We've put up the tree, our decorations, ornaments, nativity, and stockings. The children are loving it. Each and every little thing!
We hope your preparations are coming along nicely, too. After all this is the season to celebrate! Christ is born! Which means a birthday party - and we love birthday parties!
We recently painted an accent wall in our living room. I managed to whip out the trim work on my own, with my little helper watching closely, in awe of someone actually painting on the walls in our home. Knowing that Olivia in the past has shown good judgement, demonstrated caution, and typically obeys our instructions, I was glad to offer her the opportunity to help paint this wall.
We talked about how special this was, as we normally do not paint on the walls. And we talked about how she will only paint on paper at the table with her paints in the future. And that we really usually do not paint on walls, but this was a very special project that we could do just this one special time. I think she got the idea!
So, with the floor covered in a drop cloth, and wearing her painting shirt, my little helper was thrilled to help paint our wall. And I was nervous. But I knew that she could handle this. And boy did she ever. She painted like a pro. Very carefully, paying attention to each detail. We had fun working on this project together, and I'm looking forward to future projects with my little helper
The weather here has been so nice the entire month of November. We've been able to enjoy many days outside playing at home and at the park. The kids usually love to go to the park, so on this particular day, we headed there with our friends Stephanie and Charlie for a picnic lunch and some playing.
I try to catch Olivia acting natural for some fun pictures, but when she catches me, she always stops for a moment to say "Cheese!".
Charlie and Olivia had a great time playing together and even went town this twisty slide together a few times. Wow - that was so much fun!
Olivia is growing so fast lately - her vocabulary has expanded to include "tasty", "u-bet-cha", and "fantastic". We always smile or laugh when she says these things, as they are just to precious, and it's sometimes hard for us to believe these words come out of her little mouth! This time with our children is just so precious!
Our son is now 5 months, and enjoying every moment discovering the world. He is observant of all around him, soaking in our expressions, the changing scenery, and tastes and textures galore. He loves trying new things, and especially discovering them with his mouth. He's recently discovered his feet and loves to put them in his mouth!
Our little guy lights up a room with his smile. It's so contagious, as is his laugh. He loves to interact with people, and has quickly learned that a cute smile or laugh will keep someone's attention. He loves to be the center of attention and to laugh and smile while being played with. We just cherish these wonderful moments, taking joy in the little things right along with him.
See that right at the top of his head?? He lost most of his hair since he was born, and is quickly growing a new headfull, but there are a couple strands that I just can't bear to part with yet. So, he has a few wispy hairs on the top of his head - and I'm afraid I'll soon have to trim them. But for now, I'll postpone that for the joy of that little part of him that came along on the first day. I suppose I'm sentimental that way, parts of me wanting the milestones to slow down, to keep him small and precious and innocent in every way. 
So, when the weather warmed up, we headed outside to rake and pile our leaves for some fall fun!
