Perfectly Messy Painting!

Late Night Brainstorm

Last night, after we got home from a long trip there and back to Frankfort in the snow, the kids were kind of restless. They were playing catch and Disney Infinity and then all of a sudden they weren't. It was a moment of realizing we were going to have to figure out what to do and quick. I had just heard a presentation at work about letting kids play and explore and learn to really navigate the world. I've been thinking about painting at home because we haven't done it in a long time and I realized the time was now.

As soon as I said paints, the boys were upstairs and trying to grab paints off of the shelf. We grabbed paints, brushes, paper and carried everything downstairs to the kitchen table. 

First things first - shirts off! My friend Krystie taught me that. It's much easier to clean paint off of skin than off of clothes. I barely had the words out of my mouth and they had their shirts off. I was happy, they were happy. Total win.

Getting Messy

In my experience, most kids love to get messy and these two dudes are not the exception. It didn't take long before Danny had his hands in the paint and Jordan wanted to follow suit. These kids just crack me up. They are such a blast! In the end, we had fun, we learned about not touching anything on the way to the bathroom, we practiced scrubbing with soap to get paint off of our bodies, and we made some great art. I love to see them concentrating and creating.

Danner D

Jordan a

The Brothers

Adding a Background to His Snake

A Mess!

Hooray for Art

I'm so glad we got the paints out! It was so nice that they could spend time being creative together. They were focused and engaged and it was probably the easiest night we've had in a while. Wrangling two boys, keeping them busy and happy with each other, isn't easy at this age. But last night was awesome. Jordan said, "We don't get to paint much at home." And he was so right. Since we got new floors and Danny was born, we don't paint nearly as much as we used to. It's time to change that. I love arts and crafts and being creative. I'm going to plan more painting and more other types of art and craft activities. Just like coming back to blogging feels great, so does the idea of doing more art with the kids. I've always loved being creative and making things. I look around our house and see the photos we have up, the collages I have made, our Color Me Mine painted pottery, our Knufflebunny inspired photo-drawings and it all makes me smile. Our house definitely feels like a home because of all of these pieces and I'm so looking forward to adding more of our personalities to our home.

Take care and talk soon!

It's Time for a Come Back!

Back To Blogging
It's been a little over a year since I last posted anything here at From My Front Porch Looking In! With my new job, things have been busier than ever...and somewhat overwhelming lately as we try to manage all the things. What that also means is that I've been thinking even more about life and celebrating how awesome my life is. All this thinking has reminded me how much I loved sharing personal stories and revelations when I blogged here.

Life is truly amazing. It's this wonderful gift that we have been given to make the most of. I go to bed every night thankful for all the wonderful people in my life and all the great opportunities I have to be the best me, to help others, to make a contribution to this wildly spinning world. I wake up every morning thankful for another chance to make this new day better than the last. It's not always easy but I know I've got it better than a lot of people and for that I'm very thankful.

Capturing life through pictures and sharing stories for myself and with others is what I really love about blogging. I have a pretty great record of Jordan's first few years of life but not so much since Danny was born. Ugh, I can't go back in time but I can go back to blogging here going forward. It's so nice that this little space has been waiting for me. While I don't have much time for blogging but I do have some time blogging. And that will have to be enough. We always make time for what's important, right? And this is important. It doesn't mean I won't need a little nudge here and again, so if you don't see me here, feel free to nag me!

That Was Then
Yup, this picture was from 2008 and one of my first posts here when Jordan wasn't even 1 year old yet! Look at our little family! I remember those little slipper-type shoes he used to wear. We were at Chad's school for a roller-skating party and we pushed Jordan around in his stroller.

This Is Now

So...today! Today we set off for Frankfort, Illinois, a place none of us had ever been, to meet Jordan Lynch, former quarterback for the NIU Huskies. Chad and I met when we lived across the hall from each other in the residence halls at Northern Illinois University. It's crazy to think it's been almost 15 years since we first met there in the fall of 1999. Sheesh. Look at our family now? Jordan is 6 1/2 and Danny is 3 1/2. Our little guys are so much fun.

I have to say, it's good to be back! Sharing stories of my family is a great way of celebrating and it feels great. It seems like a blogging goal or commitment would make sense about now. I think I'll shoot for once a week. If I can at least get here once a week and share a reflection of the week, I think that would be great. Who knows, maybe it'll be more, but once a week sounds good for now. 

Take care and talk soon!