two bitty braids...

when a little girl is born, her mommy dreams of one day fixing her daughter's hair in cute pigtails, braids, using cute clips... it just kind of goes with the territory. (for the most part. i'm sure there are mommies out there somewhere that really aren't big on doing their little girls' hair, but i don't know any personally.)

madi's always been a little sparse on top- it was always longer in the back than in the front, pretty fine and fairly thin. it was less than a year ago that we were finally able to get two teeny tiny pigtails on her and within the last few months, i've been able to do a little more. for example, her one ponytail in the back and just a few weeks ago, a very small french braid.

on monday she got to pick out a new outfit, courtesy of grandma. for some reason, it just seemed fitting, given the cute style of her new duds, that two small french braids would be the perfect hairstyle to complete the outfit. i was pretty doubtful as to whether or not it was even possible, but after some serious bribing to get her to sit still enough, it happened: TWO french braids!! and with enough hairspray, maybe, just maybe, they'll stay in almost a full day for convention.

2+ week recap

once again... iknowit'sbeenforeversinceiupdatedtheblogbecauseithasbeenatadbusyaroundhereandi'msorryandi'lltryto updatemorefrquentlyinthefuture.

there.

whew.

our tiny little mister a few sundays back, wearing his "big boy" clothes. (somewhere on one of our many, many photo cd's, we have a few shots of cole wearing the exact same outfit nearly four years ago. he was about 5 1/2 weeks old and filled it out just fine. someday i'll dig it up and put the two side by side, just for kicks.)

baby brother, not-so-baby brother

oh, he adores his older brother! (please excuse madison's head- she was on a pint-sized mission for who-knows-what and just couldn't waste time waiting for mommy to snap the shutter.)


what do you do when you have grandma's basement all to yourself?




*giggle*

make the most of it, of course! or, as our offspring interpret it, play "bury your sister". sounds more barbaric than it really is... there were tons of squeals and giggles coming from the basement.

the following weekend there were some downed trees that needed cutting and a new bridge to put across the stream in the woods at mom and dad's, so kelvin took cole friday night with him and they stayed in the hunting cabin with uncle ted. cole did wonderfully, i heard, and he was pretty excited about sleeping in the "hunting cabinet". kelvin got a few photos on the little camera, so someday i'll get them uploaded and if i remember, i'll share them. of course, at the rate i'm going here, he'll most likely be driving by then, but better late then never, right?

madison helped grandma in the garden. she even used our little tractor!

how do YOU bring in your tomatoes?

who'd have thought a toddler's toy could be so very useful?

*9/11*

hello there, blue eyes!

somebody's funny bone got tickled...

i can't really say that remington's 6-month photo session was a flop, because technically i got one photo that we're getting printed, and the rest, the ones with his toes or thumb in his mouth, well.... those are downright sweet. even if they're not wall-worthy.

cole had the right idea for his session (4 years! already!!), but was a bit wound-up and goofy. the last one from the entire shoot turned out just right, but the rest of the time, we had fun. and that's really the important thing, right?

you can see a few more from the boys' sessions here.

we went to story-time at the library again today. last week was the first one, and the kids did well. they were a little shy but still enjoyed it. this week, cole was over it and mommy had to teach him about taking turns. he already knows about turns, but he was too excited to remember. we got some books and left in a hurry because both kids must've forgotten to wear their listening ears... but i found a few stories that were my favorites when i was their age: the "flicka, ricka and dicka" and "snipp, snapp and snurr" series by maj lindman. the books are the same as i remember... old, worn, they even smell like the ones we got years and years ago. i'm not sure who will enjoy them more, the kids or me! to be honest, i was a little surprised to have found them...

the beginning of this week is filled with anticipation of special days with special people- we're ready for marion convention! the other week when we took the kids to a prep day, cole talked about "cah-bention" all the way there (i'm sure he remembered a little from last year), and as we rounded the corner and saw the barn and cows, he said, "what? are we at a ZOO??", and then in the next breath, asked if the workers were there. too funny! but i love his enthusiasm... and armed with books, crayons and some treats, i think he and madison will do pretty well this year. as for remington, well, he's so laid-back i'm not concerned in the least. we're going to have a wonderful weekend- there's nowhere i'd rather be going :)

~happy birthday~

first of all, happy birthday to my sweet baby sister! hope your 21st is amazing, sarah lynn! we'll have to celebrate sometime when you can get back to our neck of the woods, but we hope you have a great time tonight :)

second, it was kelvin's birthday yesterday. he's NOT turning 21... that happened a few years back. but he DID get one of his favorites for supper: chicken divan. and of course, he got cake.

lemon pound cake with raspberries and whipped cream. mmmmmm.

since we had candles left over from cole's birthday, we couldn't give kelvin cake without a candle. there was just no excuse not to, what with there being some right up in the cupboard and all. i thought for sure i'd have a little help singing "happy birthday" (again, since cole's birthday was only two weeks ago and he gets the whole 'birthday thing' now). but i didn't. i sang a solo. oh well... at least the cake was good! and remington helped daddy blow out the candle. actually, i think he was more or less plotting just how to get his tiny little hands on the pretty glowing stick, but we'll go with "helped". ;)
anyhoo.... after a day of rain, storms and humidity, a small birthday celebration (albeit a day late) was just what we all needed. the poor kids have been cooped up, madison was pretty freaked by the thunder this morning and cole was wound up from seeing the firetrucks out on stormwatch and hearing the warning whistle. this year has been a crazy year for extreme weather even here in the midwest, but today was the first time that the sirens actually went off. we didn't lose power though- almost everyone else seemed to. fine with me; i'm not particularily fond of being without juice!
here's to a fun and happy labor day weekend- have a good one, y'all!