The Bonjour Family

Noah's "Happy Valentine's Day"

2012-02-14T12:19:00.000-08:00

Encouragement Cards

2012-02-11T06:11:00.000-08:00

A few months ago, Noah and I participated in the Happy Day Project. You can read more about it here if you'd like, but basically, we had a task to complete each day to spread a little happiness to someone throughout the week.

What an eye opening and awesome week it was. It is so easy to get caught up in what is going on in our own little world, and often we forget to reach out to those around us. I loved that Noah was able to help me with the project; it opened up opportunities for us to talk about loving people as well as giving with a happy heart. I want Noah to learn from a young age to look beyond himself and see that every day God gives us opportunities to share His love to people around us.

So where does Noah learn this? From the example his mommy and daddy set for him. Yep. God has entrusted us this precious child to teach him in the way he should go. It's a big responsibility. HUGE. I'm so thankful God is with us and that we aren't on our own when it comes to parenting (or with anything in life).

I was reminded of the Happy Day Project tonight when I came across this post sharing some adorable printable cards to give out to mommies who might need a little encouragement. I think it's such a great idea. I'll be heading over to Kinko's first chance I get to print off a stack of these cutesy cards to keep with me. Go get yourself some too!

"Let us encourage each other daily, as long as it is still called Today..." Hebrews 3:13

image above created by photo card boutique

Not a Fan

2012-02-09T09:21:00.000-08:00

Noah tried grapefruit for the first time this morning.

So glad we recorded his reaction. Priceless.

Hey, at least he tried it!

Okay, sooo...

2012-02-09T06:26:00.000-08:00

...we have a new winner for the sock monkey hat.

Congrats to Mrs. Lindsey Jo who said... "I follow you. Hook a sister up."

You better post pictures of your little cutie in his new sock monkey hat!

Email me to claim your hat... okay?!

And again, if you didn't win, Mary is offering you 10% off

an item in her shop. Use the code MONKEY10 at check out.

(You didn't have to enter the giveaway to get the discount.)

Hmmm what else?

Oh yeah.

Um.

Did you miss the Confetti Sunshine Giveaway?

Like really cute stuff.

And chances of winning are pretty good right now.
So scroll on down and check it out. Or click here.

Well I'm off to clean house.
Have a great day!

Confetti Sunshine

2012-02-06T21:29:00.000-08:00

I'm super excited to share giveaway #2 with you today!
Are you ready for another one?
{I'm a little jealous of you guys on this one!}

to one of the cutest party shops around

Sara Schmutz is one of my favorite graphic designers on the web.
I've been following her blog for quite some time now and just can't get
enough of all of her pretty designs. She is full of talent and creativity!
I'm especially loving her mini Valentine kit right now...

Sara recently opened up a party supply shop: Confetti Sunshine.
Cutest stuff ever. I'm in love with everything in it.
And isn't the the name of her shop just adorable?!

And just wait until you visit her party blog.
She shares free printables, recipes, party ideas, do it yourself projects...

-GIVEAWAY-
Sara is so sweetly giving away a $30 gift card to her shop!

Mandatory: To enter this giveaway, visit Confetti Sunshine and then
come back and leave me a comment telling me what
you would buy from her store.

For extra entries:

- Visit Confetti Sunshine Blog and become a new follower.
Leave me a comment letting me know you're now following along.

-Follow Confetti Sunshine on Facebook.
Come back and let me know you "liked."

-Follow my blog! Then comment and let
me know you're following along.

Giveaway details (please read):
Open to anyone in the United States
Giveaway ends Saturday, February 11th at 9pm (CST)
One winner will be chosen at random
For entries to count, please comment on this blog post.

is it you?

2012-02-05T19:04:00.000-08:00

congratulations to...
~~sherry who said... i would choose combo 3. what a cute hat!~~
~~you are the winner of a sock monkey hat! yay!~~

note: please get in touch with me at libbybonjour(at)gmail(dot)com

by tuesday, february 7th or i will need to choose another winner.

a special thanks to mary for an awesome giveaway!

now for those of you who didn't win, mary is offering you

a discount to her shop for 10% off. sweet. now go get

yourself a monkey hat! you will love it. promise.

use the code at check out: MONKEY10

...and tuesday i'll be back with giveaway #2!

Photo a Day Challenge

2012-02-02T20:02:00.000-08:00

I totally missed out on the photo-a-day challenge in January {bummer!}, so
I thought I'd better get busy taking pictures for February if I want to play along.
Here's what's up in the month of February:

Day one and two down...

your view today: went to my new obgyn to sign a release form to get my
records transferred. sad to change doctors (loved my doctor in amarillo!), but
also excited about the change. i think it will be good. the office is beautiful--
chandeliers hanging every where. almost looks too pretty to be a doctors office! ha

words: reading a book with my little guy before bed.

I recently found a really great (free!) app called my365 to
help me stay organized with my pictures each month:

Going to be fun!

Reminder: the last day for the Sock Monkey hat giveaway is this Saturday!
Click here to enter the giveaway.

And the other giveaway... you do not want to miss! Seriously.

I'll be posting it soon!

3 Years of Blogging + a Giveaway!

2012-01-30T20:50:00.000-08:00

This week I'm celebrating *three* years of blogging!
Sooo...

I thought it would be fun to party with a couple giveaways!

First up is one of my favorite little shops: Fountain Top Creations!

Mary makes the cutest hats ever. She's made Noah three

or four already, and I just can't get enough of them! I especially

love the sock monkey hats she has started making. Oh my!

They're so stinkin' cute!

Mary recently sent me pictures of her precious little Hailey

wearing the girly girl version of the sock monkey hat.

Don't you just love the little flower?!

And here are all the different color combos she offers:

Mary is generously giving away *one* sock monkey hat!

Want to win one? Here's what you gotta do:

1. Check out Mary's shop here and then leave a comment

telling me which color combo you'd choose if you won!

Want to better your chances of winning?

2. Visit Mary's crochet blog and become a new follower.

Leave me a comment letting me know you're now following along.

3. Tweet or facebook this:

Win a free sock monkey hat via The Bonjour Family
http://libby-bonjour.blogspot.com/2012/01/3-years-of-blogging-giveaway.html

Come back and let me know you linked this giveaway.

4. Follow my blog! Then leave another comment letting

me know you're a new follower or already follow.

Giveaway details:
Open to anyone in the United States
Winner can choose any color combo and size
Giveaway ends Friday, February 3rd at 9pm (CST)
One winner will be chosen at random

You have four chances to win. Good luck!

San Antonio!

2012-01-27T22:15:00.000-08:00

Noah turned three August of last year and instead of throwing him a party, we thought it would be fun to take a family trip to Sea World. Noah loves animals, and he really loves staying in hotels, so a trip to San Antonio seemed like the perfect birthday present for him. August and September were pretty crazy months for us, so we planned our trip the second week in October. I can't imagine going any other time than in the Fall. The weather was just perfect.

We left on a Wednesday afternoon and arrived in San Antonio around dinnertime. Before we went to eat, we checked into our beautiful hotel along the Riverwalk and got settled in. Noah was really excited about staying in a hotel. It's pretty funny because we would be out doing something fun and it wouldn't be long before Noah was asking us if we could go back to the hotel. :) Little toot. Here is a short video of Noah while we were waiting in the car for Josh to get our key. It was so sweet to see how excited he was about being in "Tonio."

Once we got settled into our room, and after Noah jumped on the bed for a while, we got back in the car and drove around {forever!} in search of the Mexican restaurant Mi Tierra. I kid you not, we drove by that restaurant three times {at least} before we finally found it! But oh was it worth it. AMAZING food. We asked Noah what he wanted to eat, and he told us he wanted some "enchiwawas." After we ate, we decided to head back to our hotel and get to bed early. We still had two full days of fun ahead of us!

Since Sea World wasn't open on Thursday, we decided that day we'd go to the San Antonio Zoo. We woke up fairly early and found ourselves a hole in the wall Mexican diner for some breakfast burritos. I'll just say right now, every place we ate {majority were Mexican food restaurants} was absolutely delish. After we ate, we were off to the Zoo! We saw lots of animals and enjoyed going to a different Zoo than the one we're used to here in Fort Worth. It was a lot of fun!

The butterfly garden at the Zoo was amazing. We almost passed on it because it cost an extra dollar or two per person to go in, but I'm so glad we went. It was the coolest experience walking into this lush area {almost like a green house} and seeing beautiful butterflies flying all over the place. It was magical. It really was. If you are ever at the San Antonio Zoo, pay the extra money. It's totally worth it.

We ended our day at the Zoo by riding a miniature train around the area. It was just what we needed to relax after being on our feet for most of the day. Poor little Noah couldn't even keep his eyes open-- he was wiped out!

We drove back to the hotel and planned to rest a while before going along the River Walk that night to eat. But we ended up staying in for the night because Noah wasn't feeling well. At all. Poor baby was so upset, and he felt like he was running a temp. And all he wanted to do was sleep. Really, as fun as it would have been to go on the River Walk that evening, it was very nice to be able to just take it easy and spend time together in our hotel room. Since we would be in for the night, Josh went to get the two of us some food at Hard Rock Cafe.

Later on that evening Noah woke up crying, so we thought it would be a good idea to get some medicine because it was obvious he wasn't feeling well. Josh went in search of some medicine while I helped Noah take a shower. Poor baby was just miserable. He just sat down in the shower and let the water fall on him. I felt so sorry for him. But the shower must have helped a little bit because Noah wanted Daddy to bring him a hamburger. But then he decided he'd rather have chicken nuggets instead. Of course, little man got what he wanted, and Daddy came back with medicine and nuggets! And really, it seemed he was feeling better. So we were hoping that Noah was just overtired and that he would be up for going to Sea World the next day.

We all slept well that night and woke up the next morning refreshed and ready for Sea World! I couldn't wait for my little boy to experience Sea World. Noah acted like he felt okay, so we decided to go since we had already purchased our tickets online. Guess what we ate for breakfast that morning? Yep, breakfast burritos again! But at a different Mexican cafe. Our family never gets tired of Mexican food. So we ate {yum!}, and then we were off to Sea World. By the time we arrived though, it was obvious Noah wasn't feeling well. Again. Poor thing. But he was excited and still wanted to go.

Here is my absolute favorite part of Sea World. Watching Noah feed the dolphins!

And of course, we rode several rides. Noah loved them! He was pretty quiet and non-smiley during most of the time we were there {don't blame the little guy}, but when he rode the rides the smiles came out. We saw some of the animals, but didn't end up staying very long because we didn't want to push it. He got to a point after about two hours where he just wanted to go back to the hotel. I admit, I was pretty bummed we didn't get to stay for most of the day. But, there's always next time! And I'm so thankful we at least got to experience some of Sea World.

Since the Shamu show was about to start, we decided to stay for the show and head out afterwards. It was such a fun experience. Those killer whales were just amazing. We will definitely have to take Noah back!

We were all pretty tired once we got back to the hotel, so we laid down and rested. After a while, we got up and Noah was {again} acting like he felt better. Yay! We decided it would be fun to walk along the River Walk that evening and ride the river taxi. Instead of eating along the river, we went to another Mexican restaurant close by. Reviews of the food were good, and we weren't about to miss out on another amazing restaurant in San Antonio. Here is a sweet picture of our silly little guy and Daddy! You can tell from that face he was feeling better!

After we ate, we went along the River Walk and got some ice cream. We rode the river taxi and it was so much fun. Noah absolutely loved it. And then we thought it would be fun to go check out the mall and do a little shopping. We really didn't stay too long, but we did stay long enough to find Noah some cute croc boots. We had the best evening together enjoying beautiful San Antonio.

It was a wild, fun weekend; hopefully it won't be too long before we can go back again!

Currently

2012-01-26T22:50:00.000-08:00

current ~~book~~ blog(s):

(i'm not currently reading anything, so i'm gonna steal

annie's idea and share my favorite current blogs)

confetti sunshine

pink pistachio

from the natos

current playlist:

teitur-- poetry & aeroplanes

current fav

One And Only by Teitur on Grooveshark

current color:

yeah... that pedicure i was planning on

getting this week didn't happen. you better

believe next week i'll be pampering myself.
thinking GOLD

current food:
popcorn

current favorite ~~show~~ movie:
water for elephants
loved it! now i really want to read the book

current need:
to quit procrastinating and
clean up our messy house

current outfit:
work out clothes

current triumph
it's been 26 days since i've had a dr pepper
(for those of you know me well, you know this is HUGE)
i've also started up weight watchers and c25k this week
feels so good to be back on track

current bane of my existence:
laundry!
clothes are all over the place

current favorite quote:
"don't cry because it's over. smile because it happened." --dr.suess
via

current indulgence:

i'm indulging tomorrow and making these

current #1 blessing:

these two little stinkers who keep me on my toes!

current excitement:
family day on saturday :)

current mood:
thankful

current favorite product:
haven't ordered it yet, but i'm pretty sure this
curling iron is going to make me a happy girl
the look i'm going for

happy friday!

Brown Bear, Brown Bear

2012-01-24T22:38:00.000-08:00

Tear. He really is growing up way too fast! SO proud of you Noah!

Six Things

2012-01-21T21:20:00.000-08:00

1. Noah has been into monsters lately. It's really quite cute. Last night, right before bed, Noah told his daddy "The monster is sleeping in my bed." Then Josh said, "Well, you can snuggle up with the monster then." Meanie! Thankfully, Noah isn't scared of the monster in his room. Perhaps it's a nice monster like Sulley from the movie Monsters, Inc. Have you seen the monster vanishing spray? I think it might be fun to make some to have around just in case his monster turns scary. :) Another great Pinterest find!

2. Remember the Valentine printable I made for you all last year? Well, I thought about making another one this year, but apparently there's no need. The printable is all over Pinterest. My mouth dropped to the floor when I saw it had been reblogged 1,392 from just one person. ONE person. Nuts! And not only that, the printable was published in the most recent issue of the the craft magazine Mollie Makes. I'm not sure i'll ever be able to top that one!

3. I gotta say, I never thought I could do it. Today marks twenty one days since my last Dr Pepper. Crazy, ya'll. But it was definitely time to make the cut. Some days have been a struggle, but overall, it really hasn't been too bad. And now I drink more water than ever. I crave it. Yes, crave water. And oh how thankful I am for crystal light when I need a little taste of sugar in my life. It's been a good thing.

4. Last night we went as a family to see Beauty and the Beast in 3d. I forgot how much I loved that movie growing up. There were several times I caught myself singing along with the songs. Out of the corner of my eye I could see Josh giving me the "will you shut up" look. Ha! I love that Noah's now at the age where we can go to the theater as a family and "watch a big movie." So fun!

5. I hit the jack pot at Bath and Body Works last week. I got four of the 14.5 oz three wick candles {that are normally $19.50 each} for a little over $30. I can't remember the exact price, but I think they were maybe $8 each. SO cheap! I love when I find good deals. Go get yourself some smelly good candles!

6. I'm about to celebrate three years of blogging! Yay! I think we should celebrate with a couple giveaways. It's been like forever since the last one. Don't miss out--I have some really great shops lined up!

Have a lovely Sunday!

Silly Little Monkey

2012-01-20T23:00:00.000-08:00

InstaFriday

2012-01-19T20:52:00.000-08:00

Hello! Happy Friday.
My iPhone pictures are growing by the day, so I thought
I'd better get some up on the blog before I get too behind.

Noah playing with all the merchandise in build-a-bear. He loves that store!
I'm sure the workers love when we go in there just to play around. :)

Little monkey hanging on his daddy.

Love my sister. We always have so much fun together! :)

Lunch date with mommy at Freebirds! Yum!

It has been super chilly around here, so we've
been playing at Pump It Up a lot lately. Noah
loves it-- he gets so excited every time I ask him
if he wants to go and play. I'm thinking we
might need to check into season passes.

Uh oh! Looks like we're in trouble.
Already checking out the sports cars!

The other day I caught Noah sticking his little booty
up in the air while he was napping. It was too cute.

Noah playing with the whole Toy Story crew.
He used Christmas money from his great grandmother, Gigi,
to finish off his collection with Bullseye and Slinky dog.

Noah could not get enough of this train. He loved it!

This picture cracks me up every time I look at it.
So cute! Using chopsticks for the first time. Yay Noah!

I almost talked Josh {and myself} into letting me buy
Noah a pair of lovebirds. They are the cutest little birds ever.
But then someone told me they are loud and messy.
No.thank.you. I have a pug that is loud enough.
{He's snoring at my feet as I sit here and blog}.

Fun at the mall!

Sleeping in his Toy Story bed at Grammy and Papa's
house. He always sleeps so well in that little bed.

Train ride around the mall one afternoon.

Quentin- this one is for you! :)
Took this video while we were in Amarillo
celebrating Christmas with Papa and Grammy.

Hello!

2012-01-15T22:24:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to share with you a couple posts

that have really been an encouragement to me lately:

dear tired mom and how to find joy in motherhood

It's good to be reminded of these things...

Currently

2012-01-13T21:26:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year... um, 13 days later! It's a good thing I didn't make a resolution to blog more this year because I'm starting off the year in a funk. Really, the truth is, I've been super lazy lately and just not in the mood to sit down and blog. Anyway, I'm here {yay!}, and it feels good to be back. To ease back into blogging, I thought it would be fun to link up again to the "currently" series at Perfectly Imperfect. Let me know if you link up too! I'd love to stop by and read what you've been up to.

current book(s)

canon 7d for dummies

current playlist(s)

current color

nothing.
and only because i'm in a desperate need of a pedicure!

thinking of going gold...

what do you think?

or i might just stick with one of

my favorites: it's bouquet with me

current food

just ate a handful of honey

roasted peanuts... yum!

current favorite show(s)

so... i'm gonna have to go with my

current favorite movie for this question.

the new sherlock holmes movie

is so good. go watch it!

current needs

to start working out again

*sigh*

current triumphs

day 13 of no dr pepper!

current bane of my existence

my mouse-- it's all over the place!

perhaps it needs some new batteries??

current #1 blessing

current indulgence

orange flavored milk chocolate candy slices

current outfit

pajammmas!

current excitement
my mom finally got an iPhone!!
now i can send her pics of noah without
having to email them to her. so nice. ;)

current mood
tired

current favorite quote or verse
"find something you are passionate about and
keep tremendously interested in it." -- julia childs

"above all else, guard your heart, for everything
you do flows from it." -- proverbs 4:23

current favorite app
cut the rope

super fun game
warning: very addicting!!

current favorite product

if you like a tingly, refreshing, open-up-your-senses
type body wash, you'll love this stuff. trust me, it's
totally worth the twelve bucks. find it at your
local bath and body works.

Interview with Noah - Age 3

2011-12-30T21:59:00.000-08:00

I came across the cutest birthday tradition on this blog recently, and I just had to steal the idea! Starting at age three, you ask your child the same twenty questions each year around his birthday. I interviewed Noah in the car last week on our way to the lake house. Josh and I really enjoyed hearing his responses to the questions asked. Such a little cutie! So, here they are exactly as he answered them...

1. what is your favorite color? blue

2. what is your favorite toy? woody and buzz coloring book

3. what is your favorite fruit? bananas

4. what is your favorite t.v. show? toy story

5. what is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? chips

6. what is your favorite outfit? red

7. what is your favorite game? baseball

8. what is your favorite snack? buzz and woody snack

9. what is your favorite animal? elephant

10. what is your favorite song? joy to the world

11. what is your favorite book? toy story book

12. who is your best friend? sebastian

13. what is your favorite cereal? apple jacks

14. what is your favorite thing to do outside? eins and noah

15. what is your favorite drink? orange juice... yum yum

16. what is your favorite holiday? birthday cake

17. what do you like to take to bed with you at night? mommy and daddy and noah sleep

18. what is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? piece of candy

19. what do you want for dinner on your birthday? blow candles out and eat birthday cake

20. what do you want to be when you grow up? just noah

Five Years

2011-12-30T08:50:00.000-08:00

"I have found the one whom my soul loves." -- Song of Solomon 3:4

Can't believe it's already been five years since we said "I do."
Time flies when you're having fun! Happy Anniversary, love.

Wordful Wednesday

2011-12-27T22:14:00.000-08:00

In the words of my little guy, "Oh ma goodness!" I about wiped our computer's hard drive space with the amount of pictures I just uploaded from our Christmas with my family in Oklahoma. Ha! Looking back through all the pics really makes me miss family and all the fun we had. Lots of sweet memories were made; I look forward to sharing many of the pictures I took of our time at the lake house. But for now, I have laundry to sort through and clean and lots of wonderful goodies to put away. We are so very blessed. Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas!

linking up here

A Little Random Post

2011-12-22T00:45:00.000-08:00

I love this idea. And really love this one too!

I'm pretty obsessed with chevron patterns right now. I mean lately I've been extra crazy about the design. But really, who isn't? Last night, I came across some super cute {and free!} chevron wallpapers for your iPhone! All you have to do is download them and then save them to your camera roll! Check them out.

I can hardly believe Christmas is in just a few short days. How is it possible thirty days can come and go so quickly? *Blink* Bye bye December! It's been a great month and we did a lot of fun things, but goodness it went too fast!

I got some leopard TOMS from my hubs this week. I went back and forth on whether or not I should wait for Christmas morning to open up the package. Noah talked me into opening it; I'm glad I did. Oooo I love them. Most.comfortable.shoes.ever.

Angry Birds = addicting! I'm a little late to the Angry Bird craze, but once I decided to give it a try, it only took one game to get me hooked. Actually, our whole family loves it. Noah is quite a shot with those birds...watch out pigs! :) Such a FUN game.

Funny Noah story this week--Noah walked into the living room Monday morning to find a bunch of newly-wrapped presents under the tree, and then he had following conversation with Josh:
Noah: "Oh my GOSH!"
Josh: "What Noah?"
Noah: "I got a BOX in here!!"
Hehe. I just love the excitement and wonder. So cute!

We are headed to the lake house tomorrow for Christmas! Yay! So excited! Lots of laundry and packing to be done, so I better get to it.

Have a very Merry Christmas!

Social Network Christmas. Love this.

2011-12-19T22:23:00.000-08:00

"But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you GOOD NEWS that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord."-- Luke 2:10-11

Currently

2011-12-15T22:15:00.000-08:00

current book(s)

well... i started wild at heart not long ago, but i
haven't been good about reading lately, so it is
sitting on my bedside table collecting dust.

current playlist

a very she & him christmas album

her voice. love.

current color
nicole by opi nail polish: silver sparkles
seven bucks at target

current food

just stole a few spoonfuls of
chicken fried rice from my hubby. :)

current favorite show
grey's anatomy.

current #1 blessing

current needs
for the sick bug to leave our house.

current outfit
nothing exciting...
so let's pretend i'm wearing
something cute & comfy like this:

current excitement
going to the lake house for christmas this year!

current mood
tired.

current indulgence

current triumph(s)
i really don't know.

current bane of my existence
laundry
ack!

current favorite holiday decoration
our christmas tree.
it's so pretty!

current #1 item on your wishlist
i think i'm gonna have to go with the silver glitter toms

current new years resolution
to simplify.
get rid of junk!

linking up with Jennifer at:

Joy to the World, Round Two

2011-12-14T21:46:00.000-08:00

Today was Noah's last day of school before Christmas break, so Mrs. Misti and Mrs. Ashley had quite a fun day planned for Noah and his little friends. They all wore their pj's to school, watched The Grinch and Mickey Mouse, decorated ornaments, and had a pizza party. And of course, Noah left with lots and lots of yummy treats given to him by his friends and teachers. He brought candy cane cake pops to give to everyone.

Noah also got to sing Joy to the World again. And this time around, he actually sang! Ha! If you missed Noah's first performance, and I do mean it was a performance, click here to watch it. One of Noah's friends went home sick right before the Christmas program the other evening, so the whole class gave an encore performance today in the classroom so that everyone had a chance to sing. Sorry the video quality is so poor. Wish I would have brought our video camera instead of using my lousy cell phone. Oh well! The important thing is we have it on video!

SO cute! Yay Noah!

Holiday Photo Challenge

2011-12-13T18:22:00.000-08:00

Linking up to:

The Paper Mama's Holiday Photo Challenge

Come join the fun!

There are lots of great prizes!

Christmas Wish List

2011-12-13T06:00:00.000-08:00

I always love seeing what others are wishing for, don't you?
Today I thought it would be fun to share my wish list with you.

Silver Glitter Toms | $54

Gussy Sews Polka dot Headband | $16.50

Chevron Camera Bag | $195

Dream Angels Heavenly Perfume | $42-$62

Starbucks Falala Ceramic Coffee Mug | $10.95

Toddy Gear Lovebeat | $9.99

White iPhone 4S | $199 with plan

7d & Canon Zoom Lens 24-70 mm f/2.8 | $$$ + some! ha
{not really on my Christmas wish list, but two camera items I would love to have!}

What's on your wish list this year?
I'd love to know!

Celebratin'

2011-12-11T21:02:00.000-08:00

Today is my hubby's birthday! And you know where he's celebratin' tonight? At the Cowboys Stadium! Darrell and Joseph {his dad and brother} came down to go with him, so it's been a great weekend spending some time with Papa and Uncle Jofus a.k.a Uncle Joseph. :) One of these days Mr. Noah, you will get to go with them to cheer on the boys!

Happy Birthday babes! Hope you had the best time ever tonight! Better get off before you get home so I can finish up your mayonnaise cake. Surprise!

Christmas Tree Pickin'

2011-12-09T21:02:00.000-08:00

Last Saturday we went to Lowe's to pick out our Christmas tree. Every December we always say "Next year we'll go to a tree farm to get our Christmas tree," yet every year we end up at Lowe's. It's safe to say going to Lowe's to buy our Christmas tree is now a Bonjour family tradition. :) But it's not a bad thing; they really do have a great selection of really beautiful trees. The tree we found this year was just perfect! In fact, it is definitely the prettiest one we've ever had. It just makes me smile every time I look at it. And the smell of fresh pine throughout the house... ahhh it is the best!

The day we went looking for our tree was rainy and cold, so we weren't there for too long. Once we got to Lowe's, we actually found our tree pretty quickly-- like within the first five minutes! So, we put our tree on a cart {to make sure nobody took it} and looked around a little bit to make sure there was nothing better.

And Noah played a little bit while we held up a few trees to compare. He loves climbing the cinder blocks that are stacked at the end of each row of Christmas trees.

I thought it would be fun to post a couple pics of Noah from last year to see how much he's grown. He really does look more like a little boy now.

Noah even helped out and pulled the tree for a bit. :) He actually surprised us and did a good job pulling it all by himself. Mr. Muscles!

But then he discovered standing on the bar and letting Daddy push him around was way better!

So, after we played and looked around some more, we decided the tree we were lugging around with us was definitely the one. We took it home and got it all set up and then decided to go eat some Mexican food before we decorated it with lights and ornaments.

This picture was my favorite of Noah decorating our tree. He did such a good job! I love how our tree has clusters of ornaments together and how so many of the ornaments are on the bottom half of our tree.

Sweet ol' Einstein loves to lay by the tree...

I ♥ our Christmas tree! Now I need to get busy and start wrapping gifts so it doesn't look so bare underneath it. :) This year, I've decided to be more creative with gift wrapping {thanks to Pinterest}, so I'm excited to get started!

Insta-Friday

2011-12-08T23:17:00.000-08:00

Last Friday evening Josh and I went to a Shane and Shane/
Phil Wickham Christmas-Worship-Concert, and it was awesome! I
haven't been to a concert since, well, I can't even remember.

It was such an enjoyable, relaxing evening for the both of us.
Definitely a great start to the Christmas season.
And they even had free child care! Can't get better than that!

Josh took this picture one evening while I was at work,
and I'm so glad he did because Noah does this quite a bit around
our house. He loves building "cities." And he is really quite creative
with it and will use just about anything he can find to build the city.

Only my parents would send Noah a mini
Christmas tree in the mail. Hehe. LOVE it!

Today we got a knock at the door and we ran to see who
it was. Lying outside our door was a box from a flower company.
For a second I thought, "Did Josh order me flowers?!" Then I
looked at the name on the box. "What? Flowers for Noah?"

Of course, Noah was thrilled the box was for him! He opened it up
and found a mini Christmas tree with lights and a box of ornaments!

The letter said, "Hi Noah, here is a fun little tree for you to decorate!
When you come to the lake on Christmas, you can plant the tree by
our house, and each year watch it grow! Have fun!
-Love, Mimi and Grandad

Isn't that just the cutest thing ever!? I think I'm
more excited about this little tree than Noah. Haha.
Noah really enjoyed decorating his little Christmas tree
this afternoon. Thanks Mom and Dad!

Noah found my eye pencil one morning and drew
phimself a pretty picture on my bathroom cabinets.
Thank goodness for Mr. Clean's magic eraser!
It all came off! Whew!

Noah loooooves playing with the little toy
animals whenever we go to Michaels or Target.
I think he might just be getting some for Christmas!
:)

Mmmm homemade hot chocolate!
We've been making a lot around here lately.

Today while we were shopping at Hobby Lobby,
aka "Hobby Hobby" :), I bought some craft ornaments
for Noah to paint. He picked out a snowflake and a
candy cane and couldn't wait to get home to paint them.
He did such a great job! Now we have some bright,
happy little ornaments to hang on our tree.

One night, when Noah was supposed to be in bed,

he got up, found a piece of paper, and started tearing

off strips to create the letters: H, T, and L.

Little smarty! :) We were totally impressed!

Joy to the World -- Noah Style

2011-12-06T23:15:00.000-08:00

Remember our sweet little statue at last years Christmas program?

Well, wait until you see Noah this year!
I'm still laughing...

Leave it to our son to grab his
crotch during Joy to the World. Haha!

And I just love the "Noah!" "Noah!" in
the background trying to keep him focused.

So funny!

My precious boy all dressed up and
ready to head to the Christmas program!

We loved every minute of it!

Outtakes

2011-12-03T22:30:00.000-08:00

Today we took our family Christmas pictures. We originally planned to hire someone to take them for us, but then Josh came up with this crazy idea that I take them instead. Of course, today of all days it had to be super humid outside. And getting Einstein and Noah to cooperate proved to be quite the challenge. I think between the two of them I took over a hundred pictures. But, I gotta say, I'm pretty happy with the way they turned out. Here are some of my favorite outtakes of Noah from today's photoshoot. He was full of all kinds of fun expressions!

Linking up with The Simple Things.

Fun in Oklahoma!

2011-12-02T00:00:00.000-08:00

September {yep, still playing catch up!} was a hard but fun month for us. It was hard because Josh was out of the country on a mission trip for two weeks. Yep, two loooong weeks. It is tough on me when my man is gone. I'm pretty sure I'm never letting him leave me for that long again! Ha. But as hard as it was, it was also good because Noah and I got to spend some time with Mimi and Granddad while he was away. So, so thankful for my parents help! I couldn't have done it without them.

While we were in Oklahoma, my Mom and I decided to take Noah to the Zoo for the afternoon. I was hoping we would be able to see my Nana while we were visiting, so we asked her to come along with us. So glad she was able to join us. We had lots of fun!

We got to ride a train to tour the Zoo!
Noah loved it! Really, we all did.
It was nice to get off our feet for a bit.

There was even a petting zoo!
As you can see from Noah's expression,
he wasn't too sure about the goats
eating from his hand.

And you all know I go crazy over baby monkeeeeeys!
So, so cute!

Noah loved climbing all the different
statues around the Zoo.

And he loooved the big slide! I think he would
have slid all day long if we would have let him.

My parents recently bought a lake house near Tulsa, so we thought it would be fun to go see it and spend a couple days out there. We had the best time! We took the dogs on walks around the beautiful neighborhood, ate yummy food, watched college football and the movie Despicable Me, laid out on the hammock, and even got to go out on the lake for a bit. It was just wonderful being with my parents and spending time together. Glad Uncle Matt was able to come too!

On our way!

♥ the lake house! Can't wait to go back!

Lila getting her ears cleaned. :)

Lila is quite the little princess in my parents' house.
She has my Dad wrapped around her little paw.

Samson giving Noah kisses.

We had a great week with family! Thanks Mom and Dad for letting us stay with you. We loved every minute of it!

The Pumpkin Patch

2011-11-30T21:22:00.000-08:00

Catch up time again! Just wanted to share a few of my favorite Pumpkin Patch pictures before we get too far into the Christmas season. November just flew by way too fast, didn't it? This year we went to the Pumpkin Patch in Flower Mound. It's a little bit of a drive for us, but we don't mind. It's the best Pumpkin Patch around-- we love it. We weren't able to make it out there last year, so I'm so glad it worked out were we could go this year. I had hopes of getting a bunch of fun pictures, but Noah kind of had a little 'tude that afternoon, so it didn't go as planned. But that's okay, we still had fun and managed to get a few smiles out of him. :)

iPhone Photo Dump

2011-11-29T00:00:00.000-08:00

Three words: white chocolate mocha!
Yummy! The first of many this season I'm sure.

Noah and I caught Einstein snoozing on
one of Noah's boots the other afternoon.
Funny pug.

Noah's cute thanksgiving place mat he made at
MDO. I love the things he said he was thankful for. :)

Hehe. I just love this video.
Such a little cutie!

Rented out this beauty for the weekend. Enjoyed using
it, but was disappointed in its ability to take pictures in low
light. It does take some pretty pictures outside though.

Playing Angry Birds on Daddy's iPad.
Our family's newest game addiction.

Ever since Noah baked cookies with Josh one
evening, he has become obsessed with eggs. I've
caught him several times helping himself to an egg
while I'm not looking. I'm thinking those eggs are
gonna need to find a different spot in the fridge. :)

Tired mommy.

Our fifth task for the Happy Day Project was

to "refresh someone." So we took a package
of bottled water to our local fire fighters.
One of the nice firemen let Noah get on the
"big ol' firetruck" and boy did he love it.

Noah got a new haircut! And guess what?!

He didn't cry the entire time. Yayyyyy!

So proud of him!

Looking so grown up!

A Very Merry Christmas Q&A

2011-11-27T19:00:00.000-08:00

1. egg nog or hot chocolate? hot chocolate

2. does santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? wrapped

3. colored lights on tree/house or white? love the simplicity of white

4. do you hang mistletoe? nope

5. when do you put your decorations up? the itch started mid-november. josh always makes me wait until after thanksgiving though.

6. what is your favorite holiday dish? stuffing, mashed potatoes, and gravy all mixed together

7. favorite holiday memory as a child? going with my family to look at christmas lights

8. when and how did you learn the truth about santa? what do you mean?!?

9. do you open a gift on christmas eve? yep!

10. how do you decorate your christmas tree? we cover it in white lights and then decorate with all our ornaments we've collected over the years

11. snow! love it or dread it? looove it

12. can you ice skate? haven't ever tried it

13. do you remember your favorite gift? probably when i got my rebel xsi

14. what's the most important thing about the holidays for you? being with my family

15. what is your favorite holiday dessert? i'm not picky :)

16. what is your favorite holiday tradition? the grab box my nana always puts together

17. what tops your tree? a star

18. which do you prefer: giving or receiving? of course it is always fun to receive, but my favorite is giving

19. candy canes: yuck or yum? yummm

20. favorite christmas show? elf! did you see the printable i made?

21. saddest christmas song?

I'm Gettin Nuttin For Christmas by Shirley Temple on Grooveshark

22. what is your favorite christmas song? oh holy night

Join the fun over at irocksowhat.

Love, Noah & Einstein

2011-11-22T21:25:00.000-08:00

Christmas Freebie

2011-11-20T16:12:00.000-08:00

Okay, I'm cheating. I know it's

not Christmas yet, but I just couldn't wait

to share my latest printable with you!

Click to download printables.

Enjoyyy!

Linking up:
here, here, here, here,

here, here, & here

The Happy Day Project: Day Four

2011-11-18T19:27:00.000-08:00

Day #4: book for a friend

We are more than halfway through the Happy Day Project!

What a crazy, fast week it's been, but every day has been great.

Day four of the Happy Day Project was to

bless a friend by giving them a book.

I gave the book You Changed My Life by Max Lucado

to my friend Laura. She and I met two years ago when we
moved to Fort Worth, and we instantly became friends.
She is a person I just click with,
someone I feel safe sharing my heart with.

I'm so thankful God placed her in my life and

brought me such a sweet, loyal friend.

Last night we {finally!} got together and took the

boys to play at Pump It Up. It was the perfect opportunity

to catch up {well, kinda... ha} and for me to give her the book.

I pray each page blesses, uplifts, and encourages her.

I wasn't very good about taking pictures last night
because we were chasing Noah & Ian all over the place,
but I did manage to get one cute one of our busy little boys!

See you tomorrow with day five.
Happy Friday!

*dotted line around my photo borrowed from here.

The Happy Day Project: Day Three

2011-11-17T23:30:00.000-08:00

Day #3: appreciate someone who serves

Day three of the Happy Day Project
{really supposed to be day six-- had to switch a few days}
was to take some time to show a little sunshine
to a person who serves others.

For this challenge, we wanted to show our
pastor, Aric, how much we appreciate him for
all he does for our family and for the church.

We bought him some of his favorite candy
as well as a can of his "morning coffee." :)

I had to work a night shift yesterday {boo!},

so I recruited the hubby to take Mr. Noah to

the church to deliver the bag of goodies to Aric.

Noah was excited to tell me all about
how he and Daddy went to the church to
see Pastor Aric and give him the bag.

What a great week it has been so far.
My heart is so full & happy!

The Happy Day Project: Day Two

2011-11-16T10:34:00.000-08:00

Day #2: write a note

Our second challenge for the Happy Day Project

was to write a note. A handwritten note.

As much as I ♥ technology and all of its

convenience, there is just something special

about receiving a handwritten letter from

someone when you open up your mailbox.

Yesterday, Noah and I sat down together at our kitchen

table and wrote out letters to my grandmother, Gigi.

In a week or two, she is going to have

back surgery, so I thought this would be the

perfect way to encourage her and bring

some sunshine to her day.

We used these adorable printable note cards

created by HopeInk+ for the Happy Day Project.

She even made a black and white version

for kids to be able to color themselves.

Noah loves to color, so of course, he

was more than happy to color a note for Gigi.

It was funny because out of all the bright

colors Noah could have chosen, he picked the

black crayon to color the front of the card.

But after he was done coloring, the note was

full of bright, happy colors, which I'm pretty
sure will bring a smile to her face.

It did mine!

I'll be back with Day 3 tomorrow!

*dotted line around my photos borrowed from here.

The Happy Day Project: Day One

2011-11-14T23:59:00.000-08:00

Day #1: bring a treat to a neighbor

Our little treat for our neighbor included:

Jolly Rancher Lollipops

{yummmy and so easy to make!}

sparkly purple nailpolish

in a miniature purple tin can

I made the first batch of lollipops and Noah

tasted them to make sure they were satisfactory. :)

Then he decided he'd give it a try

and make a couple. He did so good lining

the Jolly Ranchers up on the baking tray.

{Those chubby little hands are almost

too much for me to handle... so cute!}

We gave the treat to our downstairs neighbor.

Living below us is not always easy, I'm sure.

A toddler + paper thin walls = lots of noise!

And she has been nothing but sweet & patient

enduring all the loud bumps and thumps.

Noah and I had lots of fun this afternoon

spending time together making lollipops and putting

together the treat bucket to give to our neighbor.

She loved it and told us purple was one of her favorite colors.

I thank God for opportunities like these where

Noah can experience the joy of giving to others.

Day Two tomorrow! I'm excited!

*dotted line around my photos borrowed from here.

Happy Day Project

2011-11-12T11:59:00.000-08:00

Oh, Happiness (Acoustic) by David Crowder Band on Grooveshark

I am so excited to take part in the Happy Day Project!

It has been on my mind 24/7 since I read about it.

Curious what this project is all about? Click here to read.

{We're a week late in doing this, but that's okay!}

I'm filled with JOY just thinking about all the different ways

Noah and I can bring a little sunshine to someones day.

Hope you'll join us this week!

Motherhood is a Calling

2011-11-10T20:00:00.000-08:00

I pray you find {as I have} encouragement

and as Jami puts it "a kick in the booty" as

you spend some time reading a few of my

favorite posts on Motherhood.

Motherhood Is a Calling

Why is Rest such Hard Work?

14 Ways to Mentor Your Child

50 Ways to Encourage your Babies

iPhone Photo Dump

2011-11-08T21:42:00.000-08:00

So the last week or two I haven't

been great about posting iPhone pics.

It's time to play a little catch up

because it's real easy to get behind!

Our perfect little pumpkin!

Kisses from Mommy while waiting

for our lunch at Panera Bread!

About a week before Halloween, Noah got in the

mail the cutest trick-or-treat bag from his Mimi.

Ya'll, my mother is amazingly talented.

She sewed the bag using burlap and then used

stencils and black paint to make a pumpkin

face on one side of the bag and the words

trick-or-treat on the other side.

And she filled it with a bunch of yummy goodies!

Noah loved digging through the bag pulling out

all the fun things Mimi had sent him.

Noah all bundled up and ready to take his

first ride in our new jogging stroller

{which I totaaaally love}.

Noah's first time to clean out a pumpkin!

Helping Daddy carve the pumpkin.

Such a fun night!

A cute little pumpkin Noah painted

at Mother's Day Out.

Sunday naps are the best!

My iPhone was looking pretty pitiful

after I'd accidently dropped it on the

ground and shattered the glass.

Oops!

Turns out to be the best thing I could have

done because Josh ordered me a white iPhone

replacement cover and put it on all by himself.

{It's a crazy complicated process replacing the screen and

back cover of the iPhone... I don't know how he does it!}

Yay for my smart techy hubs!

Messy little chocolate face!

So the other day at Target Noah and I

somehow ended up in the bra section.

And while we were walking through the aisles,
Noah did something that surprised me, but

I thought it was totally adorable and it brought

a smile to my face each time he did it.

He would pick out a bra and then
he'd walk up to me and say,

"Try the red one Mommy."

"Try the purple one."
He came up to me several times
asking me to try on a specific color.

It was too cute!

Diggin' the checkered shades Noah. :)

Noah in a hat? What a surprise. :)

We got to spend some time with Noah's great

grandmother, Nanny, while she was in town

to watch the Rangers play in the World Series.

We ate some yummy Mexican food and ran a couple

errands with her. We all had a great afternoon together

and we were so happy to have the chance to see her!

Noah giving one of his Veggie Tale customers a trim.

He got the cutest Veggie Tales play dough set

from his great Uncle Rich and Aunt Sherri

{and Madison and Taylor too!} while they

were in town visiting this past weekend.

Thanks ya'll! He totally loves it!

Last weekend Noah and I got spend Saturday with some

of our family from Oklahoma, including my cousin, Brandon,
whom we haven't seen in a very long time. He will be going
to Korea this December, so my Nana planned a little
get together in Fort Worth to surprise him
and spend some time with him before he leaves.

We loved our time with everyone

and had a blast at the Stockyards.

Thank you Nana, Roger, Rich, Sherri, Taylor,

Madison, and Brandon for the fun times!

Uh oh! Somebody got in trouble!

Noah was begging to ride the mechanical bull at

the Stockyards, and the nice guy running the ride

let Mr. Noah sit on it for a couple minutes.

He loved it, and was not a happy

camper when he had to get off.

I could have watched

Nana & Roger

dance all night long.

They're so cute together!

Black

2011-11-07T07:53:00.000-08:00

linking up with iheartfaces

photo challenge: black

YOU Sneaky Mom!

2011-11-04T22:11:00.001-07:00

Oh my gosh this video is so funny.

{watch all the way to the end... it's the best!}

Happy weekend!

Seeing Yellow

2011-11-03T00:00:00.000-07:00

I don't think I could ever get tired of seeing Noah dress up as the Man in the Yellow Hat. If he wanted to clothe himself in his bright yellow costume every day until he couldn't fit into it anymore, I would totally be okay with it. He is such a little cutie. And I worked hard on his costume. So yeah.

Yesterday evening was absolutely beautiful. Perfect weather for a photo session with a certain little boy who was too busy to smile for his mommy on Halloween night. :) Noah was in the sweetest and happiest mood, so it was pretty easy to talk him into going to the park for a few pictures. We had a fun time taking pictures, relaxing, laughing, and just being together. Here are my favorites of The Man in the Yellow Hat.

After we took some pictures, Noah got a bag of treats as a reward for being so patient and cooperative. The stickers were his favorite.

The end! :)

Halloween Day

2011-11-02T00:00:00.000-07:00

Noah had quite the busy day on Monday! Poor little guy was totally wiped out after we went trick-or-treating that evening! But it was a day full of fun and candy! His morning started off with a parade at his Mother's Day Out where he got to get all dressed up in his Halloween costume. And he did so great! I was so proud of him. He was too cute holding his hat in place and swinging Curious George by the arm as he walked in the parade with his school friends.

A few hours after he got home from a full day at MDO, it was time to get dressed up again and go trick or treating! Of course, Noah was happy to put his costume back on, and this time he knew he was dressing up to go get candy! We went to the same neighborhood as last year and enjoyed our time together as a family going door to door. The Man in the Yellow Hat made quite the impression this year and his candy bag proves it. :)

And you know what Noah loved this year? The scary houses! I don't remember there being so many last year {probably because we weren't out very late}, but we came across quite a few this year. I'm not a fan of all the evil/scary/gory stuff, so I keep my distance. But Noah was adamant that we, "go to more scary ones!" Funny little guy! I think he liked the lights and sounds.

I wish I had been able to get more pictures, but Noah was not in the mood to smile for the camera. The smell of candy was in the air, and he was not going to waste time posing. After a few hopeful attempts, I realized there was no point trying to push the pictures because it just wasn't going to happen. Sometimes I get so caught up in capturing the moment that I forget to just enjoy it. So, I'm glad it worked out the way it did.

After we got home, Noah poured all of his candy out on the ground to see what all he got. Oh the temptation! He got some GOOD stuff. Yikes! And this morning, Noah had remembered all about his candy. One of the first things he asked me was if he could have "more candy!". Oh boy!

If you would like to know where I found everything for his costume, click here.

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T22:07:00.000-07:00

Did you all have a good Halloween?

We did! Noah got lots and LOTS of candy.

And I'm about 99% sure I will wake up tomorrow

morning to a little voice asking for "more candy."

Noah dressed up as the Man in the Yellow Hat

{you know, from the Curious George books}

and ya'll, he looked absolutely a-dor-able.

This year I decided to attempt a home made costume for Noah.

It was not as easy as I thought it would be gathering all of

the things I needed, but it was totally worth it all in the end!

Noah loves wearing hats and boots, so this was

the perfect costume for him. He loved it!

hat-- dollar store spray painted yellow

shirt-- white shirt from crazy 8 dyed yellow

tie-- felt and elastic from hobby lobby

pants-- old pair of khakis from noah's closet dyed yellow

belt-- camo belt from walmart spray painted black

boots-- consignment store

curious george-- birthday gift from mimi

{can find at Target or Pottery Barn}

Hope you all had a safe & fun-filled Halloween!

linking up here & here.

Free Thanksgiving Printable

2011-10-28T22:08:00.000-07:00

Click here for an 8x10
and/or here for a 5x7

Enjoy!

Linking up here, here,

here, here, here, and here.

Amarillo Vacay

2011-10-25T20:58:00.000-07:00

I've finally come to the realization that getting caught up on the blog may be impossible. Ha! I'm still playing catch up from August! But that's okay. I try my best to blog what I can and try not to stress too much about what I don't.

So anyway, a couple months ago our family took a mini vacation to good ol' Amarillo, Texas so we could visit our family and friends. What a great time we had! It's always hard to say goodbye because that place holds so many wonderful memories for us. We are headed back that way for Thanksgiving, and we are looking forward to seeing everyone {and Taco Villa} again. Here are a few of my favorite pictures from when we were in Amarillo.

Noah loves helping Papa water his flowers. He looks forward to it every time we go visit Grammy and Papa.

Noah soaked himself head to toe one evening after he helped Papa water the flowers. It was so much fun watching him play with the water hose. He was the cutest thing.

Sweet pics of Noah and his Grammy on the swing in their back yard.

Noah got to visit the discovery center while we were in town. His great grandmother, Gigi, went with us, and we all had tons of fun. What a great place for kids; I was totally impressed! Noah absolutely loved playing in the bubbles. Surprise, surprise! :)

Noah checking out some x-rays. That's my boy!

This picture of Noah and Gigi makes my heart happy. Was so glad she was able to come with us.

Papa and Grammy had a little get together in their back yard one evening and we got to spend some time with a few of our close friends. We ate yummy food, played with water balloons, swam and just enjoyed each others company. The water balloons were of course the hit of the party.

The kids kept Papa pretty busy blowing up balloons. Glad he didn't pass out! :)

Yep, that is my crazy husband on top of the house with the water hose squirting everybody.

Attackkkk Uncle Quentin!

Fun times!

Let Them Be Little

2011-10-24T00:10:00.000-07:00

Noah fixing the pumpkin with a broken stem.

There is just nothing cuter than that.

linking up with iheartfaces

photo challenge: let them be little

Happy Weekend!

2011-10-20T23:11:00.000-07:00

Have any fun plans this weekend?

We do!

We're going to the Pumpkin Patch!

Yay! I look forward to going every year.

And speaking of pumpkins...

How great is the idea of embroidering
a pumpkin instead of carving it?

I saw the idea on Pinterest today

{of course!} and I just love it!

Might have to give it a try.

Have a great weekend!!

iPhone Pics

2011-10-19T09:58:00.000-07:00

I so need to be better about posting iPhone pics.

As much as I love my dslr, it's not always practical

lugging it around with me everywhere I go.

Thank goodness for my iPhone camera!

I use it all the time.

I mean, really, what would I ever do without it?

It captures so many sweet day to day moments.

I am going to try my hardest to post some

iPhone pics every week...even if it is just a few.

Wish I would have started this a long time ago,

but better late than never, right?

The weather has been just perfect lately!

I never thought we'd see 60's and 70's.

Yay for Fall weather!!

Noah riding the Carousel at the mall.

Enjoying our beautiful weather at the park.

Noah loves the swings! And he is quite the

brave little guy always wanting to go "higher!"

Mommy and Noah snuggling to keep warm

on our train ride. It was a chilly afternoon!

At one of our nearby parks, there is a huge rock

Noah loves to climb. Yesterday he and a little girl made

their way to the top and sat there together.

And then Noah did the cutest thing...

He decided to show the little girl his new boots.

He's pretty proud of them because he got to personalize

them with Dora and Diego buttons. It made me smile seeing

him pull his pant leg up to show her the buttons. :)

Lookin' cute in Mommy's new glasses

on the way home from church.

Noah in the Dollar Store wearing the hat

we found for his Halloween costume. I can't tell

you how excited I was to find that hat! I had been looking

all over town that morning while Noah was at MDO.

He put it on, and it was exactly what I was looking for!

I excitedly said, "Yay!!! It's perfect!!!"

Now any time Noah puts it on,

he says, "It's perfect!" :)

Noah making water hand prints one

morning after a good rain.

I love how he just has one shoe on. Ha!

Taking a nap on the way to San Antonio

with his cute little dolphin that Mimi sent him.

Noah and Daddy in San Antonio.

Enjoying some breakfast before heading to the Zoo.

Noah learned a valuable lesson a few weeks ago:

We do not take things that are not ours.

We took Einstein outside one afternoon to use the

potty and before I knew it, Noah had a pretty

red Gerber daisy in his hand. Oops!

So we took a trip over to Lowe's to pick out some

replacement flowers for the lady who planted the original daisy.

When we went to deliver the flowers, the lady opened her

door and Noah quietly said, "Sorry for picking your flower."

Of course, she was very sweet and understanding and

accepted his apology. She even planted her new

flowers the same day we gave them to her.

We spent several of our Summer nights cheering

on the Rangers. Noah loves going to the ball park!

Noah's first close encounter with a pig.

It was really funny to watch!

A sweet friend of ours invited Noah to a

party where he got to ride on a hay ride,

pet animals, and even ride a horse!

While Josh was out of the country for two long weeks,

Noah and I went to Oklahoma to stay with my parents.

We loved being with them, and I was so thankful they let us

stay with them for almost a week. Helped me out a lot!!

My parents just got a new lake house, so we got to see the new
place and spend the weekend there with my parents.

It was beautiful!!

Yay!!! Daddy's home from Vietnam!

I love this picture. :)

Noah washing the animals at the Build-a-Bear place

in the mall. He loves to go in there and just play.

Taking a Jeep ride as a family one evening!

Noah loves riding in Daddy's Jeep.

Waiting to eat some yummy pizza at Mellow Mushroom!

Noah and Mommy at the new SEA LIFE Aquarium at

Grapevine Mills Mall. We really enjoyed it and learned a lot.

Daddy got to go with us too!

Decorating Mommy's arm. :)

Noah loves to wear boots!

He will wear them any chance he gets.

Such a little boy!

Just a Little Pinterest Rant

2011-10-17T20:45:00.000-07:00

Okay, it's about time to clear something up.

It is driving me bonkers!

My intention in writing this mini tutorial is

not to make anyone feel dumb, I just have to

write this, or I'm gonna pull all my hair out. :)

Pinterest is the best website ever. Agreed?

Seriously, props to whoever created it.

So anyway, what's the problem you ask?

Inaccurate linking

Let's go over it.

First, I want you to take a minute

and visit this lovely blog:

http://www.dandee-designs.com/

Okay, now I want you to visit this specific link:

http://www.dandee-designs.com/2009/10/rustic-ghost-suckers.html

I'm sure you see where I'm getting at.

One is the direct link to the main blog/website, and the other is

a direct link to a specific Halloween craft on that same blog.

The second type of link example {like the picture below} is

what needs to be added to the blank box when pinning a link.

So then when someone clicks the pinned link {image},

they are taken to the exact source.

Note: to get the direct link, just click on the

title of the blog post and then copy the URL.

I can't tell you the number of times I've clicked on a

pinned image to get details about a project or recipe, and

was directed to the main blog where I had to either:

a.) use the search engine

b.) scroll, scroll, scroll, next page, scroll, scroll, scroll, next page,

scroll, scroll, scroll, next page. Oh whatever! I give up!

Is this making any sense?

If you have any questions, please let me know.

Hope this helps and please, please pass it along! :)

Oh, and click here if you'd like to follow me.

Smooches from Samson

2011-10-13T07:00:00.000-07:00

My parents dog, Samson, is quite the lover.

Any chance he gets, he will steal a kiss from you.

Samson especially loves Noah's sweet, kissable cheeks.

I can't blame him... I do too!

It's Been a While

2011-10-11T21:45:00.000-07:00

Hey there!

Remember me, the girl that used to write in this little space?

I've been a super horrible blogger lately.

Life has just been busy! In a good way, of course.

But I do miss writing, and I miss sharing what's been

going on with us... especially about our little guy.

He's growing and changing and learning so much.

I hope to get back to blogging regularly very soon.

But for now, I'm busy with last minute laundry and packing.

Tomorrow we off to San Antonio to take Noah

to Sea World for his birthday! Can't wait!

Halloween Printables

2011-09-22T21:00:00.000-07:00

Need a cute Halloween printable to fill your frame?

I framed the second one a couple days ago and it is super cute!

Click here to download printables.
They are both sized to fit a 5x7 frame.

Enjoy!

Chocolate Ink

2011-09-17T00:44:00.000-07:00

Our apartment walls are in bad shape. Bad, bad shape.

I don't know what it is about toddlers, but it seems their

dirty little hands naturally gravitate to clean walls.

Our toddler is no exception.

Last night I caught Noah using chocolate ink

to stamp his hand print on the wall. Yes, CHOCOLATE.

Josh and I were in the kitchen talking, and all of the sudden

my Mom-Alarm went off... Noah was up to something.

Noah was darting back and forth from his

little table in the living room to a nearby wall,

covering it with little chocolate hand prints.

His plate was covered in melted chocolate Popsicle, so

Noah thought he'd use it to paint the walls Curious George style.

I think I literally gasped out loud when I saw what Noah

had done. I called Josh into the living room and we both stood

there looking at each other trying to hold back our laughter.

More and more often, we find ourselves faced with situations that,

while hilarious and/or painfully cute, require a firm disciplinary response

so that Noah understands his behavior is not to be repeated.

As hard as it is, we just can't let Noah catch even a hint

of a smile, otherwise, he thinks it's all fun and games.

Toddlers! They're something else, aren't they?

Quote Love

2011-09-15T22:33:00.000-07:00

via pinterest

Random Wednesday #2

2011-09-14T00:00:00.000-07:00

So, it seems Wednesdays are now my day of random thoughts. Warning: overload of randomness today!

A week from today Josh will be leaving on a mission trip out of the country. For two weeks. I'm so excited for him! He has been telling me a lot about his trip recently as he prepares to go, and it is truly going to be an awesome trip. I mean, what a blessing to have the opportunity to visit the other side of the world to reach the Deaf. But I gotta be honest here. I'm dreading next week when he leaves us. I cannot even imagine having my other half gone for that long. And I'm pretty sure Noah will be asking about his Daddy on a daily basis. :( Thank goodness for Skype!

I got something fun in the mail last week! My new camera strap! I found it on Pinterest recently and totally fell in love with it. It is quite lovely. The owner of the shop is only selling this design until she runs out of the fabric. So if you can't live without it, you better grab one before they're gone!

Did you see the video I posted recently of Noah talking on the phone? It really is the cutest thing ever. Click here if you missed it.

We've had a taste of Fall around here the last week or two with high 80's and low 90's; I'm getting quite spoiled. It has been wonderful! Like I can't even begin to tell you tired I am of the heat we've had this Summer. Come on cooler temps!!! And rain, you may visit as well. :)

I was so excited when I saw this recipe on Pinterest yesterday. Low fat spinach and artichoke dip!? Yes, please!!

My whole family is coming to visit this weekend. I'm so happy! Can't wait to spend some time with them! And I know Noah will be glad to see all of them too.

We've been reading more of Dr. Suess to Noah lately and he loves the stories. Josh gets into character when he reads to Noah, and it's quite comical. Anytime Josh talks as the Cat in the Hat, Noah says over and over again, "Scary!" Ha. While we were at Barnes and Noble a few days ago, we decided to get Noah another Suess book, so we bought Horton Hears a Who. I loved it! It's a little long for Noah at this point, but it is a wonderful story with a great message.

I need to start running again. Anybody there with me? I love the way I feel when I'm exercising, but I cannot seem to get myself going again. Motivation, where art thou?

Okay, I saw the cutest Paul Frank boxer briefs at Target the other day. I resisted buying them because a. Noah is not potty trained yet and b. given a choice between briefs and diapers, Noah picks diapers every time. Bummmmer.

Heard an interesting piece of information yesterday from my mother-in-law about the television cartoon SpongeBob SquarePants. Apparently studies are showing that just watching nine minutes of the cartoon causes short-term attention and learning problems in young children. Thankfully Noah has never watched that show. Craziness! Here's the article if you're interested in reading more about it.

For those of you who wanted to know how to use digital tape in Photoshop, I posted a tutorial yesterday. Let me know if you have any questions and have fun!

And a picture or two of my favorite little boy playing with Buzz. "To infinity and beyyyyond!"

Happy Wednesday!

Photoshop Tutorial: Using Digital Tape

2011-09-13T18:11:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since my last tutorial, so I thought I'd share with you how to use digital tape in Photoshop. It may seem like a lot of steps at first, but after playing around with the tape a few times, you will find that it's super easy. I use Photoshop CS4. If you have an older or newer version, you'll find some differences, but you should still be able to follow this tutorial.

Need some digital tape? Here ya go! Let's get started.

1. Open up Photoshop.

2. Click file > open, and locate the picture you want to use. When you find your picture, click on it and then click open. Note: I always save mine to the desktop so it's easy to find.

3. This is a screen shot of the picture that I opened up in Photoshop:

4. On the toolbar at the very top, click image and then click canvas size. A box will pop up like the one in the screenshot below:

5. For width and height put in 100. Make sure the canvas extension color at the bottom is white. Then click ok. Look at the screenshot below as an example:

6. After you click ok, you should see a white canvas behind your picture:

7. Before we go any further with the tutorial, make sure you know where your tape is saved. Saving the tape to the desktop is always an easy way to find it when you need it. I have a folder labeled "digital tape" on my desktop for easy access.

8. Okay, now that you have located your tape, click file > place, and then you'll see the box below:

Notice the two arrows, one labeled A and the other labeled B. I did this so you could see there are two different ways of doing storing your tape. If you have a whole bunch of digital tape, it's a good idea to place them in an organized folder like Example A. If you just have like one or two pieces of digital tape, then you might just save the tape on your desktop like Example B.

If you are using a folder, then click the folder and then click place. You will then be able to browse all your tape and decide which one you want to place on your picture. After you have decided which one you want, then click on the tape and then click place again.

If you just have one piece of tape like in example B, then just click the tape and then click place.

9. Almost done! Yay! After clicking place, a piece of tape will show up on or near your image like the example below. More than likely it will be small, so you will have to play around with it to make it bigger. To do that, hold down the shift key on your keyboard. As you are holding shift, move your mouse to the corners of your tape, and you will see an arrow. This arrow allows you to make the tape bigger or smaller. If you move the cursor slightly off of the corner, you will also see a curvy type arrow. This arrow allows you to rotate your tape. Just play around. Make sure you are holding shift down the entire time you are playing with the tape; this re-sizes the tape in the correct proportions.

Once you have the tape placed where you like it on the image, then click enter on your keyboard.

10. Now you just need to crop the picture and save it. The arrow below shows you where the crop button is located. Click it.

Then click and drag the crop-box to crop the picture {and tape} as shown below. Once you're finished, click enter on your keyboard.

Yay! You did it! Here is my example:

11. Now you just need to resize the picture so it fits nicely in your blog post. To do this, click image on the toolbar and then click image size. The box below will show up. Below you can see what I put in for width & height; these dimensions what I typically use for my posts. You might have to play around with different sizes though. Make sure all the boxes at the bottom are checked and also make sure the box at the very, very bottom says bicubic sharper (best for reduction). Then click ok.

12. Your picture is now re-sized and ready for your blog post. Just click file > save as, give your file a name (make sure it's saved as a .jpg file), and click save.

13. I use photobucket to host the images on my blogs. If you'd like to know how I do that, here is a tutorial for ya! Otherwise host your picture to your blog as you normally would.

If you'd like to see some examples where I have used digital tape, click here, here, and here.

Questions or concerns? Just email me. I'd be glad to help out! Also, leave me a link to your blog if you use this tutorial. I'd love to come visit and see how you used the digital tape.

Linking up:

Talking on the Phone

2011-09-12T05:00:00.000-07:00

I was taking a shower the other morning and Noah came in and said, "Talking on the phone." When he said that I thought to myself, "Did he call somebody on my phone? Or did someone call me and he answered it?" He knows his way around our phones, so to find him having a conversation with somebody on it would not surprise me at all. I pulled the shower curtain back hoping my phone was sitting on the counter top, and thankfully, it was. By that time, Noah had already left the bathroom. So I got out, dried off, and I quietly peeked my head around the corner.

And this is what I saw:

Seriously, the cutest thing ever! My favorite part is when he hung the phone up and said, "Goodbye!" Oh, and of course when he discovered he was being spied on. :) Such a fun, fun age!

Remembering 9/11

2011-09-11T21:00:00.000-07:00

"The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and

saves those who are crushed in spirit."

Psalm 34:18

"Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are

wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.

For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us

an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes

not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is

seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal."

2 Corinthians 4:16-18

Praying for comfort and strength to those who lost love ones.

And for the brave heroes, thank you.

Oklahoma Family Reunion

2011-09-09T23:00:00.000-07:00

one weekend in july

seven families

yummy food

water volleyball

swimming

lots of catching up

hammock swinging

laughter

fun in the sun

hula dancing

turtle discovery

picking mimi's flowers

total relaxation

one awesome oklahoma family reunion

First Day of "School"

2011-09-08T23:55:00.000-07:00

Noah started back to Mother's Day Out yesterday and he had a great first day. The very first thing he told me and Josh when we picked him up was, "Have fun at school!" We were so happy to hear those words come out of his mouth. Sounds like it's going to be a great new year! Here's a picture of my little guy ready for his big day!

*I got the inspiration for adding Noah's "favorites'' to his school picture from here. I loved the idea of sharing a little bit of his personality with the first day of school picture. It will be lots of fun looking back at these someday.

One...Two...Three!

2011-09-02T00:05:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday was Noah's 3rd birthday. *sigh* Our little guy is growing up! We celebrated Noah's special day together as a family. It was just the four of us, or as Noah always loves to say when we're all together, "Daddy... Mommy... Noah... and Einsteinnn!"

Our morning started early {as most of our mornings do} around 7:30. Chocolate chip pancakes {with whipped cream of course!} were on the menu for Noah's birthday breakfast. Yum! We all enjoyed our fair share of chocolate that morning. :)

Noah loves trains. Well really, he loves all things transportation, but trains are probably his favorite. So we decided it would be fun to take Mr. Noah to ride the miniature train in Trinity Park. He had ridden the train one other time before, so we knew he would be excited to have the chance to ride again. Of course, we were running late and the train almost left without us, but we made it just in time to buy our tickets and board.

Here is the only picture I was able to get of Noah riding the train. Yeah, not a happy camper.

About half way through the ride, the train made a stop, and we had the chance to buy drinks and popcorn. I thought I might be able to get a picture of Noah at that point, but my poor little guy took a hard fall when he got off the train and scraped his little knee up. As soon as the train started up again, Noah forgot all about his ouchie. He loved the train ride. We all did. It is such a fun experience.

After our fun adventure riding the train, we went to a nearby pond to feed the ducks.

This little duck was the smart one in the group. He decided to go directly to the food source instead of waiting for a piece of bread to be thrown to him. It wasn't long before he made his way out of the water and waddled right over to us. Noah loved feeding him.

We had another little friend hanging around too...

Sweet birthday boy feeding the ducks.

After we spent some time at the duck pond, we decided it was time to eat some lunch! Noah loves hamburgers, so we braved the crowd and took him to the newly opened In & Out Burger. It was yummmy!

We were so tired after lunch, so we decided to head on home and take a little nap {which ended up being a four hour nap!} :) While Noah was sleeping, Josh and I made the birthday boy a mayonnaise cake {a Bonjour family tradition!} so we could eat it later that evening after dinner.

Later that night, we ordered in a pizza {yum!} and then it was time for birthday cake! Here is a sweet video of Noah blowing out his three candles. I love how he sang along with us. :)

After we ate cake, we threw a bunch of pillows and blankets on the floor and snuggled together while we watched "Finding Nemo." We only got about half way through the movie, but it was fun while it lasted.

What a wonderful, fun-filled day we had together celebrating Noah turning three!

It's a Random Wednesday

2011-08-31T06:28:00.000-07:00

Last night Noah and I met his new teachers, and they are just as sweet as can be. When we first met them at the door, Noah was {not surprisingly} a little apprehensive. But it wasn't long before he was happily sitting at one of the tables eating a cupcake and coloring an owl paper. And while we were driving home, Noah said, "Had fun with friends!" Made me smile ear to ear. :) I'm excited for Noah as he starts a new year of Mother's Day Out.

I'm so addicted to pinning. Help!

Have you ever heard of crazy forts? Such a cool invention. Noah has a couple sets of them {thanks Gigi & Papa and Grammy!}, and he and Josh go crazy building all kinds of forts. Noah loves it so much; he sleeps in his fort every night. I mean, who cares about Curious George sheets when you got an awesome fort to sleep in, right?

I need to remember to buy fruit loops next time I go to the store. Noah would have so much fun with this.

I am so excited about our family trip to San Antonio in October! We are taking Noah to Sea World for a late birthday present. Our weekend is all planned out and it sounds just perfect.

Sara Schmutz recently released her new digital kit Nursery Rhymes and it is oh so cute! I will be purchasing the kit as soon as it goes on sale.

Well, I really thought I had more randomness to share, but I guess that's about it. :)

Happy Wednesday!

Three

2011-08-27T10:00:00.000-07:00

Happy birthday to the sweetest boy in the world!

Love you to infinity and beyond!

"A Tickle, Daddy!"

2011-08-24T23:59:00.000-07:00

Noah loooooves to be tickled.

And he especially loves it when Daddy does it.

There is just something about that Daddy-claw

that makes it almost unbearable, yet so fun.

Of course Noah is always begging for more.

He will plead with Josh, screaming

"A tickle, Daddy!" "A tickle, Daddy!"

"A tickle, Daddddddy!"

I love these pictures because they capture

both the torture and the joy Noah experiences

when the tickle monster is after him.

Oh little Noah,

I'm sure glad you are Daddy's little tickle buddy!

Otherwise, he might be after me!

Tickle Me Tuesday: Back To School

2011-08-23T05:30:00.000-07:00

Cannot believe school is about to start up again! It's such a fun time of the year, isn't it? Noah will be going back to Mother's Day Out first of September! I am so excited for him as he starts a new year. We will get to meet his new teachers a week from today. Lots to get done before he goes back! I thought I'd link up with Tickle Me Tuesday and share some of the things I'm lovin' right now as we prepare to go back.

Have you ever heard of raspberrykids.com? Their back to school collection of lunch boxes, backpacks, school supplies, etc are killing me. I want to buy it all. It is such a cute website. Check it out!

via

I love these printable lunch box love notes from eighteen25. Aren't they so sweet? And best of all, they're free!!

via

A great post sharing simple tips for capturing back to school photos.

via

These lunch box labels are so cute! I will be taking advantage of this freebie too!

via

More free printables! I love the photo idea of Noah holding one of these cute printables the first day back.

via

Eighteen25 girls come up with the cutest teacher appreciation ideas! This is probably one of my favorites. If Noah's teachers are coffee fans, I'll be making this for sure!

via

Linking up with Tickle Me Tuesday

Me {A to Z}

2011-08-21T02:00:00.000-07:00

I have seen this little q&a all over blogland,

so I thought it would be fun to play along.

age :: 28

bed size :: king, baby!

chore you hate :: cleaning the bath room

dogs :: a chubby ol' pug named einstein

essential start to your day :: dr pepper

favorite color :: pink

gold or silver :: silver

height :: 5'6"

instruments you play :: used to play the piano

job title :: stay at home mommy; part-time nurse

kids :: sweet little noah

live :: texas

maiden name :: callan

nicknames :: lib, sweets

overnight hospital stays :: when noah was born

{which by the way was an awesome experience!}

pet peeve :: fingernail biting

quote :: "your beauty should not come from outward

adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing

of gold jewelry or fine clothes. rather, it should be that

of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and

quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight."

1 peter 3:3-4

righty or lefty :: right

siblings :: two sisters & a brother

{all younger than me}

time you wake up :: when my little guy says "get up mommy!"

university attended :: west texas a&m

vegetables you dislike: tomatoes, carrots, cauliflower

what makes you run late :: trying to get my hair to cooperate with me

x-rays you’ve had :: at the dentist

yummy food :: spaghetti & meatballs, i ♥ mexican food

zoo animal favorite :: monkeeeeys

Now you play along!

Have a lovely Sunday.

Lions, Tigers, & Bears... Oh My!

2011-08-19T23:59:00.000-07:00

Playing a little Summer catch up around here! It has been one hot, hot summer. Like we've had thirty-something straight day's of 100+ degree weather {most days the lowest is 105}. Not fun... at all. We've been doing a lot of swimming this summer, and if we do get out of the house we find something to do indoors. But one morning a few weeks ago, Noah and I decided to brave the heat and go to the Fort Worth Zoo to visit all the animals. It was bearable since we went in the morning, but still just miserably hot.

But the heat didn't keep us from having tons of fun. Mr. Noah loved seeing all the animals, and I was so impressed with his ability to name many of the animals we saw. Seeing him so happy and excited about all animals was the best part of going. It's so fun when kids get to the point where they really enjoy the zoo. We will definitely be going back this Fall once it cools down a bit.

The Fort Worth Zoo is huge, so I was surprised how much ground we covered. I guess we didn't stop too long in each area because of the heat. I think the highlight of my visit {okay, it most definitely was the best part} was seeing a baby monkey! He was the most adorable thing ever. Noah thought he was cute too, but he didn't get as excited as I did. :) What can I say, I have a thing for monkeys. We saw elephants, lions, all kind of different birds, giraffes, sharks, snakes, and much more. We had a great time. I am so glad I had my little buddy along for the adventure. I look forward to many more visits to the Zoo.

Here are just a few of my favorites from our day:

Us

2011-08-18T00:05:00.000-07:00

Well, we tried.

Half of my head is cut off, but oh well.

I still love this picture of the two of us.

This past weekend we took a trip to

visit family and friends in Amarillo.

It was the perfect ending to our Summer.

The weather was beautiful...

especially when the sun went down.

We spent many evenings swinging on

the porch enjoying the coolness of the

weather we long for here in Fort Worth.

We snapped this picture one evening as we

sat outside together in the quietness of the night.

Just the two of us.

It was splendid.

Wordless Wednesday

2011-08-10T23:50:00.000-07:00

Boys & Superheroes

2011-08-07T23:38:00.000-07:00

What is it about boys and their love for superheroes?

Noah is just about to turn three and he has already

chosen his favorite superhero: Spiderman!

Over the past few weeks, when we turn on the TV,

Noah's constant request has been, "Spiderman! Spiderman!".

Of course, it only took a few episodes before Noah was

singing along with the theme song...

Oh, that sweet little voice!

I love how he sings the whole song

whether he knows the words or not.

That is just the cutest thing ever.

I have a feeling this won't be the only superhero

theme song that gets stuck in my head all day.

NRH20

2011-08-05T19:11:00.000-07:00

I love the days on our calender where there is nothing planned. Around here, those days mean only one thing: family day! It doesn't happen very often, but when it does we always take advantage of the time we have together. Sometimes it's nice to just stay home and spend the day in our pj's. But a lot of times, we will get out of the house and go find something fun to do. A couple weeks ago, we decided to take Noah to one of the local water parks since he had never been to one before.

We had so much fun.

Well, not at first. When we first arrived, Noah didn't want to do anything. We walked through the park with a cranky toddler trying to make the best of our day but finding ourselves frustrated at the same time. Noah hadn't taken a nap that morning, so yeah, he was in such a mood. Fun times, right?

So, we decided to sit down to rest and eat some lunch. And, thankfully, a little food in his belly did the trick. Noah was happy and couldn't wait to get out and play. Here are a few of my favorites of our fun at the water park.

Noah had so much fun. We all did. We played and played until there was not a bit of energy left in us. Us, of course, meaning me and Josh. :) What a wonderful afternoon of fun in the sun and playing in the water! We will be going back very soon!

Linking up here.

Friday Night Lights

2011-07-30T22:31:00.000-07:00

A couple months ago, Josh told me one evening that he had a new show for us to watch. But as soon as I found out it was a television series about football, I kindly declined.

And then somehow he talked me into watching one episode and, that was it. I was hooked.

Tonight Josh and I finished the last season of Friday Night Lights, and I'm telling you, it is without a doubt, the best show I've ever seen. It is a show that we both were able to enjoy even though it was for different reasons. Josh loved the football, and I, well, just like any woman, loved the relational element of it. There were many a night where we'd stay up through the wee hours to watch "just one more."

And now it's over. Such a sad, sad night. If you've never seen it, watch it. You will thank me.

Free Washi Tape Download

2011-07-28T21:53:00.001-07:00

You all love free stuff, right? I do!

Well, today I have a little somethin' somethin' for you.

I am totally addicted to digital washi tape.

It adds a fun little touch to my blog pictures as it gives

them the appearance of being taped to my post.

There are a bunch of really cute free tapes out

there on the web, but I decided I needed a new

collection of tape every now and then because

I tend to get bored with the same ol' stuff.

So, I taught myself how to make digital tape.

And lucky for you, I will be sharing

my new collections with you!

First up...

I love the colors in this group, don't you?

Enjoy and have fun with it!

Click here to download.

Don't know how to work with digital tape? No worries.

I found a great tutorial explaining how to use the photo

editing website, Picnik, to add tape to your pictures.

Scrapbook paper used/purchased from here.

Happy Friday!

Linking uphere, here, and here.

Irie

2011-07-25T19:13:00.000-07:00

I have a lot of catching up to do! We have been busy, busy this Summer. The days have sure flown by quickly... cannot believe August is almost here!

I hope to get caught up on the fun times we've had this Summer within the next week or two, but in reality, I'm sure it will take me longer than that. You all know me and how sporadic I've been with blogging lately. :)

So, let's start with our family vacation to Jamaica this past May. If I could choose one Jamaican word to describe our trip, I would pick irie. It means, "to feel good and/or everything is alright." As soon as we stepped foot on the white sandy beaches and felt the warmth of the sun on our faces, we knew it was gonna be a good week. And it was.

It was perfect.

I had a hard time deciding which pictures to use for this post because I took so many {imagine that!}, so I just decided to make it easy on myself and pick out a few of my favorites to share with you. Here they are {in no particular order}...

This was Noah's first time to experience the beach, and as you can see he thoroughly enjoyed himself. He played in the sand with his beach toys and loved running and splashing through the ocean.

And after hours of playing...

Guess who got buried in the sand by Dad, Uncle Bibi, and Aunt Abby?

Love the dreads, bro. Once again, my brother providing us a few laughs. :)

Family having fun in the sun!

Josh and Matt played a few rounds of beach volleyball. They were fun to watch {when I wasn't napping under a beach hut}.

Noah's favorite drink to cool off was a strawberry daiquiri {just like his momma!}. I love this picture of Noah drinking one of many, many daiquiri's. Haha :) {And no, they weren't alcoholic... wouldn't want someone to get the wrong idea and call CPS on me!}.

Noah and his Mimi on the beach. ♥

We took excursions to Dolphin Cove and Dunn's River Falls, and they were both awesome! I highly recommend both of them!

Dunn's River Falls was incredible. It is a famous waterfall near Ochos Rios where visitors can climb right up the falls. The water was icy cold and we were soaked from head to toe right from the very beginning, but it was totally worth it. Definitely one of my favorite excursions we've ever done.

The highlight of Dolphins Cove was swimming with Dolphins {something I've wanted to do for as long as I can remember!}. I wish I could have taken pictures, but they don't allow you to use your own camera. Boo! Noah was too young to actually swim with the dolphins, but he and Mimi got to get close and touch them and watch then jump through the air. We also saw a shark show and touched and swam with sting rays {a pretty weird feeling being in the water with them!}. And Noah made a little friend while we were there...

Noah and his Aunt Megan hanging out by the pool. See the little dandelion in Noah's hand? If there is a dandelion to be picked, Noah will find it. :)

Noah surprised us all and was calm enough to get his hair braided while we were in Jamaica!! Can you believe it? This is the same little boy who hates getting his haircut. Yep, he sat and got his hair braided. Of course, it took a little bribing from all of us with candy and fruit snacks, but he did it, and we were so proud of him! There were lots of "Oh, look how cute he is in his braids!" anywhere we went. He was soooo cute... he looked just like a Jamaican.

Hi, dad! Relaxing and watching Matt and Josh play a little volleyball.

Noah and Mimi having a little dance party on the beach.

We weren't sure if Noah would nap on the beach, but he did. One day he took a three {yes, three!} hour nap and woke up happy and ready to play!

I love this next picture. While we were waiting to ride a banana boat, one of the Jamaican guys was over in our area cleaning up the boats for the day. As soon as he saw Noah, he took an interest in him, and they instantly became friends. He asked Noah if he wanted to help him and together they went from boat to boat tying up the sails. It was the sweetest thing.

Mom and dad in the dreads now! I love my dad's expression. Hahaha.

Matt and Josh swimming with sting rays and snorkeling.

Noah stole the dreads from Mimi and Granddad!

Definitely, without a doubt, my favorite picture of the whole trip.

Oh Matt, you should have known better. :)

Thank you Dad and Mom for making it possible for us to all get together... especially in Jamaica! What a wonderful trip we all had!

Little Boy Legs

2011-07-23T21:59:00.000-07:00

It's the simple things...

Today I was looking down at Noah's

new shoes, and I realized something...

Noah's legs are beginning to look

more and more like little boy legs.

Where did those chubby legs go?

It was a bittersweet moment for me.

Bittersweet because as much fun as it is

watching him grow, there is a part of me

that wishes he could stay little forever.

Don't grow up too fast little man.

Summertime

2011-07-22T17:50:00.000-07:00

This week, The Paper Mama's

Photo Challenge is Summertime.

We took Noah to a nearby water park a few days

ago, and he had so much fun playing in the water!

Can't wait to share the rest of the pics with you.

Wish me luck!

Pinterest is Awesome

2011-07-21T23:22:00.000-07:00

Awesome I tell ya.

Do you pin?

If you don't, sign yourself up!

You will be so happy you did.

You can find me on Pinterest here.

And... He's Out!

2011-07-18T21:57:00.000-07:00

We picked up Einstein today from his

weekend stay at the kennel.

It seems he may have partied his old pug

self a little too hard while we were away.

A Sweet Moment

2011-07-12T19:58:00.000-07:00

And it did only last for a moment! ha

But ohhh how it made my heart melt...

They sure are sweet when they get along.

Just Lovely Things

2011-07-09T21:42:00.001-07:00

I'm totally crushing on my new

headband from just.lovely.things!

It is the most comfortable headband ever.

And soooo cute!

Want to know what I love the most about it?

It stays on my head! Ha

I absolutely hate headbands I have to constantly re-adjust.

Annoying, right?

Anyway, this pretty little thing showed

up in my mailbox today and it brought a smile

to my face. It's the simple things. :)

Happy Sunday!

Saying Goodbye to the Turtles

2011-07-08T21:38:00.000-07:00

I'm a little behind in posting this...

summer came quickly this year!

I love this picture.

I love it because it reminds me of when Noah

first started going to Mother's Day Out.

For the first couple of months, Noah was so timid

and scared... Mother's Day Out was new & unfamiliar.

Leaving Noah crying and clinging to me was so hard.

{Like maybe the worst thing ever, seriously.}

But leaving him with two incredible teachers whom I completely

trusted and whom I knew could always bring a smile to his face

made it a little bit easier to say goodbye.

Noah loved Mrs. Sandy & Miss Eve;

they always made him feel secure and loved.

Having a class full of wild toddlers must have been crazy

at times, but that didn't keep them from spending one-on-one

time with Noah to help him adjust to his new environment.

It wasn't long before Noah looked forward to "school."

He was no longer scared. He would walk right into

his classroom without a glance back.

{I'm pretty sure I shed a few tears...}

I loved watching Noah grow this year.

Not only did his speech grow, his confidence did too.

He made lots of new friends.

Got invited to birthday parties.

He learned so much.

I am so grateful God had a special place

for him in this class. What a wonderful year it was!

I think it was harder for me to say goodbye to

Eve & Sandy than it was for Noah. :)

Thank you both for the time you invested

in teaching & loving on my little turtle.

Embrace the Camera, Mon!

2011-07-07T10:29:00.000-07:00

Noah & Daddy embracing the camera in Jamaica!

Can't wait to share the rest of the pictures with you.

Big Brother Einstein

2011-07-06T19:48:00.000-07:00

Recently, I received a comment asking,

"How did Einstein first adjust when you brought baby home?"

The comment brought back sweet, sweet memories

of the day we brought our baby boy home from the

hospital to meet our fur baby for the very first time.

Einstein and Noah in their very first moments together...

There is just nothing sweeter than watching

Einstein show his love to Noah by licking his little fingers.

And Noah's smile... oh that precious little smile.

From the very start, Einstein has always loved his little brother.

But as much as he loved baby Noah, naturally, he had to learn

to share our love and attention. Everything had changed.

He was now big brother instead of the baby.

But it wasn't long before Einstein realized

being a big brother was not so bad afterall.

That it really is pretty fun having a playmate around:

And well, it does have its perks:

I have no doubt they are growing up to be the best of friends.

Little Squirt

2011-06-26T00:00:00.000-07:00

My boy is ornery.

I mean just look at that face.

The other night at the pool, Noah thought it

would be funny to squirt me with his water gun.

Every time he got me wet, he got the biggest grin on

his face and just laughed and laughed and laughed.

His sweet laugh was so contagious,

I found myself laughing right along with him.

We had the best time together.

I sure do love my {ornery} little squirt!

Find the Time...

2011-06-24T00:36:00.000-07:00

the time to read,

to smell the flowers,

to paint your dreams,

to have coffee with a friend,

to learn a new craft,

to write a letter,

to bake a surprise cake,

to go somewhere special,

to REALLY be with the person you love,

or even to do nothing for a while...

-source-

Naptime Snuggles

2011-06-23T08:44:00.000-07:00

I snapped this picture of me & Noah as we

snuggled in bed one morning before naptime.

I ♥ sweet little Noah snuggles.