capture your beautiful family!
It was an honor!
Love ya!

Never look back!

I can't help myself.
Just one glimpse...

I miss those sunlit days of summer already.

Come home, Daddy!

We've been home all week, but it's just not "home" without Daddy.
He'll be home soon and I can't wait to see him!

My week was pretty uneventful.

Monday night I stepped out the door to chase a stray cat away from the garbage I had just set out and came nose-to-nose (well, nose-to-toes) with a skunk. Literally inches away, he looked up at me, as I ever so carefully retreated back inside, and then continued scarfing as if I wasn't even there. Man, are they ugly! So weaselly looking. I had the heebie-jeebies for the rest of the night! Tess and I tried everything we could to scare him away without getting perfumed and he completely ignored us! Arrogant little thing! And so vicious. You wouldn't believe the way he tore into that bag! Finally, after getting his fill, he left. As I grabbed the garbage to bring back inside (I had to! All the trash cans were full!) I couldn't help but think, what if he's inside of it still? Could you imagine having a skunk and four babies in the house?

Then there was my dentist appointment.
The worst one I've ever experienced.
Apparently I'm hard to numb.
Impossibly.
I was given so many shots I lost count and my jaw still hurts so badly that I can't get my mouth open far enough to stuff in anything substantial.
I've already lost four pounds.
Maybe I should visit the dentist more often.

Adah, who had been sleeping through the night for almost a month, decided to wake up twice every night, along with her sister.

The kids were so naughty they almost lost the priviledge of movie night.
But Mama had mercy on them.
We ate pizza and watched Snow White.
I think I enjoyed it more than they did.

And now?
Now I'm so exhausted I'm not even going to wait up for Daddy!
I'm tired of waiting anyways.
If I fall asleep then he'll wake me up after what seems like only moments...

The high flyin, main event of the year!

We had so much fun at Camden's party!

Thought I'd post a few pics for those of you who missed it.
(or forgot about it)
'Cause I know how completely awful you must be feeling (:

This years theme:
Vintage Carnival

The invites.
Yes. I do them. It's fun for the kids.
Usually I make them myself.
This year I ordered them on etsy.
Didn't she do a great job?

For the first time, Camden addressed his own invitations.
ALL.BY.HIMSELF.
The "r"s are my favorite...

And each child got their very own ticket to bring for a special prize. Again, just for fun. Not one kid actually remembered. They got a prize anyways.

Glow sticks. Caramel candies. Vintage mood fish. Cute vintage favor bags.

Once again; etsy.

The moment I saw these mustaches I knew I must make them.

Because I'm a glutton for punishment.

And because I knew Camden would LOVE them.
And he did.

He loves anything silly and fun because he loves to laugh.
And I love it when he laughs.
People stop me in the store just to tell me he has the best laugh they've ever heard.

Of coarse he picked the biggest, goofiest one for photos...

Caramel apples.

Aren't they pretty?

They were good too.

And very, very messy.

Camden decided he didn't like them.

They were too sweet and sticky.
Good, old fashioned soda.

And lots of it!

Aren't I a terrible Mama?

If you recall from a recent post, Camden doesn't like this either.

Notice the silly mustache...

What carnival party would be complete without Barnum's Animal Crackers?
Mustachios on a stick...

And popcorn!

In my defense,

Camden announced to me just days before the party that he's decided he no longer likes popcorn because,

"It makes a mess in my mouth."

Silly boy! He doesn't like anything that's not good for him! (;

I *LOVE* these vintage popcorn bags!

You guessed it; etsy!

I didn't get any pics of the actual party. Too much craziness!

We had face paints, (thank you, Aunt Heidi!) and a clown (thanks Kenna!) and lots of presents!

Thanks, everyone, for making Camden feel so loved on his special day!

a mother's love

My first born.

Through you I first glimpsed real love.

Pure. Unselfish.

I love you because you are.

I need no other reason.

Happy Birthday Camden!

On turning 5

Camden Asher

An in depth interview:

What's your favorite color?

Green. To match my eyes.

Favorite toy?

My batman costume. And my new gun from Grandma.

Favorite thing to do?

Play soldiers.

Favorite movie?

Batman!

Place you like to go best?

Wal-Mart. No! The restaurant.

Which restaurant?

The burger one. With milkshakes.

Favorite food?

Pizza, but I only like it sometimes.

(Meaning, not every kind.)

Favorite candy?

Chocolate chips, 'smarshmallows' and candy canes.

Do you like soda?

No. It's fizzy and tastes like sugar.

Who's your best friend?

Uncle Lance!

(Without missing a beat.)

I was so impressed with a picture he drew I asked if I could keep it.
"Sure! You can give it to Uncle Lance to hang on his fridge for me!"

What do you want for your birthday?

Buzz Lightyear. Or maybe...a Buzz Lightyear costume!