i love halloween.

sappy weather

as i said before, beautiful days like today make me sappy and cheesy and giddy and ridiculous. again, steve spent a better portion of the afternoon laughing at how sentimental and happy i have been.

to celebrate the end of a busy weekend and take advantage of a gorgeous day, we went to the fountain of youth. gabe, of course, found the only patch of dirt and played in it. and he got such a kick out of being by the water.

today i love...

:: this set of hand-me-down blocks. not only are they quite nearly the only toy that gabe will actually sit down and play with, but today, they bought me an entire half hour of rocking and knitting time while the little man played quietly(!!) on the floor of his room. it was such a peaceful end to our morning, and such a joy to watch him learn and problem solve.

:: this quilt! and with a tutorial! it is just so bright and happy!

:: this recipe for homemade cinnamon rolls. last year, i made cinnamon rolls (from another recipe) for christmas morning. it is a tradition that i hope to carry on for many years, but if this recipe is as good as it looks, perhaps it will have to become a tradition that includes gifting a little deliciousness to our friends as well.

:: the pattern for this diaper bag from amy butler's little stitches for little ones which i bought recently with some birthday money! i have had my eye on the book for quite some time, and i would be lying if i said that this bag was not the number one reason that i wanted it! now all i have to do is settle on some fabric and actually try my hand at the sewing part, and i will have a nice, big diaper bag for my new life as a mother of multiple children.

:: this youtube video! bahaha!

:: this recipe for beer bread. i think that the internet makes me hungry.

:: this recipe for coffee cake. dang. better go eat something.

a taste of fall

this morning, in celebration of the beautiful weather (the temperature is not supposed to get over 70 all day!) steve and gabe and i went to the farmers market and then to the pumpkin church.

at the market, there is always a group of guys who play instruments and sing. gabe, of course, was mesmerized by their music and danced along. i was equally taken by all of the beautiful fresh veggies, especially the squash, which come in so many great colors and shapes. i mean really, who wouldn't want to eat them?

at the pumpkin church, gabe kept trying to pick up and throw the pumpkins. he even got to pick out a little one to take home.

gorgeous days like this make me giddy. steve made fun of me all morning for being in such a great mood. i get very sentimental and sappy when the weather draws us out of the house and someplace fun together. hopefully there will be many more days like today to enjoy this fall!

one last time

sunday, after church, steve and gabe and i headed to madison to visit with my mom. we got to stay with her at her new house and gabe and steve had a great time taking advantage of the big fields to run in. gabe ran around without shoes and apparently he wore steve out a bit.

monday morning, i had breakfast with katy, megan, ginny and sandy lee. it was so great to see them all. i love that after all these years (what is it... like fifteen years?) we are still able to get together and spend time catching up and talking about the past, too. it was so fun, and of course, as is so very me, i didn't get a single picture.

afterwards, we headed over to the hellers' so that i could get my hands on olivia, their newest little one. didn't get a picture of myself holding her because i was too busy taking pictures of gabe and sophie. they were instant friends and even gave each other kisses and hugs on command. i had to take pictures, but because i had to use the flash, and i hate my flash, they were definitely too bright. no worries, though, because you can still see how cute they are together.

before we left to go back to st augustine, we went to the hospital and my amazing mother did an ultrasound of ezra. looks like he is going to be a big one (as if there was ever really any doubt of that). i think that he looks a lot like gabe in the mouth and nose, and more like steve in the brow than gabe did in his 4d's. it is such a blessing to have a mother who can do these things!

it was a really quick trip, but one that i really needed. it will probably be the last one we take before ezra comes, and it was so nice to see everyone.

photo catch-up

also, christmas knitting is well underway, so if you need something custom-knit for a christmas gift, i suggest you let me know in the next week...

some days

some days, when i think it is all getting to be too much; when i can't handle one more screaming fit; when i am sick and tired of changing diapers and cleaning messes; when our two dogs have tracked dirt into the house and i have to sweep the floor for the millionth time this week; when gabe comes to me with my broken sunglasses in his hand and says "uh oh, mama"; when i have to pick toys up off the floor again, but i am so big that i can't reach them; when my back and my neck and my legs and everything hurt; when i begin to wonder if i am really ready to be a mother of two boys; and when i have to go the grocery store even though i am nauseated and light headed and only the cart is holding me up, there is always that one moment that comes along and reminds me why i do it all.

yesterday it was the moment in which gabe declared (for the first time ever) to all of publix in no uncertain words "i wud jew" (i love you) and made my heart melt all over again. i love you too, baby.