Instagram Life

It's Friday, how about an Instagram photo update?  There is no real point to this post except that I thought I'd share some photos that tickle me and the stories behind them.  Enjoy :)  

Here is what I love about little kids and their imaginations.  This the minivan for Ava's "Loving Family" and these are some of the passengers who were rockin the mini when I found it like this:

A mail carrier, a pig farmer, a construction worker, a baseball player and a little girl in pigtails you can't see.  That's quite a carpool route!

Here is my little Minnesota fishing girl.  Travis and Ava have formed a bond this summer over fishing and I just love it.  Better yet, they love it!!

I adore this picture.  Barefoot on the dock, fish on the pole, perfect summer night on the lake.

So cute.  She caught like 7 fish this night and couldn't wait to burst through the door to tell me all about it when she got home. Can't wait til Carter can join them next summer!

 My Mom sent this to me recently. 

I love her. 

She has the BEST sense of humor and she is always making us laugh! 

 I love how colorful my dishwasher has gotten since I've had kids.  I load it at least once, sometimes twice in a day, so I'll take the extra sunshine when I can get it!  Ha ha!

 On any given day there is a fairy, a princess, a cheerleader or a gymnast in my home.  Sometimes we get lucky and all of those people make an appearance in the course of one day :)  We have a little girl who LOVES to dress up and it never stops tickling me to see her in her many costumes throughout the day!

 On the other hand, this little guy has only intensified his love for his giraffe, his paci and his blankies.  He's definitely all boy,very rough and tumble, but I think he's also a little lover at heart.  He's never met a soft blanket he didn't love!  It's pretty common to find him with all of his "stuff" while he plays.  But I remember from Ava's 2 year appt that this is the age when they really attach to a toy or a blanket, so I guess we are right on schedule!  I do have my work cut out for me in trying to ditch that paci however.  I will have a sad little guy on my hands when that day comes...

 Pizza with Daddy.

We're undecided if eating out with them is getting easier yet.  We don't have to bring as much gear along but they no longer stay in their seats.  It's kind of a toss up!  We thought pizza would be a slam dunk this night. Turns out we were wrong...I'm pretty sure we set a record for fastest meal.  I think we were in and out of there in 10 minutes...it was a necessary exit before one of us freaked out! 

Travis and I were definitely more at risk than the children :) :) :)

 I've made the switch in my morning coffee and this weekend I'm pulling out the seasonal decorations.  Yes friends, today is *officially* the first day of Fall but I've been celebrating for the last 2 weeks!  Pumpkin spice coffee, pumpkin spice creamer, caramel apple candles...it's all about the sensory experience over here. 

 I scored some big wife points recently when I suggested that we upgrade our TV.  We haven't bought a TV for the last 8 years, which is mostly due to the fact that we haven't really cared too much.  We watch TV but it isn't hugely important to us.  However, we do love to watch sports and especially football.  So I thought with the collge and NFL seasons starting, my hardworking husband deserved a new TV to enjoy his teams :)

The kids and I surprised him with one while he was working last week.  We'd talked about a particular TV to buy but I ended up getting one that was bigger and better for the same price.  Love when that happens!  He was a happy man and we've had some fun watching lots of games in what feels like a theater experience.  Ok, It's not quite that big, but when we were used to our 36" TV, a 50" feels gigantic to us :)

When we were at the library a few weeks ago for the kids, I spotted this on my way out and decided I had to read it.  It was a fascinating read, it was mostly about her faith and her private life and how fame and fortune shaped her.  BeBe Winans was a close friend of hers and her family and I totally enjoyed hearing his perspective on her life and her friendship.  I read it in like 2 days. 

 This would be a great poolside or vacation read! 

 These perfect Fall days have taken us outside quite a bit.  Chalk and bubbles are like kryptonite to my kids.  They'll do anything to play with them!

 Carter mostly eats the bubbles (which is gross) but I've come to the conclusion that he's incapable of understanding how to blow them without that wand going in his mouth.  I've just surrendered to the inevitable for now!

 As cute as this little girl is, she desperately needed a haircut.  We were sick of always watching her brush those bangs out of her eyes and she's in a season where she refuses to let me do anything with her hair.  Just combing it is enough to send us both in a timeout!

 But nothing was as bad as the mullet Carter was sporting all of a sudden!  I have no idea how it got so bad, so quickly but it did :)  This kid has thick hair and a lot of it.  I can't believe how much maintenance is required to keep him clean cut!  I threatened to buzz it but Travis wouldn't let me. 

 Ava got a pretty dramatic bob, which is adorable on her.  It happened kind of quickly and was shorter than I asked it to be but I do love it.  I had to leave Ava to the stylist on her own because...

 ...this little turkey was in full-on meltdown mode for his entire haircut.  He cried and screamed and threw a fit while I basically held him down so the other poor stylist could cut his mop.  It was pure torture for all of us and I couldn't supervise Ava's cut in between Carter's fits.  I called Travis after this was all over and told him I was never getting their hair cut again without him.  It's just not right that I should have to endure the misery alone :)  Good thing this kid is cute!  It's kept him in our family more than once... Ha ha :)

 I am still loving my new dishes and loving a quiet morning even more!  This week has been busy but a little coffee, some yummy toast and Fernando Ortega waking me up in the morning is the perfect remedy! 

 

Happy Friday, friends!