Tinkerbell

Ella was invited to a friend's birthday party last month. She was so excited to find out she needed to dress up for it.

What little girl would turn that down?

Her costume of choice?

Tinkerbell.

And no, Tinkerbell doesn't wear a crown. But that's the beauty of being 7 and getting to be just who you want to be.

And although she still enjoys dressing up as Tinkerbell...I couldn't help but notice how much more grown up she has become.

...How much more independent my "not-so-little" little girl is.

...How little she needs my help. How little she even wants my help.

And even though she's growing up with each passing day...I still get lost in those baby blues every time I look at them.

This girl will forever have my heart, no matter how old she gets.

Wow...What A Hiatus...

First...apologies all around. Life has been crazy busy this past month which has led to zero new posts. 'Nuff about that.

Second...no more jibba jabba...post some pics, will ya?!?

These were taken a few weeks back. Did you know that running in the rain is more fun with one flip flop and one rain boot?

Ella has a habit of just grabbing the first two shoes her hands come across in the shoe bin and heading out the door. I guess I should just be happy that this time it happened to be two of her own shoes.

A little boogie-woogie helps too. Notice the pointer finger...she's gettin' jiggy wit it.

And Ben? Well, he dances to his own drum...or rather walks around with his eyes closed.

I couldn't stop laughing at how different these two enjoyed the rain.

Sunsets

I love a beautiful sunset.

Taken from my front porch.

Our New School Room

With what little spare time having four children allows, Jason and I have embarked upon a whopper of a project.

Without keeping you in further suspense, let's get on with the unveiling...

Jason watched the kids one evening while I traveled down to Ikea.

Oh, Ikea....how I do love you.

I spent a little time three hours figuring, re-figuring, drawing out ideas, and taking measurments. In the end, I think I came up with a great solution that would fit the needs of our family. I struggled to loaded up the van and drove my treasures home. The next morning, the unpacking and assembling began.

I had a little help...

And some very excited little people.

They were ready to jump right in, get to work, and help get our new room up and running.

Ben and Ella were each in charge of helping to build their own desk chairs. Gotta love Ella's technique.

Turned out...doing things right-side up really was easier.

A little blurry...but you get the idea. Hired Help doesn't come cheap these days. I had to put up with lots of ridiculous faces.

Even Cora was convinced she had something to offer.

Okay...so some kids were more helpful than others.

Ella now has a love for hammers like her dad.

With four sets of drawers for each child...there were a lot of pieces and lots to assemble.

It took most of the day.

And once completed, it was time to pull school supplies from every nook and cranny in the house. It felt so good to get it all in once place. And who doesn't love a good organization project?!?

A place for everything and everything in it's place. I stepped back and surveyed what we had accomplished and I was elated.

Four sides for four kids. Each with their own set of drawers for their work. Each far enough away from each other to avoid fights friendly disagreements. A place to call their own.

I got right to work decorating our new space. Making it feel inviting for little ones.

Notice our "Chicka Chicka Boom Boom" tree...the kids were really excited about it since they have fallen in love with this book.

A told B, and B told C...

I'll beat you to the top of the coconut tree!

...Chicka Chicka Boom Boom,

Will there be enough room?

And with taking on the challenging task of learning Korean, I found these posters at Kyobo Bookstore in Seoul. I figured we could use all the help we can get.

And how did it all work for our first day of school yesterday?

I couldn't have been happier with the arrangement or how the day went.

It was a smashing success.

Lily's First Haircut

I did it... I took the plunge.

And wow, did it turn out to be a great idea.

Now this cute little face has a cute little haircut to match!

Wordless Wednesday

Just keepin' it real.

Growing up way too fast for my liking.

What's a mom to do?

Peaches for You, Peaches for Me

Every August, my Mom brings me one of my most favorite presents. I look forward to it all year...especially during those cold winter days.

This year...well, this year, my Dad came in the house carrying four lugs of beautiful, delicious peaches.

After the kids went to bed, Jason and I started jamming...and canning...and freezing for the upcoming cold months. I'm tellin' ya...there's just nothing better than homemade peach ice cream in the middle of January. Here's just a sampling...

Oooh, can't wait to get my knife into this!