Little Stephen

Today I hung out with my nephew Stephen at my sister's house.  Isn't this pic adorable?  I love this little guy so much!

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Now for sale on Etsy...

I am now selling the floral hair clips/clothing accessories on my etsy shop!  You can wear them in your hair, or clipped to your shirt/jacket/tank.  Personally, I'm wearing them on my cotton tanks.  They add a bit of punch to a Houston summer staple.

Click HERE (or check out the Baby Ray etsy bar on the right side of the blog) if you'd like to take a look.  Thanks for the encouragement friends...!

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Saturday Projects

I bought my sister this really cute flower clip  off etsy for her hair a few weeks ago. I also saw similar clip/pins at Anthropologie earlier this spring, but didn't feel like paying the $36 price tag for little flowers. Here is my attempt.

I have to say the pictures are a little better than the reality...but I still love them! Here is the full album

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First Flight

Well, our first flight with the little guy was an adventure. Since we just held him, he thought he could get up, stand on the seat, try and pull the hair of the person in front of us, and run up the aisle. Besides that, it wasn't too bad. Since we woke up at 4am, I thought he would fall right asleep, but he decided to wait until we were landing. Oh well. We just put on the Moby and away we went.

For the next flight I kept the Moby, or should I say BABY RAY wrap (since that is the main thing I am making these days for my little business) on, and just put him in the first two straps on my lap. Because they held him down like his car seat straps do, he sat happily and played with toys, read books, then slept again. It was a wonderful flight. All you moms need a wrap if you plan to fly with a little lap passenger!

So adorable, right?

 

Mmmmm...a banana snack...his fav!

He thinks sticking his tongue out is the most hilarious thing he can do right now. He laughs and laughs. I have to say I think it is pretty hilarious too, as long as there isn't food in the mouth at the time.

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Colorado

The pics are up and you can access them here. These are a few favs. I'll post more tomorrow.

The Andrews go up to my grandmother's rental cabin each summer - this year we were invited along!

Dexter and Sander loved driving the old 1980 Jeep Wrangler around the mountains.

Thanks Nana for having us!!

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So soft and wrinkle free

Ok, I'm getting older. I can't avoid it...no one can.  But seeing 30 in the near future isn't the easiest for someone who prided themselves on being mistaken for a high school student.  But whatever.  I'm going to try and age gracefully, but that doesn't mean I can't use wrinkle cream, right?  This stuff is amazing and I can already tell the difference.  Try it. 

Also, I made my own oil face wash.  I know, it sounds like the last thing you would ever want to put on your face, especially break-out prone me.  BUT, again, it works!  My face hasn't been this clear and blackhead free in years.  I first heard about it from the wife of the farmer we buy our confinement free meat from.  Check out here post here.  She linked to her friend who has a recipe that I've been using.  I couldn't find neroli oil, so I made it without, but it has worked great for me.  Check out that recipe here. 

They call all of this the Oil Cleansing Method.  If you want to go to the "official" site, check it out here. 

For those who want more info than my simple, "I love it! It works!" here is an excerpt for the http://www.oilcleansingmethod.com/:

"The reasons we have so much trouble with mainstream skin care products are numerous, but two reasons, in particular, lead the pack. These products strip the oil out of our skin, leaving our largest organ trying to repair itself by replacing the oil stripped away. This leaves us in a cycle of being tight and dry followed by the inevitable oil slick. Each time we strip the oil away, our skin over-compensates for the lack of moisture by creating more oil. On top of the drying effects, these products are highly-scented. Fragrance is one of the top skin irritants and strangely enough, even the so-called "unscented" products usually contain fragrance. See for yourself and check the labels. Dry, irritated skin replaced by oily skin, inflamed and trapping debris."

I am loving it and love how my skin looks.  It is so soft, smooth, and now even somewhat wrinkle-free.  Hmmm...I sound sort of like a fabric softener commercial....

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All About Shelby Weekend!

At the girl's weekend we had such a great and relaxing time chilling beside the pool...

We also hit up Pete's Piano Bar and a few other spots. It was fun and I think Shelby felt like the special wife-to-be that she is. Mwah! Can't wait for the wedding/reunion in Utah in July!

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Like a duck to water...

Dexter had his first outing in the "real" pool this last weekend while he was at the Rays. Dexter and Sander stayed with Tootsie and Pop while I jaunted off to a girl's weekend in North Dallas. It was hard to be away from my little guy, but sleeping 12 hours one night made it almost worth it.

I just love this floating duck. It has little things Dexter can play with when he gets bored of floating - great idea! You can see we have him totally covered...poor little red head - I don't think tanning is in your future.

The best swimsuit/diaper is Bummis Swimmi. It looks so cute and doesn't soak up water like a swim diaper does. Plus, I only had to buy this one (about $13). Has anyone else used these and liked them?

He isn't sure if he wants in or not...

 

A few protests...

 

Well, if you jump off the diving board and the doggy can join us, I guess I can handle it...

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Inspired!

My dear friend Marisa has inspired me once again! Tonight I am up making my own version of this shirt. I leave Saturday am for a girl's weekend...Hope I finish in time!

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Happy Birthday, Sander!

We started the morning off with the traditional presents and decorations. Unfortunately, I don't have a full set of brain cells anymore (Dexter ate them a long time ago) and I forgot to buy the special custard needed for the official birthday trifle. You probably think I just didn't plan, which I wish I could say that was the case. Nope, I sat down and made a meal plan for the whole week, made and exhaustive shopping list, and bought everything needed for the week, and even made the sponge cake in advance. Yet, when I thought about the trifle, I never thought about the custard. Oh well, it bothered me more than Sander, and I just made it for dinner instead of breakfast.

I am calling year 27 the year of the food. As many of my friends are all foodies and amazing cooks (and are probably the only readers of my blog besides family) I feel serious internal pressure to try and get on the gourmet bandwagon. Now, I love to bake. Always have, always will. Take the dinner rolls above. I ate two giant ones while I finished cooking dinner. I placed the butter knife across it so you could get and idea of the scale of roll I am talking about. That isn't normal, is it? I would seriously survive on bread and dessert if I could...

...but since I can't, extreme free-range, confinement-free chicken sounds good, right? The above is probably the freshest chicken I have ever had. It was processed on Friday at Yonder Way Farms and eaten this Tuesday. The taste is out of this world good. Plus, having visited the farm means I know exactly where it came from, what it ate, and who processed it. How fantastic is that?

Here is the famous trifle. I may post a "how to" blog like the Pioneer Woman. Maybe. We'll see how this week goes. Dexter is teething, trying to climb everything, and whining because he just doesn't have words to express his thoughts and feelings yet. It makes for long, full days, but I want to embrace every second of it and live each day to the fullest.

So, off for more trifle...= )

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Does Dexter have a twin? You decide.

So, today we went to Yonder Way Farms for their first "farm day". It was so much fun! Sander and I felt like little kids again, seeing all the farm animals and how they are raised. I will post a long blog soon, complete with pictures of course. I would love for you to share in the fun and learn a little more about grass-fed, confinement-free farming.

But this just couldn't wait. Do you see this kid? He is 15 months old and looked like he could be Dexter's twin. His parents looked nothing like us...it was creepy and fun at the same time. It's his doppelganger!

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Swim Time

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First "Swim"

 

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Car time

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Walking...a bit

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more about the b-day

Eating off the "birthday plate" because it is tradition! He is drumming a little beat for us in honor of his day.

We waited a little too long to take the birthday pic...

Here is the birthday sign I made courtesy of Amanda Blake Soule's newest book: Handmade Home. She is really creative and inspires you to be creative in all areas of your life - especially with your kids. Her projects are a bit more "homey" looking than I typically like as she finds items to re-use for all her projects. A great idea and a direction I'd like to head in (I am sure Sander and my wallet will thank me if I do), but I have to inch that way. What I am most excited about is having this sign last for years. I hope that it will be something the kids (Lord willing we have more...) really love and helps build into the traditions we start for their birthdays. We'll see if they are as sentimental as I am. I doubt it...; )

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Happy 1st Birthday

Today is the official first birthday of little Dex. We had a great time celebrating his big day with woodland themed cupcakes and burgers. I don't have many of Sander and I with Dexter, but maybe a family member does. Once we get them all together they will be in our online album which you can get to via the "pictures" tab above.

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Happy Mothers' Day to Me!

A year ago on Mothers' Day I was headed to St. Luke's to have Dexter. Today was a great day of reflection, rest (a LONG afternoon nap!), and fun times with the boys. We can't imagine life without our little guy now. He has brought so much joy to us, and so many lessons. I am a better woman today because I have been his mother. Let year two begin!

Dexter wrote me a poem and made beautiful paper flowers. He is very advanced for his age.

The necklace/corsage was from an idea on design sponge. Here is the link if you're interested: Mothers' Day Corsage Necklace [Editors note: the directions are VERY wrong!  You will need strips about 50" long to make a necklace that is 24" long, like the one I am wearing.]

Flowers from a sweet mommy friend! Thanks!!

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