Cupcakes & Presents Round 2

Having birthdays within a week of each other present quiet a challenge when planning parties--I should have thought about that a bit more before scheduling them so close to each other :) Actually, Macklin wasn't "supposed" to be born until April but we all know due dates are just educated guesses, right? Anyways. We celebrated Mackie's birthday with cake and presents and he had a blast! Check him out...

Happy Birthday Macklin! We can't wait for you to see your birthday party surprise!!

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Happy Birthday Mackie!

I can hardly believe this little guy is 2 today! It seems like yesterday we were finding out we were expecting, then finding out he was a "he" and mulling over his name right up to the week he was born--times does go by too fast!

He is so very different than his brother but also the same in many ways. He is wide open, always moving, kind hearted yet a little in your face, compassionate, and HILARIOUS! He's the life of the party and loves to meet new people. He has brought a lot of joy to our house (and a lot of fights too) and we are blessed that God choose us to be his parents.

Happy 2nd Birthday Mackie-Moo!

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Vintage Love

With spring cleaning on the brain, I've been thinking of ways to redo and repurpose some existing pieces (an a few I've been eyeballing at the local antique store) in our house. With that in mind, I've been searching for inspiration--here's what I've found....

Shutters--I love the use of these shutters to add height and interest to this space. I see these all the time in antique malls, thrift stores and yard sales for cheap! Great idea for an inexpensive way to add some interest to your space.

Old marries New--I love this room in a new house and I appreciate the challenges that go with decorating a new space. It can be difficult to make something new feel older and have character and this room blends vintage signs and pieces very well. I love the use of vintage signs and letters to help give the space some added character--I'm definitely taking notes!

Bold is the new Black--this bold wallpaper is the perfect contrast to the vintage chest that's been given a makeover with a simple coat of black paint!

Patina Tiles--new I say more. Ceiling tiles are in abundance in antique stores so why not put them to good use in a different way!

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More Birthday Fun

Today was Grant's 4th birthday party at Head Over Heals Gym. It was a pirate themed party, hence Jackson's cute pirate mask in the photograph. He takes gymnastics at Head Over Heals so he was excited to get to go there for the party. He tumbled, rolled, balanced, jumped, dove, did the zip line, crawled in foam blocks--you name it, he did it and LOVED every bit of it!

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S-T-R-I-K-E

  

This year Jackson had a bowling party for his 4th birthday and he had a BLAST! He was really excited to get to party with his friends and Mommy was excited that the only items left to bring were the balloons, cake and party favors! Check out all the fun....

 

 
Everyone really enjoyed bowling--even Macklin couldn't get enough! After some hectic rounds of bowling, everyone gathered around Jackson to sing "Happy Birthday" and enjoyed some yummy cupcake birthday cake... Did I mention that Jackson LOVES it when you sing "Happy Birthday"? He does it all the time! And, these two bugs were all smiles for the camera! This is Ella--isn't she precious? They had fun chasing each other around the bowling alley and decided to take a rest for a moment--glad I caught this cute picture! And, this is sweet Emma--Jackson bestest friend at school! He talks about Emma everyday and Emma talks about Jackson everyday--she even told her mom that she was gonna marry Jackson--how sweet! Jackson informed us that he had a GREAT party and asked if we could do it again tomorrow?

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Pirate Patch Jax

Today was Jackson's 4-year check-up. This one is supposed to be rather uneventful--a few little tests, weight, height, sucker & we're out the door. What I didn't know until we were waiting patiently in our exam room is that Alabama's rules for vaccinations have changed and that sweet Jackson was gonna be getting 4 shots this year rather than next year before starting kindergarten--not happy news for Mommy or a 4-year old. Can I also add that the sight & hearing screening wasn't a hit either? Rather than telling the nurse what was in the picture with his uncovered eye, Jackson insisted on leaning back and looking from underneath the patch over his eye (quiet smart if you ask me!) to reveal the photo. While awaiting for Dr. Darby, and before we got the dreaded 4 shots news, Jackson decided to play under the exam table rather than on it. We learned that his growth pattern is quiet consistent with where he's always been: 32 lbs 10 oz (25 percentile) and 38 1/2 inches tall (25 percentile). His Daddy is praying for height and I keep reminding him that neither of us are exactly basketball player quality! It was a good checkup and Jackson enjoyed his red "hotsicle" (code word for popsicle) treat for being such a big boy!

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Making "Fancy" Crayons

As I promised in this post, I'm gonna tell you how to make your own "fancy" crayons at home. Now, this is not my original idea--I found it on a local blog and tweaked it just a bit. We included a "fancy" crayon in both the boys birthday favors and I printed the modified instructions on Jackson's favor "thank-you" pins.

What You Need: Crayons, Scissors, Cookie Sheet, Bowl & Cookie Tin(s) in Your Preferred Shape(s)

1. Preheat oven to 175˚.

2. Cut crayons into pea sized bits.

3. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper, arrange

tin(s) on baking sheet and fill with crayon bits.

4. Place in oven and bake 15-30 minutes keeping an eye on them until they are melted.

5. Place in freezer for 2-5 minutes.

6. Remove from freezer and slide crayons out of tin(s).

7. Enjoy!

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