Loving...

Loving right now...

Mase-Mose, shovel-totin', hat-sportin', camo-short dude.

• "Mom, can I go outside?" It's music to my ears. I love that they would rather play outside than watch TV; I love that we have an abundance of outdoor space and that they have an abundance of energy to enjoy it; I love that they can safely be 'out' while I am 'in' (watching and listening, of course); I love that all the dirt, rocks, sticks, yelling, crashing, throwing, bouncing, sawing, and hammering is totally appropriate outside; and I love that it is finally Spring in our lovely town and that we can be outside.
  

• Affogato Coffee Frappuccino at Barnes and Noble. It has a shot of espresso drizzled on top rather than blended into the rest of the drink. Normally, I think a frappucino is too sweet but with the extra shot (or two) of espresso...it's tasty and delicious.

• Blogs and Etsy. As a SAHM extraordinaire, I have become dependent on the internet for, let's see...everything. Per some of your requests, I am sharing some of the blogs I read regularly and some of the Etsy stores I shop.
  

1. Young House Love - how to do most anything to fix up your casa
2. mmmcrafts - check out her free printables and free patterns and tutorials.
3. How About Orange - I've had this one on the side bar of the blog for awhile. But, check out her "Free Downloads" and "Time-Wasters" bullets on the home page. I use these all the time.

Etsy - oh how I love thee. Etsy is an online marketplace to buy and sell all things handmade. I have purchased from Etsy: jewelry, a purse, fabric, books, sewing supplies, and home decor. My advice to anyone shopping on the site is to come with a pretty good idea of what you are looking for...it has thousands and thousands of items and can be quite overwhelming if you're just browsing. Here are some of the sellers I heart...

1. Creative Thursday - lions, owls, monkeys, oh my! Great art for kid's rooms.
2. Nora Jane - mini rubber stamps are so cute! My favorite are the birds and frog.
3. Elsita - I have three of her papercut prints...Pinocchio, Little Red Riding Hood, and Peter Pan...hanging in my living room.
   
4. Arian - cool art by a lover-of-Jesus who incorporates that love into her art. I purchased the "Good Night" print for Sawyer's room and the "New Mercies" print for Lane's housewarming gift.
5. Green Chair Press - letterpress paraphernalia that I have almost purchased many times :).
6. Retrofied - I bought my reversible hobo purse from here and LOVE. IT.
7. Dazeychic - my favorite print is the 'happier than a bird with a french fry'.
   

(Let me know what you think of my favorites and share some of your own in the comments.)

• Eight Months
  

My little Sunshine is 8 months old already and he wears it well. Eating three meals a day, taking 2-3 naps, sleeping 13 hours at night, smiling and laughing at his beloved older brothers, cutting two teeth with nary a fuss, sitting up on his own, loving bath time, enjoying the swing at the park, scooting around in his walker, sucking his little thumb - I am loving eight months!

• Rain boots on the wrong feet. Rain boots are awesome because almost-three-year-olds can put them on with no assistance from me. No ties, no velcro, no frustration - just step into them and head outside. I love this. There is a 50/50 chance of an almost-three-year-old boy getting the boots on the right feet...this would lead one to conclude that half the time the boots are actually on the right feet. WRONG. At our house, the odds are 100 to 1 that the boots will be on the wrong feet. Oh well. This doesn't seem to bother the monkeys one iota so it doesn't bother me. Rain boots are also awesome because they are not snow boots.
  

Smith, Wrong-Foot-Rainboot-McGee, riding the bike I scored for free from the curb.

• My husband (now and always). I love his work ethic and integrity; I love how passionate he is about building well-built, well-thought-out, amazing homes; I love his sense of humor; I love his ability to nick-name (Right now he's calling me "Muhgatmoh", Sawyer "Dalgas" and the other two "Smoke-us"); I love the unique way he loves and follows Jesus; I love that he works hard, plays hard, and sleeps hard :); I love how well he loves me and his sons. Check out his latest completed home here.
  

And you? What are you loving right now?