Staying Busy

Because we are incapable of not keeping busy, I've fallen back on blogging. Again. You would think I would know by now that it just means longer blogging when I get around to it.

In news that is only exciting to a mama, Cullen used scissors for the first time a couple of weeks ago. Everything God gave him is still intact, but that doesn't mean I like it too much. I still have issues with sharp things, so I'm not comfortable with him and scissors. Give it time.

A while back, my mom bought Cullen the Cars set of cookie cutters at William Sonoma. Being the good mom that I am, I've held off on using them for some unknown reason. Cullen loved rolling out the dough and making his own Lightning McQueen and Mater snacks for later.  

Later arrived pretty quickly. 

And, of course, James used the last bit of cookie dough to make a Cullen. He was delicious. 

Last week, Cullen got to attend Sunday School for the first time. There were a few tears at drop off, but he loved learning about David, and he was excited to go this past weekend. Again, there were a few tears as James and I headed off to church, but he was excited when we picked him up. Even if it is literally only an hour of time away from him, I hate to miss out when I don't have to. But, if we're being fair, I also know I'm learning so much more at church when I'm not keeping an eye on him.  

Theses boxes are a little bit of early proof that I love Pampered Chef (way too much) and that Christmas shopping has begun. This was just one day's deliveries. Christmas is about half way done. I can't wait to get started wrapping! There is something wrong with me for that... 

In one of those boxes, I got this tiny little gem. I love ordering things from Bake It Pretty, because they are always items for Scout, and that means I have orders. And I love the way they make it feel like a gift! 

Cullen has really been pushing for more independence lately. As much as we want to foster that feeling, we're also learning that pretty much everything takes longer than it used to. One of Cullen's favorites is to climb into the driver seat, put the key in the ignition and turn on the car. Once the car is on, each of the needles rise to where they need to be. Cullen loves to announce that he's "watching the noodles." 

This past Friday, we finally replaced the chairs in our downstairs living room. After making excuses for (literally!) years, we broke down and bought something new. Considering the fact that almost every piece of furniture we own is a hand-me-down, we tried to not mind spending the money. Cullen loves "his" new chairs, and James and I are enjoying our moments to sit in them.

Friday night, we went for our usual walk around the neighborhood with one of our awesome neighbors, Jamie. She lives around the corner from us, and we love spending time with her and her husband. Cullen is crazy about Jamie, and this picture shows just one of the reasons why. Cullen took one bite out of his bread to peek through. Jamie showed him how to make a mask. How lucky are we to have friends like her? 

Friday night was a tough one for Cullen. There was way too much excitement, and he didn't sleep well once we finally got him into bed. Around 2am, we heard him walking around upstairs while we were getting ready for bed. At 6am, Cullen was crying. In our bedroom. Where he was curled up on Scout's bed. Since I had to be up at 7, I just put him in our bed and got up for the day.  

While I was out getting my hair done, James took Cullen to get Shipley's for breakfast. Not for a lack of trying, this kid had never eaten a doughnut before Saturday. Almost three years old, and he had never enjoyed the fried deliciousness. This morning, he asked for another chocolate doughnut for breakfast. 

Saturday afternoon was Hadley's birthday party, and we had a really great time watching the kids run and play. Amy made these really awesome Angry Birds cupcakes, and Cullen had a blast eating his. It's crazy to me to think that Amy and I met when our kids were about four months old. Hadley turned three this past weekend, and Cullen will be there before we know it.

xoxo ashley