i've heard from mamas that are older and wiser to take costume pictures before halloween, since the hustle and bustle of the actual day can be a bit crazy.
scouting out the "perfect" spot to capture their superhero-ness took a little longer than expected. so, penelope got in a nap but the big kids were over taking pictures before we even got started. you'd be surprised at the power of bribing your children with chick-fil-a ice cream, it worked wonders.
anyone else already planning for next year's halloween theme?
i apologize in advance.....this post is kind of all over the place.
does anyone else feel busy? too busy? is it just me? yes? no?
for being a stay-at-home mom, i feel like i am too busy. we have commitments every day. with bible study, kids day out, awanas, mops and therapy appointments for penelope, we are busy. of course, these are all good things, really good things. i am grateful for all of it. but sometimes i think, maybe we can miss this activity or that activity, so we can be home in our pjs and play and dare i say, clean.
today, was one of those days nobody wanted to get out of the house, except penelope, she was the only compliant one. for the rest of us, it was a battle all the way to our classroom doors. as much as i think we need to be at home, together, i am grateful that we get to be a part of mops (mother of preschoolers) and our church and our school where teachers love my children and they get to play with fun toys and craft (which we do not do at home) and play with their friends and read new books. and i get to have grown-up time, an adult conversation, to ensure my brain doesn't turn to mush. i have the opportunity to be surrounded by women who feed my soul, listen to my heart and encourage me.
today at mops, the leadership team shared this video. it brought me to tears, which doesn't say much because a lot of things bring me to tears. but this video brought me the encouragement i have been craving/needing. so, i share this with you, in case you are in need of similar encouragement.
when i went to pick up all my people from their classrooms, they all had smiles on their faces. their hearts were full and so was mine. even though i feel like i'm too busy and have too many commitments, i know that these are good commitments, good for me and good for my little people. my kids are thriving in their social environments and my cup is being filled, so that it may overflow onto those i love most.
to celebrate these commitments and these cathedrals we will sit in the sunshine and enjoy our cupcakes. thank you, sam for these festive, delicious cupcakes. #insertkissingsmileyfaceemoji
can you believe they would tease her with their cupcakes?!
she has the reflexes of a cat.
she wasn't even mad that she didn't get to eat the cupcake.
i'm trying to make the most of what feels like not enough time together. and trying to find a balance for all the good things and knowing that i am 'building a great cathedral that will not be finished in my lifetime'. wow! that's a lot of feelings.
my hope is that you have people who encourage you and speak life into you.
every fall our school sets up a pumpkin patch. mclain and aplin were so excited to pick out a pumpkin. and just like their tooty, they had the hardest time deciding which pumpkin was the perfect pumpkin. they ran from pumpkin to pumpkin trying to determine which pumpkin was made just for them. love these sweet kids and love our school. they create such fun experiences for our kids.
mclain ran up to me so excited, "happy pumpkin patch day!"
penny girl, i'm so sorry i wasn't there for your first pumpkin patch day.
thank you, miss crystal for capturing penny and her pumpkin.
thanks to matt's parents and their involvement with the Lubbock Lions Club, we get to go to joyland once every summer. the club treats their members and their members' families to a night at joyland. this was our fourth summer to attend and "family night" never disappoints. it's always fun to see what rides the kids can and will want to ride as they get older each year. this year, they were up for whatever ride their cousin was riding.
^^^ i can't stop laughing at how 'giant-esque' matt looks in this firetruck. ^^^
^^^ y'all, she made this face on every ride. equal parts joy and terror. ^^^
^^^ my very favorite picture, so sad it's blurry. ^^^
i really need to learn how to use my big girl camera.
hashtag: blogger fail.
mclain and aplin were so brave, they rode everything they were tall enough to ride, including the gondola (my worst nightmare), the small (but mighty) roller coaster and this tokyo drift ride that would have left me feeling all sorts of queasy.
this is a nice speed for my mama-nerves.
and we stay way past our bedtime and it's always worth it.
