Content

I’m loving our daily flow right now.  Everything is calm and we are content.  Life is really just lovely.  Our calendar is quite empty and we are taking advantage by spending every afternoon outdoors in this beautiful January weather we are having.  The kids are doing the usual: sidewalk chalk, bicycle races, swinging, and tree climbing.  Occasionally we take a walk around the neighborhood (the boys in the wagon and Isla on her bike) and pick dandelions to make wishes on.  Sometimes we’ll even make it all the way to the park.  Then we’ll turn around, take afternoon bubble baths, get pajama’d up, and wait for Daddy to get home for more fun.  These January days have been just what we’ve needed.  A vacation from all the busyness that the end of the year brought.  It’s been wonderful! 

Leo and his beloved Bashful and Isla and her “pink and peach bunny” are inseparable.  I love these little snugglies they have grown so attached to.  Sometimes Bashful gets beat out by Woody or Buzz but in the morning I see Bashful made it right back next to Leo’s head in the middle of the night.  Precious!

Palmer is all over the place lately and has the bruises on his head to prove it.  Our coffee table gets him at least 5 times a day but he keeps pulling up on it determined to make a full trip around it one of these days.  He officially has 4 teeth and one more inching its way in.  He babbles “dadada” all the time and when you say bye bye to him or someone else he’ll say “baba” back. 

And there’s that look again…it’s his “fake cry” face.  He’ll tilt his head back, squint his eyes, scrunch his nose, and show his teeth and act like he’s sad or going to cry but really it just makes us laugh.  I love it!  Especially because I get to see those adorable teeth of his. 

I have also been going craft crazy these days.  All this free time has allowed me to create these fun things I’ve found on pintrest including fabric flower headbands and bobby pins for Isla, a felt heart Valentine garland,  and artwork for above our fireplace.  Even though Isla’s birthday is 3 months away, the planning has already begun and those crafts are in full force as well.  The theme this year is “WISH!”  It’s going to be magical. 

“Be Content with what you have; rejoice in the way things are. When you realize there is nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to you.” Lao Tzu

Phone Photos

We’ve been having fun…

Anew

Hello 2012!  We welcome you and can’t wait to see what new adventures you have in store for us.  We’re ready to start making memories!

Palmer’s new years resolution was to become active and he hasn’t stopped moving since Dec. 28th, his 8 month birthday.  That’s the night he took his first crawls.  He’s also got four teeth (his two front teeth came in on Christmas), claps all the time, and is pulling up on everything and even balances by himself for a couple of seconds.  He’s pretty much showing off and we love it! 

Big brother is enjoying the outdoors everyday, especially his new balance bike.  Leo recently started MyGym and absolutely loves it!  He’s definitely an active little toddler growing bigger by the day.  I measured him tonight and at 38 inches he’s 5 inches taller than a year ago.  Love my Leo!

Isla Lou started her new year off with a bang!  We bought some poppers and she and Leo had a blast pulling them apart till they popped out confetti and a little toy.  Ah, the simple pleasures in life.  She’s continuing to enjoy her ballet/tap class and can’t wait for her Barbie themed recital in June.  And some of the most exciting news is that our 4 year old, Isla, is reading now.  Santa brought her some “Bob” books and she is speeding through the set.  I love to hear my angel’s voice and to see the excitement on her face as she reads through the pages.  So wonderful! 

After Christmas we got to spend some quality time with the cousins and Papa.  John’s sister, Heather, and her husband, James, were in town and brought their three boys over to play for the morning.  It looked like we were running a day care in our front yard but the kids had the best time! 

We’ve been loving the free time the new year has given us.  The Christmas season was packed full of events and it seemed like we never had time to just sit and relax.  Well, we have it now and are soaking it up.  Cue midday living room fort:

And a perfect January afternoon at the beach…

I must say, Palmer was extremely thrilled to see the ocean and sand for the first time.  Yes, we took him last summer but he was only a newborn and let’s face it, they can’t see things very well, but when his little 8 month eyes met the beach for the first time it was an expression of pure joy and amazement. (And look at those teeth…love that look he makes)

I’m really looking forward to the new year.  I love starting fresh and get all excited when I think about what could be in store for our family in 2012.  Happy New Year, everyone!