Easter 2013

Easter this year was so much fun. Now that Greyson is walking...more like running all over the place...we have been able to include him in all the festivities. 

We started the week off with an Easter party with our play group! We had a trial egg "hunt" for the kids to see how they would do...they loved playing with the eggs & throwing them all over. 

We celebrated daddy's birthday with friends (Matt, Emily & Jace). As it turned out, Matt P's birthday was that very day & so we had an impromptu get together to celebrate. Emily already had a cake for her husband & just added an "s" to it so we could include our Matt =)

Our church had their annual Easter egg hunt in the church yard. Greyson kept thinking each egg was a ball so he would say ball & throw it instead of putting them in his bucket. He finally caught on & had a lot of fun.

 There were at least 25 kids in attendance & they all got a prize egg in the end. Greyson got a little ball & bat to play with this summer as his prize.

While we were waiting for the prizes & everything, I was in charge of the flowers & decorating the church for Easter. This was the table in front of the church...I just love tulips! They look like spring =)

Sunday morning, we got up to see what the Easter bunny brought =)

Greyson walked all over the living room looking for his basket & then spotted it behind a chair...he was very interested in all the contents, especially the food =)

Next we went to find daddy's. He had a basket, plus card & gifts since he shared Easter Sunday with his 30th birthday.

We couldn't forget to wear the bunny ears! Nana got them for him for his first Easter & I think I will make it a tradition to put them in his basket each year so he can wear them during breakfast =) I wonder if he will still enjoy that when he's 18...

Matt's gift to me for Easter was money to buy clothes...=) I have been eating pretty clean lately so candy & other snacks weren't that important to me & I enjoy shopping way more so it worked out for both of us. I was happy to buy a few new outfits for spring including my Easter dress I wore Sunday to church. When Matt admired my dress he said...did I get that for you? haha

We got all dressed up in our "Easter" finest & went to Resurrection Sunday services!

 A BIG thank you goes to "Aunt Jenn" for finding Greyson's outfit & sending it to us. It was hardly visible in the photo, but the outfit had little white & yellow pinstripes & a pocket with a little white "handkerchief" sticking out the top. TOO cute!!! 

Church was wonderful & we had lots of visitors. I love this time of year when we welcome spring & everyone celebrates the risen Savior. After church we went to my inlaws house to celebrate the rest of Easter & Matt's birthday. 

Uncle Jac & Jacinda got lots of Greyson time in while they were here from Florida.

After lots of family photos, we changed into our play clothes to play with the ever doting uncles.

My mother in law had a beautiful Easter table set complete with butter in the shape of a lamb. My grandma used to carve a lamb out of 4 sticks of butter but this one came from walmart. None of us had that kind of time =) it was soo cute!

After dinner, we had lots of dessert! A cake & sugar cookies Matt & I made for his birthday & a delicious apple pie that Jacinda made. I didn't get a picture of it, but it had little lamb crust shapes on the top too!

Matt did most of the "interesting" decorating & I kept mine pretty normal. He went all out with faces & combining colors..I'm sure you can tell which ones were his =)

Then it was time for Easter baskets from Mimi & G'pa & gifts from Aunt M & Uncle J too =)

She even had a little mini Easter egg hunt set up for him after he opened his basket.

We've been asked several times if we are sisters, related some way & even twins. I hope to have another red head in the family someday & already think of Jacinda as a sister anyway. We took this picture together because we "matched" a little bit =) 

 Nana & Papa got to come the day after Easter & gave Greyson another little Easter basket.

It was SO cute & had these adorable little fuzzy wind up toys in it that Greyson was just carried away with. The little chick & bunny hop all around & he just watches them go! We got cute shoes & lots of other fun things from them too. 

He immediately wanted his yogurt from the basket...those make great alternatives to Easter candy!

 I hope you had as good a Happy Easter as we did celebrating the true meaning of this holiday. Yes, there are Easter bunnies, eggs, festivities & candy...but what's really important is knowing that Jesus died for our sins & didn't just stay that way. He rose from the grave 3 days later so that one day we might live with him. I am so thankful for what Easter means to our family...it is truly the best reason to celebrate of all!

Decorative Growth Chart

Finally another project is complete!

Even before I was pregnant I thought these charts were so cute. It's the perfect addition to decor in your house & something to treasure espeically when you are just starting a family. I am so excited to see Greyson's measurments throughout the years & any siblings that we add in the years to come.

 Pinterest had tons of different versions so its definitely easy to make yourself. We start lots of projects but you never know when they are going to get completed...as you can tell we are horrible procrastonators. I wanted to get this done before Greyson was even born but that obviously didn't happen! A year later it was in the works so thankfully we got it finished before Greyson turned 2 so we can measure him at 1 year old. LIFE happens & we basically work on things as we can.

 

However, this week we have gotten quite a bit acomplished so in the next couple days I will have yet another project to post about =)

 

Here's what we did to make our very own decorative growth chart.

Matt got a peice of wood that was cut when we built our barn, had it plained, stained a semi-dark color & then we put a clear coat sealer on it.

 

It sat in the garage like this for a few days so we could paint both sides. After that Matt took care of all the measurments. We liked the "ruler" look so we kept it pretty plain & traditional.

 

Greyson kept a pretty close eye on things =)

 

I ended up hand painting the lines & used stencils for the numbers. I'm not really a perfectionist, but I wasn't sure painting the lines was the best thing to do. They wouldn't be straight & the paint tends to differ with pressure of the brush...I tried a few lines, wiped them off & did a few more, but there was just no getting them perfect without purchasing a paint pen. Matt thought it looked neat to have it hand done so after some convincing we decided that was the way to go. It actually turned out really neat looking & the lines still look the "same" even if not one is alike!

 

We found the perfect place for this large piece in our upstairs hallway. There was an odd space beside our bathroom door & it fit perfectly.

 

 

Matt is the expert when it comes to hanging things especially on our plaster walls. I left all the technical stuff to him. He figured that the once the nails were in & hung it would hang a little off from the exact measurments...we were extremely pleased to see that every inch was dead on! He made sure it was super secure so that Greyson wouldn't pull it off the wall...he has tried a few times & it isn't going anywhere! We are talking about adding on to our house in the next couple years so this piece might make its way downstairs to our family room, but for now this is where it will stay.

 

It turned out SO good & we are really happy with it!! Matt has said multiple times how much he likes it...so another project is checked off the list & we can move on to all the other ones we want to accomplish!





15 Months!

 

I can't believe Greyson is already 15 months. I feel like his Dr. appointments keep getting closer & closer together! His 18 month check up will be here before we know it. Sadly, our pediatrician retired & we had to switch to a new doctor. I hope we like her just as much & that the transition is easy. Greyson has changed so much in the last few months. He is turning into a toddler more everyday & while I love this age...I miss my tiny little baby. I feel like I say that at every update!

Greyson

so far you...

*weigh 24.9 lbs & are 31.5 inches long

*still wear 18-24 month clothes & size 4-5 shoes

*took your first steps at 11 months & took off walking & standing on your own at 14 months..you are going non-stop now. I can tell you have slimmed down so you have been in the same size clothes for 6 months & counting =)

*wear size 4 disposable diapers but your all in one cloth diapers still adjust to fit

*have 6 teeth, 4 on the top & 2 on the bottom & 3 molars that just came in this week!

*say dozens of words, learn new ones every day & you repeat after us constantly

*sleep all night starting at around 8:45pm-9:30pm & go until 7:30am or 9am so we can count on at least 8-12 hours a night

*take 1-2 naps a day...most of the time you go down around 11:30am & 3:30pm but if your schedule is a little off you take a nap whenever you can. You usually fall asleep on your own & it is nice to just lay you in your crib with Mr. Beary, turn on your music cd & close the door.  You usually sleep for 1-3 hrs before you get up

*still have not had any major sicknesses other than one ear infection & even then you didn't act sick.  You never slowed down playing & acted fine even taking the antibiotic. You have had all your shots & thankfully no reactions to any. You have had a few "cold" symptoms where you are stuffy, have a runny nose & seem just plain miserable but every time I take you to the Dr. thinking you are really sick, they tell me you are just teething & that you are completely clear....so over all we are really glad you have gone 15 months without the flu or any other really bad virus!

*eat pretty much everything we give to you, but spit out things you decide you don't like. You were just introduced to turnip greens which you actually fed yourself! Favorites snacks are: fruit, yogurt, & crackers...if you see anything "sweet" we have to watch you or you will break into the box or bag of whatever we have =)

*started using a fork at 14 months to feed yourself...usually you feed yourself pan cakes, bananas & anything cut up that you can stab

*learned to climb down stairs going backwards...we've had a few falls but nothing serious

*climb on everything..its your favorite thing to do. Climbing stairs is #1 which means we have to really keep an eye on you

*love "peekaboo" books with the flaps. They are your favorite kind of book..you can sit & play by yourself for hours giving me time to work & get things done around the house

*started "answering the phone" using anything you could hold up to your ear. First it was the remote, then a piece of mail, or a random toy. You hold an object up to your ear & say...Hello? Hey! & babble on then start over with Hello? Hey! It is so funny. I got your play cell phone & pull toy phone out so you could use those, but it really doesn't matter what you have in your hand as long as you can "answer" it =)

*play pretty well with others & have learned to share...although you have your moments! We love our play date group & have so much fun interacting with new friends 

*bath time is still a fun past time but you have decided you don't like cold water touching you or getting water poured over your face..

*Mr. Bear (1 & 2) & Mr. Monkey are your favorite bed time buddies. If we forget to take one with us when we are out, you are NOT very happy! Sometimes you are tired enough to fall asleep without one, but it sure helps

*have learned the meaning of no & if we have gotten you in trouble for something, you usually remember. For example, you know outlets are off limits so when you get close to it & notice us watching you, you look at us, point to the outlet & say, No no no no no. You like to tell other babies or Tinky, No when they are doing something you don't think they should be

*you got your first "tiny" hair cut this month...it wasn't a REAL one but you were starting a pony tail in the back so mommy trimmed a few curls off to keep =) maybe by the time you are 2 you will have had an actual big boy haircut!

 

 

What we are looking forward to:

*Easter

*Nana & Papa's visit in April (for Papa to go turkey hunting)

*Friends coming to visit this summer

*Our trip to Idaho to meet Baby R

Burlap Banner

     If you can't already tell, I love burlap!

After I made my curtains (which you can check out here), I knew I wanted to use burlap in different areas of the house. It is just so functional & makes things look rustic but adds a bit of charm to any modern decor. I bought 3 more yards at a local Walmart & plan to make quite a few things.

So far I've made Greyson's name banner for his first birthday party...

...and I cut the 3 yards in half to make this table runner for the rustic table in our den. I love that it adds a little something extra but with no fuss & it was super simple. We had 2 black benches made for extra seating & when our table goes from 6ft to 9 ft they definitely come in handy =) The plant in the center was from my inlaws for my grandma's funeral & surprisingly is still alive & well. I'm not sure how I've managed that!  I also just added the little corner bumper (if you are wondering what that is) because Greyson & his friends keep cracking their noggins on this particular end of the table. I hope it helps! 

I've just recently added some seasonal banners to my collection of burlap uses & wanted to share them.

First I measured one of the stencils on the fabric to decide the size I needed. In order to get a straight cut across the fabric, I use a neat little trick by snipping one of the fibers in the burlap where I would cut & then pull that one strand of thread out through the fabric. It leaves a straight "line" where that one piece of thread was & all you have to do is follow it with the scissors. 

I used acrylic fabric paint in white & some stencils I had on hand that I got at Walmart. I didn't necessarily want to have "scrolly" letters so I used the stencil as a guide & modified the letters to what I wanted.

I used a round sponge "brush" to blot the paint on & some craft paint brushes to fix & finish the edges. I didn't use a lot of paint because I wanted it to have a shabby chic look & not be too "bright" white. Plus sometimes using too much paint of light fabric can make it curl or distort while hanging. 

I made 2 banners...one for Spring & the other for Fall. 

When you think "banner" you normally think of the triangle cut outs but I like changing that up sometimes. With Greyson's name I used circles & for the -SPRING- banner I made a tag like shape. I first saw the tag shape on a blog I follow & thought it looked neat & different. It is just squared with the upper corners cut at a diagonal. I left some fringe from the fabric on the bottom to give it a little something extra. For my -FALL- banner I just did the regular triangle cuts, but I didn't like how big they turned out. The letters I used are about 3-4 inches tall so I trimmed them down to the size I wanted. I wasn't sure how it would look cutting some of the letters but I thought it turned out neat so I kept trimming.

I have 2 sizes of twine on hand...a thicker rope type twine & a string like twine. I didn't want to weigh it down too much so I used the smaller twine. You can thread the twine through the burlap like I did on Greyson's name banner, but I absolutely LOVE these tiny little clothes pins. I think they are so cute & this is usually what I use when I hang up any type of banner. 

It's that easy! I just adjusted the letters to the center of my mantel & wala!

Cute, inexpensive & crafty =)

I plan to use the rest of my burlap in a picture frame or two & monogramming is definitely on my mind. There are just so many things you can do! If you have any great ideas I would love to hear them!

Play Date Fun!

Over the last week it has been beautiful here in Alabama. We spent Sunday afternoon playing outside at Mimi & G'pas house.

Mimi found this swing at a yard sale & Greyson loves it!

It was so pretty swinging with the lake in the background...Spring is just around the corner!

Tuesday's are play date days. We love our little group & our host Nicole opens her house each week for us to get together. She is so good about planning little parties especially for the holidays. Since St. Patricks day is this Sunday, we had our St. Patty's day party early. Everyone wore green & brought something "green" to eat =)

 Sometimes we have several moms & babies attend & sometimes there are just a few. Today we only had 4 Moms, but ALL boys. That happens a lot! They are all about the same age & it's neat to watch them interact with each other. We need to get more girls in the mix though...the boys are taking over!

We have so much fun & look forward to our Tuesdays. 

Happy St. Patty's Day!