The Cookes

2012 House Goals

2012-01-27T11:58:00.001-06:00

Before I launch into what I'd like to accomplish this year in our house, I would like to revisit my 2011 House Goals and see how we did.

I finished the playroom, (which was #1) and just finished the laundry room (which was #2) although technically it was finished this year and not in 2011. The master bedroom (which was #3)...was completely neglected. I didn't do a thing except sell our old bedding at a consignment store.

So 2 out of 3 isn't bad. And I actually did a few things last year that were not on my goal list:

1. I put up a gallery wall in our upstairs hallway. And I still love it.

2. I added new hardware to all of our doors. I bought a couple of door knobs very couple of months or so, and by December, I had them all switched out. This was something I had wanted to do at our last house and just never did it. Hardware can be expensive, but doing it this way (buying a little at a time) made it doable. And I love how the new hardware looks. It's the details that make the difference, I think.

3. I put in a mini mud room in our under-the-stairs closet in the living room. It works wonderfully for us.

So, on to 2012. Here's what I would love to accomplish this year (sort of in order of priority):

1. My Office: Get/install a desk. Get a desk chair and some other small furniture pieces. Drapes, paint. There's not too much to do, but it's becoming necessary for me to have my own computer space in the evenings. The spare room upstairs has great potential, but right now it's a huge dumping ground for outgrown baby things and other random items that don't have another home.

2. Pantry: I'd love to organize by building in some more shelves and adding a cabinet and counter top in one corner. This space is pretty good now, but it could be great with a few tweaks.

3. Entry table/door: At the end of last year I purchased a table during a 30% off sale online. I love it, but it is really lonely on that wall with nothing on it or above it. I would like to accessorize this area with a mirror and a few things on the table. I would also like to paint my front door black on the inside. I think it will make it pop against my white trim and most importantly...it will eliminate the fake wood look that it is sporting right now. Blech.

4. Master Bedroom: I would really like to make some progress here because I really have a good idea of what I want. I just need to implement it. I think I have been paralyzed because I haven't found the bedding that matches what I see in my head for that space.

I hope we can make some progress on these four spaces. And maybe even more...who knows?

Catch-up

2012-01-26T10:44:00.001-06:00

It's the end of January and I feel absolutely ridiculous posting Christmas photos, but if you use a feed reader, you saw that I just did. I wanted the photos on my blog for archive purposes, but I pre-dated those posts so they wouldn't show up in late January. So, if you don't use Google Reader or another similar feed reader, you may have missed them. You can certainly go back and catch up (using the links below), if you wish. From here on out, only non-Christmas posts, I promise.

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4

Sleeping Like a Baby

2012-01-23T15:11:00.002-06:00

Laundry Room: Redone

2012-01-18T17:07:00.000-06:00

At the beginning of last year, I listed my laundry room as one of the areas of our house I wanted to address in 2011. I got most of it done in 2011 and just finished the rest of it recently. The reasons I wanted to make some changes to my laundry room mostly stemmed from lack of functionality in that room. And the laundry room should be nothing if not functional.

Here's what it looked like BEFORE:

The things I didn't like / wanted to change:

1. That sink. I hate those plastic sinks with no storage. In fact, I changed out our plastic sink in our old house's laundry room. This time, I wasn't planning on putting another sink in because I wanted a counter for folding space. But due to unforeseen circumstances,that changed (see below).

2. The cabinet color. I planned to paint or replace the upper cabinets white to match the new cabinet I'd put in the sink area.

3. New light fixture.

4. Add a hanging bar between the upper cabinets and the right wall. I had a hanging bar at our old house and used it all the time.

5. Add hooks on the wall opposite the washer/dryer for hanging things.

6. Add color. I planned to paint the walls and add some color via wall art.

7. Paint the back door (to the garage). It's not completely evident by those "before" photos, but the door was pretty beat up.

So, last fall, we got to work deconstructing our laundry room. We removed the upper cabinets (because I decided to replace vs. paint) and the plastic sink. During this time, I used my Pinterest laundry room board to help me gather ideas and inspiration.

And here's what the laundry room looks like now:

First of all, a new washer and dryer were certainly not in the original plans for this room. During this little renovation, we ended up having to replace our washer and decided to get a new dryer at the same time to match. Now that all that fuss (and expense) is behind us, I can safely say that I love my new washer and dryer.

But a new washer/dryer changed my plans for the room. I no longer needed the folding space where the sink was because I planned to put a counter on top of the new front-loaders. So, we did put in a sink after all. And, I obviously decided to forgo the hanging bar idea in favor of more cabinets (in other words...storage). I decided that I didn't really want a hanging bar after all (for several reasons).

The coat rack on that right wall (below) adds so much functionality to the room, especially since it's right by the door to the garage and also very close to the door to our back yard. In the winter it holds coats and hats, and in the summer it holds beach towels, goggles, and swimsuits. It's actually a combination of two coat racks from Target because I wanted the white trim, but the dark bronze hooks. The hooks unscrew at the back and are easily switched out.

The sink is 9 inches deep. I like deep utility sinks. I would have gotten a 10-12 inch if I could have found one in my price range that fit my space.

A few details in the room:

That light fixture is actually intended for outdoors, but was exactly what I wanted. And inside that fixture is a really bright LED light bulb. It's awesome. The glass jars are dual purpose....they look nice and they also camouflage the washer hook-up that sits above the counter top height...and is ugly. You can sort of see it peeking out from behind that right jar. I decided to add a towel ring because whenever we washed our hands in the laundry room sink, we never had anything to dry them with. That mason jar turned soap dispenser is also a sentimental item...the jar was Casey's grandmother's jar. My sister-in-law gave that to us for Christmas last year and I love it in here. And it's not quite evident from the photos, but I added battery-powered under-cabinet lighting that I found on Amazon to help brighten the room.

This watercolor print (below) is by Katie Daisy of The Wheatfield on Etsy. I love it because of the color it adds to the room. It's also the perfect phrase for the laundry room, I think...Be Filled With Joy. And we see it every time we leave and enter our house since it's right by the door to the garage. Perfect.

Casey and I did all the work ourselves. We spread it out over a couple of months just because we're kind of lazy and didn't stay on top of the to-do list. We don't like to always use weekends for work, either.

Here's a complete list of the details:

Wall color: Sea Salt by Sherwin Williams (in satin finish)

Washer: Kenmore Elite from Sears
Dryer: Kenmore Elite from Sears (gas dryer)

In-Stock Cabinetry: American Classics from Home Depot in white

Countertops: Custom order from Lowe's (Formica, Sail White Oxide color, matte finish)

Cabinet Hardware: Target

Sink: Elkay Stainless Steel Single Bowl Sink from Home Depot

Faucet: Moen Special Order from Lowe's

Light Fixture: Outdoor Ceiling Fixture with Seeded Glass from Lighting Direct

Coat Rack: Target

Towel Ring: Target

Hand Towel: Target

Art Print: 13 x 16 Large Format Print from The Wheatfield (Etsy)

White Frame and Mat:    Aaron Brothers
Large Glass Mason Jar: Amazon (with wooden clothespins inside)
Large Glass Jar w/ Lid:    Target (with inexpensive powder detergent inside and a small metal scoop)
Slender Glass Bottle:    Slom Bottle from IKEA (currently empty)
Under-Cabinet Lights:      Amazon

New Chairs

2012-01-14T22:18:00.000-06:00

More than a month ago new chairs for our dining room arrived...my Christmas/Birthday present from my parents. (We found them on Overstock.com). They arrived in four long, skinny boxes. You know what that means...

Ethan had the idea to put two boxes together to make a real closed-in fort. And disappeared in there for quite a while with his toys.

Then, they came to help me assemble the 8 chairs. Whenever I attempt a project like this when they are awake, they are like moths to a flame. They always want to be involved. (You can even see "Pat" the hammer in some of these shots...they bring tools when they come "help.")

Ethan got to work sorting out the screws and washers. I cannot believe that we didn't loose one piece of that hardware after the boys played with them so much. I was just convinced that they would misplace (or throw away) something, but it all turned up when I needed it. Like I said, Ethan sorted everything into piles for me...quite handy, actually:

Logan climbed onto an upside down chair seat...

....and then couldn't figure out how to get off. Oh, that face!

Then, while Ethan was off playing in the boxes again, Logan took his turn with the hardware. (He's doesn't really put things in his mouth anymore, but I kept a close eye on him anyway.)

Logan is my mimicker. He copies things so accurately and always wants to do whatever Ethan, Mommy, or Daddy is doing. It's pretty cute.

Puppy Party Printables

2012-01-11T08:00:00.000-06:00

Logan's first birthday party last August had a puppy theme. I made a few tweaks to the invitation and party printables so that I can share them with you. I can't share them exactly the way I did them for his party because they included some elements that I purchased. And that designer's terms of use don't allow me to share those elements as part of a freebie. (Sorry.) But, I think they are still cute so print away if they fit your needs!

(Click on the images below to download)

Indulgent Weekend

2012-01-10T13:48:00.004-06:00

It has taken me almost two days to get back into reality after this past weekend. That's because Nonnie and Papaw (Casey's parents) kept Ethan and Logan at their house Friday and Saturday night. And Casey and I had almost one of the best weekends ever. Not to say that we didn't miss the boys, but we packed so much fun into the couple of days that they were gone. And I'm pretty sure they had fun too.

On my way home on Friday (after dropping off the boys), my mom called me to see if I wanted to go get a manicure and pedicure. I did. It's something I rarely get the chance to do. After that, we decided (on a whim) to go to a nearby antique "mall" that we've been wanting to check out. It was really cool and we spent about an hour in there just roaming around. Definitely not something to do with children in tow.

That night my family got together at Kobe Steaks to celebrate my birthday. After dinner, Casey and I went to see a movie. Our first in many, many months. In fact, we couldn't remember the last movie we saw...we are pretty sure it was Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2, which would have been July last year.

Saturday, we slept in. That is a huge indulgence and I loved every minute. Even though I was wide awake at 7, I didn't have to get up. I got to read in bed for a couple of hours before getting up to shower. Then, we headed to have brunch at a favorite spot over by our old house. We both had appointments for hair cuts that day, so we did that after brunch, and then went to another movie. Two in one weekend. Amazing.

Then, we checked into the Gaylord Texan hotel for the night and went to dinner at their Old Hickory Steakhouse. The food was amazing. By this point, we could not believe all the things we'd been able to do in such a short time away from our boys.

We watched another movie that night in the room and slept in the next morning. Then, we packed up, checked out, and headed home to see our boys! Logan was asleep when they pulled up and went straight to his nap. Ethan was talkative about his weekend and shared some of his favorite parts.

It's hard for kids to reenter the realm of home (with parents) after being in the fun-zone at their grandparents' house. But, they've done well and Casey and I are still on a high from the amazing time we had. Since both sets of grandparents love to keep our boys, we've decided that we're doing this at least one more time this year!

Four Christmases (Part 4)

2012-01-09T16:28:00.000-06:00

Our fourth and final Christmas was on December 30...a week after Christmas at Nonnie and Papaw's house (Casey's parents). Casey's sister (who lives in Oklahoma) had to work the weekend of Christmas (she's a nurse). So, we got together after Christmas. I have to say, this was kind of cool. It stretched Christmas out for another week, which was fun for everyone, and it made the day so relaxing for us since we weren't pressed to get anywhere else that day.

The boys had stocking at Nonnie and Papaw's house too...bringing the stocking count to three. Santa sure is generous. All the kids opened their presents first...

Ethan was so excited about his giant pencil:

Nonnie's present from all her kids and their spouses was a framed photo of all the grandkids that I secretly took back in November with the help of Aunt Linda.

Here's a closer look at that photo. I can't believe all FIVE boys sat still and actually smiled for me. It was a Christmas miracle.

Logan was taking a nap when all the other kids were opening presents, so he got a huge audience when he woke up and opened his presents.

The little boy who loves to drink out of a straw is beside himself with joy at receiving a huge plastic straw in his stocking.

And then daddy taught him how to make the straw "whistle" by blowing into it. And Ethan caught on too...and it got really loud with whistling...and then we were all sorry that Casey had introduced that trick.

Apparently Logan was not too fond of the feel of his Santa ball...it was sort of like a Koosh ball, but softer.

But he did enjoy his new scooter / ride-on toy!

After presents, we all headed outside because the day was gorgeous and because there were 5 boys that wanted to run around outside.

The trampoline is always a highlight of our visits to Nonnie and Papaw's house.

And this was Logan's first time to jump on the trampoline. He loved it.

Grandaddy Price got to love on Logan and was really good at making him laugh.

This is Ethan in the middle of telling us all a story.

This was a great day and a wonderful way to wrap up Christmas 2011!

Four Christmases (Part 3)

2012-01-08T16:26:00.000-06:00

The third Christmas this year was on Christmas Day at my parents' house. After we had our Christmas at home, we cleaned up and got dressed for church. And then, just as we pulled into a parking space at the building, Logan threw up. It got all over his cute Christmas outfit AND I didn't have anything else for him to wear. I am sort of past carrying extra clothes because I never need them. Until I do. So, we turned back around and went back home to clean up the littlest. He ended up taking a nap while I washed his outfit and car seat (ugh). Then we went over to my parents' house for lunch.

A smiley boy and his Mimi (despite the incident in the car that morning, and the fact that he was battling an ear infection.)

The boys had stockings at Mimi and Pop's house too. A phone for Logan, and some more Cars characters for Ethan. Both boys got some plush Disney characters as well.

Believe it or not, this was the best photo of the four of us. Logan will not put down his Cheerios for anything...we don't even try anymore. And Ethan. Who knows what that face is? And he is tightly grasping...Daisy. Yes, Daisy. And his new Cars Pez dispenser.

Opening presents was like controlled chaos. At times, not so controlled. But fun.

Poor Logan. Opening presents is tiring. Especially when you didn't sleep very well the night before (due to congestion). But daddy doesn't mind cuddling.

Uncle Kevin and Ethan look at one of Logan's new toys.

And Christmas wouldn't be complete (at least for Ethan) without watching Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer.

Four Christmases (Part 2)

2012-01-07T15:55:00.000-06:00

Our "second" Christmas happened at home! On Christmas eve and Christmas morning. It is getting more and more fun to have our little Christmas at home as the boys get older. This year, Ethan picked out one of our sugar cookies for Santa. And with Daddy's help, poured him some milk too.

Logan missed this part of the evening because we had gotten home late from my parents' house and he was completely wiped out. Ethan was so excited about Santa's visit, but he went right to sleep when his head hit the pillow too!

Then, on Christmas morning, the boys woke up about 7:30 and we went to get them. I took video of them coming down the stairs, so I don't have good pictures of that. (I only have two hands/arms). They got a tool bench and some tools/accessories from Santa as well as stockings with a few goodies.

Logan got a double decker bus...one of the Cars 2 characters. His name is Topper Deckington III.

Ethan asked Santa for 4 very specific Cars 2 characters to go with his collection of Cars....and he got all four of them. He was so impressed.

The $4 flashlights that Santa got at Target were a big hit and still are. They're LED flashlights and the handle lights up (in color) too. It will flash if you press the button twice. Ethan got a blue one and Logan got a red one.

They each got a personalized superhero cape, cuffs, and mask from Casey and me (all purchased from Etsy). I almost didn't get one for Logan since I knew it would be huge on him, but it was a good thing I did. He wants to be just like his big brother so when Ethan wears his cape, Logan wants to wear his too.

Four Christmases (Part 1)

2012-01-06T08:30:00.000-06:00

This year we had three Christmas gatherings (along with Christmas at our house) and they were all spaced a week apart. So our Christmas celebrations lasted extra-long this year and that was really fun. It was also pretty relaxing for us since we weren't trying to run all over town to make it to all our family Christmases in the same day or weekend. They each had their own day...even their own week! And we really enjoyed each one.

I took over 1000 photos total for Christmas. Isn't that nuts? I did not keep them all, of course. There are only so many shots of someone opening gifts that you need. But, even after narrowing them down...there are still a lot.

Our first Christmas was with Casey's grandparents at their home and the rest of Casey's family...aunts, uncles, cousins, etc.

Ethan playing basketball with his cousins, Kyle and Carter:

Lily (second cousin) shows Logan a video:

Uncle Jeff reading to Logan:

Nonnie and Papaw help Logan with his gifts. He loved the bows:

One of Ethan's gifts was a remote control car....Lightning McQueen. Can you tell he was excited?

Long Lost Photos

2012-01-05T00:02:00.005-06:00

These photos are from October 2011. And they were never actually lost, per se. They just sat in my "unedited" file on my computer for longer than usual. And when I finally got around to editing them, the holiday season hit and I never shared them on the blog. But, when I look back at them, I am still so glad I captured some moments that day. The first few photos (the ones inside the house) were taken on one day and the rest (the outside ones) were taken the very next day. And Ethan is inexplicably wearing the same pajamas in all the photos. Also, Logan is only 14 months old in these. These photos just really make me smile. So, even though we are way past October 2011, I just had to share:

Goals for 2012

2012-01-04T22:23:00.000-06:00

I don't usually make resolutions at the beginning of every new year. Sometimes I think about things I want to change and I kind of like to use the word "goals" to describe those things. This year, I'm going to write down some of my goals. Just so I can look back and see what I hoped to do this year. Here they are, in no particular order:

1. Go to bed earlier. I really need to work on this one. Before kids I got about 9-10 hours of sleep a night (no kidding). And it was awesome. I just went to bed whenever I was tired at night (usually around 9-10pm). And because of that, I hardly ever felt tired during the day. I realize that 9-10 hours a night is probably not possible for me at this time in my life no matter how great that would feel. But, I know I can do better than 6 hours. Basically, I'd like to be in bed and turning out the light by 11pm every night.

2. Read at least 2 books a month. This one is an ongoing goal from previous years. Usually this happens without me even trying. Or I'll have an off-year like 2011, where I was 3 books short of this goal.

3. Make and Print Albums. This is the year. I know it. I really, really want to make a real effort to finish and print the boys' baby books. If that happens, then I want to move on to printing a few family albums. I haven't decided yet if I'll allow a blog book to double as a family album or if I want to do something separate. But no matter what, I want some albums printed.

4. Workout 3 times a week. This falls into the cliche new year's goal category. But, it's still a goal of mine. Ideally, I'd love to learn to workout more than 3 times a week, but I need an attainable goal. Especially for something like this. I've had periods of great success with working out consistently in my past. And then I had kids. Which is actually not a great excuse. We make time for the things that are important to us. And truthfully, working out (because I don't particularly enjoy it) is not something that is important to me. But staying healthy is...and I'm not 20 anymore!

I'm trying to keep things simple and realistic, so 4 goals is enough for this year. We will see how it goes. I will celebrate small victories along the way and I will not beat myself up if I don't end up doing things exactly as I would like. Also, (and maybe this should be a goal itself) I will do my best not to compare myself with others when it comes to these goals (or anything else, really).

2012 Books

2012-01-02T22:26:00.000-06:00

11/22/63: A Novel by Stephen King (9)

Happy 2012

2012-01-01T16:05:00.002-06:00

I took an unintentional blogging break this past week. Actually, it was a computer break. I only got on the computer a couple of times to check email. Like I said, it wasn't planned, but it sure was nice. Except now I still have 3 million Christmas photos to sort through and edit.

Last week we spent a lot of time together as a family since Casey was able to take a few days off. We even made some great progress on our laundry room, which I have been updating/changing. It was one of my house goals for 2011 to redo the laundry room and we almost got it done before December 31st, but not quite.

I have some goals for 2012 for the house and for myself. The new year is such a great time to look forward and make plans. But first, I spent a little time yesterday looking back at 2011. It was a wonderful year for our family. It started out with some uncertainty and a big change job-wise for Casey. But it ended up being a great decision.

I don't think I wrote about this on the blog, but Casey quit his job in January 2011 and, along with 2 partners, opened their own office/branch. Like I said, there was a great deal of uncertainty involved in that decision, but Casey doesn't leap into things without a lot of thought and we knew it would be worth the risk. And it was.

The rest of the year went right along without a hitch for us. We had some great times:

I turned 30, we had a big snow fall (and Logan got to experience snow for the first time.). We had another snow storm, which led to several days at home together. Logan started crawling. My brother got married at my parents' lake house amid raging wild fires. Ethan turned 3 (and we celebrated with a Cars party), Casey and I celebrated 8 years of marriage, and we went to Sea World (day 1, day 2). The Mavs won the Championship. I finished the playroom and Ethan went to his first movie at the theater. Logan turned one, started walking, and we had a puppy party for his birthday. Ethan took swimming lessons and started a second year of preschool. Then, the holidays introduced a flurry of fun activities, which are too numerous to list.

Whew. What a great year. Looking back on it makes me realize how blessed we are. So, it's good to look back sometimes. But, now I'm ready to look forward to 2012. I have some things planned. Yes, I do. More on that later. Right now, I'm going outside with Ethan so he can ride his tricycle.

Merry Christmas 2011

2011-12-24T09:56:00.001-06:00

Our family photos were taken by Summer Photography.

Lights!

2011-12-23T14:21:00.000-06:00

Tuesday night we put the boys in the car after baths (in their PJs) to go look at Christmas lights. This year was SO much better than last year. Ethan is still in awe of all the lights, but this time Logan was too. Last year he was 4 months old, hated his car seat, and screamed the whole time, which does not make for a leisurely drive.

Of course, Ethan had to take along his Rudolph characters (he brought Rudolph, Clarice, and the Bumble).

This photo of Logan is an example of what I like to call, "embracing the grain." It's what happens when you are shooting in (really) low light, high ISO (4000), and don't nail (or even come close to) the correct exposure. Ouch. And I didn't notice at the time so I didn't re-shoot it. But, I'm putting it in here for the memory. And as a reminder of what not to do. It's not even presentable in color.

We went to a neighborhood that is near our house and very well known for their Christmas light displays. There are people in there (whole streets, in fact) that go nuts with lights. It's crazy and amazing and wonderful.

Ethan wanted his window rolled down the whole time so he could see better even though it was pretty cold. He kept saying, "Look, mommy! Look, daddy! Did you see that?" So sweet.

Logan babbled and pointed in from his new vantage point...we turned his seat around to face forward for this drive so he could actually see the lights. He loved it.

There were even a couple of houses whose lights were synchronized to music. They had signs telling you which radio station to tune into to hear the music that went along with their lights. So cool and fun.

This house had reindeer taking off from their yard and hung over and across the street.

Then there was this street...you could see it from a mile away there are so many lights. They had lights strung between the two houses across the street. That's some very cool neighborly cooperation.

There was also a "Disney" house with hand painted characters. Ethan was so excited to see some of the "Cars" at this house.

*Thanks to Casey for taking many of these photos since I was driving.

Christmas Sugar Cookies

2011-12-22T22:26:00.001-06:00

Earlier this week, Ethan and I made Christmas sugar cookies again like we did last year. Since we've been baking together for a whole year since then, he has learned so much. (I will forewarn you...there are about a million and one photos in this post. Just of making cookies. I know. I got a little carried away.)

No...he can't read yet, but Ethan was determined to help me with the recipe. We used Bake at 350's cut-out cookie recipe (which is wonderful) and store-bought cookie icing to decorate our cookies.

Since last year, Ethan has learned how to crack eggs. He really enjoys doing it and rarely ever gets any shells in the bowl (we do use a separate bowl from the main one, though...just in case.)

This time, I wanted to teach him how to roll out the dough by himself to the correct thickness so I gave him a "test" ball of dough to work with. He was such a fast learner.

Then he learned how to place the cookie cutters to get the most cookies out of his rolled dough and also how to make the shapes turn out nicely. He was really proud when he figured out how to press straight down and then wiggle a little before lifting the cutter back up.

"I did it, mommy!" (That is literally what he said when I was taking this photo below.)

We made cookies in the shapes of Christmas trees, gingerbread men, and candy canes.

What a sweet little baker. That reminds me...Ethan totally gets into the playing the part of a baker. He insists that we call each other "Baker Ethan" and "Baker Mommy." It's really precious and definitely makes me smile. And it makes me laugh when he corrects me when I forget to call him by his proper role-play name.

Playing with some scraps....he might have taken a bite or two of dough. I am probably a bad mom for letting him taste dough with raw eggs in it, but I did.

The decorating was so much fun. There's that store-bought cookie icing. It was perfect. We had red, green, and white.

I had to keep telling Ethan to put more icing on his cookies. He just wanted to do the sprinkles. I finally had to demonstrate that none of his sprinkles would stick if there wasn't any icing. Plus, icing is sort of my favorite part.

Adding two kinds of sprinkles simultaneously.

See? Sprinkles are thrilling. Cheap thrills. I love that about kids.

Here are some of our finished products. I decorated almost as many cookies as Ethan. It was fun for me too! And it made it more fun that we were really doing it together. (I think it will be triple the fun when Logan gets to join us next year.)

And here are some of Ethan's cookies. If you look closely, you can see the red eyes and mouth on the tree. He was very specific (and proud) to point that out that the tree had a face on it. The gingerbread man has a face too under all those sprinkles.

Book Page Table Runner

2011-12-21T13:18:00.000-06:00

Ever since I saw the Nester's Book Release Party decor (go check it out...so cool) made almost entirely from book pages, I knew I wanted to incorporate at least one idea from her party into a book club meeting at my house. I ended up hosting our book club's Christmas meeting this year so I decided to make a book page table runner for my holiday table.

This was literally a 30 minute project from start to finish. Unfortunately, I didn't take photos of the steps because I didn't think about it. But I can briefly describe the really easy process. First, I bought a $1 paperback book (it was Hard Times by Dickens) at my local Half Price Books. I chose it because the pages were the right size for my project and I liked the slight yellowing that was happening on the edges. Then, I carefully tore out all the pages from the book (one at a time).

I used a roll of wrapping paper from Target's $1 section for the base of my runner because it was the perfect width for the runner. I just rolled it out on my table and cut it the length I wanted it to be. I laid it out flat in my garage over some scrap cardboard.

Then, I started on one end and sprayed a section of the wrapping paper with spray adhesive. I placed the pages on the paper with the edges slightly over the edge of the wrapping paper on the sides and end to make sure it was fully covered. I just worked my way down the length of the paper, spraying and placing book pages. Then, I went back over the top with some more adhesive and pages where I felt it needed to be filled in.

The final step was to spray a little glitter on top. I used silver spray glitter by Krylon. I had some left over from another Christmas project so I figured I might as well add it. It was the perfect finishing touch to the runner. It's impossible to see from the photo, but at night, with the candlelight, the runner was sparkling.

The North Pole Express

2011-12-20T20:47:00.002-06:00

A couple of Saturday's ago, my parents joined us to take the boys on the Grapevine Vintage Railroad's North Pole Express train ride. It's something that's been on my radar for a couple of years, but I purposely waited until Ethan was old enough to really enjoy it. And he did. But so did Logan. A real train ride is always a big hit with our two.

The boys wore their PJ's, of course, but we also had to put on some coats and hats because it was pretty cold that day.

This next photo is not my favorite of me or Casey, but it perfectly shows the delight Ethan got from the "snow" they had blowing among the maze of trees that led you to the train platform. It was actually a foam of some sort, but was a really neat effect.

I think Logan is a little cold here (below), which is why he's making that face. We were going from one heated building to the heated train and we didn't put his coat on in between...but maybe we should have! (He does have another layer on under his PJ's, though).

*Edited to add...Logan may have indeed been cold, but my mom tells me that face is because he did not care for the "snow." Ha!*

While Ethan preferred a seat near the aisle so that he could take in the actual train, Logan loved his seat by the window.

That look of anticipation is for Santa...he had just entered our car during the train ride.

Santa handed out bells to each child on the train. Considering that Ethan has watched The Polar Express many times this season (and read the book), he loved getting a bell from Santa. Logan, on the other hand, was clearly not sure what to think of the man with the suit and beard. But he got a bell too.

The boys still play with their bells. This was definitely a fun outing for our family and perfectly suited our boys. We will probably do it again in a couple of years.

The Most Wonder-full Time of the Year

2011-12-19T19:27:00.001-06:00

This year, I put our Christmas tree up during the boys' nap time right after Thanksgiving. When they woke up, they were both in awe when they came downstairs. Now, Ethan turns the lights on by himself every morning. He proclaimed that his responsibility and he is really proud of it. Usually it's the first thing he thinks about in the morning..."mommy, I have to go turn the lights on." Good morning to you too, son.

Logan has done really well with the tree this year. He is right at 16 months old and he is very good to just touch the ornaments with one finger (that's our rule). He still gets to explore it a little, but not in a destructive way. I have put our tree out with our same ornaments each year even when the boys were/are little and it has never been a problem with either one of them. I do put the breakable ornaments up high, but we don't actually have very many of those...most of them are plastic or other materials, which is nice. But the boys still don't take them off the tree. Somehow they've been able to handle the rule.

Trains at NorthPark 2011

2011-12-16T21:32:00.000-06:00

We went back to the Trains at NorthPark again this year and it was even more fun than last year. Ethan was super excited to see the trains. He told me on the way there that it was taking "way too long" to get there! And Logan, who did not know what to expect at all, was absolutely thrilled with the trains. He loved it. They were both like kids in a candy store.

I even spotted a sponsored train car that said, "Ethan 2010, Love, Mimi and Pops." (Ethan calls my mom and dad Mimi and Pop.)

Hey, Logan....want to get a little closer to the glass?

I usually don't aim for photos of the back of my boys' heads. But in this case, these just show how intent they were on looking at everything in the displays.

This one cracks me up...Logan literally wanted to leap from my arms into the display so he could play with the trains. Not that I blame him. I love the expression on his face....

We went right when it opened on a weekday (I highly recommend that, if possible) and there were not that many people there. We spent about 30-40 minutes looking at the trains and got to see them all as much as we wanted. It still wasn't that crowded when we left.

I love that there are things like the Trains at NorthPark to enjoy with my boys as part of what makes this season so fun and special.

Holiday Sparkle

2011-12-15T22:37:00.001-06:00

I am having a ton of fun using Christmas lights in my photos this holiday season. On this particular day, I was actually able to get some really sweet shots of both boys. Even ones of them together. They have both grown so much since last Christmas, but each year this season gets more and more fun to do with them. And just like last year, something about this season makes me stop and be truly thankful for them. And for these years when they are young and things are magical.

(PS - I got the boys' shirts on Etsy from the fabulous Lil Shabebe and the lollipops from Tom Thumb.)

Gingerbread House 2011

2011-12-14T21:44:00.001-06:00

Ethan and I decorated a gingerbread house again this year. Just like last year, we bought a gingerbread house that was already assembled so we could just focus on decorating instead of construction. This house even already had some icing decorations on it, which I loved.

Ethan decided where each piece of candy would go. I had several options available for him and he decided on each one. He selected each gumdrop by color to go on the roof. He was very particular about it. This time all I did was pipe the icing on there for him as "glue" for the candy.

I love how careful he was about placing every single piece. This child had no trouble placing the pieces in a straight row. He would get upset if they weren't straight. Sounds like someone else I know...

When we were done with putting all the candy on the house, I thought it could use a little sparkle so I pulled out our Kosher salt. Ethan sprinkled it on the wet icing to act as some sparkly snow. He really enjoyed that part.

There's something so appealing and fun about a house that is made of cookies and candy. Ethan is proud of his creation and likes to see it on the counter in the kitchen. I love this fun tradition.

(I realize Ethan has totally crazy hair in these photos. But, that's a pretty realistic depiction of what it looks like on days we don't go anywhere...I just don't bother combing it.)

I Love Dr. Seuss

2011-12-13T14:36:00.000-06:00

I loved Dr. Seuss as a kid, and now I love reading those same books to my boys. Logan is at the age where he loves "The Foot Book" and "Dr. Seuss's ABC's." Ethan loves the longer Dr. Seuss books like "One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish." This year, he is loving "How the Grinch Stole Christmas." too. We've read the book and watched the movie several times already. That Dr. Seuss is brilliant. I just love the rhymes and the whimsical words he uses. He tells seriously good stories but doesn't take them too seriously. You know what I mean? He plays with words in such a wonderful, imaginative way. And I have a fondness for him since I played The Cat in the Hat in a skit for Odyssey of the Mind when I was in 5th grade.

Here's a bit of those brilliant "lyrics" from his Grinchy story about Christmas:

(click the photo to download the quote graphic)

Wrapping Challenge

2011-12-12T10:12:00.001-06:00

Gift wrap is my cup of tea. I love it. I could probably go broke every year in The Container Store's Gift Wrap Wonderland and I have seen several gorgeous wrapping goodies at Target this season.

If you're on Pinterest, perhaps you've seen these amazing examples of simple, but pretty wrapping for the holidays:

Sources: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8

I sort of notice a little trend, don't you? Brown paper and twine. Yes, apparently it's big this year, and I love it. And I just happen to have brown paper. Actually, because of my penchant for gift wrap, I have quite a collection of all wrapping supplies. So, this year, instead of buying new stuff, I am issuing myself a challenge....only use the wrapping supplies I already have.

I'll probably be using my own gift tags and labels. And maybe some that I've found around the web too. There are lots of free printable tags out there. Just Google it. Or use Pinterest. Happy wrapping!

Disney on Ice

2011-12-09T08:30:00.000-06:00

The weekend after Thanksgiving we went to Disney on Ice at an event center really close to our house. My parents treated us to the show (even though they couldn't go) and I wouldn't have even known about it if it wasn't for my mom. Way to pay attention to local events, Mimi!

Anyway, this was our first time to take the boys to any show like this at all. And it was a huge success. They both loved it. Casey and I did too. It was so fun.

Me, my littlest, and my crazy hair:

Ethan knew some of the characters and understood most of the story lines so it was such a thrill for him. He was enthralled the whole time, but he was especially excited when Mickey and his friends would come out on the ice. He had no idea what to expect, and seeing his face when the show finally started and he realized what it was going to be....was priceless.

We were not sure how Logan would do during the show, but he sat absolutely still for the entire first half. I am not kidding. I don't think the child moved a muscle that whole time. His eyes were locked on the show. For the second half, which was past his bedtime...he got restless. But he got interested again when Captain Hook and the pirates came out.

The show we went to was called Mickey and Minnie's Magical Journey. Mickey and friends were traveling around the globe to different destinations and characters from those settings performed during their visit. The Lion King (Africa), The Little Mermaid (Under the Sea), Lilo and Stitch (Hawaii), and Peter Pan (London).

Here's Mickey and the gang dressed for their safari to Africa:

Simba, Pumbaa, and Timon:

One of my favorite parts of the show was during The Little Mermaid leg of the journey. The "Under the Sea" number was so colorful with all the sea life and they had bubbles coming down from the ceiling. You can see Sebastian and Flounder in this shot:

The parachute/umbrella things they used for the jellyfish in this scene were also very cool:

Mickey came over to our corner to say "hi" to the kids, which Ethan loved:

Mickey and friends in jolly ol' London:

Peter Pan, Wendy, John, and Michael actually flying out of the nursery...a moment of awe for our boys:

It just wouldn't be a show without pirates showing up. Actually, that was a highlight for our two little guys:

And very close to the end...a giant crocodile coming for Captain Hook:

I would have gotten a few photos of the grand finale, but that was when Logan was starting to lose it, so I had my hands full. But because we were so close to home, 15 minutes after the end of the show we were walking in our back door and getting ready for bed. It was so easy. I would say that I enjoyed the show more than even the boys, but they enjoyed it a lot so I'm not sure that's true!

By the way, if you ever intend to go to a Disney on Ice show, here are some of my opinions/tips:

1. Don't bother paying extra for the floor seats. Unless you can be sure you're going to be in the front row, you will be sitting behind at least one row of people or more without risers. It is a worse view than the seats above the floor that are tiered. We sat just to the left of center "stage" and about 4 rows up in the risers. Significantly less expensive and a great view. The stage is actually centered on what is usually considered the end of the ice rink, but getting side seats (on the long sides) would be absolutely fine. The show is all over the rink and you would really not miss a thing from those seats. (PS - we didn't have to buy a ticket for Logan because he was under two.)

2. Even if it is not cold oustide, bring a sweatshirt, sweater, or jacket for your kids (and you, if you don't like being cold.) It is cold near an ice rink, obviously.

3. Bring your own snacks if the event center allows. Ours actually didn't, but they also didn't do bag searches at the doors. So, we made it in with our few snacks. I guess I'm not as much of a rule-follower as I thought. And I wish I had brought more. There were concessions if we had wanted to buy food there.

4. Bring your own "toys." My mom thoughtfully got the boys small Mickey Mouse plush toys to take to the show. They were a big hit with the boys since Mickey was in the show and we didn't have to buy the overpriced ones for sale there. And boy, they were definitely overpriced.

'Tis The Season

2011-12-08T13:08:00.000-06:00

...for giving gifts. I made several treat topper designs for Christmas because I couldn't make up my mind on what I wanted. As it turns out, I will probably use all of them in one way or another. Ethan and I haven't put together the little gifts we have planned for his teachers yet. We're not really making anything this time, but he's going to help me "write" them a letter and wrap up their gift cards. But for the several recipients of some homemade goodies this year, these toppers will do the trick.

(All of these are available for download, of course. Click on each image to download.)

Crazy Kid

2011-12-05T23:37:00.000-06:00

Macro Love

2011-12-04T14:24:00.000-06:00

During Thanksgiving, I was using my 24-70mm lens to take family snapshots of what everyone was doing in my in-laws back yard. Their back yard just happens to be beautifully landscaped by Casey's mom, Donna. And part of that landscaping attracts beautiful butterflies. As I was sitting on the porch, I was able to sneak fairly close and zoom in on this butterfly. Despite the fact that 70mm is not super macro, I got a pretty close-up shot. And it got me thinking about what would be possible with the 100mm. Hmmm.

I also played around in Photoshop with the editing on this photo. I really like both of these edits for different reasons.

Logan in Boots

2011-12-03T21:35:00.001-06:00

These photos are from a month ago. I just got around to looking at them. Isn't that crazy? It's been a bit of a busy month. I am trying to play catch-up with my photos...and these just show Logan's little personality perfectly. Let me set the scene...Ethan was watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, I was folding laundry (or trying to), and Logan was making his way around the house like a tornado as usual. But he's such a cute little tornado.

This little boy loves to put on these boots. He brings them to me all the time to put on for him. But, the thing is...he can't walk in them. He's getting better, but they are SO big on his feet!

Such a big helper with the laundry. Actually, I usually toss the clean socks in a pile on the floor to pair up after I'm done folding all the other laundry, but my little helper kept putting them back in the big pile for me! He is in that stage right now where he likes to put things away for me. He will even throw something away in the trash can if I ask him to. So sweet.

A rare still moment. He is not one to sit and work all these puzzles like Ethan would because he just likes to be on the go. But, he loves the pieces!

Thanksgiving 2011

2011-12-02T23:05:00.001-06:00

Well, now that's it's December it seems that everything is full speed ahead toward Christmas. But I haven't posted any Thanksgiving photos yet! And we had two wonderful days with each side of our family. Wonderful weather, fun games, and fabulous food. So, allow me to slip these in before we are too far into this month!

First up...the Fair Thanksgiving. We tried a new dressing this year with our turkey. Williams-Sonoma's Herbed Quinoa and Red Rice Stuffing. It was a success. Along with ALL the other food. I made something new too...Picky Palate's Double Chocolate Pumpkin Cake with Pumpkin Spice Buttercream. It pretty much lives up to it's name...fabulous. We watched a little football (soccer) since the football (Cowboy) game didn't come on until later. Logan had his lunch after his nap since he was too tired to eat when we did. My brother Kevin, and his wife, Jill, were there too...they just somehow escaped the photos.

Next up, the Cooke Thanksgiving. We had a superstar lineup of food including Casey's all-time favorite...his Memaw Price's dressing accompanied by Grandaddy's amazing turkey. My favorite was the caramel cheesecake, but we all know I have a serious sweet tooth. The guys played 42 and there was a little football thrown in there. The big hit for Ethan was playing with his cousins. They are all older than him but are so sweet with him because they totally play along in his pretend world. And the trampoline. He could not get enough of both of those things.

Date Day

2011-11-27T22:30:00.000-06:00

Ethan and I had a day all to ourselves last week right before Thanksgiving. I had my mom keep Logan so Ethan and I could have a special day. Logan and I get our times together when Ethan is at school. And Ethan and I spend time together during Logan's morning naps, but it is rare that Ethan and I are able to go out alone together.

We got up and had a little bit of a lazy morning. Then, we headed out to buy a Christmas gift, which is actually really fun for Ethan at this age. He's really a great shopping partner. We only went to one place to get one thing, so it didn't take long. Then we took off to the library. Ethan got to pick out a few books and check out (almost) all by himself at the self-checkout. It was thrilling for him to touch the buttons on the screen. Then, just as we were about to leave, I noticed that story time for Ethan's age group was about to start in 10 minutes. So, we browsed a while longer and then went to story time, which was all about super heroes...perfect for Ethan.

I asked Ethan where he wanted to go for lunch and he emphatically said, "Chick-fil-A!" I assure you, it is all due to the playground and not the food, although he does like to food too. On our way there, Casey called us and on a whim, he decided to come join us for lunch. It was so fun and spontaneous for us to see him during our special day.

After wearing out the slide at Chick-fil-A, we went back home where Ethan crashed for his nap. And when he woke up, the sun had finally peeked out from behind the clouds (which I why he wore the dressy outfit all day...we are usually much more casual!), so we went to a nearby park to take those 3.5 year photos I posted the other day.

Toward the end of the day Ethan said he wanted to go pick up Logan. He was ready to see his brother, which is funny because they fought in the car on the way home! But I had a fun and memorable day with my oldest boy. We will definitely have to do this again sometime.

Countdown to Christmas

2011-11-26T23:04:00.000-06:00

My halls are nearly decked. But one thing I made sure to have done by December 1st (I'm early!) is my Advent calendar. I have wanted to do an Advent calendar and/or Countdown to Christmas for a couple of years. But after seeing the idea on Pinterest to do an "activity" Advent, I was sold. The idea is to do an activity (big or small) or tradition each day in December until Christmas. Most of the activities I chose are things we would do anyway at home during this season. This is relatively low key, but I think it will be fun for Ethan (and eventually Logan) to pull out each day's tag and see what we'll be doing that day.

You could DIY your advent calendar out of scrapbook paper or with felt (both of which are super-cute). I love that felt one so much I almost made it this year. But I've had my eye on the Pottery Barn Kids Telluride Advent calendar for a few years now. It always sells out so quickly, but this year, I snagged one really early and I love it!

For the tags to go inside, I made my own in Photoshop and printed them on cardstock. I got two spools of fun Christmas ribbon in the $1 section at Target, which I used to finish off the tags.

Here's our full list of activities. It actually took me a while to decide on some of them. Some of them are happening on certain dates, but for most of them, I'm pretty sure I will be switching around tags each evening based on what I want to do the next day!

1. Drink Hot Chocolate
2. Drive around and look at Christmas Lights
3. Make Christmas Cookies
4. Make Gingerbread House
5. Watch a Christmas Movie
6. See the Trains at Northpark
7. Ride the Polar Express
8. Enjoy a fire in the fireplace
9. Have Snowman donuts for breakfast
10. Read the story of the birth of Jesus
11. Do a Christmas Puzzle
12. Color special Christmas pictures
13. Get a new Christmas book
14. Buy gifts for our Angel Tree Child
15. Wrap some presents
16. Have a family picnic/movie night
17. Bake a Christmas treat
18. Make presents for preschool teachers
19. Do a Christmas scavenger hunt
20. Sing Christmas Carols
21. Go have lunch with daddy
22. Visit Santa
23. Wear Christmas Pajamas
24. Read Christmas books

Here are my tags available for download (click the photo) if you'd like to use them for your own Advent calendar or just for gift tags.

Ethan: 3.5 Years

2011-11-25T00:30:00.000-06:00

The other day, I realized that Ethan is half way to 4 years old. What??? So, naturally, I took him out to take some photos. This kid is funny, silly, sweet, sensitive, smart, and is one of the brightest spots in our lives. This 3rd year so far has been a year of stretching, independence, and testing boundaries...and testing my patience from time to time. But it's such a fun age too...so many new things, accomplishments, and learning. One thing I've learned is that having kids teaches you more about yourself than you ever wanted to know. Good and bad!

The day he was born and I held him in my arms for the first time, if you would have told me that I could ever love him more, I would not have believed you. But it's actually true. I love being with him and I love his personality. I love being his mom. I would totally hit "pause" on life right now if I could!

If this location looks familiar...it's because it's the same place I took Logan for his 15 month photos about a week ago.

Thankful

2011-11-24T00:30:00.000-06:00

I have so much to be thankful for this year. Actually, I have so much to be thankful for always. Our "thankful tree" was not only a big success with Ethan, but it was so great for me to hear the things he was thankful for. Things I never would have thought of...like lights, colors, and airplanes.

Some days, Ethan would remind me that we needed to put our "leaves" on the tree for that day, and he would ask me what I was thankful for. And yesterday, the day before Thanksgiving, he said, "mommy, look at all the leaves on our thank-you tree. There are so many of them!" Indeed, it is great to see that tree weighed down with all our leaves of thankfulness.

This Thanksgiving day, we are watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade, eating some turkey, taking some naps, watching some football and relaxing with family. Then we'll repeat most of that tomorrow with more family.

So, Happy Thanksgiving! Here are my two little turkeys (I actually call them that a lot...not just on Thanksgiving). Along with their daddy, they are on the top of my blessings list. Love them.

Rain Gazing

2011-11-21T21:47:00.000-06:00

A couple of years ago I took a photo of Ethan peering out our front door at a rain storm. For some reason, that photo struck a cord with me. I love it because it shows his sweet little silhouette, his awe and wonder at the rain, and his chubby little arms reaching outside:

And here is Logan, at the same age, looking at a rain storm we had last week. I love it for all the same reasons. This toddler age is just the greatest:

And then here is Ethan, almost exactly two years from that first photo. I guess looking at the rain is still fun/mesmerizing:

And now, two brothers peering out together:

And holding hands. They have no idea how much that makes me smile:

PS - These photos are SOOC (straight out of the camera) except for sizing/sharpening for web. I didn't see a need to edit them. And although skipping that step felt funny, it was kind of nice too!

Logan: 15 Months

2011-11-16T00:02:00.000-06:00

Our little baby is now 15 months old. Yes, we still call him our little baby. Because he is. But he's getting bigger by the minute, it seems. The doctor wrote down two things on the "development" section of his well-visit report: babbles a lot, runs fast! Those things are definitely true of Logan. One of my many nicknames for him is "turbo" because he is so fast. And he does have a lot to say, but he hasn't moved past "mama" and "dada" as far as real words just yet.

Weight: 21 pounds, 12 ounces (10-25%)

Height: 31.3 inches (70-75%)

At 15 months, Ethan was a good 3 pounds heavier than Logan is right now and about an inch taller.

Ok...get ready for a lot of photos in this post because they all just make me smile. These expressions are SO Logan. He and I went out to a nearby park yesterday and in just a few minutes I had captured a range of expressions from him. But as I've said before, Logan is nothing if not expressive. I just love him.

I'm so glad these next three photos captured "the squat." Logan does this all the time and I don't know how he says in that position for so long. I've been told that I did this a lot when I was a baby too.

Making "vroom, vroom" noises...

Thankful For You Gift

2011-11-15T14:55:00.001-06:00

It's hard for me to believe that Thanksgiving is next week. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that it is 80 degrees outside right now. I had to fish the boys shorts and sandals out again to wear these past couple of days.

But, despite the weather, Thanksgiving is still just around the corner. I decided to give a couple packets of Starbucks amazing hot chocolate mixes (salted caramel and peppermint) to Ethan's preschool teachers for a little Thanksgiving treat. He has really fabulous teachers this year and I really am thankful for them! And if you have not tried these hot chocolate mixes, you really should...they're delicious.

As usual, I made a topper for my baggie and you can download and use it too if you would like. Just click on the image.

Mr. Independent

2011-11-07T20:07:00.000-06:00

One day, I was feeding Logan his yogurt for breakfast and he literally yanked the spoon out of my hands and started feeding himself. Just like that. And look...he did it without making a mess! That's my boy! But really, he's supposed to be my baby, so I'm not sure how I feel about this whole feeding himself thing. Guess I'll have to get used to it. He looks pretty proud of himself.

Finally Friday

2011-11-04T12:05:00.001-05:00

I am so glad it's Friday. A few things about this week/weekend...

My washing machine has been working overtime this week...almost nonstop since Sunday, it seems. All due to a stomach virus that Logan has had. The same one Ethan had last week. I'm ready for it to vacate the premises.

The Sing Off is so amazing this season. Our favorite group is Pentatonix...love them. And Sara Bareilles is the perfect addition to the judges. (X Factor, you can have Nicole.)

I brushed my teeth twice this morning within a span of 5 minutes. If that's not mommy brain, I don't know what is. At least I did it twice instead of forgetting about it altogether.

I am really looking forward to our at-home date night tonight. Not sure if we'll catch up on DVR'd shows or rent a movie. I really want to see the Jane Eyre movie they made this year, but I'm not sure if Casey would go for that even on date night!

My mom and I are heading out to Canton tomorrow! I can't wait! Who knows if I'll find anything, but the roasted corn itself is worth the trip.

Our Thankful Tree

2011-11-02T16:42:00.000-05:00

I love this time of year with all the holidays...so many things to love about it. But as my kids get just a little bit older, I am discovering something else to love about this time of year...it provides great opportunities for teaching thankfulness, giving, and compassion. Not that you can't teach those things at other times of the year, but there are just so many built-in activities around the holidays already. For example...giving food/canned goods for Thanksgiving, Operation Christmas Child, Angel Trees, etc.

So this year, I decided to start a Thanksgiving tradition in our house...the Thankful Tree. Thanks to Pinterest for the inspiration, of course. There's nothing like Pinterest to get me in a crafty mood.

I saw this Thankful Tree (by Simply Vintage Girl) a while ago, but didn't pin it right then. But yesterday, it popped into my head again and I just knew I needed to do it this year. Ethan is now at an age where he is able to think about and articulate things he is thankful for. And it is just as good an exercize for me and Casey too.

This morning, Ethan and I dug out a vase from the cabinet above the refrigerator (otherwise known as the place where I store things I don't want to get rid of but never use.) We filled it with some acorn vase fillers that I already had. I made a sign for the vase in Photoshop and attached it using painter's tape. Then, Ethan and I headed out to our front yard while Logan was taking his morning nap, and we found a few branches that would work perfectly for our tree.

I used a scallop punch to make the "leaves" for the tree. I used that shape for no other reason except that I had the scallop punch already and that makes the job super-easy instead of cutting out each shape. I punched holes and threaded ribbon that I had in my stash. So, this project cost me $0 total.

This year, we're going to add two leaves per day with things written on them that we are thankful for. Ethan will get one leaf per day and Casey and I will share the other one and take turns coming up with things. In the future we will add Logan, of course...you know, when he can talk. And we might get to where we each add a leaf a day. Casey came up with the idea of writing on the leaves and hanging them on the tree at breakfast each day. This way, we can start out our day with being thankful and we can talk about it together over breakfast.

I keep the leaves and the pen in a leaf dish right by our Thankful Tree, which is smack in the middle of our kitchen. That means we will see it approximately 1000 times a day or more, which is exactly the idea.

I hung some of the leaves just to give you an idea what our tree will look like on Thanksgiving Day (except they will all have writing on them, of course.)

If you want to make a Thankful Tree of your own and want to use my label, you can download it by clicking on the image below (after the page loads, select "file" on the far left and click "download original."). This has also been added to the free printables page.

Trunk (and Trick) or Treat 2011

2011-11-01T00:33:00.000-05:00

Trunk or Treat was fun this year with both boys walking around. We didn't stay very long, though, because Logan was not feeling well.

We let Ethan have some treats after he made the rounds at all the trunks. And his first choice for a treat....a banana! Then, he had pretzels. And then he finally made his way to a few pieces of chocolate. He did not get that restraint from me.

Then, tonight, we took the boys trick or treating for the first time. Ethan just about got the sequence of things to say right when we were headed home. He kept mixing up when he was supposed to say "trick or treat" and "thank you" and "Happy Halloween" but no one really cared.

I learned a few things about trick or treating with kids, because the last time I went was when I was young enough to be gathering candy myself. First, we have tons of kids in our neighborhood. Second, I should have gone with my gut and brought the wagon (carrying a tired 14 month old is hard work). Third, you can rifle through your kids' candy stash after they're asleep and find all your childhood (or adulthood) favorites!

(PS - I've always wondered what ISO 6400 would look like with my camera...got the opportunity to find out tonight with that last photo.)

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T13:52:00.000-05:00

...from our brave knight and little dragon! There are few things cuter than little kids in costumes. I wonder how many more years I'll be able to coordinate the boys' costumes? We'll see! (By the way, I got Ethan's costume as a custom order from Birthday Adventures on Etsy and Logan's from Old Navy.) We are probably going trick or treating for the first time tonight (well, since Casey and I were kids)...it should be fun!

Horse Whisperer

2011-10-30T14:42:00.000-05:00

Last weekend, while we were at the lake house, I took Ethan down to feed the horses. When we first got there, the horses were on the other side of the field from us. So I whistled at them and shook our bag of carrots to let them know we had food. They came.

Here's Ethan watching the horses approaching. He was so excited to feed them!

We came with a full bag of baby carrots and left with zero because Ethan insisted on feeding those horses every single one. He was so funny about it too...he wanted to make sure that each horse got fed and he wanted to divide the carrots equally among the horses. That didn't quite work out because some were more interested than others, but I thought the sentiment was cute.

Ethan was not scared at all by these large animals. He had no hesitation in walking up to them and feeding them. He loved every minute.

He also talked to the horses and would say things like, "Don't worry, horsey, you're next. I'll bring you a carrot in just a minute." Listening to him talk to the horses totally cracked me up. When he was all out of carrots, he said, "mama, I think the horses are sad because we are out of carrots. Let's go to the grocery store and get another bag." I told him we could bring another bag next time we were out there. It is definitely something we will do again because we both had so much fun.

Halloween Treat

2011-10-27T16:20:00.000-05:00

Ethan and I baked some cookies to take to his preschool teachers just for fun. I made a bag topper in Photoshop to go over a regular sandwich ziploc bag to dress it up. Allow me to digress a moment to tell a funny story about this baking session...

There are two types of cookies in there and one of them includes caramel bits (yum, I know!). Ethan wanted to try one, so I let him. But he apparently didn't care for the caramel bits because out of the corner of my eye, I saw him grab for the bag they came in to try and spit it out! I kind of shrieked and yanked the bag away so then he went for the bowl of cookie dough! So, I shrieked and yanked that away too! He was seriously about a microsecond away from ruining the dough and the bag of caramel bits. Good thing I was right there...he ended up spitting it out into my hand. We had a little talk about what to do in a situation like that. And it does not involve spitting out unwanted items into the nearest container while baking! I think he got it.

You can download this (without Ethan's name on it) by clicking on the image of the topper below in case you want to surprise someone with some sweet treats too. It will also be on the free printables page. Ethan and I did something very similar last year during my fall baking madness. (That treat bag topper is also available for download on the printables page.)

(Click image to download)

When the Google Docs page fully loads, go to "file" on the far left and select "download original."

Pumpkin Patch: 2011

2011-10-20T17:10:00.001-05:00

We made our annual trip to the pumpkin patch at the Arboretum yesterday. It was such a gorgeous day. Kind of crisp, but really sunny. Logan squealed and squealed at all the pumpkins and was beyond excited to just run around in the patch. Ethan had a great time running around the hay bale maze, which I could not say properly even once. Try it. It's kind of a tongue twister. Or maybe it's just me.

Take a look back at our previous trips to the Arboretum in the fall: 2008, 2009, 2010. If you look at the 2009 photos, you will notice that Ethan's shirt that year was handed down to Logan this year. Last year, Logan wore Ethan's shirt from 2009. Looking back at all these photos kills me. But I love it.

Ethan, 3 years old / Logan 14 months old.

I brought mini pumpkins from home for the boys to hold because sometimes holding something gets them to sit still for 5 seconds. It worked. Although Ethan found that white pumpkin at the Arboretum.

The last photo of the day...can you tell they are OVER it?

See all the photos from our outing on our photo website in the Pumpkin Patch 2011 gallery.

Go Rangers!

2011-10-18T21:41:00.001-05:00

Just so you know who we're rooting for in the World Series. Alternatively titled, "5 Million Photos of My Boys in Baseball Hats."

Look! They CAN look at the camera (at the same time) and smile. It's a miracle!

Last Minute Halloween Decor

2011-10-17T15:13:00.000-05:00

I mentioned in my last post that Ethan was really wanting some "Happy Halloween Decorations," as he calls them. And prior to this week, I had a grand total of 1 piece of Halloween decor in my possession. It's just not a holiday that I've decorated for in the past. I usually just put up my fall decor in September and leave it up until after Thanksgiving when I roll out the Christmas decor. But Ethan is into the spooky stuff and I figure I have just a few years where this will really be fun for the boys so why not go for it? Since this decision occurred a mere two weeks before Halloween, that didn't leave me a lot of time to pull things together, but it did afford me the opportunity to buy Halloween crafty stuff at 50% off!

Here's what I came up with, thanks to the inspiration I found floating around on Pinterest. Yes, it's true. I actually made some of the things that I've pinned on my Halloween board.

1. These tin jack o' lanterns are the one piece (or three pieces) of Halloween decor that I've had for years. I have not really ever used these, but I think I got them on clearance at Pier 1 back in 2003 or so. But I've always liked them so I've kept them all this time. I pulled them out this year and just put them on my mantel in between my fall stuff up there.

2. I remember growing up we had a paper skeleton named George that my mom always hung somewhere during October. So, when I found this free skeleton printable at BHG.com, I knew I had to use it. I printed it, backed it with black card stock, and taped it to a closet door in our living room. I added the sparkly top hat and used blue painters tape to attach it to the door. Our skeleton is named Fred. I don't know why I feel the need to name him...just carrying on the tradition, I guess.

3. Honestly, this wreath was a product of combining Halloween clearance stuff from Michael's and JoAnn's. The black plaque was just plain...I added the wording with a paint pen, eyes, and bat wings. The wreath itself is made from a wire form with wired orange glitter ribbon tied to it with the ends curled under.

4. Wendy the Friendly Witch (again, I feel the need to name her), is a fake pumpkin from Hobby Lobby with a felt piece and googly eye face, wrapping stuffer hair, and clearance hat (I added the feather trim) and socks. Does it bother me that her legs look like stumps? Yes, a little. But not enough to figure out how to change that. Sorry, Wendy. The "BOO" letters are from JoAnn's and just spray painted black with the fronts covered in orange glitter scrapbook paper.

5. The ghost was created with cheesecloth and starch. I followed this tutorial pretty much exactly. The masked jack o' lanterns are fake pumpkins that I carved up. I added the felt masks by using free printables from GoodHousekeeping.com. The felt that I used is the stiff, glittery kind. I'm keeping these inside right now, but I think they'll look great on the porch on Halloween night all lit up inside.

6. I used Disney's Family Fun free bat printables to cut out some glittery black paper bats for my fridge. I used silver paper and a cup to make a moon as well. They're attached with blue painter's tape.

That's it for this year. I wanted to keep it simple and just do a few things. Ethan loves it all. He's constantly talking about our Halloween decor so I think it was worth the day of crafting that took place to create all of this.

Ethan's Pumpkins

2011-10-14T15:40:00.000-05:00

Ethan totally knows what Halloween is this year and is eager to dress up for the occasion. He is also eager to dress up our house, which I have not previously done. More on that in another post. But recently we did get to paint and decorate some small pumpkins that I picked up at the grocery store. We had the felt and paint at home so all I had to get were the pumpkins.

I told Ethan that we could paint one and then decorate the other one. I let him pick which colors he wanted to use from my paint stash.

Sometimes artistic expression requires two brushes at the same time:

A wonderful, colorful, drippy masterpiece in the making:

By the end of the painting session, there was quite a mixture of colors on the palette (or paper plate).

For the other pumpkin, Ethan knew exactly what he wanted to do...a superhero pumpkin. I definitely helped with the cutting of the felt, but he picked out all the colors and was very specific about the concept.

Superhero Pumpkin's first flight:

The proud artist and his finished pumpkins. They are on display in the kitchen. It's amazing what you can get done while little brother is sleeping!

Tupperware Toys

2011-10-11T15:34:00.001-05:00

Logan is right at the age (14 months) for getting into everything. My kitchen cabinets are a prime target. Ethan went through this stage too. The good thing about this is that it occupies a busy baby boy for a few minutes while I get dinner or lunch ready. The bad thing about this is that I trip over his "fun." And sometimes, Logan will just go to a cabinet and start pulling out everything as fast as he can, throwing it over his shoulder. It's pretty funny to watch that, but it also means that I play "pick up the tupperware" at least a couple of times a day.

I do love it when he almost climbs all the way inside the cabinets to reach something and just his little legs are left sticking out.

Friends

2011-10-06T23:57:00.004-05:00

About two weeks ago Ethan's friends Ashton and Blake came to our house to play. This is the first time we've gotten all three boys together (other than being at church or church activities) at the same time for the purpose of just playing. They had an absolute blast together. I know I speak for all three of us moms...watching them play together was so funny and fun.

Here they are...the three amigos. Blake, Ethan, and Ashton. Born within months of each other.

They played inside and outside. Upstairs and downstairs. Quietly and loudly. Wait...nope, they didn't ever play quietly, but why should they? They were so sweet to each other and played really well together.

They each took turns driving the car all over the yard. We kind of had to help them know when to start turning the wheel. They are not quite ready for the road just yet! Good thing that car goes less than 5 mph.

A couple of times they found themselves in a tight spot. I think Ethan must be calling AAA to come bail them out. Although Ashton does not look concerned. And Blake is preoccupied with the radio.

I think they were taking a pit stop here. Ashton is wondering what is under the hood...

...and Blake is more than willing to take a look.

A really good friend will push you on the swing. And Ashton found a way to read while swinging. Way to multitask, Ashton!

If I remember correctly, there was talk of looking for monsters through that telescope. Looks like a fun job.

There were actually 5 boys there that day. Ashton's little brother, Brennan was there. And Logan too, of course! The littles are less than 3 months apart. Before we know it, they will be playing just like the big boys.

Feet are Fun

2011-10-05T14:36:00.002-05:00

Cinnamon Obsession

2011-09-29T17:09:00.002-05:00

If you have known me long enough, you already know that I have a mild obsession with all things cinnamon. If given the choice of gum or after dinner mint, I will always choose cinnamon over a mint or peppermint counterpart. In fact, I even choose the cinnamon toothpaste when they polish my teeth at the dentist. I usually add a little cinnamon to my hot chocolate and french toast or pancake batter.

The upcoming fall/holiday/winter seasons are the perfect time to enjoy cinnamon goodness. These are some of my very favorite cinnamon things:

Photo credits linked below

1. C.O. Bigelow Mentha Lip Shine in Cinnamint (from Bath and Body Works)

2. Harney & Sons Cinnamon Spice Tea

3. Orbit Cinnamint Gum

4. Cinnamon Altoids

5. Slatkin & Co. Cinnamon Stick Scented Candle (from Bath and Body Works)

6. Slatkin & Co. Sweet Cinnamon Pumpkin Wallflower (from Bath and Body Works)

And I could not forget about the cinnamon baked goods that are absolutely wonderful this time of year (or any time of year, really.):

Photo and recipe credits linked below.

1. Corner Bakery's Cinnamon Creme Cake

2. Baked Cinnamon Doughnuts with Vanilla Glaze

3. Snickerdoodles

4. Pioneer Woman's Cinnamon Rolls

You can even decorate with cinnamon sticks! I love these ideas (all found via Pinterest):

Photo credits linked below.

1. Cinnamon Stick Wreath

2. Cinnamon Sticks as a vase filler

3. Cinnamon Stick Wrapped candles

Married

2011-09-28T16:34:00.000-05:00

My brother got engaged at Christmas and married in April right in the middle of all the wildfires at Possum Kingdom Lake this spring. But I almost forgot to share the photos from the wedding since they've gotten them back from the photographer. (All images courtesy of Missy Saunders Photography.)

For more wedding photos, go visit the gallery on our photo website.

Cookefam Free Printables

2011-09-27T16:02:00.001-05:00

I am making several of the things I've designed in the past for my own use, available as downloads here on the blog. I have benefited from downloading graphics and design from others, so I thought I'd upload and share as well. This post will be available through the "printables" button on my sidebar for future reference.

Please feel free to use these for your own projects, just don't repackage/redesign any part of them for sale or profit, please. Thanks!

*CLICK ON THE PHOTOS TO DOWNLOAD*
When the Google Docs page fully loads, go to "file" on the far left and select "download original."

5x5 Monogram: Each monogram tile is sized to 5x5. All the letters of the alphabet are included in the download as well as a blank tile and the ampersand (&). I used this monogram in my upstairs gallery wall.

Silhouette Frames: These are blank for you add a silhouette, as I did in my upstairs gallery wall, or anything else that strikes your fancy. Each frame is sized to 5x7.

Household Notebook Cover: I updated my household notebook cover a little while ago to look like this except with our last name included on the label. The cover is sized to 8.5 x 11.

Design Notebook Cover: This is the cover I used on my design inspiration notebook. It is sized to 8.5 x 11.

Thank You Notes: I designed these to use as gifts for Ethan's preschool teachers last year. I had them printed at Shutterfly, I think, although there are several places that allow you to upload your own design. Or just print on cardstock and let them be thank you postcards instead of folded cards. These can work as gift tags too. Each card is sized to 5.25 x 3.25.

Chevron Background with Tags: This is the background I used for my three coins in my upstairs gallery wall. You can use it for coins or anything else. Put your own writing on the tags to give details about your display. This background is sized to 5x7.

Winnie the Pooh Quote: I also used this in my upstairs gallery wall. It is sized to 4x6.

Bag Tag: I made this initially for Logan's diaper bag, but have also made these for friends as well. I usually put a monogram or the baby's name and then the parents' contact information on the back. You can add whatever text you would like. Just print out, cut, and then fold in half. I use self-laminating luggage tags to make these bag tags durable and water-proof.

Cars Party Food Label: I designed these for Ethan's 3rd birthday party. I printed them with the names of the dishes/drinks I was serving.

Cars Party Food Flag: Another design for Ethan's 3rd birthday party. Just print, cut out, and fold in half around a toothpick and secure with glue or tape. I used these as toppers for Ethan's cupcakes at the party. The download includes a set with the #3 on them and a blank set for you to add your own number or letter.

Cars Party Favor Bag Topper: This topper (created for Ethan's 3rd birthday party) fits a 5 inch favor bag. Just print, cut out, fold over the top of the bag, and staple in place.

Cars Thank You Notes: These are sized to 5.5 x 4. They can be printed on cardstock from your printer or you can have them printed somewhere.

Valentines Treat Topper: I made these for Ethan's preschool friends last year. They fit on top of a regular snack or sandwich bag. Just print, add your child's name, and fold in half, securing with a staple to the bag.

Teacher Halloween Treat Topper: I made these for Ethan to give to his preschool teachers last year at Halloween. We had made some pumpkin treats and put them in regular sandwich bags. Print, fold, and secure with a staple. You can also write a message on the blank part of the back.

B is for Boat Print: I made this for the boys' bathroom. It prints at 8x10.

Halloween Treat Topper: Just another treat bag topper we used to give treats to Ethan's preschool teachers, but this template is generic so it can be given to anyone. The download does not include Ethan's name so you can fill in the name of your baker! Print, fold, and attach to a regular ziploc bag with staples.

The Thankful Tree: I used this label on my Thankful Tree to write things we are thankful for during the month of November leading up to Thanksgiving Day.

Thanksgiving Treat Topper: A festive, thankful, topper for gifting treats at Thanksgiving. I used this to gift some hot chocolate to Ethan's preschool teachers.

Christmas Tags: Use for an Advent calendar like I did, or just for gift tags.

Christmas Treat Toppers: (4 styles that all fit over a standard ziploc bag.)

Dr. Seuss Quote: My favorite from "How the Grinch Stole Christmas."

(Puppy) Party Invitation and Food/Drink Labels to match:

I See A Fire Truck

2011-09-26T15:22:00.000-05:00

...a big, red, shiny fire truck. I see a fire truck coming down the street. And there's a noisy siren wailing on that truck.

Those are the lyrics to the song that plays on the ride-on fire truck that we got Ethan for his first Christmas in 2008 when he was 7 months old. That fire truck has consistently been a favorite toy around here. Both boys have loved it. The seat opens up and they can store stuff in there and cart it around. It is one of the few toys that doesn't really get "rotated" in and out of action. Someone plays with it just about every other day. Ethan will still get it out and play with it, but Logan has mainly taken possession of it now.

The only bad thing about this particular toy is that when mommy or daddy start giving rides on it (pushing the boys around on it)...it's all over. They will NOT want that fun to stop. They will beg for rides over and over and over again. We have learned to start all of that at our own risk. Or wait until the grandparents are over and will do it for us!

Upstairs Hallway Gallery Wall

2011-09-23T16:20:00.000-05:00

There are two awkward walls in our upstairs hallway that I've been wondering how to decorate. I say "awkward" because there are light switches and/or thermostats right smack in the middle of these walls, which makes hanging a series of photos in a symmetrical arrangement completely impossible. Why does that always seem to happen? Home builders...please step up and explain yourselves.

Anyway, I have refrained from doing anything with those walls because I just didn't know what to do and nothing was inspiring me. Until I saw what John and Sherry over at Young House Love did with their hallway walls. A gallery wall. I mean...a serious gallery wall. They basically "wallpapered" their hallway with frames. And I love it.

Image via Young House Love

The greatest thing about this wall art solution is that you can totally work around a light switch or thermostat using an asymmetrical layout and different sized frames. But, while I am drawn to the complete "wallpaper" effect, I knew it would read a little too cluttered for me in my own home, so I aimed for a scaled-back version.

First, I bought quite a few white frames (readily available at Ikea, Target, Aaron Brothers, etc.). I had to paint the large square ones because I couldn't find them in white.

Then, I traced and cut out a template for every single frame on brown paper and/or leftover wrapping paper. Using each frame as my guide, I marked on the paper templates where the nail holes should go. Once that was done, I set to work taping them up on the walls until I was satisfied with the arrangements. I even ended up getting some money back because I bought more frames than I needed.

After hanging the frames (which was a breeze, thanks to my templates), I had to decide what I wanted to go in each frame. I had SO much inspiration that I've gathered on Pinterest from around the internet. Just take a look at my "wall art" board to see some of the ideas I was working from. There are too many to list them here.

Here's the finished wall gallery that I ended up with after filling all the frames (which took me a couple of weeks.)

And here is a closer look at the left and right grouping of frames:

Other than the photos, here are the details for a few of these things:

Silhouettes of my boys. I absolutely love these. Their profiles are so sweet to me. It's a mom thing. (I attempted to DIY this using Photoshop but was not totally happy with the results I was able to get. So, I outsourced this one to Pretty Faces on Etsy. She did a fabulous job and had a really fast turnaround.) She just sent me a digital copy of the silhouette from a photo I provided and I added the oval, text (name and age), and the background patterns using Photoshop and then printed them each out on cardstock.

The "What I love most..." quote was a free download from the blog, Eighteen25. She provides a download in several color schemes...go check it out. I got the The Winnie the Pooh quote idea from another free download. This one was from Momtog. If you check out her site, you will see that her download is super-cute with a cheery yellow background and I almost used it just as she had it. But, ultimately, I really needed it to be in a horizontal format. So I made my own in Photoshop. I decided to go with mainly just the words instead of a colored background after trying it both ways.

Scrabble tiles spelling out our names. It took me quite a few sketches on paper to come up with this arrangement that would be compact as possible (for framing) and still fit all our names. I bought the scrabble tiles on Etsy, of all places (for only $2.95). I created the background pattern in Photoshop and printed it on cardstock. The tiles are just glued on with hot glue.

The coin collection came from our stash of foreign coins that we've collected from trips over the years. I've always wanted to pull them out and display them somehow. These three particular coins are from the three trips to different countries that Casey and I have visited together. The first one is from England, the middle one is from Italy, and the last one is from Africa. Under each coin, I put the place and the year we visited. Again, I created the background and text in Photoshop and printed it on cardstock. The coins are glued on with hot glue.

The family monogram is something else I created in Photoshop and printed on cardstock. Gotta love all this free wall art. I might make some of these designs available as downloads in the near future since I've benefitted from others doing that on their blogs. We will see if I can make the time to get them out there.

A final before/after:

It may not be the most dramatic before/after ever, and it's not even on our main floor where visitors would see it. But I can honestly say that it makes me happy every single time I walk up there.

Playmates

2011-09-20T21:43:00.000-05:00

I caught the boys running around the house the other day playing together. And by "caught," I mean shot some photos. I didn't actually catch them or even attempt to. I sat in one spot, took some photos, and enjoyed them enjoying each other.

Logan is just now reaching a point where he and Ethan can play together. Not everything. But some things. Just today, despite neither of them taking afternoon naps (which usually makes for a really bad end to the day), they played outside for an HOUR together. They came inside covered in sidewalk chalk dust, but I loved it. They obviously loved it. Everyone was happy.

Gettin' Clean

2011-09-17T15:38:00.001-05:00

Ethan spent the night at my parents' house a few weeks ago, so Logan and I took more time than usual enjoying his bath. I also wanted to get a photo of him in the bath to use in the frames above the toilet. So far, both photos there are of Ethan. It's high time to add Logan to one of them!

Logan has graduated from his bath seat and is now allowed free reign in the bath. Sort of. I still don't let him stand up, which he wants to do frequently. He is better about sitting now.

He loves to watch the tub fill up and he watches Ethan so closely to see how to play with the bath toys. He is a big splasher when he gets going so I end up getting sort of clean too.

This boy does NOT like to lay down on his back in the water, unlike his big brother at this age. But he does love to be in the water. Such a cutie.

Backyard Friends

2011-09-15T15:44:00.001-05:00

"Your backyard friends...the Backyardigans..."

Ethan is currently obsessed with the Backyardigans. He's seen an episode here and there in the past, but this summer he really became attached to it and wants to watch it every time he gets to watch TV (we have episodes recorded with our DVR). Personally, I love the show. I think it is so imaginative and I love how they use songs from different genres to help tell the story. Even though it is not overtly "educational" because there's no counting or different languages or anything like that, it does teach kids a lot about how to pretend, be creative, have relationships, dance, and a little bit about music. A show about big adventures all in your backyard. It's great.

I found the Backyardigan characters (Tasha, Austin, Uniqua, Tyrone and Pablo) at a local party supply store (of all places) while shopping for Logan's first birthday party. I picked them up thinking that Ethan would like them. And they're pretty much all he's been playing with for a solid month. No joke. But I really get a kick out of him making up stories with them and going on journeys all around the house. He even picks out one each night to sleep with him. He calls them his best friends. The best thing is listening to him sing some of the songs from the shows. I really have to get that on video soon.

Paper Boy #2

2011-09-13T22:44:00.000-05:00

When Ethan was a baby, he loved to go through the trash in our office. I posted about it in February 2009. Why would I let my baby rummage through the trash? Because the trash can in our office is essentially a paper recycling bin since that's the only thing we "throw away" in there. (We do actually empty it into our recycling bin).

Now Logan has discovered the fun of playing with paper. It's the first thing he looks for in the office now, which is a welcome change from the computer power button. Just like his big brother, Logan has the best time taking out sheet after sheet of paper and waving it around. Lifting them up in the air and sometimes putting them back into the bin. Only to take it out again, of course.

Sometimes I let him sort through the paper for a while because it really occupies him. And sometimes, I put the trash can up on the desk because I don't want to have to pick up all the paper after Logan the tornado comes through.

Remembering

2011-09-11T20:26:00.001-05:00

Five years ago (2006) I wrote a post about where I was on September 11, 2001. Even at 10 years, I still remember that day with clarity. I think when something so world-changing happens like that, you remember that point in your life. Even then we had a sense that the world would never be the same. Among other things, we were forced to confront the senseless violence and loss of that day. What it means to live in a world where such things happen.

I have not watched any of the documentaries on the events of September 11th today, but I have caught glimpses here and there of images from that day 10 years ago. Even now, they evoke such strong emotions. I keep thinking about the children who said goodbye to their mommies or daddies that morning and never saw them again. Every one of the thousands of people who died that day has a story attached to their lives. They have loved ones who remember the last conversation they had. Honestly, I really don't like to think about all of that, but denying that our world is broken and there is that level of grief just doesn't work either.

My kids aren't old enough yet to know about 9/11. When they are old enough, I wonder what they will think. I know a part of my innocence was lost that day, for better or for worse.

What I do know is that in the midst of the tragedy, there are also stories of resiliency. Of selfless heroes. And I know that God has not abandoned us in this broken world. He not only meets us here, but he has promised to redeem this world and us.

Best Camera

2011-09-09T23:33:00.001-05:00

I've heard it said that "the best camera is the one you have with you." And the truth of that is evident in the small moments I capture with my iphone. Because I am hardly ever without my iphone these days. And the few times I have forgotten it, I felt like my arm was cut off (just kidding...sort of.) Here are a few iphone photos that I love (in no particular order):

The boys and I on a walk. Well, I was walking. They were riding.

Ethan in the Pablo costume I got for him on clearance...$3. Good thing it didn't cost any more than that because it is definitely a size too small. But he loves it.

A freshly bathed babe...with a gummy/toothy smile. This was what his smile looked like before he got his top two teeth. It's funny how much their smiles change when they are getting teeth.

Ethan in the car with me on "muffins with mom" day at preschool. This was back in May.

My boys and me. Just at home. Taking a photo "just because." It happens to be one of my favorites despite the fact that it's not in focus.

Logan...about to tell a ghost story, apparently. He's practicing for future camping trips, I guess.

This photo is courtesy of Aunt Chelsea's phone. Ethan was trying to pack himself up to go home with her!

Logan climbing on the playground at the mall. Already a little monkey!

Another photo not from my iphone, but from Christina's. Thanks for capturing me with my sweet smiley boy, Christina! Other people's iphones come in handy too.

Ethan getting up close and personal with the iphone. Actually wanting to have his photo taken.

A rare, sleeping baby. My boys don't sleep in the car. But this one was just too tired to make it one minute longer.

A sweet moment with cousins. Kyle was reading Ethan his bedtime story. Isn't that precious?

Logan from my perspective. This boy is regularly coming up to me like this, wanting to be held. There are worse things to do with your time than carry around your sweet baby. So, I do!

Ethan covering up with his blanket on the way to swim lessons. No rhyme or reason...just hiding.

Logan pointing. I love that I caught this gesture from this perspective. He is constantly pointing at things these days.

And finally, a photo of me and Casey...about to leave for a date night!

Starting Preschool Again

2011-09-06T10:32:00.018-05:00

I was much more sentimental about this day than I expected. It hit me last night when I dusted off (figuratively, not literally) Ethan's backpack and started packing his lunch for his first day of preschool today. He told me he wanted a peanut butter sandwich with a cheese stick and blueberries. So that's what he got. He's pretty easy to please.

I just wasn't prepared for the realization that he's going to school again and he's one year older than the last time we did this. The change in temperature echoed the fact that our summer just drew to a close and with it, all the lazy days during which we made up our own schedule. I will miss that, and those long, fun days we had together. But preschool has it's perks for all of us, and we are ready to greet this new year!

Ethan was even willing to wear his backpack this year, which he would not do last year. He also walked right into his classroom, although he did hug me twice. He told me in the car this morning, "Don't worry, Mommy. I will come back home after preschool." I told him I was so glad to hear that. And I will be ready to see him when we pick him up today.

Mini "Mud Room" in a Closet

2011-09-03T08:56:00.001-05:00

I love the idea of a mud room. Probably because they make organizers and clean-freaks very happy at the same time...and I am both of those. Having a central place to put shoes, jackets, bags, etc. just makes so much sense.

Image Via

Because both of the boys rooms are upstairs, I really like keeping their shoes and outerwear downstairs to put on right before we leave the house or go outside. It keeps me from running upstairs to grab those things right before we need to leave.

When Ethan started preschool last fall, I came up with a solution that has worked for us so far. His backpack and jacket or coat hung on a hook in the laundry room/hallway from the garage when they weren't with him at school. His shoes were stored in a bottom cabinet of our kitchen inside a plastic bin.

However, those solutions were not ideal to me. First of all, the hooks in the laundry room/hallway from the garage end up behind the back door when it is opened. So too much bulk back there doesn't allow for the back door to open all the way.

That's a major bummer when you're trying to carry an infant and usher a preschooler in from the car after going out anywhere, while more than likely carrying at least a purse/bag and possibly other items. As much as I'd love our laundry room/hallway from the garage to function as a mud room too (because it is the ideal location in the house)...it's just not big enough. So, moving the backpack and other bags I stored there has been on my mind for a while.

Secondly, Ethan's shoes in a bin in one of my kitchen cabinets is not that big of a deal, but when Logan's are in there too...that whole cabinet space will be lost to me and at some point, their shoes are going to get stinky (more than likely). I can't keep my baking dishes down there with their shoes. So, I have also been brainstorming an alternate place to store them.

Finally, it dawned on me that I have some prime real estate right in the middle of our family room...the under-the-stairs closet. If Harry Potter can call it a bedroom, I can certainly use it as a mini mud room, right?

The only issues were to clean it out, shuffle things around, and add storage. It turned out to only be a one-afternoon project. And I am thrilled with how it is working for us so far. I hope it continues to function like I envision when they boys get to be school-age. I really want a place downstairs for them to store their backpacks and other clutter so it is not spread out in our living space when they come home from school. It is crazy that I am thinking this far into the future? (Okay, maybe don't answer that.) So, here's the final space.

It would have been so cool if I had taken a before picture, but I did not. I got too excited about cleaning the closet out that I didn't even think about it. Just imagine a lot more junk and a lot less organization. Also, please ignore the giant Christmas tree box, luggage, vaccuum, and other visible items that are stored in this closet. This closet is all about functionality....and just regular old storage space. But it's all hidden away behind a door and I love that.

Because of those added cubbies (from Target), I was able to put a few of Ethan's toys/puzzles that we don't like to leave out because of Logan. Just icing on the cake because I didn't have that in mind when I started this project.

I also hung the hooks at a height that allows Ethan to reach them. This way he can be responsible for hanging up and retrieving things there. I can always raise those hooks later if I feel like I need to. (PS - I could not find a hook rack with hooks spaced far enough apart for my liking. So, I made my own from a piece of wood from Lowes, which I had them cut for me, and some individual hooks.)

Ethan is already great at putting his shoes on before we leave and taking them off right when we get home. I just asked him to pick which basket (from Target) he wanted to use for his shoes and to help me transfer them all to the new basket. That's all it took for him to remember the new location of his shoes. (And yes, Ethan is wearing his PJs.)

The Best Laid Plans

2011-09-02T15:04:00.007-05:00

My mom and dad kept both of the boys last night to spend some time with them and to give me time to myself today. I love them for that and Casey's parents are the same way. We are blessed. So, I made BIG plans with what was going to be a lot of free time for me today.

I planned to make muffins and cookies for our upcoming weekend trip, pack for weekend trip, finish the laundry, tackle a few home projects, edit photos from a recent session. In other words...way too much to get done in one day even without kids!

And then, last night, I got sick. After Casey and I had a kid-free steak dinner at Steve Field's for restaurant week. I'll spare you the details of the things we ate....because it came right back up around 1:30 this morning. I had felt funny yesterday and it turns out I had/have a bug that manifested itself late last night.

So, today, instead of accomplishing so much with all my free time, this is what I have done instead: feel nauseous, lay on the couch, take a shower (a small victory), eat a few crackers, sip Gatorade, take a nap (which I never do unless I'm sick). As of right now (3:10pm), I am feeling much better. (And after some leftover Zofran from my pregnancy. So glad I kept that.)

I'll tell you one thing...I am SO glad I have a great support system to take care of me. My mom and dad had the boys, which is unbelievably helpful. And Casey worked from home today so he could take care of me. He's been the "errand boy" and forced me to take that nap.

I'm still sad I didn't get to accomplish the things I wanted to today, but, at least I had a day off to rest and recuperate. It could be worse!

Logan's 1st Birthday Party

2011-09-01T14:03:00.037-05:00

We celebrated our baby turning ONE about two weeks ago with our families. I made these invitations and we sort of had a "puppies and pennants" theme for the party.

Here is the guest of honor with all the party attendees. Logan was still adjusting to everyone being in our house at the same time, which is why he looks so unsure in these photos...not really in the mood to smile!

And the food table. We just had snacks...sandwich bites, caprese bites, strawberry/banana bites, and puppy chow. The yummy, powdered sugar with peanut butter and chocolate-type puppy chow. Irresistable for snacking.

The other decorations were minimal, but fun. I loved digging out these outfits that Logan has worn during his first year of life. That little hat on the left is the one we brought to the hospital for him to wear. (Sigh.) The photos on the right are from each of his first 11 months (including a newborn photo).

I made the cake this time, with Ethan's help. There were four alternating layers...chocolate and vanilla (colored blue). With buttercream frosting. I did not make the puppy topper by myself...ha! I ordered it from Fondant Fads on Etsy. However, I did add the party hat and number 1, which I made from paper.

Logan was really trying to figure out why everyone was looking at him when we lit his candle and started singing. Poor thing had no idea what was going on. At least he didn't burst into tears like Ethan did at his first birthday party (when we sang), but he almost did.

And he did love the cake...mostly the chocolate layers. Just like his mama! I cut him a slice and actually cut away most of the icing. Yes, I'm a party pooper...I'm just not into the smash thing. He still had cake, though.

Ethan kind of liked the cake too! And now would be a good time to mention what a sweet big brother he was during the party. He totally understood that this was Logan's day.

Of course, Logan made out with a pretty good loot for his party. Ethan was sweet to watch Logan open his own presents, but he was right there to see what they were!

This was such a fun day and a wonderful celebration of Logan's first year.

Logan: 12 Months

2011-08-23T17:58:00.002-05:00

Logan has reached the 1 year milestone. And just like his brother, he took off walking right around his first birthday. It always amazes me that kids (at least both of my boys) take a couple of steps one day, and the next day they're walking all over the place. It's as if they just need to get a little confidence and then nothing can stop them!

The absolute funniest thing about Logan walking is that he laughs and squeals the whole time. He is still so thrilled that he can walk he can hardly stand it. It's super-cute to watch.

Logan is a good 3 pounds lighter than Ethan was at one year. I can tell because all of Ethan's one year clothes are too big on him!

Weight: 20 pounds, 9 ounces
Height: 30 inches

Logan showed signs of getting his top two teeth around his first birthday, too. And now, they've poked through. His smile is so different now, but so incredibly cute. I can't even explain how this child's perennial smile and laughter totally makes my day. Every day. He is a sweet little love, for sure.

Swimming 101

2011-08-21T15:35:00.027-05:00

I can't let this summer wrap up without talking about Ethan's first (official) swim lessons. He took three consecutive weeks of lessons at a neighborhood pool with Mrs. Stacy. And I'd say they were a success. He made great progress with a lot of skills and I'm really proud of him. He was really brave and made a great effort to learn. I am thankful that he loves the water and wants to try new things for the most part.

However, day 1 was not fun for either of us. He was at a new pool, with a teacher he didn't know yet, so it was rough. He pretty much cried the whole time and she had to fight to get him to do anything. Day 2 was totally different. He was excited and did everything she asked. Mrs. Stacy even asked me if he was the same kid.

Every day after that was great. Some days he would still fight her on doing the things he didn't like (floating on his back would be one of those things), but Mrs. Stacy was a pro at getting him to do it anyway.

The lessons were 30 minutes long and there were never more than 3 kids in the class. And there was always an assistant teacher when there were more than two. So the lessons ended up being one-on-one most of the time, which was awesome.

(Going under water "just because" while waiting for his turn to swim.)

What did Logan and I do during the lessons? You mean besides baking in the blazing sun? We sat by the pool and watched. That was actually a great thing because I pulled out the camera and video camera on a couple of the days and also was able to hear the "lingo" that Mrs. Stacy and her assistant used with the kids. This made/makes practicing with Ethan very easy.

And Logan did great sitting in the heat (of course, I made sure he was shaded). As long as I kept the cheerios and water flowing...he was fine. He would even cheer and clap for Ethan when I would.

It doesn't get much more relaxed than this:

Here is Ethan working with Mrs. Deana (assistant teacher...also wonderful):

Swimming back to the step by himself:

At the end of every lesson, the kids would all practice their jumps into the pool. I am fairly certain that this was Ethan's favorite part of every lesson. They did different things, like just jumping to the instructors, but this one pictured below is called "catching a rainbow" because the pool noodles look like a rainbow. If you scroll down fast enough, maybe you can sense the progressive "action" of these photos:

Telling Stories

2011-08-10T14:48:00.002-05:00

The other night at dinner Ethan and I were taking turns telling stories. He has learned this skill mainly from Casey, who tells him stories all the time, but especially at bedtime. I was getting so amused by Ethan's stories that I secretly put my iphone on the table and started recording him. It is just a sound file because he gets completely distracted when I try to video him, so you can't see his face when he's telling it. But I am SO glad I caught him doing this. This is a story know I will want to listen to over and over again...especially when he no longer thinks it's cool to tell stories to his mom and brother.

Click to hear Ethan's Story

Here is the story transcribed (run-on sentences and all) because I know it's hard to understand a 3 year old if you are not his parents:

Once upon a time there was a little boy. He named mommy, and daddy, and Ethan, and monkey came downstairs to the living room and they want to go swimming. And mommy and daddy came downstairs. And (mumbling). And they're playing outside. And then one....and they knew there was a storm coming up. They have to get out of the storm. And the storm stop. They want to go outside again. They have so much fun. And it's getting late. They have to come back inside and take a nap. (Snoring sounds.) The End. I need to do it again!

One Year Ago

2011-08-09T12:32:00.001-05:00

One year ago today, we became a family of four. Casey and I were up before dawn and at the hospital for Logan's birth. What a wonderful day it was and I remember just really enjoying every minute.

Two of the greatest moments of my life have been seeing my two boys for the first time. It is just magical. But every day I appreciate them and their little personalities. We knew how fast Logan's first year would go because we remembered how fast it went with Ethan. I have enjoyed every minute and every month and every stage of this little boy's first year. We absolutely cannot imagine our family without him. Happy Birthday to our precious, sweet one-year-old! What a joy he is to us!

Peek-A-Boo

2011-08-07T20:58:00.004-05:00

Ethan: 3 Years Old

2011-08-04T14:08:00.002-05:00

When we were at the lake house last month, I took a few photos of Ethan one morning. It was just me and him out there and all he wanted to do was go down to the lake and throw rocks. But, he yielded a few priceless expressions that I see all the time on his sweet face and I want to remember them...

And then, I finally let him go throw rocks!

A Girls Getaway!

2011-08-03T18:21:00.001-05:00

As the title of this post suggests, last weekend was our third book club trip to the lake house. This is almost the exact same post as the one that I wrote for our book club blog. I'm lazy, so excuse me, ladies, if you've already seen this over there!

This year we were lucky enough to leave on Friday morning. We took our time on the trip out there and stopped at Cracker Barrel for brunch.

Although it's true that we need no help in the conversation department, we did pick up some Mad Libs at Cracker Barrel's store to play on the rest of the way to the lake. Fun with words...totally appropriate for a book club.

After getting settled on Friday, we took the golf cart out for spin to see the lake, some of the fire damage from this spring, and apparently...a few deer that were out running around despite the heat.

Then, it was over to our favorite spot...the pool. The pool is a magical place when you don't have children to corral or watch like a hawk. You can do things like carry on a conversation with a friend with no interruptions. Or float on a floatie for more than 2 seconds together. Or actually swim if you want to.

Steph made friends with a dragonfly, and her head became its favorite perch. It kept landing on her and would just sit there for a while. See it?

After several more trips to the pool (including one at night - which was awesome), some hot tub hopping, star gazing, movie watching, and of course...eating, we had to come back home. What a great weekend to relax, be off-duty, on our own time, and enjoy friends!

Family Weekend with Friends

2011-08-02T21:53:00.001-05:00

We spent a weekend with our friends Mary and Jason and their three boys at the lake house earlier this summer. It was so much fun. For us adults, it's great because we get to share time together when our kids are sleeping and we had some great conversations in the evenings on the porch (when it's not so stinking hot.)

Here's the four of us adults...Casey, sorry that there's a margarita covering up your chin. This was the best of the self-timer photos, so I had to roll with it. (PS - I love eating outside.)

This is our third year to do this (we also went in 2009 and 2010) and we keep adding to the number of kids each year (a trend that has to slow down sometime!). We have 5 boys between the two of us and they had a blast together. It is especially fun for Ethan to have playmates since Logan is not walking yet. From the left: Max (3), Sam (5 months), Logan (10 months), Ethan (3), Charlie (4.5).

We spent a lot of time at the pool, of course. With all the boys and their toys, it was like a big bath tub full of bath toys.

We also spent some time over at the "big" pool since Ethan likes to jump and go under water. He also loves to be thrown into the air. Casey and I tossed him back and forth more times than I can count. Thanks, Mary, for catching this shot of Ethan way up the air.

One morning, we went over to a sandy beach area and let the boys play in the lake and sand. It was so much fun. We will definitely go back because they loved it.

Logan: 11 Months

2011-08-01T13:28:00.001-05:00

At 11 months old, Logan is usually the first one in our house to wake up, closely followed by me, of course. This worked out for us when I planned to take his 11 month photos outside since it is approximately 120 degrees at 9am. We left the house at 7:30 am and got our shots done early, thank goodness.

This little one is such a sweet baby and his laughter just enchants us all. When I look at these next photos, I can just hear his squeals and laughs. I also love that his two teeth are so prominent now when he smiles.

Since we're at the end of Logan's 11th month now, he is beginning to take some steps all on his own. This is a fairly new thing for him. And in the last week, I've noticed his top two teeth are making their descent and causing all sorts of discomfort along the way.

Logan still loves to flip through books and he can do this for quite a while before moving on to something else. He loves to play with Ethan and put his cars in the buckets like Ethan does. He is also playing peek-a-boo with us all the time and loving it. He does it in his crib when we go get him after a nap by crouching down and then popping up. He also does it with a blanket or he'll just hide behind something and then pop out. Cutest thing ever.

As much of a sweetie as he is, he is also a stinker who knows what he wants. This makes meal times difficult because he is particular not only about what foods he wants to eat (or not!), but in what order. What a nut. I guess you could call him expressive, because he does a great job of letting you know when he's happy or when he's not.

Yes, son. Grass is prickly and doesn't taste good. Some things you just have to experience for yourself, I guess.

Weight: 20.2 pounds
Height: 28 inches

Lazy Lake House Days

2011-07-31T22:41:00.003-05:00

We've spent some time at the lake house this summer. I mentioned in the 4th of July post that we were out there most of that week, but the following photos are from all the way back in June when the boys and I were out there with my parents for a couple of days. Casey joined us that Friday with some friends and their boys (photos from that weekend to come.) With a ratio of three adults to two kids, we really did do some relaxing. And boating, swimming, exploring, and golf-carting. And I am miraculously in some photos with my children.

Going under water to get Lightning and Mater (otherwise known as the favorite pool toys this year.)

Here we had parked the boat at Hell's Gate and were swimming around. Ethan and Logan both had a blast....probably because they finally got to cool off. Despite the breeze in the boat, they were hot in their life vests.

Both of the boys loved when I twirled them around in the water.

Pop was so patient with Ethan jumping to him in the pool. He only wanted to do it a couple (hundred) times.

And Logan used his floatie as a walker in the wading pool. He was seriously so excited to walk around in the water. Just look at his face...

The books that Mimi got for Ethan kept him busy while I was getting dressed and drying my hair. Seriously...he was busy "reading" these books for a long time.

Before I Had Kids...

2011-07-26T14:04:00.005-05:00

Before I had kids, I said I would never...

Keep toys in the living room. But I do. We even have a playroom, but we still keep some toys in the living room. And you know what? They don't bother me at all like I thought they would. I was just convinced that I could never tolerate my kids taking over every room in the house. Well, they haven't taken over every room, and toys in the living room just makes sense for us.

Let my kids watch DVDs in the car. Yeah, well...that former self had never taken a road trip with a toddler or preschooler before. And while there certainly are other creative forms of entertainment for long car rides, a show or movie works great too. Why not? They are life savers. Seriously. Why was I so opposed to this?

Push my kids in those giant car-shaped grocery carts. I guess I thought that I would be caving to my kid's whim if I decided to go with the "fun" cart. And I held out for a long time...until I had two kids, in fact. Sure, they are harder to steer, but when it keeps my kid(s) completely occupied (and not running around the store) for the 40 minutes we're in there, I'm all for it.

Put my kid on a leash. Okay, I still haven't done this. But I completely get why someone would!

Let my baby dictate MY schedule. I thought I would never let my kid prevent me from going out or doing what I want to do. But now I'm a nap and bedtime nazi! During this season of my life (having babies and young kids), working around naps and bedtimes is just part of the deal. Sure, I don't always have the freedom to run errands when I want or pop here and there whenever I want, BUT...my kids are so much happier (and healthier, I think) when they get the rest they need...and that makes mama happy too!

I told myself I wouldn't JUST blog about my kids. I occasionally blog about something other than my family. But, my blog is (and always has been) about my life. And guess what is a big, huge part of my life now? My kids. So, they're on here a lot. And I have this crazy daydream of my great grandchildren pouring over my blog books (my plan is to have it printed at some point). I would have loved to look at my grandparents' diaries to see what their life was like. And what my parents were like as kids! But even if that doesn't happen, it will be a pretty cool record of our lives right now just for me.

So my lesson is an age-old one...never say never.

4th of July 2011

2011-07-23T11:03:00.003-05:00

It would have been awesome to post about the 4th of July on or around the 4th of July. (Sigh.) It's still hot, and it is still July so I'm going to post these photos anyway.

This was our first year to spend the 4th of July at the lake house. We ended up not seeing any fireworks shows this year because we got out to the lake house after they had theirs (on the 2nd of July!) and we were out at the lake during the show that we always watch at home (on the 4th). I was a little bummed about that because I love seeing the fireworks each year and this year I wanted to get some photos of them. Maybe next year.

Despite missing out on the fireworks, we still had a great time. We took the boys out on the boat one afternoon and dropped anchor to swim for a little bit. Logan loved cooling off and Ethan loved jumping off the boat. About 50 times. We swam at the pool, of course, and no trip to the lake house is complete for Ethan without throwing rocks in the lake. (And leave it to Logan to try and eat the American flag. Those flags were actually a big hit with the boys.)

Playroom Alphabet Wall

2011-07-22T09:46:00.002-05:00

This post should answer those questions I've received about the alphabet wall in the playroom. Here's my method...

I mentioned that this was a fun project...and it was. But it took some planning and prep work before I was able to put it up on the wall like that.

First of all, I purchased the letters at Michael's, JoAnn's, and Hobby Lobby. I just got several different styles and sizes, keeping in mind what the letters would look like right next to each other.

After gathering all my letters, the next thing I did was lay them out in three rows on my dining room table. This was purely to figure out what treatment each letter would get. I kept a few of the letters just as I had bought them. Every other one got either paint, scrapbook paper or fabric on it. I placed the paint or paper/fabric under each letter as I made decisions so I could see how it would all look together and what pattern or color would be next to another one.

At this point, it took me a few days to complete all the letters...I did not do them all at once. Then, I laid out all of the letters (in several different arrangements) on the floor until I liked how it looked. This part actually took longer than it seemed like it would. After I was satisfied with the placement of each letter in the grouping, I took a photo of it so I could reference it, if necessary.

And then I did something crazy. I traced each letter on a piece of paper and cut it out. Yes, it did take a little bit of time, but I am so glad I took this extra step. It allowed me to recreate my arrangement on the wall and make any slight adjustments very, very easily. Then, I could step back and make sure that what I had laid out on the floor translated to the wall.

I measured and marked a center line above the couch with painter's tape so I could work from that to make sure the whole arrangement would be centered. Then, using a little bit of painter's tape on the back of each paper letter, I stuck the paper letters on the wall.

Then, to hang the real letters on the wall, I used Command strips so I wouldn't have a million (or 26) holes in my wall. Also, I knew if I messed up placing a letter, it would be easy to correct my mistake. When I hung each letter, I left the paper letter up there until the very last minute. I pulled it away just before attaching the real letter so I could get the placement as accurate as possible. As it turned out, I did not have to adjust any of the letters.

And I just have to show this last photo of my little assistant, who was right behind me taking photos with his camera when I was taking photos with mine. He's the cutest assistant I know.

Playroom: Before and After

2011-07-21T12:01:00.001-05:00

I am finally done with the playroom. There have been a few outstanding projects in that room for a while now and I am so glad to have them done. I love how it turned out...just exactly what I wanted....a fun, colorful room that can be changed to suit our family's needs as the boys grow.

So, here is a shot of the final product:

And here is what it looked like before we moved in (this is how the room looked when the previous owners of this house lived here):

And this is what the room looked like after we moved in but before we did anything other than move in our furniture and toys. Well, I did add those Ikea Expedit shelves, which I wrote about in another post:

And the new room, again. Right now this room is perfect for our boys and for a workout room. I know all the furniture and stuff is pushed up against the walls, which is normally a no-no, but in a playroom (and even a workout room), floor space is valuable real estate. So, it works.

We did not buy any new furniture for this room, but I did recover the couch in a navy slip cover from Sure Fit. Casey loves it because it is so soft. I love it because it is a great color, I can wash it, and I am not committed to a navy couch forever. (PS - those pillows are all outdoor pillows. The blue ones are from Target and the red striped ones are from Ross. And they were each a steal.)

That alphabet wall was such a fun project. I did not come up with this idea on my own...I was inspired by the alphabet walls on these two blogs: Ohdeedoh and A Time for Everything. When I saw those, I knew I had to have something similar in our playroom. Ethan loves letters and when he saw this up on the wall, he was so excited.

And the alphabet wall, along with the other wall art I had in mind, really influenced my decision to go neutral with the wall color. Normally, I think a playroom is a great place to use some playful color on the walls...what do you have to lose? But, I knew I wanted to have a lot of color in my wall art, so I gave it a neutral back drop. Also, as I said before, I really wanted this room to grow and change as our needs for it change. And a neutral wall color makes that really easy.

You can see in the photo above, the curtain wire and clip hardware (from Ikea) that I am using to hang Ethan's (and later, Logan's) art projects. Ethan loves seeing his stuff up there and I really think it brings in a lot of color and texture to the walls. An obvious benefit is that I can very easily change out the art pieces. Plus, a long display like that really fills in that space above the two shelving units on that wall.

In that corner behind the leather chair is the bin with dress up clothes (yes, boys like to dress up too!) and a mirror. I did not anticipate just how great the mirror would be until I saw Ethan checking out his costumes in it. The magnetic white board is fun for letters and numbers as well as all those magnetic toys you normally put on your refrigerator. (Especially since I don't like things on the front of my refrigerator!)

I put the play kitchen next to the table because Ethan likes to "fix" dinner and set out food on the table. The window treatments are actually fixed roman shades that I made by loosely following a tutorial by Centsational Girl. It was not a hard or expensive project by any means, but I totally would have bought pre-made treatments if I could have found anything I wanted. But, I really love that apple green color so I guess it worked out.

That wall between the TV and the treadmill was perfect for a trio of photos. They are 16x20 gallery wrap canvases and I love them so much.

I thought about hanging the TV on that wall instead of doing the canvases, but ultimately, I knew we wanted to be able to see the TV from the treadmill and the couch. In the before photos you can see our big box TV that we sold. There were a couple of reasons behind that decision (and neither of them relating to picture quality, although the upgrade is nice)... 1) I didn't want the TV to fall on the boys while they were playing. That thing was super heavy. And 2) Being able to mount the TV on the wall really cleared up some valuable floor space.

The closet over there holds so many random things right now...our home server, bins of the boys' clothes, board games, boxes that I save to wrap gifts, more workout equipment, etc. I'm just glad that is all behind the doors. That's what closets are for.

This space is so useful for our family and I love going up there with the boys. (I don't particularly love going up there to work out, but I am thankful that I have a place at home to do that.) I love the room even more now that it looks more fun and colorful (and put together) than it did before.

Shooting the Moon

2011-07-20T20:08:00.001-05:00

On July 15 this year there was a full moon, so I decided to borrow one of my dad's super telephoto lenses (huge, but awesome) and try my hand at shooting the moon. Too bad there were tons of clouds that night. I went out several times and could not see the moon at all. But, my persistence paid off because there were a few windows of time when it peeked through. However, I think the haze from the clouds was still there. I did have fun looking at the moon through the camera, though...it was almost like a telescope. I couldn't believe the amount of detail I could see with the camera. I used my tripod, shutter release cable, and manual focus to achieve the shot. The trickiest things were nailing the focus and exposure because the moon is really bright and is moving. But, this was a fun experiment and I will probably try again another time. (And hope for less clouds.)

Ethan's First Theater Movie

2011-07-19T22:09:00.001-05:00

Casey and I took Ethan to his very first movie in a theater on Sunday afternoon while Logan took his nap at Mimi's house. We saw the Winnie the Pooh movie. I think Casey and I might have been more excited about this outing than Ethan, but he loved every minute. It was a perfect first movie (in a theater) for him and it was so cute. We ate lunch in the food court before the movie and he got to have his favorite thing...a grilled cheese sandwich from Sonic.

We didn't have to wait too long for the movie to start once we got seated, but during the previews, Ethan kept saying (loudly), "I want to watch Winnie the Pooh." My mom got him a special shirt to wear to the movie and he has the characters that he's been playing with at home. See Pooh and Eeyore in the photo below? He kept them clasped in his hands like that the whole time.

After the movie, we took him to pick out a cookie, which was a special treat since we don't have those very often!

(PS - All of these are iPhone pics...didn't have the big camera with me.)

National Ice Cream Day

2011-07-17T08:15:00.002-05:00

Today is National Ice Cream Day! Can you believe it? An occasion just to celebrate and eat ice cream. I love that.

I have been wanting to make some homemade ice cream in my ice cream maker...and here are a few flavors that have my mouth watering:

Key Lime Pie Ice Cream (recipe from Good Life Eats)

Cinnamon Ice Cream (recipe from Dishing Up Delights)

S'mores Ice Cream (recipe from Handle the Heat)

Mexican Chocolate Ice Cream (recipe from Simply Recipes)

Also, I saw a very intriguing ice cream flavor on Food Network's The Best Thing I Ever Ate. Have you seen that show? Don't watch it when you're hungry, that's all I have to say. Basically, chefs tell you the best thing they ever ate pertaining to whatever theme that particular show has. Some themes have been, "Totally Fried," "Sugar Rush," "Between Breads," and "With Bacon."

So, on the "Hot and Spicy" show, someone (can't remember who) mentioned Queen City Cayenne Ice Cream from Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams. Queen City Cayenne is a sweet, spicy (and cold, obviously) chocolate ice cream. It sounds great and I really want to try it. (And their Salty Caramel flavor too.) They actually sell it online and ship it to you using dry ice. I have half a mind to order a couple of pints and see for myself what it's like to taste cold and spicy at the same time. Sounds yummy.

Cooling Off

2011-07-14T15:11:00.000-05:00

My Cars

2011-07-13T16:25:00.001-05:00

For months now, Ethan's favorite "toy" has been his Cars characters. He plays with them 90% of the time. Sometimes he likes to take one or two with us in the car when we run errands. Sometimes he shares them with Logan, and sometimes he wants to keep them "safe" from him (which means putting them up on the counter out of Logan's reach). He likes to send them down his car "slide" (ramp) and race them.

But I think most of all, he enjoys lining them up....on the floor, on the table, or on the stairs. He was especially proud of this arrangement. He took every single one of his cars and put them in between the spindles of the stairs. They went almost all the way up and we kept it like that for days. Even Logan left it alone, surprisingly.

Book Worm

2011-07-12T21:56:00.001-05:00

There are several things these photos bring to mind that I want to remember about Logan.

Just like Ethan was at this age, he can't stay away from books. We keep some books downstairs, some on these shelves in the playroom, and a basket of books in his room. Logan raids them all. So far he has not done any damage to them, but oh, does he love to "look" at books. And pull them off the shelf.

Logan sits with his knees bent under him like that all the time. Looks uncomfortable to me, but he must like it. Also, he still giggles when we read books to him. He especially loves flap books, of course, but no matter what book it is, he always finds it amusing. In fact, I have been known to recite some of his favorite books to get him to smile for photos. And it works!

Little Shepherd Boy

2011-07-11T14:34:00.001-05:00

A few weeks ago Ethan attended his first VBS at the church where he goes to preschool. They had a one day Bible Marketplace and he had so much fun. All the participants had to dress up in Bible time clothing. I "made" his costume from a pair of pillowcases that I got on clearance for $3 at Target. I just cut out the arm and head holes. I had the brown fabric left over from another project so I just cut a couple of strips to act as ties for the tunic and head piece.

Ethan loved his costume and was so proud to model it for Casey. He was happy to see his preschool friends again and told me when I picked him up that he had seen a camel. And that was entirely true. They had a live camel at the marketplace. It's hard to get much information from him about exactly what else they did, but I could tell he had a great time.

Clap Clap

2011-07-10T20:21:00.001-05:00

I Feed Him

2011-07-09T18:34:00.001-05:00

Ethan loves to do things for Logan. Bring him toys, show him how to play with cars...feed him. He is always asking me if he can feed Logan. So sometimes I let him help me with the spoon. But one day, I stepped away from feeding Logan his yogurt for just a few seconds and when I came back, this is what I saw...

He fed him that whole cup of yogurt and was SO proud of himself (he didn't spill one bit of it either.) I am proud that I was able to grab my camera and capture the sweet moment.

Wagon Boys

2011-07-08T19:16:00.015-05:00

I know I have been MIA for more than a week on here. We have been enjoying our summer...swimming, spending time at the lake house, and trying to stay cool. And I am way behind on pretty much everything...laundry, photo editing, house projects. But we've been having so much fun. When I get around to editing the photos of our fun, I'll share them here. For now, here are some of the boys I took a while back with a canvas wall gallery in mind (will share that soon too).

Ah...such sweet smiles. You would never believe that this was after I lost Ethan's prized giant Lightning McQueen balloon from his birthday party. Yep. I had brought it outside because hitting it would crack both of them up. But one time after I hit it, Lightning broke free from the string and took flight. Oh, the trauma of losing a precious balloon. I felt so bad. The mini shoot could have gone way off course after that, but I managed to salvage it and get these smiles. Sweet boys.

Striking a serious pose. (I did not tell Ethan to put his hands on Logan's shoulders...he just did that all by himself.)

Both brothers are DONE and ready to bail out of that wagon...

It looks like they are studying the ground here, but no...Logan was chewing on the side of the wagon and Ethan just copied him. He's prone to doing that, which can be cute until Logan unleashes his ear-piercing screeches (no, really...they hurt our ears). Then, we have two ear-piercing screechers.

Logan: 10 Months

2011-06-29T14:23:00.000-05:00

Weight: 19.4 pounds
Height: 28 inches

Well, this boy turned 10 months old on June 9, so I'm a little behind in posting this. (Since he will be 11 months next week.) Ah well, this gives me the opportunity to write down some things that have transpired after he turned 10 months. Like the fact that he's gotten his two bottom teeth in the past couple of weeks. He was fairly laid back about the whole teething thing. I just noticed that he was chewing on his fingers more and felt around in his mouth. You can spot those teeth in several of the photos. I miss his gummy smile, but those teeth are precious too!

He has also started to eat more table foods. He's still kind of picky about textures, apparently. He makes it known when he doesn't want to eat something. He will refuse to pick it up and will not let you put it in his mouth. I have to be clever to get him to try new things. But overall, he's eating quite a few table foods now. He does like you to put food in his mouth for him, though. Casey calls him the "sultan" because when he is being fed, he lounges back in his chair and sits with his mouth wide open as if to say, "feed me."

Logan learned how to clap when we were at Sea World. He loves to clap all the time now and is really proud of himself when he does it. He's also started waving goodbye to Casey when he leaves for work in the morning. And he will shake his head back and forth at me when I am telling him not to do something (because I am shaking my head too...that one makes me laugh.)

And he's learned how to drink from a straw. I did not teach him. He just picked up Ethan's cup and started drinking. And he loves doing it.

So, it's pretty clear that our little baby boy is just growing up too fast. I cannot believe I have to start thinking about his first birthday party. Unreal.

(PS - all these photos were taken at my parents' lake house.)

Sea World Tips

2011-06-28T15:41:00.000-05:00

Before we went to Sea World, a friend from college who had just returned from Sea World with her family (hi, Kristen!), was kind enough to email me some advice. I also poked around some blogs to look for tips. And since I've now been myself, I thought I'd share what I think would be good to know if you're planning to go.

Disclaimers: We went to Sea World San Antonio, but some of these might apply to the other Sea Worlds too...not sure. We went with small children (ages 3 and 10 months). These so-called "tips" are in no particular order.

1. Buy tickets and parking passes online before you go. Not only do you get a little bit of a discount on tickets if you buy 4 or more, but you won't have to wait in line when you get to the park. With a pre-paid e-ticket, you can walk right up to the turn stiles.

2. Check the Dolphin feeding times right when you get to the park. You have to go over to the dolphin area to find out, and the times are posted on a sign. Apparently there's always one very close to the time of the park opening. We went to the first one and I honestly think we avoided some longer lines because of it. Not to mention that because it was the first feeding of the day, the dolphins were ready to eat!

3. Download the Sea World iPhone app. It has an interactive map, show times, and a bunch of other handy info. Pretty neat.

4. Take several snacks. You are only allowed to take snack-size portions of food into the park, but if you're bringing kids, definitely bring some snacks. Being in the heat and just being active makes kids hungry. Ethan ate almost all of the snacks I brought for him and I brought a lot. He ate a full lunch too.

5. Plan your day. Look at the park map before you go and decide what you want to do. This way you are aware of where things are in the park and have some idea of what route you will take throughout the day. Be sure to factor in the shows you want to see. Planning your basic route will keep you from walking from one end of the park to the other repeatedly, which would be a total beating. Oh, also...it is highly unlikely that you will be able to see everything if you are only going for one day, especially if you are taking kids. So either go back another day or just prioritize what you want to be sure to see.

6. Be aware of the water park line. If you are going on a weekend (especially a Saturday in the summer time), just know that the line for the water park (to get in) will get long toward the middle of the day and into the afternoon. Yep...right about the time you want to pop in there and cool off. So, if it's something you really want to do, then plan accordingly and go a little earlier so you don't have to wait so long just to get in.

7. Take a stroller and detachable bag. Well, you only have to take a stroller if you have young kids. I would include preschoolers in this category because they will get hot and tired and you will not want to carry them because you will also be hot and tired. The "detachable" bag is for when you go into shows. Strollers are not allowed inside so you have to park them outside. In order to keep your camera and other stuff with you, it is just easier to have everything in a bag that you can just grab when you have to leave your stroller. I used two hooks to attach my canvas bag to the handle bar of our double stroller and that worked really well.

8. Park your stroller in the shade, if possible. We parked ours in the sun during one show and when we got out of the show the stroller was so hot that neither of our kids could sit in it.

9. Show Reviews. We went to The Cannery Row Caper (Sea Lions), Azul (Dolphins and Beluga Whale), and One Ocean (Shamu). They were all about 30 minutes long, but you have to get to the stadiums somewhere between 15-30 minutes early to get a good seat or even to get a seat in the case of the Shamu show.

The Cannery Row Caper was fun, silly, and very cute for kids and adults. Ethan loved it. There was dialog but definitely enough action to keep kids entertained.

Azul was billed as perhaps the best show at Sea World, but I was disappointed. Probably because I had heard it was so wonderful. But I had heard there were human acrobats and some diving and we saw none of that. Maybe our show was not complete for some reason. Not sure. The dolphins and the beluga whale were great, but the show we saw consisted mainly of the trainers talking and very little animal performance. Ethan was fidgety because of that, which also probably influenced my overall impression a little bit.

One Ocean (Shamu) was our favorite. Ethan loved it as did all the adults. There is very little talking and very little down time during the show. The killer whales are almost constantly performing with music in the background. This show had just opened when we went (June 2011). You really can't go to Sea World without seeing Shamu and this show does not disappoint, in my opinion.