Welcome to THE CITY CRADLE where event planning, design and motherhood collide.
When daddy turns the kitchen stool over and pushes him around no one can stay sad for very long.
His smile becomes infectious touching every possible heart in its vicinity.
Oh my goodness- That smile… that smile. Do you see that smile? It is incredibly contagious around here,
Especially on days the tears rain down…
On those days his smile is our umbrella.
blessings.
How you know you have a life long dear friend?
You get your daughter dressed up to see her…
in the dress she wore as a little girl.
The exact dress her mom made for her and she wore when she was a baby,
because it was given to your daughter to wear.
That is the mark of a true and dear friend. I am grateful that my babies will grow up knowing and loving her and that they enjoyed many hugs in her arms this weekend.
blessings.
We bought them a little blue table with two red chairs in hopes they would sit together reading throughout the day, learning words- little scholars in the making.
It seems though they have concocted a different plan for this piece.
The books end up quickly forgotten on the floor,
climbers, gymnasts, acrobatics and the like…
anything as long as they can climb and conquer, in some small way control the mountain in front of them…
ending up victorious in their own story today.
blessings.
Here is a little insight into my brain for all of you: I accidentally say something aloud (ie. etching would look great on baby bottles) then I get so excited I cannot even stop to go pee before needing to make it happen.
As, it turns out…
Etching does, in fact, look quite fabulous on sippy cups (the toddler bottle form). This would be cute for a party or to simply celebrate snack time today.
Make it yourself:
Follow the how-to for wine glasses, using the word “milk”. I found cinnamon to be the best spice at sticking to the plastic sippy cups. Oh, and be extra careful to wipe off any remaining corn-syrup around the stencil or you will find it in your little ones hair later on;)
Adding in a little sparkle from cake sprinkles is lovely as well.
Bling… bling… bling…
PS. I told you the babies would still be loitering around here;)
blessings.
This weekend we are having a housewarming party complete with raspberry truffle smores (I think they sound heavenly). Next week, full on melted chocolate, I will share all the details with you. After the party, I’ll be snuggling up to my sweet Valentines both big and small. Hope you have a very lovely long weekend.
(He just melts my heart- gush…gush…gush…)
A few links of love for your weekend:
A big list of DIY wall art ideas.
Have you seen this site yet? My brother alerted me to it and I cannot figure out if they are joking or not. Either way, yikes.
The most adorable little 4-wheeler around + it has a matching toilet!
A baby mantel portrait I would actually enjoy,
I feel in love with Vladimir Kush’s art on my honeymoon in Maui, have you seen it? Amazing. Last weekend we glimpsed at his newest painting The Last Supper which may be his best work yet.
We are in the market for a few new coffee cups, this adorable owl mug grabbed my notice.
A onesie with a donkey is so fun for spring.
I’m super honored that Roeshel featured the love bottle vases this week @ DIY showoff- thanks
& I’m also grateful to Cat from Designing Moms for featuring me again- you girls rock:)
* Psst… A state of the blog address coming Monday- less depressing than Obama’s, I promise.
blessings.
We had new family pictures done a few weeks ago with the babies. Can I just say it is nearly impossible to get 5 adults and 2 babies all looking great in one shot.
Especially when you are being chased out of the hotel by security, because who knew, you are not allowed to do unapproved photo shoots on their property.
So, we kindly left but not before taking a few want to be in the band poses, for our upcoming tour-
Seriously… Holding auditions soon, but you have to look good in a white-t;)
Thanks Chelsea, you outdid yourself again.
blessings.
This weekend I am finishing off an incredible week where I have given myself extra time to rest and process some major upcoming decisions. I am feeling exceptionally grateful for our wonderful family and all of our lovely new San Diego friends. This weekend I will also be sneaking away with the hubby- enjoying a few of the “perks” of his new job.
PS. Instead of a picture I leave you for your weekend with one little gremlin and one very delirious laughing baby.
(Let me apologize in advance for the blinding light, un-cut clip, and the poor video quality. This was shot with the hubby’s phone and I cannot edit it. I decided to share it anyway because the laughing was just too awesome to keep to myself. Imperfection, right?!?)
Plus, a few links for you-
An online listing of where your kids can eat for free.
The most adorable outside table I have ever seen, ever.
A whole month devoted to boys- I am totally making these pirate lounge pants.
Cross stitching is a craft I have yet to take up, but this collection is putting it on my someday soon list- amazing.
Buy a cookie cutter that says something sweet this week.
A beautiful owl necklace for under $5, how could I not?!?
The 5 o’clock club, brings a dose of necessary support for my early morning risings.
Lastly, Amy is my new hero… I love every event design she creates and one day I plan to show up in NY on her doorstep begging to be tutored.
blessings.
We have entered into a new stage of baby life around here- Toddlerhood.
Two toddlers- complete with tantrums, discipline and the mischievousness that comes from freedom of movement. We’ve been reading through the book Toddlerwise to gain some wisdom, it has been so incredibly helpful. I would recommend it for parents of little ones.
One idea the book suggests is substituting experiences allowed for those you limit.
Example of a limit: The twins are not allowed to eat the dog food or play in her water.
Substitution: We play with cheerios and water on the kitchen floor making a mess and having a ball.
This way they can have the learning experience of playing with the dog food, while not actually playing with the dog food. A lovely and brilliant idea!
blessings.
If you have been following here for awhile you will remember all the crazy questions I put up with answering the first years of the twins life. Thankfully, much of the craziness has subsided lately (although I did get an Octomom comment the other day, which had me reminiscing).
Now we get asked one simple question, every where we go, every time we are out.
“How old are your babies?” is how it always starts, once they find out the twins have reached the year mark- everyone, everywhere follows up with….
“ARE THEY WALKING YET?”
This is the point in the conversation when I should just say, “No” and move on, but instead I usually start to explain… You see they were born a little early, and they are standing on their own, and taking little steps, and falling on their faces, and watch me- I can do jumping jacks.
Over compensating just a little.
The truth of the matter is that my babies are perfectly fine, and they will walk when they are good and ready to.
Plus in the meantime we get to practice…
…which is quite fun.
blessings.
In moving the twins room we have had the chance to adapt to their growing toddler needs. One of the obvious room fixes was to create a area were we could sit together and read. We created a spot on the ground that will prevent one baby from crawling right off the chair midway through the book, which honestly happens sometimes with two;)
Here is a glimpse at their new little reading corner-
We have had a wonderful time sitting and reading together these past nights. Here is my simple tutorial on how to create your own, nice quiet reading spot…
Start with a comfy little rug, ours is a blanket that doubles as an entertaining toy just incase the reading ever drags a bit.
Add to the blanket a low hanging shelf, low enough for your toddler to reach up and grab their own books to read (note: make sure the shelf is securely attached, those kiddos can be STRONG!)
Make it comfortable with a few friendly animals and a soft pillow or two.
Plus one little dude who is anxiously ready to read,
and a pint sized light, but beware everyone will need to have a chance at turning it off before saying goodnight.
Those my friends are the makings of a great little reading nook. Comfy, well stocked, streaming with light and easy to move just incase we change our minds about it all…
…but I don’t think we will.
It has become quite lovely to us already.
blessings.
