Anytime we talk about school, Hudson says, "what about meeee?" he he he...guess he can't wait for his "school" {Mother's Day Out} to start!
Well, today he got part of his wish. Although school doesn't start until after Labor Day for him, his MDO had a little open house this morning for the children to meet the teachers and for the parents to drop off supplies.
Oh my, {this} was last year. 
Check out how much he's grown! *sniff, sniff*
He had so much fun exploring that room from top to bottom. 
How does this work, Daddy?
Hudson's hair is so straight and grows SO FAST! No matter how we try to side part it, it just hangs straight down. Soooooo...he's getting a BIG, BIG boy haircut! Mimi is going to work her magic on it and next time you see his pic, it should look lots different. I'm a bit nervous...I don't want him to look too grown up.
Hmmmm...let me come right over here and pretend I'm cooking so I can check out this pretty guuuurrrl...
I'm so excited for Hudson to be in Mrs. Maria and Mrs. Patti's class! Grace had them too when she was in the 2 y/o MDO class and they are just the sweetest! And yes, he was too busy unwrapping a lollie to look up for a pic and Mrs. Maria was looking at him so it's a bit of a crazy pic, but a milestone pic nonetheless :)
Don't grow up too fast, okay buddy??
Mama LOVES her baby boy to pieces!
I'm a bit behind on answering emails - sorry if I haven't responded to you yet...Hudson was a bit under the weather last week. Luckily as the weekend approached, he seemed much better.
Friday night we made it to the ballpark for Abram's 4th birthday. Fun, Fun! Happy Birthday, Abe!
I don't know about where you live, but oh my, it's still H-O-T here, like 100+ hot. We had to leave Abram's party early b/c this little pumpkin couldn't hack the heat. She said she felt sick.
I thought maybe she was coming down with something and felt incredibly guilty for possibly exposing the other kiddos at the party without knowing, but as soon as we got into the car and turned on the a/c, she felt miraculously "cured". Fall can't come fast enough for us!
Saturday we went to my youngest goddaughter's birthday. So hard to believe this teeny tiny girl is already 3! Oh, how we love you Ella Kate!
Oh and can you spot the feather in her hair?? Such a little trendsetter! She does have an 8 y/o big sis! he he he But can someone explain to me the hair feather trend??? And "planking" while you're at it. I feel so out of the loop!
Is it just me or does this not make you think of a 3D ultrasound??! HA!
Happy 3rd Birthday, Ella Kate!
Madeline & Ella have a super fun playground their daddy built that my littles love. I think we may have to give gymnastics a second try...
This little monkey is a pro...he can hang on forever!
Today we managed to slow down a bit...church & lunch with Noonie & Papa J at one of our favorite mexican restaurants. Did I mention this little pumpkin has just started PSR? Parish School of Religion...Sunday School in the Catholic church. Today was her 2nd week.
Best attempt at a sweet picture today. This little guy is ON.THE.GO all the time!
Do you ever look ahead at your week and wonder, "how in the world am I going to get all of this done?" That is exactly how I feel about this week coming up. Aaaaaah, I want to run and hide!
And totally off topic, but I've got Halloween on the brain. My littles have decided they want to be a Pirate Princess and a Fire-spitting Dragon. Now...to make those look 'cute'. HA! Ideas?
Okay, a BIG change!
Blog makeover + domain change all in one lickety split swoosh!
Yes, please update your bookmarks...
littlepumpkingrace.blogspot.com is now officially www.littlepumpkingrace.com!
and my new email address is jessica@littlepumpkingrace.com.
Last spring I stumbled upon Heather's Life Made Lovely Monday. In her words, "Creating a life made lovely means embracing the life you're living right now. It means choosing to celebrate your everyday life by taking something simple and turning it into something special." Ooooh, how I love it! So eloquent. Spoke straight to my heart and how I try to live my life.
So that led me to Life Made Lovely Designs and I knew I'd hit the jackpot! Their blog and business designs were exactly what I was looking for. Problem was by now it was almost summer and they had parked their shop "on vacation" to spend time with their littles.
Bummer. You know that feeling when you find something that is exactly what you've been looking for forever and YOU.WANT.IT.NOW??? I knew you would...*wink*. Of course I couldn't be mad because I firmly believe family comes first, so I send them a bunch of emails patiently waited for their shop to re-open in August and for my name to come up on their list. Yes, they're that good!
As luck would have it, Katy became my designer. Oh my! Not only is she gorgeous and crazy talented, but she's the sweet mama to a heartbreakingly adorable little guy named Miles. She's the one responsible for giving my blog this cinderella transformation.
Exciting things are happening with little pumpkin grace and Lulu & Co. in 2012 and I cannot wait to share more with you! I truly feel like a little girl on Christmas morning. *insert cartwheel*...that is, if I knew how to do them - HA!
And totally unrelated, but here's a little snapshot of our new command station right off the kitchen...new school year = time to get organized! More on that sweet "be kind" mini banner soon!
THANK YOU Katy & Life Made Lovely Designs - you were a joy to work with!
After months of talking about missing her school friends, the big day finally arrived and Grace could not have been more E.X.C.I.T.E.D!
This morning the little pumpkin became an official
K-4 preschooler!
{Thank you Kelley of babe a gogo for the super cute outfit - it was just perfect for today!!}
There's that sweet smile!
I won't even tell you the things I had to do/say to elicit these smiles but I'm sure glad I did! *wink* By the time we left for school, Grace was in such a good mood she had us all in hysterics!
I love seeing how her answer changes every year. Right now she goes back & forth between "dentist" and "ballerina" on any given day.
This was last year...
Backpack...check! Lunchbox...check!
THANK YOU Janna of teachermom for making this custom backpack for Grace!! The quality is amazing and she LOVES it!!
Her request..."toasted peanut butter and jelly & the squeezey, squirty applesauce, mama!" Can't tell too well from the pic, but I cut her pbj into a schoolhouse and a bell just to make her first day a bit more special. String cheese, half a banana and chex mix rounded out today's bento.
{apple-n-worm printable HERE...owl notes HERE}
Hold my hand, Daddy. 
Family pic! 
The little pumpkin and her sweet teacher, Mrs. Bryan. Every year when you pray about the person who will teach your child at school and influence their learning, you secretly hope for someone who will not only have the knowledge, but will also have a Godly heart. Grace's sweet teacher has a heart of gold! 
We sent these little treats to school for all her friends to enjoy. Thank you Beth Proudfoot for the free printables!!
When we picked her up she was BEAMING. It sure warms my heart to see her so happy! She was proud to have been chosen class leader for the day. She told us she made a new friend, "her name is Paityn and she is really sweet and nice". Last year her teacher gave them The Kissing Hand {love this sweet book!} and this year she did the same for the new students and gave the returning students the sequel.
To celebrate, Noonie treated her to frozen yogurt at our usual Friday spot. 
She was so excited about this fun Toy Story glider her buddy Julien gave her {thank you, Julien!} and she was tickled pink to come home, open the mail, and find this sweet postcard from Mrs. Bryan! 
Now I will say that Grace is pretty good about sharing with her brother, but when he went after her prized teeny tiny dolls and their dress-up clothes she'd had enough. She asked me for tape and next thing I know, this sign was decorating her bedroom door:
Oh my! It's a good thing we chose "be kind" as this year's theme, isn't it? I think we have plenty of material to work with - HA! I will admit though I was secretly dying inside trying to contain the laughter. This little pumpkin is somethin' else.
Grace, Grace, Grace,
You make us laugh with your daily antics and especially your made-up songs. But you are a sensitive soul too, with a pure heart and a loving spirit. We hope you have a WONDERFUL K-4 school year!
XOXO,
Mama, Daddy & Hudson
I used an outerspace gift bag Hudson received for his birthday as inspiration and came up with this little monster. Finished it late last night, but it turned out cute, I think!
She named him - I mean her - Googly, the Silly Girl Monster. Fitting, huh?
I loved seeing how excited the little pumpkin was to put on her new shirt this morning and show all her friends her new cross-eyed trick ...made my morning!
Well, today he got part of his wish. Although school doesn't start until after Labor Day for him, his MDO had a little open house this morning for the children to meet the teachers and for the parents to drop off supplies.
Check out how much he's grown! *sniff, sniff*
He had so much fun exploring that room from top to bottom. 
How does this work, Daddy?
Hudson's hair is so straight and grows SO FAST! No matter how we try to side part it, it just hangs straight down. Soooooo...he's getting a BIG, BIG boy haircut! Mimi is going to work her magic on it and next time you see his pic, it should look lots different. I'm a bit nervous...I don't want him to look too grown up.
Hmmmm...let me come right over here and pretend I'm cooking so I can check out this pretty guuuurrrl...
I'm so excited for Hudson to be in Mrs. Maria and Mrs. Patti's class! Grace had them too when she was in the 2 y/o MDO class and they are just the sweetest! And yes, he was too busy unwrapping a lollie to look up for a pic and Mrs. Maria was looking at him so it's a bit of a crazy pic, but a milestone pic nonetheless :)
Don't grow up too fast, okay buddy??
I don't know about where you live, but oh my, it's still H-O-T here, like 100+ hot. We had to leave Abram's party early b/c this little pumpkin couldn't hack the heat. She said she felt sick.
Saturday we went to my youngest goddaughter's birthday. So hard to believe this teeny tiny girl is already 3! Oh, how we love you Ella Kate!
Is it just me or does this not make you think of a 3D ultrasound??! HA!
Happy 3rd Birthday, Ella Kate!
Madeline & Ella have a super fun playground their daddy built that my littles love. I think we may have to give gymnastics a second try...
This little monkey is a pro...he can hang on forever!
Today we managed to slow down a bit...church & lunch with Noonie & Papa J at one of our favorite mexican restaurants. Did I mention this little pumpkin has just started PSR? Parish School of Religion...Sunday School in the Catholic church. Today was her 2nd week.
Best attempt at a sweet picture today. This little guy is ON.THE.GO all the time!
Do you ever look ahead at your week and wonder, "how in the world am I going to get all of this done?" That is exactly how I feel about this week coming up. Aaaaaah, I want to run and hide!
Aren't they cute? I found the original recipe {here} on the Sizzle-N-Spice blog. Super easy to make too!
This first week's unit has been all about...
I love this fun mobile the littles in Grace's class made. Each little shape has some personal information like my address...my phone number...my school...
Today was Grace's turn to fill & share the "treasure chest". She had to come up with 3 clues to see if her friends could guess what she had placed in the treasure chest {her red beaded necklace}.
But I think my most favorite project from this week has been the "Me Magazine"! So cute! I love all the drawings the little pumpkin made and the answers she gave. Just love it.
I recently cleaned up and rearranged a bit the small desk and wall space right off our kitchen by our breakfast table. I plan on clipping the littles' artwork on the chalkboards hanging on the wall, which makes rotating them a breeze. Everything is a bit mismatched - I like it that way - nothing too serious around here :)
Notice the little quilted "be kind" sign? Here, take a closer look...
Well, it's actually a "mug rug" - I must admit I had no clue what a mug rug was until my friend Amber called it that...he he he...it's like a little coaster for your coffee/tea. But I.LOVE.IT and I'm using it as a mini banner!!!
It's our motto for this school year and I love having that sweet reminder right by our homework station! THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU Amber for the sweet gift - what a nice surprise to receive something so pretty in the mail!
Last spring I stumbled upon Heather's Life Made Lovely Monday. In her words, "Creating a life made lovely means embracing the life you're living right now. It means choosing to celebrate your everyday life by taking something simple and turning it into something special." Ooooh, how I love it! So eloquent. Spoke straight to my heart and how I try to live my life.
THANK YOU Katy & Life Made Lovely Designs - you were a joy to work with!
This morning the little pumpkin became an official
There's that sweet smile!
I won't even tell you the things I had to do/say to elicit these smiles but I'm sure glad I did! *wink* By the time we left for school, Grace was in such a good mood she had us all in hysterics!
I love seeing how her answer changes every year. Right now she goes back & forth between "dentist" and "ballerina" on any given day.
Her request..."toasted peanut butter and jelly & the squeezey, squirty applesauce, mama!" Can't tell too well from the pic, but I cut her pbj into a schoolhouse and a bell just to make her first day a bit more special. String cheese, half a banana and chex mix rounded out today's bento.
Hold my hand, Daddy. 
Family pic! 
The little pumpkin and her sweet teacher, Mrs. Bryan. Every year when you pray about the person who will teach your child at school and influence their learning, you secretly hope for someone who will not only have the knowledge, but will also have a Godly heart. Grace's sweet teacher has a heart of gold! 
We sent these little treats to school for all her friends to enjoy. Thank you Beth Proudfoot for the free printables!!
When we picked her up she was BEAMING. It sure warms my heart to see her so happy! She was proud to have been chosen class leader for the day. She told us she made a new friend, "her name is Paityn and she is really sweet and nice". Last year her teacher gave them The Kissing Hand {love this sweet book!} and this year she did the same for the new students and gave the returning students the sequel.
To celebrate, Noonie treated her to frozen yogurt at our usual Friday spot. 
She was so excited about this fun Toy Story glider her buddy Julien gave her {thank you, Julien!} and she was tickled pink to come home, open the mail, and find this sweet postcard from Mrs. Bryan! 
Now I will say that Grace is pretty good about sharing with her brother, but when he went after her prized teeny tiny dolls and their dress-up clothes she'd had enough. She asked me for tape and next thing I know, this sign was decorating her bedroom door:
Oh my! It's a good thing we chose "be kind" as this year's theme, isn't it? I think we have plenty of material to work with - HA! I will admit though I was secretly dying inside trying to contain the laughter. This little pumpkin is somethin' else.
Grace, Grace, Grace,