Quilt Weekend

 So....what will I make out of these lovely fabrics??  Yummy fabrics all picked from Karen Gray Design at Reynolda Village in Winston Salem.  I want to do something bright and fun for Baby Boy #3 and she was spot on when helping me pick out fabrics.  I picked them out on Good Friday, got them washed, ironed and cut...but no time to sew...until now.  Cakes are done, Max's party has come and gone and the boys are away visiting family in WV....perfect time for a QUILT WEEKEND!!  Yes...I confess...pretty fabric makes me happy and time to sew them into a quilt makes me even happier!! 

After two days of piecing my fabric together...all while having some much needed girl time with Melissa...here are our creations!!  Just picture it...chocolate walls in the nursery, white furniture, bright fabric...I'm getting excited!!

 Close up of the baby quilt....and no...a name has not been decided yet.  We're pretty close though!!

 Quilt top done.  Now onto the back before I can sandwich the quilt together and start hand quilting it for my little bundle!!

 Here is Melissa's VERY first quilt top!  She found this pattern last year on our beach trip and has worked on and off during the year on picking the fabric out, cutting her pieces, arranging the fabric and sewing them back together.  This weekend she finally got the entire front of her quilt finished!  It's awesome!!  Can you believe this is her first quilt??  She even got the back of her quilt pieced together too!  Now to buy batting and get this baby sandwiched together and prepped for quilting.  It's going to look awesome and Hannah is going to love her quilt from her mommy.  Made with love...

Awesome Melissa!!  You should be so proud of it!!  Show it off to everyone...you've earned it!  I had a great weekend and can't wait to do it again soon!!

Bring on the Summer!!

Our super hot Sunday last week gave us a taste of summer.  So we couldn't resist joining our neighbors for some fun slip-n-slide fun on such a hot day (close to 90!).  I would say the boys loved it and this will be a favorite summer past time!

Did we say how much we love our neighbors??  We were concerned moving a little out of town and being further away from friends, but we have gotten so lucky with all our neighbors.  Everyone is so nice and make us feel right at home.  Not to mention both Aiden and Max have playmates up the street their own age.  It's perfect!!  We are soooo enjoying the new neighborhood and house!

Happy 3rd Birthday Max!!

 

It's hard to believe my little Max has turned 3!  He's our baby boy (not for much longer)...our cuddler, our shadow...and definitely our clown.  A circus party is fitting for his personality...so bring on the clowns!  We had such a blast planning his party and it turned out great.  Only a few kids were scared of the clowns, but they warmed up to them before the party was over.  Thank you to everyone that joined the fun...you made his birthday extra special!

 

 In addition to a cake this year, I made cupcakes for all the kids.  Assorted flavors of white almond sour cream, chocolate and strawberry!

 The candy buffet!  The kids and adults both loved it.  In addition to munch during the party, each kid got to fill up their favor bag with all their favorite sweet treats!

 Max's BIG TOP birthday cake.  I made a new flavor this time...Orange Cake!  Everyone loved it, so I will definitely add it to my stash of recipes :)

 Chocolate covered pretzel rods were probably a crowd favorite this year (in addition to the cake of coarse!)

 Singing Happy Birthday To Max!  Jots, the clown, posing for a great pic!

 For the clown show, each everyone got their own popcorn box.  They took them home to enjoy popcorn snacks later!

 Jots the clown from Circus Daze.  They did a great job!  And after the show they did animal balloons and face painting for everyone!

 Sonshyne the clown!

 Max was the cutest little tiger ever!  At the end of the day he was EXHAUSTED and so were we...but it was all well worth it.  Happy Birthday my sweet Max!!  I hope it was the best day ever for you!

Meeting Precious Marlin

 On our last trip to WV our first priority was to meet the newest member of the family....precious Marlin!  We couldn't be happier for Don and Adrian as they become new parents and experience the many joys of parenthood.  True...parenting is hard, but there is NOTHING more rewarding.  Our hearts are filled with joy to see them so happy and in love with the little man.  As you can see from the pictures, we were head over heels the moment we met him too! 

 The boys were so excited to meet their new cousin!  After meeting Marlin they have told me several times that we should name our baby Marlin also!  I guess that means they want Marlin around all the time!

 Aiden took to feeding Marlin like a pro and Max soon joined in on the fun!  It's a good thing they get some practice before their baby brother is here!

And of course...a visit wouldn't be complete without wrestling and having fun with Uncle Don (a.k.a. the proud daddy).  He's going to be such an awesome daddy!

We're so happy for you Don and Adrian!  We can't wait to watch all the boys grow up together.  Who knows what they will get into, but I'm sure there will never be a dull moment!  Much love to all three of you!