i really will soon!!

I know, it has been forever!! I'm bummed actually. I've been so incredibly slammed that I haven't been able to get to my vacation pictures yet :( TRYING though! Anyway, we've gone to the cider mill a couple of times already this year. Sunday, we went and picked pumpkins. Here is a picture of our pumpkins. Berlin painted the top of mine...she wasn't too interested in much with Gabe here. She thought cleaning out the pumpkins was gross...and obviously, there isn't much for Eli to do yet.

Mine & Berlin's, James & Eli's, Joel's
wooo, scary....

Momma, LOOK! I'm a princess!

The other day when I was getting ready to leave for a wedding, Berlin went in her drawer and pulled out her tutu and came out proclaiming that she was a princess. I had to grab my camera and attempt to take a few of her spinning around like what she believes princesses do. Elijah wanted in on the picture taking too.

We leave for vacation to Arkansas on Friday! We'll post pictures when we get back. Our first family 14 hour car ride! Yikes.

She said her doll needed a skirt too...so she shared with her. :)



Me too!
Look how cute my smile is!

Trying not to give in....

Knowing myself like I do, I won't give in and buy this neat but unnecessary stuff. I'm just entertaining the thought for the moment. :)

I LOVE the store Anthropologie, but because $160 shirts are not a normal purchase for me...it is reserved for my special shopping days with birthday money or the even better bonus sales (love those!!). Anyway, I just newly discovered UrbanOutfitters and they are basically the same store only cheaper. Yay for me! I've been editing and taking breaks in between to browse the super online shopping for housewarming gifts and a birthday present for my mom....and I made my way to urban outfitters site.... loving these:

A frying pan with style. How pretty!

I wish all of my utensils smiled at me!

Thank you for making some glasses that are not boring.
I adore this pattern. Kitschy but mod.
I really like lanterns. This one I thought would be neat for a centerpiece at a certain brother' wedding.... ehem.
USB record player. I like this idea because then it could hook up to surround sound speakers rather than my speakers taken off my radio from when i was 15.
This fainting sofa was just one of 4 that I WANT WANT. I'm actually debating this one though because I do have my expense account available for photography and this would be a wonderful prop couch. Red, purple, and green velvet too! HMMMM.

Cravings.

I haven't had sushi since before I was pregnant with Eli. My sister and I were supposed to go for sushi at a place that she loves up in Flint, but we haven't made it there yet. Anyway, I've been wanting some for a while and so last night James and I (and the kids) walked to Nobel Fish in Clawson. We got some pocky and picked up some philidelphia rolls for my lunch. Don't they look delicious! Plus, check out the awesome plate! My grandpa gave me 3 plates that were originally part of a tea set. LOVE them. Now they are added to my collection of dessert plates. What is with me collecting dishes? Weird hobby.

And he's going the distance....

Elijah has been an active little guy. He moves from room to room trying to find things to pull himself up on. Yesterday he managed to pull himself up to the chair, couch, baby gate, and all the misc. boxes around our house. I knew that the toilet paper that we had just bought sitting on this tub would be especially inviting. Yep, I know the pictures are bad quality...... but look! Oh and I measured and weighed him yesterday and he is now 18 lbs and 26 inches. About the same weight as Berlin was at 6 months, but a little shorter.

4th of July...a bit late.

Well, it is a little late, so I shortened the entry... for the 4th we went to Lake Orion fireworks. It was fun except that where we were positioned, we missed the entire finale...didn't see one single finale firework :( BUT the kids had fun seeing the "booms" and Berlin loved the snappy things that you step on. We tried her with sparklers and although she thought they were neat, we had to really watch it because she would try to get really close to the sparkler fire end.

Us!
Holly and Berlin.
Gabe's silly faces.
Whoa, they make noises!
Stomping on the snappy things. Joel, Gabe, Berlin, Holly, James, and Eli hiding.
Berlin and I, yay for sparklers.
James and Berlin.

Berlin in July.

As I said before, there were a TON of pictures that I took and didn't post...so here are a few of Berlin in July.

Oh the faces she makes.
Flowers in her hair...so pretty.
She insisted that it was a microphone.

Morning Berlin!
Rarrr.
And...her posing.
And...her posing again....

She wouldn't stop talking long enough for me to take a picture.
Ripping leaves. These leaves are giant.
Lying below the tree.

Playing with her baby.