Egg Hunt

I know I'm really far behind, but here are a few picture from our family Easter extravaganza!

Some of our beautiful eggs!

Having fun!

Nicole working hard!

Hmmm...is this really fun?

Avery's Masterpiece!

And finally...the Egg Hunt!

Carlos' Graduation

Our little family has been super busy the last 2.5 months! Lots of exciting changes that have kept me away from the good ole' blog! Anyways, over the next several posts I'd like to get all caught up on the happenings of our family. Back in March, Carlos graduated from BCT at Ft. Jackson in South Carolina, and I was able to attend his graduation. He worked so hard while he was there, and we are so proud of all he was able to learn and accomplish!

After his graduation, I drove him from South Carolina to Ft. Lee in Virginia where he is currently at AIT. We miss him terribly, but luckily he is able to call every day now that he is out of BCT. Less than 2 months until he comes home! Then on to our next adventure...South Korea!!

Cute as a button!

So...my little sister Stacy and her hubby Adam are having their first baby in May! It's a boy, and his name is going to be Max (which I absolutely love :). Ella & Avery are over the moon excited to have a new baby cousin, and I'm a little excited to spoil another little nephew too!!! So, as I was browsing through some of my favorite sites I came across the cutest candy buttons over at bakerella.com!





Aren't they just too cute?! She even provided a link to the Bake It Pretty site for a free download for the button toppers, and where to buy all of the supplies that you will need. Needless to say, I WILL be making these for my sister's baby shower! Bakerella even showed this cute idea for displaying them on a little stand.



What a great idea, huh? I'm planning on making mine out of white chocolate, and I'll probably use the same blue, orange, and yellow colors to go with the baby boy theme. Oh, how I love making favors!! Sorry, Stacy! I know you don't really want a baby shower, but I can't resist!

Love This.....

Sometimes having good taste is just plain too expensive! I love perusing sites like Pottery Barn, Crate and Barrel, and CB2. The only problem with that is that I find AMAZING stuff that is outrageously priced! So one of my goals this year is to try and make my own version of my favorite finds, but on a budget that I can afford. Here are a few projects that I've been wanting to take a swing at. They're all wall art and from one of my favorite sites, Fawn&Forest. And since my hubby is gone until July, I have some extra time in the evenings to work on a few crafty projects once I put the girls to bed!

First, I want to hang one of these gorgeous alphabet wall hangings in our play room. It's from the Fawn&Forest site, which I absolutely adore:) I plan in using PhotoShop and some really beautiful digital elements when I try and re-create this baby. Let's just hope I can find what I'm looking for! Oh, and I can't decide which one I love more...pink&blue or orange&green? Tough one...

Next is this fab family tree, also at Fawn&Forest. Such a simple design. I LOVE how they incorporated all of those cute little pictures of each member of the family. Why didn't I think of doing this? Again, I'll probably give my CS2 a try, or I could even pull out my Cricut Expression. I could cut out a tree, leaves, picture frames, and any other decorative elements I want to add. Lots of ideas rolling around in my brain!

And last but certainly not least, this beauty you can find here. Also from Fawn&Forest. I'd love to see this one hanging right by my front door, or in each of the girls' rooms. Again my trusty CS2, or Cricut Expression will certainly come in handy! LOVE it!

I was so busy looking for other ideas today, that I didn't make it out to the craft store to buy the supplies for my hoop.de.do's that I mentioned in my last post. But that's okay. Things happen and people get distracted! And it's probably good that I didn't make a trip because I have officially become a fabric snob. Now that I've seen all of the beautiful patterns and designs that are available on the Internet, JoAnn's fabric just doesn't cut it anymore! I'll probably buy the fabric online and get the rest of the supplies locally. So, all of these projects are officially to be continued......

P.S. I'll be sure to post my creations once they're finished!!

Hoop.De.Do!

So...I've been eyeing these GORGEOUS fabric hoops that double as bulletin boards for quite some time now. So unique, simple, and beautiful! I found them here when I was browsing Etsy (don't you just LOVE that site?!). The shop isn't currently selling any hoop.de.do's, but I knew I could do it myself and do it on a budget!

I'd like to put 3 or 4 of them in each of the girls' rooms (just like in the picture) and hang their artwork, party invitations, pictures, or anything else they'd like. I've decided that TODAY is the day that I'm going to do it! I'm heading to the craft store to buy the hoops, fabric to match the bedding/colors in the girls' rooms, and all the other supplies that I'll need! I'm super excited, and can't wait to get started! I'll even post a few pictures of my finished hoop.de.do's! Fun, fun, fun!!

This is how you know...

...that your family has been sick. When your 2.5 year old takes a nap all on her own. No forcing. No begging. No drugs.

All 3 of us have had a pretty nasty case of the cold/flu virus going around. It started with Avery and worked its way through Ella, and finally on to me Saturday and Sunday. Luckily my parents came and brought the girls to their house yesterday (Sunday) so that I could have a break and take a much needed nap! More to come soon.....

We've Got Mail!!

Every evening, right before dinner, we go on our nightly adventure to the mail box. We always have a letter or two to send to Daddy, but we cross our fingers and hope that there are a few letters waiting for us!

That's my littlest mail carrier, Avery, with her basket full of letters for Daddy!

Yesterday we hit the JACKPOT! There were 2 postcards, and 4 letters from Daddy (I think that's a record)! The girls each rode home with a big smile on their faces, and carried one postcard and a letter in their bike baskets. It's so nice to hear from Carlos and know that he's doing well! We miss him, but are finding joy in the little moments we share together through the mail!