u cut...u pull...u decorate

the annual tree cutting...

having fun with the family

looking for the {perfect} one

helping papa cut it down

i do believe the tree fell on me as i was trying to capture this memory

lesson learned stand back and use the zoom!

the {one}

helping papa pull the tree out

love this time of year, all the traditions and special moments we get to share with our kids and families.

coming your way soon...

Merry Bright Greeting Holiday

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falling leaves

fall for us has been filled with a little bit of everything

birthdays, girls weekend away, family visits, & lots of outside time

in michigan the weather is always a question mark...could be snow one day and low 60s the next, that's been the fall here. we've had one day of snow flurries but lots of warm days to play at the park and of course pick up LEAVES!

all fall we've been pointing out the leaves on the trees to elle and showing her how they change color. it's something that i absolutely love about michigan fall. of course they're much more beautiful to look at while on the trees and not on your lawn. but it was a warm afternoon (spite elle's choice in apparel) to rake the leaves, then JUMP & STOMP in them.

"the rakers"

helping transport the leaves

taking a break

trying to help

we've also enjoyed LOTS of fun visits from aunt sue.

WWF...kid style

WWF anyone?

ellington & beckett LOVE to wrestle. usually it's with daddy or tackle, but lately they've been doing more playing with each other. the other day i was trying to take a few pictures of the 2 of them together (nice posed pictures mind you) and this is what occurred instead...

posed pictures seem to be overrated right now

&

then we have pictures like this...

these are the pictures we'll enjoy looking at in 10-20 years and find it hard to remember them at these young ages doing silly things. i'm sure by then posed family pictures will include a huff and puff of yet another request by mom for a "nice" picture. :) so i'll for now i'll enjoy the silliness that comes with "trying" posed pictures.

the big 3-0

happy birthday josh!

i'm so thankful for you. you are amazing husband and father. can't wait to see what the next 30 years holds for you and us.

pepsi cake for the man who LOVES a good cold pepsi

capitalizing on the positive side of turning 30...it ROCKS!

wish i had a picture of elle trying the pop rocks...so cute to watch her reaction. brings back fond childhood memories of opening the pack from the gas station and let your mouth snap, crackle & pop!

love you daddy!

b-man checking out the goods...hoping they were for him :)

1st birthday tailgate

beckett is 1!

{another post - the party post}

a little behind on my posting...

we had a great time partying with family and friends

beckett's actually birthday was on friday, oct.14th but his party wasn't until sunday. so we had a simple cupcake celebration just the 4 of us. elle loved picking out a gift for beckett and was so excited to have him open it.

josh had fun picking out his little boy's gift...his first workbench

{and of course the box was more fun than the gift}

fall birthdays are great and even better for a boy and dad who LOVE football

it was so much fun putting all the details together and finding little ways to make it cute, even though for a boy it should be cool. we are so thankful for the friends that have invested in our life and love our kids. and our family, what can we say...they're the best! it's so fun to get all 9 cousins together and watch how they play together, teach one another and really enjoy spending time with each other. i'm glad that ellington and beckett have the chance to really know their cousins and build friendships with them.

so there it is, beckett's 1st birthday down...now onto planning ellington's 3rd ballerina party.

fall and the {sorts}

we've been pretty busy here this fall...

birthday celebrations

homeschooling

pumpkin patch & apple orchard

more on those to come, but for now....

elle and i are enjoying our morning "school" time. she is more like her daddy than me, she just soaks everything up the first time. she loves to learn new things and asks "what are we going to do today, mommy?" everyday. she likes to know the plan, that's more like me!

we've been working on our letters, sorting objects based on colors, shapes, size and lots of art projects ( my favorite!!)

fall is perfect for leaf projects: leaf rubbings, leaf sorting, leaf paintings

finding lots of different kind of leaves in our backyard.

sorting out the leaves based on color and size

last week elle and i spent the morning outside having some fun with the camera. i realized when i was getting beckett's birthday decorations around that i have a lot of pictures of him and not a whole lot of her recently. usually the 2nd child doesn't get as many pictures taken, but seems like i've done the opposite. i'm still enjoying photography and hoping to get something more formal off the ground soon, but for now it's just friends/family which fits my schedule pretty well right now.

she's such a fun little girl and surprises me each day with what she knows and what she thinks of. she has such a thoughtful spirit and really cares about others. lately during lunch or dinner she'll say she needs some "loving" and will come snuggle with me. i love those little moments when she shares her love freely. i know the years aren't far off when that won't be so frequent.

so what's the little dude been up to while we've been party planning...

::mr. beaver::

he's for sure cutting teeth as he's gnawed a nice strip on his crib

he also figured out how to wiggle out of his pants during nap the other day

and then there's his usual scurrying to get someplace he shouldn't be...

the dog food bowl!

it cracks me up every time and it obviously tastes fine as he continues to do it. just in the last few weeks he's been realizing what "no" means and is actually doing pretty well listening. not 100% yet, but what kid is?

we're enjoying our fall and know that winter will be here before we know it. trying to enjoy the outside time as much as we can before we're forced to be inside.