Kaleb's Birthday Eve

"Mommy needs to snuggle you extra long because this is the last night you're going to be two."  That's what I said to Kaleb as he went to bed tonight.  Three?  Really?  Was it really three years ago that I was brought into the hospital for high blood pressure and ended up being rushed into an emergency C-Section at 36 weeks?  It certainly doesn't feel like it!  Tomorrow we'll have a super cool Transformers party with our family but in the midst of it all, I'm sure I'll be thinking about the tiny 5lb 11oz baby that we met that day.  He changed my world and I'm so grateful to have him in my life.  

8-7-08

First Birthday Party, 2009

Second Birthday Party, 2010

Birthday Eve Bowling, 2011

Shaving Cream Marbled Paper

I LOVE to do crafts with my kids.  Right now, it’s mainly Kaleb (for obvious reasons) but soon enough Jakob will be joining in on the fun.  Any morning we are free, there is paint, glue, glitter and, in this case, shaving cream scattered all over our kitchen. 

This is one of my favorites we’ve done so far.  It’s a throwback to elementary school that's super easy with pretty cool results.  We did it in the kitchen but next time, I’m totally doing it outside so I can hose him off when we’re done. To say we made a HUGE mess is a HUGE understatement! 

Step 1 - Squirt shaving cream all over a cookie sheet.

Step 2 - Dot the shaving cream with food coloring.  I'm sure you could use however many colors you'd like, but we just did two.  

Step 3 - Swirl with a toothpick.  In my opinion, when it comes to the swirling, less is more because the colors are much more vivid.  You can see from some of the final product pictures which way you like it better.

 {And yes, the wee one likes to do crafts (and many other things) in just his undies.  Wouldn't you if you looked that cute?}

Step 4 - Place paper (cardstock works best since it’s a little thicker) on top of the shaving cream and press it in, making sure all the corners are covered.  

Step 5 - Take the paper out of the shaving cream and use a spatula to scrape the paper clean.  See how the color stays behind? 

Step 6 - After you have scraped most of the shaving cream off, use a paper towel or washcloth to wipe it completely clean.  Then set it aside to dry. 

They come out so pretty!  We used cardstock and also blank note cards so we could write letters and mail them to people we love. 

Here’s some of our finished products:

 

Step 7 - Carry your child directly from the kitchen to the tub!  Kaleb was a hot mess! 

Meet the Men in My Life

This is Dave, my husband.

{Us on vacation in St. Thomas last year.  So beautiful!  It was our second trip there and I ‘m pretty sure it was even more gorgeous than the first time.}

The Hubs works from home and we LOVE it.  We get to eat breakfast, lunch and dinner together everyday and that means so much to all of us, especially our 3-year-old daddy’s boy.  Dave is my rock, the one I depend on more than any other person.  I can’t believe how much I love him.  

This is Kaleb, the aforementioned daddy’s boy.  

For two and a half years, he was my sole “employer”.  I loved that time we got to spend together and I’m so thankful for the kid he is.    I was very nervous welcoming his little brother into the family but I couldn’t be more proud of the big brother he’s turning out to be.  He talks all the time about the things he’s going to teach Jakob and the things he wants to play with him when he gets bigger.  He is going to do great things for the Lord, I just know it!  I can’t believe how much I love him.

This is Jakob, my beautiful baby boy who spits up on everything and everyone that he comes in contact with.   

I’m certainly not rushing his growing up years but when he’s off formula in a few months, my washer and dryer will get a much needed break!  Jakob is a momma’s boy and I have to admit, I totally love it!  Believe it or not, he thinks I’m funny!  He giggles when I sing the Transformer’s theme song, even though I don’t know the words.  He’s 5 months in to what will hopefully be a very long life and I can’t wait to see who and what he will become.  I can’t believe how much I love him. 

So, that’s my fam.  I’m the only girl in a house full of boys (even the dog’s a boy!) and, if you ask me, it's pretty perfect!  In case you didn’t pick up on it, I love my family!

You're a blogger, now what?

So, I guess I'm a blogger!  Blogging seems to be the latest and greatest thing but it feels a little overwhelming for this stay-at-home mom.  In the past when I thought about starting a blog, I wondered "what in the world would I write about?!?"  Then I realized that my kids are a total GOLD MINE!!  I understand that not too many people will care to read all the details of my wee one's days but hopefully there's at least something that someone will find somewhat interesting!

I was super inspired/challenged by this article:  

http://www.desiringgod.org/blog/posts/motherhood-as-a-mission-field

When the little boy in John 6 gave his small lunch to the frantic disciple running around trying to figure out how to feed the multitude, I don't think he figured it would be used the way it was.  Five loaves and two fish certainly doesn't seem like much, but when it was placed in the Master's hands, there was a miracle on the mountainside. 

My proverbial loaves and fishes are the seemingly menial tasks I do everyday.  I stay home with my boys so I spend my days cleaning my bathrooms, folding TONS of laundry from my super spitty (but oh so adorable!) baby, washing dishes and all of the other household chores that go along with being a wife and mom.  Do I always consider those chores to be a furtherance (yes, that's really a word) of the Kingdom?  No.  But I'm working on it.  That's what I'm hoping this blog will be. . .my daily journey of teaching and playing with my kids and making my time with them count.