Beach Vacation

Last week, my little family drove eight hours in the car to Dauphin Island, Alabama, to spend the week with my husband's family.

While the week was anything but relaxing (apparently my kids think "beach vacation" is code for "wake up two hours earlier than usual"), it was refreshing to have no responsibilities for a little while.

Wait, who am I kidding?? No responsibilities?? I took my two biggest responsibilities with me, haha! But I digress. It was, nevertheless, refreshing to spend time with family and read, and sit on the beach and read, and take pictures...

Yeah. I took pictures. Shocking, I know.

So here are some of the highlights from our first family vacation!

1. Cousins.  2. Beach baby.  3. Typical picture of my kids (Hallie loved the beach, if you can't tell).  4. Hallie kissing her cousin.  This happened all week.  

1. Daddy coaxing Gabriel into the surf.  2. Sand castle that hubby and I built together.  I call it Cair Paravel. -nerd-  3. Daddy bringing the sand to Gabriel who, up until this point, hated it.  Look at that smile!  Way to go, Dad!  4. Gabriel witnessed (and tasted) the huge speckled trout that Daddy caught.  It was delicious!

Onesie Projects

So... this has been sitting in my drafts folder since, like, April. I finally got around to taking pictures. :|

I've been playing around with some of Hallie's onesies and my Silhouette machine lately.  The main reason I haven't posted any of the crafts I've done is because somehow my mom brain forgot to take any and all pictures.

Sometimes I wonder how I remember to eat.  Oh wait, I occasionally forget that, too.

But I digress.

Here are some pictures of the finished onesies.  I don't have the processes laid out for you, but they're pretty simple.

SoverM Week

SoverM.  Sisters over Misters.

That was the theme of the week I spent with my three sisters.  Poor hubby! ;)

Don't worry, we had lots of fun with him, too, getting my sisters hooked on Downton Abbey (his idea)!

Here's a quick post about our week together.

We made scarves following this tutorial found -- where else? -- via Pinterest.  We didn't use old t-shirts, but purchased some cute tanks from Wal-Mart for less than $4 a piece!

We did Bible studies.  One of my sisters taught a little bit about what she'd learned in a lesson from Beth Moore's Mercy Triumphs study on the book of James.  We told her that she was going to be the next Beth Moore.

We did watched this one do crazy things like hoola hooping in Wal-Mart.

We cooked.  A lot.

We made awesome SoverM t-shirts using my Silhouette and freezer paper.  They turned out awesome, as you can see!  (Also found these shirts at Wal-Mart for around $5 each.)

My son got a much-needed haircut from his hairdresser auntie.

 The same auntie made something special for Hallie-girl's room. :)

And, of course, we hung out.  Talked.  Listened to music.  Watched Downton Abbey.  Instagram-ed (obviously). Talked some more.

And Gabriel and Hallie got to know their aunties better. <3

Car Love Shirt

I've been searching for something cute to make for my little man that would be easy and fun and Dad-approved. (Ha!)

When I came across the Car Love Shirt by Polly at Helping Little Hands, I knew I'd found it!  Plus, I'd been wanting to try out freezer paper stenciling for a long time.

I wanted to make the shirt in time for Valentine's day, but I had trouble finding a plain shirt.  Finally, I had to buy one at Walmart that had a pocket on it and make use of my handy seam ripper to take it off.  I freaking love that little tool!

Oh well, it's not really that Valentine-y of a shirt -- one of the reasons it's Dad-approved! (I did get the shirt a size bigger in hopes that he can wear it next V-day, though!)

Polly provides stencils to cut out with her tutorial, but I really wanted to use my Silhouette, so I imported her heart shape and bought some of Echo Park's adorable car shapes from the Silhouette store.  I had a lot of fun designing it. :D

Then I cut the shapes out separately (the heart, then the cars) and ironed them on.

The freezer paper was curling, but it still stuck beautifully.

I thought I would be saving myself some work by using the Silhouette to cut out the car shapes... and I suppose I did, but only a little.  It took forever to pull all the little wheels off!

Finally I got them all ironed on.  Looks pretty cute already, doesn't it?

I picked up some acrylic paint from Walmart to do this project, which is what Polly used in order to get the distressed look.  I liked how hers turned out, so thought I'd try it, too (although I did use two coats).

Then I let it dry overnight, just to be safe.  The next morning, I washed and dried it and it was ready to wear!

Bribing him to take pictures by
letting him hold trucks.  Fitting.

I think he likes it!

His favorites:  "Een" (Lightning McQueen),
"Da Da" (Chuck), and "Moo Moo" (Boomer)

Guess it won't be fitting him next February.  Who knew that my 21-month-old could fit into a 3T??  Big boy!

About to try it on.

As you can see, "Mama's" SUV is strategically placed... as is "Daddy's" pickup.

And up close.

The only thing I wish I'd done differently was white paint.  Oh well, guess I'll just have to make him another one! ;)

Yeah... I'm pretty much obsessed with these shapes.  My mind is spinning with all sorts of projects including them... in every medium. :/ I also downloaded Echo Park's cute train shape (which Gabriel also loves).

Uh oh.

Click here to see where I link up!

Ruffle Butt Onesies!

So I'm FINALLY getting around to revealing the project I've been working on.  Three cheers for me!

I made these absolutely adorable personalized onesies!

Side note:  my autocorrect keeps wanting to change "onesies" to "onuses." What the heck are onuses?  Do I even want to know??

Anyway...

I was a hostess for my sister-in-law's baby shower this past weekend.  One of my favorite items from my son's baby shower was a set of personalized onesies, so I decided to make some for my little niece, Faith.  (Ahh!  I can't believe I'm going to be an auntie!)

I had planned everything out how I wanted them to look, following this Silhouette/appliqué tutorial from Jen @ My Own Road.

And then, I came across the ruffle butt onesies on Pinterest.

Can we say "OH. MY. GOODNESS"?

Immediately, I was obsessed!

I had planned on doing four, but they took me a lot longer to finish than I'd originally anticipated.  So I just did three.  I don't think they could have turned out better!

Apologies for the weird angled pics.  I forgot to snap
pictures of them until they were already hanging up.

I used my Silhouette to cut out the appliqués from fabric, which already had fusible interfacing ironed on. Then I ironed the cutouts to the onesies.

After I had them on, I applied some fray check, just to cut down on the fraying and then I straight-stitched them on.  I wanted them to fray a little (my sister-in-law likes the shabby-chic stuff), but I didn't want too much!

Note to self (and anyone else who cares):
Gingham frays like nobody's business!

I cut out my ruffles with pinking shears and applied fray check to the edges.  Then I followed the tutorial for sewing them on.

After washing the onesies, two of the ruffles started coming off.  GASP.  I guess my backstitching wasn't holding too well, even though I used a very gentle cycle!  SO... I re-sewed them and then went off to Walmart to get some liquid stitch, which was applied to the undersides of the ruffles for added support.

I also added a bit of the liquid stitch to the undersides of the appliqués for the same reason (and I used it to put the button on the last one... the needle wouldn't go through all the layers of ribbon). 

Yes, I know the ruffles are in the wrong order on this one.
It was the last one and I was sewing around midnight. :|

Anyway!  I just love how they turned out!  Apparently everyone else did, too, because I was asked numerous times if I had an Etsy shop or if I would take orders.  Ha!

First things first:  I need to make some for Hallie! :)

Click here to see where I link up!

Christmas

Well, I'm alive... adjusting to having two little babies slowly but surely! :) I've been so blessed to have two very easygoing babies (although Gabriel is becoming less so as he gets older).  Hallie is already sleeping 7-8 hours at night!  I can't complain!

Gabriel loves his baby sister.  At first, he didn't really know what to think of her, so he basically ignored her.  But now he loves to give her hugs and kisses.  He also loves to steal her blankets and pacifiers. :| He tries to share everything with her, including his food and drink.  I've tried telling him repeatedly that she's too little or that she doesn't like it, but it hasn't sunk in yet.

When I'm not busy with one (or both) of my little munchkins, I've been attempting to get my house ready for Christmas.  I'm going for simple this year, mainly because of Hallie, but also because this is my first Christmas to actually be at home!  Drew and I have been traveling every Christmas.  So yeah, I practically have NO decorations.  I'm compiling ideas for next year, though!

This is our first year to put up a tree.  I'm quite pleased with the finished product, although it definitely needs more lights and ornaments before it's perfect.  Somehow I let Drew talk me into getting only two boxes of lights instead of the four that were in my cart.  And, wouldn't you know, I ordered on Amazon, so it wasn't like I could just go out and buy more. :|

Gabriel "helping" decorate.  I'm so glad I didn't buy glass ornaments!

I actually did almost all of my shopping online this year.  Whoever thought up Amazon is my HERO.  I'd much rather shop in my jammies from the comfort of my home than brave the crowds with two babies.  In addition, everything is delivered to my front door, rather than me having to lug it up three flights of stairs.  Win win!

Most of the gifts were delivered today... which means I get to start wrapping!  Yay!  Christmas wrapping is one of my favorite things to do!

Baby Girl

Little Miss Hallie Ruth is here!  Yay!

When my due date (November 4) passed with no excitement, I convinced myself that my baby girl would be a week late and would make her appearance on 11-11-11!

Thus, I was pretty surprised when I started having contractions at church on Sunday morning!  I didn't say anything to Drew until after the service because I didn't want to freak him out.  He's the type that would get all worried and be all, "Do we need to leave? I think we should leave!" :)

After church, I told him that I was having contractions, but for some reason it didn't register with him that I meant real ones (I'd been having regular Braxton Hicks for weeks).  Guess I shouldn't have worried!  When he finally realized that I thought labor had started, he reacted predictably.

Although my contractions were pretty irregular, we went ahead and called the midwife who recommended we come on in to the birth center.  Apparently with second babies, labor can pick up pretty quickly.  We arrived at the birth center around 3:30pm and Hallie was born that night at 10:48.

A few minutes old.

One day old.

Eleven days old.

So now, I'm a happy, busy, tired mommy of two precious munchkins. <3

Gabriel loves his sister!

Little Lion

We never celebrated Halloween growing up.  Oh, we'd buy the candy and hand it out to our neighborhood friends, but as for trick-or-treating and decorating our own home?  Nope.

I never felt deprived, though, as our church always had a harvest festival where dressing up was encouraged and tons of candy was given out.  Personally, I find that celebrating the harvest is much more to my taste than the creepy, spooky stuff.  But that's just me. ;)

Anyway, Drew and I haven't decided one way or the other if we're going to take our kids trick-or-treating.  He grew up doing it.  I didn't.  There has to be a compromise, right?

It hasn't been an issue yet, as both years Gabriel has been too young, so we've just taken him to our church's fall festival.  Dressed up, of course!

Last year, he was a monkey, and the cutest, cheekiest little monkey you ever did see!

This year, I knew I had to get him a lion suit.  After dogs, lions were the first animal he started recognizing.  One day last April, we were reading Dr. Seuss' ABC book and he happened to have a lion on his pajamas.  When we got to the L page -- "lion with a lollipop" -- he was all excited and pointed to the page, then to his jammies.  I was shocked that he'd made the connection.

Needless to say, when it came time to purchase the pillow pet, we got him a lion.  He LOVED it.

During the last few weeks, we've also been working on animal noises.  Shocker... after dog, lion was the first sound he made.  Out of the blue, he pointed to the lion on his high chair and said "rawr!"  (After at least a week of me making roaring noises whenever we saw pictures of lions.)  He was so obviously pleased with himself.

Now he will do puppy, lion, monkey, horse, and dinosaur.  Everything else just says "rawr."

Knowing that Halloween was coming up, I started looking for a little lion suit.  How ecstatic was I when I found one at Target?!  I had Gabriel with me and when he saw the picture of the little boy in the costume, he happily exclaimed, "rawr!"  Yay!

At first he wasn't too sure about actually wearing the costume, but after I put him in it a few times, he loved it.  Now whenever he sees it, he points and says "rawr!"  (Then he tries to cuddle it like his blankie, hehe!)

So here's a picture of my ferocious but lovable lion. ♥

 Wish I could say I took this picture, but I'd be lying.

This picture is currently the background of my phone and my desktop.  Every time Gabriel catches sight of it, guess what he does?

You got it:

"Rawr!"

18 Days

Almost ready for little Hallie Ruth to make her appearance.

Been doing baby laundry for the last couple of days.  Love the smell of Dreft. ♥

Eeek... so much pink!!

Eighteen days until her due date!

Nesting Projects

I have a little over three weeks to go until my due date.

I'm freaking out a little.  Okay, a lot.

I still have so much to do to get ready for Hallie's arrival!  I'm also a little worried because I never really started "nesting" with Gabriel.  I mean, I did get a lot of projects accomplished in the last couple weeks before he was born, but it was more me forcing myself to get off my backside and do them than an urge and the inexplicable energy to get them done.

Now, with an active sixteen-month-old, I'm even less motivated.  Scary.

When we moved, we stuck all of our miscellaneous junk in the spare room closet... the closet that is supposed to be Hallie's.  This week, my number one project goal is to get it cleaned out and organized.  Lovely.

Gabriel's room looks like a hurricane blew through.  He's in the middle of outgrowing his 18-month clothes, so all his 2T stuff that just arrived from my mom is everywhere.  He's been getting dressed every day from the floor.  I need to run out and get some plastic bins to store his old clothes, but haven't found the time/energy yet.  On top of that, his closet is also disorganized. -sigh-

I need to wash all of Hallie's clothes and get them put away.  Easier said than done, as I don't have any drawer space for her yet.  Only so much baby stuff can be hung on hangers!  I also need to get her more clothes and blankets.  Gabriel had tons and tons of itty baby clothes and he went through all of them in those first couple of weeks.  Hallie has very few things, and most of them are sized 3 months!

Well, I should probably get to work.  I need to get groceries and get a load of laundry going.  I've entitled this post "Nesting Projects" in hopes that maybe I'll actually start nesting for real.  Ha.

Melon Adventure

I love Wal-Mart.  A lot.

Growing up as one of nine kids, Wal-Mart was almost exclusively where my parents shopped.  I hate going into Tom Thumb and HEB to buy things that I know are cheaper elsewhere.  And let's face it, Wal-Mart is cheaper.

But one thing I have learned about shopping at Wal-Mart on my own the last three years:  they do not have great produce, especially fruit.  Produce is one of the few things that I sometimes purchase at smaller stores.

However, a few weeks ago, I was shopping and got a sudden craving for cantaloupe.  Little-known fact about me:  I could probably eat a whole cantaloupe in one sitting.  Just cut it in half, scoop out the seeds, and I'll eat it with a spoon, using the rind as a bowl.  LOVE.  (Another little-known fact about me:  I'm actually allergic to melons.  My throat gets all itchy when I eat them, but I love them so much that I don't care.  Ha.)

Anyway, Wal-Mart happened to have cantaloupes on special, so I went ahead and bought one.

Best.  Decision.  Ever.

It was seriously the ripest, sweetest cantaloupe that I have ever tasted.  So, last week when doing my weekly shopping, I decided to try again.  Who knew?  Maybe I'd get lucky twice!

When I cut into it, I was ecstatic.

Look how ripe that is!

It's practically begging me to gobble it up!  Unfortunately (fortunately?), I have a little guy who loves melon as much as I do, so I had to share.

And really, who could resist that face?  (Don't let the shirt fool you... he's a fruit monster.)

Needless to say... I'll be buying cantaloupes at Wal-Mart more often!  Next time, however, I'll be taking Gabriel's shirt off before he eats.  Melon apparently stains.  Any suggestions for getting it out??

Pearls

For some reason, my son loves pearls.  Really, he loves any kind of jewelry--necklaces, earrings, and bracelets.  He will go to any woman with a necklace or interesting earrings and he always wants to chew on Drew's rubber Bound4Life bracelet.

But pearls are his favorite.  He lights up when he sees them.  I don't even have to be wearing them!

Last weekend, my mother-in-law was wearing pearls.  After Gabriel almost broke the clasp trying to eat them, she took them off and let him play with them along with her phone.

Needless to say, Gabriel was in heaven:

Please can I play?

Look at my pearly whites, Mom!

Crazy eyes!

Life Moves Quickly

As a very experienced mother of four weeks (haha), I have come to the conclusion that life goes by too fast.

I have been watching my infant son grow right before my eyes.  Sometimes I wish I could just stop the clock and freeze him right as he is now:  before his poop smells and while just looking at random things like ceiling fans can make him grin from ear to ear.

However, I can't stop time from moving, no matter how much I would like to!

I realized this truth more fully when Gabriel decided that it was time to roll over.

At four weeks old.

Yes.  FOUR WEEKS.

I have a video as proof.  This was the third time he rolled over fully, but the first time I could catch it on video.  He's also rolled from his tummy to his side a few times.

Needless to say, he is growing up WAY too fast for my liking. :(

To Nap or Not to Nap

As I sit here writing this, I am listening to my little guy cry in the other room. :( He does not like to go to sleep.  Of course, once he does, he doesn't want to wake up for the world.  Sounds a lot like me when I was younger.  Since becoming a mom, however, I actually relish bedtime!

I've been reading that 15-20 minutes of crying is not bad for a baby; that some babies cannot fall asleep without expending energy crying; that babies need to learn to fall asleep on their own without a sleep aid (such as nursing, rocking, or swinging).

But I still hate to hear my baby cry!  It's a heart-wrenching sound.  In the long-run, I know it's better to just let him cry, but it's so hard knowing that I can do something about his distress and shouldn't.

There... he's stopped.  It wasn't that long of a cry this time.  Of course, he cried off and on through his first morning nap, and then I gave in half-way through his second one and put him in his swing.  I have no doubt that he is exhausted... and maybe he's already started to learn...

The Miracle of Life

It's amazing to me that one of God's greatest miracles happens every day and that average people like myself get the privilege to participate in it.

On Friday afternoon, my son came into the world.  It was a miracle and that's really the only way I know how to describe it.  It was both the hardest day of my life and the most beautiful.  Yes, I believe it was an even more beautiful day than the day Drew and I got married.  The amount of work that went into giving birth to Gabriel made the reward of holding him in my arms for the first time the most amazing moment of my life.  Drew and I both feel that the day was more special than our wedding, because it was the culmination of what happened that day as we covenanted together to become a family under God.

In any case... the last couple of days have been amazing, as well.  Although they have been rough at times (like when Gabriel slept only three hours one night and cried inconsolably the rest of the time), overall, it has been absolutely incredible.

Holding the precious bundle of joy that God gave us to raise...
feeling inexplicable love for a little person I have only just met...
staring into his beautiful face as he sleeps in my arms...
having him study my face with interest...
snuggling him close as I nurse him...
hearing him breathe and make baby noises...
seeing him calm down from crying as I swaddle him...
knowing that I am his main source of food, love, and care.

Motherhood is turning out to be so much more beautiful that I could ever have dreamed.