Mama Style {foggy red}

Hello friends! We had a terribly rainy weekend with this crazy heavy fog on Sunday. I thought it would look pretty great in pictures, all that mysterious grey smoke, so we made sure to grab these style shots yesterday. I'm suddenly loving black and I'm not usually a black on black wearer. But right now a chunky black sweater seems pretty perfect to me, worn over dark blue jeans and with black booties. Wouldn't mind that at all. And while this is certainly not that, it flirts a bit with those darker, moodier neutrals.

{jacket - Kohls, sweater - Express, blouse - Zara, skirt - H&M, boots - Plato's Closet (GB resale)}

The weekends are always wonderful and leave me feeling a little recharged before steamrolling into the week ahead. It's simply that time with my family, with the boys and their daddy, that quality hang out time that we all love so much (I skip Scarlet there cause I'm with her exclusively during the week - lucky girls). We keep things fairly easy on the weekends and prefer to go wherever the winds blows us. It's a welcome relief after a busy week packed full of their school and my dance classes, drum lessons and choir practice, orthodontist appointments and homework. You know how it goes. So I'm feeling good and my heart is happy. 

Last night I tucked the boys in to bed cause their daddy was at soccer, and well, there were so many precious little moments that I wanted to put away and remember again on a rainy day. They all wait for me while I put Scarlet to bed, each tucked into my bed, deep down under the covers in a way that clearly says, "Please let me stay!". In fact on this occasion Monty was completely out cold, so I had to carry him to his bed. When I finally reached the point in our good nights when I could head to the bedroom door, I noticed little E was twirling his hair around his finger, drinking his milk. He's always done that (even twirled my hair when he was a nursing baby) but we keep cutting his once long hair shorter and shorter, so I was surprised when I saw him doing it still. 

Parker makes sure that he gives Scarlet a big hug and kiss before she's off to bed. She's at the point now where she closes her eyes and leans her forehead in towards him in anticipation of the kiss. He gives her more hugs and kisses than all of them actually. Though Monty is the one who talks to her and gets her all excited about chatting. When she sees him she smiles her now toothy grin and sticks out her tongue. She's always had a thing for sticking out her tongue. I saw her tongue sticking out of her mouth even in her ultrasound and when they first placed her on my chest after she was born, she stuck her tongue out at me. Haha! I'll have a lifetime of those I'm sure. 

Elliot loves for us to lay by him, he craves body contact. When we do he's in his happiest place and he leeches onto us, wrapping his body around us. He's lost much of what made him seem to young, my little E for so long. He's independent now, or can be, dressing himself and brushing his teeth. Buckling his own seat belt and even playing video games like his big bros. He is easy to understand (Papa had a difficult time with that for a while) and even uses some impressive words and lengthier sentences that make us giggle. But there are many times when I see glimpses of his former self and I realize how much he's had to grow up these past 6 months. Elliot is the funniest child I've ever met and has the most expressive face. Those eyes (and eyebrows) are a force to be reckoned with .... broadway eyebrows for sure! Here's a classic Elliot tale ... We were at drum lessons and he had my phone and his headphones, listening to his current favorite tune What Does the Fox Say. I've made it clear that the music needs to be quiet as there are kids practicing their instruments in all the rooms and parents waiting. Well I realize that he's been missing for about 5 (maybe 10) minutes and take a stroll around the waiting area/music store. I find him in the store, amongst a group of adults, leaning against a couch with the headphones unplugged and phone held aloft, playing his song for all to hear. It was soft, I'll give him that, but as I left the room I saw a few of those adults laughing quietly to themselves. 

Parker is smart ... he blows us away. Perhaps it's the fact that he's my first child and so I'm extra impressed by everything he does. But it's incredible to watch your child learning and expanding his knowledge at such a rate. Especially when it's those subjects you loved most, the European history or the fable writing or the head stuck in his story books. It's so special to watch your child love learning. Their school has a wonderful talent for that (Monty loves it the same it seems). I'm grateful that their schooling has gone so smoothly for us and that we've seen such incredible things, as I know the hardships parents and kids often face and the tricky decisions that sometimes have to be made. 

With Thanksgiving just around the corner, I'm feeling eager to decorate my home for Christmas. For overseas friends, our Thanksgiving is a week later this year, so we would typically be decorating this weekend at my home. But now we have to wait one extra blasted week! Sure I could go ahead with it all but I'll wait ... it's just tradition to get that tree on that particular weekend. Can't very well mess with tradition. :) I did lay out my thrifted plaid table cloth, which you may have noticed on Instagram if you hang out there, and last night I allowed Elliot to open a plastic bag of thrifted ornaments and garlands and he hung them above our fireplace. I spied a sweet little gingerbread garland in said bag and purchased the loot for $2 just to get that one item. As it turns out there were some darling fabric lollipops too! $2 well spent. 

Well I'm sure you've skimmed much of the end of this as it's been quite lengthy so I'll end it off. Have a very lovely Monday friends! xx Kirsty