Gabby was here...

I opened my fridge to take out some tea, and found Gabby's toy baby bottle lying there.  It was so sweet!  She had put it in the fridge as she sees me do.  She has been copying me a lot lately, pretending her bunny is her baby to be fed, burped and diapered.  The most sincere form of flattery....

StellaLuna

One late afternoon, I noticed a small bat clinging to the side of our mudroom entrance.  It just stayed there, calming blinking its eyes and bothering no one.  I told the childen not to bother it.  Perhaps it was lost or confused.  We nicknames it StellaLuna, after the children's book.  As I suspected, she was there when we came in for the day, and gone in the morning.  It was very cool for the children to see a real bat up close like this.  They were able to admire her and talk about what she looked like, all with a great view.She was actually sweet-looking with her tiny blinking eyes and calmness.

Mud Room

Our new mudroom is finished!  Just before school began we hired a construction crew (& friend) to turn half of our existing 2-car garage into a mudroom.  This idea was born out of necessity!  All last year, our dining room table looked like a vast sea of mismatched colors as it became the dumping ground for 4 children's back packs, jackets, sweaters, etc.  We had a large coat rack as our initial solution to tame the mess, but Gabby pulled on a sweater that was hanging up and the whole thing teetered and crashed to the floor.  Needless to say, it broke in ways which made it beyond the average repair.  This summer, we knew we had to do something more permanent.  Dan & I talked about design and purpose.  He drew plans and I began to dream of how I'd decorate.  The result is in the pictures you see.  Our mudroom has one large wall of closets.  Inside, there are 4 closet poles for hanging items and a column of shelves.  There's also 2 large shoe racks.  The floor of the mudroom is white tile with blue veins running through it.  I wanted a coastal cottage look...something bright & clean.  We knew there would be no way to have any window put in for natural light, except for the door.  I wanted to lighter the space visually as much as I could.  You'll notice that the ceiling is painted a light blue.  That saves the room from being too white and echoes the blue in the tile below.  And yes, I chose a highly washable paint!   :)  In the picture below, you see a small white door.  This is dirctly outside our kitchen door leading into the mudroom.  This was pure genius!  Behind that small door is a rolling trash can for recyclables, located in the garage on the other side of the mudroom wall.  When we need to throw a box, can, etc into the recycle bin, we never have to leave the kitchen.  We reach out, open the little door, and toss it in.  As a busy mom running on high test every day, such convenience & efficiency are downright necessary!  The  white bench in the mudroom has a seat with a hinged lid.  It opens for additional storage.  Eventually, it will have pretty seat cushions  (thanks, Jan!).  Above the big closet doors where all the sweaters, shoes, and backpacks go, there are more closet doors above.  We use these now for seasonal storage.  So there's our mudroom!  We're down to a one car garage (which we raised the height of during the mudroom project), but phase 2 will begin next year.  In 2012, we will add on a 2nd garage bay, which will increase the space in the girls' bedroom above and allow for another bathroom to be built.  As for how the mudroom is working out now that school is in session???  It's wonderful!  We should have done this a long time ago!!! 

Sleeping Angel -Evie - 2 mos

Evie loves to put her hands together, often as if in prayer.  She does this in the bath, and while napping.  We don't know why for sure, but we suspect it's becasue she's our little angel.  Sweet Evie, we're so glad you're here   :)

2 years old and fearless

Gabby welcomed the month of September by wanting to play outside.  She likes her swing, but has been wanting to slide lately.  I've always held onto her hand as she climbs up the steps and then I hold her hand as she slides down.  On September 1st, she decided to throw caution to the wind and go for it all the way.  She climbed up the steps all by herself and slid down like a rocket by herself too.  After the thrill of the first ride, she caught the bug!  She couldn't get enough of sliding on her own.  She stood up from the slide and ran as fast as her little legs could go back to the steps to do it all again.  She had a grand time and is so very proud of her new independence on the swingset.  Way to go, Gabby!

Evie's 1st laugh!!!!

It snuck up on me.  The morning of September 2nd began like any other.  Connor, Cameron, Hannah, & Lily were at school.  Gabby, Evie, & I were enjoying a day at home.  I had put on the soundtrack to "Dan in Real Life".  If you've seen the movie, you know the song, "Ruthie Pigface Draper".  It's quite funny.  Well, I had Evie in my arms and was swaying and singing along to this song, when suddenly, it happened....Evie started LAUGHING!  :)  She was laughing continuously!  It was a beautiful sound.  She's only 2 months old, and I wasn't expecting this until 3 months.  What a fun surprise!  Now, for those of you who don't know the song, you need to watch "Dan in Real Life" and listen for "Ruthie Pigface Draper" around the middle of the movie.  You'll be laughing too!  We love you, Evie!   :)

Evie's photo shoot

http://www.SearsPhotos.com/ViewSharedAlbum.aspx?ShareID=f1607b1d-b4bb-4d98-9c2f-321c01e508b9

If you click on the link above, you will be able to view Evie's 2 month old pictures taken during her photo shoot at Sears.  Sears just called me to ask if I'd sign a release so they could display her picture!  A little bit of fame for our sweet Evie  :)

PS:  Of course I said yes!