opinions, please!!!

we are in the midst of trying to pick out paint colors for the exterior of our home!  yippeee!!! although it hasn't been as fun because it's been really hard....we can't make up our mind....don't know if we have enough guts....worried about how it will look against the neighbors etc.  anyway, we've narrowed it down to a few we really like and maybe like....so i thought i'd gather a few opinions....not saying it's making the decision for us but just for fun anyway:)

so first, this is our home as of today...ugly mushroom color with teal shutters....yuck.  don't forget the brass lights...my favorite!  we will be replacing those too... but all in all, i think it's a nice looking home...not too fancy but classy looking if it has the right colors on it.....oh yes, and we are replacing our roof....hence the tiles stacked up....

now i need to first say that i am aware that these houses are all about 100,000 more in price range than ours so i am aware of them being more attractive in appearance....i'm looking for colors though.... and keep in mind my red brick....

option 1....this is the way i'm leaning....neutral....but i'm having a hard time reconciling myself to red as the accent color...i'm tired of red....and brown seems too boring....

option 2....more beigy....although maybe too mousy....don't know how it would look with the brick...

option 3....don't know if i even like this one....but eric and my mom do....so i'm willing to consider....

and option 4....part of me totally loves this one but i don't know if i've got the guts to do it....this photo is missing my favorite feature which is the plum colored front door...really fun...but do you think it would just be cute on this house and not mine?  

so there you have it....i need feedback....and any suggestions....i may take them, i may not but i promise i'll consider them!

little boys

i have a theory.....it goes something like this....heavenly father has created toddlers so that the more difficult the stage they are in, the cuter they are.  this is some kind of a safety net to protect children from being abused or something.  i know, i've complained a lot lately about the stages we are facing with this one.  he can throw a first-class tantrum with any royalty out there.  but boy, do i melt at his smile and completely infectious giggle.  he is not just difficult in this phase....he is an absolute doll.  

a few days ago, i hit the pillow in complete exhaustion.  despite my fatigue, i tossed and turned through the night at one moment waking to this sleeping face sharing a pillow with me.  i just watched him for a moment contemplating the goodness that radiates from this child.  it's a little frustrating because others don't often see it as he is VERY shy around people he's not familiar with.  but the people at sam's club are on his "i know you well" list.  one of the ladies handing out samples the other day commented how she loves seeing josh there.  and he's hard to miss.....running around....singing or talking REALLY loudly most of the time....he's hard to miss.  she commented on how his personality was so full of light.  i said something about him being a handful and she just said, "but he just has this sparkle in his eyes."  she got it right.  he does.  we've always said that he lights up any room he's in.  he is light in our family.  and such joy.  in two years, he has sealed himself as an essential part of our family dynamic.  and holds a generous chunk of my heart.  

 notice the splinter in his dirty foot....

 and i threw this one in for good measure because what woman alive doesn't covet these eyelashes.....