Two by Two...

I blinked and the deedle bugs turned 2!

They are best buddies, they are such a joy, and their laughter is my favorite sound in the world! It amazes me to watch them learn and their developing vocabulary is the cutest and most hysterical thing ever. In the last week Caroline has called her daddy, "Dave!" and me, "Mom." Uhhh...that's Mommy and Daddy to you, miss! But she hears me calling him Dave so she does it too. So funny.

We had tons of fun celebrating our two little loves with a Noah's Ark themed birthday party. 

Two by two!

The rainbow wands were a hit.

Caroline, talking to the animals. :) The kids loved the animals and it was fun to watch them play around the ark!

The petting Zoo was hysterical. Caroline was a scaredy cat at first but then came around and was petting the bunnies and the goats. It was really fun watch all of the kids play and have fun with the animals. 

Baby Harry took a spin on the pony. Ha! Too cute!

Zsa Zsa and Big Daddy let the Ark and the animals invade their back yard and I couldn't be more thankful! Parker and Caroline are lucky little to have such amazing grandparents!! 

CC loves her Yaya!!

These two besties were high fiving from their horses. Love these girls!

Seeing them play, smile, and have fun with their little buddies was the best.

This little man is such a love bug. He gives THE best hugs....and I'll take them!!

These busy bodies had a ball and our big party fail was not coming away with family photos. Grandparents, aunts, uncles, and this is the best pic of our family of four. They were too busy having fun to stop and settle in for a photo. I'm just glad fun was had by all!

So, here we go! Two 2 year olds! Pray for us. ;)

Mondays are the Jam...Joy in the Ordinary...

We roll pretty low-key on Mondays. Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday have standing commitments so we use Monday and Friday for catching our breath, laundry, fun field trips...or whatever comes our way. But Monday has one little detail that sets it apart...one special event that ALWAYS offers the greatest toddler entertainment....

TRASH DAY!!!

My kids have been obsessed for quite some time. They hear them round the cul-de-sac behind us and they rush to the windows (or outside if it's nice) to greet our trash men with waves, smiles, and the excitement of two two-year-olds who love big trucks! The nice men always wave, honk their horn, and take an extra few seconds to roll my trash can up the driveway and say "hi" to the kids. It's a small gesture but it means so much. The kids think it's the coolest, and it's nice that as soon as the truck turns the corner onto our street they are looking for P&C. Every other week is a double bonus and it's trash AND recycle day! TWO big trucks. You can't even imagine the joy. Ha!

Last week was trash and recycle week, so we decided to "meet" our nice friends and give them some water. I'm not kidding when I tell you my kids were giddy. As the truck was about 3 houses down Caroline was literally beaming and jumping up and down. It was a joy for me to see them so excited to serve those that serve us weekly. I pray we always look for ways to brighten someone's day or just say, "Thank you" for what people do.

I hope you all have a wonderful week and find joy blessings in the ordinary.

Toddler Tootsies...

In a moment of temporary insanity I signed on to do the craft for P&C's class Valentine party. I love all things hand and footprint related so I decided on footprint heart flower pots for their mamas. It was going swimmingly until my son realized I was going to craft with other kids! The horror!!! He proceeded to cry the entire time I was doing the other kid's foot prints. Eek!

Thankfully, the kids had fun scooping their dirt in their pots, helping plant their flowers, and making something darling for their moms. I love my pots from my two love bugs!

Love Month...

This month has been crazy! I don't exactly know how it's been so crazy but we've been a mile a minute. We've slowed down with a few days at home catching our breath.

Little Miss roped Rookie into a tea party. It was pretty darling, and he's a good sport! 

We've made a few batches of cookies and my hips are showing it! They have fun helping me bake/cook and it's a fun activity to pass the afternoon. 

Tiny tootsies covered in sprinkles....I can't even....

My Little Love Bugs...

Oh that little bitty teeny weeny thing they call the love bug...

Nobody's ever seen it but it's got the whole world shook up...

It all started with a little bitty kiss and a hug...

It's a little bitty teeny weeny thing they call the love bug!

Christmas Rewind...

It's January 19th so let's talk about Christmas! Iy-yi-yi...Here goes! 

Santa visit #2...we went with my sister so Harry could see Santa. It was awesome. Caroline was still terrified. But he was SO kind and really tried to make her feel comfortable. There was no one behind us in line (thank you, 10am on a Thursday!) so he read books to Parker and gave us plenty of time to get a few photos. Parker LOVED "Ho-Ho" and Caroline ended up watching from several feet away. :)

We spent Christmas Eve with my family, making cookies, visiting, and just enjoying being together. The kids had fun making cookies and it's definitely something I want to make a tradition with them.

Baby Harry is a highlight these days and Christmas Eve was no exception. Caroline needed to hold him or be directly next to him much of the time. She takes her job very seriously and always leans her head down to rest on his. It's pretty darling!!

Buddies.

Nana is in Heaven. If you want to hold Harry you have to pry him from her tiny pink nails.

And probably my favorite photos from the entire season...Caroline always needed to see "The Baby" at church. When we went for Christmas Eve service she crawled right into the Nativity area and talked to baby Jesus and gave him a kiss. It melts my heart. This is the true meaning and reason for celebrating Christmas. The joy, hope, and love of Christ's birth. I want my kids to have fun, bake cookies, see Santa, enjoy the lights, find joy in seeing the Christmas trees, but I pray their utmost joy and adoration would be for "THE Baby." 

My handsome little man all dressed up for Church.

The Deedle Bugs got their very own fish from Aunt Kristen and Uncle Brad. It's been the source of lots of squeals happiness around here!

Santa had a little mishap during set-up and ended up in the ER. I kid you not. He sliced his finger with his hunting knife. Because Santa usually needs to use a hunting knife to open a tea set. #amateur

Mrs. Claus was left to clean up the "crime scene" while he got fixed up. Never a dull moment! 

They were so excited and we had a great Christmas morning. After "Santa" at our house we packed up and headed to see Dave's family. We had a relaxing and wonderful time reading books, painting toenails, playing in the park, riding the train, and feeding the ducks. These little people are so loved.