My recent projects...

I LOVE to create! But when you bring a new baby into your heart and home, it can be difficult to find time to do much more than eat, feed your kids, feed the baby, put the baby to sleep, get the kids dressed, feed the baby, sleep the baby, clean up after breakfast, spend time with kids, shower, lunchtime, feed kids, feed baby while you feed yourself, try to spend time outside or go grocery shopping, possibly make it to the library, home for naps, clean up lunch, laundry, pick up toys, sweep, lay down for just enough time to get relaxed...then you must feed the baby! Then it's activites to keep the kids busy, calming a fussy baby, and trying to prepare for dinner. 5 o 'clock rolls around and dinner is far from being started, Mac 'n Cheese it is with apples and peanut butter with a glass of milk. Don't forget baths, story time, kisses goodnight...and that's a day! Not much time for sewing and painting. Thank goodness as the new baby grows older, our daily lives get easier and moms can find more time for whatever they enjoy most!

I saw this idea posted on one of my favorite blogs: The Idea Room

Miss LuLu's birthday is coming up in October, and I wanted to get her some presents that weren't just more toys to be added to the piles of baby toys we've collected over the past 6 years. I thought these bean bag numbers would be perfect for her. Hopefully she will enjoy playing with them, and as she grows older, they will help her learn her numbers! (Plus, my older kids will enjoy these too!)

The numbers were very easy to make, especially since I am a beginner when it comes to sewing. I used some leftover fabric I had, and I liked that the patterns will appeal to my girls and son.

My second project I was able to do on Saturday. The babe was up half the night...the only thing I can guess was it was because she is teething. She took a wonderfully long afternoon nap because of her lack of sleep Friday night, and I had the perfect opportunity for this second project that I have been wanting to do for months!

I have been wanting to do a painting that included all my children's handprints. It took three of us to do Miss Kya's handprint!! It could have been a disaster, but we were fast, and it turned out perfect!!!
(I plan on hanging them like that with ribbon, and then put a vinyl saying underneath.)

I think this will be such a sweet reminder for me of what a joy it is to have little children in my home. Sometimes, I can get so exasperated and frustrated with my little ones!  When Anna and Carter are fighting, whining, being sassy, or disobedient, it could be easy to let those moments ruin a day.

But I am finding it is much easier, after an "episode", to shake off the tension and frustration, find my smile and sense of humor, and move on. I could continue to be grumpy, snap at my kids the rest of the afternoon, and stomp about (sadly, there have been days I did those very things) but it doesn't help me or my kids. It just makes us all miserable!

It's so much better to look past the struggles my kids are facing that day, and see how wonderful they are and how much they contribute to our family. Carter brings his humor...he loves to laugh...and he loves others to laugh with him! What an awesome quality to have...how lucky we are that he brings his goofy (and sometimes obnoxious) laughter into our lives.

Anna can be full of attitude, sass, and drama. She can cry at the drop of a hat, and is great at stomping off to her room! GAH!!! There are times I could pull my hair out! But eventually, she gets over it, and we get to see our girl for the smart, thoughtful, artfully talented person she is. When she paints or draws, it is always for someone. And if it is for me or Russ, she will sneak into our room, and put the painting on our pillows, for us to find later. She likes to walk the straight and narrow, and has so much faith. She often has much to say...to the point of no one else getting a word in...but I enjoy those moments when it's just us, and she's sitting at the table while I am in the kitchen, and she tells me all kinds of things about school, friends, church, and life as she sees it through her own eyes. I am so grateful for those moments. Having conversations with my daughter means so much.

And then there's my cutie-bug Kya. She jabbers so much, and I LOVE every minute of it! She started saying many words a month ago, and hasn't stopped! She says: mom, dad, Carter, Anna, Kitty, Shadow(the kitty's name), uh-oh, wowee, ouch, weee(while sliding), Chelsea (her aunt), ck-for yuck, all done, peek-a-boo, tomato (cuz we take her to pick em), guitar(she loves daddy's), thank you, hi and hello, her name, yum, baba(bottle), tree, shake shake shake, she said grandpa a couple times as well as a few others!

At 10 months old she started army crawling, and two weeks later she is crawling like a pro and starting to pull herself up to things on her knees. A few more weeks, she will be standing! She follows the cat everywhere and me too! She LOVES to be outside, eat flowers, swing, slide, go for walks in the stroller, watch the wind blow the leaves on the trees, point at every bird that flies through the sky, she is so interested in every sound she hears, like a train clacking, motorcycle vrrrooming, crow cawing, fence gate creaking, helicopter thup,thup,thupping, dog barking, children playing...she stops at every sound, looks at me, then looks around, pointing as I ask her, "What's that?" She loves it, and then I tell her what it is she is hearing.

It is so cute to watch her pick up her toy phone, push the buttons, then put it up to her cheek upsidedown and backwards as she says, "Hi!"

Carter bumped his head yesterday on the monkey bars and as I was holding Kya, I gave Carter a hug, and patted his back to help him feel better. Then Kya put her head on his, said "Oooooh" and started patting Carter too! He started laughing and then she gave him a big slobbery, runny nose, open-mouth kiss! So so SO cute!!


I hope that through the years, when I look at those little handprints, I remember all of those moments of raising little ones. Such a blessing.

So, those are my most recent projects. The next one is a painting to go above the headboard in our bedroom, I just need to find the perfect quote to go on the canvas. I am grateful for each of my kids, even when they were newborns and I could barely manage to shower and brush my teeth before noon! Somedays, I still don't have much time for myself, but that's okay. I am raising little ones, and they need me....

...and I need them!