Dave and I have decided on a name for the little guy. His name is Charles Stewart Mader. We will call him Charlie. Charles is a family name on all sides. The name game was not a fun thing but so happy with the final result.
I cannot believe we will get to meet sweet Charlie in just three months! It’s crazy how fast time flies by.
Lexie wanted to send both sets of grandparents a long distance hug. It was a fun project and Lexie thoroughly enjoyed painting her hands. The ribbon taped to the back of the hands is the actual measurement of her arm span. The grandparents were pleasantly surprised.
As for treats (valentines), I had to make two different sets. One for MMO and one for preschool. I couldn’t do the same because some kids are in both classes with Lexie.
For MMO I found a cute idea from Pinterest. I changed it up a bit but the general idea came from there.
I got packs of goldish and decorated them with V-day ribbon along with some homemade labels. I added something sweet as well (a sweetarts lollipop). The kids needed a little sweetness on Valentines day.
For Lexie’s Preschool class, I found another cute idea thanks to Pinterest.
I filled bags with honey/chocolate teddy grahams. A little “bear hug” from Lexie. And since her class is the Penguins, I found these cute penguin stickers to stick on the bags. I also thought these kids needed a little something sweet. So I included “princess castle” suckers.
As for the teachers, I made strawberry cupcakes with strawberry icing. Lexie was my little helper. We had a few left over to indulge in.
The cupid came to visit Lexie on Valentines Day morning. The cupid loaded her up with a bunch of Disney stuff for her to take to Disney world in a few days.
A “Daddy Warbucks” locket. Thanks Papa and SuSu. Also thank you to Auntie Brit and G’ma & G’pops. Lexie loved all her goodies!
Lexie also got a cute bear/candy hearts (that she already ate) from her friend, Spencer. So cute!
“Thanks for my treats!”
The picture above was so funny. I kept telling Lexie it was time to get in the car for school. She looked at me and said, “five more minutes.” I couldn’t help but chuckle.
I’m always looking for fun DIY projects. Since it’s been so nice outside lately (feels like spring), Lexie and I have been enjoying sitting/playing on the deck. While she has tea parties with Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Donald, & Daisy, I figured I would take time to do a fun craft.
I love, love, love silhouettes. I had the famed author/silhouette artist, Clay Rice, do Lexie’s silhouette recently. Silhouettes are so classic and never seem to go out of style. They also make great gifts to grandparents/family. Since I adore paper (stationery), I’m always looking for unique cards. For some reason I saw Lexie’s framed silhouette in the family room and thought of a fun idea – make silhouette stationery! It wasn’t very hard and I already had the materials on hand.
What you will need:
Inspiration
Trace the original silhouette with tracing paper (I didn’t want mess up the original one). Cut it out. Use the traced cut out to trace onto your card stock. Then cut out all the card stock silhouettes (this takes a little time). Use glue to attach the silhouette onto the front of the plain cards (I prefer a glue stick. Elmer’s glue can sometimes cause the paper to clump in places). Voila! There you have you’re very own silhouette cards. I was thinking about running the cards through the printer to personalize the card before I glued the silhouette on, but thought it looked better without a name. I kept it classic.
Finished Product!
We are having a B-O-Y!!!!
January 10 has been a very memorable date for Dave and me the past two years.
January 10, 2011 – My AUsome Auburn Tigers won their first BCS National Title in 54 years!! Fortunately Dave and I were there in Phoenix in that very moment to celebrate a night I will put in the category as “one of the best moments of my life.”
Fast forward to this year.
January 10, 2012 – Dave and I found out that we are having a little BOY!!!! We are beyond thrilled and ecstatic. Since we plan for this to be our last child, we were hoping for a little guy but of course we would have been just as thrilled for another sweet little girl. Since I’m pretty much a girly girl, I’m not quite sure what to do with a little guy but I’m looking forward to learning. I wish I had a video of Dave’s reaction when the nurse informed us that the baby was a boy. It was extremely sweet. I’m happy that Dave will get the son he’s always dreamt of having! He is already looking forward to future Alaska trips with his son!
I also am happy for Lexie. I think she might have a hard time with a new baby in the house at first. She is definitely a Mama’s girl. She doesn’t like me holding anyone’s baby at any time. She gets very territorial of me. With having a little guy around, she still can be our baby girl and princess! She won’t have to feel the need to compete against her baby brother as she might with a little sister.
I think that having a boy will save Dave money. . . . .Not quite the selection of boy stuff compared to girl stuff. There is not even a quarter of cute boy stuff compared to girls. Most everything for boys is so cheesy. Even the bedding. I’m already frustrated with the bedding situation. But I think I’ve finally come up with an idea/colors. Stay tuned. . . .
Around this time last time I was pregnant with Lexie, I went crazy while shopping for her. I had a blast designing Lexie’s custom crib bedding, window panels, and bassinet bedding. Picking out nursery furniture, paint colors, and wall art was so much fun along with finding a chandelier to match. The clothes were to die for. There are so many things out there for girls.
Dave and I are still playing the “name game.” Hopefully the little guy will have a name soon. As for now, we will just call him little guy.
Little guy seems to be doing great. He loves to have a jam session every night around 11 PM. I remember Lexie did the same thing. As she grew, her sessions began at 3 AM. I wonder if the same will happen with this one.
The day we found out we were having a boy. Everything looked great! But the nurse did say little guy was measuring a tad bit larger than normal. She said it wasn’t anything to worry about. But as you remember, Lexie was 8.13 lb TWO WEEKS EARLY! The doctors say:
1.your second baby is usually larger than the first
2. boys are usually larger than girls. . . .
3. the delivery usually happens faster the second time around. . . .(I only pushed for about 20-25 minutes with Lexie). I can’t really imagine something quicker than that. . . . .
I didn’t gain much weight with Lexie so no one expected Lexie to be so big. The doctors were astounded. The doctors said there is no way to really tell how big the baby is near full term. But they said that they’d watch me closer this time around. I’m not worried about the birth right now, considering I have 19 weeks to go but I’m sure I will start to as the end nears. Praying for a healthy baby boy but I’m also praying he’s not 10 lbs!
We are extremely blessed to receive so many beautiful Christmas cards each holiday season from friends and family. For many years, I was always perplexed on where to display all the lovely cards. Usually the card racks found in the stores only hold about 15 cards or so. That wasn’t an option. I didn’t want to tape the cards to my wall or door possibly causing the tape to take paint off. Strike 2. I also needed something that Lexie couldn’t mess up. About three years ago, I came up with an idea that has worked out really well. A Christmas card hanging collage.
What you need:
Hang the hook in desired place of collage (remember to hang it a little bit higher if you plan on using almost the entire runner). I placed it on the door to our kitchen pantry. That way, all the cards will be on full display for everyone to see them. Using wire cutting scissors, cut the wire from the hanger leaving just the white/sticky part. Thread wire through the inside of the hanger. Leave enough wire on both sides to make a knot around the wall/door hook. It should be in the form of a triangle. Don’t leave too much slack or the hanger will fold in the middle once the fabric is placed on it. Fold the table runner over the hanger to the length of preference. I nearly used the entire length of the runner leaving about an inch to inch and an half to pin on the back. Pin each side using a safety pin. You could sew the sides together if you want to do something a little neater than safety pins. But once you have the cards on there, you won’t be able to see the pins. To hide the wire knot around the hook, I made a decorative bow. You can also attach the wire to the bow (to make it all one piece). That way after Christmas, all you have to do is fold the hanging runner with bow leaving the hook on the door for aprons, etc. Once you hang the runner in your desired place, start pinning your Christmas cards with a safety pin (you could use straight pins but with Lexie running around, I used safety pins to make sure there wouldn’t be any straight pins on the floor). I went from top to bottom. I tend to like things very neat and orderly, but this project is different and fun to just hang the cards in a “non orderly” way.
Decorative wall/door hook (I used the brand Command)
Here’s what it should look like before Christmas cards arrive. Just have a box of safety pins on hand. Every day during December is so much fun to get the mail. I love receiving all your Christmas cards!
After the Christmas cards arrived!
******************************************************************************
Personalized Place Mats:
No what to do with the Christmas cards after Christmas/NY is over??? Like I said before, I love receiving all the beautiful cards and would hate to just throw them away. What about making Christmas card place mats for the next holiday season??
What you will need:
Arrange cards on top of 11x18 paper. Once you do that, use double stick tape to securely place the cards to the paper. Peel the laminating paper back enough to cover both sides of the paper. Voila! Your very own personalized holiday place mats! For the 2011 cards, I will probably take the paper to have it professionally laminated. Trying to get each side completely straight with no air bubbles was quite the challenge. You could also make a collage but I chose to go the “neat and orderly” route. 
We had a wonderful and memorable Christmas! My parents along with Dave’s parents were able to come for Christmas. Both sets of grandparents got to be here as Lexie woke up on Christmas morning to see what Santa brought. After Christmas, my brother in law and his family were able to stay for a night. Amelia and Lexie had a fun time being princesses.
As for NYE, Dave and I like to keep it pretty simple.We aren’t too keen on going out on NYE. Too many crazies out there. For the past couple of years, we’ve had the Frerman’s over for a slumber party. Lexie and Ava get along so well. They put on a rock concert for us. We watched AU put the smack down on UVA, cooked a fabulous dinner, put the kids to bed, and watched the ball drop at midnight.
Hope you all had a wonderful and blessed Christmas/New Years!
