thanksgiving highlights

Here is a little picture recap of our Thanksgiving. We spent the week in Colorado. Some of us went mountain bowling and by that I mean skiing. Others stayed home due to some ankle problems caused by running in order to be in shape for skiing.

That's several hours of my time I'll never get back, but I'm not bitter.

We had an absolute BLAST! The outlet mall a mile from our condo may or may not have had something to do with it. Ok, that was really just an added bonus. We always have fun when we get to spend time with Luke's side of the family. Best. In-laws. Ever!! We love them and here's the proof:

These 2 won the ugly sweater contest.

Like my friend Andrea said: Scarred. For. Life. And yes this is a woman's sweater from Goodwill. Consider this picture my Christmas gift to you. You're welcome.

I guess Austin didn't get the memo that we were taking a picture. Oh well. I still love him more than words can say...even in this horrendous sweater.

The boys before our sleigh ride.

The whole family. So fun and SO cold!!

Love my little family!

My boys. They never fail to make me laugh.

Such a good picture of these 2!

The 3 amigos. :)

This picture makes me thankful for 2 things: hot chocolate before sleigh rides in FREEZING weather and a brother that makes us laugh even when we can't feel our lips. :)

Absolutely LOVE her. This picture is already framed in my kitchen.

The fam on the gondola ride. I accidently downloaded the wrong one of the 3 of us, which means I'm gonna hear about this later from Luke. Ooops, sorry!

Sweet boy just taking it all in

Our gondola partners

Before the sleigh ride. Austin had a RIDICULOUS amount of layers on. We call that Paranoid Mom around here.

Singing to us at the dinner table. This is how the song went: "Grammy! Grammy! Grammy! Mommy! Mommy! Mommy!" etcetera and so on and so forth. All I have to say is due to his amazing talent for songwriting, Luke and I have decided that he is our retirement plan. Oh, I kid...sort of.

One of the many reasons I love her. Yes, she's sitting in Austin's carseat.

Grammy and her number one fan. :)

View from the gondola. Please excuse the scratches.

On the plane and super excited about "Codorado" as Austin calls it.

See? He was pumped!!

Despite the fact that my camera totally failed me at this moment, I still love this picture of my boys. There is no one else I would rather travel with than these two.

This is the kind of view we enjoyed all week.

There you have it. The highlights of our week in the mountains. If you're thinking it looks amazing then you would be correct. We can't wait to go back. :)

picture post

Well. I have no excuses for myself other than it's been a CRAZY few weeks. I know it's bad when my husband asks me,

When are you ever going to update your blog?!

Because it's not like we don't live together, and he doesn't automatically know what's going on in my life and our house. But oh how I love that he enjoys reading what I write and cares enough to check in on a regular basis.

I do have so much to share, but until my house doesn't look like a hurricane blew through it, I feel like I should focus on a couple of other things before giving you the lowdown on the madness that was November. Until then, here are some Austin pics for your viewing pleasure. Rest assurred, despite all the craziness, he remains the light of our lives and favorite subject for any and every photo shoot at our house.

Chillin'

Just finished a week of Pops & Grammy Camp. Please ignore the very industrial background of this picture. The Temple IHOP didn't exactly provide a plethora of picturesque settings for us.

Modeling his Colorado hat and "thumbs." That's right, gloves are now referred to as "thumbs" in this house. Love. It.

Mowing the yard.

Potato sack race at the pumpkin patch.

Losing steam and his sack

My favorites!

Mommy and Haha :)

LOVE this face. It's so Austin.

Trying to pick up the pumpkin.

He loved the animals!

Our little pumpkin :)

More pictures and stories to come soon! Hope you're enjoying the Christmas season and experiencing the joy that knowing Jesus brings this time of year.

a poem and some thoughts

Happy Tuesday! This post will be kind of short and sweet seeing as how I have too much to do and not enough time to do it. We leave for Colorado on Saturday morning and I feel like I'm already running around like a chicken with it's head cut off.

You're welcome for that mental picture.

But don't you agree that every once and alot you feel that same way? Don't lie to yourself. Or to me. It happens because we're human and sometimes we fool ourselves into thinking we can do it all. As much as I would like to call myself Super Woman, I have to be honest with myself and admit that I'm not, and I would never be able to fit in that ridiculous outfit anyway. {But in my wildest dreams I do and I look amaaazing. Because everyone should look good in their dreams.}

So here I sit posting on my blog when I should be vaccuming, straightening, and gathering things to pack. It's just that I read this poem on a blog I visit from time to time and it touched my heart. So of course I had to share it with you.

Because I like you that much!

I wish I knew who wrote it, but The Blog didn't say. So here's to Anonymous. Thank you for your moving words and touching insight.

Once upon a special day in Heaven up above , the tiniest souls sat at God's feet, surrounded by His love. ‘The time is coming, very soon’, God said, ‘Do not be scared. Your family awaits your arrival, now let us get prepared’.

And so God looked upon these souls, in mute consideration. He knew the life each one would live, He weighed each situation.

The souls chatted amongst themselves, and wondered who they'd be. They knew the day grew closer; soon, they'd meet their family.

‘How would you like to change the world?’ God asked each soul in fun. The chance to change a soul, a heart, is held by only one.

‘I'm going to make the world laugh’, one soul said with a smile, ‘for laughter heals a broken heart, and helps us through each trial’.‘Then take with you the brightest smile, and share your laughter well’. The soul thanked God immensely, and down to earth he fell.

‘And I'll remind the world to sing’, a sweet little soul told the Lord. ‘I have the gift of a beautiful voice; I can hit every note and every chord’.‘You’ll have the gift of music then, a voice, lovely and strong. Share your gift with others, and let them hear your song’.

‘I will show compassion’, the next little soul raised her hand. ‘Some people only need a friend, someone to understand’.‘Compassion is a good thing’, God said with much delight. ‘To you, I will give mercy. You'll perceive wrong from right’.

And so each soul shared every thought, their plans, their hopes, their dreams. And God explained that life, it is, much harder than it seems.

And as each soul began to leave in a scurry of laughter and fun, Heaven became quiet and still, for left was only one.

‘Come sit with me my little child’, God said with just a sigh. ‘Do you know how many you will touch, in a world left wondering why? Before your life comes to an end, you will know much strife, but you'll teach those who know you, to cherish the smallest things in life.'

And some may only know you through a simple photograph, they'll never hold you in their arms, or memorize your laugh. Some may only know you through the words they read each day, but you'll do something wonderful, you'll make them stop and pray’.

The tiniest soul raised her head up, to touch God's firm, strong hand. ‘Father, I am ready for the life that you have planned. And I will do the best I can without a word or deed. For you Lord, are the planter, and I will be your seed’.

She could already hear many praying, and although they had not seen her face, they were praying for her safe arrival, they were asking for mercy and grace.

‘What talent do I leave with Lord? What gift do you impart?’

‘All that you will need’, God said, ‘I've placed within your heart’. And so God kissed this tiny child, knowing all that she would be, and whispered as he watched her go...'You'll teach them . . . to love me'.

It seems like I've read alot of blogs lately about babies or small children who have passed away long before many of us think they should have. It breaks my heart and makes me so very thankful for a son who is happy and healthy! But it has also opened my eyes to just how powerful our God is. He can use the tiniest person to change many hearts and lives. It makes me feel extremely honored and humbled that I have the privilege of being called His child. I am so undeserving!

Now before I tell you this next thought, you should know that I do not like to think about death and dying. In fact, I try to avoid it at all costs because the thought of living in this world without just one of those I love is almost too much for me. However, the other day I was thinking about the verse that says,

"I have fought the good fight. I have finished the race. I have kept the faith."

2 Timothy 4:7

And here's what God told me in that rare moment of Life & Death Contemplating. We are put on this earth for a purpose. {Duh.} But as soon as that purpose is fulfilled and we "finish the race" our Heavenly Father wastes NO TIME in taking us Home. Do you want to know what I believe? Ok, I'll tell you. Here's hoping it rocks your world like it did mine.

I believe that God really does wait for our arrival to Heaven with great anticipation. I think He longs for the day that He can physically embrace us and welcome us Home. {And I fully expect a big hug from him because quite frankly I will have waited a long time for it.} I know He thinks about us in great detail as He prepares our very own mansion. I'm willing to bet that He counts the days until we are with Him in paradise much like I did when Austin was in Dallas. He knows this life is not easy and that this world is not our home. I think that is one of the reasons He doesn't leave us here a minute longer than necessary. Y'all. I am just so thankful for that because I feel like I'm going to be a much bigger fan of Heaven than Earth.

I'm not gonna lie. I needed to be reminded of just how much He loves me. In fact, I told Him so just the other day and He came through in a big way. I really needed to know that no matter what I do or don't do, no matter who likes me or who doesn't, and no matter how wretched I am, He made me "fearfully and wonderfully." He loves me {and you} for who I am and who I'm going to be. At the end of the day, He is the only one who can love me perfectly because He is perfection itself. And I am just so thankful for that!

Have a great day!!

{Austin pics and update coming soon!!}

old macdonald had a farm

Don't panic. I am alive.

Barely.

You see, Luke is out of town for a few days which means I'm flying solo. Translation: at the end of the day, my bed is my new best friend. I'm not even kidding. Have you met my child?! He's a darling little boy about the size of your average kitchen trash can. If you haven't seen him then just listen because it's very easy to hear him seeing as how he talks non-stop.

While he runs around me in circles. With Savannah on his heels. And Wonder Pets on TV in the background.

Now do you see why I'm exhausted at the end of the day? In fact, the little guy was so eager to start our day together this morning that he woke up at 4:45. You read right. FOUR FOURTY FIVE IN THE MORNING. And not even some snuggle time in Mommy's bed could convince him to go back to sleep. He was kind enough to play with my hair, though, while we were laying there. It was a sick joke, really, because just as I was about to drift off to sleep, he'd grab a handful of hair and pull really hard. Thank you, Austin. And even though early mornings with my son really are a sweet time, this morning's debacle made me want to march myself into the nearest Walgreens and demand that they point me in the direction of the No Doze. Needless to say, I am SO looking forward to having my sister over this afternoon and welcoming my sweetie home late, late tonight.

But enough about these last few days. Let's back up a little bit so I can tell you about some of our most recent adventures. Because that's what The Keiffers are all about...Adventure. First of all, some of you might be aware that Halloween is just around the corner. And by "around the corner" what I really mean is this Saturday. It's no secret by now that Halloween is my least favorite holiday. BUT. There is one thing that I do love about it and that is picking out a super cute costume for Austin to wear. This year he was Old MacDonald. Remember? I've mentioned it before so this should come as no surprise to you. There are no words for the massive amounts of cuteness so I'll just show you a picture instead. Here he is folks...Old MacDonald and his "farm."

I told you! No words. Oh, you want to see it again? Well, ok.

Seriously, this put a smile on my face for the rest of the day. I cannot tell you how excited he was when I put his costume on him to wear for the Storybook Parade at his school. He kept calling the hat his "cowboy hat" and the pitchfork a "fork." Little did I know that getting him into his costume would be the easy part of the day. You see, it had rained...and rained...and rained...the night before; thus, causing some of the roads to flood. Most of these low water crossings exist near his school.

Cool, right?

So there we were. Trying to get Old MacDonald and his farm to school. The first road we tried was closed. No big deal. I just went a different way. Imagine my shock when it was blocked too. However, I noticed that several cars were heading down that road, so like the smart girl I am, I decided to follow. Don't worry. I wouldn't have done something like this if I wasn't 99.9% sure I could get through. As we approached the low water crossing and watched several cars smaller than mine make it through, I couldn't help but feel as if Austin wasn't Old MacDonald after all. Suddenly, he was Noah riding in an ark that strangely resembled my red Escape. Ironic, right? Seeing as how if I'd REALLY screwed things up and misjudged this route we would be needing a serious escape. Obviously, we made it through with no problems, which is a good thing seeing as how the only paddle we would've had was Austin's pitchfork. Something tells me that just wouldn't have cut the mustard.

No one was more relieved to pull into that parking lot than me. And Noah? Well, he was just thrilled to pieces to walk up to his class in all his Old MacDonald glory.

I feel like there is just so much more I could tell you, but I just got a text from Luke saying they were leaving Dallas. This means that he'll be home much sooner than I expected. SCORE! It also means that it's time to kick it into high gear and get this pigsty cleaned up so he won't think I'm completely out of control when he's gone. Because what he doesn't know can't hurt him.

Happy Wednesday, friends!!

a week in the life

Well, once again I've let too much time pass between posts. I wouldn't say that things have been crazy lately, but I would say that our days have been full. So. Here's what we've been up to.

This past weekend, Luke and I traveled up to College Station to see Britt and Jon. We left little A with my parents and I think it's safe to say that all parties had a blast. We were able to do grown up things like sleep in 'til 7 and Austin got to ride the zoo train with Gigi, Papa B, and C. Monday was spent at the grocery store and doing stuff around the house. I also may or may not have eaten a couple of slices of bread from a loaf that was getting moldy. Sick. I will say though that I didn't notice any mold on my sandwich. Still, I throw up in my mouth a little every time I think about it.

Austin and I also had a photo shoot. And by Austin and I, I mean I took pictures of Austin. It was during this precious time together that I realized girls are not the only ones with unexpected mood swings. Here's the proof.

Such a happy boy!

Still happy. Meltdown will commence in about .2 seconds

Officially not happy

Meltdown almost over

And scene.

I also snuck in a picture of Savannah. It is quite possibly the funniest picture I have ever taken of her, but I'll let you decide for yourself.

We don't believe in drugs or getting drunk in this house. Clearly, Savannah is going through her rebellious stage. Here's hoping the Holy Spirit will do a work in her life in the near future.

Ok, I'm only kidding. This is really just a picture depicting her afternoon slump. You see she spends her mornings sleeping, laying around, and venturing outside every once in a while to go to the bathroom. So I'm sure you understand that by the time the late afternoon arrives she is too tired to do much of anything. Such a rough life!

I know there's more I could tell you but the bathrooms are already dirty again, laundry is piling up, and floors need to be vaccumed and mopped. I keep hoping that one day I'll be able to take a page out of Mary Poppins book and just snap my fingers and the job will be done. So far no luck. I tell you what between her and the Proverbs 31 woman, we girls have alot to live up to.

Happy Wednesday!

a little of this and a little of that

Ok, first of all I need to thank all of you for reading my blog. I've had a few people tell me how much they enjoy reading about our daily activities, and I've got to be honest, it always blows me away. I'm so honored that you would take time out of your day to "catch up" with us. So thanks again for being such a blessing in your compliments. I hope I can be the same to all of you. :)

Yesterday, while Austin was at MDO, I ran a plethora of errands. The first stop was Hobby Lobby- or my home away from home these days. That place is amaaaazing as Austin would say. And it was so nice to just wander down the aisles all by myself even though Austin is always good when we go there. I also ran into Home Goods while I was over that way. Can I just say something? I LOVE that place. As I walked the store I was overcome with a feeling of deep appreciation for their goods and prices. Unfortunately I didn't find what I was looking for but that's ok because I had fun just looking around.

Today we went to story time at Barnes and Noble. It was awesome except for the fact that they read some books about Halloween. I'm sure Austin was like,

What the heck is all this talk about witches, mummies and bats about?

We celebrate fall in the Keiffer house because I hate Halloween. I'm sorry to all of you people that love it. I just think all the decorations are tacky, and I can't say that I'm a fan of stuff like spells and creepy monster stuff. I prefer to stick to stories about vampires falling in love with mere mortals.

I won't judge you if you won't judge me.

However, we are having a Little People Costume Party at our house this year. And yes, you have to capitalize that because it's the very creative title for the most awesome party of the year. Austin is going to be Old MacDonald. Thank you, Michelle, for making Luke love me more by providing us with a free costume. I'll be sure to take a picture and post it on here. Just know this. It entails overalls with animals velcroed all over them.

You're welcome for that hilarious mental picture.

After lunch we headed upstairs to read Goodnight Moon. Love that book! Austin's favorite part is the cow jumping over the moon. And now I'm sitting on the couch soaking in the peace and quiet before I start some serious cleaning. Speaking of that, I better quit procrastinating so I can make some good progress before the little man wakes up.

Oh! One last thing. I promise to post some pictures soon. And by soon, I mean before October is over.

Oh I kid because I'm a kidder! :)

when i want to procrastinate this is what i do

Good morning, Blog Friends! This is going to be just a quick entry today because I need to get some soup in the crockpot and hopefully recieve a call from the husband about a lunch date. So. The topic of today's entry is blogs. Believe me when I say that not only has reading them become a pastime of mine, but I also feel that finding great blogs has become a talent. Hmmm, if only I could find a way to capitalize on this talent. And now, because I care about you, I give you a whole new set of reasons to procrastinate. Happy Reading!!

Mindy Weiss Party Planner Extrodinaire

{ I totally want to be her when I grow up}

The TomKat Studio

{amazing eye candy}

Just A Girl

{fun ideas can be found here. and no, i'm not talking about the Halloween crafts. Hello, my name is Aimee. Have we met?!}

Pocket Full of Posies

{Ok, if the name doesn't convince you to visit then frankly I don't know what will. Also, please scroll down and take a look at the fabulous shoe bling followed by her amazing fall doors. And what the heck is a horse apple? That is all.}

And for all you people that sew, check these sites out:

Moda Bake Shop

The Pleated Poppy

These websites alone have convinced me to try to learn to sew for my next trick. Hey, if my mom can make all of us matching Easter dresses, surely I can learn to make pretty things too. And just in case you were having a panic attack, those Easter dresses were worn when I was like 8. You know, right on the cusp of thinking that matching with your mom and sisters was totally uncool.

Alright. Luke just called and I've scored myself a lunch date! Yes!! Have a lovely Thursday.

in the words of the office, permission to speak on the record

Before I begin a new post allow me to share a few thoughts from the last one. First of all, Luke and I had a senior moment when it came to the proper spelling of height vs. heigth. For some reason, neither looked right to me and when he read it later he made this face like,

Ummm, that's unfortunate that you don't know how to spell that word for sure.

Thanks.

So my apologies if I didn't spell it right. Some days it's an accomplishment to remember how to spell my name correctly. You think I'm kidding but I'm not.

Ok. Now that that's out of the way, how's the week goin' for ya so far? Mine has been stupendous, thank you for asking. Last night was date night with my little man since Luke went to the Metallica concert. Oh! What's that? You can't picture him at a hard rock concert? Well, neither can I to be honest, but shocking as it may be, he actually enjoys that kind of music. Plus, whose going to pass up a free ticket to box seats in the AT&T Center. Not my husband! I offered to paint his face for the occasion but he declined. Weird, I know. He had a great time and I enjoyed a little quality TV time after my date went to bed. Unfortunately, since I was solely in charge of bed time, Austin did not get a bath. Come to think of it he hasn't had a bath since Saturday. GASP! I have nothing to say for myself other than that I find bending over a bathtub while trying to bathe a little person to be the most uncomfortable position in the history of the world. In addition, bathing Austin is a little like wrestling a greased pig. Or what I imagine that would be like. Needless to say, he will be getting a bath tonight whether I like it or not.

I also got my hair cut today. In fact, I decided to take a walk on the wild side and get a whole new 'do. I love it! I can't remember if I told Luke or not that I was getting my hairs cut today so he may get the shock of his life when he gets home. Ok, ok. It's not that drastic of a hair cut.

In other news, Britt and I are working on something pretty exciting. Or at least we think so. Hopefully, it will bring in a little extra money for our families and we'll have some fun in the process. As soon as things are a little further along, I'll fill you guys in on all the details. Try to contain your excitement. Until then, know that if I'm a little scarce around here it's not because I don't like y'all. I'm just trying to work on my Proverbs 31 woman traits. She's quite the one-upper if you hadn't noticed!

Alright, friends, since today is an MDO Day I'm gonna go get some stuff done before I pick up little A. Have a Happy Tuesday!

because saying stupid things really is a talent

Do you want to know something pathetic? Sometimes, when I feel the need to update you all on life at The Keiffer House, I will sit in front of my computer for embarrassing amounts of time trying to come up with the perfect beginning sentence. And now you're probably thinking,

She spent obscene amounts of time coming up with THAT sentence?!

Why yes. Yes I did. All I can say is that it feels good to be honest.

So, if you don't mind, just insert amazing intro sentence here.

Thank you so much.

And now, I give you the rundown of our weekend. We kicked it off with some burgers from Freddy's on Friday night. Some of you may remember that around our house we call them Crack Burgers. Because we strongly suspect that they are laced with crack cocaine. They are that addicting. We hadn't had Freddy's in a while and it was a gloooorious reunion. Saturday morning Luke and I actually woke up before Austin. I know. I should have checked to see if pigs were flying by outside our bedroom window. Around 8:00 I decided to go make sure he was still breathing. Now I'm not sure if I woke him up or not but he definitely popped his little head up when I walked in and asked me,

What happend?

Well, I don't know. Why don't you tell me. Did your Daddy give you a big 'ol dose of Benadryl last night before bed or what?

And since he was in such a good mood we decided to go on a family walk. Including Savannah who quite possibly gave us a run for our money in the out of shape department. I never thought I'd see the day when I had to drag her home instead of the other way around. We wore her out for sure! The rest of the day was spent hanging out, running errands, and going to dinner with some friends. Besides the quality family time, I would have to say that the highlight of my Saturday was when a lady passed us a note at dinner via our waitress to say that "your baby is so good." It's things like that that just warm a mother's heart because it's confirmation that you're not completely screwing up. Oh yeah. And that the whole restaurant doesn't hate you because you have that child. Don't lie. You know you've thought it whether you have kids or not. All in all it was a good Saturday.

Today we went to church and then had lunch at Wing Stop. If I want to speak Luke's Food Love Language then I suggest wings for lunch or dinner. I'm sure you can just imagine how thrilled he was when I said I wanted to go there for lunch today. It was during this meal that I reached an all time high for Stupidest Things To Ever Come Out of My Mouth. The conversation went a little something like this:

Me: How's Josh doing?

Luke: Good. He had to tape the basketball practice from the bird's nest the other day. He called Jared thinking he would get some support but I guess he didn't get what he was looking for.

Me: Really? I guess he expected some encouragement since Jared is afraid of heights.

Luke: Yeah, but apparently Jared didn't exactly deliver.

Me: You know, it's weird that Jared is afraid of heights because he's so tall!

And then I thought to myself,

Did you REALLY just say that? What does his heigth have to do with being afraid of actual heights?!

The answer to that is absolutely NOTHING! But that didn't stop me from trying to justify my response to a suddenly silent Luke.

Me: I mean, you would think that he wouldn't be afraid of heights since he's taller than everyone else and therefore is always looking down at us.

Luke: Still silent but obviously trying not to laugh.

I'm still not sure why I drew that conclusion and then thought it would be a good idea to share with the group. Clearly, the crack in Freddy's burgers takes a couple of days to affect your judgement. Lesson learned.

As hard as it is to believe, this wasn't the highlight of my Sunday. Try to contain your surprise. The best part of today was when I walked in the door after attending a baby shower and discovered that my wonderful husband had cleaned the downstairs. I felt a little like God must've felt when He looked at the world He'd created and said it was good. Except I would have added an extra word since I'm just that verbal.

It was VERY good.

Wanna know something else that's very good? Austin. In case you missed it, we're not the only ones who think so. Just ask the lady we saw at Stone Werks. Here he is with his "mickey hand," which is really just a big OU hand. I wouldn't neccesarily say that he's an Oklahoma fan, he just really likes it that his Uncle Josh taught him "Boomer! Sooner!" and we all respond when he says it. Because he's just so darn cute. Here he is in action:

Love it! Almost as much as I love him.

Happy Sunday, friends!

remember the yellow piece of construction paper?

Well, my friends, fall is officially here in the form of rain, cooler weather, and pumpkin spice lattes. I cannot tell you how happy this kind of weather makes me. You know that Twilight series everyone keeps talking about? It's ok if you don't. Just know that you are probably one of about 2 that hasn't heard of it...

What can I say? Honesty is my specialty today.

Anyway. I could totally live in Forks. Actually, I could totally live anywhere in the Pacific Northwest where it rains more than the sun shines. And not because I'm one of those weirdos that asked Stephanie Meyer if her books were an autobiography. Are. You. Kidding. Me?! I just love rainy, snuggle weather like this.

But that's not what I wanted to talk to you about today.

Today, I would like to discuss some Mother's Day Out Thoughts and Observations. First of all, Austin could not love school more if they filled his classroom with puppies, balls, and other such toys that thrill him to pieces. In fact, when I pick him up he is either finishing his snack {because he is the World's Slowest Eater} or playing with his friends and not eager to leave. It warms my heart that he enjoys himself so immensely, and someday should the Spirit lead me to let him go to after care, I will be able to obey knowing that he will continue to have the time of his life. However, I can't bear to be away from him any longer on Tuesdays and Thursdays so the little man will just have to pray for some divine intervention if he wants to explore the world of Late Pickup.

One of the things I love about his new teacher is that she sends out her newsletter via email. Or Me-mail as Luke calls it. Feel free to call him Mr. Creative if you want to. The Lambs Newsletter is really just a way for Ms. Debbie and Ms. Cherie to inform us of what they're doing that month, and most importantly, who brings snack on what day. It just so happens that Austin was in charge of bringing the snack for today. Normally, I remember this the night before or morning of and frantically scour our pantry to see what hasn't been opened yet that can pass for a well thought out snack. But this time I actually prepared way ahead of time and made mini pumpkin spice muffins.

Sometimes I like to call myself Super Mom when no one's around. And sometimes I just thank God that he reminded me of a committment that slipped my mind. I mainly find myself doing the second statement. Just keepin' it real, folks.

So off to school we went this morning with our mini muffins. And blanket. And pillow. And backpack. And lunchbox. In the rain no less. At that point, I was referring to myself as the Pack Mule because I looked a little like what I imagine Mary and Joseph's donkey looked like when they headed out for Bethlehem. No lie. Luckily, Austin found every puddle along the way and was kind enough to stop and stomp his foot in each one. Oh the world of little boy joys! We finally made it to his class where I passed on all his gear plus The Muffins to Ms. Debbie. I'm sure he's having a blast even as I type these words.

And finally, remember The Family Page that I threw together his first day of school? Turns out it wasn't due that day. I know this because my eyes happend to land upon this sentence in the newsletter:

Turn in Family Page ASAP!

What?! You mean to tell me that thing wasn't due the first day?! Great. Well, at least I got it done and out of the way. The only regret I have at this point is that there isn't a picture of Austin and Savannah on his Family Page. Sorry, Savannah. Just know that you are on the Family Page in our hearts.

And on that lame note, I bid you good day.

all about my boys

As many of you know, Luke led Sunday School for my Dad this morning. He did great!! One of my favorite things he said was that there are highs and lows in love and marriage. The important thing is to remember that you're on this ride together and committed to seeing things through no matter what! How true that is. We've had some amazing highs and some not so fun lows but Luke is the perfect compliment to me. There is no one else I'd rather ride through life with than him.

Now that was a good word. Hallelujah and Amen.

I'm so proud of the husband God gave me. You know what they say...we may not be perfect but we're perfect for each other.

I love you, Luke! You. Are. Wonderful.

Austin has been in rare form these days. I am constantly blown away by how smart he is. Don't get me wrong. I always knew he was a genius but he catches on to things that I didn't even know he was learning. For example, here's a little snapshot of a recent convo we had the other day.

Austin: What's that Mommy?

Me: Those are plants.

Austin: Ohhhh! Amaaazing!

I have no idea where he learned how to use that word. I can't say that Luke and I just walk around saying that over and over. Clearly, our son is "amaaaazing!" And clearly we will have to be even more vigilant about MINDING THE LITTLE EARS. The last thing I want him to do is say "Shoot!" if he drops something in Sunday school.

He's also really been into wearing his sunglasses lately. I love to look in the backseat and see him just chillin in his glasses. He loves them so much that he sometimes wears them into the actual store. I guess he just wants to be prepared for any papparazzi that might be waiting to snap his picture since he's kind of a big deal! But why would I bore you with all these details when I could just show you a picture instead:

You're welcome for providing that little ray of sunshine in your day.

It's no secret that everything Austin does is either cute, hilarious, sweet, or all of the above. However, he may have out done himself the other day when he was taking pictures with Grammy's camera. Despite the fact that it's digital, he would hold it up to his face and say "Cheese!" while pointing it at random objects like the lamp. Or my arm. Or his backpack. He was so excited about his new found talent that he would run over to Savannah and say,

Look, Sanny! Look!

It was the funniest thing I've witnessed in quite a while.

I'm so thankful for both of the boys in my life. They fill my days with laughter, excitement, and precious memories. I love them more than words can say!!

The End.