the first day

today was the day. the little dude started at his new school. the school that we hoped and prayed he'd be accepted to. it was exciting and sad all at the same time. it shouldn't have been since he's been going to pre-school for the past 2 years, but somehow this is different. it's a school. a real school. like part of the school district. the school he will hopefully attend until he graduates from 8th grade.

here is a recap in photos:



lake country academy's new beautiful sign! he looks so tiny next to it!



in his cute little uniform. they have a variety of things they can choose from but he specifically requested the sweater vest. good thing it was a cool day! their colors are navy, white and khaki.



his new backpack which he's so excited about. especially that it features his initials.



he's so brave. he just headed off toward the school by himself with no problems. he was just a TINY bit excited.



daddy helping to cross the parking lot/street.



this is a horrible quality photo, but i just love how happy and excited he is to be heading to the classroom. we all got to come with them for the first 10 minutes or so. (although he would have been more than happy to say goodbye to us at the door!)



he finds his hook where he gets to hang his backpack and coat in the winter.



he finds the desk with his name on it. he was BEYOND stoked that it OPENED UP!!



here's the pouch i made for him this year. he got to pick out all the fabric himself. i thought it was kind of funny that he picked both flames and also a star/moon/sky pattern. a little heaven/hell theme maybe? we put the flames on the outside and then i hand appliqued his name and some stars and a moon from the other fabric.



we lined the inside with the blue star/moon pattern. he was so proud of his pouch because nobody else would have one like his.

we were informed that they got 1 potty break, had popcorn for a snack, got to go run around for recess, sang a song, and drew a picture of themselves.

so excited to hear what happens tomorrow! we are so proud.

august 31, 2009

happy birthday baby!

today is the baby's 2nd birthday. if you've read this blog for any amount of time you probably know that while i love him more than words can say, he has been quite the handful. in some ways i can't believe it's already been 2 years and in others it seems like much, much longer! we often joke around here that god made him extra cute and adorable so that it is impossible to stay mad at him for long.

we had a really great birthday party yesterday for him. he was a super good birthday boy and had a fantastic time. he's been obsessed with m&m's for quite some time now, so it was an easy theme to choose for the party. let's just say we have enough m&m's around here to last until he turns 3! here are some highlights from the day:



the first three photos are of the night before when we made the cake for the party. both boys wanted to help and, while they made a mess, they did a super good job. they were so cute working together.

the next two are opening presents. he got a remote controlled tractor from my brother's family that has been the source of many screaming matches between the boys. (it sure is hard sharing new toys!)

then we have two photos of the m&m cake. simple, easy, and very tasty! big brother also made some great garland out of m&m printouts that i made. he cut out 16 circle m&m's all by himself in one sitting! unfortunately i don't have any photos to share. i also forgot to take pictures of the favors i made. nothing crazy, just m&m magnets and single serving sized bags of m&m's.

the final photo is of the baby eating his cake. by the time we made it that far he could hardly hold his eyes open. (as you can see) i think he was in a sugar coma! he also kept saying "belly hurt, belly hurt", but wouldn't let me take his cake away. it was so sad. he wanted to eat his cake so bad but he had eaten so much that he was starting to feel sick.

all in all, it was a super great day. i have high hopes that 2 will be the magic number where things start flowing a little more smoothly. even if it doesn't, his sweet smile, cute giggles, and adorable dimples will win me over every time.

daddy and i love you so much little guy. we wouldn't trade you for the world!

august 30, 2009

august 29, 2009

august 28, 2009

magazine rack

i wanted a magazine rack for our sunroom and was on the lookout for quite awhile every time we went thrifting. the problem was that all the ones i found were either brass or really ornate, curvy stuff. then, i came across this simple, clean-lined, beauty! i painted her up in a glossy white and then added the same pattern that's on our new floors to the inside of the rack.

august 27, 2009

i swear

(photo note: i know the photo is blurry, but i was using a new lens that a friend lent to me. even with the blurry quality i really love the photo. you may see a few more like this. no, i don't need my eyes checked, i actually like them.)

ok, so this week's "that's what he said" comes from the oh-so-innocent-looking boy in the photo above. if you've read this blog at all you know that the baby has been a complete handful from day 1. so, it comes as no surprise to me that the following events transpired.

we are not quite in full potty training mode here yet. he seems a little interested, but the interest goes in spurts so i haven't pushed it much. well, yesterday morning he asked to sit on the potty so we got the little plastic potty chair out and stripped him down so he could sit awhile. he decided he wanted to move the potty into the living room, and since we have hardwood floors now instead of carpet i was ok with it. well, he decided that he didn't like the little "drawer" in the bottom of his potty. (you know, the one that actually catches everything) big brother noticed that he was trying to remove it and told him that he had to keep it in there. the baby didn't like that answer and proceeded to rip it out and THROW it across the room. yeah.

so, i had to play bad cop and take the potty away and tell him that he had to put his diaper back on because that was naughty. so i laid him down on the floor to put the diaper back on while he screamed and cried for the potty back. as soon as he was laid down he slammed his hands on the floor and exclaimed: "DAMN IT!"

ahhhh....yeah. talk about proud parenting moments. at least it was only me and the two boys and not somewhere out in public. this little guy is going to give me a run for my money.

scoutie girl preview

my newest post is live on scoutie girl. check it out!

august 26, 2009

happy anniversary baby

today is the hubby and my 8th wedding anniversary. we agreed not to do gifts this year since we have spent so much money on our house this summer with all the renovations. i was fine without spending any money, but i wanted to have something to give to him so i created the print below. it's the lyrics to the song "my best friend" by weezer. they pretty much sum up how i feel about him. he is my best friend, without a doubt. happy anniversary baby. love you. here's the next 8 years and many more to come!

august 25, 2009

sneak peek :: september designs

here's a sneak peek of the latest designs for marzipan inc. stay tuned for their official release at shades of violet and stores near you!

august 24, 2009

august 23, 2009

august 22, 2009

august 21, 2009

weekend "up north"

this past weekend we headed "up north" to visit the hubby's side of the family for a few birthdays and anniversaries. while there we swam, rode skateboards for the first time, and scored some vintage jewelry from my mother-in-law that i'll talk more about in later post. (because it really does deserve it's own post) have a great weekend! we'll see you on monday!

august 20, 2009