Our Goofy Grouch Turns Three!

This little boy is either making me laugh or making me want to pull my hair out!!

He is extremely goofy and at times, very grouchy...definitely a "Mason" trait.

Why he is like his daddy...he is content to be by himself and resembles him!

Why he is like his mommy...he is intense and cautious!

He tries to make Madelin happy when she is sad by being goofy and Madelin "pushes his buttons" like no one else can (which brings out the beast)!

He adores "Kater," "Kater Booger," "Kater Bugger" and finds her to be quite entertaining!

Some of his LIKES include watching t.v. especially Super Readers and Wild Kratts, Buzz Lightyear, "Wightming" McQueen, fruit, raisins, pulling his pants off when they get wet (any kind of liquid ;)) and playing outside.

Me with my birthday boy!!

His first bike!

New light "saver" and he was happy to get it! :)

Ice cream made by momma.

Blowing out his candles!

Cruisin on his new ride, with help from daddy!

His comment was, "Help me daddy, I might fall off!" Hmmm...sounds just like something I might say.

I can't wait to see what the future holds for this little man!!! :) 

"The Duo" and Their Homemade Frozen Popsicles

With it feeling like the middle of summer lately, I figured it was time to break out the popsicle molds. Mixed berries blended with vanilla yogurt and milk and then frozen in popsicle molds = some delicious and refreshing treats!

 And you know, these photos wouldn't be complete without showing the true personalities of my children!! Anders and his forced "I'll smile for you, mom, if I must" face and Madelin and her "I'm seven and must pose" face.

 Some more posing!

 That's some good stuff, mom! :)

The First Eight of Kate the Great

That was nice, wasn't it? ;) It's crazy that little miss is already 8 months old. She was pretty fussy for the first 7 months due to a sensitive tummy. Now that she can crawl and (to some degree) keep up with her brother and sister, she is much happier!! :) She has been a blessing to our family; Madelin adores her and Anders still isn't quite sure of her (especially now that she can get into his stuff).

 1 month

2 months

 3 months (This is pretty much what the first 7 months looked like!) :(

 4 months

 5 months

 6 months

 7 months

8 months

It's unbelievable to think that in just 4 months Kater will be 1!!!

Lovey for Kate

 I figured Kate might like a taggie blanket after being nearly accosted by her brother for playing with the tag on his coat!!  To be the woman that thought of those blankies...ingenius!

I found the fabric at JoAnn Fabric and had a stash of ribbon in my craft drawer.

It was so incredibly easy to make and cheap, too! And I like cheap; like a total of $3! ;) 

My blue-eyed babe and her lovey.

If only she liked it as much as she likes Anders' taggie! ;)

Wouldn't ya know?

Seven: Her BIRTHday

Somehow this sweet, sassy, loving, happy-go-lucky, nature lover, bug-loving, social butterfly turned SEVEN! And I wonder how am I old enough to have a seven-year-old?  If only we could slow time down...  

Surprise decorations on her door.

Lego Friends...a new favorite!

Cinnamon rolls; Madelin's pick for breakfast.

Gifts from Grammy and Papa.

"The Duo" enjoying an ice cream sundae at Red Robin; Madelin's pick for dinner.

Oreo ice cream cake compliments of yours truly.



She's not crying, just slightly excited about her cake!

Seven: The Party

We celebrated Madelin's seventh birthday with a MAKE YOUR OWN PIZZA & ICE CREAM SUNDAE...NAIL PAINTING...SLEEPOVER birthday party! I must say that this was one of her best (and cheapest) birthday parties. And, yes, this momma did survive!!



Time to party!!

The girls getting ready to make their pizzas. 

 The birthday girl enjoying her pizza. The lovely hot pink/zebra print plates and napkins were Madelin's pick!

 Sundaes and cupcakes

 While flipping through a cupcake cookbook, Madelin came upon this creation.

I made the paint palette out of cardboard and covered it with a paper bag.

I created the "Happy 7th Birthday, Madelin!" on our computer.

The birthday party bunch. :)

Party decor consisted of balloons and streamers (you can kind of see them) to match those lovely plates and napkins. 

Handmade Gifts for Estella

 My niece, Estella, turns 3 next week. We (unfortunately) don't get to see her often, as she lives in Japan. So, with that in mind, I wanted to make her some extra special handmade things. :)

I found this shirt at Old Navy.

and made this skirt to go with it.
You know, the skirt I make quite frequently...it's a no-fail go-to!!

Front

Back

Handmade bag made with craft paint.