You wouldn't believe me if I told you.

A few weeks ago I read on a friend's blog that her husband had never experienced "making tents/forts" as a child.

Never had he lined up the dining chairs and placed a blanket on top.

Never had he strung blankets up in the hallway, attached to door knobs with rubber bands.

Never.

Oh, the misfortune to grow up without blankets {pssst...you could have used sheets!}.

As shocking as it was to hear that news, I'm sure it was even more shocking for my friend to realize there was something about her husband she had never known.

A few days passed and then I had a similar experience.

Billy wasn't hungry for dinner so I said I would just make Raegen a PB&J sandwich.

And he responded,

"I never ate PB&J growing up."

Never?

NEVER?!

As in, never EVER?!

He never knew it existed until he went on a boyscout trip when he was 10...

the entree of the day?

Peanut Butter & Jelly!!

What a staple!

Even for the scouts. ;)

Wow, to imagine my husband grew up in a town that didn't sell peanut butter and jelly...

He is older than me. Maybe he grew up during the Great Depression?

So glad my boys will never have to suffer a childhood without PB&J.

I have such fond memories of that snack as a child and LOVED it when my mom cut my sandwich into small triangles.

Fun memories.

Nice to meet you.

My friend, Andrea, and her seven-month old son, Sean, came to visit us this week. It's been a few months since we've gotten to visit so it was a lot of fun playing catch-up.

And guess what?!

Andrea's a lazy mom too!!

I registered for {and received} this same feeding spoon that Andrea's using here:

It's a spoon AND feeding container! Talk about mess-free {hello, friend!} and convenient. Andrea even mixed two jars of baby food to feed Sean at the same time. She said he won't eat anything without fruit so she dumped a jar of applesauce in too!

At my shower I was teased about how lazy I am for wanting such a device...hahaha

Most of those in attendance had never seen one nor heard of it.

I love that Andrea's a lazy mom too!! :)

Jewelry Junky

It's official.

I am now a "Jewelry Junky Momma".

After a few days of this,

I now have all THIS:

The nice thing about jewelry as a craft is:

1) It doesn't take up much space!

2) You get immediate results and satisfaction!

my first creation

and

3) It's easy and fun to do with friends.

While the momma's heads are buried in their beads,

the babes are making forts and shooting the bad guys.

It's fun for everyone!!

Because.

Because

I had to.

Because

I can.

And, because

they're just too cute

not to!

and I will do it again! ;)

We have arrived.

Tuesday evening I had a big decision to make.

Lynden had slept THROUGH the night for FOUR consecutive nights.

Could he handle sleeping in his crib all night?

His crib, quite different from his bassinet that plays music and vibrates.

I bit the bullet put him to bed in his crib after his last feeding {10:30}.

So how did he do?

Not a peep all night and this is how I found him Wednesday morning.

Still snug as a bug...

I do believe we have arrived.

Happy Birthday Walter Henry!

You're ONE year old!

Your first year has really flown by.

It's so sweet to remember this, this, and this!

Happy Birthday Baby Boy!!

My MOM rocks!

my mom rocks too, but I'm actually referring to me, as in, myself, and well...me!!

I folded.

Just a smidge.

I'm the type of mom that encourages "clean" fun...

coloring pages

outdoor play in play clothes

indoor toys {including tractors, trucks, and trailers} stay inside

and outdoor toys {random old toys we've picked up here and there} stay outside

Sometimes I wonder if I will hinder Raegen's creativity ability.

Is that possible?

So,

I did something that many of you will find SHOCKING!

I gave him this:

Yes, that is leftover batter from the Too Much Chocolate Cake

I made for Sunday's homecoming at church.

{and let me just add, I brought not ONE piece of cake home...that recipe is a keeper!}

Yep, I gave him the WHOLE bowl.

{but not before I had my share...I work at being selfless,

until it comes to batter...

and that's where I draw the line people}

It may have been a bit excessive given it was his FIRST time

to "lick the bowl", but he handled it well.

Maybe a little too well...

"I better shout it out or she's gonna think I've experienced this before"

"You know how she is, she overanalyzes every detail!"

"My mom's the best!"

Now I lay me down to sleep...

We had another milestone last week while my computer was under the weather.

Lynden napped in his big boy bed!!

I thought I would slowly transition him to Raegen's room

{officially Raegen AND Lynden's room}...

I was nervous about the boy's napping together, but it went great. Lynden finished his nap before Raegen, but big brother didn't stir a bit.

I was able to sneak in and get the baby without Raegen waking.

We've now experienced our THIRD, full {10:30PM - 7:30AM} night of sleep {in a row} so I may try putting Lynden to bed in the boy's room tonight.
I think this jolly fella will do just fine.

He clearly adores his big brother.

On another note...

I think I'm a little obsessed with his feet and toes...I catch myself counting his toes all the time because at first glance there just seems to be more than five!!

Do you agree?

AND, they curl around the bottom of his foot like a monkey.

AND, what's with that extra bump on the big toe?

Do all babies have that or just the super-size ones?

Yes, we're 10 weeks and have already surpassed 16 pounds. I need to weigh him again this week just for curiousity's sake!

He's so sweet and ridiculously easy. Raegen was an easy baby too, but he also had a few times that he preferred to stay up and cry, cry, CRY!!

Billy would put him in the carseat and just swing him back and forth. Thankfully, we have yet to experience that with Lynden. I'm praying it stays that way because this momma is enjoying her sleep. ;)

Who is this child and where is his mother?

I looked out my window and what did I see,

a little boy standing not three foot three.

Lookin' like a fool with his pants on the ground...

still not claiming to know this child, but I do know for a fact this was his first attempt at "dropping" his pants; and it was a failed attempt at that; being the kind person I am, I gave him some new play clothes and sent him on his way

Kickin' up the dirt,

and stompin' out the plants...

I thought of yelling,

"Stop doing that or your daddy's

my husband's gonna get you!"

But it was too funny.

The kickin' method just wasn't working for him

so he went on the hunt for some "destruction" tools.

AHA!

"I. am. the. MAN!

Say my name, dirt!...Raaaeeee-gennnnn!"

Thankfully his momma soon put a stop to the mayhem

and I went out to survey the damage.
Thankfully, little was done.

B's garden is actually looking pretty good this year.

This is our third year to attempt a garden...

our second for a real in-the-ground-traditional garden.

Grandpa, you would be proud!! :)

B planted peppers, tomatoes, cucumber, and squash.

So far everything is staying green and alive, but we haven't hit summertime yet. ;)

Just Bead It!!

having a sick computer and a sick baby really put me behind on my blog posts this week...I may have not been able to post, but I'm always armed with a camera and I'm not afraid to use it!! ;)

So get ready for post overload!

I fell in love with my friend's chunky necklace and bracelet set a few weeks ago.

I was floored when she told me she MADE it.

Well, amazed AND offended.

How could she have kept such a talent a secret from me?

I blame myself really.

I vaguely remember learning of this talent a few months ago...

when I was preggars...

memory loss...

need I say more...

So!

We planned a jewelry making par-tay!

Some of us came to create,

some of us came to play with the babies!!

My friend, Angie, and I were the students.
{never done this before and five minutes into it I remembered why!}

Angie chose to create a chic one strand necklace. She created her masterpiece and then was free to play with the babies...

I chose to create a THREE-strand bracelet.

Why?

I think it has something to do with my momma

dropping me on my head when I was a baby.

I would say 90% of a jewelry's price is the design. It's really hard for me to envision something in my head and then create it. I like the trial and error technique. I redesigned my bracelet numerous times and finally completed it. Now I just need my teacher {she's "the" arrow raiser so she has a little more occupying her time than jewelry making} to help me attach my clasp and I can wear it!

Confession: I'm addicted to jewelry making and I don't have a clue what I'm doing. I filled my basket with beads at HobLob this week {of course only the ones that were half off!}.

I've gone mad I tell ya.

While the mommas created and played with babies, the kiddos ate...

and got creative too!

My very own Fire Chief!

Lynden and Arrow #4 got acquainted too.

"Lynden, buddy, you've got to lighten up."

"I'm not upset, I just need some shades.

Our momma's think they're the paparazzi!!"