dirt and sweat

paisley pooh

this is my sweet 

paisley baby

paisley bear

paisley pooh

paisley pill

she has many nicknames to go along with her many moods and faces:

this girl of mine loves to take pictures with my phone. i find many random ones when i upload the pics to my computer. her faces crack me up, but these pictures of her "buddy" (blanket) and her nail polish really get me. also, she's been really into coloring lately and the results are so precious to me. her people are so cute with their long fingers!

paisley is an extra sensitive little girl lately. i'm realizing more and more how shy she is. she has a hard time talking to people she doesn't know, and cries easily when she gets upset. her tears are huge and so real. don't get me wrong, she can be so dramatic and fake cry, but when those real tears start, oh man, it's pretty heart-wrenching. she is deathly afraid of dogs, and won't play with her friends next door because she has one. so a momma's girl she is right now. i try to push her out of her comfort zone, but i'm not going to push too hard. she will learn and grow out of it i'm sure. after all, she is the middle  child and i know that's rough. she is so sweet and loves her brother and sister so much. no matter her struggles, she is bright and good. her preschool teachers tell me how sweet and amazing she is, so i have no worries about my little paisley pooh!

my porch swing

i've always wanted a porch swing. always.

one of the many reasons we bought our house is because i loved the large porch.

only problem is that i couldn't find a porch swing that i liked. most of them were cheaply made or way out of my price range. so i put husband up to a challenge. and boy did he rise to it!

back in may, while i was in NYC with my sisters for a week, i left david with a pile of scrap wood from pallets that i had collected off the side of the road.

you will not believe what he came up with. i was imagining a rustic, simple swing.

feast your eyes on my favorite part of my home:

not only did he sand and shape each piece of wood so carefully, 

but he carved this beautiful rose design  using a dremel. i'm in love. isn't it gorgeous?

 the dremel work took a really long time. his artistic talent really amazes me.

david didn't follow any plans, and just came up with this. can you tell how impressed i am?

i chose the color. it's catalina mist by kryon spray paint. we use this swing ALL the time. every morning and afternoon, we all pile on it to wait for the bus for k.

and just for fun, here's a before and after of my front yard. my garden is a work in progress,

 but look how much it's changed since we moved in.

carter kristine

this sweet baby girl has got us all wrapped around her little finger.

she is so cuddly and has the same quirkiness as her two older siblings.

and she wants to be exactly like them, so she often mimics their every move.

her smile will melt your heart, but her stink-eye is deathly. she's not too fond of strangers, or even friends really. she plays "hard to get" all the time. her curls are beyond amazing and you'll often see her swiping her bangs out of her eyes unless mommy braids her hair. she LOVES bows and sitting on daddy's lap to eat cereal. she's learning her body parts and loves to get her nails painted.

she is our little baby hoo-hoo.

august instagrams

our family has seen better months, but i can't complain.

we have beautiful children who are healthy and happy.

this month included: lots of braids, more cuddles, healthy food that i loved, but everyone else griped about, a girl's night at my house, a new school year, and of course: ice cream.

*post edit*

it also included: many afternoons waiting in the driveway for the bus, watching friends,

one respiratory scare with some breathing treatments, and more cute instagram pictures.