zoo

just got back from the zoo- boy did the kids have fun.

Matthew was thrilled that they had a little potty for him:

I mean, Look at it- so cute and little, who wouldn't be thrilled (well, me for one if I had to use it...)

Sophia wore herself out on the small playground...

she did so much running and playing...

she's asleep in her crib now- like a rag doll when I laid her down....

That girl has no fear. When Matthew was little, he'd be so cautious, you hardly had to watch him- he's like that still... you can't even coax him to go down the slide (though in the past he's loved the slide).

Sophia though, she'd walk right down the slide if you'd let her.

She's a thrill seeker....

in other news, we got a really great view of the tiger today:

Bourbon festival

We took a little trip to visit Sara and Stuart and to enjoy the bourbon festival this weekend... Matthew had a lot of fun bouncing in the castle. He was lucky- he got a lot of time in it for his turn- our timing was perfect, and he even got some time in all by himself.




other fun stuff? Riding the turkey of course....

Even David Michael got in on the fun...

(ok Sara, so maybe it isn't the best picture but I think it's pretty darn good....)

Matthew can...

Finish his star chart!

Sunday after Church, Matthew completed his star chart that we started a few months ago. He could have finished it sooner, but it got moved to the side of the refrigerator and was forgotten about for a few weeks....

Matthew is very excited to have his costume... and it appears that we couldn't have planned a better time. With Halloween around the corner, Matthew was asking to be a dragon, but now, he's certain he'll be Wolverine.

It's my job to do something to "fix" the mask. Darn thing hurts Matthew's sensitive eyebrows!! Poor eyebrows... they're so prone to aches and pains. :)

Sophia can...

Walk down the steps...

on her own...




with out help.

She loves to practice this new tallent often and prefers to go unassisted- and while she's getting pretty good at it, I'm still not keen on the idea of my baby falling down a flight of steps (ok, 1/2 a flight since we have the landing and the bend 1/2 way down....). It hasn't been that long since she recovered from a black eye (her brother gave her a tackle hug and her eye landed smack on the knob of our dresser one Sunday morning), and I don't want to go there again... :)

on our back porch this afternoon...

While Matthew and I were downstairs this afternoon while Sophia slept- one of these walked past the sliding glass door. Wow. it was pretty exciting. I did my best to get Matthew to the door soon enough, but I think he looked right past the ground hog and on to the squirrels playing by the sandbox. Let me be clear though- it was cool because the critter was on the other side of the glass, if I'd have been outside too- then it's have been- more exciting, but in a different way...

on the schedule for tonight...

more bow making! I just can't stop!
Sophia will have to grow more hair or stop pulling the bows out- we've already lost two....

homegoods give away

Despite the fact that I haven't won any of the blog giveaways that I've entered- I can't help but try. :)
A new to me blog that I've fallen in love with, the inspired room, is having a give away for a $200 gift card to home goods (at TJ Maxx).
Know which room I think could use a lift? Our basement/ tv room... that's which one....



all hand me down furniture, which we are very grateful for... he side tables do need lamps now due to a re-do in the living room upstairs where I used what I had to make the rom look different, and while we do love our Steelers, I'm sure we could find a nicer throw for this space. :)
oh, and check out that artwork....

It is an original piece.... by college students at a retreat that my husband and his roommate led when they were in college.....
I think we may have outgrown it's.... uniqueness....



another corner of this room houses some other unique art...

you need a closer look you say?



I mean, really, who doesn't love Moscow (I've never been there, so I don't know....), but do we really need to display it so prominently? Erik had a great time there as a child and so this is a treasured piece for him... but I'd rather it go... somewhere else... in the closet perhaps? (Sorry Erik... I'd never really do that because I know how much it means to you.... by closet, really I meant computer room... really I did...).

We also have these curtains over the sliding glass door- which I think are great... but the hardware for them could use an update. I'm thinking something with those rings and clips that are so popular these days...

Our ceiling is low and our curtains needed to be hung high- no room for the finials that were included with the current hardware. :(

Continue around the room and you'll find yourself at our entertainment center:

While I don't have a HUGE beef with this part of the room, I've always been dreaming of a look more like this one, I don't think the $200 would cover it, nor do we have enough space currently. I think I could work with what I have here- I need to be creative with some other sort of baby proofing, and get rid of the speaker stands that are for the speakers we no longer have...
the one thing that would need to be purchased for this section of basement? a window treatment!! I mean- VERTICAL BLINDS still? are we living in the 70's or 80's or something???

if there were any money leftover, I'd splurge for a rug to cover up the plain ole carpet and add some warmth for the winter and fall...

I even know I'd be willing to paint the walls if I were to win... and do some re-hab on the wood pieces in the room.

so PLEASE PLEASE pick me- I'll be sending those starbucks gift cards to your house ASAP. :)

ps- I've never realized how sad this room looks as a whole until now... I really need to win now so I can get to work on it!!

last day to save is tomorrow...

deals brought to you via streaching a buck
at Target today and tomorrow you can use coupons from here in the top section to get a free .99 gerber baby bottle (with the $1 off a gerber feeding accessory coupon) and a free .97 Johnson's bath buddies bar of soap (with the $1 off any Johnson's baby bath product coupon).

even if YOU don't need these items, they'd be a good part of a gift for a baby shower or kid's birthday- and you can always donate them.

hair bows

Erik bought me some clips so I could make some hair bows for Sophia... this is the latest bow... what do you think?

here are the others:

as I thought up the clip with the buttons, I wondered why I'd never seen anything like it before- as I was gluing the buttons on though, I realized that it would be a HUGE choking hazard- maybe I can use it in my hair.... I'd look very fashionable, no?

I think that the orange and black bow will need a few more curled ribbons added to it, or at least that future bows of that style will have more ribbon.

what do you think though, 'cuz that's what really matters.... :P

ps- don't let that picture up top fool you, although Sophia normally does 'request' that bows be put in her hair, she wont keep that one in- she just can't keep playing with it and trying to figure it out...