Sweeeet

Whew! That was hard work.

Alfred's Antics

Here's an update on our rascally elf ...

He decorated one of our trees--but not exactly the traditional kind--our palm tree. Is Alfie trying to tell us something? Ok, ok, Alfred. We know! It's time to put up our Christmas tree!

See him over there climbing the trunk with a glass ball hung over his shoulder? He's the one who did it, alright. The boys fell over laughing.

The tikis stand guard during year-round at our house. "Tiki Shiny" (the one with the blue eyes--Camden named him) has a prominent place on a shelf in our living room and often interrupts feuds and helps settle arguments when the boys are at odds. These guys were wrapped in newspaper and packed away when the Christmas decorations came out, but Alfred dug them out to ask them questions and take notes about the boys' behavior. Camden giggled and said, "He looks just like a counselor writing on his pad: 'Hmmm, can you tell me a little bit more about that?'" Haha. 

Oh, Alfred ... he just couldn't help himself. There were animal cookies and crumbs everywhere!

Precious

Alfred T. Elf

We've had a new visitor this season. The boys discovered him dangling from a pine-needle bungee on the hall light. He was holding a red sharpie and a note that said "Hi, Camden and Liam. I'm Alfred. Alfred T. Elf. I'll be watching you, so be good boys!" See, he reports back to the big guy, so now our little dudes are going to be on their (*ahem*) best behavior. :) A red sharpie, huh? I have a feeling just from our introduction that Alfie might be a little bit of a scoundrel himself.

Fall Leaves and My Boy

Raking leaves in November ... just my boy and me ... and all is right with the world.

"Whistle while you work." He did. And it made me smile.

Marching with the Squirrels

Camden read a certain number of books and earned a ticket to a baseball game as well as the honor of marching in the parade before the game. We met up with some other families from his school, and it was a total blast. Yep. We're the Richmond Flying Squirrels. Woot. It's a minor league team. Nothing too fancy, but it sure was fun!

What?!? My kindergartener is a girl magnet? This was a very enlightening outing for mom and dad.

What a classic Camden shot. Love my boy-boy.

Easter Eggs and ... COUSINS!

We had so much fun at the Easter-egg hunt at church ... but mostly because we got to hang out with Jared, Katie and the cousins! Libbie and Liam are only a few weeks apart, and we loved getting to know baby Drew a little better. They are such a beautiful family! I adore them.

Drew. I love him.

Libbie and Liam. They are so hilarious together.

She is soooooo pretty. My only niece--whenever I get around her, I drink it in and savor the little-girly-ness. Pictures like this make me want to cry and giggle and scoop her up all at the same time. When I see her, though, I just try to be loving, but chill. ;)

My little bro, J-rock, is such a cute daddy.

Drew!

Kindergarten Easter Bash

Oops. Must be politically correct. Not an Easter party, a Spring party. *eye roll* Sorry if my sarcasm offends anyone, but give me a break!

Ah, my crazy boyos. They're so fun.

Such a cute, healthy idea for an Easter party! I'll have to remember that!

Liam is TWO!

My baby is two years old today. He loves trains and is mildly obsessed with big yellow school buses. He adores his big brother, and they are good buddies. He is a rascal, but is so blasted cute that it is really hard to get mad at him! He loves to give hugs and make people laugh and smile, and he has a very tender heart.

I love my little Liam. He is such a blessing in our lives. When I say "I love Liam," people often laugh and say, "Everybody loves Liam." It just rolls off the tongue. And it's so true.