Picture Update

Just wanted to upload some recent pics.  I realize I haven't been very good about taking them as of late and need to get back into it.  I love these kids so incredibly much!!!

Lincoln Alexander

Being a parent is hard work!  I say second only to being married.  The realization that parenting mirrors marriage is hitting me hard, there are peaks and valleys, you have to choose your battles, and they are both the most rewarding things in my life.  Looking back on Lincoln's three short years there have been incredible memories made; the moment we met and experienced instant unconditional love, learning to walk, talk, coming into his personality, and becoming a big brother. These precious moments are countless and he is only three!  The things I am learning about my son are quite interesting, fun, and often cause me to shake my head in dismay.  Never, ever, ever do I want to forget.  Before I know it he will be starting school, becoming a teenager, graduating, heading off to college and getting married.  So here is what I know about my amazing, adorable, sweet son as a three year old.  

• He loves cars, however he will not mix his "Cars" cars and his "Hot Wheels"
• He takes cars with him everywhere, even to bed.  Most recently it has become his nightly routine to take pictures of his cars before bed each night.  
• He does not like new clothing...  He will only wear something without throwing a fit if it has short sleeves and he has worn it multiple times before.  He basically wears the same 5 short sleeved shirts over and over and over again.
• He will not wear any tight fitting pajamas.  They have to be loose on his legs.
• He won't wear colored socks??  They have to be white (or wipe as he likes to say).  He is okay if they have a little grey on the sole.
• He loves to tell stories and sing.  His favorite songs are "Jingle Bells" and "Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer."     
• He is very reserved and thinks things through before trying anything.  He is not a fan of rides or costumes.  He is shy and takes a while to warm up in a group.  
• Just today after saying our prayers before bed he was asking me if Jesus keeps the monsters in jail.  I told him that made perfect sense and that Jesus probably does keep the monsters in jail.
• He melted my heart tonight when he told me that he wanted me to pick him up from daycare (grandma and grandpa picked him up so I could be at a fundraiser) 
• He is very polite.  When he has been given a gift that he loves he will repeat how thankful he is for the gift for days and days.
• He does not like to go to bed at night.  Just like his dad he will stay up super late.  He will talk to himself, tell stories with his cars or sing for hours at night wile he is "in bed."  He also isn't a morning person, well unless he has been allowed to wake up in his own time frame.  A quality that is also much like his father.  He insists each morning that I have to wake him up, "it's still dark out!", "Not yet!", "I'm asleep!"  The other day he informed me at bed time, "Mama, you don't need to get Brooklyn and me up until it's light out.  Okay."    
• He is deathly afraid of the car wash. 
• He is strong willed, stubborn, and knows what he wants and good luck trying to sway him into changing his mind about anything.  Reverse psychology does not work...  The code right now for "I'm not going to do or like that ever" is "Maybe later."
• He hates getting his hair cut.
• He loves cheese, english muffins, mandarin oranges, cereal, rice with soy sauce, and apples.
• His best drawing thus far has been a snow man after daddy showed him how to make one.
• He adores all of his grandparents.  
• He prefers to wear boxer brief style underwear.  I mean seriously?!  They are of course more expensive.  But I guess if he only has 5 shirts, it's a trade off, right?  
• His favorite color is green.
• He is my snuggler :-)  

     

My Hobby

Art's and crafts have long been a passion of mine.  Scrapbooking was my first real "crafting" adventure outside of the typical elementary crafts one does as a child.  Then a good friend introduced me to Pinterest and shortly thereafter I became a Pinaholic...  I attempted to re-create many an idea found on Pinterest, but the real catalyst to my "craftiness" I would say came when Josh bought me a Cricut for my birthday last year.  Now crafting had endless possibilities!  

All year long I had been collecting ideas for Christmas gifts and it was my goal to not only save money for my family when it came to Christmas gifts, but to also be intentional and thoughtful about the gifts in which we were giving.  The first idea that came into fruition was a gift for my sister-in-law.  I had seen a pin that was basically a picture frame with an initial and a wedding date.  I took that concept and just added to it.  For this  project I used Mod-Podge for the first time and shortly after became a HUGE fan! In the picture the piece is not yet dry...   

Project number two was for my mom.  Again I had seen a pin online and attempted to make it my own.  It is a set of wooden blocks with photos of the grand kids and both my brother and his wife and my family.  I was tempted to have one set of photos that really had captures the happy moments in all of our lives to really match the "Blessings" statement   On the opposing side have photos of all of us in which we were irritable and possibly did not have our "best foot" forward.  On the opposite side of "Blessings" would put something like, "Terrors" or "Mischievous."  But alas I kept it positive and went with just the "Blessings" part ;-)

Project three was for my sister in law.  I wanted to make her something that had pictures of the kids on it because she LOVES them to pieces.  I settled on a slight variation of the project I made for my sister in law and made it a double sided photo block rather than a hanging wall piece.  

As Thanksgiving was fast approaching we decided at work to have an auction to raise funds for the Cancer Walk.  I had pinned quite a few sign type ideas that I was anxious to try with my Cricut and thought I could attempt to make some home decor signs and donate them to our auction.  I tried using contact paper and painting the letters, tracing the letters and painting them and Mod Podging the letters.  Mod Podging the letters was the best and eventually became the "procedure."

After the auction I got a request for another sign similar to one I had already made.  A woman I work with wanted to pay me for my work?!  She requested a replica of the "Grinch" themed sign for a friend that was producing the play, "How the Grinch Stole Christmas." The picture below is of the final product not fully dry.  You can see what look like "smudge" marks that are actually wet Mod Podge spots.  

 After selling my first sign I started to ponder the idea of possibly selling signs and or decor pieces for some extra cash.  I got more of an itch to try it after visiting an Esty shop and seeing how much rustic looking signs were selling for!  They were anywhere from $50-$60+ and had around $20 in shipping and handling fees.  I know that I could offer "rustic" personalized signs for half that price!  And if I did it for local friends and or family there would be no shipping.  I'm still not sure of the idea as time is a HUGE factor for me right now.  My crafting happens in the middle of the night when my kidos are sleeping.  I am not positive there would be interest.  Also, I look at my work and although I can say that I am proud of some of the stuff I have made, I also see every little flaw and see many areas that would be in need of improvement if I had more skill.  For now unless there is a request I will most likely stick to donating items and making gifts for my friends and family.  It is so much fun!  

Below are some personalized signs I made for my family at Christmas, decor for Brooklyn's 1st birthday party (I did not put as much energy into perfecting these as I knew they would be used for a short period of time), and the most recent sign I made in which I attempted to somewhat "hand paint" the letters.