Saturday, November 26, 2011

Weston is 2!


Our baby turned two yesterday!  I still can't believe it. How has it been already been two years since we got to meet him and a year since this fun celebration?  

We had a great low-key, just us family day to celebrate :) and we got some cute videos and pictures that I want to share later.  I just can't wait any longer to post this.  I got inspired from this pin on Pinterest.  It was such fun to think about and do, I hope it becomes a tradition!

Happy Birthday sweet boy!  We love you so :)

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Hey Man!

Tim caught this little video a about a month ago.  Weston got the phrase from me as I would say it when he would wear my sunglasses.  He added the finger move.  He really likes being funny :)


Gig 'em would be a more appropriate saying for the hat … he didn't know that phrase at the time, but this past weekend created his own version that goes something like "Ag-ees Go!" or just "Agg-go!" We'll keep working on it ;)

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

First Book Club

We had our neighbor buddy Caden over this morning to play.  The boys would go from 90 miles an hour, literally bouncing off the walls at times (ouch!), to quietly playing independently or calmly off and on all morning.  But my favorite moment of the morning was their impromptu Book Club on the window seat where they took to seriously studying some of our book ranging from NATO policies to Les Miserables.

Check out their little conversation and interaction. Their intensity killed me!


So fun watching these kiddos grow up!

Monday, October 3, 2011

Flashback: Kendall's Sweet 16 Photos

As we all know, I'm an inconsistent blogger.  And that's putting it mildly.  But its usually because there are lots of great things going on … or that hard stuff is going on … either way, life calls and leaves little extra room for reminiscing (which is what blogging feels like to me).

Note: There ARE pictures (lots!) in this post, feel free to bypass my rambling and head down to the prettiness!

So, I've missed sharing/documenting some great things!  As we head into fall … my most favoritest season of the year for so many reasons … the weather, almost every single person in my family's birthday, holidays, football, etc … and are making plans/getting excited about all that this fall holds (TONS!) … I have been remembering last year.  And I've got some stuff to share :)

I'm working on some invitations for my big sister right now … more to come on THAT exciting news later … it reminded me that last year I was working on invitations for my little sister … for her 16th birthday!  Not a small thing in my world.  And I was determined to do my part to let her know that.  She and her best friend, Avery, have birthdays just 2 days apart in the first week of December.  It's a busy time and has in the past been, their birthdays have had to play second fiddle to a variety of other things.  Not this last year.  Not on my watch ;) So, the moms and I got to planning their Boots & Bling Sweet 16.

I don't have many great pictures of the actual party … the girls absolutely loved it though!  It was in a storage building on Avery's family's land … but it was totally transformed that night, mostly by Ave's crazy talented mama … and the kids all decked out in their boots & bling.  I, unfortunately, had gotten really sick a couple days before with a high fever and was not at my best and even headed home early and crashed :(

But, just two days before the big day and mere hours before the sickness creeped in, the girls had this fun, last-minute idea to go take pictures downtown.  And I got to play photographer :)  I absolutely love these pictures!  I have so much to learn about photography, but these two beautiful, fun-loving ladies couldn't take a bad picture if they tried and they couldn't be more interestingly complimentary in their outfits and coloring.  They were so natural, it made my job super easy.  But the thing I love most about these pictures is that you can't look at them and not catch their joy.  

After I edited them in Photoshop (a little desaturation and increased contrast to make them feel a little rustic) with Kendall's help, we printed a few to frame for the party and had a slideshow of them playing throughout the night on the wall with some others of their friendship and friends over the year.  It was a great hit and such fun to capture them at that moment in time.  

So without further ado … the stars of the show … my wonderful, gorgeous sister Kendall …



And her crazy-fun, beautiful best friend, Avery …

This is literally the first or second picture I took, still trying to figure out if I had the settings right, and I told the girls we could go home after this one … its perfectly them to me.  Don't you want to be their friend?











We ran out of daylight, but set-up a little make-shift studio in my mom's dining room (we were worried we didn't get enough good ones … we were very, very wrong) and they just kept being fun and beautiful!



And if that wasn't enough for you, you can click here to see all 54.

And here is the Save the Date postcard I designed …

And a mock-up of the invitation … the zebra was furry paper and the turquoise was glittery.  And we added a few rhinestones to each.  Extra fun!  And the pattern on the boot is their names repeating.

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Name News

Baby Brother has a name …

We've actually had it picked out for quite awhile … it's been the front-runner since before he was conceived ;) and we really never came up with any others that really competed.  We used very similar thinking to the way we named Weston.  We just really like Bowen and don't know anyone with the name, so it's unique, but not weird.  So far, people don't have trouble pronouncing (like Owen but with a B) or spelling it, which is excellent.  And we think it sounds good with Weston.  We picked Lane for the middle name after me because my middle name is Elaine.  Weston has Tim's middle name, Scott,  and we like having the family tie in the name there.  Oh, and the main question we get asked is will we call him Bo?  The answer is no we won't, but I'm sure it will happen, at least on the sports field.  People asked us the same about Weston, would we call him Wes … we haven't and no one else really does although he has a couple of other nicknames.

I love having his name already picked out and I am liking it more all the time! I wouldn't mind at all hearing if you are a fan, too :) Its so fun to think about him and pray for him and talk to and about him using his name.  We've definitely used it with Weston too, I think he's starting to get it.  He understands baby brother and can say a version of that … and tonight I asked him to say Bowen and he said "Bowie" and hit his hand on my chest … close enough ;)

And, he has started saying his name.  He had never used it before, but a few weeks ago I asked him if he could say Weston and this is what followed (so glad Tim had the camera in hand!) …


He's been saying it ever since and I think its adorable :)

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Big Boy Bed

Weston got his first big boy bed a few weekends ago on 9.10.11!  He's done pretty well and surprised us overall.  We still have his crib in the room too and have had to move the mattress back over a few times, but he's slept in his new bed about 75% of the time.  He also loves having a bed he can hangout in and story-time has I think permanently moved from the chair to the bed.  He also really loves jumping from the bed onto the floor … he has been a crib jumper for months, but we have been firm that he can't jump on this bed … but jumping off has seemed to appease him ;)

Think he likes it?

He loves being able to cuddle in his bed, but doesn't quite understand that we don't all fit very well … 
not that we haven't tried ;)




Hey big eyes!

You are getting so big!

Love these boys!

Are these not some of the sweetest pictures you have ever seen?  Weston loves story time, but he was down-right giddy when his cousin Jackson read to him.  I don't think Jackson minded either … he even told me one day that if Weston wanted him to read him a story, he guessed he wouldn't mind ;) Sweetness defined.




And one afternoon, Papa and Belle came by to visit us.  J and W absolutely loved playing with Papa … he's still just a big kid at heart and jumped right into the action … even getting all 6' 8" of himself down on the floor and even into the tent Jackson had set up in the living room all week.  Fun memories :)



Jackson loves his puppies and specifically asked that I get a picture of him with both of them ;)

Sweetness defined.  Again.  I just can't get enough.

And if you haven't gotten enough cuteness or silliness yet … here are a few more of the boys playing around and outside the house (they live in this great house with some great room to roam!))