Chase me, Mommy!

This is what we did this morning. This is what we will do later this afternoon. And, probably some more tomorrow! (this happens a lot in our house)

Jonah will walk away from me and I will either 1. reach out to grab him/pull him back to me or 2. chase him to the other end of the room. Sometimes Jonathan is the one doing this. Sometimes Jonah chases one of us. 

Happy Weekend.

Splashing in the...Grass?

Yes, you read that right. This week we have been splashing in the yard. 

We've had abnormal amounts of water accumulating around here. It has been raining off and on for many days.  So, Jonah and I decided we were going to enjoy it (after day 3 of solid rainfall).

Gotta get all those ducks in a row. 

Sorry about the reflection. It wasn't until the very last that I figured out the flash was causing that. Oops.

He and Harry had a good time getting outside...after being cooped up all day.

Helpful Hints: Washing Overalls

I know, I know. I just did that post about our Mountains of Laundry!  Today's is a bit different. I'm going to give you one of my secrets of the trade. This is one of my favorite "tricks" to keep baby clothes looking nice.

Jonah has these really cute overalls:

They are called "turtle in my pocket."

The little stuffed animal is attached with a really thick thread and can pop in and out of the pocket to be played with (or chewed on, as the case may be).

I don't know if you can see it, but there are turtles printed at the hem also. 

Overall, they are pretty cute (pun intended)!

Problem: overalls (specifically the buckles)  have a history of getting tangled/mangled in the wash & breaking in the dryer. Plus, I have to protect the cute little turtle in the pocket.

Solution:

Turn the overalls inside out, which puts the vulnerable parts on the inside.

Then, put them in this laundry bag!! This particular one  is intended for lingerie, which makes it the perfect size for baby clothes!

No more tangles. 

(this solution is also great for tights)

Linked with:

Works for Me Wednesday @ We Are THAT Family

Easter Sunday

yep, those owls are smocked on there!

he's waving...love it!

Jonah had a cute little outfit made by Grammy Pammy!

When I was young she made me a new dress each year for Easter...she's very talented with a sewing machine. She loves to create cute things. Sadly, Jonah is quickly outgrowing handmade "cuteness". I'd better have a baby girl someday!

Our Easter Sunday was a bit unconventional. We physically went to church, but not as a family or to the actual church service. Our church likes to have the Easter service in a local theater (to integrate a large crowd into one worship service). With that comes added responsibility. So, Jonathan and I helped out. He was helping with hospitality...they served doughnuts and coffee to everyone! (early that morning he picked up 100 dozen krispy kreme...yes, you read that right, and no, I'm not exaggerating)

I helped in the nursery. I (and several others) loved on some babies while their parents enjoyed the church service. It was fun. Jonah got to be with me! 

After church, we jumped in the car and drove down to be with my family. 

(i forgot the camera, it was raining, and my dad had to work, so NO family picture this year)

Our usual family tradition is to fly kites after lunch on Easter. I LOVE that tradition, so I was pretty bummed that it rained so much. 

If you haven't already seen it, watch this video. It is a fun, non-traditional way to celebrate what Easter is all about:

Weekend Update: Grandparents and the City.

We recently completed a very busy weekend.  I don't have the pictures to truly express how much we jammed into one weekend, but I'll share what I've got. I think you will like it!

First, Jonathan's parents came to visit. They arrived Thursday afternoon.

On Friday we had some surprisingly good weather and headed out to Silver Dollar City.

Our first stop was the Russian circus. Then we headed over to Geyser Gulch where he played in the ball pit and the geysers! The weather turned out much more sunny and warm that I'd anticipated, so the water felt nice. We didn't mind the wet pants at all.

Grandpa even helped him shoot some water at a target!

 We walked around (a lot)...we saw a man who yodeled...we ate some food (and made a mess)...then we took Jonah to ride a ride, which was a first in his little life!

Jonathan went with him. Here they are in line for the froggy!

The frogs go up and down. 

I thought he might get nervous, which he was a little through the ride, but by the end he was smiling. 

Here we see the boys looking at the water-ball-sculpture-fountain thing. I know it is more significant than that, but I really don't know what it is  or what it is representing, so there is my rough description. What I DO know is that Jonah was enthralled with it!

I also love the way we see all three generations of Atkins guys standing in this photo. It's a keeper!

 I'm sure I left out some of the things we did. It was a busy and fulfilling time at our local amusement park. Here you can see how Jonah REALLY spent most of our time that day:

(in the line to ride the tram back to the car, where he promptly fell asleep)

 

{small pause for our drive home and a little nap}

Then, later that same afternoon:

Jonah and Grandma had fun with some bubbles!!

The poor kid tried to blow some of his own, bless his heart. He ended up with a soapy mix all over his face (and in his mouth...but that didn't stop him from trying again!)

And when he got bored with bubbles, he helped Harry find/retrieve the ball so they could play!

I was going to include our Easter festivities in this post as well, since it was a part of the weekend. However, this is quite long, so I think I'll do that one for tomorrow!

100th Post!!

Wow! Can you believe it!?! 100.  Nevermind that it took me 10 months to write 100 blog posts. It is still a milestone. So, to celebrate I am going to showcase some of my favorite pictures from the past months. 

I'd love to hear from you. What have been some of your favorites?

And one to grow on!
(jonah found these "bubba" teeth today...he came walking up to me ...so proud of his discovery...how could i resist a photo?!)

Mountains of Laundry!

do you ever feel like you are drowning in laundry?

i copied that picture from the internet. i am not brave enough to show you my real-life pile in my real-cluttered house. my pile is twice this, probably.

so, here's what i'm gonna do. i'm gonna fold it one piece at a time. then, when it is all nice and pretty i'm gonna put it away. immediately. none of that sitting around folded in the basket at my house. nope. straight to the closet.

SEE:

isn't that better.

oh, wait. still not my real-life picture. oh well, it's fun to dream, right?!

wouldn't you just LOVE to have a closet that looks like this:

(can you hear the angels singing?)

i love this. i love the pink, i love the cute little dresses, and THAT BENCH...please notice the bench!