{12 on the 12th- November 2013}

1. My kids crack me up. I spend a lot of time laughing. (Which is a good thing because some days I also spend a lot of time taking a deep breath and silently counting to ten.) Katie's thing this past week has been saying, while holding her nose, "Woo-eee! Smells like donut!" She has said it when things smell good, when things smell bad, and even when there is really no strong smell in the air. She has also begun to talk with dramatic hand gestures. I simply can not keep a straight face when she does this, no matter what she is saying.

2. Ben was in Texas for a long stretch last week culminating with the kids and I being on our own over the weekend. Though I am used to him traveling, I am not used to him being away over a weekend. I didn't love it. We had a quiet weekend of movies, playtime at the park, an errand outing on Saturday morning, and lots of crafting.

treat lunch at Steak & Shake as a thank you to them for being so patient and well behaved while
we ran some not-so-fun errands, including the fabric store- a place the boys really hate to go!

3. Another mom from our elementary school reached out to me about setting up a table at a Handmade Holiday Open House she is throwing. Her vision is to create an etsy experience in her home for the afternoon. After being unsure about it for a bit, I finally jumped in and said yes. Since then, I have been using my free moments to create some wreaths and other goodies to sell. Over the weekend, it looked like a Hobby Lobby threw up in our kitchen and dining room, but it was fun.

While Gracie and Luke were off reading, my Sunday morning crafting buddy was content with whatever job I could think of to give him. He was asking me all sorts of questions while we worked and requesting songs to sing with me.
I love those unplanned, special moments of one-on-one time with the kids.  

4. Parent Teacher Conferences with Gracie and Luke's teachers are this evening. I am looking forward to seeing work samples and hearing about life in their classrooms from their teacher's point of view.

5. Two year olds are picky eaters.

6. The spouse trade off around our house lately- "Well, why don't you go and I'll stay home with the kids?" and "Since that will be during Katie's nap time, I guess one of us will stay home with her." and, "Your turn. I'll stay home."

7. I can't get enough of the new Avett Brothers album. It was played on a loop over the weekend while I was crafting. It is just that good, in my opinion.

8. The time change messed with the already- very- early wake up time of Drew. For the past week, he has been showing up on the side of our bed well before six, but we make him lie quietly on the bed until 6:00. This morning once the wait for six was over, Ben asked, "Are you ready to get up now Drew?" Drew responded, "I've been ready since yesterday!" It was nice to start the day laughing.

9. I have decided that this is the week that Katie will be giving up her binky. Katie is not so thrilled with this decision of mine. Last night was not fun, but we have one binky- free night under our belts. Fingers crossed that tonight goes better.

10. Potty humor is very much alive in our house lately, even when it is not truly even potty humor. Last night when Gracie said, "a dimple is a dent in your face with your cheek at the bottom," Drew started giggling hysterically and snorted, "She said bottom!!"  #lifewithlittleboys

11. I am not loving the colder weather we're having this week, but I am very much loving the return of sweater and leggings and scarves and leather boots weather. Fall weather dressing is my favorite.

12. Cold weather eating might be my favorite too. We are having white chicken chili and bread for dinner and my mouth is watering just thinking about it. Plus, cold weather is a great excuse to sip on a cup of coffee or tea or cider and my life is always happier with a hot drink in my hand.

Happy 11-12-13!