The Suits Sisters

January (snow)  February   March  April  May  June July  August  September   October  November   December 

In typical dorky Kent & Kait fashion, years ago he introduced me to the idea of December 23rd being Christmas Adam. This rocked my world and I've used it ever since with plans to pass it on for generations to come. Yesterday we joined the Suits Family for our Christmas gathering. A fun time was had by all and I was able to document the frequent occurrence known as The Ripping of the Bow 1. What the. Ok WHO PUT THIS BOW IN MY HAIR 2. You want this? You need it more than me 3. Thanks, Dad, I thought so  4. Almosttttt there andddddd freedom from bow bondage!  Here's pastor Kent as he leaves The House of Crazy for the House of Worship and here I am in my natural habitat- shuffling around in my robe with a hot drink in hand wondering if I should hire a life coach  In regards to his glasses, I heard this exchange shortly after he left,  Super Girl Caris: And what's the name of your lost bee?! Distraught bee owner Liza: The bee's name is Hips...

How 'bout a December recap?! This was technically at the end of November. While visiting his parents, Kentario swept me away for a day in Asheville where we visited the Grove Park Inn and its Gingerbread Competition and spent entirely way too much money on food  I vividly remember being bummed out when Caris wasn't interested in decorating for Christmas at the age of two (see here ) Fast forward 4 years: I have three small shadows and I'm just like, (in a small pleading defeated whisper) " Please, please go out of this room full of christmas decorations for just 5 minutes "   2/3 of my curious, eager helpers   Miss Ilse sent chocolate advent calendars again this year and they're a major hit, as always  We celebrated Aunt Anna's birthday  Got a Christmas tree that apparently doesn't drink water and looks really rough now (insert that money with wings emoji here)   The one day all year that I took the girls for a s...

Making: Buckeyes   Cooking:  Chili and cornbread Drinking:  Not enough (who has time for the potty breaks?)  Reading:  Toy Dance Party   Wanting:  Hair like 90's Annette Bening (see Watching below)  Looking:  For boots  Eating:  Pizza  Wishing:  I hadn't bought a particular pair of jeans  Enjoying:  Listening to my big girls sing Christmas songs Thinking: About tweeking parts of kindergarten for next semester   Celebrating:  Christmas (EXCITED FACEEEEEE) Loving:    Trees and  t winkle lights around the house   Hoping: Someone signs up for my co op class  Needing: To sleep like a rock tonight  Listening:  To Kent snore  sleep Feeling: Grateful  Wearing:  Black and grey leggings, black and grey shirt, red/green/white striped fuzzy socks  Watching: Regarding Henry  Texting:  My mom 

Hi, friends. Are you still there? (Said in my best Meg Ryan You've Got Mail voice) Although I compose blog posts in my head, they rarely make it to the big screen. Thanks for hanging around. 4 Things You Can Do This December  to help yourself out Keep in mind that two days ago I had a reheated slice of Little Caesars Pizza at 9:30 for breakfast and yesterday, after some conflict in the playroom, I received this piece of mail by my bedroom door So take the following with a grain of salt. 1. TURN DOWN "TURN DOWN FOR WHAT" is a song that came out a few years ago and I don't know anything about it except that they yell "TURN DOWN FOR WHAT" many times. I think it came out the year I become a mom so that's my excuse, but in reality, the Cool Boat sailed long before I made it to the dock. This month I think we could all TURN DOWN the noise. Thanks to social media (Get that soapbox away from me! Not today!), we have so many voices talki...

May your husband know that there are always clean towels stacked on top of the cabinet in the bathroom. But if he doesn't, may he know where to find the beach towels in the hall closet  (Now, everyone, smile politely, shake your head a little and say "bless his heart")

Making:  A list of Christmas gift ideas (& already waiting on some packages woot!)  Cooking:  Thawing chicken for dinner tonight- trying to free up some freezer space Drinking:  A cup of earl grey decaf tea Reading:  The Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert  thanks to ANS, my Amazon Prime Santa  Wanting: The rest of November and December to go s l o w l y Looking:  To add a few staples to my wardrobe. Who can help me figure out this ankle boot situation?  Eating:  For lunch we ate ramen noodles with scrambled eggs and peas, tossed with a little olive oil and parmesan cheese (I know)  Wishing:  I hadn't just spilled tea on my shirt  Enjoying:  These cold rainy days when I can embrace the true nature of my homebody-ness without judgement Thinking: About teaching a co-op class next semester  Celebrating: That the hardwoods floors are steam mopped before 3PM today (or at all, really)...

Books I'm currently searching for... The Feared 14 How to handle life with a whiny and sad fourteen month old between the hours of 4-7PM The Wallflower Planted in a Life of Ministry  There's hope for the introvert married to the pastor that finds herself having to make small talk on a weekly basis. Bonus! This updated version provides you with 10 ways to politely end a conversation without any awkward moments or side glances  Raising Girls  "We were scared too" -Veteran girl parents chime in with 365 wise insights into raising a tiny sorority Bake Your Cake & Eat it Too  Taking the guilt out of baking and eating all the sweets while somehow managing to still fit into your jeans Boundaries 3 life changing parking tips for minivan driving moms that struggle to park within the lines or pull up far enough every single time MOM.MOM.MOM! 5 scientifically proven ways to block out the "Moms" so you can move on with your day ...

We had a great fall soccer season! Sure, the logistics weren't ideal.. -We hoped to have a local team to practice with, but there weren't enough girls signed up so we joined a team 20 minutes away -Practice was on Friday at 6, when Kent had football, so I took all the girls to practice YAY But! It was fun to see Caris much more involved in the games this time around. She realized that if she kicked the ball hard and out ran other girls, she could score. And scoring is fun. winkyface But the best part? A TROPHY WITH YOUR NAME ON IT!! Eeeek! Go Care!  The other highlight of the season was watching my dad watch small children "play" soccer. It tormented him. My mom on the other hand yelled all sorts of encouraging comments for both teams. BIG thanks to all the fam that came to early Saturday games! It made our soccer star feel very loved  We very much felt like the Saturday Soccer Suburban Family

Caris learned how to make a Go Fish Fortress to keep her cards hidden  Liza learned how to ride Caris' bike up and down the driveway (her idea!)  Audrey learned how to smile for the camera 

There once was a Bad Guy who stole a sack of money (dun dun dunnnn) Just as he tried to get away, two Super Girls rushed in to save the day  and all was right with the world again  Yayyyyy!

{Slowing down to see on this Sunday morning} A three and a half year old wearing a 24 month hand-me-down smocked clemson dress  with squeaky clean hair picking out the perfect nail polish colors on an unmade bed  A five and a half year old wearing a 4T hand me down smocked clemson dress making a sticky note book for her Gigi with spelling help from mom resting one foot on top of the other  

{According to my phone and in no particular order) We wrapped up a summer of swimming in Pops & Gigi's neighborhood pool  Watched Florence come and go   Celebrated mom's birthday  Had our first bloody mouth (bathroom stool) and handled a popsicle like a pro  Climbed and dumped crayons, climbed and dumped crayons, etc etc Enjoyed a visit from, Miss Ilse, all the way from Florida  Day trip to Ilse of Palms   Oreo cheesecake for Kent's birthday   Found an inch worm and made bug houses in the front yard  My blog post worked! Aunt Anna visited for Audrey Anna's baptism!