Seasons

4th of July {the post of if’s}

July 4, 2012 2 Comments

Happy 4th of July everyone!
I hope all of you are having a safe and fabulous time celebrating our Independence Day!

Because I am about to POP… feeling SUPER pregnant… and it’s hotter than
you-know-where here…
I decided to skip the 4th of July décor this year.
(*GASP* “Those poor littles!” – that’s what you are thinking, right?!)

Sooo… today I am sharing some awesome ideas that I would have totally done IF I were going all out for the 4th this year :

This Pallet American Flag from Young and Crafty would totally be on our back porch!

And we would eat these Fruit Sparklers for our afternoon snack from The NY Melrose Family.

And my 4th of July Mantle would look like this from The Crafted Sparrow:

I would even rock Patriotic Nails from Fit, Craft, Stylish & Happy

And this Patriotic Wreath from Twice Blessed would totally be hanging on our front door:

Harper would so wear this 4th of July Ruffle Skirt from Mama Says Sew:

And Cliff would wear this 4th of July Shirt from Make It and Love It:

We would eat this Messy Burger with potato salad from Cooking Light for supper:

And finish the celebration with the most amazing fireworks display ever:

…guess there’s always next year… right?!

HAPPY 4th OF JULY!
Be SUPER safe and have TONS of fun!

Filed Under: Featuring YOU, Holiday, Holidays, Seasons

{Sunrise}

June 20, 2012 4 Comments

Have you ever seen something in nature that changed your life forever?!
A few weeks ago, I did.
It was 5:42am at the beach.
Ross and “the guys” left at 3:30am to go offshore fishing.
No matter how many times he goes, I will always worry about him and pray and pray and pray for his safe return the entire time he is out there in the ocean on the boat.
I stumbled into the kitchen to get a glass of water and was shocked to see this stunning scene in action outside.

After picking my jaw up off the floor, I immediately grabbed the camera and went onto the deck to witness this spectacular show unfold right before my eyes.

Then it happened.
The sun began to peek out over the horizon.

The way purple melts into pink which blends seamlessly with orange and eventually gives way to the most amazing shade of blue is so perfect that only God could create it.

I have never seen something so stunning.

I stood there on the deck and all I would do was praise God for creating this beautiful world that we are all so blessed to live in.

As the sun continued to rise,
I promised myself that I will take the time to stop and truly enjoy the beauty that surrounds us.

I will make a conscious effort to REALLY pay attention to the spectacular scenes created by God that play out everyday that most of us do not even notice.

Soak up the beauty that this world has to offer.

God is so good and watching this sunrise made me realize just how much effort He put into creating this spectacular world just for us to enjoy.
His love for us is amazing.
His love for us is unconditional.
His love for us will never ever fade away.

Filed Under: Faith, Inspiration, Life, Seasons

{The Beach}

June 19, 2012 5 Comments

The beach is our happy place.
Where we love to spend our summers.
Growing up, summer meant playing in the sand, riding the boat out in the ocean, feeling the burn of salty water mixed with sunscreen on my sun kissed cheeks, spending days and days with cousins and being surrounded by family.
Ross and I feel so blessed that our littles can spend a good bit of their summers at the beach.
After all, it is our happy place.

They are comfortable on the beach.

Occasionally a big wave will come and Harper runs to me and yells
“hold you hand Mama!”
And of course I secretly love those big waves because they mean that I get to hold her hand.

Don’t even get me started on these cute, squishy, sandy cheeks.

Our days on the beach are filled with squeals of delight, laughter and pure happiness.

This year, The Boy is convinced he can surf.
Ross and I could sit there and watch him “surf” all day!
He is so stinkin’ awesome, if I do say so myself.

Sometimes we take walks on the beach where we spend time chatting with the littles,
asking them questions, listening to what life is like through their eyes.
They see the magic that this world has to offer and their sweet, innocence makes my heart melt.

Happy.

Freedom.

Late afternoons are spent on the boat.

On the boat, Cliff is in his element.
Asking Ross a ton of questions.
He is a little captain in training.

The best part is when we have friends with us.
Ross is able to sit in the back of the boat and enjoy our family.

This is our happy place.

Smiles fill our faces.

Being together.
Soaking up every second.
This is what life is about.

Exploring the inlet is always so much fun.
And so beautiful.

Then the moment we have waited for is here.
Sunset.
So stunning it takes your breath away no matter how many times you have seen it.

Ross and I laugh when we ride across the inlet to the restaurants and the littles scream and point to the “real” pirate ship!
No matter how many times we drive past it, Cliff always reassures Harper that our boat goes WAY faster than that pirate ship and those pirates will NEVER be about to catch us!

Taking the boat to dinner is always a fun treat.
It’s different and exciting to pull up to the dock in front of the restaurant!

At the beach,
we are all high on life.

Life is so precious and there is something about being here that always reminds us to be thankful for every second we have together.

The beach,
our happy place.

Where is your happy place?!

Filed Under: Family, Life, Seasons, The Boy, The Girl

{Happiness}

May 16, 2012 5 Comments

Happiness is everywhere.
It surrounds us and even though life can be a little crazy… ok, a lot crazy,

happiness is still there.
Sometimes you just have to look for it.

Happiness is seeing that Cliff and Harper want to sit next to each other and giggle about silly things together.

Happiness is the fact that even though The Girl is growing up way too fast,
there are parts of her that are still baby.

It is in the excitement of watching The Boy become giddy with glee over the fact that some planes can land on water and float like a boat.

Happiness is watching them play fully content, in their own little worlds, but within arms reach of each other.

It is in the way she is enamored with sand.
She acts like she has never seen it before.

Happiness is being surrounded by great friends who love our littles.

Even though it kind of breaks my heart when Harper, just like a big girl,
does this with ease…

the way she grins with pride as she replaces the cap is pure happiness.

Happiness is sitting back and watching boys be boys,
even if they are breaking the rules and spraying sunscreen at anyone who passes by.

It is in the squeals and laughter of those who unexpectedly become the next victim on the wrong side of a water gun filled with cold super water.

Happiness is watching The Boy have the time of his life.

And being proud when sister, the usual water gun target, dishes it right back…
never skipping a beat!
(You go girl!)

Happiness is editing photos and coming across an unexpected moment that Ross happened to capture.
Soon there will be three little ones to love with all my heart.

That is happiness.

It is in the way his soul is so sweet and pure.
When you look into his eyes, you can help but be filed with happiness.

Happiness is kissing soft cheeks.

And capturing one of his facial expressions that would have most likely been forgotten in years to come.

Happiness is taking a moment to see, really see the beauty that the world around us has to offer and soaking it in, just like God intended us to do when He created it.

Happiness is everywhere.

Sometimes you just have to look for it.

Filed Under: Family, Inspiration, Life, Seasons, The Boy, The Girl

The Lake.

April 10, 2012 7 Comments

The Lake.

Our Happy Place.
Where we spend REAL time together.
Laughing, smiling, soaking each other in.

Where Daddy can teach the littles how to catch fish.

Seeing Cliff’s face beam with pride when he reels “the BIG one” in is priceless.

Laughing as The Girl “pets the sweet fishy” before they release it back into the water.

These moments together are priceless.
Ross and I treasure our days with the littles on the water.
Their sweet smiles, their innocence, the funny things they say and the way they love whole heartedly.

We soak them in.
Every little detail.
So that one day when the littles are all grown up,
we can remember exactly what they were like in this moment.

The way her little baby feet look in the sand.
And how the foot print trails she leaves behind tell a story of her adventures on the beach.

How her independence is thriving.
The fact that neither one of them cares that the water is FREEZING.

This year they play together.
Listening to their conversations is so sweet.
They really love each other.

The Girl’s wet piggy tails and sunscreen greased cheeks are too much.
I just have to run over and kiss those greasy, chubby cheeks every chance I get.

Then it happened…
The cutest bathing suit wedgie anyone has ever seen.

325

The ride back to the dock is when I reflect on the perfect day we spent together
and thank God that we are able to have these moments together as a family.
My arms are full of sleepy littles and I think to myself “this is pure perfection.”
Right here.
This moment.
Then Hollis kicks and I smile, thinking about the miracle growing inside of me.
And how this time next year I will have one more little in my arms and a heart that is even more full than it is now.

Life is so precious.

These moments are what life is about.

Filed Under: Family, Seasons, The Boy, The Girl

{Spring} Wreath!

April 9, 2012 1 Comment

When I think of Spring,

I think of simplicity.

Cleanliness.

Happiness.

So,

when creating our Spring Wreath this year,

I decided to allow the natural beauty around our home to take center stage.

I made a point to create a wreath that would compliment the natural, vibrant colors that only Spring brings.

This wreath is not only perfect to use to transition to other seasons,

but it’s simplicity is just plain sweet.

It is also super simple to make!

A tutorial is coming soon!

Filed Under: Crafting, Decorating, My House, Seasons, Sneak Peek

Hello There {Spring}

March 21, 2012 2 Comments

In our house,

Spring means windows open.

Spring permits late afternoon strolls to the end of our road and back, breathing in the fresh air.

The Boy walks with us now.

Downhill to to stop sign and uphill all the way home.

He is amazes us everyday.

Afternoon snack are enjoyed outside.

Spring means staying outside until the stars come out.

Then counting as many as we can.

Happiness and freedom come with spring.

Spring means that our swings are always filled with littles.

Their squeals of delight and the smiles on their faces are contagious.

This year,

The Girl loves to swing.

Last year, it took her a while to warm up to the idea of swinging.

The Boy can not swing high enough.

He loves the belly dropping movement.

His smile melts my heart.

With spring comes a yard full of flowers.

And with flowers comes beautiful smells.

They smell flowers for hours.

Running from plant to plant picking flowers,

eager to smell their beautiful scent and admire their beauty.

Spring means slowing down to take the time to enjoy the beauty that surrounds us.

Thanking God for every inch of it.

See and smell every flower, feel the breeze, dance to the songs created by the birds,

soak in the littles while they are still little.

This is a season for growth and there is always room for growth.

What does spring mean for your family?!

Filed Under: Faith, Family, Inspiration, Life, Seasons, The Boy, The Girl

Merry Christmas!

December 24, 2011 2 Comments

{Picture via JK Photography, Card via Little Miss Missy}

Filed Under: Holiday, Seasons

{Christmas} with The Little Giggler

December 20, 2011 8 Comments

Hi Johnny in A Dress Readers!

My name is Amanda and I blog over at The Little Giggler. I love all things cute, crafty, and handmade. I especially like to sew and make fun things for my daughter.

(That’s us)

I’m so excited to be visiting Natalie’s awesome blog today!
She’s so crafty and talented!

Today I’m going to share a fun Christmas craft I made for my daughter.

THE FELT FROSTY THE SNOWMAN

Who says you can’t build a snowman in Southern California? Not me! Maybe we should call him Toasty the Snowman. It is 80 degrees outside.

Supplies I used:

Felt, felt, and more felt.

Velcro

Sewing Machine

Thread

A tiny bit of batting.

I started out with a yard of blue felt. I folded it in half and sewed it together. I made everything with two layers. I sewed the softer side of the Velcro on the blue felt. I wanted the body of the snowman to really stick. I sewed a square of the “scrathy” Velcro to the back of all the body pieces, so it would catch the line of soft Velcro no matter how she put it on.