CAMERON the EASTERN BLUEBIRD + COOL BIRD STUFF

Mya had bird camp last week, which means they made some bird crafts, listened to bird calls, read bird books, and sang bird songs… which– for all of you who know Mya just a little bit– couldn’t be more perfect for our outdoorsy girl. It seems Mya’s birdie obsession started even before her first birdday party! (Ahhhh– looking back at those pics, I canNOT believe how much my girls look alike!) So in the spirit of the bird, I must share some bird finds and a fun story with you guys…

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DIY PRAYER BEADS

It is a smidge bit ridiculous how much I love this little project. From watching Mya intricately color each wooden bead to holding the tangible finished product in my hand, it is something that I will always cherish. I’ve never prayed on a rosary or used any string of beads in prayer, but holding these in my hands somehow makes me feel more focused and connected to my thoughts and thanksgivings.

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KID DECOR: GRAPHIC ACCENT WALLS

We’re spring cleaning over here. Mya loves cleaning and organizing (and I’m hoping this continues until… forever.) Her most recent job is going through all her little things in her room and deciding what she wants to donate. Sometimes she’ll come across something and says, “I don’t really like this anymore. Let’s give it to baby Leah.” So thoughtful– pawning off what she deems as junk to her lil’ sister. (Insert eye roll here.) But she seems genuinely thoughtful when she says it, so we’ll go with it!

As we’ve been spending our rainy days decluttering in the girls’ rooms, it got me thinking about what I would love to do in their rooms in five or so years. The girls’ rooms are considered “finished” for now and their rooms are some of my favorite spaces in our home. But if I didn’t have a budget, their whimsical, yet sophisticated spaces would look a lot differently. One of the elements that I looooove seeing in kids’ rooms is a bold and bright accent wall. If there’s any space in the home to apply something so graphic, I’d say this is the place to do it. And since my feminine side is rejoicing everyday with two little girls, I would definitely go with some large scale florals.

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ICE CREAM THANK YOU’S (PLUS FREE PRINTABLES!)

Growing up, one thing that my Mom always had my brother and me do was write thank you’s. Initially, I thought it was a drag because there were soooo many to write after birthdays and Christmas. (I know, what a spoiled brat, right?!) But somewhere along the way I really liked the task because writing became therapeutic to me… and who loves getting snail mail?! The answer is everyone. When you open your mailbox and find something special in between the Aldi ad and the water bill, you most definitely smile.

I always want Mya to be grateful and aware of the thoughtfulness of each gesture and gift that comes her way. In an effort to achieve this, I have adopted my Mom’s thank you note philosophy. And thus far, Mya looooooves “making letters” for her special people. Last week, we made these simple and sweet ice cream thank you’s.

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DIY SEEK-N-FIND TUBE

Confession: Everytime I was in the Home Depot hardware aisle, I had always wanted a reason to buy this Everbilt clear container. I was quite sure there were endless possibilities for its uses, but it wasn’t until the other day that I finally realized why I desperately needed it: a seek-n-find tube! Every kid needs a seek-n-find tube and this plastic hardware container definitely ups the cool factor.

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EASTER GIFT IDEAS

We went to the mall Easter bunny today. Mya thinks that since you sit on the bunny’s lap like Santa, you need to tell him what you want for Easter. And she wants a nightstand. Oh how I love my practical girl. Derek and I each have a nightstand with a drawer and that’s what she wants because she “needs something to set things on and put thing in by [her] own bed.” She also prefers it to be dark blue with sparkles. Duly noted, Mya.

But since I’m guessing most other kids aren’t asking for a bedside table, I thought I’d throw together some fun kid gifts in case you wanted to add some last minute pizzaz to their baskets. (Since this post was published, some products have become unavailable. We have updated some alternative links to the pictures below.)

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DIY KID ABSTRACT PAINTING

A couple weekends ago, Mya had a 102 degree temperature and a faucet for a nose. (You’re welcome for that visual.) The weather was beautiful– a whopping 60-something degrees in February– and we all needed to get out of the house… even if it was just the back patio. So Derek set up a pretty stellar paint station and Mya– in between blowing her nose– worked her magic. If you only do one craft with your kid this year, THIS should be it. I can’t tell you how warm my creative heart was watching Mya paint a large scale piece of art. It is most definitely one of my favorite things we’ve done together. We’ve painted a lot, but never at this scale. It was so much fun seeing Mya go all out and all in on something so big. She felt pretty special doing it. And she was so proud of the final product that she insisted it be hung in her room.

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“COLOR YOUR HEART OUT!” VALENTINES

On Monday night, my Mama mind blipped and I thought Mya’s Valentines’ Day party was the next morning. Last year we used crayons to make valentines and it was inexpensive and fun. So I did what every other Mom-in-a-jam would do and got on pinterest, specifically searching for a crayon craft. Mya and I raced around the house gathering the needed supplies and I think they turned out pretty cute. And Mya is proud of them which is all that matters to me!

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BABY LEAH’S ROOM

We’re finally getting around to showing you Leah’s baby room! I took these pictures back in early November, but not much has changed since then… except now we actually get to enjoy baby girl’s room with her! There are still some small things left to do, but if I wait to reveal before every little thing is “finished”, you might not see it until 2017! And I’m just too excited not to share…

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DIY NUMBER PLAQUE

Never before has the number 4 seemed so much larger than the number 3. Since Leah joined our family unit just over a month ago, I have learned that little projects (or heck– even just the laundry!) are more tedious tasks than ever before. I have never felt more victorious than when I drove in the car with both girls weeks ago by myself to run errands. Extremely exhausted, yet victorious. Today’s errands consisted of two Leah blowouts, Mya constantly needing “more snacks!”, me not being able to collapse a double stroller in the parking lot, two Leah feedings, and a mysterious something sticky all over Mya’s pants… all within an hour and a half. I might never leave the house again. And yet the number 4 has never seemed so beautiful.

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LEAH LYNN

Get ready for picture overload, people! Since I’m having trouble formulating sentences on little sleep, I figured pictures could tell this story better than I could right now. Our little Leah Lynn finally decided to make her debut three days after her due date. I started having mild, regular contractions around midnight on the 27th. We had just gone to bed and I think I was in a state of disbelief/ denial, not wanting to jinx it if labor wasn’t really happening. But we took some deep breaths, gathered our bags, and were at the hospital by 2 AM. I had an epidural and they later broke my water. After that, it was game time. The midwife said I could basically laugh and the baby would pop out. So that’s what I did. Ok, not really. But with just a few pushes, Derek was scrubbed up and ready to catch our second daughter, Leah Lynn…

Sunday, December 27th
10:17 AM
8 lbs 12 oz
19 3/4 in

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BUTTERFLY SNACKS

Truth: Mya’s napping and I should totally be making food for her birthday party tomorrow or cleaning the house… or sleeping. But I’d rather blog about the silly butterfly snacks we made for her preschool class. Priorities, am-i-right?! Yesterday was Mya’s 3rd Birthday(!) and she had school for a couple hours in the morning. We wanted to bring treats, and her teacher requested something besides sugary cupcakes or cookies to make her job easier. (Hey, I get it!) So we opted for some of Mya’s favorite foods: grapes and cheese (and popcorn on the side.) And since Mya loves herself some butterflies, here’s what went down…

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