There's just something I love about this...

I don't know what it is, but there's something about this picture that I just love.  The childlike wonder staring out a new snowfall, kids in pjs in the morning, each of them on their own chair.  Whatever it is, it warms my heart.

Eating snow

We had a fresh snowfall this morning.  Kaden opened the slider door without me knowing it, and proceeded to fill up a bowl with snow.  The girls followed him, and I came out into the kitchen and noticed all 3 kids eating snow.  Their real breakfast pushed aside, and snow had taken over as the meal of choice this morning.  You want to eat freshly fallen snow for breakfast kids?  You just go ahead and do that.

Order among the chaos

I was changing the laundry in the laundry room, and when I came out, I noticed this developmental activity happening.  The girls had decided to empty the washcloths out of the drawer and spread them out in the kitchen.  When they were done, they folded them up and put them back in the drawer.  Completely unprompted.  It's amazing what these two can figure out on their own.  

Crazy kids

As I mentioned in the last post, I love the ordinary, everyday moments we spend with each other.  I'd also like to add that my kids are pretty crazy :)

Modeling their new jewelry

Kaden modeling the girls' headbands

Maya is quite the climber

So much for Mommy's lunch!

Nice hat, Kaden!

The girls figured they'd help me vacuum the mess they created by eating my lunch

Everyday moments

When people tell me I must be super busy, I tell them that our schedule isn't necessarily busy, but our kids keep us busy.  Our days are filled with ordinary, everyday moment.  Ordinary, everyday moments that bring us joy.

I love seeing our kids play together and enjoy each other.  Those are the moments I need to remember when they are fighting and I'm ready to pull my hair out :)

Early literacy

Kaden is growing SO much in his literacy skills.  It makes this literacy coach especially proud.  Since I'm always making lists, I guess I shouldn't be surprised when I found this sitting around :)

Upward Flag Football

Kaden played flag football this year through the organization Upward.  I love that they are a Christian organization, aimed at teaching students the skills of the game through Christ-like principles.  They pray at practice/games, have a lesson at half-time, and the kids are encouraged by Christian coaches.

Kaden is a pretty laid-back kid and not really competitive.  However, he loves the chance to play with a team, burn off some energy, and work together with other kids.  He had a great time playing football this fall, and we were thankful for his great coaches!

Ready for winter

Even though the snow hasn't arrived yet, I think they're ready for it :)

Ok, well, I guess you could say that the snow has arrived.  They're mesmerized. 

Chris Tomlin concert

Andy and I got to go on a date- yes, a real date, without kids!  Best of all, we got to go to a Chris Tomlin concert.  I got a great deal on the tickets way back at the beginning of the summer and had been looking forward to the concert for quite awhile.  We had been to a Chris Tomlin concert a few years ago and loved that it was such an amazing time of praise and worship.  I love how the entire concert felt like a worship session.  There's just something amazing about thousands of believers singing "How Great is Our God" together.  Oh, and something equally amazing about having a dance party together on God's Great Dance Floor.  We even got to take home a large Chris Tomlin beach ball as a souvenir for the kids (after deflating it a bit to fit it in Andy's car- haha!!).

More fun at The Children's Museum

Our kids love going to the Grand Rapids Children's Museum.  There's so much for them to do there, and I love that we can go for a few hours to break up the cold, snowy, rainy days this fall/winter.  This is probably one of the best memberships we've ever purchased for our kids each year.  It's also getting much easier for me to take all 3 of them there by myself, since the girls will actually stay close to me and interact with everything!

Halloween & Fall Activities

Earlier this fall, I asked Kaden what he wanted to be for Halloween.  He told me he wanted to be an astronaut, and I immediately felt inspired to make his costume this year.  I found some snow pants and a winter coat at a garage sale, found some astronaut patches and his hat on Ebay, and with some silver spray paint magic and a little creativity, it all came together.  He loved it and I love how cute he looked in it!

The girls were owls this year.  I love the Old Navy fleece costumes- they are so warm and look adorable on little kids.  It was a cool, rainy night on Halloween, so they kept them nice and warm, too!

 Ready to head out for some fun!  We pulled the girls in the wagon and made a loop around the neighborhood.  We made a quick stop to Grandmas and sorted out our candy.  Strangely, we found a lot of empty wrappers in the girls' buckets.  I guess that explains why they sat so nicely and quietly in their wagon- secretly sneaking candy when we weren't paying attention.  Double trouble, I tell you!!

When Grandpa and Grandma came to visit us in October, we made a trip to a local orchard/greenhouse.  They set up an indoor play area for the kids, and all of the kids loved it.  It was nice to let them play inside on another cold, rainy morning!

 Yeah, I think they're pretty cute :)

 Painting their pumpkins and concentrating :)

 Proof that Grandpa and Grandma were there :)

The week before Halloween, Kaden and Daddy carved a pumpkin together.  They went for the traditional pumpkin this year- short, sweet and simple :)