Five on Friday

1. Birthday party weekend was a success! Everything went great and we had a lot of fun. If I ever get a chance, I will blog some of the pictures. I had a lot of fun with this theme, and still cannot believe I have a 1 and 3 year old!

2. Manny's school celebrated teacher appreciation this week. With the chaos of birthday party planning, I totally forgot that it was coming up. I didn't send Manny to school on Tuesday either, and late Wednesday afternoon I randomly remembered that I needed to get something to take the next day. Luckily I'm a pretty big hoarder (mostly of random craft/gift supplies) so I was able to dig through my stash and come up with a gift that I thought was pretty cute. I used a paint pen to trace his teacher's names on a mason jar, boxed up a cupcake (leftover from the party - shhh), and gave them 2 photo holder jars that were inspired by an eighteen25 post. They used paint, but I did glitter, using the same method as my glitter ornaments. I did have to go buy the basket at Hobby Lobby, but I was pleased with how it come together pretty last minute.

3. I picked up this picnic blanket in a bag at Target a couple of weeks ago, and we love it. I just keep it in the back of our car for when we go to the park, and it's a great size for the kids and I to sit on and have a picnic, or for Maeva to crawl around and play on too. I love the fact that it zips right up into a nice little bag and has the shoulder strap. Looks like they're on sale for $16.99 right now too.

4. Every once in awhile I get stupid brave and decide to run errands with the kids. Not just regular shopping type stuff, but returning items. For some reason, those types of errands always turn into an event of sorts. I had to exchange some clothes that I bought MB online (luckily I was able to do so in the store) so I thought I'd run in real quick since I was in the part of town where this store was. Of course it was a bit of a process, but we managed, and I was glad to check that off my list. I got to the car and put MB's seat in the car, and turned around to see this herd of tigers hanging out in the stroller. I said, "Manny! Did you take these?" And he said, "No, Beeb Sawyer wanted them! Not Manny Martin's, Bebe Sawyer's!" So yeah. It's already begun. (We did take them back, in case you were curious.)

5. Manny sure keeps me laughing these days. Just the way he says things and his observations, not to mention his random memory, blows my mind! He pulled this shirt out of his closet the other day and said, "I wanna wear my 'merica shirt." Everytime he says 'merica it makes me laugh. He definitely has a little accent going on. And his hair has gotten so curly all of the sudden too! It's getting a little wild but I secretly love it. Though I guess it's not so secret since I just announced it here?

 

I'm a huge fan of random list-type posts, so when I saw this link-up I thought it'd be fun to join in too. 

Happy Memorial Day friends..be safe!

Pray for Oklahoma

My heart is absolutely broken for the devastation caused by the tornado in Moore yesterday. Thank you so much to each of you that have checked on us. Fortunately we are fine. We are about 15 minutes from where everything hit, and it was certainly a scary day. One of Patrick's co-workers lives just down the street from us and has a nice large shelter, and we were able to go there. 

 

I was so sad to hear that my sweet blog friend Heather has lost her house again. Yes, again. She also lost her house in the '99 tornado that hit Moore. I cannot imagine what they're going through, but I am SO glad her and her family are safe. If you want to help with Heather's immediate needs, you can donate money via PayPal here.

Please continue to cover everyone in your prayers. And click here for a link of several ways you can help. Thanks for praying friends.

Be The Match - #teamwill

I'm sure many of you know Lindsey and have followed her journey with her sweet kiddos Will and Kate. But in the chance there are any of you that don't know their story, I wanted to talk a little about it today.

In short, her kids were born with a rare genetic condition that causes them to need a bone marrow transplant to live. Her daughter, Kate, had a successful transplant and is a healthy, thriving, beautiful 2 year old because of it! And now, her son Will is in need of a transplant as well, but they are facing some challenges in getting there.

I "met" Lindsey through Twitter a little over a year ago now. I have enjoyed getting to know her and following her story as she shares their lives on her blog. I was honored when she asked me to design precious Will's birth announcement, and I can't believe that's been over a year ago now. The year has flown by, and Will has been doing fairly well, all things considered. They had found a match for Will, and were making preparations for the transplant to happen soon.

But then a couple of weeks ago, their world was rocked when they found out the donor that was Will's match had changed his mind about donating. Meaning, Will does not have a donor now and they are back to the drawing board as to what to do next.

This week Will had an appointment to determine where to go from here, and you can read Lindsey's post all about that on her blog. My heart just breaks as I read her words. I cannot imagine what she's going through, and all of the questions, fears, and outcomes going through her head. She is doing everything in her power to fight for Will's life, and is spreading the word about joining the registry in a huge way. And not just because of Will - but because she knows and has experienced first hand the result of a life-saving donor in her daughter Kate, and wants others to have that same chance too.

Because of her, I signed up for the registry a few weeks ago. My kit came really fast, and it was simple as can be to take a few swabs from my cheeks and mail it back in the pre-paid envelope they included. As I was sitting there swabbing my cheeks, I couldn't help but think - what if this was my child in need? You better believe I'd be doing the same thing as Lindsey and making people aware of this need. Why haven't I registered for this before now? To be honest, I just never really knew or understood the importance of it. Which is the main reason I'm writing this today. If even one person decides to join the registry because of learning about this, you never know whose life it could save in the future.

So, now I'm going to ask you to PLEASE consider joining the registry to be a bone marrow donor. But on that same note, please don't do so if you don't think you'd be able to donate should you get called as a match. When you go to the website to register, they explain all of that and also tell you more about what the process involves. To register, they send you a kit to complete at home with just a quick cheek swab. It really is simple. For more information or to join the registry, visit the Be The Match site here.

And in the meantime, please keep Lindsey, Will, Alex, and Kate in your prayers. You are SO strong Lindsey and all of us are here for you, praying for you, and supporting you any way we can! We are all part of #teamwill together!

Mommy & Me Mini Session

About a month ago, I had the chance to get some pictures taken as part of a "Mommy & Me" mini-session through Amanda Rice Photography. The kids weren't all too excited about pictures (are they ever??) but Amanda still managed to get some great shots! And the wonderful thing about mini sessions is they're over so fast...nice and stress free. Ha! :) Here are some of my favorites from the session. Thanks so much Amanda for capturing some special moments with my babies!

Maeva's 1st Year Slideshow

Maeva Beth {1 year old} 5.12.13

Dear Maeva Beth,

Someway, somehow...you turned 1 year old yesterday. To say this was the fastest year of my life would be an understatement. I cannot put into words what a blessing you are to our family! We had a fun family day yesterday celebrating you, and I can't wait for your party on Saturday. So much to be thankful for as the Lord has blessed us beyond measure! I wanted to make a little slideshow of my favorite pictures from your first year. Turns out that would've been more like a movie as momma is a little camera happy...so I made myself narrow it down to just a few of my favorite memories from a most wonderful year. 

I love you SO much sweet baby!

xo,

Mommy


If the video won't load for those that read by email, click here: http://youtu.be/J2bH6fWBmS0
Song - This is Love by MoZella

Confetti Birthday Invitations

As I mentioned, I'm doing a joint party for Manny and Maeva this year. With their birthday's being only 5 days apart, and given that they are young and truly don't care...I decided this would be easiest for everybody. It was a bit of a challenge deciding on a theme that would work for both of them. I like for the theme to have some personal significance to them, or a reflection of what they like or their year consisted of. When thinking all these things, I kept coming back to a "Bebe Sawyer" themed party. 

 

For those that might not know, my parents have a dog named Sawyer. Manny is absolutely obsessed with Sawyer, and seriously talks about him multiple times a day. And then from the time we brought Maeva home from the hospital, Manny has called her Bebe Sawyer. And it caught on with everyone else, to the point that we call her Bebe Sawyer more than we call her Maeva some days. So it's safe to say that Sawyer/Bebe Sawyer have been a big part of our last year and I thought it would be cute to go with. 

So the key was figuring out how to make this a "fun" theme, and not just a dog party. I decided a silhouette of Sawyer (who is an American Bulldog) along with a confetti theme would be the way to go. When the invitations arrived and I opened them, and Manny shouted, "Sawyer!" I knew I'd made the right decision. I actually glittered some of the confetti pieces with glitter glue, and it looked really cute. I patiently let them dry, and when I picked them up...the glitter glue just fell right off. I guess the texture of the card didn't work well with the glitter glue perhaps? Gotta love when projects are a waste of time.

I always like to include a picture on the back of the invitation. I'2011/04/mannys-1st-birthday-invitations.html">one I took of Manny for his first birthday, but between bad weather and the kid's sicknesses, it just didn't work out. I ended up using this picture taken by Amanda Rice Photography which I think turned out SO cute! A couple of weeks ago we did a "mommy & me" mini session, and this is from then. I should have the rest of the pictures back soon and am so excited to see them! But more on that another day. :) 

 

For the labels, I did this design with one concept in mind of applying the label. Without boring you the details, that concept didn't work, so I decided to just use washi tape. I would've preferred the design spaced out more, but I'd already printed them so just left it. I do think the washi tape made for a cute touch though!

 

However. I have no clue what happened, but apparently something was not acceptable with the format of the design. Turns out someone at the U.S. Postal Service took the time to handwrite all off the addresses on the envelopes. No clue why they didn't just return them - though I'm glad they didn't. I did ask a lady at the post office if the format was okay before printing all of them, and she said yes...so who knows. All I know is I hope it wasn't my mail carrier that had to hand address all of these, because if so, she's probably going to leave a bomb in my mailbox very soon.

These invitations were definitely a little different for me, and didn't turn out quite as I'd thought. Still yet, I'm pleased with them and even more pleased to have them checked off my to-do list. :)

Maeva Beth {11 months}

 

Dear Maeva Beth,

You are 11 months old! In fact, you will be 12 months old (more commonly known as 1 year) this coming Sunday. I started writing this when I took these pictures right around your 11 month birthday, but just haven't had a chance to finish writing about these last few months. They have been full of lots of fun and lots of changes!

You are such a cute little peanut. You almost always have a sweet little look on your face, and people often stop me to tell me how precious you are. Your hair is a little bit out of control, but I absolutely love it. You really need your bangs trimmed but I'm scared of how it might turn out so am holding off for now. 

You have 8 teeth and are working on a few more. You went to the doctor because you were sick with what turned out to be a double ear infection. While there, they weighed you, and you still weigh 18 pounds, which is what you weighed at your 9 month check-up. You haven't grown all that much, and are still wearing 3-6 month pj's, and either 3-6 or 6-9 month in everything else. Now that you're crawling everywhere, you've lost quite a bit of your baby chub. :(



You are still called Bebe Sawyer a lot of the time, mostly by your brother. He also calls you Sissy, which is so sweet. Sometimes we call you TroTro too. It's a new cartoon about a donkey that Manny likes, and of course that name somehow transferred to you. It's catchy. :) Manny also has a book called Skippy Jon Jones, and I've taken to calling you variations of that, such as Stinky Jon Jones, Grumpy Jon Jones, etc. You get the idea. I'm random. :)

Your favorite toy is the Roku remote. It's a smaller remote and I think you like it because you can haul it around in your little bitty hands easily. It's funny to see you fight for that thing. Manny will occasionally take it from you and put it up, thinking you shouldn't have it, and you will throw a flat out fit when he does. The insight into your flair for drama frightens me. 

Bananas are your favorite food by far. You also like avocados too, but not as much as you love bananas. You are thankfully starting to try more foods and show more interest in food. 

You still nurse about every 4 hours during the day. You are quite attached and I'm not sure how weaning is going to work when that time comes. You are sleeping through the night now pretty consistently, which I'm incredibly thankful for!  

You and your brother mostly have a great time playing together. You love playing in his room and will always go look for him there, and get so excited when you find him. You guys laugh and laugh at the silliest, almost non-existent things. It's the sweetest thing ever. 


You do, however, LOVE to pull his hair. It's so funny...he gets so mad and tells me, "Mommy, Bebe Sawyer not being nice! She need say sorry!" and will turn to you and say, "Okay Bebe Sawyer, say sorry and give me hug." He's too funny, and I guess knows the drill. :)

Here is the monthly comparison between you and Manny. While I do see some minor similarities, I really think you each have your own distinct look.

I am so excited to celebrate your 1st birthday this week! You are such the perfect little blessing to our family. I love you baby girl!!

XOXO
Love, Mommy

Oh yeah, I have a blog.

So I took a bit of an unintentional "blog break", so here I am, per usual, saying I have lots to catch up on. Same song, different day. I have tons I want to blog about, but first things first - I seriously cannot believe this sweet girl will be ONE in less than one week. How?! No clue where this year went, and honestly...she just doesn't seem "old" enough to be a one year old. But since the calendar tells me that's about to happen, I've started making plans as such.

My best friend and I had been talking about having a little getaway, and decided the last weekend in April was the perfect time to do so. Our getaway wasn't far...in fact it was only about 15 minutes from my house. :) But we decided our idea of a "getaway" would just be to get a hotel room and craft and prepare for our kid's upcoming birthday parties. (Her daughter's party will be the day after Manny & MB's.) SO.wild, right?

When I called to book the room, I was asking about the room sizes and if there would be space to set up a 6 foot table. Yes, Candice has a portable one. She doesn't mess around. So the guy on the phone wanted to know what we were doing with the table...and I said...sewing. What on earth?! Why did I say sewing? It was the weirdest thing ever, I like heard myself saying it and was thinking - who is talking? Needless to say, he fixed us up with a very spacious room. And when we went to check-in, it was the same guy who had made the reservation. He was like, "Oh yes! You guys are the sewing ladies." And then asked us if we could sew a couple buttons on some of his shirts. We couldn't stop laughing. I know he thought we were crazy with our cart of random supplies.

We had a fairly productive night...actually I really didn't as the 2 main projects I tried to do were a bust. So then I basically decided to sit on the bed and do nothing. Which was actually quite fun. :) Patrick brought the kids to the room before bed so I could nurse MB. I'd only been gone about 3 hours at that point, but you would think I'd been gone 3 weeks. Stage 5 clingers through and through. It was pretty sweet though and Patrick said they were fine once they left, so that made me feel better. 

The next morning at breakfast, I'm getting a cup of orange juice when I hear an older man behind me say, "Well I'll be darned." I turn around to see him staring at this pancake machine. I'd never seen one either, and was very amused. As was he...pretty sure he watched the pancake machine for about 10 minutes, while occasionally shaking his head and mumbling "Well I'll be darned."

On Sunday afternoon, we took Manny to "Extreme Animal Racing" they hold once a year at our local race track. They had ostrich, camel, and zebra races, along with the regular horse races mixed in.

It was a long and drawn out process, and we ended up leaving before the zebra and camel races because we'd already been there 3 hours and it was hot and crowded. Manny loved the ostrich and horse races, however, he was a little disappointed to miss the zebra races. Almost every day since then, he has asked to go to the zebra races. Oops. Guess we'll be counting down the days til next year's zebra races. And googling zebra racing videos in the meantime.

 

To brighten his spirits, we stopped and had dinner at Santa Fe so he could have his beloved "moose peanuts". Perfect ending to a nice, fun weekend. :)