In memoriam...

1924-2013

Lance's grandma Lea, lovingly referred to as Mememaw by all the grandchildren,

went to be with the Lord just before midnight Saturday night.

I'm so glad Grace and Hudson had the blessing of knowing her!  Ever since I met her, she always had a sweet, kind smile on her face and this is how I want to remember her...

We love you, Mememaw!

Earth Day Fun {a couple of days late!}

I never made it back on {Monday} to post these pics from the little pumpkin's Earth Day celebration at school, but I wanted to record them here for our "scrapbook"!

I made these fun dirt cup snacks and they were a hit with all the littles!

In case you want to DIY...
I used clear plastic cups from Target {$3 and some change for 24} inside disposable mini planters from Dollar Tree {$1 for 12} then just layered chocolate pudding {4 large Jell-O packets made 22 cups, filled 3/4 of the way full}, and crushed oreos, minus the cream {1 1/2 packages made enough "dirt" for 22 cups} and finally topped it off with dum-dum lollie "flowers" and a few friendly gummy worms {both from Target}.  You could easily print flowers if you have a cricut or the like, but I just bought a tin of them in the scrapbooking section of Michaels {$3}.  They were perfect for the look I wanted!

{Savannah's mom} got these super cute water bottles for all the Whale Kids in Grace and Savannah's class.  I LOVE the vinyl stickers she added!!  They were even cuter before I blurred the teacher's name and school, but you get the idea.  And they'll come in extra handy on Field Day next week!!!!!  She filled them with blue Gatorade and they gulped them down!!

Whale Kids with their sweet teacher!  They made their shirts as part of the unit they are studying.

Our weather has been hit or miss lately, but on Monday it was gorgeous and they were able to enjoy their snack outside. Love these sweet littles!!

My little sidekick was the best!  He helped me carry everything in and he LOVED hanging out with the "big kids" :)

Such a fun afternoon!

And yes, I'm already dreaming up May Day crafts/snacks! :))
 

projects, projects...

What I'm working on...

This too...

Super fun!

Happy Earth Day!

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." ~Margaret Mead

And may I just humbly add "AND prayer!"

Happy Earth Day!

...back a little later to share our cute class snacks + drinks :)

under the sea...

Yesterday was Savannah's birthday. Savannah is such a sweetie and she and Grace are pretty inseparable. I love reading all the little notes and drawings that come home signed "BFFs...Grace + Savannah".

So when we found out Savannah was having a mermaid party a couple of months ago, we knew we had to get her a {Mermaid TaDollie} of her very own!

My dear friend Angel made the sweetest mermaid for Savannah. The cute birdie print matches her bedroom.  Grace decided the mermaid needed to go for a "swim"...Ha!

All dressed up in the cutest mermaid outfit and ready to go to the party! {Outfit made by Angel...find a couple of super cute outfits here} 

Ready for the big splash!

Savannah's mom was too sweet to include Hudson and a couple of other little brothers - they had a blast!

Savannah's mom MADE this cake...isn't it gorgeous??!

I loved all the sweet party details like the teeny tiny bottles of "ocean mist", the fun centerpieces, the cute headbands for the girls (Grace is wearing hers in the pic below) and the adorable sea star soap wands for party favors...

The birthday girl opening her present...she LOVED her mermaid!!  Yay!

The party theme served as inspiration for this cute painting the little pumpkin made...

Happy, Happy 6th Birthday Savannah!!

end-of-schoolitis

Thank you all so very much for your sweet comments on my last post!!  Never underestimate the impact of spreading kindness and love...my mom and I were both so touched by your love.  XOXO

It's been tough to sit down and blog about ordinary life when so many heartbreaking events seem to be happening all across our great nation.  But even in the hardest of days, there is always hope. 

“When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, "Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.” ~Mr. Rogers 

My heart and prayers go out to those hurt in Boston and West Texas.     
-------------------------

I'm sure somewhere there is a well-defined term for the mayhem that is the end of school.  If you have littles yourself then you KNOW what I'm talking about!!  And yet it sneaks up on me every year, much like we did last Friday when Lance came home...he he he.

This little face says it all...one part adorable-beyond-reason and one part mischevious little boy...both in perfect balance.

We had to wait an extra long time because Lance was bringing home Moe's for dinner {totally off topic, but I loooooooooove some Chipotle and Moe's!!}.  But the wait was soooo worth it when we finally heard his car pulling in the driveway and then.................

WE GOT HIM!!!

Such a fun way to kick-off the weekend!!  And he was a really great sport about it too :)

We are in the final sprint...4 weeks left of school for Hudson and 5 weeks for Grace.  And yes, I'm still in denial that the little pumpkin's kindergarten year is coming to an end and then she'll be a big, official FIRST GRADER!!  Aaaaah!!  At least I still have another year of preK with Hudson. *breathe in, breathe out* 

QUESTION:  Do any of you know where I can find a vintage kindergarten graduation certificate (reproduction OK too)????  You know, one with cute little images on it and what not.

If you haven't noticed, this is a totally random, catch-up post full of phone pics!!  This one is on the morning of Donuts with Dad.....my two handsome fellas!  Fake smiles and all :)

Oh, she has a crush all right!  Her sewing machine went kaput and while Noonie and Papa J are looking for a replacement, she is drooling over this one everytime we go to Target.  It's too pricey in my opinion, but I have to say, it is pretty cute!!

On my ever-growing list of things to make..........although not sure it could hold our mail, which tends to pile up soooo fast!!

Friday when I picked her up at carpool, she was soooo excited to show me her Blue Dog sketch!!!

So proud of my little artist!!

Last Saturday must have been the birthday party day of the year!  I felt like a taxi all day.  We made it to 4 out of the 5 parties we were invited to and I wish we could have made the other one too but it was farther away and there was no way to squeeze it in.  Happy, Happy Birthday Caroline, Alexa, Bristol, Clare and Payton!!

Hudson had a blast at his friend Clare's circus party...

...and he rode his first pony!!!  Don't let that little face fool you, Lance said he LOVED it!  He wouldn't ride at his {third birthday} so I was pumped that he did at Clare's party!!  And probably only a mom would notice this, but take a look at this picture...what else do you notice that's maybe a little off?? :) 

Sweet Caroline!

Making watercolor butterflies...

Hanging out with her BFF Savannah...

Happy Birthday, Bristol!  Squeeeeeze!

I'm in trouble if this is any indication of the teenage years...T.R.O.U.B.L.E!

There, that's better.  Sweet little pumpkin...

Showing me her new-found balancing skills...

This little fella's hugs can cure AnYthINg!!!  Loooove him!

Sitting pretty.  She actually said she LIKED these pants!  Could the pants boycott be coming to an end???!

My kind of after-school snack! Loooooove cantaloupe!!  Can't wait to go to the Farmer's Market!!

Grace, 6, talking about her outfit:  "Hmmm...it's missing something.  I need an accessory."  Out comes this necklace!
Sooooo girly....love her!

We have 45 minutes between the time I drop off Grace and the time Hudson's preschool starts...perfect way to fill up some of that time...

Yes, the drive thru cAR WaSH!!  Cheap entertainment and Hudson LOVES it! {me too, me too! always have!}   

Noonie has been in Puerto Rico this week spending time with my sweet grandma and relatives and also taking care of some business...selling our old house!  It's the house I grew up in until we moved when I was 12... bittersweet for sure.  We miss you, Noonie!!  But so happy that you get to visit Tata!

So it may be mayhem around here, but I'm so blessed it's these two sweet littles that keep me busy!

Hope you're having a great week!