happy things

(from our butterfly bush. and yes, I added this up top not only because it makes me happy, but because I didn't want the next picture to be what showed up in everyone's feed)

Home improvements.
It only took us a little over 3 months, but we finally finished. Our kitchen was #1 on my home improvement list. When we bought it, it had brown, builder-grade cabinets and boring white walls. It has now been totally repainted, including the cabinets. We also added knobs and pulls, since they didn't have any before. So it went from this:

(picture from before we moved in, obviously)

To this:

We still have a little touching up to do, but I love it. I actually really enjoy my kitchen now; I feel like it reflects my style a little more. I find myself just hanging out in it at night... I light a candle or two and suddenly doing the dishes doesn't seem so terrible anymore. :)


Being outside again.
The weather has been great lately. Still a little hot during the day, but once the sun starts making its way westward, it feels perfect out. Which means we get to stop hiding from the heat!
And a certain little boy has been loving it.

Last weekend, we picked up my little sister (who'd had a particularly rough day of Driver's Ed. I won't go into it... lol) and headed for our favorite splash pad. Since it was a Friday night, they had a band playing and jugglers performing. Noah had a blast.

(Noah thought the fire juggling was pretty cool)

Surprise gifts.
Noah got a present in the mail from his Uncle Ben (Brad's brother), Aunt Sara, and family. Sara said she saw it and immediately thought of him.
Wonder why? ;)

And you would've thought Noah totally knew how to read. Because as soon as I put this on him? He went underneath the stairs outside and started digging in the dirt.

We also met up with Lori yesterday. She wasn't able to come to Noah's party, so she insisted we meet up. This way she could give Noah his gift, and we had a great excuse to chat for a little bit. I brought Brad along with me, because I wanted to be able to actually sit and talk. And without Brad, that definitely wouldn't have happened. :)
Knowing how much Noah loves to bake with me, she gave him a Play-doh baking set. Thank you, Lori! He loves it!

On Monday, I did a post over at the Poop Whisperer on Southern Style Slowcooker BBQ and mentioned our favorite BBQ sauce, Sticky Fingers Carolina Sweet. I ended up getting a comment from them, thanking me for recommending them, and they're mailing me a free thing of BBQ sauce! How cool is that?!

Small improvements.
Noah has been doing so well lately following directions and playing with toys appropriately. If we're playing with his wooden train set, he finds pieces and puts them together. If I suggest a different piece, he grabs it to use. He's fallen in love with more complex (24 piece jigsaw) puzzles. He got a Thomas one for his birthday, and he wants to put it together every single day.
If we show him how to do something, he tries to follow our directions. The other day he repeated the word "Up" after I said it (twice!), and yesterday it was the word "kiss". Last night, he signed "Momma" after I did, and then said "Da-da" while signing it. Words and signs still aren't consistent, but I'm hoping he's starting to make lots of progress.
His OT has seen improvements as well, and she has to remind us (mostly Brad, lol) that the smallest signs of progress are worth so much.

Did your parents or teachers ever get on you about trying to climb up the slides? Well, this Momma isn't telling this kid not to try. Not at all. In fact, when I see him attempt big kid type things, I encourage it. The fact that he's low tone makes certain activities a challenge. So when he puts in that extra effort despite the difficulty? I'm celebrating it.

Sneaky, Sneaky.
I pride myself in finding a way to sneak fruits and veggies into Noah's diet. It's turning into a game for me. He'll down a whole bag of those Veggie Straws in a day. He loves them.

Little splurges.
Every once in a while, it's nice to splurge on small things that just brighten your day. Brad was out of town last weekend for work (in Myrtle Beach of all places... jealous wife right here), so I thought it'd be fun to buy something special for myself. Something small that I've been wanting for a while now but never bought, because I couldn't justify the purchase in my mind. I adore the smell, and the fact that it's green? Even more perfect. The Honeysuckle scent is divine. Makes me happy every time I wash my hands. :)

The pups.
Oh my goodness, these two.
Some days they drive me crazy. But I'm so happy we have them. They're the perfect dogs to have for Noah.

As soon as we walk outside, they run and give him gentle kisses. These two do a great job of never knocking him down, and it melts my heart to know that they love Noah so much. Even if he doesn't always appreciate their affection. :)

I wasn't the only one that got something fun. I went ahead and splurged on them too. They get bored in the back yard sometimes, especially if we're not out there to play with them. So I got them each their own toy. It was a hit... as you can see by the tufts of fluff in our yard.

And... it's Friday!!

We've got a busy weekend ahead of us, but all good stuff! 

Hope yours is full of good stuff too! :)