The upside to her moving? We inherited a number of toys from her boys, including this Little Tikes play place.

I believe we’re the third or fourth family to inherit it on our block! It is perfectly functional, but it was definitely a bit sun faded. Okay, a LOT sun faded. I remembered this play house I had seen over on Apartment Therapy, so I headed over to our hardware store on base and picked up some Krylon Fusion spray paint for plastics.

My fabulous hubby took the play place apart and then we cleaned it off. You can really see how sun faded it is in this picture.

In the most illogical move I’ve made in awhile, I chose to start spray painting the play place in my brand new dress in a crazy dust storm–sometimes when I’m working on a project I don’t make the best choices. Somehow I managed to avoid getting paint on myself. I’m still not quite sure how that happened! Anywho, here’s how it ended up:

I LOVE how it looks. We didn’t have a wide selection of paint colors here in Japan, so I stuck with red, white, and beige, and then I left the wheel on the play place the original blue. For some reason, it was the only thing on the whole play place that wasn’t sun faded and it worked well with the color I chose.

So, do you have any plastic patio furniture or plastic kids toys that have seen better days? Summer is coming, so spruce up those pieces today! But go ahead and put on your painting clothes…just in case you aren’t as lucky as I was!

SPACE A

The US Military has airplanes. A lot of airplanes. And those airplanes fly to some cool places–like Guam, Hawaii, Germany and Singapore, to name just a few. Some of the planes carry cargo, some carry military personnel, and some carry both. The really neat thing about these flights is that if the US military doesn’t need all the seats on any given plane, military members and their families can hop on board…get this…for FREE! This is called traveling “Space Available” or “Space A”. The downside is that unlike commercial flights, these flights don’t always have a fixed schedule, and they are often cancelled or rescheduled for all sorts of reasons. You are also ranked by importance (i.e. people flying home for an emergency fly first, then active duty military members, then veterans trying to hop a flight). They accept people onto the flight in the order of importance, so even if the flight is a go, you aren’t guaranteed a spot. The best part? You won’t know if you “made it” or not until you show up for a roll call a few hours before the day flight. I know this all sounds crazy to you non-military folk, but considering it’s FREE, it’s worth the uncertainty! Some of our friends buy refundable commercial tickets out of Narita Airport in Tokyo so that if the Space A flight doesn’t work, they can just head over to the commercial airport and hop on a flight. There are pretty regular flights to Singapore from Japan, so we were fairly confident that we would make at least one of them, thus we opted to take the risk and assume we were going to make it on the Space A flight. (We were delayed three days on the back end…but it was worth it!)

We had to be at the Yokota Airforce Terminal (about an 1.5 hours away from our Navy Base) to check in at 4:45am, so we spent the night at the Air Force Kanto Lodge the night before. A nice perk is that Yokota is a bigger base and has a Chili’s which was AWESOME. In the states, I don’t even really like Chili’s all that much, but when you’ve been deprived of American food and atmosphere for a year, a Chili’s is very comforting.

We were told that the flight to Paya Labar, Singapore is typically not full, but being that it was close to the holidays, our flight was completely full (although they still didn’t have to turn anyone way). This made for a tight flight, but once again, because it was FREE, we had no complaints!

The Yokota air terminal has a really nice kids playroom, so the boys had a chance to burn off a lot of energy before we boarded the plane. I was VERY appreciative, because the flight was almost nine hours long. Eek! Thank God for iPads! I don’t know how parents traveled before them! (For what it’s worth, our favorite baby/toddler apps are: Peekaboo Barn, Sound Touch, Toca Train, Seek & Find City, and lots of Blue’s Clues and Baby Einstein videos).

There are two different aircraft that fly regularly two Singapore. One is a cargo plane and the other is a cargo/cabin hybrid plane that is actually run by a military contract company. We were on the cargo/cabin flight and it was great! The plane looks just like a commercial plane on the inside, but there are only six or so rows of seats (the rest of the plane is blocked off and full of cargo). The flight attendants were extremely accommodating; we were served two excellent meals, and we had lots and lots of snacks.

Once we arrived in Paya Labar, Singapore (a Singapore military base that hosts American military aircraft), we were bussed from the plane to a terminal where we went through customs and then had the opportuntiy to use a phone in the terminal to call a cab. The only time we had to schlep our stuff (two bags, one backpack, one diaper back, two carseats, one stroller, and two babies) all by ourselves with no cart was when we walked from the terminal through the front gate to meet the taxi–it was maybe 100 yards. Not, too bad. They didn’t have any vans available, so it took two car cabs to fit all our stuff. Thankfully taxis are cheap-o, so we didn’t have to worry too much about cost. The taxis all take credit cards, so we didn’t even have to worry about changing money or stopping by an ATM either. When you have two tired toddlers, every little thing that is a wee bit easier makes our trip exponentially better!

SHANGRI-LA SENTOSA

We stayed on Sentosa Island (a recently built up island just outside the hub of the city). The island reminded us a lot of Orlando, Florida–a hub of resorts, family attractions, restaurants, theme parks, and water parks. And while part of me feels a little guilty for being so “mainstream”, this was PERFECT for our family right now. We stayed at the Shangri-La Sentosa resort, and I can’t say enough wonderful things about this hotel.

They gave us an extra large room that had a little alcove perfectly shaped for the two pack ‘n plays they provided. This allowed us to put the boys down for bed at 7 and still have the lights and tv on in the main part of our room (thus avoiding a nightly “cocktail hour” on the floor of our bathroom). The hotel also has a free kids club for grade-school age children, a toddler playroom, babysitting services, a great pool with a splash pad/water slide area just for kids, and an incredible buffet breakfast which is typically included with your room.

Many, many guests bring their children, so the hotel was very equipped to handle us! High chairs/cribs/diapers/wipes/water toys/etc. were plentiful.  Each room also had a mini fridge which had enough room for sippy cups, juice,milk, etc.

Unfortunately, we all got sick the first 48 hours we were in Singapore. The hotel staff was great. They quickly cleaned our room when Miles and Ollie spewed projectile vomit everywhere, sent up extra water, and even sent us chocolates and fresh fruit when we were feeling better. Incredible.

The hotel had a bunch of restaurants on property (as well as 24 hour rooms service), so if  we never wanted to leave the resort,  we wouldn’t have needed to! Our favorite restaurant was a little brick oven pizza place on the beach (next to one of those amateur trapeze experience things, which looked really cool). We went there several times for dinner…yummy yummy!

EXPLORING SINGAPORE

We stuck mostly to Sentosa Island, just because it was easy to get around (there is a free shuttle bus that goes around the island), had a ton of attractions for us, and kept us close to our hotel for nap/dinner/bed time. December marks the start of monsoon season, so there was a pretty intense thunderstorm every afternoon from about noon to two or three, but usually it was nice enough in the evening for us to go back out for dinner. Thus, we tried to structure our days so we had breakfast around 8:00, were ready to go out by 9:00 and at the attraction of the day by 10:00 (when most things open on Sentosa Island).  That way we were back to the hotel by 12 or 12:30 for nap time/rain. In the cloudy/rainy afternoons, we stuck to the pool or tried to find indoor activities to do.

Here are a few of our favorite activities:

1. Skyline Luge. The Hubby and I drove a downhill toboggan go-cart thing while the boys rode in between our legs (they were JUST tall enough to ride! Phew!). We were the first people of the day to go down the hill and there was a monitor lizard on our track! When we got to the bottom, we took a ski lift back to the top and did it all over again (yes, this was a wee bit terrifying with one year olds, but they did fine!).

2. Adventure Cove Waterpark. This waterpark JUST opened and was AWESOME! the best part? A massive lazy river weaving around the whole park. The river goes through caves, fish tunnels, by beaches, and through a massive stingray aquarium! It was so, so cool. The lazy river serves as a conduit to all the other attractions in the park–wave pool, snorkel tank, water slides, etc. The boys were too small to go on any of the big water slides, but there was a massive pirate ship water play area that had two decent-sized slides that the Hubby and I could go down with them, and they really enjoyed that.

3. Cable Car. There is a 15 minute cable car going from Sentosa to the city. It was a really neat ride and ended at “The Jewel Box”, a really neat little restaurant/giftshop area that I would have loved to have dined in with the Hubby had we not had two toddlers tagging along (luckily…they’re pretty cute). The ride was fun though and from the Jewel Box we caught a cab to explore Chinatown and the Maxwell hawkers market (one of several awesome street-food courts) in Singapore.

4. Marine Life Park. This was definitely geared for kiddos a bit older than one, but our boys did enjoy seeing lots of fish. Just in case we hadn’t realized we were in an aquarium, Miles and Ollie pointed to all the fish and made the fish face about 500 times over the course of an hour and a half. The coolest part of the aquarium is  a MASSIVE tank full of all sorts of amazing creatures (my favorites were the manta rays).

5. The Southernmost Point of Asia. This was just a little tower lookout point on a tiny isle near our hotel, but there is a neat little rope bridge over to it and my guys enjoyed crossing the rope bridge, and burned some energy running up and down all the stairs of the lookout area. There was also a nice playground, some beaches, and a bunch of restaurants nearby. It made for a fun morning!

6. The Hubby and I did get the chance to have a night out, and we went to dinner at the Hawker market (seriously…the street food is that good there!), and then we went to Chijmes, a former convent which has been transformed into a shopping/bar/restaurant area. Chijmes is SO COOL, so if you are ever in Singapore, be sure to check it out!

To be honest, the boys enjoyed the public transportation almost as much as any of the attractions we saw…they recently learned the song “Wheels on the Bus” so every time we saw a bus (which was a lot), they would make the “wheels” motion. It was so cute. They especially loved sitting in their own seats on shuttles/buses/planes/etc. So funny! I love this pic on the right of Miles planning out our next adventure.

There were so many other things that we would have loved to do, but we just didn’t get to them (despite 10 days!), or our guys were too small. There was a small aquarium, a small pirate-themed water park, a butterfly/insect exploration park, an indoor skydiving center, a Universal Studios park, a world-class zoo, and a (supposedly) amazing night safari park. Oh yea, and shopping out the yin yang! I guess that just means we need to go back!

Something I have NOT done a lot of ? Document any of this on this here blog. So one of my new years resolutions? To blog once a week. And I really mean it. I really do enjoy sharing my little projects, ideas, and musings with you!  So because I’ve been a big ol’ slacker, I’m going to share with you a few of the highlights of the year and hope that partially makes up for a year of no blogging. In no particular order…

Exploring Japan with my little family.

Donning a yukata (a summer kimono) and dancing in the Bon Odori Festival.

Getting to know some fabulous new friends.

Homecomings!

Watching Miles and Ollie become friends.

Hosting Japanese friends in my home.

Getting some one-on-one time with the boys during summer swimming lessons.

Exploring Singapore with my family.

Dressing up with my little munchkins on Halloween (although Miles wouldn’t leave his ewok head piece on).

Watching two little boys become obsessed with plastic cutlery (as we called it “the security forks”).

And there you have it! Some of my favorite moments of 2012! I can’t wait to see what happens in 2013! Stay tuned!

You see, if the CO is married, his wife has an “unofficial” role in the Navy. She is often a conduit of information between the military and the spouses. She is our unofficial leader. She is the CO’s Wife–or COW for short. So when there is a Change of Command, we often throw a COW party for the spouse. Her friends will often deck her yard in cow paraphernalia the day of the Change of Command–cow spots on the house, a big cut out Holstein grazing on the plants, milk jugs strung across her porch. It’s so fun!

A few of us got together early this spring to plan a fete for our new COW. We wanted to honor her love of wine with a “Cow-a-fornia Wine Tasting” and we also wanted to give her an opportunity to cut loose and dance, so there was a second surprise aspect–”Dance Your Dairy-ere” off. Our guests knew about this aspect, but the COW-of-honor didn’t, so when a bus arrived to take us to a second location, she was totally surprised!

I hosted the wine tasting at my place…so I thought I’d share some of the details of that part of the party with you today, and along with that, a few party-planning tips!

1. An easy way to make everything look pulled together is to utilize a color theme or a logo. For this party–I used both! We had some holstein print table clothes, so black and white were a must, and since I have quite a bit of red in my house, I chose red as a third color to help tie everything together. I also found a cow silhouette that I embraced as our logo. I cut several of these silhouettes out of paper and felt and used them throughout the house. I painted a plate I found at the dollar store with the silhouette and it instantly made my existing decor (which is largely red already) coordinate with the party! (My friend Diann did all the flower arrangements–she did such a great job!)

2. Let people know that the party starts as soon as they arrive, by decorating outside your house. And feel free to think past balloons on the mailbox! For our COW party I changed out the pillows on my bench with a chevron pillow I had stashed in the back of a closet, and I pinned a felt cow silhouette onto a red pillow I already owned. For the door, I just foofed some scrap tulle we had leftover from decorating the after party location and pinned it to another felt cow silhouette. This cost almost nothing and set the tone for the evening!

3. Kraft paper is your friend! Next time you’re at Michael’s, Hobby Lobby, Wal-Mart or Target take a stroll through the wrapping paper aisle and grab a few rolls of kraft paper (brown grocery-bag-esque paper). This paper is AWESOME. For our party, I wrapped the wine bottles in the paper for our blind tasting, but I’ve used kraft paper as a table covering, as placemats, as a wrapping paper…the opportunities are endless! So buy some today and get your creative juices flowing!

4. Give your guests a takeaway and keep glasses from getting mixed up. I looked into plastic wine glasses and it was going to be $5 for a pack. For $20, I bought a bunch of cheap wine glasses at the dollar store and used a paint pen to customize them for the guests. I loved how they turned out!

5. Use levels to your advantage! When I set up a food display, I always try to use boxes underneath my tablecloths to make a more dynamic display and make food easier to access. This is such an easy thing to do and really creates a lot of visual interest.

I hope you’ve enjoyed seeing my party set-up, and that I’ve given you a few ideas for your next shin-dig.

But when an opportunity to head into Tokyo presented itself on Monday, I jumped at the chance to challenge myself by taking the kids into the city alone. I’ve navigated the train system with another adult several times. It’s always a bit of a challenge–mass transit in and of itself can sometimes prove to be a bit difficult for the novice, but throw in the fact that sometimes it’s hard to find English, and well, you get the picture. The big challenge for me isn’t the train schedule or the language barrier though…it’s the stairs. As I’ve traveled more and more in Tokyo, I’ve found that many of the older train stations don’t have elevators. When you have a stroller, having to schlep a stroller up a set of stairs is a pain. When you have a double stroller and two kids who can’t walk, well, it’s pretty difficult with two adults, and when you’re by yourself, it’s almost impossible.

So, for this trip I borrowed the Ergo carrier from my friend Erin, and a single stroller from my friend Kelley (thanks, girls!). I have a Baby Bjorn, but the boys are getting really tall and their head blocks my head in that carrier. Also, the baby bjorn puts a lot of stress on my back (which is probably why it’s only rated for babies up to 25 pounds–right where the boys are now). The Ergo on the other hand, is AWESOME! It puts a lot of the weight of the baby on your hips and is so comfortable! It can accommodate a baby up to 45 pounds, which in Japan is great news as many places just aren’t stroller-friendly. The other great part? You can wear the baby on your front, on our side, or on your back! I was carrying a baby from 10:30am-4:30pm, and my back didn’t hurt AT ALL the next day. I’ve already bought an Ergo for myself! How I’ve managed to live without one thus far is beyond me!

My plan with the stroller was to take the other baby out and fold it up when we came to stairs, but after doing that once, I realized that it actually isn’t very heavy (especially since I’m used to carrying to babies with two hands), and it’s easier just to leave the baby in the stroller and carry him up or down the stairs. One baby in a stroller with two hands is pretty easy.

Lastly, I carried the diaper bag contents in a back pack on my back. I looked a bit like a pack mule, but we made it Tokyo and back without getting lost, and without any meltdowns. I’m not going to lie, at the end of the day I felt a little like superwoman. Taking the boys on a trip like that on my own was one of my biggest fears, and with the right gear, it turned out to be relatively easy!

So, bottom line, go buy and Ergo right now! Clearly, it will solve all of your problems. Okay, maybe not all your problems. Especially those of you without kids. I really don’t know how a $100 baby carrier is going to help you get a promotion, or buy a wedding dress, or decide if that cute guy at starbucks is flirting with you. But for all of you with children under 45 pounds–it may help you out!

1. Playing inside with the outside 

Is it too hot or too cold to play outside? Bring the outside in! When it snowed here this winter, I filled a cake pan with snow and let the boys play with it. It’s really neat to watch as they explored the new substance. No snow? Try bringing in a bunch of leaves or flowers or pinecones–remember these things are all new to your baby!

2. Ditch the toys.

My boys favorite toys? Their plastic spoons, cups, and plates, empty water bottles and egg cartons. Seriously. I haven’t bought them any new toys in three months and they don’t seem to mind! We play with cardboard boxes–they make great tunnels and “boats”; we make tents out of blankets thrown over the dining room table, we play with “maracas” made out of kidney beans in a ziplock storage container (the one with the twist on lid).

3. The classic: play “drums” with pots, pans, and wooden spoons.

We had the luxury of moving into our new place right as the boys were starting to get mobile. So I purposely filled all the bottom cabinets with things they can access: their plates/cups/silverware, tupperware, and pots and pans. It keeps the boys entertained while I cook and clean, I don’t have to baby proof the kitchen, and it teaches them that it’s okay to explore your surroundings.

4. Finger Paint with yogurt.

Add a few drops of food coloring to plain yogurt and you have finger paint that’s safe for you little one to eat. For a no-mess version, put the “paint” in a large ziplock bag and tape to their high chair or to a sliding glass door or window. They can squish it around and mix colors…but no mess!

5. Play with oatmeal. 

Give ‘em some bowls, cups, and spoons, and let them practice pouring and using utensils with dry oatmeal. It’s okay if they eat it! (This makes a bit of a mess, but it cleans up pretty easily, as the oatmeal is dry.)

6. Just dance!

Miles and Ollie LOVE to dance. Every night at dinner we put on music and they regularly wave their arms and bounce to the beat. But don’t limit yourself to “Wheels on the Bus” and “Baby Beluga” (although I do love the classics). Keep in mind that your baby will likely be listening to his or her “favorites” over and over and over again…so introduce them to music you like, too! My babes love upbeat dance music…their favorites? Maroon 5 and LMFAO. If you live in a major area, check out Baby Loves Disco, a program that baby-proofs clubs during the daytime and opens them up to babies and their parents. Kids can dance under the disco ball to top hits and  enjoy special programing just for them! It’s really neat! We had the opportunity to go to an event here on base in Japan a few months ago and the boys LOVED it.

 7. Change up the toys. 

Just like adults, babies get bored. So we have a basket of toys we keep in the living room, and every few days, I change out the toys in the basket. It keeps the boys excited about what they’re playing with.

8. Read.

I know this is a no brainer, but I thought I’d share some of our favorite books with you. MJ and O love any books that they can “do” things with: the love opening the flaps in Where’s Spot (and all the sequels), scratching the bunnies tummy in Pat the Bunny, sticking their fingers in the holes in The Very Hungry Caterpillar, and then there is my favorite Click, Clack Moo Cows that Type and its sequel Giggle, Giggle, Quack–it’s not interactive, but it’s really cute!

9. Chat with your family.

Since our family lives half a world away, the only way we can visit with them on a regular basis is to video chat using FaceTime or Skype. It is AMAZING how much the boys interact over this medium. They get excited every time they here the jingle of the video chat opening. So even if you live near your family, try video chatting with your college roommate or great aunt Martha. It’s sure to brighten the day of someone you love and change up the routine for your little one!

10. Change Up Bathtime.

Try changing up bath time tonight. Add something simple like bubbles or these color changing tablets that change the color of the bath water (without dying your kid’s skin). Or try something unexpected like balloons or sponges. One mom I know suggests giving your toddlers glow sticks and turning off the lights!

What are your favorite baby/toddler activities?

As much as I loved these, I really wanted something a little more attractive.

I bought a cheap 8×10 frame, some silver spray paint, and I used some scrapbooking numbers and letters I already had on hand.

I removed the glass from the frame and stuck on the scrapbook numbers/letters.

Then I just spray painted the glass silver, let it dry, and peeled the numbers off:

At this point I also sprayed the glass with a sealant to  help prevent scratches and stand up to the elements. Just pop the glass back in the frame and you’re done! It’s that easy!

I’m so happy that I don’t have to look at those ugly house numbers for 2 more years!

So I am pretty darn excited that I have kept the plants I’ve planted here in my front bed alive for FOUR WEEKS! Clearly I just needed to cut down the number of hours I work a week from 40 to 20 in order to keep a garden alive. Just kidding…I’ve really just been watering them every day. Who knew water was so important to keeping plants alive?

I also spruced up the front porch area of our townhouse a little. Here’s the before picture with just our doormat and a wreath:

I’ve been on the hunt for a small bench to go here (kicking myself for not getting one at Target before we moved…oh Target how I miss you so!). I found one in early May that I liked at a home store here but it was $200. Eek. I was finally making peace with the idea of splurging on it, when I went to Costco (yes, we DO have a Costco here!) and found a bench I liked almost as much for $50. Sold! So here’s the front porch now (please ignore my reflection…):

Oh, I also made those little house numbers (because I couldn’t STAND the icky ones that were there before). I’ll show you how I made those later this week. And last but not least, you may remember that we have this funky little outdoor storage area right at the front of our house:

That storage is vital for bikes/strollers/trash cans, but I hate that you see it right when you walk up to our house. So I bought a few magnetic clips, a canvas drop cloth, and a few hanging baskets…and this is what I came up with:

I’m pretty happy with how it all turned out. Ollie apparently is, too, because he goes out and plays here every chance he gets. Yes, Miles likes it out here, too, but at the moment I took this picture he was pushing his walker down the sidewalk, and nearly into the street. I am such a fabulous mother…

*Full disclosure, one of the plants in these hanging baskets–the one on the left–is dying. I think it’s because the baskets cause most of the water to leak out. People with green thumbs: do you have any thoughts on how to prevent plants in hanging baskets from drying out?

In our house here on base we have three bathrooms. One 3/4 bath upstairs in our master bedroom closet (go figure), a full bath upstairs, and then a powder room downstairs off the living room. All three bathrooms have this weird plastic sheeting on the walls (made to look like fake marble–so classy) and mauve non-skid floors. Now in theory, non-skid floors seem like a great idea in a bathroom (as long as they aren’t mauve). But I’m here to tell you–they are definitely NOT practical. Why? You ask. Well, let me tell you. Have you ever tried to clean velcro? Because that’s what cleaning a non-skid floor is like. It clings to every speck of dirt, every hair, everything. Ick. It looks so dingy and dirty all the time. Here’s a shot of our powder room looking it’s best (I know you’re jealous!):

I can deal with the ugly, impractical tile in our upstairs bathrooms, but it was really bothering me in the powder room downstairs. I hated how gross it looked all the time, even when I was constantly cleaning it! So…I started looking for some sort of floor covering. And I found my solution at Natori here in Japan (kind of like the Japanese Bed Bath and Beyond). You know those interlocking floor tiles that you can make into mats for kids rooms? Kind of like this…

Well these tiles are like this on the bottom, but then they have a laminate flooring square on top (that is square, not interlocking). Perfect! Well, I found these a month or so ago, but they’ve just been sitting in our bathroom, because only 8 or so of the interlocking tiles fit squarely in the bathroom. I had to make cuts in the other 8 to go around the toilet, the doorway, the vanity, the wall, etc.

I finally tracked down a jigsaw (thanks Sarah!) and after a few hours of meticulous cutting last night, I am now left with this!

Not bad if I do say so myself! I’m especially proud of the cuts around the toilet. Those were kind of a pain, but I think they turned out quite nicely!

I bought a contour rug to go around the toilet so I could be a bit sloppier with my cuts there and it wouldn’t matter, but now I don’t even know if I’ll use it because I’m so happy with how it turned out!

Now…I just have to address my powder blue “marble” walls. I have plans in the works…I just need a bit more time to finish before the big reveal.

On a side note, tonight I had to flush a mukade (go google it) which I found crawling in my living room down that toilet. Dis-gust-ting (oh, and apparently poisonous…awesome). Probably my least favorite Japanese experience thus far…

So now we are totally on our own–me and my two little men (because they are finally getting some teeth and are thisclose to walking now–both of which make them seem much more grown up!). Since having kids, it amazes me how much different life is each time the Hubby leaves. For instance, last time the Hubby left I was still having to carry Ollie around everywhere because he STILL wasn’t crawling. After some occupational therapy, he’s caught right up with Miles and so now I can walk into the kitchen to start dinner and they follow right after me (that sometimes makes me feel like a mother duck with her ducklings…). The other REALLY nice thing about this age is that they are starting to entertain themselves. Hurray! Albeit for 3-5 minute intervals…but you’d be pretty impressed with the amount of stuff I can get done in 3-5 minutes!

Now that I have all this time alone in the evenings I’ve got a lot planned to show you. Actually I’ve been doing a lot of fun little projects over the past month, but I haven’t had time to show you any of them…so stay tuned!

P.S. Thanks so my friend Heather, we FINALLY have a family picture! This is our first “nice” family picture of all four of us since they boys have been around! Yes, it’s taken us over a year. There are three others–two of them I am sans make-up and one of them we have tiny fish chewing on our toes (long story…for another post!).