a milkshake brings all my boys to the yard...

... er, well to Steak and Shake... And sorry, that was a really bad reference. But on Friday we did go get a milkshake treat because sometimes? You just need one. A straw alone wasn't enough for Cayden. He wanted to enjoy his with a straw AND a spoon. So why not, right? And Sawyer? Little dude wanted a little bit of everyone's milkshake but preferred mine. I ordered a mint oreo and it was delicious. I'm excited that my littles like mint flavored ice cream as the husband does not. So now I can buy mint ice cream and no longer have to eat it all myself! (That's a win in my book, promise.) It was a fun little trip to start our weekend off on a sweet note. (Pun totally intended.)

P.S. Yes, my husband wears two sets of glasses. When he's not wearing contacts, he wears sunglasses over his regular glasses. He's cool like that. Hands off, ladies!

a couple of new prints

While I'm working behind the scenes on sewing up new items for the shop, I thought it might be fun to go ahead and share two new prints with you guys that are now available. I was feeling a little tug in my heart to create prints that feature more faith-based sayings. And these two are my absolute favorites. I can't see either of these without instantly breaking into song and worshipping my Lord.

They feature a fun new watercolor theme (that I would love to eventually add on to) and fonts that make you feel something. Please share these with your friends and family too.

And because I'm feeling oh so happy today, enjoy a discount code that will be available through this Friday (4/26) and get you 10% off your purchase: NEWPRINTS10.

playground of their dreams

Sometimes it's fun to surprise the boys (ok, fine, it's fun all the time!). When they awoke from their nap on Saturday, we were excited to take them on a little walk. While Jeremy was out riding his bike earlier in the day, he'd found this awesome playground within walking distance of our house. There's an elementary school at the front of our neighborhood, and on the far side of the building – that you can't see from the street – this gem of a playground hides. Oh, if you could have heard Cayden's exclamation when we rounded the corner and he saw the playground. I think Jeremy and I instantly had smiles plastered on our faces.

The boys played and played. They fell, got up, brushed themselves off and kept going. Don't tell anyone, but Cayden also had his first experience of peeing in the trees. I think he (and Jeremy!) were really proud of that moment.

Cayden tested out each of the eight (8!) slides on the playground. And on his last slide of the day, he tested out the last slide. Little did we know, there was a puddle at the end of the slide waiting for him. To say that I saw a wave of water splash over the sides would not be an overstatement. Jeremy and I laughed and laughed while Cayden semi-freaked out. Because we had walked over in the stroller, we were able to strip him down and let him ride back home with a jacket covering his lap and all was good.

It was an awesome discovery that I'm pretty sure we'll be frequenting all the time once summer rolls around. So thankful to have found this hidden little secret and that our boys have something like this so close to home.

So, are you like, a runner now?

(source)

Those words were posed to me just this past Sunday. And I stuttered and didn't really know how to respond. At first, I was all like, "Well, no, not really." And then I was like, "Well, actually, yeah. I guess I am. We run about four times a week. I actually just bought new running shoes."

And I realized that I am a runner. I'm not fast. I'm not efficient. But I do it. And I really enjoy it. Days that we don't get to go, I find myself missing it. So yeah, I'm a runner.

Boston hit hard yesterday. I know it hit a lot of people hard. I don't think ever in my wildest dreams that I'll run a marathon (maybe a half one day?), but I do know what it feels like on race day.

The hours people have spent prepping for this one day.
It was all taken away from them.

The joy onlookers feel for their friends and family crossing the finish line.
It was all taken away from them.

Lives were lost. Limbs were lost. Y'all, it's just ugly. This world... it's just entirely too ugly. Love, not hate, is the way to go. God is good. Love. It's simple. Stop the hate. Love each other. Care for each other. Give hugs. Give prayers.

Give. Love.

sewing, what?

So there's this thing I used to do called sewing. And then, sewing wasn't my thing. I was completely unmotivated and just didn't want to get in front of my sewing machine. Until recently. And all of a sudden, I've found my motivation again. And I'm enjoying sewing again. Perhaps I just got burnt out sometime last year? Who knows. What I do know is that my shop has been poorly neglected. Oh, yes, there's still a shop! And in the very near future, it is going to be relaunched. With actual products in it! Exciting, right? It is for me. And? There might (WILL!) be new products in that shop. I'll keep you updated. There might (ANOTHER WILL!) be a discount code that comes about for the relaunch. Stay tuned...

Easter 2013

Sorry (not sorry) for the photo overload. Easter just offers up so many fun photo options. Our Easter activities kicked off on Thursday night with a glow-in-the-dark egg hunt. I wish I had photos to share of that, or even better, video, but I don't. Trying to photograph five littles running around in the dark and not using flash is kind of pointless. But I can tell you that all of them had a great time, and I highly suggest you add a night-time Easter egg hunt to your activities next year! (Buy glow sticks and stuff them in eggs. I have a feeling someone will ask!)

Jeremy and I had to work on Good Friday, so the boys went to Nana's house. They got to dye eggs and then brought them home. I really didn't know what to do with them so I just decorated with them a little around the house. Cayden couldn't quite grasp why he couldn't play with them and why they just had to sit around. I just couldn't imagine the mess that might have been made with them playing with real eggs. Or the fact that one would most likely have gotten lost somewhere along the way. Ugh, that smell would be awful. & gross.

We went to church on Saturday morning for a big Easter egg hunt. Since the boys are two years apart, they actually hunted in two separate places. I had the camera with Sawyer and Jeremy had the video camera with Cayden (thus no hunting photos of Cayden – except for one where I stood on a bench in Sawyer's playground hunt to find Cayden on his playground). The boys found some good stuff and everyone had a great time inside with all the activities that were going on. It helped that all of Cayden and Sawyer's buddies were there hunting with them.

The Easter bunny made a stop at our house sometime Saturday night. Cayden was still very concerned about the bunny being gone before we went to look for his basket. (I can't say that I blame him. Most of the Easter bunnies around are quite frightening.) The boys both hunted their eggs to find their baskets. The Easter bunny heard that "something they want, something they need, something to wear & something to read" would be a good way to do baskets this year. It kept things simple and the boys weren't overwhelmed with too much stuff. Good job Easter bunny!

And then we attempted some family photos at my parents house during lunch. They went about as well as they could with two wild boys. I'll cherish every photo we get like this though – regardless of who is looking at the camera or not!