picnic in the park

i've had my eye on a house

super close to the hospital where Cutie Pie was born

it's also SUPER close to this incredible park

so the girls and i decided it was a perfect place for a

Spring Break picnic!

it is part of the new Beltline & incorporates old railway trestles

its curves and green space and idyllic stream are just beautiful

the girls definitely loved it!

Cutie Face even asked to have her portrait done...

i definitely heard my mom's voice in my head

That's a fake smile! Smile naturally!!!

oh  too funny how it's all a big circle

her biggest thing right now is picking wildflowers

rest assured that she knows the difference between wild & planted

the girls had tons of fun having a picnic on the blanket

it even made eating all their veggies a blast

Cutie Cakes had a brief photoshoot, too

but she's all about being two and goofy

and rest assured about that, too--we love it!

because deep down, she's still our super sweet snuggler

the biggest hit on the playground?

old fashioned merry-go-round!

they could not get enough of it!

and in other daily news,

we're finally getting back into crafting for the season

(once Cutie Pie was born i totally slacked in that department)

today's craft?

bunny masks!

of course, they were accompanied by hops, jumps and all around chaos

Cutie Pie just pretended her baby toys were carrots...

nom nom nom

Agility Tests

It's the summer.

It's the summer in Atlanta.

It is HOT.

Regardless, we love playing outside

(confession: sunny, hot recreation makes for better naps and bedtimes so i love playing outside)

When it is so hot, though, we seek out playgrounds with water elements or shady spots.

Recently, we've been fond of one sweet little park that recently reopened. It's super shady and has a lot to offer for the girls.


Cutie Face, a non-daredevil, somewhat-scaredy cat, is largely afraid to test her skills and her confidence. As her mom, I really want to instill a strong sense of confidence and self-esteem because i know she can pretty much do anything that she sets her mind to do (did i mention she is very strong-willed? yeah. two strong-willed parents meant we weren't getting off easy).

Sometimes I want it too badly and might push her to do something to the point of her freaking out about it. I mean, we've had humongous meltdowns (yes plural) in the middle of McDonald Playlands because she cannot/does not want to climb higher and cannot for the life of her, will herself back down the climbing apparatus.



That's why i'm SO proud of the leaps she has taken (literally!) at this new playground.

She's becoming quite agile on the equipment and I love to see her blossom and smile from her accomplishments. We've been working on memorizing and praying Philippians 4:13 and I think she's learning to apply that to every day situations. Hooray!

Who knew a playground could offer so many life lessons?

in other news, Cutie Cakes is pretty self-assured.

she thinks she's pretty funny, too

and is always wanting to go faster, stronger, higher (isn't that the Olympics theme?)

and then says (and signs, too, for added emphasis):

More More More!

It definitely helps that these two have each other

they balance each other out

and are just the right amount of crazy

PS Other perks about our new favorite shady playground?

a leave-the-sand-there sandbox and wash-it-all-off water faucet

ever get beat...

...by a girl?!

Cutie Face and I went for a nice jog today

and she requested to change her attire...

...to running clothes!

i couldn't resist.

she ran about 1/10 of a lap with me

and declared herself "tired"

apparently NOT too tired to climb

or to bake mulchy birthday cakes

(1st i had to eat my veggies...don't worry)

and definitely not too tired to just look all-around adorable

climbing up the mini stone mountain

and declaring herself queen

Nope.

Not too tired for that

well, okay

maybe *just* a little tired

PS Guess what other cutie will soon be joining her sister on the track?

that's right! Cutie Cakes is finally walking as of this afternoon!

(video to come)

oh wait...we have a blog?

in between swinging with (what clearly is) a very enthralled J

playing with toys

learning how to sit

making crafts

for little sisters to wear

being coy (and so cute)

I've been bitten by the sewing bug

(8 dresses, 7 days, 6 t-shirts, & 0 modeling skills)

that last one = 3 shirts + 3 dresses + 3 happy babes

or, at least, one very crazy kid

one very grabby sitter:

and one perky baby Emily

we're also neck-deep in 2-year birthday party preparations (Cutie Face will be TWO on Sunday but we're celebrating a day early) and post-Cutie-Cakes-baptism brunch hoopla.

It's quite insane

but it's fun!

catch ya on the flip side...