Wee-Ones Wednesday: Sweetness

Some days, I want to strangle my kids (you're shocked, right?) and some days they bring tears of joy to my eyes. Last, week Lilly made Dan this snack tray and card for when he got home from work. All by herself. Her idea. Her sweetness. My joy.

Sew Crafty Saturday: Mini-Lap Quilts

I actually sewed! It's been too long, and it was so much fun. Having three kids and teaching kindergarten really puts a cramp in my crafting style! Anyhoo...
Regular size blankets are just too big and bulky for the car seat, so I made Henry two little lap quilts. The brown and orange one was made from left over fabric from his crib bedding. I used squares from a pre-cut charm pack that I've had sitting around for awhile for the front of other one, and I cut up a maternity sweater for the back. Henry loves to cuddle up in his little blankies. We use them often and it makes me smile to know that I made them.

Wee-Ones Wednesday: Updated Blog Header for An Updated Family

I'm so excited to show off my new blog header. My good friend, Amy, over at themombot is about to have her second baby any day now, and in her spare time she designed this just for me. I absolutely love it! If you love it too, visit her Etsy shop and see all that she has for sale.
Good-bye garden of girls.
Hello little boy.
Thanks, Amy!

Misc. Monday: Easy Berry Cobbler

Thanks to Pinterest, I’ve been baking quite a lot lately. Nothing too fancy, but yummy none the less. I’m super fond of cake box cookies. I have the simple recipe memorized and haven’t made the same cookies twice. You can use any cake box you wish, 2 eggs, a little less than ½ a cup of vegetable oil (original recipe calls for ½ a cup, but that was too much for me), and any mix-ins you want. Bake at 350 for 10 to 12 minutes and enjoy. Some of our favorites are yellow cake mix cookies with oatmeal and chocolate chips and chocolate cake mix cookies with Reese’s Pieces. Yum!

Last night, I made a super easy berry cobbler that I found on Lulu the Baker. Of course, I didn’t follow the recipe exactly: Spray some cooking spray on the bottom of an 8x8 baking dish; add any berries you wish (I didn’t measure mine) and a squeeze of a lemon. Mix up 1 cup sugar with one cup flour and one egg. Then melt a stick of butter and pour on top. Her recipe calls for 6 tablespoons, but a stick is 8 tbs... I figured what’s 2 more? Bake at 375 for 35 to 45 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes, add ice cream, and gobble up!

Misc. Monday: Baby Dedication Day

Mother's Day weekend we celebrated Hendricks' baby dedication at church with family and friends.
Some people have asked us why we dedicate our children to the Lord rather than having them baptized. A baby dedication is an opportunity for parents to publicly promise to raise their children in a way that glorifies God and teaches them about the love of Jesus Christ. As babies, our children can not choose Christianity, let alone make the decision to be baptized for themselves. It is our job as parents to foster their faith and pray for them everyday.
Infant baptism is never mentioned in the Bible. Jesus, himself was baptized as an adult along with many others. God calls us to be baptized as a symbol of our love and acceptance of Him. It is a Christian's first act of obedience, and I pray that when my children are ready, they will make the choice to be baptized. I joyfully look forward to that day!

"I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in Him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit."
Romans 15:13

Wee-Ones Wednesday: Tie Guy

A WEEK OLD

 ONE MONTH

 TWO MONTHS

My girlfriend, Emy, gave me these monthly tie stickers to record Hendricks' growth in his first year. I love that they are stickers and not iron-ons like some of the ones I've seen. This way, I can take his picture and use them as the titles for his traditional scrap book. Yes, I know I said I was done scrap booking, but he needs a baby book of his first year. It's only fair!

Seriously, can you get over how much he has changed in just two short months? I look forward to taking his monthly photos and comparing them at the end of the year.
You can find the stickers at www.babysmiles2000.com. Thanks, Emy!

Sew Crafty Saturday: Baby Dedication

Next weekend is "baby dedication weekend" at our church, and we are so excited that Hendricks will be a part of it. We invited family and a few close friends to come to church with us as we promise to share God's love with Henry and teach him all about Jesus Christ. After the service, we invited everyone back to our house for a light dinner and dessert.

Today, I spent some time decorating for the event. It was strange for me to decorate for a little boy. I didn't want the decor to be too feminine or flowery, so I decided to use rope for the garland and tied some fabric scraps to it. I really like how it turned out. I also added some white, paper balls that hang over my sewing machine to the garland. Next, I focused on the ever changing console table. I added a fox and an "H" to a spring wreath I made last year, wrote him a letter in the typewriter, and filled the frames with the invitation and a special Bible verse. The little banner above was super easy too. I die cut the letters and attached them to pieces of a cardboard box. All of this cost me $2 (the cost of the letter H)! How's that for thrifty?

Wee-Ones Wednesday: First Time

I survived my first day back at work today. It was nice to see everyone, the kids were adorable, and the day went by quickly, but I was glad to get home to my sweet babies. Lilly was quite helpful. Iris especially missed me and Hendricks was excited to eat! 
Last week, we visited Disneyland for the first time as a family of five. We had a great time, met up with my sister and her family, rode the carousel, and got Hendricks' silhouette done. Our passes expire on the 15th and Iris is no longer free, so I have no idea when we will get back there. We will miss you, happiest place on Earth...