42/52 + 20 weeks

1 - We spent Halloween trick-or-treating with cousins. The girls wanted to be Anna and Elsa and since we already had the dress-ups the only effort I had to exert was braiding their hair. This was the first Halloween I didn't make any part of their costumes and I did miss the creative process. I hope next year they want to be something we don't already have so I can make at least part of their costume. But, really, what else could they have been this year?! I mean, there were about a million cute little Annas and Elsas running around town, but they were the only ones with the correct hair color AND familial relationship. Boom.

2 - We made it to a pumpkin patch just a couple of days before Halloween. The girls ran out in front of everyone getting off of the hay ride and claimed their pumpkins by sitting on them. I promise we don't practice that type of behavior at home, ha.

3 - Tommy's first time at a pumpkin patch = my first time nursing on a pokey hay bale bench. Also, #menwearingbabies.

heart face hair clip valentines

For Valentine's Day this year I decided to give the girls a gift handmade with love. I found these felt heart shapes that we used a few years back for a Valentine's tic tac toe game and thought they could use a little more personality, so I embroidered some cute quirky faces on them and turned them into hair clips. They loved them! I had so much fun making them a little token of love l that I think a small handmade Valentine gift tradition has been started.

I am thinking about making a little different version of these for the shop, so you might see these and other quirky heart-faced characters again sometime soon. They were just too much fun, I am not done with them yet! :)

You're Sweet, Valentine! Free Printable

If you are like me and tend to wait until the last minute to put together Valentine's this free bag topper printable may help! 

I found these darling Japanese ice cream puzzle erasers at my local party store (you can find them online too) and knew it would be the perfect way to give LM's Kindergarten class a fun 'treat' without being a treat at all! Since they pull apart and put back together like puzzles my girls have been playing with them almost non-stop, so I think they will be a hit with the younger age group. 

I like to give candy-free Valentine's, but with this printable you can fill the bag up with any little 'sweet' thing you can think of so it's totally versatile. It is the perfect size for 3"x4" treat bags which are big enough to hold 1-3 little treats. Just print the toppers on cardstock or other heavy paper, cut them out, have your little one fill up the bags and write their name after the xoxo, then help them staple on the bag toppers. Super easy!

You can download/print the bag toppers 9 to a page here. For personal use only, please.

Have a sweet Valentine's Day!

thankful + joules clothing

We spent Thanksgiving with family in the desert. It was a nice respite from our cold temps and was probably our last chance to run around outside without hats, coats, mittens, scarves, and boots for awhile. These two girls took advantage of every minute they had with their cousins while us adults enjoyed playing games and talking late into the night. Sometimes holidays can seem hectic and go by way too fast, but I felt like this Thanksgiving was slow and we were all able to fully enjoy being with each other. It was nice.

I really am truly thankful for this little family of mine and the time I get to spend with them every day. This was a difficult year of loss for me, but because of that loss it was also a year of immense personal growth. The greatest gift I received was a more abundant appreciation and love for my children, and a greater understanding of what a blessing it is to be a mother. That is what I am most thankful for this year.

Recently Joules was kind enough to send us some clothing for the girls including these two dresses. I must say they have quickly become a favorite staple in their wardrobe. The girls love that they are warm and comfortable with just the right amount of twirl, while I am a big fan of the quality and the fact that they still look brand new after several washes (not to mention no ironing required!). All of the girls clothing at Joules is darling and would make a really nice Christmas gift. Here are some of my favorite pieces - 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.

Oh, and don't try to come between a toddler and her polka dots. There can never be enough. :)

sponsored post: happy thanksgiving from crayola!

I have been looking forward to this week all month. Thanksgiving is definitely one of my favorite holidays since in my book not much can top taking a time-out from our busy schedule to spend a whole weekend with family. Oh, and let's not forget the food. 

It is also fun to do some holiday projects with the girls. So far this year we have kept our Thanksgiving crafting pretty simple. I set out a roll of paper with some markers and crayons on the coffee table and the girls have been drawing pictures of things they are thankful for... our family, home, rainbows, flowers, warm beds, trees, kites, crayons, scribbles... :) It has been a good way for us to keep an open discussion with them of all the blessings we enjoy, both big and small, and help us all fill our hearts with gratitude this season.

As a kid I remember being given the job to make place holders and paper turkeys for table decor. It made me feel important like I was contributing to the meal too, and looking back I am sure it was my mother's way of keeping me entertained and out of the kitchen! I am sure my girls will need some entertainment while we are busy prepping food, so I have been taking mental notes of easy Thanksgiving projects they can do mostly unsupervised. Crayola has put together a short Thanksgiving craft inspiration video for those of you looking for some fun ideas too. You can watch it below.

This post is sponsored by Crayola.

a new decade

That guy right there holding an ice cream cake and singing Happy Birthday with gusto while still managing to look totally handsome is a keeper, I tell ya. Today is my birthday, but he surprised me on Saturday with a house packed full of friends and family to celebrate my big 3-0 a few days early. I had no idea he had been planning and scheming behind my back for a full month.

My mom was in cahoots with him to keep me away from the house after I got off work and she played her role perfectly - even when she had to improvise last minute when I got a terrible headache and told her I didn't think I could go shopping. She made us pedicure appointments on her drive over and told me that was my surprise gift, ha! I could certainly sit down and relax, oh, and here are some drugs... ;)

I really wish I got better pictures of the night, but I only got these few I snapped with my phone between conversations. It was a bit overwhelming seeing so many loved ones at once, many of whom I hadn't seen in a long time - high school friends! - and I wanted to sit down and talk to everyone a lot longer than I could, but it was so fun. I couldn't believe how many people showed up, and how hard Husband worked to make it all happen. He even asked everyone to write me a little letter and compiled them into a birthday book for me. It was a wonderful gift I will treasure.

Thanks for a great start to a new decade, honey! And thank you to everyone who wished me well.

easter

I know, Easter was so last week but I couldn't let it pass completely by without acknowledging what was such a lovely holiday. After church we spent the afternoon at my mom and her husband's new home in the country. It was the perfect setting for an egg hunt and a fun place to go exploring. We all walked to the end of their property and back and it was so nice to be outside together with the warm sun shining on our faces. You are more than welcome, Spring!

The girls wore vintage dresses like they have for the past two years, but I am thinking I need to bring the tradition of handmade dresses on Easter back (not that it was that long ago, ha). What I really mean is I would like to start sewing more again, which is code for 'I need to organize my craft room'. ;)

Oh, and that last picture? My mama heart is bursting. I love those girls.

larkie lou turned two

Last Monday we celebrated Lark's second birthday. It was a simple low-key affair since we threw it all together after preschool that afternoon, and it was just perfect that way. I unearthed the bunting I made for LM's first birthday and put that up around the house for decor. I remember how long it took me to cut out all those shapes and sew it together so I am glad it got more mileage. Then LM helped me wrap the presents. I didn't have any birthday-appropriate wrapping paper so I just pulled out brown kraft paper. LM, however, insisted birthday presents needed to be bright and colorful, so we decided to merge craft time with party prep by wrapping yarn around the packages and gluing on some triangles for a fun festive bunting.

Lark was occupied this whole time by the giant pink balloon she chose at the party store we stopped by on our way home, and the golden birthday crown I quickly made in hopes it would make her feel special on her big day.

When daddy got home from work we ate dinner - noodles and broccoli per Lark's request - and then it was time to make dessert! As is tradition daddy makes the birthday cake, or cookie dough in this case, so the girls helped him mix up the ingredients and place the dough in some baking cups. We added a scoop of ice cream on top and each had our own little individual pizookie. It was so easy and good I think I will see if we can make it a special birthday tradition for Lark. We'll see what she says next year ;)

Then Lark opened her presents from us and some from family who had been so thoughtful to mail them in time. She loved it all - thank you family!!

Happy Birthday sweet baby girl! You are so loved.

See how bald she was at her 1st birthday party! :)