She Might Have Stayed Out Too Long...

What do you think?

First Snow

We had so many important things we were supposed to get done today...

Then it snowed.

All day.

And we were forced, FORCED I say, to stay home

play in the snow

throw snowballs

discover hiding places under pine trees

catch snowflakes on our tongues

drink hot chocolates

eat Grampa's famous homemade chili

take a walk in the woods

and enjoy this day with every fiber of our being.

Daddy's winter walk in the woods resulted in bringing home an

EIGHT POINT BUCK!

He is SO proud of himself!

(Lily said "have fun killing deer!" as he left the house this morning,

then she was devastated to see a dead deer in the yard this afternoon...

not sure she fully understood the process.)

Look who's a big boy now!

Believe It or Not

Phoenix is officially past the 6 month mark

he is really not a baby anymore

I am so NOT ready for him to be this grown up

but he just keeps getting bigger

and brighter

and bubblier

and babblier

(I know that's not a word, but it IS what he does!)

He makes the cutest dah-dah-dah and raspberry sounds you've EVER heard!

Oh, and did I mention that he sits up by himself....here's proof!

Feelin' Crafty

I have been really diggin' homemade, crafty, far-from-perfect, filled-with-love, memory-making and family-gathering decor this season.

Here are a couple examples of my efforts to make that dream a reality in my home:

Lily and I decorated the Thanksgiving table with every Autumn craft she'd made up to that point including pinecone turkeys, foam decorated leaves and even a felt mouse in a yarn nest. We also made these turkey placecards and, okay, so we never got around to actually adding the names -- we still loved them! -- and there were only four of us at the table...so the confusion was minimal.

Lily and I also made these adorable muffin tin advent calendars for our family and ourselves this season. Lily loved helping me decorate them and add the treats to the cups under the decorated magnets. Big thanks to my mom who helped cut and paste til the wee hours of the morning and to Frank who supervised like a pro!

What makes Lily happy...

Need I say more?