Smile And Wave

Smith's First Birthday

It's only JUST April so I'm not too late sharing Smith's birthday, right? We didn't throw a big party but we did get him some big balloons and let him enjoy his very own smash cake. Brett was recovering from the flu and the kids had a snow day so even though it fell on a weekday, we were all able to be together all day to give our littlest Denbow some extra love. 

Ruby helped me mix the cake but I separated some batter for a smash cake and then separated the remaining batter into three pans without realizing I needed to let it bake a little less than usual. I got busy cleaning and keeping Smith off the top of the step ladder and then pulled out a lovely smash cake and three pans of something that resembled the texture of cookies and broke off in chunks when I tried to remove them.

We were needing to let it all cool and frost before his next nap so I didn't have time to make another one so I improvised and just told the kids that ugly cake still tasted good! More on that later.

Smith's smash cake is the shape of one of my Pyrex bowls because I didn't have a large enough aluminum can to use as a mold. My heart was set on letting him have his own, though, so I did what I always do when I don't have what I need and found the next best thing. I am nothing if not resourceful these days!

As you can see, he started out slowly and then realized sugar tastes amazing and that he needed it all over his face. This last photo above is actually right when we took it off his tray so we could let him open presents. He was not happy with us.

We let the kids pick out what they wanted to give Smith and since he mostly sticks things in his mouth or bangs them on hard surfaces, we all decided little Beanie Babies from the flea market would be a good choice. Also, a ball and some Hot Wheels because duh. He was happy enough just having his big brother indulge him in a game of drop it from the highchair and have it retrieved for you. 

After presents I carved out the softest parts from the cake pans and layered them up with cream cheese frosting and told the kids that we were getting our own smash cakes. They got to add their own sprinkles and in the end it tasted just as good because cream cheese frosting covers a multitude of baking mistakes.

This boy was such a gift after a few years of wondering if we'd be able to add a third to our family and he loves his brother and sister like they hung the moon. I love being able to see how their relationships are already unique to each of them but real and true and thankfully mostly loving since he's not quite broken any of their stuff at this point.

The most special part of the day was when we were able to Face Time with three sets of family members and he took his first step, second step, and third step while we were on the phone with each of them. I kind of jumped the gun claiming he'd be walking by his first birthday but he helped me save face by technically attempting to all on his own. Thanks, buddy. 

I have never been more sleepy in my life but I've never been more aware of the sweetness the love of a child can offer as with my third. He's always wanting to be held but he's also always grabbing my face to offer a kiss. He still wakes me up a few times a night but he's got the brightest eyes for me each morning. He's teaching me so much about paying attention even though I can see how quickly this time flies in the form of my eight-year-old that towers above him. Weren't we just doing this for the first time?

I can't wait for all of the birthdays to come with this crew. SO many cakes in our future! My chances of getting it right one of these days is pretty good.

-Rachel

P.S. I recently posted about how this man almost came into this world at a school meeting the night he was born. Read about that here. 

Valentine's Day Forever

I love when a fun holiday lands on a weekend so that it can be fully enjoyed by all members of the family at the same time. This Valentine's Day we celebrated at home with some special touches to make it feel more festive. Cake is always requested for holidays at home and I'm always happy to oblige. This year it meant a boxed red velvet cake (it'd been a long week) with homemade cream cheese frosting (because duh, not that long) and their favorite root beer from our local natural food grocer. 

I pulled out all of the pink and red decorations from holidays past and then added my new macrame yarn garland and finger knit one in pink. I have a feeling they'll be used for the next few November birthday parties unless Ruby stops loving pink as much as I do. She helped decorate with plenty of handmade hearts to make sure our walls weren't bare and made sure she was around to taste test the cake mix and frosting. 

The kids got Valentines from their great grandparents in the mail that afternoon with a little fun money inside so Brett volunteered to take all three of them to Target to pick something out and run a few errands while I finished the cake and enjoyed a quiet house for the first time in weeks. It was one of those gifts of time alone doing something I enjoyed that was worth more than any store bought gift I could've received and made all the more valuable after about six weeks of having all three kids mostly to myself. 

It was so fun having both arms free to add sprinkles to the cake in the shape of a heart, decorate the top of the piano, fashion a quick little photo holder for a cake topper, pick out my favorite InstaThis print of the three kids, fuss with party straws, and take pictures of everything to help remember Smith's first Valentine's Day celebration before reminding fingers to stay out of the frosting or helping clean up a spilled drink.

The kids' school doesn't allow sugary treats or food items to be passed out with Valentines but they did have a designated time in the school day on Thursday to trade them so we used some of what we had on hand to make Valentines for each of the kids in their classes. Sebastian has fewer kids so we used clay to make oven bake hearts that he painted and wrote his name on the back of. Ruby has a lot more kids so she colored on paper cards that she made a few of everyday leading up to the party. She then painted two clay hearts for her teachers because she didn't want to miss out on painting something. 

I decorated the top of the cake but then thought it needed something else so I added a photo that InstaThis sent over. It didn't get any frosting on it, thank goodness, so it can be used in another project later or framed. 

Brett picked up some cards for the kids and myself while he was at Target and wrote them a sweet message in each of them. Then we had pizza and cake and root beer (their favorite treats) and talked about silly things in between sharing one thing we loved about each member of the family. It's a tradition I hope we can keep going for as long as we get to share our Valentine's Day together at home. 

Later that evening Brett and I enjoyed catching up on some quality time after the kids were asleep. We will get our turn to have a fun night out on the town soon but this particular weekend called for a night in by the fire cuddling while we caught up on a favorite show and reminisced over this time last year when we were eagerly awaiting the arrival of Smith and I was too full of child to do much of anything! Oh how things have changed in one year's time.

I hope your Valentine's Day held a little love in it from someone. I hope you got some cake, too!

-Rachel

Bits of Christmas 2014

Christmas in a new home is always both exciting and overwhelming. We've moved enough times now that I've learned how to use what I have to work with the home we're in that year and let the rest stay in boxes for another Christmas. I've also gathered so much over the years from flea markets and thrift stores that I have a few different color schemes I can choose from. What I don't have, I fill in with handmade or store bought. I always get out my favorites and I hope they are the things that the kids remember being special parts of these childhood memories.

This Christmas was the pause before Brett's new job started up. It meant filling in the gaps between paychecks by selling things we didn't have use or room for, resisting the urge to buy anything extra, making smart grocery lists, cutting ALL the fat, staying up late to finish contributor posts, mending the holes in thrifted jackets, counting our blessings when we found a second unexpected amount sitting in an old bank account (check your old accounts!), taking advantage of free holiday activities, splurging on hot chocolate and marshmallows, learning to not just be thankful for what we have but seeing how much we still have. 

We ditched the Advent Activity Calendar this year for a few different reasons but still managed to include a few inexpensive or free holiday activities. We made gingerbread houses from graham crackers and homemade frosting. I let the kids pick out two bags of candy each and I don't think I can ever go back to the kits. It was so fun doing something a little different and the frosting held up so well. 

Our new rental, sweet rental is only a few blocks from downtown Springfield so we were able to walk to the Christmas parade this year. I remember taking Sebastian as a little boy and freezing as I held him all wrapped up in Brett's jacket. This year I bundled Smith up and wore him in my Ergo and forced a jacket on Ruby before heading down the street. 

The kids got more candy than they did at Halloween and finally got to see Santa after countless promises to drive to Bass Pro and give him their wish lists. It was much more fun than standing in line for two hours. 

We had a Christmas countdown but Ruby decided it needed a holiday scene so she added Santa and his reindeer. And Olaf. Then we just stopped trying to keep up with the countdown so it stayed at 16 for about a week. 

I made mostly new stockings for the banister. I reused one from a DIY last year and then made coordinating ones from fabric and an old sweater. Lest you think this is some sort of sneaky announcement, we only have six stockings because Ruby was convinced Sunday needed one, too. The pom poms are handmade and the adornments are various ornaments and letters I've collected.

Smith has found the stairs, folks. We have purchased a baby gate but laundry baskets have been standing in as well.

We spent some time with Brett's family prior to Christmas and then came home for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day to repack, do laundry, drop off gifts, and enjoy a break from all of the driving. It was a little odd as it's only the second time we've been at our own house on Christmas Day but it was also really special waking up to our own tree and opening the presents Santa brought!

We then headed to Oklahoma to see my side of the family and had three more rounds of Christmas gatherings before coming home on New Year's Eve. Brett has been preparing to start his new job in life insurance this week so we got back in time for him to study up for the next round of training. I cleaned and organized our closet and bedroom and set up Smith's crib so that he can start napping and sleeping there at night (at least for the first few hours).

I'm ready to take everything down and hit the refresh button on some newly unpacked spaces. It's time to go buy a few plants, decide on a rug, switch my studio with Sebastian's room, replace some stand in curtains that aren't quite long enough to cover our tall windows, and keep working towards making this place our home, however long that may be.

Have I mentioned our home is gorgeous? Have I mentioned I love the huge kitchen? What about the light that it gets or the beautiful trees in the yard? That's a whole different post to share in the coming weeks. 

Whether your Christmas looked a little like ours or completely different, I hope it was special. 

-Rachel

 Christmas in Colorado 2013

Christmas in Colorado 2012

Christmas in Springfield 2011

Christmas in Springfield 2010

Christmas in Springfield 2009

Christmas in Springfield 2008

Recent Contribution to A Beautiful Mess

 

With the addition of some new nooks and crannies in this Victorian rental, we needed a few new things that sparkle. Just in time for Christmas, I made these three decorative pillows. I'll probably switch out the inserts with our regular pillows once Christmas has past and then bring them back out next year after Thanksgiving again. Except for that swiss cross. That one is staying up a little longer!

Head over to A Beautiful Mess for the full tutorial for making each of these three festive pillows!

Happy Holidays! -Rachel

The Day Ruby Turned Five

We had another simple celebration for Ruby's birthday this year. We had only been in our new house for two weeks and were still swimming in packing paper and stacks of half opened cardboard boxes so I let go of my grand expectations and kept it doable. Sometimes it's all about managing those expectations, huh! 

Ruby requested chocolate cake with whipped cream on top so I made a naked cake with four layers (because I had four cake pans) and made our own whipped cream after seeing how easy it was to make from a friend of ours in Colorado. I added some Pokey sticks in the shape of a five and she was a happy girl. We had the extra cake in the fridge all afternoon and by the time everyone was ready for seconds, the kids said the whipped cream tasted like ice cream. It was delicious!

I stayed up the night before hand-painting packing paper with black acrylic paint. Now, before you wonder at my incredible effort to make custom wrapping paper, understand that it was the obvious choice for a lady that had it exploding from the tops of boxes in every room. I also had plenty of black paint and foam brushes and little desire to go back to Wal-Mart with a child or two in tow to purchase the one thing I forgot. Necessity (laziness) is the mother of invention. 

She decided she needed a Star Wars themed party the night before her birthday (before I ran off to Wal-Mart for balloons and candles) but she'd switched things up so much from her original idea, I was hoping she was flexible.

We spent the rest of the day relaxing, playing, working, and enjoying our backyard fire pit. Smith decided to start pulling up on things so Brett stuck him in an empty box to help contain him. I had to chase Ruby around the yard to get her picture. With her new numerical standing has also come a little more willfullness. I can take it.

I owe Ruby a big party next year. It seems we make big life adjustments right before or after both big kids' birthdays and sometimes that means our energies are aimed at all of the other things. I'm so thankful that they could care less about having a Pinterest worthy party as long as they get cake and have a few balloons to kick around all afternoon. I'm still going big next year.

I'm so thankful our three kids' birthday's are spread out nicely throughout the calendar year! I'm not sure how anyone manages to do birthdays back-to-back!

Stopping to reflect on where we were this time last year is something my Grandmother always does when we all get together and is probably one of the reasons she has the best memory in the family. This time last year we were welcoming Brett home from deployment and preparing ourselves for our little mystery baby. It was such a special time. Like a familymoon instead of a honeymoon. Doing all I can to remember how much we've made it through in the last few years and how thankful I am for where we are now.

-Rachel 

Pumpkin Carving and Pumpkin Wearing

We've only been in our new rental for two weeks and there are still boxes to unpack in every room except the kitchen but that wasn't going to stop us from enjoying this festive season. We picked up a few pumpkins and mums at deeply discounted prices the day before Halloween to get our front porch looking the part and then got to work on some pumpkin carving.

Ruby chose a white pumpkin and had me trace and help her cut out a black cat. She loved it so much she couldn't bear the thought of throwing the negative cut out cat shape away! Also, her pumpkin wasn't moldy, just a bit dirty from the lot. 

Sebastian is my kid that never wanted slimey stuff on his hands as a little kid and is sensitive to textures but he didn't mind cleaning his pumpkin out at all. 

Smith was taking it all in from his perch next to me. He's so much quieter now that he can sit up on his own and is usually content to stay in one spot for a bit as long as there's something near him to explore.

Soon after the photo above we had a major diaper issue that called for a complete outfit change. The kids kept working on cleaning out their pumpkins while I took care of things inside and then brought Smith back out to enjoy the beautiful weather.

Except remember that part about how he was so content to sit still? 

Yeah, never mind. 

-Rachel

Sebastian's Eighth Birthday and the Fourth of July

Sebastian's birthdays have almost always been spent with my side of the family as we have been getting together for the 4th of July since I was a kid. This year we stayed home since we're getting together in California in a few weeks and traveling 10 hours in a car with a 4-month-old is not anyone's idea of a relaxing long weekend. It was going to feel a little different not celebrating with everyone so I put some extra energy into making it feel exciting at home. We planned a full day to celebrate both Sebastian and our Independence Day and by the end we were all exhausted and content in the way one is after watching fireworks with thousands of other families whilst listening to the city orchestra play Sousa with all they've got.

Our day started the night before with decorating, wrapping presents, and blowing up a few balloons after the kids had gone to bed so that our early riser would get the thrill of waking up to that excitement. He kindly waited a whole hour before waking us up to get the party started. He opened presents and we face timed with some family before Brett took him to Manitou Springs for his first zip-lining experience. 

Meanwhile, Ruby and I made his cake while Smith napped the morning away. Ruby got to decorate the first layer and apparently went with a firework sprinkle explosion theme. I then added the second wonky layer that was baked in a pie pan because I couldn't find my other cake pan, smothered it in cream cheese frosting, and reinforced things with strawberries. When your cake is looking awkward, add more strawberries!

We then rushed to decorate with streamers and set the table for a birthday lunch before the boys returned. Ruby LOVES this part and added special touches on her own while I nursed Smith. 

We welcomed the boys back from their adventure and heard all about how brave Sebastian was gliding over the canyon with the American flag strapped to his harness. We had lunch and then watched Princess Bride during the hottest part of the day. Once Smith was down for another nap I got the big kids rounded up to make ice cream in a bag. My mom had sent us a recipe and I'd always wanted to try making it ourselves. Most of my memories on the 4th as a kid involved homemade chocolate and banana ice cream and I wanted them to enjoy that, too.

Two minutes of shaking ice and they were done. Too cold! Too hard! Oh, the agony! I finished the job and may have bribed them to taste their flavors. One was raspberry and the other banana. In the end they weren't fans of the chunks of fruit which meant I was able to enjoy some all by myself. Here's a link to a similar recipe if you're interested in helping your kids make their own or just doing it yourself because it's really pretty fun to watch it turn in your bag.

The kids opted for Bomb Pops instead. It was an unusually sugar-filled day but when you're celebrating a double holiday we throw the all things in moderation rule out the window!

Especially because S'Mores were on the menu for that evening! We grilled turkey and apple hot dogs on our new camp-sized grill by PoppyTalk and cooked sweet potatoes to use as buns, whole food style. 

We visited with our neighbor friends and then walked a few blocks to a huge park to watch fireworks and enjoy the ambiance from hundreds of glow sticks and light up swords spread throughout the crowd. We could see fireworks going off in neighboring Manitou Springs and the sunset over the mountains was gorgeous. Brett took the big kids to a better spot once the fireworks started and Smith and I stayed put - he in his wrap and me in my memories from last year on the 4th.

We had just seen Brett off to Kuwait the day before and had driven all day to get to my parent's house in OKC to celebrate and distract ourselves from feeling so sad. The afternoon of the 4th I realized I was late and had my mom stop at the drug store to get me a test on the way home from dinner. That positive sign appeared and I cried happy tears. 

The Fourth of July holds so many layers of celebration for our family. Getting to enjoy celebrating them together this year is what I'm most thankful for.

-Rachel

Eight Years Old

 

Son, you are already half way to driving a car by yourself, over a third of the way to being allowed to vote, and then there's all the moving out of the house and college, etc. in between. You were just born! And then you turned eight! This past year you've grown and matured in so many ways and I couldn't be more proud. You've either got your head in a book, are building your own original Lego creations, or making up stories as you walk around in the backyard. You've been so helpful as a big brother since Smith's come along. That means the world to me.

 

You still get up every morning at 6 am just like that first morning when I was startled awake with a strong contraction and knew you were coming. It's been an adventure, my boy. 

Happy Birthday.

-Mama

Sebastian's Photo Booth Birthday Invites

I've been taking advantage of every chance to get a photo strip from the old-fashioned booth nearby before we move back to a boothless town. Oh, the sadness! We did a strip of just Sebastian to go along with his teacher gift in May and I really loved seeing him enjoy getting the booth all to himself so we decided to do his birthday party invitations in a similar way.

All I did was tell him to hold up eight fingers in all four pictures thinking we'd just use the best one but his faces were all so fun that I decided one wasn't enough. I scanned the strip and opened it up in Photoshop. Then I made two copies and cropped the first two photos of the strip in one and the second two photos in the second.

I then copied those two cropped photos and placed them side-by-side on a new background and flattened my image. I cropped it down to the edges and then sized it to about 3" wide so that I could fit four images on one 8.5" x 11" sheet of photo paper. I made a new background that measured about 8.5" x 11" and pasted my image four times, making sure to line them up so I could cut them quickly with my paper cutter.

I did a test print on regular paper and then printed them out onto photo paper to get the same feel as a photo strip. Then I wrote the details of the party on the back of each photo with a sharpie and tucked them into standard card envelopes leftover from another batch of store bought thank yous along with a red balloon. I had originally planned to write the details of the party on the blown up balloons but my sharpie started to smear so I ditched that plan. 

They were fun to make and so incredibly inexpensive. I wonder how expensive it would be to buy our own photo booth and keep it on our back porch? Yeah, that'd be ideal.

Since most people don't have fabulously old-fashioned photo booths in their towns, another option would be to just take photos of your child against a white wall in a naturally lit setting, editing them to be black and white with your photo editing software, and then copying them all onto one backgroundwith a little bit of white space in between them all.

Do you have a favorite photo strip from an old photo booth? Also, how many times have you watched Amelie?

-Rachel

Playing Catch Up: Father's Day Weekend

It's been quiet over here, hasn't it! So, I meant to blog to let everyone know I wasn't going to be blogging for a few days but things really just got that busy and my sweet Smith started deciding not to go to sleep at night when I usually sit down to work and a girl shouldn't stay up too late or she'll lose her mind over a broken glass or library books (yay, reading!) ALL OVER ALL THE FLOORS. Here's what has happened since we last spoke. 

We had a full Father's Day Weekend that started out with me waking up with the early risers in the family and letting Brett catch up on some much needed rest. We were out of coffee so I packed up the younger two and walked to Fifty Fifty Coffee House to take care of that. Ruby always finds her seat at the bar and chats with the gals making coffee and we always leave thankful for the caffeine and the feeling of community that they've built over there. We got home, picked up Sebastian, and trekked back out in search of the fabulous Airstream that houses The Long I Pie.

I'd heard about Shauna from both Tara, who sold her the Airstream, and our friends up at Fifty Fifty and we are always, always down for some pie. It was so fun getting to meet her and make some new friends while we were there! Ruby and Sebastian both enjoyed their pie on the blankets provided by the shop and we all kind of wished Shauna lived in Colorado Springs so we could do this more often! She's moving to Denver this month so follow her under @thelongipie on Instagram to find out where to get yourself some delicious pie!

We brought this guy some pie and made him coffee and even let him read while he enjoyed his treats while we occupied ourselves around the house. Then we went to make some LED light up cards at a local shop so he could have some more down time. Working 60 + hours a week and getting up at 4:30 every morning sometimes means the best gift is the gift of rest! Well, that and an iTunes gift card to download a few albums being released this summer.

You know what this guy did while we were out giving him some down time? Dishes and laundry. Talk about a keeper! This family doesn't work as well when we don't have him around and I'm so thankful for all he does for us both at his job and at home. We've got a good one.

-Rachel