Family Pictures

We decided to take advantage of the beautiful fall colors at the U of I arboretum and take family pictures. They turned out amazing! Thanks to Annie and her awesome skills, we had a great time and our kids "performed" wonderfully. Ada, at one point, hopped up on a bench and started posing. They were so fun and we loved being together as a family. Enjoy some of our favorites!

Grateful Moments

I am filled with gratitude this morning.
Andy and I woke up with Atticus to do our morning scripture study. We missed a lot of conference this year so we are re-watching those we missed. We cuddled while we watched and discussed the talk after it finished. I then went and sat on our nice comfy couch and heard our heater go on. The heaters in our place are in each room with their own thermostat. I flipped it on this morning without even thinking about it and heard the usual ticking sound it makes while heating up. All at once it hit me how blessed I am. I got a particularly large amount of sleep last night in my warm bed next to an incredible husband. I woke up to a wonderfully happy little boy and watched a conference talk on our computer using the internet. I had heat just by flipping a switch and cold orange juice from my fridge.
I have been having more of these gratitude moments recently. Another one was just Saturday. We had family pictures taken and it turned out better then hoped for. My busy husband took out time to come and spend time with us in the beautiful U of I Arboretum. The leaves on the trees were breath taking colors and our children behaved perfectly.
I hope to never over look all of my many blessings that my Heavenly Father gives us each day.

Naked

So funny! Ada is going through a naked stage and I can't seem to keep clothes on her. She doesn't mind getting dressed in the morning but she is usually already stripped of her PJs by the time breakfast is done. As long as she gets to pick her outfit, she'll wear it...until we get to a store or friends house. Once she gets comfortable, she just starts taking off her clothes-diaper included. This past week right before bed when I peek in to check on her, I have found her in her birthday with both sets of checks free for all to see. I have to laugh because its funny to randomly see a 2 year old streak across our living room or to slip into her room at night to find her only wearing her Sunday shoes. I always encourage clothes and immediately dress her if she does strip down to her beautiful skin, but I have to enjoy this stage just like all the others. She makes me laugh everyday and I can't wait to see what the next stage brings.

Our lives now

I know, I know. You thought we were all dead due to the inactivity on our blog. Well I am going to try and be better at keeping this updated since we don't really use facebook a ton and we have loved ones who don't have skype or facebook. So here are some fun updates:
Andy is in his last semester of Grad school and we can't wait till graduation. He is applying to jobs right now and we expect some interviews to start happening soon.
Atticus is almost walking! He turns 10 months on the 1st and is such a busy little man. He loves to pester his sister in a big way but they LOVE to play together. He also loves his reflection, typing on the computer, being the center of attention, playing `patty-cake, pinching and biting anything that moves, and getting snuggled.
AdaMarie is such a great kid! She is loving and kind and loves to dance and sing and play with her brother. She is learning to put words together which is super exciting. She is giving potty training another go and we are hoping it works this time round.
I am in full canning mode and love it. I love the fall and the wonderful changing of the seasons. I am ready to decorate for the coming holidays and look forward to all the crafts I have on my list. I love being at home with my kids and so lucky to have the option to do so.
Here are some fun photos and videos for your enjoyment.