A little of this and that...

Some things I have taken pictures of that don't have much to do with anything.  :)

I finally got Eli's baby panel framed.  

Luke has been building and building.

We made some really good banana muffins.

It seems like I have a lot of dry pantry goods (various beans, rice, other grains, nuts, etc).  I am going to work on meal plans that use these up.

The back door after playing in the snow....

And because it just looked like such a mess, I had to take a picture of the living room.  I want to remember more than just the super clean/organized times!

Everyday stuff

As usual, I loaded pictures from my camera and now I have a bunch of posts to catch up on.  Here are a series of days hanging out at home.

Luke working on numbers- he was so proud of himself!

I'm looking around for fun games for Sean on the computer.  There's so much available, but we still haven't found a favorite.

I loved finding Luke cozy with a book.

These boys of mine love tea time.  And they go all out with buddies and extra cups & saucers.  Before Sean got Polar, this was his bear of choice.

I don't even know when I took this, but he was still so I got him!

Luke loves having "work" to do while Bubba does his.  This calendar notebook has been great for him.  

I usually feel like I don't take many pictures, then go on a spree and take pictures of everything!  I am thankful to have them, though (especially when I catch up on the blog).  One of these days I'll actually print them.

No Snow and Random Stuff

We had a big snow storm... go all around us.  The boys were looking forward to trying out their new sleds, but we're still holding out hope for at least one good snow this winter (which will be just fine with me).  Nothing a warm fire and hot chocolate can't fix, though. 

I caught this little guy being super cute.

Here is he having a blast with his train.  Every time he put a piece on he would clap for himself.

Sean working- we've been doing pretty well keeping up.  

Lunch time.  

After the rain finally cleared out we have had several beautiful {{{cold!}}} days.  The boys have loved playing outside and riding their bikes.

Luke and his stylish ways. :)

I am thankful for warm fires, cuddly boys, a beautiful view, good books, God's Word and so many other things that God uses to reveal his love for us.

Rainy Tuesday

While Sean worked in his books, Luke wanted to paint.  He matched up the colors, brushes and cups.  Sean joined him when he finished his work.

I was happy they actually painted instead of just mixing all the colors together.

Luke's are the top 2 and Sean's is at the bottom.

Sean likes to have little breaks between work so we set the timer for 10 minutes and he gets back to whatever he was playing with.  Sometimes it goes a little more than 10 minutes, but the breaks seem to help motivate him

Rainy day view from our front porch.  Luke says we are in a boat and can't go outside because there are water snakes.  

Sean found a beetle inside and decided to give him a home and some spinach leaves.  

We started the Titanic Science and did some experiments.  The first was sinkers and floaters.  We all picked 6 things from around the house to test.  Then we did one on buoyancy.  It did not work as indicated, but was still fun to play with.

There is talk of snow!  The boys are excited to see if we'll get any.  I need to make sure I have hot chocolate supplies on hand (to celebrate or as a consolation!).

We have had a pretty low-key finish to the break.  The boys have played with everything they own, I think.  We have gone to Asheville a couple of time to the Children's Health museum.

I got this set at a yard sale 2 years ago for $1.  We were going to wrap it up for one of Sean's presents, then we had enough.  He found it under our bed later, so he got an extra treat.  He did a good job working through the directions (Ages 7+, my foot!  It got complicated!).  

We are ready to start the new semester (I think!).  I have some new goals with Sean's schooling and have put together some activities for Luke to work on.  

Our house is still on the market and I look forward to seeing how God works out the provision in all of that.  I await with great hope for what this year holds.

December beginnings

For the first time I did and advent activity calendar for the boys.  I made a list of fun things to do and acts of service and tied them up with some chocolates for each day.

Our nature cubbies turned into the advent countdown.

We did a lot of the things and the boys loved opening the packages each day.  Luke was odd and Sean was even.  

Luke kept up with some "green" projects.  He liked the water coloring.  I used a thick wood cutting born his Papa made as the base.  It worked great and Luke's picture was really nice.

 

Sean finished his ETC workbook just in time for a break.

Colder days mean tea time around here.  The boys got way more excited than I expected and pulled all their buddies out and set them a place, too.

Who  says little boys can't have tea parties?  :)  

Creative play

This is what happens when you declare a TV-free week :

The kids decided to play with produce.  They made up a game of passing it back and forth and had a "picnic."

I moved the table to the warmer living room for afternoon tea.

Just a few shots of Luke working on colors and counting:

Fall 2012 Family Pictures & Some Tips

We had a sweet friend do our family pictures.  It was such a crazy day.  Jeff walked in the door from work and we were scrambling to get everyone ready and figure out what he should wear.  Because I am a great planner like that.  

But ahhhh... we made it.

My lively boys were at their energetic best (you get what I'm saying??).
Julie works magic with that camera of hers!

        

She did pictures last year of the boys when Eli was only a couple months old.  Look how they've all grown!

Helpful tips:

• We used clothes we had and bought Sean and Luke t-shirts from Wal-Mart in fall colors (less than $5 each).
• We used a friend who is an aspiring (and very good!) photographer.  I'm all for professional photo shoots, but that is not Pate budget-friendly right now.  Barter or take advantage of their sweet deals.
• Feed the kids first!  And yourself if you're prone to grumpies, too.
• To help with littles who run, sit them down last, hold them gently in a pose and back away quickly as the photographer clicks away.
• Try, try, try to enjoy the experience and not get too caught up in t picture-perfect shots.  It took me a few years, but I'm better now!

The spot we went to was so beautiful.  And they let people come in to visit and explore.  We are already planning a picnic ASAP.  I thank God for my spunky, happy boys and my perfect-for-me husband!