Josiah is 4 months old now. He's starting to grab at everything and his curiosity is sweet to watch come out. Of course, I say that now b/c he hasn't managed to grab my dinner plate and pull it off the table yet! :) LOL We were w/o batteries for our camera for a few weeks and I sure missed the freedom to take photos's whever I wanted to... but now I can again!! YEAH!

Summer's End...

We had a great summer. School has started and fall is on it's way in. My favorite season, I must say! Aunt Brea got to come "home" a couple times this summer and when she did, the kids had a ball. They played hard in the yard and she put up with endless requests to swing, play chase, play games, and to be held. I kinda think she loved every second of it ;)

I love FALL b/c it calls for long sleeves, hoodies, falling leaves (minus the raking duty), hot chocolate, and baking to make the house feel cozy.

Fall makes me feel snuggly, and all warm inside...

Lighting cinnamon or pumpkin spice candles and turning the lights down... leaving just enough light to see my hubby's face so we can talk about things...

or settling in with a great book and running away into a character's life... leaving behind (even if just temporarily) dishes, diapers, vacuuming, dinner prep, and the never ending breaking up of petty fights....

YES, I LOVE FALL TIME!

*happy sigh*

a RARE moment

... they are all smiling... looking happy... no one is crying ... no one is scowling ... and no one is pinching, poking, touching, tickling, or yelling at another! awww.. such bliss. their heads all look so big compared to the baby's! LOL we sure love our kiddo's and this picture helps me remember their sweet smiles and sense of happiness... when they are being anything but kind to one another... ;)

"Let's play a game mommy...."

...begs Carissa. Micah is in bed as is Josiah and it's just her and I. I'm exhausted from being up since 5:30 am and it IS her time to nap too... SO i said, "OK! Let's play 'Who can fall asleep the fastest'. Surely every mother in America or perhaps the WORLD, knows how to play that one! So we hunkered down on the couch... a pillow on each end for our heads, and a big blanket spread across both of us. And the race begins.... I'm not sure WHO was asleep first, but we both were zonkered out soon! I woke up 50 minutes later with a kink in my arm and a sore hip. But it was fun. I remember playing that game with MY mom! :) Carissa is now awake. I asked her if she was asleep before me and she said, "YES! I beat you!" Fair enough :)

...his 2 favorite girls...

"His" being my hubby, Eric's. He loves both of these pictures so I thought I'd post them. I love them too :) We took these right before we made our Lemon Love Notes :)

Lemon Love Notes

Yesterday, Carissa and I had mommy/daughter bonding. What better way to do that, than to bake something :) Carissa had been wanting an apron so I called my mom a few weeks ago and put in a request. It arrived in the mail this week, and with complete PRIDE she has worn it. Lemon Love Notes are a Lemon Bar recipe. I'll include it at the bottom.

Mixing the soft butter in with the flour and powdered sugar.

I love the way this feels, mom!

Lookin' like a pro!

SAY " I LOVE MY GRANDMA!"

Lemon LOVE NOTES:
Mix 1 cup flour, 1/2 cup butter softened, and 1/4 cup pwd sugar
into a soft dough. Press evenly into a greased 9x9 pan.
Bake at 350 for 10 min.

While that is baking mix together: 2 eggs, 2 Tbsp. pwd sugar
the finely grated rind of 1 lemon, 4 Tbsp. lemon juice, and 2 Tbsp. of flour.

When the crust is done, quickly whisk 1/2 tsp. Baking Pwd. into
lemon mixture. Pour over the crust and bake for 25 minutes.

Cool and dust with powdered sugar.
Enjoy with someone you LOVE.

....one week down... many to go....

Noah completed his first week of school and he's doing great! His teacher had surgery on her arm yesterday. She'll be back to school on Monday. He has already missed her this week and is looking forward to her return ;)

Micah and Carissa are in the swing of things with the day to day stuff w/o big brother around. They are either each other's best-friend or worst enemy. I guess that's how sibling stuff works though :)

Last night Noah and Carissa had their first night back to AWANA. Carissa got to go to cubbies for the first time and she was thrilled. Last night at the dinner table she was sharing her enthusiasm and Micah chimed in, "I wanna go too" to which Carissa said, "Oh Micah, are you gonna miss me?" and he replied woefully, "yeah..." :( She looked at me and restated, "Micah's gonna miss me, mom." LOL

i thought i'd add a picture that i LOVE. RARELY is it that Carissa has the upper hand with Micah. Even though he is 14 months younger he is bigger than she is (in weight and they are about equal in height). This was taken last summer.

Isn't that PRICELESS?! LOL