Having a "Whoot"

One of my sweet neighbors was having a "Night Owl" themed birthday party/sleep over for her daughter. She wanted each of the girls attending the party to make an adorable owl pillow. This would be the craft and serve as a party favor.  What a CUTE and CREATIVE idea, huh?!?! I'm going to have remember that theme for later on;)
Anyway, my neighbor asked if I could help her out a little by sewing together a few pieces of each owl pillow. The girls would finish putting them together at the party.

So last Sunday afternoon, I locked myself in my "sewing closet" and got to work on the pillows;)

And now-a-days if I'm working on a new sewing project, my Sophie Lu is usually close by. She loves to sit beside me and "help" me sew. She enjoys lifting and lowering the lever, threading the machine, and pushing the back-stitch button when necessary. I LOVE that she enjoys watching me make things and I hope that one day she'll be sewing right along side me;)

As she watched me stitch together the owls, she kept asking me if she could make one too. I told her that these weren't for us, but as soon as I finished with them, we could put one together for her.

She was super excited. 

The pattern for this pillow was incredibly easy and totally kid friendly.
It really took no time at all to put this little guy together.  

What makes him so cute and unique are the different patterns and fabrics you can use.

We just used leftover material from my scrap bins to piece ours together.  

We knew Hudson and Addy-Kate would want one too, so we made sure to cut out enough pieces to put several more together.

And when Sophie's sweet friend, Zoe, came over for a play date last week, more than anything, Sophie wanted her BFF to have a owl pillow...just like hers.  

I just LOVE this picture!
Such sweet friends!

The kids played with their owls ALL morning long and I think a "WHOOT" of a time was had by all;)

Here's a link to the pattern , OR...you could just make it up like we did;)
**We used the "No SEW" wonder under to hold each piece in place, but I still stitched around them-- for extra security. ** 

Riley: Our TERRIFIC kid!

 This morning, Riley was honored at school as a "Terrific Kid"!!!

 First grade is the first year you can be nominated for this award, and Riley was beyond excited to finally earn this coveted title. He has watched his big brother, Corban, be named "terrific kid" for several years now, and was thrilled that it was officially his turn!! 

Each month, a different student from each classroom is chosen based on three things: showing a positive attitude, exhibiting the character trait of the month, and being a responsible citizen.

  January's character trait was DETERMINATION. 

 We are so... proud of our boy for being recognized for this particular character trait!

He truly is one determined little guy and that is evident in all he does. 

My deepest desire is that the Lord would use that amazing amount of determination we see in our Riley for His glory and His alone!!! I pray Riley would know, understand, and depend on the Holy Spirit as his ONLY source of true strength and determination!

  Philippians 4:13
I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

AND

2 Timothy 4:7
I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.

We are so proud of you little Buddy!

Hopin' for SNOW

 So the weatherman is calling for freezing rain and snow flurries starting tomorrow afternoon. In the south...this is a HUGE deal. School is already set for an early dismissal and my kids are SUPER excited about the prospect of maybe seeing SNOW!  

 One of our sweet neighbors sent this fun list over to the boys this afternoon about what we should do to ensure a snow day tomorrow!

 We had a blast checking off each item on that list tonight!

 I'll let you know if it works;)

Musical Petting Zoo

 

Not only did my BIG boys have the day off from school on Monday, but Tuesday was a teacher workday!!  I decided it would be fun to take the kids uptown, and spend the morning visiting ImaginOn.  

ImaginOn is the COOLEST library EVER and one of our all-time favorite places to visit in our city!

 Our sweet neighbor, Jack was hanging out with us for the day too, and my boys were so excited to have him come along with us as well!  

The Charlotte Symphony Guild was at the library putting on their "Musical Petting Zoo"!  

 The kids each had a chance to look at, listen to, and try out a variety of 

orchestra instruments.

The brass instruments were cool,  and the string instruments were neat, BUT the percussion instruments ROCKED!! Or at least, that's what my kids thought;)

After a rather "melodic" morning at the library, we hit up good ole' Mickey D's on our way home for a super cool treat and some fun on the indoor playground! 

And with sweet smiles all around, I'd have to say our day off was quite "harmonious"

HA!

On the mountain top

I HEART long weekends. They are truly the BEST...especially, when our entire family has the day off together. On Monday, the boys were off from school and Shane had a holiday as well. Since it was supposed to be such a pretty day outside, we decided to take advantage of it and take the kids hiking. 

 We loaded up and headed out about an hour away to Crowders Mountain. Shane and I had been hiking there several times before, but had never taken the kids. They were all SOOO excited and couldn't wait to climb to the "top of the huge mountain"!!!

 

It was quite a steep mile ascend up to the top of the mountain, but the kids did a great job! They really enjoyed exploring and investigating the hiking trail. If there was a tree to climb, they climbed it! If there was a rock to inspect, they inspected it!

 

But I think everyone would agree, that the best part of our hike was finally reaching the top!!!

We were greeted by spectacular sights

 and breathtaking views! 

On the descend down the mountain, Hud's little legs were quite tired

so Shane ended up doing double duty. 

Bless his heart;)

Once down at the bottom again, we enjoyed a yummy picnic lunch! 

Everyone had worked up quite the appetite during our hike and were starving;)

It was such a fun day spent in the great outdoors AND with the people I love most!!

Addy-Kate's dedication

Sunday was a very VERY special day at our house. 

 

Not only was it Sanctity of Life Sunday, but it was also the day we dedicated our sweet Addy-Kate to the Lord!

It was so amazing to me that we were standing before our church family holding our precious baby girl. 

Before our wonderful pastor prayed over AK,  Shane had the opportunity to introduce our girl and to publicly praise the Lord for our little blessing!

 Then our pastor prayed over her. He prayed she would come to know the Lord at a young age and that she would spend her entire life living for Him!! The time of dedication is not only for the children, but for the parents as well. We stood before our church family and promised to raise our children in a loving, Godly, home where Christ was always the center. We also reaffirmed our commitment to each other too.

It's such a sweet and special time!

The Lord has truly blessed us and I stand amazed at what He has done for our family!
All praise to HIM!

A Girls Night!

Saturday night was a GIRLS NIGHT OUT with my mom, grandma, and sisters!! We don't have them often enough, but when schedules align and we finely have the opportunity to get together-just us girls- it's NEVER dull!  Fun times are always had and sweet memories are sure to be made. Saturday night was no different. We were supposed to meet at the Cheesecake Factory at 5o'clock for dinner and to celebrate my mom's birthday, but when we arrived  they were already at a two-and-a-half hour wait. That was just a little too long for our taste, so we tried the restaurant next door. Their wait was already super long too.  We called a few other places, but with wait times climbing higher and higher, we ended up at.....

The Original Pancake House!!!! 

 Yes, it's true- it was no Cheesecake Factory, but hey, it was still yummy and definitely hit the spot.

I mean really, what's better than sprinkle pancakes anyway!

Oh, and yes, it was supposed to be a "No boys allowed" party, but we made an exception for this sweet little guy;)

After dinner, we headed to the mall because...someone was getting their ears pierced!

Yup, Miss Sophie decided a few months ago that she was ready for earrings. Shane and I went back and forth on if we should do it or not, but ultimately decided she could get them done.

Saturday night was THE night. 

When we got to the mall, Sophie marched right into the jewelry store, hopped up in the chair, and declared was ready to have her ears pierced! She was so excited and there wasn't an ounce of hesitation on her part. I, on the other hand, was a nervous wreck and my stomach was in total knots.

 

  I had explained to her several times exactly what was going to happen in hopes that she would know what to expect.

 Sophie picked out a pretty pair of pink studs and with in seconds, it was all over. 

 She didn't cry,  barely winced, and was all smiles again after it was over!
 She was so very BRAVE and I was so proud of her!

And as we made our way out of the mall that night, Sophie stopped to check herself out in EVERY MIRROR we passed!  She even stopped to see if the manikins were wearing earrings;)
It was such a special night for my girl and a blessing to share it with all the girls in my family;)

Sleepovers and Strikes

So while my sister-in-law, Sallie continued to recover in the hospital from her c-section, my precious niece Makayla spent the weekend over at our house. Sophie was beyond excited to have her sweet cousin stay here, and couldn't wait to have some fun, girly playtime with her BFF. 

These two are quite the pair and absolutely LOVE being together!
I was telling Sallie on the phone the other day that these two girls are NEVER still. They hop, bounce, jump, or dance anywhere and everywhere they go!
Such sweet girly girls!

On Friday night, after we got the kids bathed and into their comfy PJ's,  Shane and I decided to surprise them with a quick run to the Dunkin' Donut! 

There's nothing like a little treat to start the weekend off right!!

 And with Makayla here for the night, we had a reason to celebrate.

This was Makayla's VERY FIRST sleepover EVER!!!!
She did GREAT though and there were no tears shed at all.

Only silliness and giggles filled our night! 

Saturday morning, we woke up and headed to the bowling alley with our sweet friends, the Robinson's!

  It was "kids play for FREE day" at our local lanes, and we took full advantage of this AWESOME deal!

Sophie was a HOOT to watch bowl. She would chuck that big ole' ball down the lane, and to her it didn't matter how many pins she'd knock down---
her reaction was always the same each time...ECSTATIC!!!

Hudson, on the other hand, was a much more stoic kind-of bowler.
He was a man with a plan and he brought his game face.

And just like a little pro, after each turn he would step back, but his hands on his hips, and watch his ball hit the pins.

  Of course, this was Addy-Kate's first trip to the bowling alley and it came as no surprise that she absolutely LOVED it!  

 However, I do think that overall she was most impressed with her "bowling shoes"!
The girl has a thing for shoes and was completely infatuated with her navy and white Velcro sneakers. 

After playing several rounds of bowling, we had all worked up quite the appetite. 

Pizza Hut was unanimously voted as the place to go eat and where
I think each of my children ate their weight in food.

We were quite a hungry crowd!

Sleepovers with cousins, hanging with family, and bowling with friends...what a great way to spend the weekend;)

Where's Winter??

It's mid-January and it's supposed to be winter time, however the weather does NOT agree! It's 70+ degrees outside and my kids are sportin' their flip flops and short sleeved t-shirts;) 

Ahh... it's just one of the many perks of living in the south;)

 And yes...I really do LOVE being a southern girl!

 My sweet niece, Makayla, spent the entire day with us yesterday and we had ourselves a GRAND time! My sister-in-law went into labor early Thursday morning, so Makayla was dropped off at our house on their way to the hospital. I'm an Aunt AGAIN and Makayla is a very proud BIG sister!!!

 My new niece, Kaitlyn, was born mid-day on Thursday and weighed 6lbs. 7oz. 

  She's a BEAUTY and has a head full of jet black hair.  

Oh I can't wait to get my hands on her;)

So while Makayla was here visiting with us for the day, the kids and I took full advantage of the PERFECT weather!

It was perfect for the playground,

perfect for a picnic and

 perfect for our play date!

And when the chimes of the ice cream truck could be heard coming up the street later that afternoon, we all agreed that our day was...

PRICELESS!