{Love This}

from here.

of course!

happy thursday ya'll

cindy

{Lunch Box Love}

do you pack lunches for anyone wonderful in your life?
i pack two...but someday soon it will be three.
i am pretty good about including a little love note each day.
the girls have a zip lock full from each school year.
worn and tattered little scrapes of paper...some even with a yogurt stain or two.
most days they are just short and sweet with everyday things like "i miss you and i hope your day is full of smiles". but every once in awhile something is going on in their lives that needs a little extra.  a big test.  a worry.  a hard sad morning that needs a little pick-me-up. whatever those little notes hold i know they are treasured. and that makes me happy.

so...if you have a lunch box to pack tomorrow try these free little beauties. just download, print and cut...and make someone happy! (oh and these are pretty cute too!)

have a happy day,

cindy

ps

ignore the blurry "finally changed my Christmas one" header...not sure what's up...argh!

{Loving}

source

source

source

source

source

source

can you tell what two catalogs came in the mail today?

the holidays are a comin'...i can feel it!



what are you lovin' lately?

have a happy day,

cindy

Five Things That Make You Happy

well after yesterdays party and the inevitable sugar induced grumpies that followed
{thanks Jen for reminding me where my grumpies were coming from}
i decided we could all use a little dose of happy

so this morning the girls were greeted with a blank piece of paper and a pen
i told them to write down five things that would make them happy

they had to be ordinary everyday things...not a trip to disney or a new puppy
i told them i would do my best to fulfill their wishes
i was a bit surprised by what they wrote

Janey's List

1. jokes

2.snuggle time

3. play board games

4. tv tag (playing tag and saying a tv show title before you are tagged)

5. crafts

Riley's List

1. drawing

2. climbing

3.playing with everyone

4. tag

5. crafts

My list would probably look something like this:

1. kindness and good manners

2. helping each other with a happy heart

3. snuggles and hugs

4. giggles and laughs

5. everyone has quiet time alone :)

today I am going to do my best to fulfill their wishes

and the funny thing is, i have a feeling mine will get filled in the process

oh...Aubrey's only request would probably be to get rid of her ear infection an early morning trip to Convenient Care just diagnosed...ouch!!

dave...I'll ask him tonight!

what 5 things do you think your loved ones would write down?

have a happy day!!

Sweet Simple Day

Yesterday was such a sweet and simple day.  It started with a quiet morning of playtime with Aubrey while the girls were at school.   I know the quiet mornings  in the house are quickly going to be replaced with chatter and activity...trying to savor the last few days of it. She is starting to cruise along the furniture and even let go of things to stand for a split. second.   I love watching their feet when they are learning to stand!  Is that strange...anyone else share in this simple joy with me?  I love to watch them as they flex and tighten to try and keep their balance...their little toes curling...

simply adorable

Then we were treated to a late morning puppet show at Riley's school.   I have to say, she made the CUTEST Little Red Riding Hood I have ever seen...but I guess I am a little biased!

simply impressive

Then, I found these two little goodies in my mailbox.  Does anyone else heart Pottery Barn Catalogs???  I hardly ever order anything...but I still love getting them and flipping through page after endless page of design inspiration.

simply beautiful

After lunch with Janey, Aubrey went down for a nap and Janey and I did some work in the basement play room.  I guess it was all the inspiration from the  PB catalogs!  We organized the art area and we were both pretty pleased with our work.  Janey's idea was to make cute little labels for the drawers full of art supplies...I love that girl!

simply organized

{big plans for this space this summer...but that's a whole other post....}


Janey spent about an hour playing with her new friend Splash.  He needed a  home and some goodies to eat and play with.  Riley made one too...a dog named Cody...but he fell victim to the hands and mouth of Aubrey...sorry Cody!


simply creative

Next, I spent two wonderful hours alone getting my hair colored.  Reading magazines I never normally read and enjoying the quiet.  Not to mention losing that grey strip down the top of my head!
{lucky for you no photo here} :)


simply alone

Finally, we spent the evening outside with our friends enjoying some ice-cream and watching the kids play.

simply together

I'd say all of that makes for a pretty sweet and simple day.
Hope you had a simply beautiful Tuesday too!

So Long Monday Mornings...

For about a year and a half now, Dave has had Mondays off.  Can you even imagine???  He works 4 ten hour days and even though I miss him during the hustle and bustle of getting the kids out the door and off to school Tues-Fri , I wouldn't trade it for Mondays off!  On a typical Monday morning we usually drop the kids at school and head out to breakfast some where. When Aubrey was really small we would pop her in the carrier for a nap and even get to grocery shop together too...I know super thrilling huh?  But we loved it.  Alone time together is alone time together...even if it is pushing a cart up and down the aisles whispering so the sleeping baby won't wake up!  Well, with summer right around the corner (knocking loudly on the door) yesterday we said so long to our Monday Mornings!   We had our last breakfast together at Panera.  

I splurged and got the coffee cake!

Dave got a bagel to share with this little sweetie...

...who absolutely loves bagels

Of course Aubrey is with us on these Monday Mornings  

but since she can't talk yet we still count it as a "date"!:)

I know...we are reaching a bit and we really need to get out more....

I guess this is the first of many things that will change now that summer is here.

So "bye-bye" Monday Mornings...

{waving bye-bye!}

We'll see you in the Fall!!!

Hmmm and next year Janey has school all day...oh the possibilities!!!;)

Mother's Day Weekend

In our home, any good holiday deserves a weekend...not just a day!  So Mother's Day weekend started Friday (oh....and Friday is part of the weekend in our house too!).  

Here is a  recap of our little holiday!

I spent Friday morning following this little sweetie around.

We call her the "emptier"!

It doesn't matter what she is sitting in front of...a basket of books, blocks, toys, shoes...she takes them out one by one and tosses them every so gracefully to the side as she reaches for another.

Then I scurry over to fill the baskets back up so she can do it again.

We do this little dance many times a day. :)

But who's counting!

After picking up Janey from school, we decided to go out for one of these. 

Have you tried McDonald's new shakes lately?  Very surprisingly creamy and quite yummy.

Aubrey only got a graham cracker.

but I guess she was pretty happy with that!?:)

Later I found Janey's in the fridge with this note on it

I guess she knows me pretty well!!:)

We had a few extra snuggle moments on the sofa and a little fun trying to take pictures of ourselves...

While Aubrey was asleep I was enjoying a quiet moment...reading this fantastic book...

(a must have if you ask me!)  

Janey was in the basement working away on "something".  

She came up later with this 

beautiful painting!!!

"I love mom"

My heart melted!

She worked so hard  all on her own to create this little masterpiece.

I love it and you sweet Janey Brooke!

You would think it was Christmas around here...when Riley got home both of them were so filled with giddy excitement! They scurried to other rooms to plot and plan and show each other their gifts.  I think they have almost as much fun as I do on this weekend!

Dave came home Friday with CHOCOLATE!!!  I have been trying so hard to keep the sweet stuff out of the house lately, but I had to give-in...it is Mother's Day after all!

Dave and I were sitting on the floor with Aubrey enjoying a "yeah...it's Friday" moment when the girls came down COMPLETELY ready for dance....showered, dressed, hair done and shoes in hand!  Now that is a true Mother's Day gift!  Not having to even ask once...!  

My sweet little girls are growing up so fast! Riley, when did you get old enough to put your own hair in a pony-tail, let alone a bun and do your sister's??? Amazing!:)

Saturday morning we decided to get Panera bagels to bring home.  Usually Dave goes to pick those up, but today I got to :)!!  The early morning drive alone was heaven!  It gave me a chance to call my mom and catch up.  I think I must have driven a little slower then usual because when I got home this is what greeted me at the garage door...

...no kidding...I guess they were a little hungry!

The girls had birthday parties and Girl Scout

trips to the ballet so Saturday Dave and I had a little lunch date!

Thai take-out while Aubrey napped...yum!

The big day was finally here and our little early riser

had us up at 6!!  Like I said...you would think it was Christmas, 

because sissy 1 and sissy 2 were not far behind.  

"Happy Mother's Day" 

rang through the house at 6:15!!  

Daddy made us delicious chocolate chip scones!

We got the recipe from Elizabeth.

Boy were they YUMMY!!!

I received some pretty amazing treasures this Mother's Day...

candles, bath goodies, homemade cards, picture frames, paintings, 

poems, chocolate, chore coupons and new Crocs 

We spent Sunday being together, shopping, and enjoying a wonderful dinner

and decadent dessert with friends.

It was a truly wonderful day...

...spent with my three little sweeties!

{And my one big sweetie who did all the work and cooked amazing meals...as usual!}

I have many thoughts on this very special day...

I am thinking of my own amazing mom who taught me so much about what good mothering is!

She is forever an example of living life to the fullest and enjoying everyday!

I am thinking of my daughters!  I love you more then words can ever describe!  Being a mom is the most important thing in my life and I am so glad God choose me to be your mommy!  I hope you feel my love every day and know that you mean the world to me.

I am thinking of all the women out there missing their moms, missing their children, wishing they were a mom, loving sick children or dealing with loss on this day.  My heart and prayers go out to you.

~Happy Mother's Day~

Book Challenge Part Two

We decided to take a book challenge
in our home this week.
Reading some of our old favorites
and reliving some of those snuggly moments that made them so.
The girls had so much fun delving into their book collections
each night and seeing what they could find.
Some of them were ranked a little
"higher on the literacy scale" then others.
But they were all  meaningful in some way...
maybe a special birthday gift or part of a favorite collection.
Take a look at what we read this week....

...Monday...

...Tuesday...

...Wednesday...

..Thursday...

...Friday...

even though Riley did read here

{yes..that is the tub...now that's what I call a girl who loves to READ!}

Friday night is sister sleepover night and there was a lot more of this

going on then reading!:)

But that's ok...sisterly love is a good thing to snuggle up with too!

Hope you had a wonderful week reading with your family!

And Then There Were Four...

Sweet Little Aubrey!

Checked her teeth situation on Monday

and she had one top tooth popping through.

by Wednesday....

there were four!!!!!

If she can manage a smile

I think we all can!:)

Happy Thursday to you!!

{sorry for the bad photo...it's not easy blowing raspberries

on a belly to get a toothy smile

and then sitting up quickly to catch that smile!}

I hope this will be my last toothy post for awhile........

Thank You Aubrey...

...for your perspective on the world

for making me see things through your eyes

for making me stop and slow down...

slow down to stare out the window for

15 glorious minutes

and listen to the birds

the trees

the wind

and the sounds of your sweet voice

I love you sweet baby girl!

Mommy and Me Monday...a Little Late!

Saw this idea about posting a "Mommy and Me" photo on Mondays...

then I couldn't find that blog again! 

{Has that ever happened to you???}

Since I didn't want that to go to waste...here it is!

{please ignore the "blown from behind sticking out hair look"...we do live in windy IL ya know!!;)}

Enjoy the day!