and we are off...

Our family is so..........excited to be heading to the beach in the morning.
That makes today--- packing day!!!!

Shane left for work this morning and gave me strict instructions to...
"Pack light!!!"



I'm trying , I REALLY am, but it's hard.
I always feel the need to pack EVERYTHING, but the kitchen sink.
I'm so afraid of forgetting something.
We don't have a lot of space in the van,
so if I'm not careful we will end up strapping kids to the roof along with the luggage--lol!!

Oh well...

I guess this is bye for now.
Laundry and empty suitcases are calling my name!

We're Home!

We're HOME from surgery and everything went well. Hudson is comfortable and resting now. Thank you so much for all your sweet comments and prayers.

I have to share with y'all just one way the Lord blessed us this morning while at the hospital. Like I said the other day, I was beyond nervous about the anesthesia.
The whole process involved in putting my little guy to sleep made me very uneasy!
Would you believe that the anesthesiologists we had this morning was a sweet man that goes to our church!!!!

I had NO idea he worked with the doctor doing Hudson's surgery.
Oh my ya'll...just knowing he was the doctor taking care of my baby filled my heart with so much peace! I KNEW my little guy was in the best of hands!

The Lord is so........good!
Again...thank you for your prayers!

"The sun will come out tomorrow..."

Well for us here in the south...the sun HAS been out, and it's HOT!
Most days just walking to mailbox will make you feel as if you are going to melt.

Because it's been so hot, there's no other place to be than at the pool.
Saturday, we spent most of our day there- just trying to stay cool.

The kids LOVE swimming and it flat wears them out!

After a day of swimming, I can always count on early bedtimes for all ;)!!!
One thing I LOVE about summer!

Sunday morning we headed to church. I had to throw in a few pictures of our family all ready to go. The girls were matching in there pillowcase dresses, and Shane and the boys decided to wear pink too. Poor Hudson and Mommy were the oddballs.
We didn't have anything pink to wear:(
Oh well.

Anyway, here's Shane and the kids all ready for church on Sunday morning.

And now it's my turn!

The highlight of our weekend came on Sunday afternoon when I took Corban, Riley, and "A" to see the musical Annie!
My sweet friend, Celia, and two of her kiddo's went too.

Corban's beloved Sunday School/AWANA teacher, Mr. Hal, was starring in the play as the villain "Rooster"!

You might remember that last month Corban and I saw Mr. Hal in the musical South Pacific.

The kids LOVED Annie and were totally mesmerized by all the wonderful singing and dancing. Riley and "A" had NEVER been to anything like this before and they sat really well. Of course, having a package of skittles to munch on during the performance helped a little;)!

After the play was over, the kids had a chance to meet some of the actors. They were so excited to see Mr. Hal and to give him a great BIG hug.

They also got to meet the star of the show...Annie!
"A" thought it was so...cool to be that close to the star herself!!

Hope you all had a GREAT weekend!

( I'll post an update on Hudson's surgery just as soon as we get home! Thanks so much for your prayers. They mean so much!!!)

Would you please pray...

After six double ear infections since December, three ruptured ear drums, and multiple antibiotics,

my little guy Hudson will be getting tubes in the morning!
We've been down this road before with Riley, so I am confident in our doctor and that we are doing the right thing. However, the whole anesthesia thing makes this mama so............nervous!

Please pray that everything goes well and for a quick and speedy recovery!

The surgery is scheduled for 7:30 am.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart!

Pillowcase dress making 101

Y'all know how much I LOVE making pillowcase dresses!!!

They are very forgiving and there is a lot of room for error.
They are very versatile and can be worn for years.

People have been making dresses like this FOREVER, and I am sure if you googled it you would find lots of wonderful directions on how to make them.
I've tried several different ways and found what works best for me.

So with out further ado...
I give you pillowcase dress making 101
(These directions are for making a toddler dress for Sophie (2t),
but are easily adjusted for whatever size you need.)

What you need:
Fabric, or pillowcase
Thread
Ribbon

For this dress I used pink seersucker fabric.
I am totally a sucker for anything seersucker! LOL

~ Start with two pieces of fabric cut 2-3 inches wider than a standard pillowcase.
For the length: measure from the chest to knee or mid calf and add about 3 inches.
{For a larger dress (sz 4/5 for "A"-- the fabric should be about 28inches wide and 30 inches long.}

With right sides together, stitch along selvage edge to create side seams.

Your fabric should now look like a pillowcase with an opening at the top and bottom.

~Now fold fabric in half and cut "J"shaped cutouts for armholes at one corner.

For a small child, it should be about 3″ deep, for a larger child make it 4″ deep.

Open back up the dress.

The most important part...

IRON/PRESS!!!!

~Iron each arm hole by folding it down 1/4 of and inch (press) and then 1/4 of an inch again (press).

Now stitch along each arm hole.

~ To make your casing...Press front and back top edges down toward the inside of the dress 1/4 inch, then press again at 1" (or wider, depending on your ribbon width).

Now stitch along bottom of casing.

~Hem the dress in the same fashion. Fold over 1/4 inch (press) and then 1/2 inch (press)

Now stitch along edge of hem

~Lastly, add your ribbon in the casing on the front and back of the dress!.

Use a safety pin to help guide the ribbon through the casing.

And there you have it...
PLEASE let me know if you have any questions!

Also, if you make a dress using these directions, let me know!
I'd love to see how it turns out!
Happy Sewing!

Two peas in a pod...

Riley and little Miss A are quite inseparable these days. They have quickly become best friends and sweet playmates.

Now, don't get me wrong...we definitely have our fair share of "sibling" bickering going on too, but I guess that just goes without saying- right!

While we were waiting for our first foster placement, I would pray and ask the Lord to watch over and protect that child--whomever he or she may be. I also asked the Lord if He would bring a child into our home that would be a special friend for my Riley.

You see, Corban is off doing his own thing so much of the time, and the babies require a lot of my time and attention, that sometimes I feel like Riley is the one left out. Riley has never, ever verbalized this, but as a mom, I can feel it for him some days.

I must say, the Lord more than honored that prayer when he brought sweet A into our lives.
Oh He is so good isn't He!!!!!!

Riley now has a built in best friend--someone to play with ALL the time!
Each day brings new discoveries for these two.

Whether they are catching bugs, playing in the sandbox, or having picnics---
these two are together.

Oh and yesterday, I walked upstairs and found this...

Riley and A playing "church" together!
Riley was telling A all about the story of Noah.
Now, I am not sure how much of the story he got right,
but y'all---tears just started to flow down my cheeks.
Seeing these two "reading" the bible and talking about the Word of God just made my
heart feel as if it would burst!

I am so grateful to the Lord for answering my prayers
and allowing sweet A to be a part of our lives!

Pink or Blue??????

That was the question of the day!!

Yesterday, my sister B and her husband Matt, found out if they would be adding another sweet little boy or girl to their growing family.

Last night, our family and friends gathered at my parents home for the BIG reveal! We all wondered if the boys would continue to dominate, or would the addition of a little girl start to even things out a bit?!?! We waited anxiously as B and Matt passed out sealed envelopes to each person there.

On the count of three, their little guy Jake yelled "GO!" and we tore into our envelopes to find out the much anticipated results.

It's A GIRL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am over the moon with excitement for both B and Matt and can't wait to meet sweet little
Brooklyn Hope in December!
I am so glad I have someone to pass on all Sophie's dresses too;)!!

After the reveal, we all enjoyed some YUMMY
PINK cupcakes!

"A" and precious Riley.

Cor thought it was a GIRL all along, and he was happy to be RIGHT!!

My sweet Grandma and Hudson enjoying their cupcakes!

Jake is going to make a SUPER big brother!!!!

We ALL can"t wait to meet precious Brooklyn!
She is already one very loved little girl!!!!

Water park adventure!

So Monday was yet another first for this mama. I decided to ventured out---alone--to Carowinds water park with all five kiddos.

We actually planned to take a trip there with Shane on Sunday afternoon. We loaded up and headed out, but just as we were about half way there, I realized that my pocket book never made it to the car.
It was at home with ALL our season passes in it.
OOPS!!
I felt so horrible!!

So with five very disappointed kids we headed back home and decided to spend the evening at our neighborhood pool-- yeah...not quite the same as Carowinds water park.

I really felt so...bad, so I promised I would make it up and take them to the water park some time during the week.

Sunday night I got an email from my sweet friend Meghan saying she was taking her kiddos to Carowinds on Monday and wanted to see if we would like to join them.

So Monday morning we packed up and headed out to spend the day at the water park with our friends.

The kids had a BLAST ( I didn't loose anyone), and I felt like I redeemed myself from the disappointment that I caused the previous evening.;)

YES...a great time was had by ALL!

Flower Power: my new craft obsession...

Y'all...right now I am just head over heels in love with these fabric flowers.

It's seriously crazy how excited I can get about a new crafty thing!;)

Making these fabric flower clips and headbands just makes me happy though;)

They are not just for your hair either. You can attach these flowers to anything really...like tops, shoes, handbags, belts, ect.

The possibilities are endless!

And of course these headbands are not just for my girls either--no sirree...

I am having fun wearing them too!

I have visited several crafty blogs and websites that give tutorials on how to make these, but I decided to follow this one. It was really easy and totally fool proof.
Let me know if you decide to try it out!!

AND....
coming real soon---

a tutorial on how to make pillowcase dresses. Many of you have sweetly asked me about the dresses I make for Sophie. I promise, I haven't been ignoring you;) I was just always a little hesitant to give exact directions on making these dresses. First of all, I have NEVER followed a pattern so measurements and such have always just been my guesstimates. Plus, I am just an amateur seamstress and I am sure there are MANY, MANY others who are WAY more qualified than me to give a sewing tutorial. Well, after making tons and tons of dresses, (seriously--I think I could make them in my sleep) I think I've perfected my technique and found what works for me. I am working on two dresses for my girls right now, and just as soon as I'm finished I'll post the directions!

Happy Monday Everyone!

Where did my pretty, prissy, girl GO?!?

Last night Sophie insisted on wearing Hudson's blue Christmas pajamas to bed. I could have said "no", but I've learned to pick my battles.

Now this morning she is sporting Corban's panther hat---backwards!!!
Oh y'all ...

Where oh where did my pretty, little, pink, princess go!?!?!