a sunday afternoon

We do a lot of things on Sunday afternoon. Most of the time that includes sitting around doing nothing. Or sitting around and eating snacks, treats, and ice cream. Yes, we veg on Sundays. It's bad. Every monday morning we regret it, but after a long week, every Sunday, that's all we want to do!

However, occasionally we get off our behinds and go do something scenic, like drive to the lake, go on a walk, or like we did this past Sunday, take a little walk to the pond by our house. Will was super excited to get out and run around, he pointed out every single colored leaf and told us that we were seeing lots of beautiful things! We took a whole bag of bread and fed the ducks. 

Here they come, they came over, slowly, slowly.....
Then more and more started to come over. Then I started to get scared we were going to get attacked....

Then more.....
In the end we counted 25 ducks and 1 Canadian goose. It was pretty great, and Will thought it was the best thing he's ever done.
Then we played on their little nature playground for a few minutes before heading home. It was very nice afternoon and nice to get out and enjoy some quiet time outside. It was fun to see all the people walking their dogs. We met one golden retriever named Pumpkin who I'm pretty sure was the nicest dog ever. We liked her a lot, and I thought that someday we should probably get a golden retriever just like her.
Hanging on the "spider web" with dad....

Until next Sunday!

family pictures

for the life of me, I can not get blogger to upload a couple of our family pictures. I'm sad, because they are awesome. So, if you would like a sneek peek, you can go HERE and check them out. Our friend took them and she is amazing. Not only is she a great friend who has been so kind and welcoming to us since moving here, but she is an amazing photographer.

Will did AWESOME. Bribery totally works, and is SO worth it, for times like this. We told him he could pick out anything he wanted from Target, and it WORKED. After pictures, we drove straight to Target and let him pick something out. He picked a 3$ Spiderman... we loved it! It was totally worth it.

My most favorite part about our pictures was the location, and the GREEN GREEN grass and ivy growing up the building. OH is beautiful right now, and it is getting more and more beautiful as Fall starts to roll in. Except the giant Oak trees in our front yard are dropping acorns by the millions. Literally. We want to buy a bag for our mower, just to pick them up. We've been told "wait until the leaves start falling...." I can't even imagine, but I'm excited to see it.

a day of mixed emotions

This was the only picture of my little man on his way to pre-school. He looked so big and SO excited he wouldn't stop for a good picture. So off he went! Bug catcher full of lizards, backpack full of school supplies, and nothing but confidence and excitement. I hope the excitement continues. He asked to stay longer when I picked him up and said he didn't want to leave. That is always reassuring!

Then later today......
Doesn't he just look so small? Here he is sitting on our front porch waiting to play with his friend from down the street. I walked past and he was just sitting there, quietly, watching the bugs, standing up every once in awhile to check and see if she was coming, then sitting back down so patiently. I have been feeling like he is growing up, out of my control, and getting so big. Then this afternoon, I was reminded that he still my little boy. He asked me to come sit on the porch and wait with him. So I did, then he said "mom, I haven't sat on your lap for a long time and I like to do that!" I guess he is still my little man after all.

the night before

Since Will is our first child, we do a lot of things with good intentions that we plan on carrying out as our family grows. Starting school is no small thing.... especially with your first. Okay, it's just pre-school, but still, it's a big deal to me! 

So, the tradition begins, the "Back-to-School" feast. And feast it was. I asked Will if he wanted to invite a few friends, and he sure did. So we had some friends over, bbq'ued up a storm (literally, it rained...) and had tons of great food and entertainment from the kids. 

This was the only shot I got, and it was mid-way through decorating. Oops. It was fun though, and more than anything I just wanted to celebrate Will and what a wonderful, sweet little boy he is. He love him, and I'm so proud of him!

puddle jumping

Who wouldn't want to wear their Superman cape, oversized rain jacket, and crocks to go jump in the "lake" at the end of the driveway?

Being a kid is so exciting, no matter the weather!

a mini vacation

We spent the weekend in Colombus doing various things. We thought we would have a chance to visit the temple, but it is close for maintenance. We stayed in a hotel, had dinner with some friends we knew all the way back when we were first married, and took Will to the zoo. It is a great zoo, very big, and Will loved it. It is Jack Hanna's official zoo, he's from Ohio, did you know that? Now you do! 

Here's some photos from the zoo:

Will really enjoyed the caterpillar playground and didn't want to leave. Scott was a good sport and even climbed up there with him.
He also had his first carousel ride! He cried when it ended. Once again, Dad was a good sport and rode with him!

Yeee Haww!

Every day I'm more aware that my baby is growing up. He is becoming more independent, more demanding, and more like a little boy instead of a toddler. He is still the love of our lives, and we don't know what we'd do without him and his incredible imagination!

a day in the country

Nothing beats a day in the country, and as always, I come away wishing I could give Will a similar childhood that Scott and I had in the country. I wasn't really raised around horses, but I've been around them quite a bit. Even though I never had a horse of my own, they bring back so many good memories, stopping by the canal behind our house to feed our neighbors horses, riding with my sister on her horse "Tug", going to rodeos to watch my Bull Fighter brother, going to rodeo's to watch my Rodeo Princess/Barrel Racing nieces, going out to say "hi" to Clover, Jesse's horse...... Just being away from the hectic city and seeing the country side, being around people who live a bit slower pace to life.... it's great, and someday, it'll be ours again! 

Good connections never hurt anyone, right? A man Scott works with has a beautiful ranch in rural OH. His lovely Native American wife runs a program where she uses a combination of horses and counseling to help young women and women suffering from cancer. She takes them through a process where she can work with them to correct their lives, make better choices, think positively about themselves etc. 

They were kind enough to invite us out to see their horses. They were incredible. We had a great time. It was really neat to hear all about what they do at the ranch and how they are helping society. Will had a great time seeing the horses.

This is all of us, Michael and Dominique (Scott's co-workers), Dakota (the horse), "Indian Rachel and Cowboy Rich" (as Will was calling them), and us.

Two very cute boys....

Me. Practicing a form of "kanugah (sp?)" on the horse. It is a way native americans use to bond with their horse, using certain petting, scratching, the horse in a certain pattern and in certain areas around their head, mouth, and ears/face. In the end, the horse loved me.... what can I say, I have the magic touch! ;)
Will wasn't so sure about the "kanugah" - especially after the horse "sneezed" right next to him.

Here's the "mini" that lives next door to the horses we saw. He was so cute, he was a baby mini to boot.... even cuter!
The mini liked Scott a lot, but Will was NOT impressed, especially since he kept "nipping" at people. Will dubbed him the "bad horse."

Another shot of my handsome boys...

Will did a great job feeding Dakota. He really loves animals and was having a great time at "Cowboy Rich's" barn. Except he kept asking me where Cowboy Rich's guns were? And why Cowboy Rich was getting in a car, everybody knows Cowboys don't drive cars!
This ginormous black horse (I don't have technical names here, people) was a big stud. That's stud in horse language.... although it isn't much different in people language either. He was proud, cocky, and a little scary. He's was especially scary after they informed us that this was the same type of horse that was used in Lord of the Rings (remember those big black horses??).
Although, I must say, was SO pretty. Look at him! Check out that tail and shiny coat, he was pretty incredible. I'm going to post a video of him running around too, it was fun to watch him go a little crazy.

We had a great time. Will came home with a cowboy hat and dream catcher from "indian Rachel."  He was pretty excited about all that we saw and watched. He was telling me that now he needs some cowboy clothes to go with his hat. I asked him what kind of clothes and he said "a belt buckle and some boots!" Of course, what was I thinking? Ummmmm Uncle Andy, or Aunt GayLynn, can you help me out here?? :) We had a fun day, we're hoping to head back down pretty soon for a fall festival and a rodeo. 

soaked

One word to describe this weekend: soaked. We drove up to Niagara Falls with or friends the Kolts from MN. It was awesome. You can't really describe it, it just has to be seen for itself. The falls are incredible, and we had a great time with our friends.

Here we are, above and below, before the soaking began!  This the lookout to see the falls (on the american side), even from way up here we were getting "misted" by the falls.
Here we go! They gave us these cool ponchos for our ride on Maid of the Mist. Aren't we cute, we look like big blueberries, Will thought they were pretty cool.
The view from our "maid....."
All ready to get wet....

.....and after the soaking. It was awesome. They take you right up by the falls and you can barely see anything because it is like it is pouring rain on you. Will did so good, he stayed tucked in his poncho, one hand holding onto daddy super tight, and the other holding his hood up over his face. He like it I think, and I was proud of him for not being too scared.

After he was soaked and we were out of the mist, he was much happier!

The cute kiddos after our ride on the boat. 

Kisses all around.... we loved Niagara Falls and can't wait to go back! Anyone want to come?

the indians vs the angels

We rode the train downtown to the Indians game last night. It was a lot of fun. I think Will's favorite part of the whole experience was the train.... and the cheesy popcorn he snacked on during the game. 

Scott and his co-workers. 

We had pretty good seats, but I was worried the whole time that we were going to get hit by a foul ball. One actually came pretty close and I just about grabbed Will and dove under our seats!

more bits and pieces

As promised, here's more pictures of the house. We spent most of Saturday doing odds and ends around home. It is coming together, still not all quite there, but we're making progress!

To start, here's our little guy's room.

This is soon to be the reading nook, we are in the process of another very large pillow, and a fluffy rug where he can sit, lay, slump, or whatever he wants while he reads his books.
We finally got the boat mobile and map hung. It brings things together nicely. My favorite part of this room is that there are many subtle colors. I tried to work it around his car mat/rug with all the fun colors in it. It's easy to add to and change things up!
And next is my little craft nook. This is our loft. It will mostly be used for another guest room. Eventually we'd like to turn my craft room into a third bathroom, but for now, it's MY space. Which translates into "I get to do whatever I want with it....." and best part, I have enough room to leave my sewing machine and ironing board out, all the time. 

So, here's the door to my nook, I hung a shoe thing and filled it with all our craft supplies. Glue, paint, googly eyes, fabric markers, glue gun, craft scissors, pipe cleaners, feathers, you name it. It all here, in one easy spot. I like it this way. And if I need to, I can shut it all up inside my nook so no one, or no KID can get to it if I don't want them too!

Okay, for some reason my pictures went a little skeewompus (SP???).   The following picture is one favorite recent find. I found these antique, foldable, yard sticks. Aren't they cool? I think so, they aren't going to stay propped up on my Martha Mags, but for now, I am not sure how I want to display them. They were a steal and I'm wishing I would have bought the other 2 at the yard sale. Oh, and do you love the color of my nook? Grass green, it's lovely, and calm, and makes me creative..... I think. Okay, maybe not, but I was itching to paint something this lovely color.

Our fun ceilings in my nook are pretty low, and one side is rounded. I needed something or some way to store my fabric so that it was easy to get to and visible. Scott hung my ikea rods and I used this sweater hanger to put my fabric and baskets of yarn.  I'm not done organizing or unpacking fabric, so don't get all worked up thinking I've forgotten how to organize.

..... and some odds and ends ribbon tails that I had.

Just a hop, skip, and a jump away from my hanging fabric, is my other ikea rod, nicely holding my iron, sewing scissors, water bottle, and my lovely orange topiary. Love it. 

Don't look too close at my shelf. It needs a little TLC, and it's gonna get it. All in good time. For now, it works to store my "notions," button jar, Martha Mags, and mirror.

So..... what do you think. It's coming, no? I'm loving having my own space, and especially a space where I can go to craft. It's a lot of fun, come on over, we'll have a crafting party!! Just in case you were wondering, only 1 1/2 walls in my little nook are this green. The rest is a beautiful bright white. I didn't want the walls closing in on me!