BABYBERRY

17 Months... Living Life in Fast-Forward!

2012-02-29T19:52:00.009-06:00

Right now, I am wondering if any of my other blog-buddy mommies to toddlers are feeling as exhausted as I am feeling these days?! Ha! Like you're living your life in super-duper fast-forward!!

I feel like I begin each day wondering how I'm going to keep up, and end the day wondering how I did!! STOP the toddler insanity!! :)

B, you are ALL about testing our patience these days... There is no longer any such things called cooperation, sitting in one place for more than 3 seconds, or "listen"ing to Mommy {or Daddy, or Grammy, et al}.

... Needless to explain, it is increasingly difficult not to resort to using negative "No, no, NOOOOOOOOOO!" reinforcement during the really frustrating times!! But I am also relishing in the moments where I can say, "Mommy is so proud of you because..."-- And I LOVE the way that you respond to that!

My parents seem to get a kick out of watching B assert her "independence"... It seems that when they say "you get it back," they are exactly right! You are definitely Mommy's mini-me in so many ways, but you also have such a sweet-side that reminds me so much of your daddy--- and you have his cute dimples :)

But, you are getting smarter by the day. We are so proud to watch you grow and learn so many new things. I love watching how eager you are to do things that you see Mommy or Daddy do... It's so heartwarming!

B, you are definitely our sunshine every day...

You're zero to sixty in 5.2...

You're a constant string of "peek-a-boos"

You have learned to recruit Oz {"Pup-Pup"}, so that he can at least share the blame...

I cannot believe how quickly these 17 months have gone by... Everyone that knows you and loves you has commented about your transformation into a "big girl" in this last month!

Holding your new cousin, Arianna, today {who weighs in at 6lbs, 2oz- just like YOU}, made me so sentimental to think at how much you have grown since your birth day. :)

For a trip down memory lane, GO HERE!

The "Wilson" Girls

Here are a few of Mommy's {and B's} favorite things that have helped us keep our sanity during this fast-paced, on-the-go lifestyle...

LIFE-SAVERS!

Oh, Miss B! You are a barrel of laughs each day and I can't wait to see what these next few months will bring us!! We love you so much!

HAPPY 17 MONTHS!

Blessed Birthday Girl

2012-02-28T06:59:00.003-06:00

So much joy has finally come into our lives after a very difficult month,
in the form of my brand new niece...

meet

Arianna Elizabeth

{Little Miss A's Facebook Debut}

Isn't she beautiful? We are all in love.

It is such an honor to be a part of her life, and especially to be a part of her name...

Arianna with Daddy, Uncle Aaron, and Aunt Emily Elizabeth

... As for B, I think it's safe to say that she's head-over-heels in love with her new baby cousin!

{can't you feel the love?}

XOXO

She adores giving the "baby" kisses!! So sweet!

In about two years, we are going to be in BIG trouble with this pair, along with the Miles-Man!

Congratulations Auntie Amanda and Uncle Andrew!!

We love all three of you very much :)

DIY Silhouette Art

2012-02-27T16:50:00.002-06:00

Hi all!

After a very tough month, I'm back from a little blog sabbatical with a quick and easy project!

Make your own silhouette!

I love silhouette art... And had I known it was so easy to do it yourself, I would have completed this a long time ago! :) When I saw this idea on Pinterest, I went back through all of my photos to see if I could find one of B's profile. I found two or three potentials, then I cropped them, enlarged them {and rotated a few of them to get the perfect profile}, then printed them out onto white card stock. After I decided on the one I wanted to use, I cut it out, then traced the outline onto some black linen-finish card stock. I will tell you that I didn't really get the visualization on how it was going to turn out until after I traced it onto the black card stock... I was SO excited when I saw how well it transferred!

I cut it out from the black card stock, then used a couple of Zots to post it onto the white background.

Place it into a frame, and voila!

I remember my mom had all three of our silhouettes done when we were younger... I always loved looking at them, and now B has her own {apparently, for a fraction of the price that my mom paid to have ours done}! :)
I'm so excited to do another when she has a cute little ponytail!

With Hope

2012-02-11T21:52:00.006-06:00

We can cry with hope

We can say goodbye with hope

Because we know our goodbye is not the end

We can grieve with hope

Because we believe with hope

There's a place where we'll see your face again...

{Steven Curtis Chapman "With Hope"}

Death. Loss. Grief.

The finality of these three words strikes so much pain in me right now. They are words that I cannot escape. It is so difficult to face these circumstances when your life is forever changed by losing someone you love so much. Someone who was such a big part of your heart... Someone who is just irreplaceable.

We lost my grandfather this afternoon... I honestly cannot even believe that I'm writing these words, as I'm sitting here wiping the tears from my eyes and trying to stifle this excruciating pain in my heart. Mostly, my heart aches for my grandmother. I cannot even begin to imagine the loss that she has suffered.

Soul mate. Father to her five children, one of whom he joined in Heaven today. Husband for over 60 years.

I know that life will go on for everyone... But the magnitude of this loss will be felt in my heart for a very long time. I feel so blessed to have had the privilege of calling him "Paw-Paw," and I am so proud to be able to help celebrate his life with my family.

Thank you for your outpouring of love, and all of the wonderful words you have said about his life.

...But it's now that I feel Your grace fall like rain

From every fingertip, washing away my pain.

Sweet and Simple Heart Day Gifts

2012-02-11T08:22:00.003-06:00

Allen and I aren't really the type to get "into" Valentine's Day...

Usually, we just give the other a homemade card and their favorite candy, and take the night off to cuddle on the couch and watch a rental!{we definitely aren't big spenders, and we both HATE going out where we know there will be tons of people-- Exhibit A= NEVER been to a Colts game, after 6 years of living in Indy}

This year, we decided to deviate from our "norm," and I just love what we came up with!

I am in LOVE with my new photo cuff bracelet, complete with all of my favorite photos of our little love... It means so much to look down at it, and see how much our baby has grown!

I couldn't resist buying him a new pair of Johnston & Murphy shoe trees to go with this

fun Valentine saying! I made this card on Picnik. {Side note: SO sad that it's closing... }

As for B, she is getting something tasty, and a new toddler plate with suction cups on the bottom as her gifts... Due to her recent Greek tendencies, I think it's for the best! :)

I hope you all are having just as much fun with your own Valentine gifts for the loves in your life! :)

Find Your Craft Friday #10

2012-02-10T07:17:00.000-06:00

LOVE IT, LOVE IT, LOVE IT!

Thank you to all of you who linked up your AWESOME crafts last week!

I hope you are having just as much fun with all of the fabulous ideas out there for V-Day this week!!

Here is my latest hand/footprint craft with B!

{we've done one for every holiday since Halloween, so I certainly can't stop now...}

For more info, see THIS POST

{BABYBERRY'S TOP 5}

LOVE this Cloth Heart Banner

via Karen @ Happily Ever After

OBSESSED with this Chalkboard Love Story Board

via Meggan @ Lila Grace

ADORABLE Valentines Footprint Art

via Megan @ Blissfully Burton

Getting motivated by this Teal Workspace Makeover

via raisingoranges

Dying to make these Heart Pot Holders

via VixenMade

Once again... Fabulous work, ladies!!

If you see your project, feel free to grab our Featured button for your blog... If not, visit Liz @

The Quick Journey to see if you made her {TOP 5}

Here are a few things that you need to know before you link up!

PARTY RULES:

Please link directly to your POSTS, not your main blog. This way, visitors won't have to search through all of your posts to find what they're looking for! {NO other giveaways, link parties, or shops please}
Please link posts only pertaining to your latest projects involving one or more of the following: crafts, organization, holiday traditions, decorating, recipes or any other creative ideas.
Please follow your hostesses, The Quick Journey and BabyBerry
Please post our FIND YOUR CRAFT FRIDAY button under your posts, so that others can join in on all of the fun!
Most importantly, stop by and visit other party goers... Say Hi or leave a comment, because you know we ALL love a good comment! :)
Come back next week to see if we chose YOUR link as one of our TOP FIVE!

Ready to join in?

Grab a button and HAVE FUN!

*Once again, please don't link up your giveaways, link parties, or shops...
All of these will be removed.

Thanks!

Valentine Handprint Craft

2012-02-09T19:08:00.002-06:00

Yeah, you're right...
I couldn't let a holiday go by without doing a little hand or footprint art with B!

It's always such an adventure when I break out the paints and brushes with her... I never quite know how she is going to react to it! This time, she was a little hesitant to let Mommy put paint on her hands!

What I used:

But thanks to Daddy, everything went seamlessly... Yet again! :)

DON'T FORGET TO LINK UP @ Find Your Craft Friday...

Going on right now on BabyBerry! :)

Up next, I'm going to finally get around to painting some areas of the house...

See this wallpaper?

It's straight out of the '70s...

{I know you were thinking the same thing}

Yep, it's older than I am.

Even though I think it's completely charming, because my grandmother picked it out, and lived with it for over 20 years... And the kitchen is one of the things I remember most about spending time with my grandparents... I have finally chosen a color (i.e. pale daffodil) to replace it :)

Now that I'm {almost} officially a stay at home mommy, I am going to put myself to work...

Find Your Craft Friday #9

2012-02-02T18:00:00.001-06:00

WELCOME CRAFTERS!

We had such a great party last week!!

While you all were linking up your awesome crafts, I was busy getting ready for my sister-in-law's shower... Here is the rosette and damask ribbon wreath I made {very last-minute} for the front door!

For more photos from the shower, go HERE

{BABYBERRY'S TOP 5}

DIY Cleaning Products

via Happy-Go-Lucky

{Yummy} Blackberry White Chocolate Ice Cream

via VixenMade

Tea Towel Sweetheart Banner

via 52Mantels

Ultimate Craft Desk

via Measure Once, Cut Twice

DIY Jewelry Stand

via The DIY Dreamer

Fabulous work, ladies!!

If you see your project, feel free to grab our Featured button for your blog... If not, visit Liz @

The Quick Journey to see if you made her {TOP 5}

Here are a few things that you need to know before you link up!

PARTY RULES:

Please link directly to your POSTS, not your main blog. This way, visitors won't have to search through all of your posts to find what they're looking for! {NO other giveaways, link parties, or shops please}
Please link posts only pertaining to your latest projects involving one or more of the following: crafts, organization, holiday traditions, decorating, recipes or any other creative ideas.
Please follow your hostesses, The Quick Journey and BabyBerry
Please post our FIND YOUR CRAFT FRIDAY button under your posts, so that others can join in on all of the fun!
Most importantly, stop by and visit other party goers... Say Hi or leave a comment, because you know we ALL love a good comment! :)
Come back next week to see if we chose YOUR link as one of our TOP FIVE!

Ready to join in?

Grab a button and HAVE FUN!

*Once again, please don't link up your giveaways, link parties, or shops...
All of these will be removed.

Thanks!

Sixteen Months

2012-02-02T11:10:00.005-06:00

B is 16, going on 17...
Our baby is getting so BIG!

This time last year, you had just learned to roll over and sleep on your belly {which was a complete detriment to your PICU-working Mommy's mental health at the time}... And you decided that you preferred your thumb to your pacifier.

B @ 4 months

We are also approaching the 1 year anniversary of our move
from Indianapolis to New Harmony!

Just look at how big our girl is now...

"How much longer are you going to make me do this, Mom?"

Showing off all of my teeth! There are TEN now, counting my two bottom molars!

Even though you are cutting teeth like crazy, you are still our sweet, smiley girl!

"Here you go, Mom... I'm done with this bow-thing"

B, you are still quite the busy girl... And you don't hesitate to tell us exactly what you want these days!

Your vocabulary is gaining at least one new word almost every day... There are too many to list anymore! Your favorite word lately has been "more" when asking for food... Especially if it is some of Mommy's morning Nutella toast :)

You love to repeat words that Mommy uses frequently, especially "No! No! No!"

You have started calling me, "Mom" instead of "Mama," which makes me a little sad... But it's adorable to hear you yell it from your crib, to let me know you are awake and ready to get up!

You love to boss the Ozzie-dog around... When Mommy gets frustrated with his attention-seeking tactics, you always like to "help" by telling him "No-no, Pup!"

Your favorite things at this moment are Tinker Bell, animals, magnets, playing "Boo" {your own version of peek-a-boo where you run up and yell "boo"}, reading books, climbing up and down and all-around, and finding trouble-- which isn't hard to do in this 100 year-old house!

I keep telling everyone that this is a very fun age, which is very true! I love all of our adventures together!

I don't know how it's possible, but Daddy and I love you more every single day...

Happy 16 Months!

Baby Shower and Blessings

2012-01-31T20:23:00.010-06:00

This past Sunday, we were so thrilled to celebrate Amanda's baby shower!

Of course, this has been a highly anticipated event for a very long time... Eight months long!

I cannot even express how excited I am to welcome our sweet niece!

"Baby Wilson"

Cakeballs, cookies, and cupcakes.

The Blessing Tree with Blessing Ring

Baby photos of Mommy and Daddy

For those that didn't get to see it personally, here is Baby Wilson's gorgeous nursery!

This frame may soon have her initials, which we have been dying to know...

Baby W's sweet ride

All dressed up with every place to go!

Fit for a princess!

Pre-Shower Photos

Momma and Baby

Don't know what I would do without these two lovely ladies ;)

The shower was a success! I must confess that we were a little nervous, because it was slightly unconventional. However, things could not have gone better!

We were all just so happy to be celebrating Baby Wilson!

Post Shower Photos

Four Generations

We'll soon have a few more faces in this photo! :)

All of the girls!
{please excuse the alignment of this photo...
I handed the camera over to my husband, who happens to be 6'4" tall}

Baby Wilson's Blessings

Mommy and Daddy are all set!

We can't wait to meet that sweet baby girl!

Jacksonville Zoo

2012-01-30T09:02:00.001-06:00

Jacksonville Zoo was pretty amazing!
We had some really great views of most of the animals, and I loved how much fun B had running around and experiencing the zoo like every toddler should! :)

Plus, we were with Nick and Roz, which makes any trip a lot more fun! :)

Over the trip, B's molars decided that it would be a fabulous time to make their debut... Of course!!

She definitely wasn't quite "herself," but she was still our little trooper!

Taking a closer look at this guy...

Showing Auntie Roz a little love!

Reptiles.

Allen has always been obsessed with them, and unfortunately, B is very much her father's daughter when it comes to his affinity for creepy, crawling, slithering yuckiness... As you can tell, she doesn't get it from me.

Alligator Park

{Allen's favorite part of the zoo}

Nothing entertains better than chasing a good ol' Florida lizard.

I truly debated whether to post these photos, because I still can't look at them without a little shiver going up my spine... However, it goes with the story about Daddy and B's love for the creepy-crawlies.

This guy isn't just any snake...
He's a 5 foot-long rattlesnake, who B decided would make a fabulous new playmate!!!

Unbelievable... Mommy was definitely checking the thickness of that window!

Doesn't this give you the heeby-jeebies too?
I'm sure these are photos that she will look back to and wonder what her crazy parents were thinking... :)

Oh, she is so much like her daddy sometimes! :)

Of course, with her molars barreling right through, B didn't get the best sleep over most of our vacation... So, she was taking an extra short nap on most days. She was a little sleepy during our morning adventures, but got pretty excited after her giraffe experience! :)

Luckily, we stumbled onto the giraffes during their feeding session... And since it was $2 Tuesday at the zoo, everything was $2 (including admission)! That was definitely a small price to pay for such a big smile! :)

B loved it!

We took a little snack break after that, and decided to take advantage of a photo op :)
I just love Auntie Roz's bump!! We are so excited for Amelia's arrival!

We set out after that and saw the gorillas, jaguar, and sea otters.

B (and Daddy) thought the otters were really fun! :)

This is a Chilean Pudu (tiny deer), but B couldn't stop calling him "Cat."
I, personally, would have gone with "Dog"... But we'll go with it!

It was lunch time for the flamingos!

Our independent girl was ready to see the sights away from her stroller!

My cute little reptile lovers :)

Daddy was really proud of this shot...

The Zoo Crew

By this time, B was ready to take a little napparoo...

We all were definitely a little tuckered out, so we hopped on the train back to the entrance! :)

B is just the perfect age for all of the fun at the zoo!
So glad that we could take advantage of the AMAZING weather for for another zoo adventure!
Thanks Uncle Nick and Auntie Roz!! We love you and miss you so much!

Beach Day 3

2012-01-27T22:51:00.000-06:00

On Sunday, we got to go to the beach with Nick, Roz, and Kristin...

By this time, B was a pro at running around on the beach!! Almost immediately, she realized that she could take off and run toward the waves all by herself...

Ready for some beach action!

She kept Mom and Dad pretty busy...

She also found some pretty, new seashells with Daddy!

She is definitely our little "collector"... Even if she had her hands full of shells, that didn't stop her from reaching down to grab another one!

She is also a self-taught splasher... She loved stomping her feet and splashing through the waves!

Daddy's Girl

Mommy just loves watching B and Daddy explore together... Staying behind the scenes and snapping photos is no problem when I get to see these two cuties have so much fun! It definitely makes me smile (and giggle a little too) to see how much she acts like Allen when it comes to interacting with animals and nature.

I absolutely love their curiosity and pure love for it! B is fearless... {more on that later}

After digging through tons of sand to help Uncle Nick and Daddy find a shark's tooth- without any luck- Daddy decided to build B's first sandcastle!

Out comes the bathing suit!

She even gave her shells a little taste test... She definitely didn't care for the taste of sand! :)

Can't wait for our next trip to the beach!

Find Your Craft Friday #8

2012-01-26T17:50:00.002-06:00

LOVE.
My heart is full of it this week, which makes me SO thrilled that Valentine's Day is approaching!

We're officially back from our Florida vacation!!
And I'm so excited to come back to all of these amazing crafts that you lovely ladies have linked up, and I'm definitely ready for another week of FYCF... I'll be getting busy with my own projects soon!
We've got a potting table in the works for our herbs, and a few other Pinterest ideas that I'm ready to get started on... So, stay tuned!

{BABYBERRY'S TOP 5}

Love Abides Here Printable

via 52 Mantels

Valentine "I Love You" Cookies

via clairejustineoxox

Valentine Chocolate Dipped Pretzels

via Mrs. Fox's Sweets

Double Bubble Tulle Skirt

via Babblings and More

Valentine's Mantel

via Life of a Cheap Chickadee

If you see your project, feel free to grab our Featured button for your blog... If not, visit Liz @

The Quick Journey to see if you made her {TOP 5}

Here are a few things that you need to know before you link up!

PARTY RULES:

Please link directly to your POSTS, not your main blog. This way, visitors won't have to search through all of your posts to find what they're looking for! {NO other giveaways, link parties, or shops please}
Please link posts only pertaining to your latest projects involving one or more of the following: crafts, organization, holiday traditions, decorating, recipes or any other creative ideas.
Please follow your hostesses, The Quick Journey and BabyBerry
Please post our FIND YOUR CRAFT FRIDAY button under your posts, so that others can join in on all of the fun!
Most importantly, stop by and visit other party goers... Say Hi or leave a comment, because you know we ALL love a good comment! :)
Come back next week to see if we chose YOUR link as one of our TOP FIVE!

Ready to join in?

Grab a button and HAVE FUN!

*Once again, please don't link up your giveaways, link parties, or shops...
All of these will be removed.

Thanks!

Ponte Vedra Beach Baby

2012-01-26T16:54:00.003-06:00

We just got back from vacation, but before things start to really get hectic around here with showers and birthdays, I wanted to share a few {okay, more than a few} photos of B's very first views of the ocean and our fabulous time with Auntie Roz and Uncle Nick in Ponte Vedra, FL...

DAY ONE

We arrived in Ponte Vedra on Friday afternoon, after an overnight stay in Savannah {with a couple of hiccups along the way}... As soon as we unloaded all of our gear and had a mini picnic on the floor of the hotel room, we headed out to the beach-- which was conveniently located just outside our patio door! :)

B's mini-picnic after being such a trooper in the car!! :)

{she had already gobbled up her food}

B's first view of the ocean!

Of course, we couldn't wait very long... After we showed her the view out the door, all we heard was, "Go! Go! Go!" She is definitely our little adventurer!

As you can tell, she was pretty impressed... We had so much fun!

She got to feel the sand on her feet... And dip her little toes into the COLD water!!

But she loved every second of it... It was over 70 degrees and absolutely perfect!

{L} Sticking close to Daddy... {R} Sure to be PawPaw's new favorite photo

Tiny footprints.

We are officially in love with Ponte Vedra Inn & Club!

Her favorite part was watching the "pup" chase after a ball into the waves.

After showing B the ocean, we headed over to meet Auntie Roz and Uncle Nick at their place!!

B got to meet/hang out with some pretty amazing people... Cris, Kristin, and Miss Kitty (aka Momma K)!

We miss ALL of you guys so much!

DAY TWO

Beach time came a little early on Saturday, because we were preparing to celebrate Roz and Baby Amelia at the shower in the afternoon! Obviously, given that we drove from 30 degree weather in Indiana to 75 degree weather in FL, we didn't have much in the way of appropriate beachwear for Miss B yet... So, we put on a pair of old pajamas and a sweater and set out for a little beach fun!!

{B's nose scrunch = LOVE}

Our little adventurer wasn't feeling very adventurous this morning, however...

She wasn't quite ready to claim her independence on the beach just yet.

B definitely wanted to stick close to Mommy at first. She was being a little on the dramatic side {gasp, no idea where that comes from}, and didn't even want her feet to touch the sand... Eventually, she got really excited about the "pups" running around on the beach and decided that she wanted a closer look.

After a few laps with Mom and Dad, we started seeing our brave girl come to the surface...

Now we're talkin'

For those that followed my Twitter while we were gone, you may already know that B has discovered a new love of seashells... She is her father's daughter! :)

Hunting seashells with Daddy.

Later that afternoon, Mommy got to enjoy some quality time with the girls for Roz's shower. I didn't get to snap very many photos with my own camera, but let me just tell you that Momma Morrow was lookin' FABulous... She is every pregnant woman's dream when they look into the mirror!

CONGRATS AUNTIE ROZ!!
Words cannot express how excited the Weinzapfels are to meet Miss Amelia!

We definitely had SO MUCH fun visiting with everyone... We can't wait until our next trip to FL!

Beach Day 3 and JAX Zoo photos coming soon!! :)

Find Your Craft Friday #7

2012-01-19T05:25:00.002-06:00

WELCOME CRAFTERS!!

I'm actually on the road as you read this...
On my way to FL with the fam to see my bestie, and B's future bestie! :)

I also broke down and signed up for Twitter (yesterday) to
document our 1st family road trip... I'm sure there will be all sorts of fun and adventure to tweet!! :)

FIRST, I would really like to share a little "crafting" humor with all of you hard workin' ladies...

Source: fingerprintsonthefridge.com via Emily on Pinterest

Source: handmaderyangosling.tumblr.com via Emily on Pinterest

I don't know about you, but I was pretty much in tears by the time I came across that last one!!!

Sorry, I couldn't help myself... Now, let's get down to business.

{BABYBERRY'S TOP 5}

DIY Stencil Wall Pattern

via Watch Me Daddy

Valentine Door Signs

via Crystal's Ramblings

Pillowcase Dress

via AboutBlogging Time!

ADORABLE Heart Onesies

via little becky homecky

Chalk Paint Hangers

via Make It Give It

If you see your project, feel free to grab our Featured button for your blog... If not, visit Liz @

The Quick Journey to see if you made her {TOP 5}

Here are a few things that you need to know before you link up!

PARTY RULES:

Please link directly to your POSTS, not your main blog. This way, visitors won't have to search through all of your posts to find what they're looking for! {NO other giveaways, link parties, or shops please}
Please link posts only pertaining to your latest projects involving one or more of the following: crafts, organization, holiday traditions, decorating, recipes or any other creative ideas.
Please follow your hostesses, The Quick Journey and BabyBerry
Please post our FIND YOUR CRAFT FRIDAY button under your posts, so that others can join in on all of the fun!
Most importantly, stop by and visit other party goers... Say Hi or leave a comment, because you know we ALL love a good comment! :)
Come back next week to see if we chose YOUR link as one of our TOP FIVE!

Ready to join in?

Grab a button and HAVE FUN!

*Once again, please don't link up your giveaways, link parties, or shops...
All of these will be removed.

Thanks!

Tweet, Tweet!

2012-01-18T09:21:00.001-06:00

Well, I did it...

I decided to join the human race... I finally broke down and joined Twitter. And Instagram.

Definitely can't wait to document our 13-hour (split into 2 days, of course) road trip, complete with toddler tantrums!!

Most of all, I'm so excited to take B to the BEACH for the first time...

The weather man says it's supposed to be in the 70s in JAX, so there will be lots of new experiences for Miss B!

Until then... It might be time for a refill!!

99 Balloons

2012-01-17T19:32:00.006-06:00

I know that a few of the people that follow BabyBerry are no strangers to this video...

I still remember the day, over 4 years ago, when one of my coworkers in the PICU showed me this video for the very first time.

It literally changed my life forever, by giving me an entirely new perspective-- not only in my career, but in my life as well.

This is the story of Eliot Mooney.

Eliot was born with an undeveloped lung, a heart with a hole in it and DNA that placed faulty information into each and every cell of his body. However, that could not stop the living God from proclaiming Himself through this boy who never uttered a word.

In the midst of heartbreaking tragedy, the Mooney family found the presence of God strengthening, comforting, and guiding them. Their story reminds us to seek God and endure our struggles rather than blame Him for our hardships.

{more info on Trisomy 18}

For more info about Eliot, go to www.99balloons.org

The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away. Blessed be the name of the LORD.
Job 1:21

Snow Day!

2012-01-13T16:39:00.001-06:00

The first snow of winter has fallen...

In celebration (although, Mommy never likes to celebrate yucky snow),

we got the snowsuits out and decided to dive right in! :)

At first, B wasn't quite sure what to do... Especially since she was bundled up like Randy from "A Christmas Story." So, I decided to take off one of her mittens so she could get the full experience!

Just like any toddler, she immediately reached out to grab a handful... And it went straight to her mouth!

"What IS this stuff?"

"Yeah... Not so much!"

When it didn't pass the taste test, she decided that it was time to go back inside...

She walked straight to the door, like, "Come on, Mommy... Let's go find something fun to do!"

On to the next toddler adventure!

Find Your Craft Friday #6

2012-01-12T19:12:00.003-06:00

Welcome back to another week of

FIND YOUR CRAFT FRIDAY

Source: agnesszucs.blogspot.com via Emily on Pinterest

Once again, I don't have a craft that I can share this week... I am up to my eyebrows in shower gifts and decorations right now! I have 3 baby showers, a bridal shower, and my sister-in-law's 21st birthday party in the next TWO weeks, so things are a little crazy around here! :)
Oh, and a road trip to FLORIDA too!!

Here are my {TOP 5} from last week's party

DIY Framed Vanity Mirror

via Southern Lovely

Table-turned-kitchen cart Re-do

via It's Overflowing- Top 10 Projects of 2011

Brownie Peanut Butter Cups

via Raising Oranges

Entry Re-Do

via it all started with paint

and... This AWESOME Candlestick Makeover

via Larissa Hill Designs

Well done, ladies!
There is definitely A LOT of inspiration here to get to work after all of the shower chaos is over! :)

If you see your project, feel free to grab our Featured button for your blog...

If not, visit Liz @ The Quick Journey to see if you made her {TOP 5}

Here are a few things that you need to know before you link up!

PARTY RULES:

Please link directly to your POSTS, not your main blog. This way, visitors won't have to search through all of your posts to find what they're looking for! {NO other giveaways, link parties, or shops please}
Please link posts only pertaining to your latest projects involving one or more of the following: crafts, organization, holiday traditions, decorating, recipes or any other creative ideas.
Please follow your hostesses, The Quick Journey and BabyBerry
Please post our FIND YOUR CRAFT FRIDAY button under your posts, so that others can join in on all of the fun!
Most importantly, stop by and visit other party goers... Say Hi or leave a comment, because you know we ALL love a good comment! :)
Come back next week to see if we chose YOUR link as one of our TOP FIVE!

Ready to join in?

Grab a button and HAVE FUN!

*Once again, please don't link up your giveaways, link parties, or shops...
All of these will be removed.

Thanks!

Playground Fun

2012-01-08T10:59:00.003-06:00

Can you even believe this weather?!

50s and 60s in January!

We took B out to the park to enjoy the warmer weather...

It was so fun to watch her walk around "Tot Land" at Playtopia all by herself!

We haven't been to the park since she she started walking, and she took full advantage of her ability to get around without Mommy or Daddy!

Her favorite was the slide...
But, of course, Little Miss Independent could NOT sit on our laps!

We could barely hold on to her when she got to the top... She was ready to GO!

Up next for us, a little vacation to FL for Baby Amelia's shower,

then back home to help host Baby Wilson's shower the next week...

I can't wait to meet both of my sweet little nieces! :)

Find Your Craft Friday # 5

2012-01-05T18:59:00.001-06:00

Welcome back to another week of
FIND YOUR CRAFT FRIDAY

I know all of you were busy celebrating the beginning of 2012 last week... I know I've been completely exhausted all week trying to recover, but I'm glad that we can get back down to the business of crafting! :)

Here are my {TOP 5} from last week's party

{It was so hard to choose only FIVE... We had so many great link-ups last week!}

Be Still my Heart Frame

via Sweet Little Bluebird

AMAZING Broken China Frame

via they call me domestiCATE

{there is also a really sweet story behind this craft ;)}

Gorgeous Salt Dough Ornaments

via Sugar Bucket Ink

DIY Rag Wreath

via dolly's designs

Every little girl needs her own apron!!

via A Jennuine Life

Well done, ladies!

If you see your project, feel free to grab our Featured button for your blog...

If not, visit Liz @ The Quick Journey to see if you made her {TOP 5}

Here are a few things that you need to know before you link up!

PARTY RULES:

Please link directly to your POSTS, not your main blog. This way, visitors won't have to search through all of your posts to find what they're looking for! {NO other giveaways, link parties, or shops please}
Please link posts only pertaining to your latest projects involving one or more of the following: crafts, organization, holiday traditions, decorating, recipes or any other creative ideas.
Please follow your hostesses, The Quick Journey and BabyBerry
Please post our FIND YOUR CRAFT FRIDAY button under your posts, so that others can join in on all of the fun!
Most importantly, stop by and visit other party goers... Say Hi or leave a comment, because you know we ALL love a good comment! :)
Come back next week to see if we chose YOUR link as one of our TOP FIVE!

Ready to join in?

Grab a button and HAVE FUN!

*Once again, please don't link up your giveaways, link parties, or shops...
All of these will be removed.

Thanks!

Christmas Morning {a long overdue recap}

2012-01-05T16:53:00.001-06:00

Being that I had my hands full with a certain busy toddler, I left the photography to my dad on Christmas morning... He captured some very fun moments with my family :)

{being that we've all been crazy-busy since then, I just got access to these photos this morning}

Christmas Eve-- two very tired toddlers

Merry Christmas!!

It's officially Christmas morning, and Santa definitely stopped at Grammy and Paw-Paw's!

B entertained us a little while we waited to eat some yummy breakfast! :)

Opening presents with the kiddos was a looooong process... Like every other child on Christmas, they wanted to play with each gift immediately after it was opened. So, we opened most of the gifts ourselves...

Miles loves to line up his trucks in a perfectly straight line :)

B didn't waste any time playing with her Little People Zoo... Even while a tired Mommy and Aunt Man-Man tried to figure out how to put it together. We may have made it a little harder than it needed to be... :)

Just a guess, but that probably won't be the last time that happens!

And that's the photo recap of our good ol' fashioned family Christmas!

15 Months and the New Year

2012-01-04T16:08:00.008-06:00

It's hard to believe that our little B turned 15 months-old on New Years Day...

Wasn't it only yesterday that she was this tiny baby?

{January 2011}

Perhaps a glimpse into those teenage years?

{And I have absolutely no idea where she gets this attitude... Though, I think she looks just like her daddy in this photo :)}

B, you are turning into a little lady right before our eyes...

You love to learn new words, and how to do new things.

You've learned to climb in and out of your new toy box, much to Mommy's dismay...

Now I know why they put lids on these things...
There's just NO stopping this girl.

You are also quite the "helper"... Just the other day, you came into the kitchen to bring me the tea bags that I left in the empty mug in the living room (which Mommy thought she placed out of your reach)...

And you are such a Daddy's girl!!

15 MONTH STATS:

21lbs, 4oz {25th percentile}
31inches long {67th percentile}

Right now, you are such a busy toddler.
I always joke that you only have two "speeds"-- full-throttle and out-of-commission.

You are officially down to 1 nap every day... Though, sometimes I think you could use a second (and usually, you disagree)

You are wearing size 4 diapers (5s at night), mostly 18-month clothes, and size 4 shoes...

You have fallen in love with the Tinker Bell movies, which Mommy and Daddy find adorable!

Your vocabulary gains a new word every day... The words we hear most often are "Go," "Down," "Pup," "Cat," "Baby" {which sounds more like "bebe" and is associated with any child under the age of 4, and also upon seeing your reflection in the mirror}, "No-No" {usually the response we get when we ask you to do something}, "Pan" {aka pancake}, "Chick" {aka chicken}, "Too" {aka toothbrush, which you ask for at least twice every day}, "Boo" {aka book-- You are adamant that we sit down to read at least 2 books before you go into your crib, thanks to Daddy}, and then there's "Bubble"-- no idea why she caught on to that one, but it's too cute to here her say it... We are working on using the appropriate words for your "versions" that you can't seem to finish. Applying two sounds together is still a challenge.

You just cut your 7th tooth, and are currently working on your 8th...

Mommy and Daddy love you so much, Brynn!

Watching you grow and learn so many things in the last year has been so incredible. We are so very proud of you, and feel so blessed to start a new year with you... I'm sure that you have plenty of surprises {and fun} in store for us!

As for me, I really can't say that I'm sad to see 2011 go...

This past year has been a little on the tough-side for me, but I made it through!!

I managed to do two things that I swore that I would NEVER do--

1. Move back to Southern Indiana

2. Become a (mostly) stay-at-home mom

There were a lot of sacrifices and a lot of tears, mourning the things that I had planned for my life that I will never have the opportunity to do now that we have relocated.
However, I'm proud to say that I've learned a lot about myself in the past year... Most of all, I've learned how important it is to trust in the LORD, and what His plans are for me and my family. I know that doing this will bring much more happiness than I could have ever imagined; because it already has. :)

In 2012, I will rest in His plan for me.

Happy New Year to you ALL! :)

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Romans 15:13 (NIV)

Find Your Craft Friday No. 4

2011-12-29T18:30:00.003-06:00

Hello again, everyone! Welcome to
FIND YOUR CRAFT FRIDAY!

Liz and I are so very glad to be back after all of the hustle and bustle of the holiday!

I hope you all had a fabulous Christmas with your families...

Now it's time to gear up for New Years, and maybe catch up on all those crafts that you've put on the back-burner over the holidays!!

Before we start partying, I want to share my latest craft,
as well as my Top 5 features from our last party...

BURLAP WREATH

Such a simple wreath, I literally whipped this up in 30 minutes or less...
Just cut long strips of burlap, form a wire hanger, thread on the burlap in folds, and voila!

{BABYBERRY'S TOP 5}

Hole Punch Tree

via The Messy Roost

Hot Chocolate Dippers
{I actually made some of these myself...}

via Holiday Sparkle

Dryer Sheet Tree

via Petites Passions

And these awesome sheet music candles

via I Could So Make That

via Adventures of a DIY Mom

If you see your project, feel free to grab our Featured button for your blog...

If not, visit Liz @ The Quick Journey to see if you made her {TOP 5}

Here are a few things that you need to know before you link up!

PARTY RULES:

Please link directly to your POSTS, not your main blog. This way, visitors won't have to search through all of your posts to find what they're looking for! {NO other giveaways, link parties, or shops please}
Please link posts only pertaining to your latest projects involving one or more of the following: crafts, organization, holiday traditions, decorating, recipes or any other creative ideas.
Please follow your hostesses, The Quick Journey and BabyBerry
Please post our FIND YOUR CRAFT FRIDAY button under your posts, so that others can join in on all of the fun!
Most importantly, stop by and visit other party goers... Say Hi or leave a comment, because you know we ALL love a good comment! :)
Come back next week to see if we chose YOUR link as one of our TOP FIVE!

Ready to join in?

Grab a button and HAVE FUN!

*Once again, please don't link up your giveaways, link parties, or shops... All of these will be removed.

Thanks!

All I Want for Christmas...

2011-12-27T19:58:00.006-06:00

All I wanted for Christmas this year was to enjoy time with family, with it being the first Christmas we have celebrated living close to everyone again...

{I was so grateful that we didn't have to travel a grand total of 7 hours in the car this year!!}

Our Christmas lights

We definitely got the full dose of spending time with everyone... I am still completely exhausted!!

Next year, we may not do as much so that we can enjoy our time together a little more.

Unfortunately, I didn't get many photos with all of the chaos of trying to wrangle B while unwrapping presents, eating, etc...

She was definitely not one to understand the "unwrapping" process this year! It was more like, "Okay, Mom... Just get it done and show me what it is so that I can decide if I want to play with it while doing 1000 laps around the living room."

Here is the only photo that I was able to capture of her and Daddy at Grandma and Grandpa Weinzapfel's house on Christmas Eve!

Thanks to Uncle Andrew, I was able to capture a few more photos at Grammy and Paw-Paw's house of the whole fam singing "Jingle Bells," with Grammy and Miles at the piano :)

Miles had so much fun entertaining us with his own version!
Too cute!

We all had so much fun, we completely forgot to take a photo with our matching pajamas this year!! Oh well, there's always next year :)

Finally, it was off to our house to get ready for Santa Claus.

B had absolutely no problem going to bed... She was so exhausted after a full day!
{We even had to skip out on church services this year, because there was absolutely no way I could take this cranky toddler to 10pm services!! We read the "Christmas Story" to her, and down she went!}

Santa Claus definitely came to our house! :)
{and he even set up her castle tent from Grandma and Grandpa Weinzapfel!}

As a matter of fact, she was so exhausted that she was NOT into the idea of getting up to see what Santa had left for her that next morning... She literally rolled away from us and snuggled her blankie!

After we finally convinced her out of bed, she was a little confused, but it didn't take long to get the idea that something was a little different in the living room!

Christmas day was much easier without driving all over the place... And B finally got the hang of things, and started to help open her presents! But she was still as busy as ever!!

Here is our busy, busy girl in action!

{riding her favorite horse at Grammy and Paw-Paw's}

"Let's go, Daddy!"

B just loves her Aunt Man-Man and "Yea-Yea" (aka Lacy)

... and yes, Allen and I love for her to use her cute little names for them!

It's so silly to believe that she could develop a speech impediment from using them... LOL! :)

B loves her Little People Zoo from Uncle Andrew and Aunt Amanda :)

We had such a fantastic Christmas this year... Being with family is the reason that we moved, so we definitely enjoyed all of the quality time we were able to spend with them!

I can definitely say that I got exactly what I wanted for Christmas this year...

It is such a gift to celebrate the birth of our Savior with the people you love the most!

I hope you all had a blessed Christmas with your families too :)

Putting Christ Back in Christmas

2011-12-22T20:05:00.001-06:00

For a child is born to us,

a son is given to us.

The government will rest on his shoulders.

And he will be called:

Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,

Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

ISAIAH 9:6

I'm sure many of you read the post title and possibly assumed that this would contain a lot of negativity about what Christmas has become in today's society...

Not in the slightest!

After reading a publication titled, "50 Ways To Put Christ Back in Christmas" by Vanessa and Deron Snyder, I was completely inspired to share a few ways to help celebrate the Christmas season with your family (especially your kiddos) in this day and age...

During a time of year where we are all contemplating our upcoming resolution, or seeking something to change our lives in a positive way, I think that these are sweet and simple ways to remember the reason for the season.

{begin excerpt}

1. SING HAPPY BIRTHDAY
Christmas is Jesus' birthday. If we sing the song for everybody else on her birthday, why not for Him? You may feel silly at first, but this is what Christmas is really all about. Sing just before the meal, and consider baking a cake in His honor.

Sing praises to God, sing praises; sing praises to our King, sing praises.
--Psalms 47:6

...............................................................................................

2. HONOR GOD
Think about when you first committed your life to God and how you were willing to do whatever you could to please Him. Maybe it's time to become active in the church, or to start paying your tithes. Take an honest look at your life and identify the areas that need improvement.

But your hearts must be fully committed to the Lord our God, to live by His decrees and obey His commands, as at this time.
--I Kings 8:61

.................................................................................................

3. WRITE YOUR THANKS TO JESUS
Sit down with your children and make sure everyone has paper and pens. Then have everyone list the reasons why he's thankful Jesus was born. Share your list with each other and hang them in a visible location as a reminder.

Let them give thanks to the Lord for His unfailing love and His wonderful deeds for men.
--Psalms 107:8

....................................................................................................

4. READ MATTHEW 5, 6 & 7
Since we're celebrating his birth, we should remember what Jesus taught us with his life. Reading these three chapters -- sometimes referred to as the Christian faith's Magna Charta -- will help us stay focused on Jesus' message of love, compassion and service. This gives us everything we need, in a nutshell.

Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.
--II Timothy 2:15

........................................................................................................

5. RESPECT OTHER RELIGIONS
When the disciples complained about a man who wasn't part of their group, and was driving out demons, Jesus told them not to stop him, because whoever isn't against you is for you. Jesus was never about intolerance. There is good and evil in everyone, whether he's Christian, Muslim or Jew.

I have other sheep who are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice and there shall be one flock and one shepherd.
--John 10:16.

.............................................................................................................

6. TALK WITH JESUS
You know how you often call someone on her birthday? Use Christmas to give Jesus a call. Even if you talk with Him all year long, this is His birthday, and He deserves an extra special call. Let Him know how you feel about Him, how much you love Him, and that you plan to stay in touch more often.

If My people, who are called by My name, will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.
--II Chronicles 7:14

.................................................................................................................

7. PRAY FOR SOMEONE
We often try to remember others in our prayers. But this time, pick out someone and devote an entire prayer for their sake. Call upon the Lord for them in every way -- physically, economically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. Say a special prayer for those who lost loved ones during the year or experienced some other hardship.

Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.
--James 5:16.

................................................................................................................

8. DESIGN A JESUS BANNER
In November when the holiday season starts to really gear up, design a "Jesus Is The Reason For The Season" banner, or construct some other similar saying. Hang the banner on your front door or some other visible place in your house as a reminder to yourself and others.

You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.
--Matthew 5:14-16

..................................................................................................................

9. BE A WITNESS
Christians are supposed to share the good news of Jesus Christ with others. Sometimes we don't, for various reasons, even though there are ample opportunities throughout the year. But if you're ever going to start, Christmas is as good a time as any.

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.
--Acts 1:8

It is so amazing to me that a simple list can change your perspective and offer a few guidelines to remind you what this time should be about...

Merry Christmas to you all!!

Oh, and Find Your Craft Friday will be taking a break this week!!

We'll see you next Friday!

Fun at Grammy's House

2011-12-20T16:28:00.003-06:00

They say that a cousin is a ready-made friend for life...

I can't be entirely sure about that, but watching these two together is so much fun!

As Brynn and I were walking down the sidewalk to visit Miles at Grammy's house, we could undoubtedly hear his squeals from a mile away when he saw us coming! It was quite the chore to get Brynn to focus on walking without falling once she heard him!! She was running, yelling "My-My!"- her name for Miles.

Here is a little video footage of the fun (aka chaos) at Grammy's house today!!

{please excuse my yelling}

Back-story: Grammy got a new car seat, and they thought the box was MUCH more exciting!

They both love any kind of "tunnel" or tent to play in...

Jingle Bells

Grammy's little composers :)

It's so funny to see Brynn become so animated and wild... She is usually pretty mellow and calm, but when she gets around Miles, a whole new enthusiasm comes out!! If you didn't notice from the videos, she would follow his lead wherever he decided to go!

We can't wait to celebrate Christmas with these two munchkins!

Pinspiration Wreath

2011-12-18T10:07:00.001-06:00

Leftover burlap... Oh, what to do, what to do?

I had been debating this very subject when I saw- and fell in love with- this wreath that I found via Confessions of a Plate Addict!

Source: confessionsofaplateaddict.blogspot.com via Emily on Pinterest

So, of course, I Pinned it... Then got to work!

Well, "work" would be stretching the truth, considering it only took me a total of 30 minutes or so to cut strips of burlap and shape a wire hanger...

Out of desperation, and lack of any Christmas ribbon on-hand, I added a pre-made bow and a glittery snowflake to make it a little more festive... However, I'm hoping to add a more decorative bow soon :)

{updated version}

I was so glad to have found a quick and easy replacement for my old wreath, which I had been loathing for a few weeks... It just didn't fit with my Christmas decorations, but I couldn't find anything that I liked well enough to change it.

Bye-bye!!

Last night, after B was in bed, Allen and I sat down to watch a movie with all of the Christmas lights on... It was so nice to just relax and feel that Christmas warmth and anticipation!

Just one more week!!
{hopefully the train will be put up by then!}

Find Your Craft Friday No. 3

2011-12-15T18:53:00.000-06:00

Hey there, friends and visitors!

Can you believe we're so close to CHRISTMAS!?!

I'm very excited... How about YOU?

First off, we had SO MANY great link-ups last week...
Thank you all for partying with us-- We love having you!
I also have to thank Liz for all of her effort, since I was a little down and out with the stomach flu :(

It wasn't an easy decision, but here are my features from last week's party...
Check them out!!

{BabyBerry's TOP 5 FEATURES}

ADORE these personalized handmade stockings!!

via show & tell: life of a cheap chickadee

DIY Peppermint Wreath

via Lila Grace

Cozy and pretty shell-stitched fingerless gloves

via Love City

Cute and Fun DIY Stocking Holders

via Southern Lovely

Bead Board Christmas Trees

via Adventures of a DIY Mom

If you see your project, feel free to grab our featured button for your blog...

If not, visit Liz @ The Quick Journey to see if you made her {TOP 5}

Here are a few things that you need to know before you link up!

PARTY RULES:

Please link directly to your POSTS, not your main blog. This way, visitors won't have to search through all of your posts to find what they're looking for! {NO other giveaways, link parties, or shops please}
Please link posts only pertaining to your latest projects involving one or more of the following: crafts, organization, holiday traditions, decorating, recipes or any other creative ideas.
Please follow your hostesses, The Quick Journey and BabyBerry
Please post our FIND YOUR CRAFT FRIDAY button under your posts, so that others can join in on all of the fun!
Most importantly, stop by and visit other party goers... Say Hi or leave a comment, because you know we ALL love a good comment! :)
Come back next week to see if we chose YOUR link as one of our TOP FIVE!

Ready to join in?

Grab a button and HAVE FUN!!

*Once again, please don't link up your giveaways, link parties, or shops... All of these will be removed.

Thanks!

Feeling the Christmas Spirit

2011-12-14T15:18:00.004-06:00

I can't believe we are 10 days away from Christmas!

I feel like I just had the opportunity to blink my eyes from Thanksgiving... And here we are :)

I am growing more and more excited for Christmas Eve and Christmas morning each day!
So many exciting Christmas-y experiences waiting to be had...

Speaking of experiences, I've finally finished B's toy box!

This is a HUGE weight off my shoulders... Literally!

Allen made the comment the other day, as we were moving it out of the studio- because it actually takes 2 people to move(!)- that it would probably be a good idea to limit the number of children that we have, since we'll have to make each of them their own toy box... Needless to say, it's been quite an experience!

Another exciting Christmas experience is our ornament cards (from TinyPrints.com) that we sent out today!
I absolutely love them!

{photo by Beth Tucker Photography}

We were also so thrilled to be able to celebrate Christmas in New Harmony this year. I remember my first experiences sitting on Santa's lap at "Breakfast with Santa," and Brynn got to have her very first experience with Santa at the same place! :)

I was bracing myself for a catastrophic meltdown, since she is not one to warm up to male strangers at all... And she absolutely dislikes being forced to sit anywhere!

She actually made it through fairly well-- only a few tears-- as long as Mommy was sitting next to her.
Oh, and Santa was passing out candy canes, which happens to be her newest obsession... That distracted her long enough to ward off any meltdowns.

We also watched the Christmas parade, where Brynn saw a few familiar faces pass by...

(Great-Grandpa Alsop, Allie, and DJ)
This was such a bittersweet moment for me... Luckily, I was wearing sunglasses so my emotions could stay {mostly} in check. I am so thankful that B gets to spend so much time with him right now...

Overall, I think that B is beginning to understand the meaning of "Santa Claus"... We have watched Frosty the Snowman, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, and of course, Dora's Christmas Carol Adventure so far... Add that to the constant exposure to Paw-Paw Wilson's many life-sized versions of Santa all over their house, and you can almost see the excitement in her eyes when she spots a Santa Claus! :)

I am anxiously anticipating waking her up on Christmas morning, and telling her that Santa came to visit our house... I just can't wait to see her reaction!!

Find Your Craft Friday Party

2011-12-08T18:54:00.004-06:00

Welcome back, everyone!!
We are so happy to be back with Find Your Craft Friday!

And HELLO to all of those who are new to FYCF this week!
We are so excited to see all of your latest projects!

First, I would like to share my favorites from last week's party...

BABYBERRY'S TOP 5:

DIY Santa Handprint Ornament

via Happy Go Lucky

Snowman Shirt

via VixenMade

Burlap and Rosette Wreath

via Sugar Bucket Ink

DIY Advent Tree

via Creative Juice

DIY Cable Knit Topiaries

via Lila Grace

If you see your project, feel free to grab our featured button for your blog...
If you're not on this list, visit Liz @ The Quick Journey to see her Top 5!

Here are a few things that you need to know before you link up!

PARTY RULES:

Please link directly to your POSTS, not your main blog. This way, visitors won't have to search through all of your posts to find what they're looking for! {NO other giveaways, link parties, or shops please}
Please link posts only pertaining to your latest projects involving one or more of the following: crafts, organization, holiday traditions, decorating, recipes or any other creative ideas.
Please follow your hostesses, The Quick Journey and BabyBerry
Please post our FIND YOUR CRAFT FRIDAY button under your posts, so that others can join in on all of the fun!
Most importantly, stop by and visit other partygoers... Say Hi or leave a comment, because you know we ALL love a good comment! :)
Come back next week to see if we chose YOUR link as one of our TOP FIVE!

Ready to join in?

Grab a button and HAVE FUN!!

*Once again, please don't link up your giveaways, link parties, or shops... All of these will be removed.

Thanks!

diy jingle bell burlap wreath

2011-12-07T11:29:00.006-06:00

My latest quick, 20 minute Christmas project is this mini jingle bell burlap and rosette wreath...

Here is what I used:

burlap feed sack (with green stripe)
scissors
red material
jingle bells
bead cord or thread
8-inch foam wreath
hot glue gun

Cut the burlap sack down the length in 2-inch wide segments

Wrap the burlap segments around the wreath, overlapping to completely cover the foam wreath

Use hot glue to keep burlap in place

Cut out segments of red material and the green stripe on the burlap sack, then make rosettes

Glue rosettes into place on the wreath

Thread 3 jingle bells together using cord or thread and tie them into place

You're done!

My next project {hopefully} is an advent wreath... I'm so excited to make one for our house!

I'm still debating whether to use wax candles or to buy some nifty battery-operated advent candles...

Any thoughts?

Right now, I'm working on mailing out our Christmas cards which were just dropped off on our doorstep!!

Linking to:

Create and Share Wednesday at Trendy Treehouse

Strut Your Stuff Thursday at Somewhat Simple

Delightfully Inspiring Thursday at Delightful Order

December Before and After at Thrifty Decor Chick
Wow Me Wednesday @ {Ginger Snap Crafts}
Whatever Goes Wednesday @ Someday Crafts

Don't forget to come back on Friday to link up your latest project to

FIND YOUR CRAFT FRIDAY!!

Happy St. Nick's Day!

2011-12-06T09:15:00.000-06:00

Today is St. Nick's Day!

As I said before, this is the very first year that we are honoring this patron saint in our own house...

Usually, we get some really fun things from Allen's parents as "the kids," but this year we are the parents for the very first time! :)

I framed a prayer card of St. Nicholas for future years, so that B won't confuse St. Nick's Day and Christmas morning... This year, I got her a new pair of shoes and socks, some much-needed cozy sleepers, and a Christmas shirt!

Hopefully, in future years, we will be able to take a deeper look into the legends that surround St. Nicholas, and make this day more about giving to those in need...

Happy St. Nick's Day to you!

Announcing new link party-- Find Your Craft Friday!

2011-12-01T20:17:00.003-06:00

Hey everyone! I am excited to announce that The Quick Journey and BabyBerry are co-hosting a new crafty link party this Friday!!

Before we get started, I would just like to thank my wonderful co-host, Liz @ The Quick Journey! If you haven't stopped by to visit her... You definitely need to!

I also wanted to show off B's latest project {other than pulling all of the diapers out of the package and stuffing them under the couch-- Oh, I love my 14 month-old!}

{reindeer footprint art}

Here are a few things that you need to know before you link up!
PARTY RULES:

Please link directly to your POSTS, not your main blog. This way, visitors won't have to search through all of your posts to find what they're looking for! {NO other giveaways, link parties, or shops please}
Please link posts only pertaining to your latest projects involving one or more of the following: crafts, organization, holiday traditions, decorating, recipes or any other creative ideas.
Please follow your hostesses, The Quick Journey and BabyBerry
Please post our FIND YOUR CRAFT FRIDAY button under your posts, so that others can join in on all of the fun!
Most importantly, stop by and visit other partygoers... Say Hi or leave a comment, because you know we ALL love a good comment! :)
Come back next week to see if we chose YOUR link as one of our TOP FIVE!

Ready to join in?
Grab a button and HAVE FUN!!

*Once again, please don't link up your giveaways, link parties, or shops... All of these will be removed.

Thanks!

14 Months and Baby Jesus

2011-12-01T15:31:00.005-06:00

Today is yet another day to celebrate in our house...
It's B's 14th month birthday and Grammy's 57th birthday too! :)

Happy birthday to two of the most important girls in my life!!

It's hard to believe that this time last year, we were watching B learn to use her little voice...

She was so tiny and fragile... Now, she's a full-blown toddler!
Her monthly photo "session" lasted a grand total of 5 seconds this month...
B is just such a wiggle-tail! :)

1-2-3-4-5...

"Okay, shoot's over... I'm out of here!"

Like most 14 month-olds, B just isn't "into" sitting in one place for very long.
Unless, of course, we have Dora or Tinker-Bell on the television...

Here is our little mover in-action!

She has picked up on the walking skills very quickly... No doubt, to make up for lost time!
{yes, our Christmas tree was placed on a table... I didn't want to tempt our little explorer}
Her newest obsessions are all about babies... She loves human babies, animal babies, and of course-- Baby Jesus. As a result of her love for him, he is frequently kidnapped from his manger.
She has her very own nativity set (x2), but of course, that is not good enough for this girl... She wants the one she knows she's not supposed to have! The one that is purposely placed out of her reach...
Yes, for that Baby Jesus, she will scale small buildings and climb furniture to get to him.
The child-friendly Baby Jesus conveniently gets thrown to the side...

Another "fun" (i.e. frustrating) talent that our B has picked up is her ability to hide things. We call her "the Bulldozer" for many reasons, but mostly because she thoroughly enjoys plowing all of her toys under the TV stand. Her tea set, her puzzles, her books, contents of her picnic basket, and miscellaneous other toys can always been conveniently found there after she is tired of playing with them.

Oh, my busy little B...
I don't know what my life would look like without you! I'd probably get my hair cut regularly and be able to put away my vacuum for more than a day... But I wouldn't trade you for the entire world! :) You are such a blessing to me and Daddy!

Now, back to picking up toys and cracker crumbs...

diy christmas crafts

2011-11-29T18:19:00.012-06:00

Just wanted to share a few quick and simple Christmas projects that I've been working on lately :)

{vintage sheet music candle}

Simply print your favorite sheet music onto tissue paper, then use a hairdryer (or other heat utensil) to melt the tissue paper into the pillar candle.

{reindeer footprint art}

I'm sure most of you have seen the inspiration for this idea on Pinterest...
Here is B's version :) Footprint art with a 13 month-old really isn't a small accomplishment!!
--------------------------------------------------------------------
I also found these great vintage Santa and Christmas-inspired cards online, and I was so excited to find a way to fit them into our holiday decor. Two of them even have Christmas greetings in German! So, I thought they would be a great addition to this German household.

I decided a few of them would make excellent ornaments for our tree... I just printed them onto white card stock (x2), then I cut them out and used Modge Podge and white glitter to dress them up a little (the Modge Podge was used to stick them together so that they were also reversible), and of course I tested them out on our tree! I was very happy with how they turned out!

{vintage Christmas card ornaments}

For the larger ones, I used some twine and mini-clothespins to hang them in our living room.

{vintage Christmas card display}

I hope you all are having just as much fun decorating for the Christmas season!! :)

*I am excited to announce that BabyBerry is going to be hosting a link party this Friday for all of you crafty bloggers out there!
So, come back in a couple of days and link-up for Find Your Craft Friday!!

Linking to:

Happy 29th Birthday and Family Photo {Sneak Peak}

2011-11-29T10:35:00.002-06:00

Today is Allen's 29th birthday! :)

soooo...

Happy Birthday to the best daddy in the whole wide world!!

And to the best hubby that I could ever ask for! :)

We love you!

Also, I wanted to share a sneak peak from our Wilson Family photo session! :)

My cousin, Beth Tucker did such an amazing job, and we had so much fun trekking around New Harmony, and shooting with two unpredictable toddlers! I'm so excited to see the rest of them...

{Wilson Family}

B loves her Miles Man... And such a good shot of Baby Girl Wilson ;)

{my favorite so far}

Miss B was ready for her close-up ;)

I hope you all had a great holiday weekend!

I am so thankful for my hubby and my family :)

Wednesday Loves

2011-11-23T07:01:00.005-06:00

I am so excited to be linking up for What I'm Loving Wednesday and Oh, How Pinteresting this week...

I have truly missed all of the fun email convos with all of my bloggy friends! :)

So, here are some of the Pins I'm {loving} recently...

Favorite Holiday Pins:

Source: crybabyink.blogspot.com via Emily on Pinterest

DIY Burlap Tree Skirt

Source: confessionsofaplateaddict.blogspot.com via Emily on Pinterest

I am SO obsessed with these burlap stockings...
Which makes me even more desperate to learn to sew!

Source: lifeinmotionphotography.com via Emily on Pinterest

Definitely doing this one with B!

Eventually, her little baby feet will be displayed for every season... :)

Source: goodhousekeeping.com via Emily on Pinterest

Candy Cane Window Treatments

Source: bowerpowerblog.com via Emily on Pinterest

So many lonely chandeliers in our house! :)

Source: etsy.com via Emily on Pinterest

HE has come...

Source: etsy.com via Emily on Pinterest

Wishing there was a tutorial for this poinsettia wreath...
I'm sure it requires sewing- BOOOO!
{maybe Santa will leave me a sewing machine under the tree this year?}

Favorite Fashion Pins:

Source: brassyapple.blogspot.com via Emily on Pinterest

I'm currently rummaging through our old sweaters
so I can re-purpose them into legwarmers ;) YEA!

Source: victoriassecret.com via Emily on Pinterest

Cute and comfy for Christmas morning :)

Source: weddingtonway.com via Emily on Pinterest

The perfect Christmas party dress...

Source: shop.nordstrom.com via Emily on Pinterest

Kate Spade Earrings... just. LOVE.

Source: Uploaded by user via Emily on Pinterest

And a trusty pair of Frye boots :)

{a couple of my most recent crafts that I'm lovin'}

Vintage Sheet Music Candle
I printed the sheet music to "O, Tannenbaum" onto tissue paper, then used my blow dryer to apply it to a dollar store candle... And of course, added a little holiday ribbon! Voila.

B's Toy Box {so far...}
It still needs another coat of paint, then I'm using the poly-whey finish on the top, and over the decal that will go on the side!! I'm so ready to get it finished!!

I'm {loving} that we get to spend some quality family time together this weekend... And get a few family photos snapped for our Christmas card! :)

I'm {loving} that we officially hear the pitter patter of little feet running through this old house...
I can just feel my Mawsie smiling down on us.

...And B has wasted no time recruiting Oz to help leave surprises for Mommy! :)

Most of all, I'm {loving} my hubby, my sweet little B, and the Ozzie-dog...

I hope you all have a very happy Thanksgiving holiday!
God Bless.

{Saturday Morning Scene}

2011-11-19T10:26:00.002-06:00

{cuddle-time and the Incredibles with my babies, bedhead required}

After some lemon-blueberry pancakes and watching B show off her new walking skills... I love mornings where we can just relax and enjoy the time we spend together. :)

{walking video to come soon!!}

Teaching Your Child About Special Needs...

2011-11-18T09:05:00.006-06:00

I've been hard at work lately... I'm working on a few Christmas decor projects, as well as trying to find presents for Santa Claus to put into B's toy box on Christmas. Also, I am celebrating one of Allen's family traditions for the first time this year for Brynn... St. Nicholas Day. This means trying to be a little more creative with gifts, since I don't have much time to waste-- St. Nick's is December 6th!

Luckily, B is in a phase where she LOVES books... Allen and I just love reading to her every night before we put her to bed. It doesn't take long for her to take control of turning the pages, though :)
So, I thought I would look for a few books that will help her through her early years, understanding and interacting with children who have special needs. She has a distant-cousin who has Down syndrome, and I want to help her understand the amount (and type) of support people with special needs and disabilities will need from her as she goes through life.

Mostly, it is something that is very dear to my heart, and a life goal for me as a woman and mother. I hope and pray that my children feel comfortable and motivated to reach out to people who have special needs. I think for this to happen, it is important to teach them about disabilities and how to support and interact with any person who may have a disability.

I started out at Amazon.com to see what they had to offer... Here are some of the books that I came across.

My Friend Isabelle is a wonderful little book that teaches about difference and acceptance with simplicity and grace. Isabelle and Charlie are friends. They are the same age, but like most friends, they are different: Charlie is tall and knows "a lot of words," and Isabelle is short and sometimes her words are, "hard to understand." The sweet simplicity of their relationship is a reminder to everyone that "differences are what make the world so great." Young readers will love the bold illustrations and simple text, and parents will appreciate the message and the sensitivity with which it is delivered. At the end of the story readers meet the real Isabelle, and author Eliza Woloson briefly notes how Down syndrome makes her daughter and other children special. --Daphne Durham

For all those children who ask their parents why someone looks or acts "different," author and journalist Maria Shriver's What's Wrong with Timmy? provides a base for discussion. Kate's mother models appropriate behavior, speaking to her daughter calmly and directly, and providing examples from her own life to help Kate understand about Timmy.

Special People, Special Ways presents a positive image of persons with disabilities. It shares the message that even though each of us may have something different about us, we share many commonalities. Coupled with the colorful illustrations, the book conveys the message that although painful at times, being different can also be glorious. --Gerald J. Hime, Past President, Council for Exceptional Children

This last one is another great book for your child, though it doesn't have much to do with special needs... Right now, it's one of those that pulls at my heartstrings and makes the tears fall. :(

This treasure of a book, for people of all faiths, is a starting point for parents who must talk about the difficult topic of death with their children.

What should parents say when a loved one dies? Heaven is a difficult subject that always comes up at tough times, and Maria Shriver has written a very special book precisely for these stressful moments. What's Heaven? is the story of Kate, a little girl whose great-grandma has just died. She seeks answers, and her mother helps her learn about Heaven. The many questions in this book are real, coming from Shriver's own children, nieces, and nephews when her grandmother Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy passed away. With 900,000 copies of the book now in print, the loving, confident, and ultimately uplifting answers Shriver provides are helping readers' families come together, feel closer to one another, and experience peace during the times when they need it most.

Hopefully this will help some of you with your Christmas lists as well! :)

Especially around this time of year, I think it's important to thank the LORD for all that he has given me... I am thankful for the perspective that He gives to me, and I am thankful for the life that he has blessed me with!

I will praise the name of God with song,

And I shall magnify Him with thanksgiving.

Psalm 69:30

Vacation

2011-11-12T14:01:00.000-06:00

This past week, Allen has been on vacation (aka staycation)... And luckily, so was Mommy! :)

It has been so nice to spend quality time together, without all of the hustle and bustle of everyday life... We had a chance to retreat to our own little world-- and get a lot of things done around here!

My project list was a mile long, so I got to tackle a few things on that...

We got to work on the house a little, repairing some plumbing problems and whatnot;

And we started on one of B's Christmas presents-- Daddy decided to build her a toy box and Mommy is painting/designing it!!

Since I don't have much artistic ability when it comes to free-hand painting, I was so excited to find a vinyl decal to put on the side of it-- {from fivestarsigns on Etsy}

We also got to build B's first tent... She was in love!

Hope you all have a great weekend!

1 year, 1 month, 1 week, and 1 day...

2011-11-09T17:21:00.005-06:00

Things have been pretty hectic for us lately,
so I never got a chance to post B's 12th or 13th month photos! :)

Well... HERE SHE IS!
She is officially 1 year, 1 month, 1 week, and 1 day old today...

At her 12-month appointment, she tipped the scales at 20lbs (31st percentile), and measured 30.5inches (89th percentile)... Long and lean is still what we're hearing :)

B, you have been such an amazing little toddler!

You are the best eater that parents could ever ask for... As long as we're serving up the finger foods!

You treat broccoli like a dessert, and if you like the taste of something, you give us a very dramatic "Mmmmmm!"

You are so independent, you refuse almost anything from a baby spoon... Unless it's sweet!

You are such a chatty girl... Your vocabulary gains new words every day! You try to mimic every sound and word that you hear, like a little sponge! :)

Your favorite activities include playing impromptu games of "peek-a-boo," making people laugh (and laughing with them), playing shy to male strangers, testing Mommy's patience, and hugging on all of the people you love!

You have taken 3-4 steps at a time by yourself-- usually while trying to keep up with Miles-Man, but you refuse to walk without clinging to someone's finger (or your cart)... Mommy is starting to think that you're afraid to fail, so you are just practicing so you can get it perfect when you finally start taking off! The fact that you practically RUN with your cart only solidifies this suspicion. :)

Your pointing finger is always hard at work... You love pointing things out and saying their name or what they are (if you know).

You are such a busy, busy little girl... Sometimes Mommy goes to bed completely worn out from chasing you around all day. Thankfully, you have caught on to the counting-method... The funny part is that you only let Mommy get to "two" before you stop doing what you're not supposed to be doing... And then after Mommy stops, you get up and do it again... So, Mommy has to start counting all over again :) You have to love being out-smarted by your toddler!

Source: etsy.com via Emily on Pinterest

We love you, Brynn!

Road Trip to Indy...

2011-11-07T20:41:00.004-06:00

We had a lot of fun this weekend, taking B on her first real road trip up to Indianapolis.

We got to drive by our old house, which we finally leased... YEA!

We got to visit the Rileys to see some of Mommy's former {and favorite} co-workers/friends...

And we got to visit with some old friends-- Matt and Colie-- and finally meet Baby Clark!!

Spending 3+ hours in a carseat wasn't a lot of fun for our busy little B, though... So, we got a lot of this. ==>

We were very thankful for our portable DVD player :)

But the reason for our visit to Indy was mostly for the Indiana Auctioneers Association Convention.

This year, Uncle Andrew was inducted as the President-Elect of the IAA!

Auntie "Man-Man" and Uncle Andrew taking their seats to a standing ovation :)

Of course, B had other priorities during the ceremonies.

After spitting out a mouthful of food on her first outfit, Mommy had to take her upstairs to change her into "the spare."

Then we played a round of "Keep the 13 Month-Old Entertained"

Between Paw-Paw, Grammy, Auntie Man-Man, Uncle Andrew and Uncle Aaron, along with Mommy and Daddy-- we barely made it through without any meltdowns! :)

Grammy's Girl :)

"Hmmmmm... What can I get into now?"

After a looong night,{the combination of staying up late and sleeping in a foreign hotel room didn't make for the most fun night for her} Miss B was soaking up the luxury of our hotel room!

"Dora cup full of milk, a cozy bed, and Sunday morning cartoons-- What more could a girl ask for?"

We eventually dragged her out of bed for breakfast, packed up all of ~~her~~ our stuff, and decided to take a detour back home... Through B-TOWN! :)

We took the "scenic drive" to see a few of our old haunts from our freshman years {before we met}...

I had to snap some photos-- very quickly-- as we drove past.

Assembly Hall and The Fieldhouse-- where Daddy used to wrestle :)

Daddy's dorm

Briscoe

Mommy's dorm

McNutt

Of course, we couldn't share it with B because she had finally passed out in her carseat! :)

*Don't poke the bear*

Swain Hall- West

Where Mommy and Daddy had their first conversation ;)

After we went shopping for some new IU gear, we joined Grammy, Paw-Paw, Uncles Aaron and Andrew, Auntie Man-Man, Paula and Brent for lunch at Scotty's Brewhouse...

That's right, we had a baby... In a bar.

Luckily, she wasn't the only one there... ;)

B is a cultured Hoosier girl now :)

Trick or Treat!

2011-11-01T18:56:00.005-05:00

I hope everyone had a safe and happy Halloween!

B had a lot of fun, but Mommy is paying for it today...
I'm laid up in bed with my new inhaler, a little Delsym, some Augmentin, and a Jack Russell terrier on the side. :) He is so loyal to his momma, especially when he knows I need a little extra TLC.

Allen has been such a blessing this week. He is the most amazing husband and daddy! I hardly deserve him... ;) Thank you for taking care of me, honey!

Here are some photos of our little ballerina trick-or-treater :)

We started out the night at Grandma and Grandpa Weinzapfel's house...

TRICK OR TREAT

Happy Halloween! {trying to hide in Mom's legs}

B seems to have recently hit a "shy" phase, where it takes her a little while to warm up to people...
So, we have a lot of moments like this -->

{clinging to Mommy}
She was not too excited to walk up to the door with everyone watching her...
But it didn't take her long to let her personality shine!

{playing "ball" with Daddy-- I love how they have the same lips!}

Showing off her musical skills by shaking boxes of candy with Grandma :)
She is becoming quite the character...

But who could resist this little charmer?

{playing with Aunt Katie}

Then we drove back to NH to trick or treat at Grammy and Paw-Paw's house...

*notice Allen picking out all of his favorites to go into B's treat bag*

Throwing candy out of the bowl quickly became her favorite Halloween activity.

She even recruited the "kitty-kitty" to help throw some candy.

After that, we went to visit Great-Grandma Alsop,
then we headed to Auntie "Man-Man" and Uncle Andrew's house...

They had a Halloween book ready for this special trick-or-treater ;)

Photo op-- the best we could get :)
Thanks Auntie Man-Man and Uncle Andrew!!

She found some Milk Duds that she could shake... This actually got her to sit still for half a second!

We finished off the night with a few sweet Halloween kisses :)

Happy Halloween!

A Special Tribute...

2011-10-31T22:06:00.003-05:00

There are no words for me right now... Well, not a lot of them anyway.

This week has been such a roller coaster of emotions for me and my family. We have had such blessed and thrilling news with the impending arrival of our niece, but we have also sustained very devastating news...

This week, my grandfather was diagnosed with AML- acute myeloid leukemia.

While our entire family is still struggling with the harsh reality of the prognosis, as well as the present and future plans for his care... I am so overcome with emotion at God's great power, and his plan for me, Allen, and Brynn. While our move from Indianapolis to New Harmony was very hasty and not as "prepared" as we would have liked it to be... I now know why He brought us back home so soon.

Watching Brynn and my grandfather spend time together has been such an enormous blessing, and I wouldn't trade it for the world... This time has been priceless and we will cherish it forever.

Please pray for healing, comfort, and peace for my family, and especially for my grandfather.

God bless.

Gender Reveal Fun!

2011-10-31T11:41:00.001-05:00

This past Saturday night, we were so blessed to be able to attend a special party in honor of Andrew and Amanda, and of course Baby Wilson...

They found out the gender of the baby together during the ultrasound a few weeks ago and wanted to do something special to share it with everyone! So, they planned a very intimate reveal party for the Coleman and Wilson families... However, since both sets of future grandparents had vacation/travel plans, we had to put it off for a couple of weeks :( But it was so fun to welcome Grammy and Paw-Paw home from their trip AND find out if we were having a niece or a nephew in the very same night!

We started off at Grammy and Paw-Paw's house, where Miles and Brynn got a chance to play with their new toys that G and P brought back for them :)... And of course, B loves her "kitty-kitty" time!

Miles and Brynn LOVED their Blue Angels gear :)

...And they just love each other in general ;) B thinks that Miles hung the moon...

He hug/tackled her a few times, and she loved every second of it! :)

THE TAKEDOWN:

Then we were off to Auntie Amanda and Uncle Andrew's house for the big REVEAL! :)

B is always excited to see her favorite person in the world... Auntie Amanda! :)

But even that isn't enough to hold her in one spot for more than 0.0001 milliseconds!

Her new favorite word... "Down."

We all wore pink or blue, depending on what we thought Baby Wilson was going to be...

B and Mommy wore pink, while Daddy wore his blue (he claims to not own any pink... Ha!)

Daddy in blue and Miss B in pink...

But who has it right?!

{B heading off to find her beloved Miles-Man}

Group photos are definitely not easy... If not all-together impossible with two toddlers. :)

So, is it a boy or girl?!

We were so excited to find out... And to check out Baby Wilson's new gear!

They are definitely going to travel in style :)

We made sure everyone cast their vote...

Lacy {aka "Yay-Yay"} and Uncle Aaron were some of the last to make it official :)

We got to see Baby Wilson in action too, which made us even MORE excited for the reveal!

...And then B decided to have a little meltdown. :( So we had to speed things up a little.

One last look at the chalkboard...

And a few instructions with the cake balls from Mommy Amanda and Baby Wilson

... IT'S A GIRL!!!

Unfortunately, I didn't get a shot of the pink cake balls... Partly because I was jumping up and down with excitement, and partly due to the fact that B was in full-on meltdown mode. :(

We had to leave shortly after to take our tired girl home to bed!

But not before I caught this special moment...

Mommy Amanda and Grandmas Paula and Pat got to look at more detailed photos of the pretty princess! :)

We are so very thrilled, excited, and blessed that we get to welcome another baby girl to the Wilson family... :) And we are SO happy for Mommy Amanda and Daddy Andrew!!

We definitely cannot wait for March, so we can meet that beautiful little girl!

My Favorite Haunts These Days...

2011-10-26T12:17:00.005-05:00

So, I know I have been really slacking on the blogging lately...

We have had a "sickness" in the Weinzapfel house this past week, and we are still waiting for it to make it's exit. I have been sanitizing everything and trying to doctor B and myself back to health, but I think living in a 100 year-old house with poor ventilation, combined with fall allergies is just too much to fight against. We are just trying to relax and take it as easy as possible... Which isn't easy with a busy toddler, whose own illness doesn't faze her in the slightest!! Luckily, she is still taking two naps every day, so I get a little more time to myself...

I have been trying to keep up with everyone's blogs... But I have been a little distracted by all of the amazing projects going on at some of my favorite blogs!! I wanted to share the love for all of my fabulous followers...

First, there is Eighteen25. I am always inspired by this blog.

They have amazingly talented sponsors {with awesome etsy shops}, and all-around great DIY ideas for every holiday and just-because occasions. If you are feeling a little crafty, you should check them out! They have a great eye for really cool {and FREE} printables-- my weakness! I'll warn you, though... It's addicting! And you'll probably end up running out for craft supplies, like I always do! :)

Next up is Delighted Momma... Oh my goodness! Can I just tell you that I am obsessed with this blog!! Not only is Lindsay just gorg-eous, but I am in love with the fact that she is a licensed esthetician who gives really great advice on all-natural skin care (and yummy recipes). I am one who has struggled with bad skin my entire life {mostly due to out-of-control hormones and the humidity of the Midwest}, but I will tell you that after trying out some of her masks and advice, I am HOOKED to the OCM and using baking soda as an exfoliate... BIBLE-- she gives better advice on skin than anyone I have ever spoken with-- and I love the all-natural bonus! Plus, she has amazing DIY tutorials for really pretty and earthy jewelry!! LOVE! You won't be disappointed.

Then there's CLEAN MAMA. This blog is much-needed for inspiration around my house... The fact that the house that we currently live in is very old, in need of a lot of work, half of our things are still in boxes, and there is a toddler running around like a wild animal, makes it very hard to keep things organized and clean on a consistent basis. I'm always feeling one-step behind in this department... CLEAN MAMA has some great printables to help keep me organized day-to-day, and help me play "catch-up" if I have a day that I can't get anything done... In a world that makes it impossible, I am actually making progress in organizing all of our things in our temporary living situation! :)

Last, but not least... Jones Design Company.

Mrs. Jones {aka Emily} is a momma of four with impeccable taste. I wish I could just copy and paste her house where we live, because I am so jealous of the beautiful home she shares with her cute little family. However, for now I will have to admire from afar and wait for the day we finally sell our house in Indy {which we finally leased to a potential buyer, almost 11 months after putting it on the market... YEA!} I guess I'll just have a head-start for our next house! :)

I hope you all enjoy these blogs as much as I have... Have a lovely and inspiring week! :)

Guest Post by Liz at The Quick Journey

2011-10-20T18:45:00.016-05:00

I am so excited to have Liz from The Quick Journey here on BabyBerry to post about her latest DIY tutorial. She is also featuring my "Earring Frame" project over at her place... So, check it out if you have some time!

Liz and I have become quick and dear blog friends, and I'm sure after reading her post you will know why! She is just so sweet and kindhearted, and her blog just radiates with a contagious happiness... We are both Midwestern girls with a great love for our families, DIY projects, and our good and gracious LORD, so I am very glad to have found her as a blog friend... Take it away, Liz!

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Hey all you BabyBerry friends! I am Liz, from The Quick Journey. Emily is my first real bloggy friend and I am super excited to be here today.

This is me and my hubby. He's pretty sweet and I am happy I get to walk through life with him.

I get to start every morning with kisses and smiles from two of the most precious little ones anywhere. Ella is my sweet (almost) 4 year old, and Liam is my wild 1 1/2 year old.

I am a total imposter in the DIY world, but I snuck in somehow, and I'm loving every minute of it.

My blog is full of posts on fashion, awesome Before & Afters, faith, food, and family.

Triple Berry Muffins

Crayola Decor

Fishtail Braid

I also make the occasional headband, or two.

You can take a peek at my Etsy Shop- Paisley or Polkadots

Now that you know a little about me, let's get to the DIY: Map art, PEOPLE!!!!

I am insanely in love with all the map art I've seen out there. I love how it adds color, and earthiness, to a room. So, I decided earlier this summer that I needed some for myself. In walks exhibit A:

A picture that my hubby bought me back when we were newlyweds. It has traveled from home, to home, with us and graced the walls of our hall bathrooms. I decided to ditch the daisies earlier this year and do something different, so I had this frame just collecting dust in our very ~~tidy~~ dusty basement.

I tore it apart, which is pretty self-explanatory. You flip it over and take it apart.

Then I spray painted the frame white.

I took the cardboard that was holding the daisies in the frame and wrapped the map around the cardboard.

The map, by the way, cost me $0.01 on amazon.com. I did have to pay a small shipping fee, but come on... one penny?!?!

I then put the map into the frame and secured it with the already there staples.

It hangs in our foyer and greets all who enter. Hello, world...

What do you think??? Map art is the coolest!

Thank you again, Emily, for letting me crash here on BabyBerry!!!

Upcoming Guest Post!!

2011-10-17T18:48:00.002-05:00

It is going to be a busy week for me... I'm getting my re-certification in CPR and PALS on Tuesday and Thursday, so I will be busy brushing up on all of my compressions, EKGs and code drugs! Really fun stuff, let me tell you. But I'll be very happy to be up-to-date with all of my training!

I am so excited to announce that on Friday, I will be swapping with the sweet and lovely Liz @ The Quick Journey!

She will be doing a fabulous guest post on BabyBerry, and I will be found over at her adorable blog, The Quick Journey!

You should definitely check her out if you haven't already!!

Not only does she have the most precious family {and personality}, but she's also super-crafty and makes some AMAZINGLY cute headbands!

She's actually hosting a GIVEAWAY right now!! So... What you are waiting for?!

See you all on Friday!

SIRE Marked for Life Campaign

2011-10-14T15:58:00.000-05:00

An organization called SIRE recently started a campaign called "Marked for Life- Children Do Not Separate"

SIRE - Marked For Life from Ariel Kleiman on Vimeo.

This powerful campaign is helping to raise awareness to divorced couples who are trying to co-parent.

"What You Say During A Divorce Lasts Forever"

I was speechless after I watched this video... It truly is so painful to watch anger control someone's life and actions in such a horrible way. Obviously, we are all better than the actions and words we choose in times of extreme anger toward another person. It is a moment of weakness that we are not proud of... However, when you have little eyes and ears there to watch and listen to these situations, it is such an injustice to allow it to happen even one more time...

These children have already suffered enough, and they deserve to be protected from becoming witnesses to hate and violence. Please join me in spreading the word about this campaign, and pass it on to anyone who is going through the difficulties of divorce...

God bless and have a great weekend!

Bone Bash 2011

2011-10-12T19:59:00.001-05:00

In two days, the hubs and I are attending Bone Bash 2011!!

The Bone Bash is one of the best Halloween parties in Evansville and is a major funding source for the Arthritis Foundation. Guests will enjoy frightful food and bloodcurdling beverages as they dance the night away to bewitching tunes by the band Beasley. We will also be honoring Dr. Andrew Saltzman, Tri-State Orthopedic Surgeon, in recognition for leading the way in the fight against arthritis.

Other activities include fortune telling, tarot card reading, costume competition, auction items, and much, much more. The party will kick off at 7:00 pm and goes until the bewitching hour of Midnight. Party goers are encouraged to come dressed in costume. Awards will be given for best female, best male, best couple and best group. Costumes are encouraged but not required. Cast your spell or use your most potent potion to come up with clever costume for yourself or your entire table!

Tickets are $50, and there is still time to buy!!

The venue is new this year... It will be at the Evansville Country Club!

So, throw on your costumes and visit this website to get your tickets ASAP!!

Funniest Baby B Video Award

2011-10-07T21:58:00.005-05:00

In celebration of our first year of being parents... And, of course, of our little drama mama's first year of life, we decided to take a look back at the ~~massive~~ collection of videos of our precious girl!

Here are a few that still have us laughing...

"Tummy Time" - almost 2 months

{Yes, Oz is on the verge of a meltdown... and, yes, he was still medicated. It looks like he's saying, "I hate her... I just HATE her... What's so special about her?" }

"A Very Biased Bedtime Story" - 2 months

{Daddy has high expectations for his little girl...}

"My Conversations with Daddy" - 3 months

{Oh, the hilarity of a father who thinks his 3 month old is a genius :)}

"Our Little Drama Mama" - 4 months

{a little overtired, but still has the sense of humor to put on a show... she gets this from her daddy}

"The I-Found-My-Tongue Phase" - 5 months {After the Big Move}

{I can't remember how long this phase lasted, but we got 3-4 videos of her doing this...}

"The Infamous Screech Owl Phase" - 6 months

{the "Screech Owl" is long-gone, thankfully... However, she has learned that "screaming" is just as fun-- Especially at the mall, while Mommy has her hand over her mouth, with people looking at us like we're crazy...}

"The Honest Taste-Tester" - 8 months

{FYI: Peas do not taste good, no matter what you try to mask them with... I still taste them!}

"Watch-Me-Bust-This-Move" - 10 months

{loves.to.dance.}

Our little girl has definitely given us some funny moments!! I can't wait to show a few of these at her graduation party... I'm sure there will be more to come! :) Oh, the advantages of being a parent with a video camera!

We definitely have our favorites... Which one is yours? :)

Brynn's Ballerina Birthday Bash

2011-10-02T22:16:00.002-05:00

Where did the time go?

Our sweet baby girl is officially a toddler!

It seems like only yesterday we were sitting in the hospital, waiting patiently to meet her...

{For more reference to the "Miss I-Make-A-Quick-Entrance" remark, see THIS POST}

I never realized that you could love someone so much... Or that a little person could give you so much purpose in life. I know that I speak for both Allen and myself when I say that she is our everything. Without her, things just don't have the same meaning as they used to...

Unfortunately, I have witnessed many moments where a mother has lost her child... I'm definitely not proud of that fact, but it has become such an eye-opener for me as I have become a mother and raised my little girl. I can still hear their gut-wrenching sobs, and can still see their hearts physically breaking right in front of me... These sounds and images will forever be burned into my memory. Honestly, I consider it one of my greatest blessings... Because of those experiences, there is not a single day that goes by that I don't thank the good LORD for the endless blessings that he has given me in being Brynn's mom...

It literally brings me to my knees.

She is my miracle in so many ways... I won't lie and say that this last year has not been extremely difficult for me. And without Brynn, I know there were times when I don't know how I could have gone on another day... I prayed each day for healing, and for comfort and relief from my internal pain and struggles; For some solution to my despair... I finally realized that He had already given it to me.

I made it through each day because of how blissfully happy she made me... My true gift from GOD.

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11

I thank the LORD every day for giving me these past 7+ months to reflect, and to realize how important Brynn and her daddy are to me... They are my life, as is He.

So, celebrating a year of Brynn's life means so much more to me than just a "birthday"... It's a day that our gracious LORD gave me something that I will never be able to repay him for.

Our little ballerina...

Happy 1st Birthday, Brynn!! We love you so very much!

(with Grammy and Grandma)

"Brynn is 1" Pumpkins! :)

B's Highchair:)

{plate from Auntie Amanda, and other decor by Mommy}

The "Year of Brynn" on display... Months 0-12 :)

Playing with cousin Cecilia and Sophie! :)

B's 1st Birthday Shoes

{The Cakes-- By Aunt Katie}

Daddy's Girl

Mommy's Sweetheart

Yummy!! :)

B loved her cake! :)

She even took some time to give Daddy a bite...

... And Uncle Andrew! :)

Opening gifts was so much fun!! She loved all of her Dora stuff! :)

And she loved cuddling with Miles-Man too! :)

We love our family :)

Happy 1st Birthday, Brynn!!

Birthday Banner Giveaway WINNER!!

2011-10-02T08:42:00.001-05:00

After a fun-filled birthday weekend, I am pleased to announce the winner of the Vintage Cupcake Birthday banner is.................

#15

which is Julie from {The Girl in the Red Shoes}!!!

Congratulations, Julie!!

Please email me your mailing address @ eweinzap@gmail.com.

Thanks to EVERYONE who entered in my very first giveaway... I wish that everyone could have won one of these adorable banners! If you still want one, you can always order your own from the sites listed in the original giveaway post!!

The next couple of days are pretty busy for us, but hopefully I will have more photos of B's party up in the next 3-4 days!! :) I hope everyone enjoys their week!

B's Birthday Preview

2011-10-01T21:59:00.001-05:00

So, I'm completely exhausted from today... But I wanted to give everyone who is waiting patiently a little preview of the birthday girl's big day! :)

If a picture is worth a thousand words, I think it's safe to say that B likes cake... A LOT! :)