a little excited.

Yesterday, Dawson and I were starting to make his ice cream cake. 

He is SO excited for his birthday on sunday, and is absolutely giddy for his party today. 

He had me laughing the entire time we were making the cake.

One of his ELT classes is "Recorder class". 

Yes, he's learning how to play the recorder. 

As of yesterday he knew "B".

And he played an entire song using the note, "B". 

This morning he went to his room to practice and now we are constantly hearing a high-pitched version of "Mary Had a Little SQEAK! Lamb" echoing through the house.

He's turing ten. 

It makes me as sad as it does happy. 

I'll miss my little guy.

Now he's my not-so-little, goofy, sarcastic, annoying, silly, caring, buddy.

And I love him.

Happy Birthday Dawson! 

do you ever.

Do you ever have those days when you plan to wake up and 8:30, but you wake up at 11?

I did today.

Do you ever plan on getting in the shower, but everyone else beat you to it so you're in your p.j.s until 2, waiting for the hot water?

I did today.

Do you ever stay in your p.j.s all day and clean your room REALLY SLOWLY.... mostly because you have a mirror and you're listening to "cleaning music"?....ya right... 

(Is cleaning music a distraction to anyone else?)

I did today.

Do you ever shower at 4 and start school at 5?

I did today. 

I took this picture while in my room today.

Do you ever do that?

the art of merry-making.

Recipe for a Merry Heart.

Step 1. Take three girls.

Step 2. Add quite a bit of coffee and candy.

Step 3. Mix in a whole season of Robin Hood.

Step 4. Talk.

Step 5. Laugh.

Step 6. Repeat steps  4-5. 

Step 7. Crash at 4 in the morning and don't move until at least 11.

Step 8. Try to ignore all the noise going on around you.

(Tip: If you completed steps 1-7 whole heartedly this should be no problem).

Step 9. Around noon the next day take a walk to Dutch Bros, and get another coffee. You might not last all day otherwise. :)

Step 10. Repeat this recipe as often as possible. 

“A merry heart does good, like medicine, but a broken spirit dries the bones.” – Proverbs 17:22 

Photo shoot :)

Joelle and I went out to the road yesterday and snapped a few pictures. It was FREEZING so we only took a few. ;) Here's one.

I really like how they turned out. :) For it being our first photo shoot ever... I was pretty happy. 

Hopefully I'll have time to put up the rest in the next couple of days. 

<3

vintage~ness.

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

A pinch of salt, lot's of love.. and lot's and lot's of tofu.

"Here are your perfectly normal pancakes kids"! 

"It's both of ours... cuz we live together". 

=)

sing off.

OH. MY. GOSH.

Conversing

Sometimes the conversations that my family has crack me up. Not necessarily because they contain funny content, but because it's just plain funny how a family can carry on a dinner conversation entirely on (the other night...) ...the amounts of caffeine in a cup of coffee. 

*At the dinner table tonight*

Mom: "Dawson was a great help at the grocery store this morning but he... uh.. he was a bit excited about his upcoming birthday. He was a bit chit-chatty".

Dawson: "Ya I was chittery. Sorry..."

*While reading a Christmas book after dinner*

Dad: "...and then Laura opened her new doll. She had a blue and pink calico dress, and Laura let all the other children play with her. 

Dawson: That was nice.

Mom: *Having almost fallen asleep... sleepily says* "Mmmm... what was nice?"

Dad: She shared her baby doll with the others. 

Joelle: It wasn't a baby doll. Just a doll. There's a difference. 

Everyone: *laughs*

Dad: *Starts reading again* For Christmas breakfast baby Ma made each baby child a baby pancake man... 

Joelle: Daaad... there seriously is a difference.