Rainy Day Blues?

No way! Not here!

My seesters and I have been just giddy all week with the cooler weather and the rain we got.
At least I'm not alone in my love of all things gloomy...

It's just so calming and cozy to be inside watching and listening to the rain.

Reading.
Baking.
Lazy afternoons with my babies.
Eating.
Napping.

There's nothin like hibernating!

I love it!

But we've been busy, too!
There wasn't one day last week that we were home.
And today I tackled their closets.
Getting everything ready for Sweater Weather (yay!)
Gwyneth's is pretty easy.
Just move everything up onto the next rod and pack away the outgrown.
Plus, there's only one of her.
The boys' are a mess.
I can NOT keep track of who's outgrown what.
It is such a headache to organize everything so that it doesn't get overlooked when we'll need it.
I found a whole bin of shoes Jude could've been wearing about 6 months ago (when he had none!) and now he can't fit into a single one of 'em.
I'm beginning to think a more efficient method would be to just throw everything into one big pile for summer and one for winter and dig through them when one of them needs something...
Definately worth mulling over.
But then I'd have to undo all the work I've spent the last 4 years accomplishing.

At any rate, at least their closets are now tidy and organized. And hopefully I won't be needing to rummage through each of them for 20 minutes every time we leave the house, trying to find that most important item anymore.

Our favorite way to laze those rainy days away...
playin in the boys' room.

Jude and Camden fighting over the bubble blower...
Mama finally got tired of them doin this to her and invested in one.
Touching it is off limits...















Camden still loves his barn Grandpa and Grandma got him for Christmas 3 years ago!





















Ocassionally the boys allow Gwyn to invade "ManLand"




















We've been working on our letters, numbers, colors and shapes every morning.
Camden now knows all his letters.
Jude and Gwyn are working really hard on colors and shapes.
They know most of them most of the time.
And I'm sure they'll have their letters memorized before I know it
'cause Camden is a great teacher!
I'm so proud of them!

Birthday Girl...

A belated "Happy Birthday" to my sis.
We've been best friends and best enemies our entire lives.
Well, since before I can remember otherwise, anyway...

With each other we've shared our parents, bottles, beds, toys, siblings, clothes, bedrooms, cousins, chicken pox, bathrooms, (& even an outhouse) secrets, dreams, tears and laughter.
I couldn't imagine a life that wouldn't include her.

I loves ya!

After much debate...

We finally ordered a set of these for Camden today.

While the fact that we actually got these for his birthday does varify that we are indeed, insane, it also proves how much we love this little guy! He has been begging for a set of his own ever since he got to play on Uncle Lance's. (months ago) We find him banging out tunes on various furniture pieces with his silverware every day and every time he sees a set he whispers to himself, in an awe-inspired voice, "Drums."

I'm not worried about what Camden+Drums=

I am very worried about what Jude+Gwyneth+Drums=

I'm thinking maybe we need to order a few more drumsticks to go along with it!

Oh well. Maybe my furniture will be spared, if nothing else.

Just one...

Just happy to capture her sweet smile.
It's not often she shares it so willingly...

I love you, Baby Doll.

A bowl of cherries...

Last week Aunt Heidi sent us home with a big bowl of homegrown pie cherries.
As I was getting ready to pit them I decided to snap a quick photo because:

*cherries are my favorite fruit
*red is my favorite color
*they remind me that it's almost fall, my favorite season
*they looked so dang beautiful sitting there
*they just made me happy























Jude was the first to join the scene,
as he always is.






















And he took it upon himself to stem them...
Less work for me, so I let him continue.






















Then came Gwyneth...






















Who started pitting them like a pro!
Who knew she even knew they had pits?






















It's messy work, I tell ya.






















Together they took care of almost the whole bowl for me.
They make a great pair.
Partners in crime, for sure...
















And what do you get when you add one more?

The 3 Amigos?
The 3 Musketeers?
The 3 Stooges?

Take your pick...

Either way, they're a team now.
And they win more battles than I like to admit.






















Camden decided he would be the taste tester...






















The aftermath...
See that crack in the table? Ya. All the juice ran down that and onto the floor. I must've scrubbed and mopped everything 4 times to get the sticky off.






















But we had so much fun!

I love that you guys are finally old enough to "help" Mama with projects. These are the moments that make me happier than I ever thought possible.

And a side note for all you squeamish ones.
I know you're out there. (And, yes, I know who you are.)
Those of you who are shuddering, gagging and can't believe I let these monsters dig in...

Their hands were freshly washed.
I didn't let any taste tested ones back into the pile.
And germs cook out anyway...right? (;

Quasi...

Camden just loves his new Night set...
Only the helmet is a tad on the small side
for his head which is a tad on the large side...
so it pulls up his noze and upper lip,
until I can't decide whether he looks more like Quasimodo
or something off The Lord of the Rings.

I simply cannot look at him without laughing
when he's wearing this!

And just to prove to all of you who haven't seen him in a while...

He's still really just as dreamy as ever..

I do believe he's gonna break a few hearts in his day...

Christmas in July...

Or, at least, that's what comes to mind when I look at this...























She thinks she needs to be wearing some funky hat at all times.
A diva, indeed!

I promise I have pics of the boys to share,
just had to get this one up while it's still July!

And for the record:
I think she looks very Beck in this one...
I just can't put my finger on who...
Caleb, maybe???