SWEET TREATS!

The other night at the grocery store our boys spotted this new ice cream. They got so excited that we decided it would be ok for a little sweet treat!

The following evening they were ready for dessert time!!

Just by looking at Collin's face you can see that dinner was spaghetti! He loved the Dora ice cream!

Griffin appears to be enjoying it, however, he never took a single bite! I was shocked!!

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Tuesday evening I lead a Girl's Bible Study- "Gift Wrapped by God." One of the girls in it, Gretchen just got engaged. So I made her this fun cake with her new initial on it. We joked that it could stand for Pena (her fiance's last name), for purity (after our Bible study) or pearl (which is what her name means and also what the decorative P is made out of)!

Some fun bridal napkins! I can't wait to see Gretchen in her gown!

Despite Griffin's refusal of the Dora ice cream, he chowed down on the leftovers from this cake without any hesitation! Chocolate! That's my boy!!

32 Weeks

Here is Eden sitting pretty in her fall clothes, despite the fact that it's like a million degrees (even though Autumn has begun)! Actually, it was a little breezy when I put them on her, but by the time we made it outside the sun was beating down again! She wasn't to big on smiling today- her teeth are giving her a fit. In fact, just this morning I noticed her second one has finally broken through her gum! Hopefully, that will give her some relief!

She's been getting more active as each day goes by

so she's constantly getting little scratches and bumps along the way!

The tile floors are simply the worst for her- she always manages to bonk her forehead on them!

She's also started to "talk" more and more

and has such a great time "chatting" with her brothers. This week in particular, she has been all about Griffin! In the car, they talk back and forth to each other. It's so precious!

She's still got those chubby, oh so kissable cheeks

and those big eyes that will melt your heart!

Here she is in her favorite place- my arms!

Yay for 32 weeks of sweetness!

Woolite- Not Just for Carpet Anymore!!

I can't believe I am actually going to post this little tid bit from our day! Maybe it will bring some laughter to yours! It all started out with Collin having to go to the bathroom during his quiet time. He called me in, just to let me know that he was taking care of his business, when he suddenly jumped and blurted out- "MOMMY, THERE'S A LIZARD ON THE WALL!"
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You see, for some reason, lizards love our yard. To say love is probably even an understatement! They especially enjoy the little deck we have and congregate there on a daily basis. So, to see one in our house wasn't that surprising!

HOWEVER, under no circumstance am I ever the one to trap and dispose of slimy little critters! I can't take it! But, Rahul isn't in town- not even in the state- so I knew this was up to me. YIKES!
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I stared at it for awhile, flicked the lights on and off, trying to disturb it and move it a little closer to the floor. When that didn't work, I started thinking of alternatives. I came up with Lysol! Yes, I know- this is really sad, I mean he's like one billionth of the size of me (and I'm terrified)!! So, I sprayed that little joker until he was really miffed. He was running all over the bathroom walls like crazy! Collin was cracking up at this point- when suddenly, I realized- COLLIN!! He's a boy- a lizard can't be that scary to him. So, the bribing began! I offered him 1.00 if he would catch it in a cup and take it outside. He agreed! (HA!!) The second he got near the lizard he grabbed my hand and said he needed some help! Instantly, I had one of those light bulb moments- and ran for the Woolite. It's a nice thick foamy cleaning agent and I couldn't imagine a lizard walking away from that! So, we wedged him in the bathtub and sprayed until he was completely covered in a sea of white!

It worked! Collin grabbed the cup, scooped him up and we ran outside with him! Here he is, dumped in the yard- still a little foamy (and now "scotchgarded") ... surprisingly, later this afternoon he was gone... hmmm?! I'll leave that up to your own imagination! At any rate, Collin earned his dollar (and proudly bought a Hotwheels car at Target) and again surprised me with his clever application of Scripture!

As we were cleaning up the mess and putting away all the chemicals, he looked up at me and said, "See Mommy, we really can do all things through Christ!"

It just doesn't get any better than that!!

Comical Mornings!

I don't even know where to start this post!

Ok, I'll address the fashion faux pas first! The mismatched pair of pajamas you are about to see are completely the doings of a father and his son! I know that cars and stripes don't match- ever!! But, you can't argue with a 2 year old (or his daddy) about putting on coordinating colors and patterns to go to bed, it's just not worth your breath!! Next, I'll let you know that Rahul had to leave very early this morning to catch a plane to Boston for a vision trip- so when I opened up Griffin's bedroom door and saw this:

I had to run and get a camera to share it with his Daddy!!

I have no idea how he managed to get his shorts in this position (head inserted in one of the leg holes) but it just cracked me up- which is often really hard to do at 7 in the morning!!

Then came the struggle of trying to get them off! At this point I was laughing so hard I was crying!

Do these pictures tell you something about our little "wild" man or what?!!

What a ham!
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Thankfully we managed to get the shorts off (and put back on properly) to eat breakfast! The significance of this picture is all about the seating apparatus. This is the third booster seat we have attempted with Griffin. The other ones just didn't cut it and were returned. Finally, one that works! The only draw back was discovered tonight at dinner- there is a small hole to hook a tray onto the seat, which Griffin discovered is just the right size for sliding your fork into! Whew, sometimes he just wears me out with his creativity!! But, this face - the one below- still manages to melt my heart every time- even when he's ... shall we say, a bit challenging!!

Fruit Puffs!

Sunday afternoon Eden had her first experience eating fruit puffs. We hesitated giving them to her, but she wants to eat whatever we have on our plates and will often pitch a fit because we won't give in. This seemed like the perfect compromise! Check out her reaction to "big girl food!"

At first I tried to put it in her mouth, she wasn't really sure about it!

Then I decided to let her explore. She was fascinated that they were sticking to her hands and also a bit frustrated that she couldn't quite manage to get them into her mouth!

Finally, she did it and she hasn't stopped since!! ;-)

Camo Collin!

Just the other day, Friday to be exact, I was busy taking care of some "stuff" on the computer, when I glanced over to see this:

Collin had quietly come out of his room during quiet time and was sitting as still as a statue! I have no idea what he was looking at or plotting! I didn't want to disturb the silence, so I actually hesitated grabbing the camera- but the moment was just too cute. As you can see, once he heard the "click" it was all over!Here he started hamming it up- big time!Then he switched to serious mode!
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If you hadn't noticed already, he was wearing these new camo shorts he got (just like the one's Bill has) and so after this series of pictures, he wanted to take a few more for his Baboo outside!! He is seriously so proud of these shorts!!

Remember, these pictures were for Bill. So the first thing out of Collin's mouth was, "I'm going to make a really silly face!!"

Then he did this and I happened to catch it- I think it's my favorite picture of him in a long time!!
More silly faces !Then the wave just to make sure Bill got the "Hello, look at my way cool camo shorts" message!The close up! ha!

The Tiny Things...

Sometimes it doesn't take much to start up a great conversation with your kids. On this particular morning, we were in a hurry to get some errands run when we spotted this leaf on our sidewalk. The kids were intrigued by the fact that it was dry everywhere else, but this leaf was full of water. We talked about rain, how God provides it to help things grow and how sometimes we can just be thankful for little moments that remind us of our Creator. I thought it was worthy of remembering, so I snapped a picture too!

31 Weeks Have Flown By!!!

When I take these silly weekly pictures, it's hard to believe how much time has gone by since Eden was born! Seriously, it makes me tear up every time I realize how big she is really getting! My little princess isn't quite so little anymore!!

As time goes on, it's increasingly hard to get her to sit still for anything. Now that she is an experienced crawler, "puller-upper" and plunderer these little picture moments are more difficult than ever!

This week, she was completely into her hands for the first few minutes, which kept her busy (STILL) for long enough to snap a couple of shots.

Then she just started being silly!

Lots of laughing was involved!! See her pearly white?! Stay tuned- week 32 will be here before you know it!

My Brother?!

Ok, this story must be prefaced with a couple of things!

1.) My brother is not crazy- well, not completely crazy!
2.) My brother does not have a very bad skin condition!
3.) My brother actually looks a lot like my hubby! ha!!

Here's the deal- at the BCM (at FSU and USF) the Freshmen leaders all dress up in "costumes" or disguises for a Mall Hunt. They roam around the mall trying to stay hidden from all the freshmen- kinda like hide-n-seek. Points are awarded for those who locate the most leaders. When Rahul dressed up during our college days, he painted himself white! I can't imagine how he could have hidden! Apparently, he was quite successful. (Should anyone have an actual photo of this -ANDREA!!- please pass it along! I need to see!!!)
Anyways, Bill got the nifty idea to paint himself brown- are you seeing the resemblance to my husband yet?! Out of all the freshmen, only 4 spotted him!!! He was actually walking around with a family of the same "color!" How awesome is that?!

Even our own cousin didn't find him!! I love this pic and have kidded Sarah that she desperately needs a tan!! Bill, maybe you need to invest in some sunscreen!

You know what I think is the best part of all of this? My brother was voted the "Most Shy" senior in high school. Wow!! What a difference a year makes!