Roscoe's 3rd Birthday (Yeah, I'm REALLY behind!)

I just realized I never put up pics from Roscoe's birthday parties (yes, TWO of them...).  We had family and adopted aunties and uncles over on a Sunday afternoon for a 

Robot Party 

(a well-timed themed as the Backyardigan's episode with Robot Roscoe is now a HUGE favorite of his!  We probably watch it three times a week, at least!)

 My first attempt at making cake pops.  

Definitely NOT as easy as some tutorials on line make it sound!  

My cake was WAY too moist.  I added too much icing.

But they were well appreciated!

 Cute and free cake toppers from Smitten Blog Designs.

 I used lots of tinfoil, empty cans, and tinfoil plates for decorating.

And the cute circle background... I made that!  Pretty proud about how cute it was!

And so EASY!

I cut out circles of the same size in the colors I wanted for the party theme.  And then... wait for it...

I SEWED!

Sew through a circle, and then keep running the machine, and then feed through another circle, and so on until its the length you want!

 The spread.

You can't really see, but I labeled all the food with run Robot-esque names.

And then, Roscoe had a couple buddies over the next day, for what I thought could have potentially been a very tiring party but wasn't :)

Ball Party!

 Marshmallows dipped in orange-colored chocolate and dipped in sprinkles.

Again, so EASY and very popular!

We ate lunch, had cake, opened gifts and then had free play.  Because, really, no three year old boys I know really want to sit down and do a craft or have a structured party.  It was LOVELY.

People kept asking what to get Ross for a gift and I just kept on saying, well, he likes balls.  Anything that can roll in our house becomes a ball, and anything that does not roll becomes a stick with which said "ball" can be whacked!

He had a great time at both parties, and I had a great time planning them!  Check out my Pinterest board!

December ADVENTure

So, I've been trying to work through Truth in the Tinsel with my kids this month, and I have come to the conclusion, that I am not able to do a craft everyday with both my children.  I really wanted to do each craft with both kids, but with Aria being in school for most of the day, by the time she's home, it is definitely NOT optimal crafting time for Roscoe.  So that's been a challenge.  But what we have done, we've loved.  And I'm okay with not doing each day, even though I'd love to.  

 I do see this becoming something that we do every year though.  So we've set aside a specific little tree to fill with our advent ornaments, and I've been putting together a "calendar" of the supplies needed, so that when we do manage to sit down to do a craft, its already there, waiting to be used!

I used the graphics that were provided in the Truth and the Tinsel e-book, and just drew them on the front of some large manila envelopes, one for each day.  Then I whole punched the envelopes, and connected them with a circle clip (not sure what their "official" name is!).

  Then in each envelope I stuffed in the supplies needed for that particular ornament; enough for two kids.  Well, actually, I've been including enough for four, so that next year when I pull it out, it'll be already prepped!  Aren't I clever?  Or rather, I know that we might actually do more of them next year, if I don't have to think about prepping them!

This has been a great way for us to spend time throughout our week reflecting on the truth of Christmas.  Its been especially great for my three-year old as we've been talking a lot about baby Jesus, and helping him grow in relationship and familiarity with Jesus.

And to add to the craziness that is my Christmas season as a mother, pastor's wife, and children's ministry director (among other things) I've decided to throw a Birthday Party for Jesus on Friday at our house as a fun way to get some friends together for a play date and a Christmas party.  My kids are super excited and I've been having lots of fun building a Pinterest board full of ideas!  I know a lot of people throw a similar-themed party this time of year to draw the focus back to Jesus for their kids, and its become a beloved tradition.  So I'm looking forward to that.

Merry Christmas!

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Fun, Free, Personalized Art

Yes, its true!  I came across a new website today called Wordle.  I had a great time creating some FREE, personalized art for my kids rooms.  The site was super easy to use, and I could choose what layout, colours, and font I liked best.  If you want a certain word to appear larger (like a name), you just have to type it in a couple times.  Here's what I created for my kids.  I'm planning on matting and framing them.

I can think of a million uses for this - especially for scrapbooking!  Or baby gifts! Or birthday cards!  And the best part is that its a fun way to expand your child's vocabulary.  Sit down with them and think up words that remind them of Spring, or to describe their pet, or what their favorite foods are.  The possibilities are endless.

Next Project...as if I have time!

I am rediscovering my love of mom-blogs that have ideas on, hmm, pretty much everything.  A project that I stumbled upon today, that I am SO going to do...someday, is "Family Rules".  It looks doable.  All I need is some Modge Podge, the best source of free fonts online (yay dafont!), some scrapbooking paper (I do have lots, but I might splurge and buy some specific prints that will highlight my future renos I have planned for my kitchen... again, someday), a canvas, and, oh yeah, the thing I lack most: TIME.  Here are some other people's finished product that have inspired me.

The Pleated Poppy

in His Grace

The Pleated Poppy

Impress Your Kids