Fall Family Fun

It’s fall y’all! My favorite time of the year, and not just because I have an autumn birthday, but also because the weather is glorious, crisp, and refreshing. And even more importantly, there are so many fun things to do together as a family. Last weekend we spent a morning exploring a fall farm festival, like we do every year.

There were pumpkins (which Lydia used as a fairy princess throne)…

DSC_9382And there were animals (Caleb tried to hug the donkey through the bars, but had to settle for petting him on the nose, since Caleb was far more enthusiastic about the donkey than the donkey was about Caleb)…

DSC_9320And there was corn (this is Alethea’s interpretation of what a “Corn Fairy” might look like, I think she got it spot on)…DSC_9255And more corn (which Caleb preferred to play with while standing outside of the box, since he had a hard time walking through it)…DSC_9227

And even more corn (because I can’t resist a fun photo op)…DSC_9213

DSC_9288HURRAY FOR FALL!

What We Did This Summer: June

Our summer is absolutely flying by. We have been super busy. Too busy to write as much as I’d like to, but I thought I should at least share our month-by-month highlights. I give you… June.

We worked on the deck….

DSC_4770And Alethea graduated from kindergarten…

DSC_4813We celebrated her graduation with a trip to Como Town for rides and cotton candy…

DSC_4863 DSC_4973And we worked on the deck…

DSC_4987Caleb turned one and we celebrated with a baseball party…

DSC_5780And in what might turn out to be the highlight of the entire summer, the girls and Caleb sat on the grass behind second base and ate cake with their bare hands to conclude his smash cake photoshoot…

DSC_5826And we worked on the deck…

DSC_5697We played in/on/near the water every single day it didn’t rain…

DSC_5675And made several trips to the library and various playgrounds…

DSC_5287We enjoyed hanging out (and being goofy) with our neighbors…

DSC_5391And we did some more work on the deck…

DSC_5681We met this guy at the nature center…

Snapping TurtleCaleb thought it would be a good idea to pet him…

DSC_5534The girls thought it was a better idea to stay a long way behind him…

DSC_5536After working on the deck some more, we planted a fairy garden…

DSC_5705And the girls looked to see if they could find any trace of tiny magical visitors…

DSC_5728Alethea took her very first ballet class…

DSC_5610And she loved every minute of it…

DSC_5611All that along with a couple parties, trips to the beach, hanging out with friends, and lots more working on the deck made for a busy, but good month. And spoiler alert for the “What We Did This Summer: July” post, the deck still isn’t done and we’re not exactly sure when it will be. It’s ended up being a beast of a project, but we keep telling ourselves, “It will be so nice when it’s done.”

Here’s hoping this finds you all sitting back, sipping lemonade, and enjoying the sun!

Happy Birthday, Caleb!

You are my sunshine,

DSC_05133My only sunshine,

DSC_18242You make me happy…

IMG_15532…when skies are gray.

DSC_5274You’ll never know, dear,

DSC_5566How much I love you!

DSC_8705So, please don’t take…

DSC_1631

…my sunshine away.

DSC_4582Happy 1st birthday, Baby Boy!

You make our days so much brighter!

Love you forever and ever,

Mommy & Daddy

I’ve Got Instagram

So here’s the deal people. For all of you who who complain that I don’t post more pictures of the kids (you know who you are), I now have Instagram. You will notice my feed on the right hand side of the blog homepage. Click on any image to view it larger and to read the caption.

I think that I’ll have an easier time Instagraming regularly than I do blogging on a schedule, so when you’re hankering for a little BobbleHeadBaby news, at least you’ll have something to tide you over until the next post.

This is probably pretty basic for most of you, but if any of you are like me and have some Luddite tendencies, feel free to ask questions if you are having technical difficulties.

*End Public Service Announcement*

Nighty Night

I’ve got a lot of posts I could write… should write… want to write…

But right now, the only thing I can seem to think about is doing this (minus the teddy bear):

DSC_4169Hope you all have a good night resting well in the assurance that kid updates, a Frozen birthday party, and other news are on your way as soon as I can manage. Sweet dreams!!!

Caleb’s Nursery Reveal

Here’s one in the long-overdue category. As you may recall, last May I was nine months pregnant and frantically trying to finish Caleb’s nursery. Well, it wasn’t quite done when he arrived, but I did finally finish it a few months later, and so for anyone who has been wondering how it turned out (which might turn out to be no one), this post is for you.

A quick reminder of how it looked when it was Alethea’s nursery:

teal and tan nursery with globe mobile

And here is the final “boy-ified” space:

boy transportation travel nursery

I’m thrilled with how it turned out!

The art work was an 11th hour project. I used Photoshop to create some cute transportation art that I hung in six frames that I miraculously found at a garage sale for $12. I finished hanging them less than 24 hours before Caleb arrived in the world and one of the first things I did when we got home from the hospital was to show them to him. He looked and looked and looked, so I’d say they were a hit.

DIY boy transportation room artI’m also proud to say that with the exception of the train bookends that I got on eBay and a pillow from HomeGoods, everything that I did this time around was handmade. My mom helped me sew the curtains and the extension on the crib skirt. I made the curtain rod from galvanized pipe and fittings from the Home Depot.

boy world travel nurserytrain bookends baby boy nursery

I think this is officially the most finished room in the house!

baby boy nursery DIY transporation wall artbaby boy nursery personalized wall art

And I would be completely remiss if I didn’t share pictures of the quilt that Caleb’s Grammie made for him. It is a one-of-a-kind transportation themed masterpiece!

boy transportation nursery quiltMy favorite part about it is that if you look closely, there are details quilted in the background, like clouds, waves, railroad tracks, traffic signs, and even an adorable squirrel!

transportation quilt detail

squirrel hidden on a quilt

So there you have it. Baby boy nursery: COMPLETE!

Signs of Spring

Spring is here and signs of it are all over our backyard.

Dandelion bouquets picked just for me by my sweet middle child…

Dandelion bouquet A robin’s nest housing three perfectly gorgeous eggs…

robin's nest with eggsThe apple tree in full bloom…

apple blossoms And then there’s this…

DSC_4642The deck project has begun! Nothing like a little DIY to welcome the season, eh?

Happy Birthday, Alethea!

Gotta hold on easy as I let you go

DSC_0226Gonna tell you how much I love you, though you think you already know

DSC_3562I remember I thought you looked like an angel wrapped in pink so soft and warm

DSC_4948You’ve had me wrapped around your finger since the day you were born

DSC_7708You’re beautiful baby from the outside in

DSC_2132Chase your dreams but always know the road that’ll lead you home again

DSC_2529Go on, take on this whole world

DSC_3749But to me you know you’ll always be, my little girl

DSC_3939Happy 6th Birthday, sweet Alethea Margaret!

You are our precious little girl and we know you’re going to do great big things!

Hugs and Kisses,

Mommy & Daddy