Insta-Friday

It's Friday!

And not just any Friday, but the eve of a date night with fabulous friends.

I can hardly contain myself, I'm so excited!!!

Last Friday we were riding bikes in jackets or long sleeve shirts...

This Friday we are dawning our snow boots, hats, scarves, gloves, winter coats, and avoiding the biting cold of the outdoors.

Gotta love Colorado.

This little boy loves his fruit.

He follows me around saying, "open, open?"

Love him.

I had my hair done last Saturday.

I love getting my hair done.

But I'm at a place in my life where I don't love the maintenance of it.

Just want to simplify.

So I had Cecil color it back to the color of my roots and fade in a touch of light blond in my bangs.

Hoping for a smooth transition back into au natural.

It's hard to embrace just being yourself in a world full of so many enhancements.

EEEEEEEEEE.

I got my sign!

I am spastically, crazy, over the moon excited about how it turned out.

I have been looking for the perfect sign for a long time.

Something that says what we are all about. What is truly important to us.

The values that build our foundation and are at our core.

I l.o.v.e. everything about it.

I love, just love such a refreshing reminder as we come and go.

A reminder for how to live life as we go out into the world and return home each time.

We got our family picture proofs back!

Remember how horrid my children behaved.

Oh it was a humiliating, humbling experience as a parent.

One that causes you to burn through your deodorant in the first 15 minutes.

One that pushes you to the brink of sanity and tests your patience like only small children can.

Can I get an Amen?

One that leaves you completely deflated.

One where you feel physically and emotionally drained and just want to cry into your drink afterwards. A very stiff drink.

And not see your beautiful children for the rest of the night.

Because how could any creature you raised behave in such ways.

I thought for sure every picture would feature the death daggers I was shooting out of my eyes as my children morphed into little evil monsters that don't listen to simple requests or cooperate in the slightest.

I just knew the pictures would not be the kind you want to mail to family and friends on a Christmas card, but ones you hide in a bottom drawer.

Instead I was completely and utterly shocked by how awesome they turned out. And not just one or two good ones. A whole session of good ones.

Miracles do happen.

Right here in the ranch.

Thank you Sharon for capturing those fleeting moments of beauty among the torture and insanity of a photo session with my children.

They really are precious angels.

Always.

Well, most of the time.

Alright. Sometimes.

This week I had the honor of attending an enchanting evening of inspiration. An evening soaking in how to truly build up a peaceful spirit of excited anticipation for Christmas...

How not go into the season bracing for impact and the breath-gripping stress of hurried event preparations....to-do lists...self-imposed pressure to create magic.

It was refreshing and motivating and exciting to have someone I look up to and admire so much speak to how to get back to experiencing the awe and wonder of Christmas that we experienced as children.

The evening was such a blessing and gift to receive going into Advent.

I feel like I could burst at the seams and go yell on a mountain how excited I am for Christmas this year.

Instead I'll just blog about it...for the sake of my perceived sanity by others.

But you get the idea. Kinda.

It's a joyful thing.

We went to the book fair at the kids' school this week.

It was Crazytown in there. So many people excited to buy books you couldn't even move.

I love that. I love that so many kids are excited to read and that so many parents are supporting and encouraging that passion.

AJ got a Lego Chima book.

Abby got a Barbie fairy book.

Brody got a truck board book.

And that about perfectly sums up their personalities right there.

I've kinda gone Christmas crafting crazy up in here.

A few projects will need to await their blog debut till later...so as not to ruin any awesome surprises...because oh they are going to be so good. Surprises are hard for me. I just want to do everything this second.

But some I can inundate you with now!

Like this super-fab project I was inspired to create by Meg over at Whatever!

The second I was gifted with Grandma Jody's beads, I knew what they would become. It was fate. They were destined to be on my wall!

I love vintage/retro anything. But there is something so awesome about vintage/retro looking funky beads. They just scream, "Make something fabulous with me!"

I hope I did them justice.

They sure make me happy.

A BFF gifted me with these items this week.

I LOVE her for so many reasons, but Candy.Cane.Oreos seals the friendship for life.

I mean till death do us part and beyond.

Target. They can only be found at Target. Go there now.

Buy all they have on the shelf. Don't forget the milk.

Then call me. I'll be right over.

Is there anything better than snuggling in flannel Christmas tree pajamas and candy cane striped cozy socks?

This combo makes it really hard to get out of bed in the morning.

Add some flannel sheets and a down comforter and AJ is lucky I get up to take him to school. Especially on snowy days. I mean it is like I am stuck.

I mean STUCK in bed.

This boy loves food.

But he REALLY loves sweet food.

He will go to great lengths to get to something he wants.

Determination seems to be a common theme in our family.

In this case Brody decided he wanted Halloween candy for breakfast.

In other news, he has learned to escape the crib and enjoys stripping down to his birthday suit and streaking through the house...when he is suppose to be napping.

And the brown mystery substance on the bathroom floor has passed "the smell test" and been identified as brown paint.

Thank you Jesus, it was just brown paint.

You know "the smell test"....don't act like you haven't done it.

Have a great weekend.

It's been real.

 

Posted with Blogsy