My poor boy

Liam had a rough Sunday. He fell down our wooden basement steps after church and we have no idea how it happened. One second he was standing in the doorway between the kitchen and hallway and literally a second later we heard bumps and thumps. My mom and I both went flying down the stairs. I don't think he bumped his head because he landed at the bottom of the stairs face up on his belly. A few hugs and kisses and he was fine.

Later that afternoon he and Peyton were cuddled up on the couch watching a movie. They played outside for hours and were exhausted so we turned on a video while dinner was cooking. I was in the kitchen when I heard a slam followed by crying and Peyton yelled, "Liam just fell off the couch!" He must have hit the end table because he had a bloody scrape beside his eye and it was all swollen. He woke up today with a pretty good black eye! I'm sure it won't be the first one. I asked him this morning if it hurt and he said no. It wasn't easy to get a picture because he wasn't in the mood this morning for a photo shoot, but I managed to get a couple of good one.

Experiment

We are going to attempt to make homemade pasta tonight. We'll mix it in the bread machine and then roll it and cut it. I'm excited to see how it compares to the boxed stuff. It's been a LOOOONG day. For some reason I feel more tired than usual. Maybe it's the gloomy dreary weather, but I'm hoping for a good night's sleep tonight so I can wake up refreshed.

Mark and I are driving to Lexington, VA for a funeral tomorrow. Mark's freshman year roommate, Chris Carter, passed away suddenly this week. The sadness for me is that I only recently reconnected with him through Facebook. I had often wondered what had happened to him and was thrilled to catch up online. I have been feeling very sad this week about friendships that I've let fall away and in not doing more to let my friends know they are special. There are all these hundreds of comments on his FB page telling him he's another angel in heaven, that God is laughing with him, etc. As much as I hope Chris is in heaven, I don't know if he was saved. I have been feeling that sorrow for a lot of my friends. Do they really know Jesus? Do they believe that He came to save them from sin? The book we're reading in Sunday school has been really convicting and has made me question my life and they way I'm living. I have never been bold about my faith and maybe I need to be. Maybe I need to not fear rejection or fear that God will ask me to do something out of my comfort zone. Maybe I need to pray that He'll guide me and be really willing to follow, even if it makes me uncomfortable.

Crazy Bath Time

Is this Craig Campana or Liam?

Last night Peyton and Liam were being so silly during bath time. I grabbed my camera and they were both happy to make faces and pose for me. Liam loves to make faces for the camera and then he immediately asks to look at them. Sometimes he'll pose and ask before I've even pressed the button! These were some of their poses from last night. Where did they get their silliness from? :)

Meadow Farm/ Crump Manor

Peyton, Liam, and I spent the last few days in Richmond with my mom. I went to consign some clothing and baby stuff at her church, but I also attended a luncheon with mom and celebrated my brother's birthday. We had a busy three days, but we managed to find time to take the kids to the park. There is a park near mom's house that once was a farm. They have Civil War reenactments there and also host schools for field trips. We didn't go up to the farmhouse, but spent the whole time at the playground. The weather was a bit more chilly than I expected, but the kids don't seem to mind the cold like I do.

Busy week ahead, VBS meeting, taking dinner to a family with a new baby, movie night at church, Peyton's dance class, and two days of preschool for the kids. Hope to find some time to enjoy the spring-like weather!

Wishing for Spring

It is an extremely gloomy day today. I haven't seen the sun in 2 or 3 days now and it's just damp and nasty. But the rain has been great for the grass and our sprouting flowers. The grass is looking a little greener and the bulbs are pushing even further out of the ground. We also have lots of things sprouting inside in preparation to be planted in the garden.....radishes, cilantro, lettuce, spinach, etc. I think we're all getting excited about our garden. I know I'm ready to eat some fresh home-grown produce! Peyton, Liam, and I are headed to Richmond on Thursday to spend a few days. I have some stuff to consign at my mom's church this weekend and we're hoping to spend some time with friends too.

I need to plan a lot of mid-week trips through the summer because starting in late August we'll be at the mercy of Peyton's school schedule! It's still hard to believe that my baby is starting kindergarten. One of my neighbors, who also happens to be Peyton's Sunday school teacher, keeps telling me to relax and to listen to my elders, that Peyton will be fine. I know that deep down, but I also worry that she'll be surrounded by so many kids who have vastly different backgrounds and families than hers. I'm so glad that God goes with her wherever she is and that he'll be beside her. She is so excited about school that she can hardly stand it. I look forward to the changes even as I worry about them.

Pizza School

Teacher and students

A few toppings

Peyton sampling the flour

Liam taking it all in (doesn't he look like he's thinking hard?)

Mark and I love making pizza every week and the kids are enjoying the tradition as well. This week we did Pizza Monday (instead of our usual Pizza Thursday) and the kids asked to make their own pizzas. We gathered all the ingredients and they dug in. I'm not sure why Peyton insists on eating the flour, but she always does. I'm looking forward to chopping some fresh basil and throwing that on top too! We have some growing in a pot, but it's not ready to be used just yet. Dance class today for Peyton, in about an hour, so I need to go get the kids up from rest.

Wild Olive

I found a link to Wild Olive Tees on the Pioneer Woman's website today and I'm crazy about these shirts. I need to go buy one right now! Go check out Wild Olive! What a cool way to spread the message of God's love. Plus 10% of the profits are donated to Christian-based charities and non-profit organizations. So you can look cute and help others at the same time.

Another sign of spring

Another sign....the buds are popping out on our maple tree. I ran outside with my camera today to grab a couple shots. After enjoying some seriously warm temperatures over the weekend, it's only around 55 today! I knew it couldn't last, but I hoped it would stay warm. I did take the flannel sheets off of the beds and started going through the kids summer clothes. I'll consign some of them next week at mom's church, some can still be worn this summer, and some are going to cousins. I've seen JMU students in their shorts and flip-flops already, but I'm still waiting for some consistency in the weather before I bust out the shorts!

Spring...glorious spring

It is lovely here today. There is a slight breeze blowing and the birds are singing like crazy. It is supposed to be high in the 50's today and then in the 70's this weekend! After snow on Monday, the warm temperatures are welcome! I planted sweet pea seeds in this little purple bucket last week and Peyton noticed today that we have sprouts! I love that she gets excited about growing things.

Pretty soon it will be time to till our garden plot and plant our seeds. I can't wait to see what we'll be growing this year. I know tomatoes will be high on the list and probably zucchini and radishes again. I bought basil yesterday that we need to get into a pot. I don't think you can ever have too much basil! I can already taste the homemade pizzas covered in basil and tomato/ basil/ mozzarella salads...yum!

We were supposed to go skiing with Peyton this weekend, but somehow I don't think there will be a whole lot of snow on Massanutten Mountain. Our plans may have to change considering the warm weather.

Snow Day in March

We woke up to about 5 inches of snow today and it's a fine powdery snow. It flurried on and off yesterday but didn't really get going until about 8pm. We ended Bible study a little early to make sure everyone got home safely. I went to the grocery store at 10pm and was probably the only person buying actual groceries. A lot of college aged people were buying beer and junk food in anticipation of no school today! JMU is closed today so Mark and I took the kids outside this morning. They played while we shoveled the driveway and sidewalk. It was so cold and windy and we barely stayed out for an hour. Liam gave up quickly and spent a lot of time whining. He can't keep gloves on his hands very well and kept whining about being cold, not being able to walk well, having to wear a snowsuit......We ended the morning with some hot chocolate and a movie, both of which the kids loved.

I Heart Faces - Messy Face

This week's theme at I Heart Faces is messy face! This was Liam's first birthday. Both of my kids got their very own cakes on their first birthdays. I wanted them to be able to eat it however they wanted. Neither one disappointed me. They both dug in and went crazy!