all about us.

M birds.

i think it is so hilarious that all kids start drawing birds like M's.  this is his "snowy day" picture.  it's our house, and there is snow on the ground.  he's gotten leaps and bounds better at drawing in the last few months (like, from scribbling to this stuff), so every picture he does is exciting for me to see.

he did all his coloring on the kitchen floor, apparently.

alright. i'm fighting sickness. i'm going to go sit on the couch, drink lots more tea, and read as much as the laundry and kids will let me.

a bit of a snow day

we woke up to a dusting of snow this morning.  nothing big, but pretty all the same.  when we got back from taking ashlyn to school, ben wanted to go walk around in it.  he got ready (hat, gloves, boots) all by himself, and i noticed the blonde hair sticking out of his hat.  it's the only blonde hair he has, and i love it, b/c it reminds me of the feathery blonde hair he had as a baby. 

just some pretty stuff:

 

sunday evening

 

i saw this on the way to the DMV

this is about 2 miles down the street. the fog was just starting to lift.

 

here, i was just about to the DMV (to get my WA license), and i saw this:  lovely, isn't it??

i'm sure glad i grabbed my camera before i went out the door.

friday evening at our house

ok, first off.  Ashlyn decides to put on a ballet for anyone who wants to see (translation: the whole family was supposed to come watch), and she made a money bucket for people to put money in if they liked her show. oh my... i was cracking up when she came to me with that paper bucket.  i love it.  the moment adam got home, she started the show, and we all clapped and collectively put 4 quarters in there for her. she says she will do this every friday night. lol. smart girl.

i went upstairs and saw benjamin getting his truck book out.  he loves to name all the different kinds of trucks and dream about owning the toy versions.  he says over and over, " i really want that _____".  Some of the construction vehicles he does have, so when he came to that page, he started getting them down to compare them to the corresponding photo.  he was SO into it.  it was so BOY.  i loved it.  i love him. he makes me gooey inside.

note to self:  the flowers are dead. throw them away! seriously.... am i the only person in the world that leaves flowers in the vase until they are days-over dead?  or do i have company in this? yuck.

ben and i were at my friend angela's house all day.  ashlyn was at school all day.  sometimes it's nice to come home and veg.  (and boy, am i ready to repaint that room.  yikes.)

for the last 30 minutes, ben has been helping adam measure the upstairs rooms.  when adam asked ben to help him, ben LIT UP and got SOOOO excited.  way cool to see that kind of father/son time.

 

it's bedtime for little children.  we're gonna put them down and relax a bit.  tomorrow is a big day of chores and then we are having friends over for dinner :)

happy weekend! 

sundown

the weather here has been gorgeous lately.  chilly, but very clear and sunny.  insanely bright blue skies, sparkling water, the air feels crisp, and while i was out on my deck today, it was faintly scented with the sweet smell of the wood being burned in various fireplaces.  i wish i could bottle it.

this afternoon, i noticed that the sun was going down and shining through the trees, casting shadows and making things simply glow.  i sure do love evening light.

   

make-shift drums

ashlyn is constantly finding things to make these days.  she finds the most random items, and tries to make a craft out of it.  i love that!  yesterday, she tried to make a drum for ben out of a plastic red cup with a sandwhich bag taped over it, but ben broke it pretty fast.  So she wanted to put foil over the top of the "cooking part" of the pot, and i suggested maybe the plastic wrap would work better. They didn't want to bang on the bottoms of the pots, i guess.  fine with me.  it's a lot quieter that way! 

i saw this quote on another blog

"Be content with what you have, rejoice in the way things are..." Lao Tzu

love that.

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also, can't have a blog without a picture!!  adam and i played with my wine glass last night.

i wish flowers lasted longer than a week.

i always feel so sad when they start to wilt :(

during quiet time today

she accidentally let the music lull her to sleep while pretending to have a slumber party with ben.  she's been out 2 hours and counting...