For the Love of Crayons

We love crayons here at our house...and have tons of them!!!

Reese loves to color with them.....reorganize them in her crayon rolls (thanks to me for giving her some of my OCD habits)......just hold them while she plays.....

BUT.....what's better then a......

CRAYON MUSTAGE....hehe

Good thing they are washable :)

Bitter Sweet Memories

Lee has played softball since I have known him...sometimes even on 3 leagues during the summer. One of the leagues he played in was with a bunch of guys he works with. I have so many memories of going to all of the softball games...but most of the good memories are from the league with his work buddies. Of course, the memories are not of the guys...but of all the wives that came along and sat with me in the bleachers. I have to admit that most of the time we had no idea what inning it was or who had the most runs. We were to engrossed in conversation and our kids to watch the game :) One of the wives I met through the league was my good friend, Ulli. Our friendship went beyond the games, so I have many memories that don't involve softball, but whenever I think of softball...I think of Ulli. This year Lee decided not to play on any of the leagues, but a neighbor come to him about a month ago and asked him to come help them out. Of course, if you know Lee, he can never turn down sports...he lives and breathes most things sports!! I haven't been able to attend any of the games for various reasons until tonight. It was not at the same field as the one where all the memories have played out....but it was a softball field....and the first game I have attended since Ulli went to heaven a few months ago. I think of her often, but tonight the sadness and feeling of loss came back strong. How I miss being able to talk to such a Godly woman!! Ulli was so kind to everyone she came into contact with. She was such a great mother to her three little girls!!! But, most importantly, she had such a strong faith in God. Through all of her illness, she never lost faith and never questioned why. She even made sure that her husband felt the same way after God decided to take her home. It is funny how you can just be living life and God reminds you of the great things He has let you enjoy. Even though my time with Ulli was much too short, I am so glad that God gave me the opportunity to make all of the good memories with her. I am sure that softball will never be the same, but I will always think back on the memories and smile!!!

Ulli, you are truly missed, but I thank God that I know I will see you again one day!!!!

E-I-E-I-O.....Farm 2nd Birthday Party!!!

What a fun time we all had at Reese's farmed themed birthday party!!!! I hope you enjoy a peak into her party!

Cake Table: I used one of Reese's Little People farms for the decorationalong with some of the animals on the cake. And look at all of those adorable hats...thanks to Jessica...and they were a BIG hit!!!! Reese loved her hat and it looked so cute on her!

Cute fabric banner made from this tutorial....

I thought I needed to be super mom and make Reese's cake. After two attempts resulting in crumbling cake....I threw in the towel and scrambled to find someone to make her cake instead. Luckily the last person I called was able to make it....did I mention I was trying to find someone the day before the party. I think it turned out adorable and was sooo yummy!

HoHo cake I made.....one of my favorite cakes ever!!! This cake was the most popular. Guess I should have just made this one and avoided the birthday cake fiasco :)

What is a farm party with out animals!!!! Papaw came through in a big way and had so many fun animals for everyone to play with. There were goats, bunnies(thanks to Aunt Melissa), kittens, chicks, adorable puppies, turtles and of course...Lucy (Papaw's Pony)!!!!

Reese trying to help me & Papaw hitch Lucy up for pony rides:

We had a surprise visitor thanks to Papaw!!! Dora came to visit and pass out toys to all the little ones. Reese wasn't quite sure what to think :) But she did enjoy having Dora there.

If you look at the bottom 2 right pictures...you will notice my nephew Ethan (the boy in the blue shirt). Ethan is very special to our family. He was diagnosed with Autism when he was around 2. It took him awhile to start talking and having conversations with all of us. Lately, his speech has been excellent. We love to hear all he has to say....and most of it is full of humor. Ethan kept stealing Dora's backpack, map and Boots...so we started calling him Swiper. Of course we all chimed in and said, "Swiper no swiping!" to which Ethan replied...."You're toooo late!!!" We thank God that we have the opportunity to share in these great conversations!


Cake Time: Reese was in awe of everyone singing "Happy Birthday" to her!

She did an excellent job at blowing out her candles....mommy and daddy only had to help a little bit :)

Sweet Pictures of the Birthday Girl:

Love how her Birthday outfit turned out!!! And the boots were the perfect finishing touch!!!

We had a Yee-Haw good time!!!!! But this is how we all felt on the trip back home!!!

Thank you Mamaw & Papaw for letting us have the party at your house and for making sure it was just like a farm!!!! You two are the best!!!!

Some Cake, a New Kitchen & a Fiesta!!!

My little Reese turned "2" last Friday. Daddy decided to take the day off, and we spent the day doing things that Reese would enjoy. She woke up to daddy and mommy singing "Happy Birthday" to her. Then she asked for breakfast.....what do you eat for breakfast on your birthday....C-A-K-E of course!!! And I was a fun mom and let her have it, it was her birthday after all!

After we got showered and dressed, we headed out to see Toy Story 3. It was Reese's first trip to the movie theater (besides a trip with mommy and daddy when she was 2 mo. old). She did so well and really enjoyed the movie. The Wendy's fries and chicken nuggets we were able to sneak in helped out too!

We then went back home and put the birthday girl down for a nap while me and Lee finished her birthday gift. Nothing like working on it to the very last minute :) We made Reese a new kitchen using plans from Knock Off Wood. I had enough paint left from the shelf I painted for her room to paint the kitchen with. I am so happy with how it turned out. We do have to do a slight modification to the oven door, but other then that it turned out well. I made a curtain for under the sink out of fabric that I used in her quilt to hide some of her kitchen goodies. I also used some scraps left over from her quilt and made a few embroidered towels. She LOVES her new kitchen and has played with it almost non-stop since her birthday. I love that she now has something besides my sewing room to keep her busy while I am getting ready!

(click on the picture to enlarge)

I'm thinking I need to add something above the sink and stove...it looks a little bare. Any suggestions???

We finished off her birthday with a trip to our favorite Mexican restaurant, Casa Las Palmas, for dinner. She wasn't sure about them singing to her......

(Our favorite waiter, Pedro, is the one on the far left....he has been our requested waiter since before I was even pregnant with Reese)

Still not sure about the singing.....

But she loved the dessert they brought her!!!

Yum Yum!!!!

We always end our Casa Las Palmas trips by saying "Hello" to the horses that are behind the restaurant.

What a fun Birthday Reese had!!!!

Happy 2nd Birthday, Peanut!!!

It's hard to believe it has already been 2 years since one of the best days of my life. It seems like I was just coming home with my new little one just yesterday. Now, you run from place to place and have conversations with me. I am enjoying watching you discover so many new things, but I have to admit that I do miss my little baby some days. Sure you like to sit and cuddle every now and then, but now you are much to busy to sit very long.

You love to dance and sing!! You love ketchup with a side of fries, ice cream and you would choose apple juice over milk every time! I love that you can talk to me and tell me what you want or need....well, most of the time I like it :) Right now you would go swimming everyday if I would take you. You also adore to swing but am still very leery of slides. Dora is your favorite cartoon, but you are happy with any cartoon. Of course, I am a bad mom and have to tell you no to cartoons more often then you would like me to. Snow White and Toy Story are you movies of choice right now. You love animals, but your favorite by far are the neigh's!!! And of course, we can't forget your favorite color.....PINK!!!!

I can't wait to see what the years have in store...just please take them a little slower then the past two! You are growing into such a beautiful little girl and am so proud to be called your Mama!!! I will also continue to savor the fact that you think Mama & Daddy are the best two people on earth!!!

Happy 2nd Birthday, Reese!!!!

We love you!!

Mama & Daddy

Farm Birthday Party Sneak Peak

My little peanut is turning "2" on Friday. We are celebrating her birthday with our families on Saturday. Reese LOVES farm animals, so I thought a farm theme for her party would be perfect.

The invites turned out so cute! Once again, Amy was beyond patient and come up with a great finished product!

Some information blurred for privacy...I would love tips on a good way to do this!

The birthday hats arrived today.....and are they C-U-T-E!!!! This a the special hat for the birthday girl. It matches her dress just perfect!!! The other hats are just as cute!!! We have Jessica to thank for all the cuteness!!! Thanks so much Jessica!!

And the cowgirl boots are here too...and the little peanut is thrilled with them....I see another pair in a bigger size in our future...hehe....

Now if we can just finish the play kitchen that we are giving her on her birthday....eekkk!!!

Fun in the Sun!!!

It has been way to long since the last post!!! I have been so busy trying to get everything ready for Reese's 2nd birthday this Friday and for her Farm Birthday Party this Saturday. We also have been spending all our free time (and not so free time) at Soak City (one of my favorite things about summer!!!) We have an amusement park (Cedar Point) that is about 15 minutes from our house that we get passes to every year. The park also has a water park that we can use our passes for. Soak City is usually where I spend a lot of my summer. Here is a few pictures of Reese from one of our weekend visits to Soak City. It is hard to get her to slow down long enough for a good picture...she LOVES to go "swimming". The other day I actually decided to stay home and try to catch up on some things...despite the 90+ temps. Reese came up to me and said, "Mama, I want to go swimming, go put on my swim suit!". Boy, is her speech improving :)

I hope everyone is enjoying so summer fun too!!!