Thankful for the Silliness

One of the things that I have recently tried to be intentional about is giving thanks, even for the small, silly things that make me smile. I did this a few months back, because I realized that I would often go through an entire day without truly appreciating the many good things that happened and only focus on the bad/frustrating/stressful things. So, throughout the day I may thank God for having money to buy lunch when I forget to bring it, or finding a good parking spot when it's raining, or even a friend or coworker I talk to that is a joy to be around. Interestingly enough, I find it much harder to give thanks once I get home. It seems like we're always running all over trying to stay on top of all the logistics. I guess it's because home is so familiar and the people are so familiar, it is easy to overlook the blessings.

So, while I am blessed with so much, one thing that I've found really is a blessing in disguise is my family's silliness.  Now, don't get me wrong, when I am on a mission to get out the door, the silliness all but kills me. But, as long as the silliness is well placed and not prohibiting forward progress, it really does help keep things in perspective. I love the silly songs, Fletcher running around the house pretending to be "Captain Underpants" and the dog running around the house so fast he slams into the wall (this happens at least once a day). The kids have also figured out how to take pictures and videos on my phone. So, when I go through  my pictures, I often find hidden gems. So, in celebration of the silliness that can lighten the heavy weight of life, here are a few of my favorites that I have found over the course of the past couple of weeks.

In this picture, Captain Underpants is relaxing on the couch, legs crossed at the ankles as he lounges, and you can see his dad in the background looking at his phone.

In the next photos, you can see Audrey practicing her best selfie faces.  There is Angry, Excited, and goofy shown here.

I also have a lot of photos of Fletcher's forehead. Every once in a while I get more of his whole face, but it's usually just the forehead and eyes.

Barrett prefers making videos, but lately he has been trying to get Fletcher to film him.  Unfortunately for Barret, his cameraman does not have steady hands or a long attention span.

Billy also gets into the action from time to time and sends me selfies at random times.

With all of the selfies, I thought I'd share one I recently took with the boys that really made me smile. I do love my kiddos sand all of their goofiness. They are such a blessing!

All The Recitals

This weekend we had the great opportunity to watch our kids perform in front of an audience after working since August to prepare. Both Audrey and Barrett had a piano recital last night, and Audrey had her dance recital today. I have to admit, I always find myself beaming with pride as my kids take the stage. Even if they mess up a bit, I know how hard they've worked AND I know how scary it can be to step up on that stage. So, I can't help but want to shout "that's my kid" to the other spectators when they take the stage (and just to be clear, I don't say it, but I am sure the camera and smile on my face still give it away).

So first, the piano recital. Both kids did very well. I was really concerned about Audrey's performance, because just 2 weeks ago she was still struggling quite a bit with her piece. In the end, however, she pulled through and did a remarkable job.

Barrett was really anxious going into the recital. He was jittery and having trouble sitting still. However, during his performance he was focused and calm. Even a premature applause didn't throw him off.

Overall, the piano recital was very well done. We really appreciate everything the kids are learning about music and performing in front of a audience.

Today, Audrey had her dance performance. I must admit, she really looked like she was having fun. One of the pieces was a Nutcracker medley that I could tell she was really into and having a great time performing.  Watching her dance is a reminder of just how much she's growing up. I watch the preschool and kindergarten kids, and it brings back memories of when Audrey was that age. She's no longer wearing the pink leotards with soft little skirts.  The black leotard against the pink tights and her long legs makes her look so mature!

And, you may be wondering, what was Fletcher doing during all of the recitals?  Well, driving momma crazy...that's what. Here are some outtakes where he was playing with my phone. Oh, and he did insist on wearing a straw hat to the piano recital, because "his head was cold." At least he had the right idea.

Even though it's been a packed weekend, I am grateful that we can now go into the holidays with fewer events to fit in. I am hopeful that will allow for more time to really embrace and enjoy the season!

Bathroom Facelift

Last winter, we decided to finally take the plunge and redo our master bathroom. Even though our house is only 10 years old, the bathrooms were very outdated and poorly installed. The tile floors were chipping, our shower was unevenly installed, and the master bathtub was yellowing. Since the kids bathroom also needed a facelift, we decided to do them both at the same time, and the results are amazing!  We started designing and shopping back in February, and we started removing some of the old bathroom materials in May. It seemed like it took forever, but it actually only took 4 months. Then, it took me another 3 to actually do a post about it :)

So, without further ado, let's take a look at what the kids bathroom looked like before the facelift. The wall colors are my doing (I wanted them to be bright and fun because the room is a bit on the small side and has no windows). The cabinet and counter color though, that came with the house.

And the finished kid's bathroom looks much more modern and brighter. It's amazing what some new finishes can to to make a space look so much more welcoming.

Now, for the master bathroom transformation. There are quite a few pictures because of the size of the room, but I promise,  you won't believe it's the same room! Before the facelift, I tried to work with the color of the floors and cabinets, going with a beach theme. I still like the old wall color, but with everything else, it just looked so dated. And, if you look closely, you can see where the grout has chipped out of the floor tiles.

And now, for the greatest transformation of them all. Our beautiful, updated master bathroom!  It's amazing just how big of a difference it is. Even with the same layout, having the updated color scheme, hardware, and tile make such a huge difference.

It took a lot of time and energy, because we did a good chunk of the work ourselves, but I am so happy with the finished outcome. However, I have no desire to embark on another home improvement project for a very long time. 

Happy Halloween

It's been a while since my last post. I thought about trying to do a post to catch up on everything from the past 2 months. Instead, I decided to start with the most recent and try to stay more on top of the blog from here on out.

So, let's start with Halloween. This year, the boys jumped on the Avengers bandwagon and went as the frenemies Iron Man and Captain America. Audrey, however, decided to go a completely different route and dress up as a sloth. Her costume was a onesie that was basically a pair of pajamas, but as cold as it was on Halloween, it actually worked out in her favor. She was out trick or treating twice as long as her brothers, who got cold and wanted to come inside.

Before we left to go to our friends' house, I did manage to get a picture of all of the kids together. At first, I was really annoyed by the fact that no one was cooperating with my photography efforts, but after I looked through the photos I did get, I ended up finding this one extremely amusing. I guess sometimes the best pictures are the ones you don't plan.

The kids went trick or treating around our friends' neighborhood and got tons of candy.  In St. Louis, it's a tradition to tell a joke to get candy, so I can only guess they had really good jokes.  I was really surprised that even Fletcher got in on the joke action. He made up his own joke. When asked for a joke, he'd say "Captain America fights jokes with his shield."  I have no idea where he came up with it, but it is so amazing o so many levels.

All in all, we had an awesome Halloween. It is hard to believe that Audrey is almost to an age where she won't be able to trick or treat anymore. I need to enjoy these days while I can and not take them for granted. Sometimes the days are tough to get through , but nights like this past Thursday are a great reminder of just how blessed I am to be surrounded by such a wonderful family.