Christmas is coming.....and we are a'lovin'.

There's no place like home....

i cannot believe that i missed all of november without blogging. it has been a crazy month with me hardly even going on my computer at all. Been hanging with my little, working on puppy training, working, and loving. oh, there's lovin' going on here.... thus, i am behind. as usual. so here is the lil miss on halloween. we worked up halloween like nobody's business. we read stories, visited pumpkin patches, went on hayrides, ate apple and pumpkin EVERYTHING, sang songs....i even decorated. halloween was big. she knew she wanted to be dorothy for 2 months. i ordered this sweet homemade costume on etsy.com. she loved it. paired with some consignment ruby reds, and Nooney contributed a little basket and a teeny toto...and voila! dorothy! we had a freak snowstorm the day before halloween, resulting in no power for over a week. the town cancelled halloween. not postponed....cancelled. so, you're damn straight i dressed up my girl and brought her to her grandparents during the light of day for some trick-or-treating. and you're damn straight i brought her to target dressed like that just so she could get the attention she was so excited for. cutest. thing. ever. next year will be bigger. snowstorm shnowstorm. i can't wait!

A Faery good time

On a beautiful fall day, the boy and I took the girl to see some fairy dwellings at a local park. Although we were a little disappointed with the amount of fairy homes, we still had fun with our cranky toddler. Of course, you would never guess it from these photos though.
There is something magical about the woods on a beautiful day....so many tiny treasures to find and explore. And the faeries? Well, no, they weren't home...they were having a faery harvest party, all together in the woods. If you listen closely, you can hear their whispers and giggles....




a tiny faery bench for a teeny tiny faery friend...


a happy turtle basking in the sunshine...







I love how this boy loves my girl. It makes moments like these even more magical...




I know, I know...I forgot my polarizing filter, and was cringing as I took some of these photos. But the end results are magical to me. I am loving the artifact, and believe I see some faeries fluttering past....don't you?

Doin' it right....

This year, a flame has been ignited. Because Avonlea is finally old enough to understand this amazing time of year....and she is just as excited as we are for this change of seasons.
Don't get me wrong...summer was magnificent...but Autumn is my favorite. There is something about Fall that just reminds me of new beginnings, despite the fact that the greens are fading to brown. I remember how excited for school we would get, especially my best friend and me. To this day, I still do "back-to-school-shopping" and believe it's permanently engrained into my soul.
Avonlea has been ridiculously excited for Halloween this year, and it has brought back all of those childhood feelings for me. So the house is decorated to the nines, we talk about the changing of the seasons every day, monitor the falling leaves, and squeal when we talk about Halloween.
We are relishing cozy sweaters, warm new blankets, and roasted squash and pumpkins....
We are doin' it right....






ps. yay for collage apps!!!! :)

happy fall!

well helloooooo there!

Happy Autumn!
I am enjoying the start of my favorite season with a new darker hair color, some pumpkin spice lattes, and snuggling up on the loves in my life. I can't wait for dryer weather, apple picking, punkin pie, and halloween festivities.

Halloween was never my favorite holiday, but for some reason, I am super excited for this halloween....the girl woke up one morning this week saying "mommy! i be DOROTHY for halloWEENS?"
How could I not oblige that perfect request? So with Etsy making her halloween costume, and some consignment store ruby reds, my girl is gonna be the cutest darn dorothy that you ever did see!

How is your autumn looking?

<3

if you were gonna twist my arm....

if you were gonna twist my arm, i would tell you that THESE were my top 5 pictures from my AMAZING photoshoot with Ms. Katie Slater last month.....
seriously....i seriously loved EVERY photograph, and had a very difficult time picking my top 5.
for more favorites, in much better configurations, visit her website. (it wont let me put it in for some reason...my MAC is being fresh.)
She is an amazing artist....i am head over heels.






Enjoy the rest of your summer, my friends! We saw our first golden rimmed maple leaves today.....autumn is approaching!
:)

Meet Ms. Stella.....

Meet Ms Stella Luna.....she is a now 13 week old baby girl Silver Labrador that I got from a breeder in Ohio.
She is a LOVE! a little furry cuddle bug, loves to play, and is pretty smart and quick to pick up commands. She is almost completely housetrained, and is doing fabulous.
Avonlea, Sean and I adore her, and although life is busy with two potty training toddlers (stella & avonlea), life has never been better! :)
enjoy some pics, in no particular order.....

quips

my monkey is getting funny.


toooooooooooooooooot!
mommy: Avonlea! did you fart??!!
avonlea: I sure DID!!!

************

av: Mommy...I eat Merlin kitty?
mommy: no! you can't eat merlin! what are you talking about??
av: (rolls eyes) mommy....i was bein' funny!


************

Av: Give me more melon!!!
mommy: How do you ask mommy?
av: Give me more melon NOW.....damn it!!!

disclaimer: i have no idea where she got that from. no idea. at. all. nope.

************

speaking about our lawn guy, Dave.

av: mommy...Dave has sharp teeth.
mommy: Dave has no teeth.
av: sharp teeth! he will bite you!
mommy: no. dave will not bite you......i don't think.
av: (emphatically) he's MEAN! like a troll!
mommy: no. he isn't mean.
av: (considering it) he's a nice guy.


*************

:)

There's a new girl in town...

and then there were three....

this sweet little lady will be joining us on tuesday in our little house in the woods!
avonlea is so excited.
so is her momma!

she is an 8 week old silver labrador (yes, that's right...silver), and we can't wait to get to know her and love her up!
we named her stella. and as avonlea says "she has sharp teeth mama! she will bite you!!!"
we are excited for some puppy lovin'!

i'm sure there will be LOTS of adorable puppy pics to come!!! :)

A day at the park

We started the day sleeping late, then headed over to the park to some bullfrog watching, catfish spying, and doggie dodging before heading out for ice cream, napping, and then ending our glorious day at Nooney & Papa's house. This little monkey has been a happy, happy girl this week....great listener, full of fun and energy, using her words to fend off frustration, going on the potty, and hasn't gotten a single 'time-out' yet. Thus, the ice cream reward. :)