Not That Innocent

My life these days is a never-ending stream of picking up. It doesn't matter how much I pick up, there is always more. Mainly because there is usually someone a few steps ahead of me making the mess.

If you've read very many posts about Clinton, you'd know he's a wrecker. Rarely messy himself, he can make a mess anywhere, out of anything, and in about 2 seconds flat. I have to keep a really close eye on him...all the time.

So, when things like this start showing up....I know the culprit. Especially, if it's a surprise...silence is his secret weapon. So walking in on messes like this happen often...

...this is no real surprise either...

...no surprise here either. Probably would have been more on the floor, but the roll was near it's end. But the real surprise??

Clinton was down for a rarely taken nap....and this was my culprit.

Uh-oh,

Like Hop's!

I have made a habit of picking out Clinton's clothes myself. For a brief period I let Clinton pick out his own clothes and things got really bad, really fast. Blue Mater socks with plaid shorts and a striped shirt? Yikes.

So, anyway...the other day I selected a new plaid shirt with some chocolate brown shorts and was quite happy with my selections. Clinton, on the other hand, was not quite yet satisfied...

"I want my belt. My belt like Hop's!" Okay...so we tuck in the shirt, and put on his belt like Hop's. The belt with a bull rider belt buckle. We were all set.

"Mom!! My boots! My boots! My boots like Hop's!" We open the closet, find the boots, and get them on his huge feet. Okay...we're all set, right?

"Where's my hat?? My hate like Hop's? Mom....MY HAT?" We find it and get it adjusted, and at last my little man is happy....because he is...at last....just...like...Hop.

Cowboy crazy,

Father's Day Catch Up

I may have missed a Father's Day post, but we didn't miss Father's Day. We had a rather laid back day. I made breakfast--mushroom quiche and buttermilk biscuits. We opened Daddy's gifts--some grilling tools. And we had some fun activities throughout the day.

Clinton and I worked on some clay ornaments for a big project we've been working on. Heidi Sage did her normal deal. And we all enjoyed some baby pool time in the backyard.

Happy Father's Day (a bit late!),

The Baby's Babies

While there is definitely another baby making it's way into the Williams' family, I'm still considering Heidi Sage to be the baby at the moment. And lately, she has found a love for babies. I bought her a little baby doll at Target the other day that she loves, and she loves her glow worm she got for Christmas...especially now that she can make it work all by herself.

Below are a few shots of Heidi Sage developing into a nurturing little girl.

We might need to have a little lesson on stroller safety! That baby is hanging on for dear life!

That's right, girl...just throw 'em over your shoulder by one arm. Dislocated shoulders are no biggie.

Checking for a stinker.

Smiling at the baby that always has a song for her.

Awww...

In love with all the Williams babies,

Splashin' Around

We have some neighbors who have a granddaughter who visits quite often. Aside from absolutely adoring her, Clinton also loves the GRAND toys her grandparents make available to her....including a bounce house and a huge water slide.

While Kelsey is quite a few years older than Clinton, she still enjoys playing with him...and Heidi Sage. The other day she invited us over to play on her big water slide. Clinton had a BIG time and is anxiously awaiting the next time he sees the slide out in their yard! ...and I think Rodney had a big time, too! :-)

Melting in the sun,

Garden Rocks

In a continued effort to supply crafts on a budget, Clinton and I found some rocks Daddy carefully placed around one of the flower beds and some paints left over from one of my abandoned projects. And we were able to create some beauties for our vegetable garden...

Clinton loved it so much, he's been asking to make more. It's been hot, so indoor/shaded activities have been a big hit around here. I think Clinton's favorite part of the whole thing was mixing paints to create new colors. He thought that was uh-mazing.

Clinton insisted I make one, too. Clinton had a little trouble not mixing every single color, so his rock came out a bluish shade of gray. Mine came out looking a lot like I had thought his would....so much for expectations...

Hope Rodney doesn't miss his rocks,

Table for Two

I love watching my kids playing together...

Hoping three won't be a crowd,

The Purse

I'm not a purse person. I don't desire them. I rarely carry them. And I'm almost never impressed by an expensive one hanging off someone else's arm. That's just who I am.

My life is organized in a red Franklin Covey planner, and it is usually stashed in the top of a diaper bag. Or if by chance, I don't have a child with me (ha!), then I just carry it around under my arm.

However, Heidi Sage has seen someone, somewhere carrying a purse...and she loves hers. She found this on the floor in my closet and she loves to carry it around and stash little treasures in it. This particular day she had it on her neck, but normally it dangles off of her arm as she delicately prances around the room.

I may have to keep her away from her Aunt Zsazsie because she normally has an expensive bag hanging off of her arm, and I don't want Heidi Sage getting any crazy ideas. She'll need to learn quick and early, we're frugalistas in this house. If she wants to be a fashionista, she'll need to get on Chelsea and Brian's payroll. :-)

Loving the sweet things girls do,

PS - If you've been wondering lately who Heidi Sage looks like, these pictures say it all....she looks like her Daddy. The light hair tends to throw people off, but she definitely looks like Rodney.

Bird Feeders

Crafts can get expensive quick...especially if you craft with Aunt Zsazsie...she's a little overboard in the arts department. We've been doing some crafts around here using some things we already had on hand. Our first project was bird feeders. Here's what we used:

toilet paper rolls

yarn

drinking straws

peanut butter

bird seed (any variety)

hole punch

scissors

I think the pictures are pretty self-explanatory, but....we used the hole punch to create holes for the yarn (our hanger) and the straw (the bird's perch), using our scissors to cut the yarn and straws. We went ahead and tied on the straw but held off on inserting the straws. We spread peanut butter all over toilet paper roll, then rolled it in the seeds. We finished by inserting the straw and hanging them outside. Clinton thought it was great...and the birds have been enjoying it, too. Also, if you have old bagels on hand, you can use those as your base instead of the toilet paper roll and just leave out the straw.

Embracing suburban wildlife,

Ummm...You're Not Leaving.

The other day we had our friend Noah over. Clinton and Noah had not seen each other in a long time, and Clinton was going to make sure they got plenty of time together. Noah kept trying to get out the front door, which Clinton knows is a big no-no in our house. So in order to keep the house rules in order and keep his friend around for some more play time, Clinton took care of the situation...

The exasperation on Noah's face says it all! And Clinton's just kicked back with a smirk on his face.

Raising a warden?

Unruly Ring Bearer

It's Not Summer Unless There's a Nakey Baby...or Two

Sticking to my rural roots, I occasionally let my children run around our suburban backyard in nothing but their birthday suits....especially when it's a scorcher of a day and all they're doing is playing in the water anyway.

Heidi Sage got a water sink for her birthday and it is by far one of her favorite toys. She loves to play in the water. I think her favorite thing to do is dump cups of water down whatever adorable outfit I've put on her that day.

The other day I finally stripped her down after she was soaked from head to toe, which resulted in Clinton stripping himself down. With both kids naked, there were a lot of clothes laying around....so, Heidi Sage did some laundry. Clinton enjoyed a messy popsicle...

Finding pregnancy and summer are not very good friends,