Ikea Bound

An amazing family trip to Ikea amounted in the kids' new art studio!

These Dogs are Tired

Basketball moves with Daddy, a video so a Momma can kick back, the start of the boys' completed room, and my battle with socks.  I am proud to say I have now won the battle.  We each have one type of sock, and I just sort into four piles: husband black socks, husband white socks, boys' socks (they are close enough to share), and my socks.  Each pile has a place to be put (unmatched), and when you need a pair, you reach in and grab - since they are all the same, I NEVER HAVE TO MATCH SOCKS AGAIN.  When one gets a hole, throw it out.  I threw away a ton of socks today (and spent $30 on new socks for my husband), but by this picture you can see that it was high time for them to go.  Luckily, my boy sock supplier is super organized and already had given me a large collection of matching socks.  Maybe she lives by my new system?  I feel like a new woman.  How much of my life do you think I will save by never matching socks again?

Basketball Goals and Area Rugs

It was total geekdom day at the Stouts.  My husband geeked out over his new basketball goal and I geeked out over my new area rug.  This rug makes our green carpet look purposeful!  Did I mention I bought it at Big Lots?  I'm awesome that way.

Sick Little Man

He fell asleep on me an hour before bedtime.  Poor guy. 

Garden Fresh and Outdoor Learning

My husband picked these squash, then later the same day, I cut them and prepared them...then we ate them.  All this in one day - now THAT is fresh!

The boys and I did some lessons on floating and sinking in the morning.  Cheap and easy education.

Boys

Always an outdoor adventure.

Swingsets and Baby Showers

Exciting and wonderful day at the Stouts.  We started the redo of the old swingset frame that was left in our yard from a former tenant, and we were showered with gifts for our new little girl.  The people of Abundant Life never cease to amaze me with their generosity and their talent.  Amazing people.

Adult Craft Time

Even the adults came for crafts today at VBS!

Office Makeover

The Before.

Yes, Again

Non-dairy ice cream...again.  It was a long day.  :)

Boys...

Also Known As - Mom's little daily heart attacks.  Seriously?  Why do they have to be so daring.

VBS Day One

All four of us survived!  The boys went to their class without us for 2 hours!  They only cried a little when we walked by.  Success.

Father's Day

I didn't get to spend Father's Day with my best dad, but I did get to spend it with the best dad I could hope to have for my children.

Family Friday

1.5 mile walk, park, splash pad, train, pizza lunch, nap, cuddling on the couch, dinner, minor league baseball game, and bed.  Now, that is a family fun day.  The whole day cost all four of us a total of $20 and we got four free movie tickets out of it.  Win!

Perfection

Life doesn't get any better than this.

Bath Craziness

I can't imagine when we add the third!  :)

Piano Men

I didn't think to take a picture of anything today even though the day was full.  So, here is a pic I didn't share last week.  My little men playing piano before Matins at Mt Calvary. 

30 Weeks and Really Blessed

So, our daughter is 30 weeks along today.  Crazy.  As of 4 weeks ago, I did not own a single outfit for a girl.  After a sister-in-law, a few friends from seminary, and my new local pastor's wife friend all passed along used clothes, this is my stash of first year clothes.  I live a completely blessed life.  God provides in the most unexpected ways.

Train Friends

Sometimes we stop by our train station to see the daily Amtrak train come in.  The boys love it!

Non Dairy Ice Cream

I have had to give up most dairy products.  I can tolerate a certain amount, but anything loaded with dairy is a no-no.  I love ice cream and dairy desserts so much that I spend my days choosing whether or not that bowl of dessert is worth chancing a migraine.  Every time I chance it, it happens.  It is official.  Our daughter has stolen dairy desserts from me.  She is worth it, but I do miss ice cream. 
Today, my husband convinced me to try to make a non-dairy ice cream.  So, we broke out the old ice cream maker and went to town with an online recipe.  The only ingredient I couldn't find at my local grocery store was non-dairy whipped topping.  However, given the small amount of dairy in that ingredient, I let that slide as regular.

This is NOT meant to be a healthy alternative.  If I wanted healthy, I would have made a non-dairy smoothie like I always do.  I wanted real, honest, thick, creamy, delicious, smooth ICE CREAM. 

And this is the answer, ladies and gentlemen.  This is so good I can't even describe it.  It is JUST like dairy ice cream - with no animal's milk and no cream.  Perfection.  Check it out if you have a reason to avoid dairy products. 

http://www.tammysrecipes.com/non-dairy-homemade-ice-cream 

Brothers

These two tiny humans have the ability to make me more angry than anyone else in the world.  Then, they do this.

Decorating

I am such a fan of mixing patterns.  These curtains and one of the pillows came from my mom (from Salvation Army).  For that matter, so did the chair, which I recovered.  The only thing I bought in this picture was the $10 table from a thrift store and one of the pillows.  Love me some orange and patterns...and deals.

The Unpacking

We are getting there...slowly.

My New View

First night in the new house.  Hopefully our kids will sleep well.  It is hard transitioning toddlers.  When I left Solomon in his bed, he said, "Mama, I want to sleep in MY bed."  Poor guy.

The Great Cat Escape

2 days before moving our strictly indoor cat snuck out.  We found her, she had been in a bad fight, and then she jumped and hid in our basement fireplace.  Seriously, it was terrible.  It took some major ingenuity to get her out from around this corner that is unreachable.  Straight to the pet hospital she went.