Judge Fulton Greer Park

We used a coupon to grab a quick lunch at Wolfgang Puck. Our gourmet pizzas were surprisingly delicious. We met Daddy at a park to enjoy our lunch and some time together. Our makeshift picnic area worked well. I was so proud of myself for thinking to bring things like utensils, napkins, and even a tablecloth to keep Eric clean. We explored the park with Daddy and found the connecting greenway. After Daddy went back to work, the children and I walked a lot further down the greenway trail and then played on the playground. Elijah is really enjoying playgrounds more and more these days. It makes me happy. Elijah sang a song from the top of the slide.
Recently he's gotten into riding these little bouncy animals. This one was extra fun because the handlebars were filled with water.

Couponing

Someday I hope to have little hands cut out all my coupons for me. I'll consider it part of our "life education" or "money management" homeschooling course. Well, maybe we'll look at it as fine motor skill development. "First things first", they say. Right now I just try to encourage family involvement any way I can.Coupons have been a real blessing to us, as I've lately been learning how to snag some great deals. Websites like Crystal Paine's Money Saving Mom have been crucial to my learning process. We've already been able to save a lot of money, and I hope to continue to improve in this department. Yet sometimes when I think about coupons, I concur with my little man.

Visit

Mombo and PawPaw made a quick trip to visit us. We had a good time - complete with a trip to Bicentennial Mall.
We heard the bells chime.
We explored the secret forests.

We walked to the Capitol.

We explored the (outside of the) War Memorial Auditorium.
Haven smiled.
Haven laughed.
Dad treated us to Jet's Pizza (love that!) and we finished our meal at Dairy Queen.
We went for a big hike at my new find, Beaman Park.

Elijah found lots of these.
We discussed their colors.
We picked and kicked and threw.
PawPaw and Elijah felt the cold mountain water.
It was so nice of you all to come. Visit again soon!

Apple Picking

What fun! Elijah and I loved going to the apple orchard and picking our own Gala apples. Yum! Haven had a good time (sleeping) that day, but has since not enjoyed her homemade applesauce...unless it is mixed with squash! That's my girl~:-)Thanks for a fun day and for all the delicious apples, Grammie & Grampa!

Out of the mouth of babes...

Elijah: {undiscernable, loud talking while standing on top of his toy box, looking out the window}

Momma: "Elijah, go get your pants so we can get ready to go."

E: "Momma, I'm talking to God!"

M: "Oh. Well, hurry and finish talking to God."

E: "Almighty God...{other words}....help me. Amen."

Dear Elijah is really working on loving his sweet sister. She loves him back an incredible amount! Her face totally lights up (almost) every time she sees him. Elijah started helping Mr. Moose take naps all around the house. He likes to put a blanket down, turn off the light, and make "Old" cozy.
Sometimes Mr. Moose gets to sleep in Haven's crib, which is a real treat.
I should probably take this as a sign that Haven has outgrown the bouncy seat, but I haven't.

For a brief interlude from our own family's darling photos {wink, wink}, look at this awesome picture of Laura, Baby Luke, and Matt.To see more of this great photography visit Kelli Trontell's blog and see more of Luke's fabulous pictures here. We love this family!

One Sunday at the Park

Boy was that fun!