A Bit of Everyday Life

Things have been nice and routine around here lately. I have managed to spend more time around the house which is nice and I think Neal really likes to be able to just hangout at home, barefoot and jacket free, and play with his toys.

It's funny how often I notice new habits or unique things that Neal does. I wonder sometimes how many habits and things he does from watching me and Tyler. I think that having kids is going to show me a lot about myself, both good and bad. One thing that Neal loves to do is bush his teeth (especially if he sees me brushing my teeth). That's right, we practice good dental hygiene in this house.


The other day while Neal was taking his tubby I noticed that every time he picked up his toy turtle he would put it's head in his mouth and continue to play while "eating" the turtle. As bath time continued I noticed that he did the same thing with each of his three toy turtles. Not sure when he decided he only liked to "eat" the turtles but it was funny to watch him play with all his toys and only put the turtles in his mouth.




I love how Neal is always making me smile and laugh with all the funny little things he does. I am really looking forward to spring and summer when we can get back outside. There is a whole lot of new adventures waiting for Neal once all this snow melts.


I think I have said this before but what a joy and blessing it has been to be able to stay at home with Neal. Tyler has worked so hard to provide for our family so that I can be home during the day. I have learned a lot about myself, sacrifice, time management and God this year as I have learned to be a mom. I think Neal is going to teach me more about myself and challenge me to change some of my thinking without even knowing it. Who knew a one year old could teach me so much.

The Swap

I mentioned about a month ago that I signed up to participate in my very first craft swap. I joined a mug rug swap. First I have to say I LOVED doing this swap. You had to make two mug rugs to send to your swap partner and mail them by the middle of February. I really liked going through my large amount of scrap fabrics and creating two very different and unique looking mug rugs. These are the two that I created (my partners last name started with a "W" which is why there is an appliqued "W" on one of the rugs)



I mailed them off the other day along with some Alaskan Tea, hot coco and coffee. I sure hope my partner likes them. Then the other day I received two mug rugs in the mail from the person who had my name. My partner made the perfect ones for me. Here they are:


I really like the fact that they are simple. Brown is one of my favorite colors (if any of you have seen my house you know how brown is a dominate color). I also love the colorful one she made. I especially like how she used the salvage ends of the fabric. It makes it look very fun and modern and what a great way to use every part of the fabric right? My partner also sent me two fat quarters of fabric and some delicious hot chocolate. Anyone want to join me for some hot coco and cookies?


One of my friends warned me that I would get hooked on the craft swapping if I started and I have to say she was right. I am already searching for a new swap to join - maybe I'll try a potholder swap or a pillow swap, there are so many options.

Also just to get all the craft projects posted at one time my friend Brandy and I finished making the book/diaper bag I had talked about. Here is my finished bag:


It is the perfect size to take my bible and notes to Bible Study Fellowship and also the perfect size to carry around the few items that I need for Neal on a daily basis like, sippy cup, diapers, snacks and an extra set of clothes just in case he needs them. It was the first time that either Brandy or myself had made anything like this so were very impressed with how easy it was to put together and are both so happy with our bags.

If you are interested in making a bag like this or similar visit my friends blog at "Clover and Violet" by clicking the link below. She has some great patterns in her shop that you can order.

First Birthday Party

Neal turned one year old yesterday and we had quite a fun little party to celebrate. We hosted the party out at Neal's GiGi and Grandfathers house in Palmer and had lots of family and a few friends join us for the celebration. Neal's Grandma and Papa from Seattle were even up here for the big celebration.



We had a brown and blue baby block themed party and I may have gone a bit overboard with the decorating but I had so much fun putting it all together. We had a birthday banner, blue "blocks" filled with gold fish crackers for party favors, picture blocks showing pictures of Neal over the last year and a birthday shirt and hat for Neal.




Now everyone knows you can't have a birthday party without a cake. This was my first time decorating a birthday cake so I was a little nervous of how it would turn out. I got lots of great tips and advise from friends and family and my mom was up here to help me put it all together. The end result was a complete success. It turned out exactly as planned. We ended up making the bottom of each cake block out of rice crispy treats to help them be a little more stable and it worked out great. The rice crispy part was actually really tasty with the cake and icing. We also made a small "block" cake just for Neal.




As I have mentioned before Neal has never been a picky eater and so no surprise he devoured his birthday dinner (chicken nuggets, peas and carrots). Shortly after dinner we had cake and he showed no hesitation in eating that either. He finished off his cake and then turned to Tyler asking for more.






It was a fun day with lots of family, friends, food and presents.



I can't believe Neal is already a year old. This past year has been fun, at time tiring and challenging and full of new adventures but it has been the best year for us. Neal has brought so much joy and delight to our family and we just love him to pieces.

Neal

Happy First Birthday to our little man. Today you are one year old and I can hardly believe that a year has gone by since the Lord blessed us with you, our bundle of joy. Oh how I love....

Your beautiful dark brown eyes


The way you always laugh and smile when Dad is around and squeal with delight when he comes home from work



I love how you dance to any and all music


How peaceful you look when you sleep - and how good of a sleeper you are :)


How you and Yawkey are "best buddies" - and can play together all day



The way you just quietly take everything in when we go somewhere new - and wave at everyone you meet



I have never seen anyone enjoy eating as much as you do - You can never have enough food and always want to share whatever we are eating/drinking.



You love to read - If it were up to you I know you'd sit on my lap all day and snuggle while we read stories.


You have brought such great joy to your Dad and I and we cannot imagine life without you. What a great blessing the Lord has given us in you. We pray that as you grow up you would seek the Lord, read His word and be a man after God's own heart. We are so lucky to be your parents and so proud to have you as a part of our family. Happy First Birthday!

Common Visitor

We come home one afternoon and had a very large visitor in our front yard. We have moose wondering in our neighborhood quite a lot. You would think they would be hard to miss, being so large, but there have been a few times that Tyler and I have both been startled by one that we didn't notice.



We took Neal just outside the door to see the moose eating the tree and Neal didn't seem very interested or impressed by this large visitor - such an Alaskan baby.

Family Day

I am sure a lot of you have asked this very same question : How does life get so busy? We seem to always be doing something or going somewhere. Today however was the perfect Saturday because we got to have a relaxing day together as a family. We slept in, Neal took his morning nap and then we loaded up in the car and went downtown to play at the Imaginarium Discovery Center at the Anchorage Museum (thanks to Aunt Linda for the membership)


It is almost a tie between weather Neal or Tyler had more fun. We will definitely be going back again. Neal loved everything...I think that had a lot to do with almost every station having some type of button to push. There was even a great little kids area with tunnels to crawl through, a train set, a water table and a wall with lots of colorful animals painted on it (this was Neal's favorite).






I can't think of anything more fun to do then spend time together as a family. What a refreshing and relaxing weekend. Neal had so much fun that he took a 3 hour nap when we got home - obviously he wore himself out with all the exploring and playing.

Fast approaching

Neal's first birthday is coming in just a few weeks. I am having so much fun planning for the big day. We are going to do a blue and brown "baby block" theme (with a splash of colors here and there). I know that he won't remember a thing about it but that hasn't stopped me. Here is a look at what I have been putting together for the big day.

(Invitations)

(Table center piece - will hold a picture of Neal each month to 1 year)

(Banner - still needing to be attached so it can hang)

(Neal's birthday shirt to wear at his party)

I have a fun blue and brown "block" cake planned and hope that it turns out the way I envision it. Not really being a big cake baker/decorator it will be an adventure. Being a stay at home mom has given me a lot of time to put things together and I always love an excuse to make lots of "crafts". I can't believe that we are so close to his first birthday. We almost have a 1 year old, AHHHH! I love it and I'm surprised at how fast the last year has gone.