November In Pictures

Here are some "real life from my phone" pictures from this month! Love these pictures just as much as our pretty, posed ones, because they are such a great "moment in time" shot of the little humans. 

Henry's Baby Dedication

The second Sunday in November was baby dedication at our church. Plenty of babies are raised just fine without being formally dedicated, but I think it's a special thing for the parents. I love getting to pause, and really think about how you want to raise your children and what you want for them. 

Being able to choose a verse for them forces you to go beyond the thought of, "Well, of course, I want them to be godly" to really putting into words what you want most for their little lives. 

The verses we chose for Henry are Colossians 1:9-10: "For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, and growing in the knowledge of God.

This verse encompasses everything we could ever hope for Henry. Beginning with the phrase, "Ever since we heard about you..." I love that, because it's so true for this baby. Not that you don't pray for every baby, and Henry isn't more special than Bella or Evelyn, but because he came after Lily, he was probably prayed over a little more...from the moment we learned about him.

The girls were excited to be on stage for Henry's special day, but a little crushed when I informed them that I would be picking out their clothes. Bella got a little too excited and started jumping around on the stage, and Evelyn had a permanent facial expression that this was all very beneath her and she was very bored, but for the most part, they behaved.

Steve's mom and dad were able to come down for the weekend, which made it even more special for our family!

We also used our fancy clothes as an excuse to snap some pictures with Grandma and Grandpa!

We love you, Little Man! Your Daddy and I have prayed so many things over your life, and this was a special day when we promised to teach you just how much Jesus loves you!

Henry Turned ONE!

How is this Little Man one already? 

We tried to celebrate his birthday about three different times, and finally pulled it off on Sunday! It was exactly what my mama heart was hoping for - just a few friends coming together to hang out, eat some cake, and take a ridiculous amount of pictures! 

We (Okay, I...) did a woodland theme with foxes and a few moose thrown in for fun!

The party was at 3:00, so we kept snacks simple. His party was originally planned for last week, and I had made a six-layer cake, but then Henry and Evelyn got sick and he had to cancel. So between re-scheduling and all of the baking and cooking I did for Steve-O-Ween, I ave up and just bought a cake that looked "fall-ish". I added the moss and foxes on top.

We set up a backdrop with "woodland" photo props and animals, and it was a lot of fun! 

Matt and Caroline were sick, and Scott had a work trip (Oh, and the Sapps are in Idaho), but we still got to celebrate with Andi and Abby, and Hannah and Casidy. 

And then there was his smash cake! The first time we attempted this was down in Florida, and all he did was stare at the cake. He didn't want to touch it or be anywhere near it. (He was also super tired, so that may have been part of it.)

He did so great this time! The pictures were great and he had fun!

Look how beautiful and messy and "boy" he is!

Happy birthday, you most precious and wonderful little human! You are one of the most amazing things that your Daddy and I have created! We love you so much!

Steve-O-Ween 2015

Friday night was Steve-O-Ween! Or, our annual Halloween costume party to celebrate Steve's birthday. So, so fun! I started cooking at 9:00 in the morning, and it was worth it! (Well, mostly worth it.) My new idea this year was to add some games, so that people could have something to do while hanging out. They turned out to be a lot of fun! 

Usually, I have the menu and cake planned out in my head about a month in advance, but so much has been going on that I haven't had time to think about it. This idea popped in my head a few days before the party when I was laying in bed, trying to come up with cake ideas. It turned out pretty well! And really, nothing beats homemade, cream cheese frosting, so we were all good.

BBQ Chicken sliders with coleslaw, Beer BBQ meatballs, Bacon cheese dip, and some olives and cheese plates. We also cleared out the entire playroom this year, to allow more space for moving around. It helped a lot!

 

We went for a 1920's theme this year and dressed as a ganster and flapper. Steve carried around the BB gun to finish off the costume. 

I've started getting Mel's costume supplies whenever I start buying things for Steve and I's, because I know Mel just doesn't have the time and doesn't think about it until the last minute. I thought she looked awesome, and I loved her hair!

We had an Ironman, a matching Dia de los Muertos couple, some matching PJ's, Paul Blart and his prisoner, a really big sugar plum fairy (our youth pastor, Joel), and some others. I love seeing what everyone comes as each year! It's my favorite part!

Andi, dressed as Paul Blart's prisoner, and I playing Connect 4. We look weirdly intense in this picture.

Carolyn and I, cutting the cake.

Matt, the woodcutter, and Joel, the sugar plum fairy, playing Jenga. 

I always forget to put actual candles on his cake, because I'm doing some sort of design, so the last two years, Steve has had to "blow out" the lighter. We're pretty classy around here.

We call ourselves the "Stay At Home Dad's" Club. These are great men, who let me plan playdates because they're currently my only stay-at-home friends. Ben and Matt each have two, little boys, and their wives are both doctors, so they stay at home, and every once in awhile, we get to go play at the park and see other grown-ups!

My other favorite thing about this night is getting to see almost all of our friends in one spot! We have kids and jobs and responsibilities, and we barely get enough time to spend with our closest friends, let alone our expanded circle. Once a year, we get to be silly and adult, and it's such a great time!

Another Steve-O-Ween in the books! Happy Birthday, babe!

Fall Family Fun Night

Two weeks ago, we got to go the Fall Family Fun Night at Bella's school. This is always a super fun night, designed like a carnival. There are rides, face painting, and food! 

Henry hated the photo booth, but we just ignored him. The funny part was that, we decided to walk to the event, since it was just down the street. Halfway through the festival, Steve was planning to leave to go hang out at a concert with our friend, Joel. What we didn't consider was that I would be walking home with three very tired children, in the pitch black dark. Evelyn wanted to know, "What about the monsters?", so I let her carry my phone with the flashlight turned on. We made it home just fine, but we decided that maybe we think it out a little better next year!