Taking Our Zoo to the Zoo

Awhile back my husband's employer gifted our family zoo passes. This zoo is a few hours from our home. We are finding it harder and harder to find free time to schedule a few days to do anything around here any more. So when we noticed a school day off, with no plans, my husband put in for a vacation day and we decided to just make a trip to the zoo.

We had the best time. The best. A day at the zoo is never a day wasted.

 We had so much fun that Jayden was asleep almost instantly in the vehicle on the ride home. If only I could say he slept the entire few hours drive, but we were satisfied with the short nap he got.

We can't wait for our next trip back!

School Spirit Week

A few weeks ago we celebrated school spirit week with our daughter, a first for our kids to experience. I personally loved spirit week growing up and it gives our kids a chance to wear something they wouldn't normally wear to school.

We had one day off that week so there were 4 good days to dress up. Here's what we did:

Tie Dye Day

This girl was mostly tie dye from her head to her toes. On our day off, we took a trip to the zoo (that post is coming soon), so I even made a hair band and hair tie to match her outfit.

We didn't have any tie dye clothes at our house, other than the shoes we had made at a craft night we attended a few months back. I looked at making her outfit with clothes we had but decided to do a quick trip to the thrift stores first. We lucked out. And the rainbow tutu may just become a new favorite in someone's closet.

Celebrity Day

Payton kept saying she would be Jasmine from Aladdin and that we had a costume for it. I wasn't sure we did. Of course we waited until the night before to check. She pulls out the dress she is wearing in the picture, clearly not Jasmine. I had already been considering having her be JoJo as she collects her bows (and that's all we know about her). We decided to combine the outfit and my idea and come up with our own little JoJo. Turns out, there were about 5 other JoJos at school, including Payton's teacher. Payton was thrilled and thought it was one of the best days ever!

High School Stereotype Day

Our little cheerleader. Payton didn't want to consider any other ideas for this day and was set on this outfit as soon as she heard the option. We only had a costume for a college team but were willing to let that go!

School Spirit Day

The last day of the week was school spirit day. I couldn't just let her do jeans and a t-shirt. This girl loves all things girly and frilly. I happened to find a tutu at the thrift stores that worked and my husband thought of adding in his socks. They were so thick I had to pull shoes out 2 sizes bigger for Payton that day. Thank goodness for saved hand me downs. 

We also painted the school logo and a heart on her cheeks. I had wanted to do this for the stereotype day as well but I could not find the face paint pencils anywhere. I hunted all over. In the end, I found them right before school got out in the basket, right where I put them. I can laugh about it now as that is totally me. Payton had been a good sport about waiting an extra day for face paint.

All in all, we had a super fun spirit week. While Payton was in school, the boys and I enjoyed the warm weather while it's still here.

 Riley and I also love our time together while Jayden naps:

After working on preschool, we cuddle up and watch a quick show together. I love all these little moments within my day. My days are crazy and chaotic but my heart is full and I am very blessed.

September Recap

It is a cool and rainy day today. This makes for perfect weather to sit and type up a blog post of our September, which was less cool and rainy and more hot and sunny. Fall is definitely on its way in. For that, I am thankful.

I am also thankful for my life in general. As I sit here typing on this quiet Tuesday morning I am also celebrating my birthday. Although it is mostly like any other day for me, my family has found so many sweet ways to make me feel so special. My husband made brownies last night to go with the birthday card this morning asking for a treat for breakfast,which the children got. I was able to open one gift and have received so many extra hugs, calls, and homemade cards. Birthdays are a great time for me to reminisce on where I have been and where I want to go with my life. In all my childhood years spent planning for my future life I am relieved to say I found exactly what I was looking for. There may be so many details I would have never thought of (like the location) but so much of life found me at the same time that I was looking for it. And reminiscing gives me nothing but all the good feelings one with contentment and joy can find.

Reminiscing on this last month of fun didn't disappoint. Here's what we've been up to:

Selling Eggs

In the spring of this year we added to our chicken flock. Then we found ourselves swimming in eggs once they all started laying. We let the kids take on a new venture of selling eggs IF they 1)cleaned the eggs, 2) delivered the eggs, and 3)took good care of their money earned. So far, the kids have done an egg-cellent job at selling eggs! We are now back to manageable amounts of eggs and are able to use them at our house as they come.

Bake Sale

 I officially feel like a mom with a kid in elementary school when I had to make and drop off bake sale goodies the same day as a friend's birthday party. I'm not used to this form of crazy but I was also honored to have this new experience as part of my transition (ahem, initiation)into elementary school life.

After School Outside Play

 To help with our adjustment to elementary school, I have found all my kids need some fresh air right after we make the school pick up trip. Our oldest needs time to unwind before talking and our other 2 are just ready to play. I've come to treasure this time where I have all 3 kids together again, with me, exactly as it should be. And also all the special treats rock! All feels right in our world.

In that last picture of Payton, can we just keep her little and so full of joy?!?!?!

Mornings with My Boys

 After we drop Payton off at school each day the boys and I have found a new rhythm playing outside together. We love walks, playing in the rocks, and singing to kid's songs.

Begging to Play in the Park Before School

 Payton had been begging to play at the playground next to her school (a park she had not been to yet but her brothers had). One morning I told her if all the chores were done and everyone was ready early, we could go. It's hard to make that happen but on this particular day all the stars aligned for us. We were able to play at the park for 15 minutes before school started. Payton was thrilled and had the best time! We soaked every "extra" minute with her up.

Our New Photographer

 I have talked before about the beautiful pictures of nature and life that our daughter, Payton takes. But the baton has now been passed. I have been finding some gorgeous pictures that Riley has taken on my phone like the above flower picture. This has been unedited and is exactly as he took it. Breathtaking.

 Storage Project

I have spent the last several years trying to cut back on clutter. I have made some progress but finally came to accept that excess toys is just our current season of life. I planned to run to Target (on a date with Payton) to get a bunch of storage options. On the way my gut was telling me to make a pit stop at Goodwill. Sure enough, we scored a ton of baskets and bins for less than $20.

The color of my baskets wasn't really my style so I looked it up and saw that many before me have painted the wicker baskets. So I got to work.

While painting the projects the big kids decided to paint their own projects. Riley painted a box and Payton painted some baskets she had also gotten at Goodwill.

We now have storage solutions that are working well for our living room toys and for way less than I imagine I would have spent at Target.

School at Home

 There are always good preschool pictures to share since that is a huge component of our everyday life. We have done some water activities that includes counting. Riley's art projects have definitely advanced recently and he is getting so good at his alphabet and writing his name.

 School Pictures

 I am in love with this picture. So many mixed emotions for me as I look at my big girl looking not so little any more. That 3 year old is gone and replaced with an older child missing teeth and telling recess playground tales. She loves the monkey bars and lunchtime. I so wish I could bottle up her preschool self forever but it is also so fun to see where she's going with life and all the gifts she has to offer this world.

A Family Trip to the Park

 One night at random we loaded the kids up and went out to eat and then to the park. All families need this every once in awhile. We forgot all that was going on and just played together. We were care free and lighthearted. These pictures prove it.

Hard Work

 We took our children to our rental this month as we prepared to list the house for sale. It's (hopefully) the closing of a chapter in our lives, at least until our kids are older. But, I will always have a full heart when I think of the work values we are trying so hard to instill in our children.

The above picture is also extra sweet as this house happens to be our first home together. A lifetime ago before kids. But still a piece of our story. I love that I could show this house to our children and watch them play. Our past meeting our present.

Apple Picking

 If you have been around here a bit you will know I love harvesting on our property. Eggs, garden veggies, apples, pears, someday peaches. Grandma and Grandpa came down and helped harvest apples. It was a crisp fall feeling type of morning and I loved this time with all my heart.

Dates with My Children

 Also, if you've been around here a bit you will know my husband and I both love our 1 on 1 time with our children. The top picture is of a date with Payton to target (where we stopped at goodwill and found wicker baskets before going to Target). She was "oh so hungry" and sweet talked me into a Starbucks stop, despite already eating all my travel treats. Then Jayden and I had a few days together when the rest of the family traveled for a funeral. And lastly, the boys and I spent some extra quality time together making special treats for Payton and Daddy to come home to.

Harvest

And September wrapped up for us as quickly as it had come. The ending being marked with the farmers harvesting their fields in our area. A changing of seasons that always knocks the wind out of me. I loved our corn privacy fence and was sad to see it go. I am also reminded that we have been here to see so many seasons on our little acreage. Seasons, which are marked to be more noticeable to me in the country than in town, with planting and harvesting some key periods of time.

While I watched the fields being harvested with my children, I thought back to the 5 years we have been in the country. Though we are not farmers, we see so much of farm life, and 2 of our children already say they wish to be farmers themselves. And our home. If walls could talk. We are the 3rd family in this home and, so far, the only family to live here with little children. I would like to think that our home would find this story, this busy, messy and certainly chaotic season, to be one of its favorites. It is certainly mine.