Has it Really Been That Long?!

 I apologize for the lack of posts. I am amazed at how busy a twenty month old and a four month old can keep me! Brennyn is growing like a weed and I can tell he just wants to get off my lap and play with his big brother!

 You think this is chunky? Wait until I post the pictures I took at bath time last night. He is HUGE!

 He is such a sweet boy though. My goodness this kid doesn't cry. He is happy and content no matter where he is. He lets me put him in his jumper, bouncy seat or swing so I can get things done. So sweet.

 I'm pretty sure that Rowynn enjoys being a big brother. He still kisses and hugs Brennyn all the time. When it is time to get Brennyn up from a nap, it is Rowynn that is the first one through the door to get him.

 Kisses for his little brother ALL the time.

I'm just so elated to be able to post all of these family pictures. It is such a blessing having our family grow. Things are crazy, sometimes frustrating but always joyful.

Fall Wreath

Thanks to my new obsession with Pinterest, I have been bitten by the craft bug! I have found that I thoroughly enjoy getting my craft on!

I had seen a "pin" of a really beautiful ribbon wreath that was available for purchase on Etsy for $30-$40 but couldn't bring myself to spend that much on a wreath. I decided that I would do my best to make my own.

 These are the goodies I brought home from the craft store. I ventured into Hobby Lobby and was pleasantly surprised to find that they had ribbon for 50% off!! I am also aware of the Internet coupon they offer each week and was able to get the straw wreath for 40% off. My trip to Hobby Lobby cost me $17.

I started off by roughly measuring the ribbon around the wreath and cut it where I wanted it. I then tested out that strip to make sure it was the right length. I think it ended up being ~12 inches. Throughout the process of cutting ribbon, I would test a strip around the wreath to make sure I wasn't losing length.

Once I had a giant pile of cute ribbon, I started trying them on (in knots).

 I got this far with the 10 spools of ribbon I initially bought. I would suggest buying multiples of your favorite ribbon so you are sure to have enough the first go around.

When I ran back to Hobby Lobby that night I grabbed 3 more spools and decided to hang a letter in the center. I scooped up this "S" for 2.99 and grabbed some "pumpkin orange" acrylic paint.

When I got home I painted my "S" and finished cutting and tying the rest of the ribbon. When I woke this morning I hot glued a strip of ribbon onto the "S" and then held it in the center until I figured out how far down I wanted the letter to hang. Using a little more hot glue, I glued the ribbon in place on the wreath.

I clipped another length of ribbon and figured out how I wanted it to hang on the door. I then glued down the two ends (the brown flanking each side of the white strip) and got it up on the door!

 TA-DA!!

 Though it took me a few hours to get the ribbons cut and tied, I am SO pleased with the results. I believe the total amount for the wreath was ~$20-$25 and I don't think that is to bad since I'm planning on reusing it next year! So long as it holds up to our Oklahoma winds.

Photography Practice

 Our full moon to the east

and the sunset to the west

Rowynn, watch out for that....

goose!!

(Disclaimer: this video was shot a while back and I'm pretty sure I'm not this big anymore. At least, I hope I have lost a good chunk of the baby weight.)

Who's Got The Giggles?

Brennyn does!! 

Here is some proof.........

Just ignore my high pitched, annoying baby voice!

Brotherly Love

Here are some great videos of the boys together. My favorite thing is watching my two babies interact. It is crazy the amount of joy that these two little beings can bring me. 

It is also unreal how much frustration they bring along with the joy, sometimes.

Though, it's more joy than frustration.

I think.

No, really, it is overwhelmingly joy. 

Most of the time.

 

 

Blog Love

My wonderful sister-in-law put up some more pictures and wordage over at her blog that goes a little further into my trip up north. To check out her spot, click -------->here<-------- and it will take you straight to it! I must say, I strive to one day be as eloquent with words as what she is!

Flying High

My mom made it possible for Rowynn, Brennyn and I to visit my family in Alaska. She was gracious enough to fly down one day and then turn around and fly back up with all of us in tow the next! 

Unfortunately, it was another trip without Rusty and I'm pretty sure I won't be traveling with the kids without him again!!

Rowynn has discovered plugs and now he is obsessed with them! The hard part at airports was keeping his sweet little fingers off of other peoples plugged in electronics.

Rowynn thought it was pretty cool to see the big airplane sitting right out the window. Granted, his interest in this big thing lasted all of two seconds before he was off to find more plugs!

Our adventure started here in Tulsa and took us to Salt Lake City where we had a relatively short layover before we boarded our plane for a 4-5 hour flight to Anchorage. In total, we traveled for roughly 10 hours in which Rowynn slept for a whopping 40 minutes. It was a long flight up! Though, I am so thankful that neither of the boys fussed.

Once we arrived, I soaked up as much family time as I could! It had been 2 years since I had seen my brother and his wonderful family. It was such a long over due visit and I am so grateful that I was able to bring both of the boys up to meet their aunt, uncle and cousins.

My sister-in-law soaked up quite a bit of baby holding! She had Brennyn trying to giggle but he just wouldn't let it out. The crazy part is that he finally giggled just a few days after I arrived home. Thanks Rach for warming him up to it!!

Rowynn really took to all of my family. It was so special for me to get to see all of my wonderful family showering both of the boys with so much love. My niece absolutely loved Brennyn! She was such a little mommy to him and it was so stinkin' cute! The boys on the other hand would talk to Brennyn but, they really liked Rowynn. They kept him constantly entertained and I think Rowynn was missing them after we got home to our quiet and "boring" house!

Thanks to all of Rowynn's cousins, he can now go up and down stairs! I was a basket case for the first week of the trip because I was always worried that he was going to take a tumble down the stairs. By the end of the trip, I was absolutely at ease.

It was so great to get to be back in a state with real mountains! Look at that view, breathtaking. 

The the boys kept trying to take Rowynn for rides in the "boy" Jeep, Rowynn preferred the Barbie Jeep! I think it was because the doors opened and closed and that it didn't move while he was in it!! Every time he got in the "boy" Jeep while his cousins were driving he would start to cry. Poor little scared boy.

There is a lack of pictures this time around because I consistently forgot my camera throughout the whole trip. So, one big event that I didn't get one single picture of was my mom's wedding. Yup, my mom got married while I was up there and I didn't get one single picture. This time it wasn't a lack of having my camera, it was lack of two or three more hands! My little children sure kept me busy that day!

My mom looked beautiful and it was a very sweet ceremony. I wish her and her new, very kind husband the best of luck and many wonderful years together.

Thanks mom for getting me up to Alaska. Thanks for helping with my kiddos for a couple of very long travel days (the leg coming home was a twelve hour day that included a 5 hour layover in SLC).