little girl's summer dress

I made this dress from the scraps of the national parks quilt that I did a few months ago. I'm in love with the yellow and teal combination. This dress is big, but my adorable model will grow into it. 😊 

Happy 5th Birthday

I can't believe my first born is 5 years old!  

This year for Lucas's birthday we did an Angles baseball party at our local park.

It works out well when your kid loves to play baseball, and your husband loves to play baseball. I didn't have to plan any additional activities or games...because baseball was the game. Between family and friends, we had plenty of players for a ball game. Even Lucas's Great-Grandma got in on the action. Everyone had a blast! 

The night before his birthday, Lucas asked me to tuck him into bed and to sing "Rock-a-Bye Baby." I happily obliged and sang for him. My baby is growing up. As I sang, I thought about the past five years and how quickly they went by..which led me to make this list of five things I love about Lucas...

1) I love his sense of humor. Lucas loves telling jokes. Often his misses his punchline, but laughs anyways. Currently his favorite joke is "What did the judge tell the witness to wear? A lawsuit!" He tells this joke to everyone. 

2) I love his self-confidence. Lucas inhered his Father's self-confidence. At times it can be frustrating, but I also love it. It also means that I'm often accompanied to the store by a Stormtrooper or Jedi. 

3) I love how friendly and social Lucas is. He makes friends where ever he goes. I love listening as he marches up to a boy/girl his age, politely introduces himself and enthusiastically invites the boy/girl to play. It's adorable and it is a skill that will serve him well.   

4) I love his creativity. Lucas has such a creative mind. He expresses himself though art, play and with made up stories that "reads" and shares with me. 

5) I love how hard he tries to please. Lucas does his best to be a good boy and to make his Mama happy...including picking flowers for her after he has done something naughty. I love the bouquets he picks for me...even if they are a little wilted.  

This next year will be full of new experiences for Lucas. It is my hope and prayer that he continues to grow in wisdom and stature with God and man. 

Love you sweetheart. 

Easter Weekend Recap

Easter weekend came and went in a flash. I felt like I dropped the ball this year. I had every intention to read the Resurrection story to the kiddos, attend our church's Easter service and do some sort of amazing Christ-centered Easter craft.

..ha.ha...The best laid plans...

Lucas and I did watch the Easter Sabbath service on livestream....so in a way we did "attend" church.
With the Sabbath service at noon I knew that if I actually went I'd spent most of the service in the hallways with Alara. By staying home, I put her to sleep then Lucas and I watched the service. This way I actually got to pay attention, Alara got her nap and Lucas got to have his lunch on time.

That afternoon, we headed down to Laguna Beach. My Mom was exhibiting in one of the local art galleries and asked us to come to her opening night. It was a lot of fun walking through the galleries, then taking the kiddos down to the beach for some fun in the sun.

On Easter Sunday, we attended a friend's third birthday. The kiddos had a blast hunting eggs and playing with their friends.

And by the time bedtime came around I was ready for the weekend to be over.

Till next year...Easter...may I be better prepared and more on top of things.

Family Easter Party

I'm happy to be back posting here on this blog. 

On Sunday, my Mom hosted her annual family Easter party. In addition to the traditional egg hunt, she prepared a treasure hunt for each kid, bird house building for the boys and flower planting for Alara. All of these activities kept the kiddos busy! 

Both kids had a blast hunting for Easter eggs. Alara kept looking around saying "more..more" and I hardly saw Lucas except for when he ran past, his basket loaded with brightly colored eggs. 

I wish hunting for daily "lost" household items was this exciting. 

That afternoon, my Dad helped each kid build their bird house. The bird houses came as kits, so all the kids had to do was tack in the nails, glue and paint. Lucas chose to paint his bright teal blue. 

While the boys worked, Alara and Grandma planted pansy flowers. When I was little, my sisters and I would plant Easter pansies and petunias every year. It became traditional. Alara had a blast digging around in the rich potting soil, planting her flowers and then gently (Ahem...dumping) watering the them. 

Fingers crossed that the flowers live, and that birds will nest in the brightly painted house. 

national parks themed baby quilt

A good friend of mine from college is having a baby boy. She's planning a national parks theme with lots of grey and yellow for the baby's nursery. Finding fabric locally was challenging. However, I think I nailed it. I kept her color pallet in mind, and did my best to find prints that went along with the national parks theme. I love the yellows in this quilt and I'm really excited to make something with the leftovers.

This quilt was made with love, and I hope baby "H" enjoys rolling around, spitting up, pooing and cooing all over it. 😄

February's Musing

This month was a mixed bag of emotions. 

We kept things simple for Valentine's Day. Lucas was getting over a cold, and Alara was waking up several times during the night happily gracing us with her presence. My husband and I were happy with an easy day and quiet evening. 

Speaking of Husbands, mine turned thirty-one on the 18th. I have the hardest time finding the perfect gift for him. He is hard to shop for. Half of what he wants I have no idea what it is or where to find it. He is also the biggest snoop ever. Surprising him is hard. So, even if I did find the perfect gift I'm sure that by the time his birthday rolled around he would have already peeked. So instead of a gift, I arranged for a poker game night and Carne Asada dinner with his buddies. 

My husband's Grandfather passed away this month. He was in his 90's and had lived a long and happy life. During the funeral, my husband spoke. I was so proud of him and what he chose to say about his Grandfather and legacy as a Harrison. 

In between rainstorms, the kiddos and I have been able to get outside and enjoy the parks around town. Lucas has become such a social butterfly and plays nicely with boys/girls his age. No matter where we go, he is always making friends. He walks up to kids, politely introduces himself and asks to play. Alara is able to do more at the parks too. I don't have to go up in the play equipment anymore. She's growing up too fast. 

I finally got a library card. I feel so official. My drivers licenses has my Riverside address, but for some reason getting a library card felt more official...nothing says "I'm a member of this community" than a library card. 

I am looking forward to introducing my kids to the wonderful world of books.   

I'm going to take the month of March off. If all goes well...I'll explain why later. 

...till next time...

A Simple Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day from our family to yours. This year we are keeping things simple. With Lucas getting over a cold, and Alara keeping us up all night for who knows what reason, my husband and I are happy with an easy day and quiet evening. However, I did have some Valentine's Day fun with the kiddos as we made cards, played in our backyard and baked tasty treats for family and friends.