Snake Bracelet craft

 

We made snakes bracelets!

first you need to collect some toilet paper rolls. 

I always try to save ours because there are some cool crafts you can make with them and it's free!

 

let the kids all paint their roll a solid color.

Then we let them dry and added a design later

after everything is dry we cut along the seem line in the roll.

in one corner of the now snake we painted on a tongue and eyes.

then wrap around your arm.

Vintage mickey is my hero.

Hazel has officially moved into the little girls room!

 the transition had been great! She seemed to really sleep well in her bed and I was actually feeling like I was getting some rest too!

But then last night happened.

She woke up about a half hour after I went to bed at 11:30.

I fed her, rocked her, changed her diaper, fed her some more and she just continued to cry. I then checked and she had no fever but thinking maybe her teeth are bothering her I gave her some Tylenol. 3 hours later she was still crying. My husband, finally, got up to see if he could help and she continued to cry. 

We tried to just let her cry it out but her sisters share a room with her and that would make for 3 crying children and we were not in any mind set for that.

then I remembered something that was given to us earlier that day. Well technically it would have been yesterday since it was 4 am!

 Grandma Jo had stopped by with a bag full of goodies! She's always has treasures for us. Remember this one a few years ago?
Well at the bottom of this new bag was another Vintage mickey mouse toy! Grandma had handed it to Hazel  and she was mesmerized by the moving hands, feet and "it's a small word" tune.

I ran down to the toy room found vintage mickey and geared it up. We placed it in her crib.
She didn't make a sound.
it was rather dark so I'm not sure how much she could actually focus on the movement but she seemed so comforted by the music.

 We tip toes out of her room and back into our own bed. Only to be woken up by the alarm 45 minutes later. Brian had to get ready for work. I am awake the whole time he's getting ready and then after he leaves I got an hour more of sleep before my alarm went off.
But Hazel? Yeah it's 10 am now and she's doing this...

I am jealous of all her snoozing right now but I am so grateful to Grandma Jo and her bags of goodies and expecially vintage mickey!

3rd letter to Stella

Dear Stella,

There is just something so special about you and everyone that knows you can't quite put their finger on it but you are all kinds of charming, funny, slightly bad attitude-like and full of spunk.

You love to talk in any kind of accent and everything is SO EXITING!   you have to pronunciate every word exactly and pause after each word to make sure we heard you correctly.

 plus the faces!

where did they come from?

this is your pirate face, which inspired your birthday pictures.

 You are ready for every adventure and thrill ride out there. 

you are full of bravery and love of life. 

your small size will never hold you back.

who cares if you still wear 18 month clothes and Hazel has you beat in the weight department.

you show everyone this tiny girl has a whole lot of punch to give.

since the moment I found out I was pregnant with you I knew you would be the one to give me a run for my money. you have a lot of your big sister Julia in you but you are also so very much you own person.

You are Belle's best friend

and Hazel's clown

you are the one that relieves any stress Daddy has the second he walks in to door and you are waiting there to give him a big hug.

Jerky wishes so badly you would love on him but you hate his fur 

you love cotton and still suck on that thumb

you eat everything unless Belle tells you it's gross.

you are obsessed with My little pony and Mickey mouse.

you would rather live in your PJ's and throw a massive fit if we try to tell you that your night gown is not appropriate for church.

and yes for that 1,245th time I love your toes! why do you keep asking me that?

 3 years ago I was handed you by your Daddy at the hospital. and my heart about burst! 

like your name means you truly are the star of our family.

Thank you for being you. 

please don't stop.

Happy 3rd Birthday Stella

lil Stella

Stella bug

Stella Jo

pumpkin

now go make some more prank calls on my cell phone.

Love,

mama

field trip to a garden

another installment on our super cheap field trips

this was a fun place to visit. the kids really enjoyed  all the different paths and butterflies flying around.

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Taylor Garden update

Our Garden this year is really taking off!

I am so excited!

everyday I spend a little time out there watering and pulling weeds and just checking on it all.

We planted green beans, tomatoes, carrots, Brussel sprouts, Strawberries and squash.

from our backyard we can see a few houses down the owners have dedicated half of their yard for a garden and I secretly admire all the work he puts into it.  

The other night Julia came home from her friends house (another neighbor) and said the man with the garden gave us these plants for our garden.

I am guessing he can see our raised beds and was impressed with my crops......probably not, more than likely he was laughing at my McGiever stick fence for my green beans which have now taken over and are towering over the tomatoes.

I went outside and saw two pots he had brought over to us.

one was a bush of mint 

and the other was growing sunflower plants!!!!

I almost started crying!

Since I was little I have always wanted sunflowers, they are my favorite and never had luck growing them,

these are half way up my body So I really shouldn't have any problems!

I looked up to where his impressive garden is and spotted him in the middle of his union plants.

I raced over to say a thousand thank you's 

he said he really just loves growing things and was running out of room so wanted to share with us. 

I started picking his brain for ideas to keep our pesky city squirrels away

He told me pepper and egg shells sprinkled around the plants sometimes works but sometimes don't.

after our conversation I got back home to plant my new plants and then stepped back and knew I needed to take some pictures

some are with my phone but I was so excited after the kids went to bed I came back out with my big camera too.

 I can't wait for these sun flowers to bloom!

 I will cry when they do.

 here is the mint plant. it smells amazing! and Julia keeps sneaking out to grab a leaf to add flavor to her water.

These two love to help me weed 

and the also dig around the yard for worms and run to release them in our garden.

cracks me up how they dress so girl like but love to get their hands dirty at the same time.

Brussel sprouts are starting to pop up. Julia is most excited about these.

here is my pepper.

I will be sure to get lots more pictures when things start getting exciting with Big giant flowers and yummy food that I probably wont eat but will enjoy feeding to my children :P

Tip Tuesday Video: trip to Target

I had a rare night out by myself and took a trip to Target. 

Typically on my shopping trips I come home empty handed.

Here is how... or why really.

and to the "friend" I avoided 

sorry

 I have issues :)

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Happy 4th!

Just wanted to say Happy 4th of July!!

 This day holds a lot of special meanings to me.

I hope you have a great day!

my girls let me take a few pictures.

 This outfit was one of my favorites from when Julia was a baby. I made all the girls wear it for the 4th at one point. but i wasn't sure if Hazel was going to fit into it yet. her sister's were all a little bit older then her during their turns. But I didn't want to wait in case it's too small next year. so I dug it out. now looking at all of them together in the outfit Hazel is the youngest BUT her belly sticks out more than any of theirs did!!! I love sentimental family hand me downs!

Hazel is 8 months!

it's no secret that my favorite show is 

The Walking dead.

we did a family photo shoot a few years ago based on the concept of a zombie invasion.

part of me feels bad Hazel didn't get to be apart of that.

so I wanted to do a shoot just with her.

but I knew I needed to wait untill she could sit up on her own.

and guess what ...

 

 

 she is also trying to crawl

just backwards.

She loves to eat and weights 19 lbs!

she says Dada and Mama and Bellebelle and baba and a few other things we are not sure what

 but it's loud. 

she's very loud.

she gives kisses and the biggest smiles only belong to her Daddy.

but don't let that fool you she needs her Mama or she is not a happy camper.

which is why the only other person, in her mind, that can watch her would be my sisters or her aunts.

anyone else and she just cries the entire time.

She is the happiest when she is in the water. even during a rain storm she laughs.

and let me tell you that laugh o my word it's that happiest sweetest laugh I have ever heard!

She has known how to do Raspberries with her tongue for a while now BUT for whatever reason this past month she has decided it is her favorite noise in the world and no kidding she wakes up every morning blowing raspberries and does not stop!!

 

 

eight whole months have gone by.

 I actually am glad the newborn stage is done and she has shown us little bits of who she is. her little personality is making me fall crazy madly in love with her.

 My happy, big eyed, sweet baby. 

Thank you for being so patient with Mommy and loving me through all the hard days in the beginning. I hope if you ever read any thing I wrote about your early life that you know you didn't do anything wrong. and I am going to spend lots of time making it up to you. That is a perk of being the baby of the family. one day soon your big sisters will all be in school and 

it will be just me and you left to do tons of fun stuff!

look here she is blowing raspberries! 

Water wall project...sort of

Last week we hosted A LOT of kids at our house. So many we were not able to fit them all in my van and go on a field trip.

so instead of field trip day on the video channel I am sharing a fun project we worked on. But if you click on the link and watch things didn't really go as planned.........

enjoy!

Click here for the video! 

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Painting our own coloring pages

We LOVE to paint!

well OK I LOVE to paint.

but my girls and Harper Jane love to do craft and art projects 

so I am trying to do more with them this summer

 

I found an idea to take a picture and turn it black and white then boost up the contrast

make all the dark REALLY dark and all the whites REALLY white.

so this gives it sort of a coloring book look. I did this for each person.

 

I just printed them on regular computer paper then let them have free range with the water color paints. 

I did try to keep Harper's clothes free from the paint.  I cut holes out of a plastic bag for her head and arms.

 my kids are either wearing dress up clothes or pj's so I am not worried about stains with those.

I also wanted to join in on the fun so I painted Hazel.

We had a lot of fun and I really like how they each are different and reflect them.

Julia's is more abstract

 

 Belle is a BLOODY clown look 

Harper's has that special 1 year old finger painted touch.

and Stella just wanted to mix colors.

 

I was gifted this awesome Bus 

for Home School preschool activities.

I am not too sure how to use it.

 I don't own any of the reading cards that normally go into the slots so for now I just hang their art.

 

We have new kids and returning kids that are starting full time soon and so I am on the look out for more art projects we can do together like this! if you have any ideas send them my way!!!