A Toddler's Summer Evening

this is a picture of my niece, who I call the "wild woman".

harper is 20 months going on 20 years with a spirit of energy, craziness, love, and giggles.

she is delaney's best friend and knows when she pulls in the driveway that she is there to play with "dee" or "dainey"!

she does not stay still for more than .2 seconds, which is why almost every picture of her right now is of her backside running away.

she is sneaky and sly and possibly a future gymnast- crawling out of pack and plays and somehow getting delaney to escape out of a childproof gated fence, which was a big surprise to her momma and me.

she's a momma's girl, but i think she's also independent and ready to do her own thing

Loved the Summer, Now I'm Moving On...

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When Mr. H was in the military, we lived in Hawaii for a couple of years.  I will admit- it was fabulous and I know you are probably understandable a little jealous- and you should be.

 It is SO beautiful with perfect weather and beautiful beaches and green mountains.  On the weekends, we would go to the beach for hours and I would boogie board along with children while the adults surfed (I never had a desire for the surfing).

However,  there was one thing missing (besides my family of course), that I NEED in my life

- a change of seasons.  

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I love summer.  I have cherished the pool time, the green grass, and throwing on flip-flops to go to the store.  But the best season EVER is approaching and even though it is still 80 degrees today, I am looking ahead to FALL (or autumn- it even gets 2 names because it is so wonderful).

Fall is SO short, but it's memories seriously get me through the first half of winter.
I am looking forward to the pumpkin patch, apple picking (ok, I admit I never actually GO apple picking, but the thought still excites me), hay rides, Halloween, decorating my house and spraying pumpkin scented febreeze on the carpet.  In Indiana, there are a lot of fall "festivals" that I also love.  We walk around and shop   and eat carmel apples (we call it carmel in Indiana, not caramel, so that's not a typo), kettle korn, fudge, and pie in a jar.

(yep, that's right- it's pie and it's in a jar and that makes it better somehow).

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 It is also the only time of year I actually try new things with my wardrobe ~boots, hats, and scarves, trying to pull off skinny jeans tucked into my jeans with a long sweater, even though I'm a mom and feel too old.  So, I thought I'd inspire you and get you excited about autumn.  And if you live in a place that is warm all year round, then I'm sorry you miss this gorgeous season,
but when I'm marching through snow early March waiting for the tulips, then you can feel sorry for me.  

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This is what I FEEL like (not exactly what I look like) in my boots in the fall, but I think she'd be cold without a sweater.

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P.S. This Fabric Pumpkin Tutorial can be found HERE.  

If I had any sewing ability, I would have already started it. 

 I wonder if I can use hot glue?

Embracing the Camera at the Fair

We went to the Indiana State Fair twice this year.

The first was for a MercyMe and Third Day Concert that I embraced the camera for HERE.

This concert was 3 nights before the now infamous stage collapse that has killed 7 people now and seriously injured many others.

Living in Central Indiana, it really was a shocking and horrific event and I'm still praying for the families and those injured, including young children .

We returned to the fair the following week, and although I felt there was a more somber tone, we still took some time to enjoy our time together as a family.  Here's me embracing the camera with Delaney. 

Yes, I was sweating more than the hogs.

We had a nice time looking at the piglets, checking out some horses and goats and watching others eat deep fried Kool-Aid (I opted for a Sprite and an ice cream cone). 

Oh, we also got in FREE for Veteran's night, which saved us $14 !

New Uppercase Cursive Font!

Our new uppercase cursive font has arrived and we are so excited!

To show our excitement, we are offering this dainty cupped initial necklace with pearl for only

$25 this week!

Perfect Bridesmaid gift or wedding gift for a new bride!



Also, our SET OF 3 Bridesmaid Set is on sale for $72!!

Easy Homemade Baby Wipes!

Alright time for a confession:  I am a huge fan of the Duggar family.  I watch with awe as this momma raises 19 kids since I feel like I'm struggling to raise one baby.  I like them so much that I actually read their first book recently and found this recipe for homemade baby wipes. 

I am been REALLY trying to budget better lately and have even started couponing again (ugh-I hate it, but I feel like I need to do it). 

I have been paying a small fortune for baby wipes at Sam's Club, so I think this is a cheaper option AND I had almost all of the supplies at home.

Supplies Needed:

*2 Cups Water (I forgot to include that in the picture, but you know what water looks like, right?)

*1 Tablespoon Rubbing Alcohol

*2 Tablespoons Baby Oil (I used Mineral Oil instead of Baby Oil because I didn't want them to be scented. P.S. You can also use Canola Oil or Vegetable Oil, which is completely safe on skin)

*washed out Ice Cream Galloon Bucket (yum...I went with the Neopolitan, but the flavor is up to you)

*roll of Bounty paper towels (Bounty works best, I'm told)

Optional: 1 Tablespoon Infant bubblebath (I didn't include this 'cause I prefer unscented)

Cut the roll of paper towels in half- if you have an electric knife it works great.  I don't, so I sweated and put in some elbow grease and may have developed tennis elbow to cut through this roll with a dull steak knife.  This was the hardest part.

Combine the water, alcohol, and oil in a bowl

 Place the roll in the bucket.  (Ok, this picture is NOT accurate.  You should put it in vertically so the roll is standing up because when you pull the wipes out, you'll want to start with the towel in the middle of the roll)

Pour liquid over paper towels and let sit for 30 minutes.  Then, pull the roll out of the paper towels.
 

Cut an "x" slit in the lid and pull the wipe from the middle of the roll out first. 

I found these to be super easy to make and they work great!

  Thank you, Michelle Duggar!

It's a Party!

We celebrated Delaney's ONE year old Birthday party on Wednesday, and had a great time!!  I went with an ELMO theme, since she is slightly in love with Elmo and Brodi did a superb job making me an elmo cake!!  I set up our Tag...You're It tent in the backyard, which worked great. 

The picture is small so you can't see the weeds and dead grass in the backyard.

Delaney was the perfect birthday girl, and yes I made her wear a crown during the entire party because I'm THAT mom.

Um...Yeah, this girl SUCKED on her cupcake like a bottle.

I probably wouldn't go with the RED elmo icing again because it did result in a wide awake girl who screamed 3 hours past her bedtime, but she sure did enjoy eating every last drop of chocolate cake and icing. 

Next year, I'll try a sugar free vanilla with sugar free vanilla icing. 

That way it also won't stain her birthday dress. 

Whoops.

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More Birthday Week...

Today is Embrace the Camera Thursday AND some more of birthday week! 

For Isaac and Delaney's birthdays we went to "jump-n-play."  It is this great indoor area that has about 6 or 7 giant inflatable jumpy things for kids to play in.  I plan on going about once a week this winter when we're stuck indoors.

Delaney had a blast.  They had an infant area and her and Harper chased each other and practiced their climbing skills

yeah, Isaac had fun too.

I love these girls. and the giant inflatable dog that kept them entertained for an hour.

P.S.

A letter to the Birthday Girl

Dear One Year Old Delaney,
Happy Birthday!  You are ONE today and you don't even know it!!  Or do you?  Do you remember some memories we made this past year?

Oh...this one is pretty important.  Do you remember your birthday in the hospital? Our first cuddle time together.  I had no idea that even at 1, you would still be as much of a cuddler as you were the day you were born.  You are absolutely my cuddle bug.

Do you remember when I dressed you up as a giraffe for Halloween, but put a bow in your "ear" so everyone knew you were a girl giraffe?  I know- I didn't even let you have any candy, but maybe next year when you have all of your teeth.

 Do you remember all of the tummy time/floor time/playtime that we spent together?  Our living room floor has been your play world this past year and you have spent hours working on the baby fundamentals.

Do you remember when you desperately wanted to be big like your cousin Harper, so that you could run around instead of crawl?

Do you remember when I could put accessories all over your face and on your head and you didn't seem to mind?  It was short lived and wonderful.

Do you remember when it was FINALLY pool season, but swimming was just exhausting?  Don't worry- I still get really sleepy after being in the sun all day and getting in the pool.

Do you remember all the yummy treats that you tried for the first time, normally at your Great-Grandma's house?  You had your first experience with chocolate pudding in this picture, and you were looking at grandma for just one more bite.

Do you remember some of your first trips, like the 4-H Fair?  We also took trips to the Children's Museum, the zoo, the State Museum, and lots of fall festivals and craft fairs, of course! 

Do you remember how fast your first year went?  All of a sudden you were rolling over, then crawling, then walking!  You still only have one tooth, but I'm sure more are on their way. 

You have taught me how to be much more patient, how to survive on a lack of sleep, and how to be less selfish (this has been my hardest lesson). 

You have turned my world upside down in a wonderful way. 

Although we had some rough spots (usually at bedtime), our first year together as a family was overall pretty amazing.  You are truly a wonderful baby and are full of so much joy. 

You have helped me learn every word to every Sesame Street song ever written and the world of Abby Cadabby and Mr. Noodle (who is a little bit creepy if I'm being honest).

 You have taught me that something as simple as crawling on the floor and meeting face to face or playing a game of peek-a-boo can result in hours of laughter. 

You often remind me that sometimes I need to cherish those moments of 2 AM cries because it means I get to rock you back to sleep, and I won't get to do that for much longer.

I love you, Miss Delaney and always will.

Love,

Your Mommy 


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More Birthday Shananigans!!

Free birthday printable HERE

On Sunday, we celebrated Isaac's 6th birthday with a small family surprise party!  He had been camping over the weekend with his grandparents, and he thought he was just headed home. 

However, they pulled into the park and he was welcomed to his surprise birthday party. 

I loved the expression on his face!

Brodi threw him a Sponge-Bob party, with a fabulous menu.

We had such a fun afternoon enjoying the park and the nice weather.

 Harper tries so hard to keep up with the big kids, but her legs just aren't long enough yet.

 This is my rock star grandma who walked Del around the tree, playing peek-a-boo.  Delaney could NOT stop laughing for half an hour.

 Delaney and grandpa time

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