First Day of School / Nap Mat Tutorial

E started Preschool last month, so I wanted to take the 'first day of school' pictures in front of our house like my mom always took of us. And J cried and cried and cried until I took some of him too, even though he stays home with me. Poor thing, he felt SO left out. I DREADED those pictures every year, but now I TOTALLY see the joy on the other side of it. I HAD to document this monumental day! And who would have known that I would be so sentimental after having kids?!?

The school that E attends had a list of items we had to buy. One of which was a nap mat. I looked them up online because, honestly, we are new to this whole needing a nap mat thing and I wasn't even sure what I was looking for.

I thought E may have a hard time going to sleep on a mat that was solely that, a mat. So, I began looking into covers and came across some really cute ones on Etsy. But one look at the price and I quickly decided that I could make something similar for a fraction of the cost.

And who do I turn to when I need inspiration, tutorials, and beautiful pictures? Pinterest, of course. I saw this:

The tutorial can be found HERE. This one has an attached blanket and pillow, and I could just picture E all snuggled up at nap time. I was going to do it.

The tutorial looked easy enough. So, I gave it a try. I did make one adjustment because it ended up being a little cheaper. Instead of making the attached blanket double sided, I just used fleece and then blanket stitched the edge.

This project helped me learn how to make a buttonhole with my sewing machine as well as blanket stitch (which I WILL say, was not an easy task through the thick fleece). All in all, it was a fun project and now I will know what I am doing when I need to make J one next year.

My cuties posing for the camera with E's nap mat.

And, lo and behold, E has slept every day at school despite my worries. And I just KNOW it is all because he is sleeping soundly on the nap mat I made for him. Ha!

Moments to Remember

Last week we had the opportunity to vacation in Orange Beach, AL with our family. The day we drove down was the day that Tropical Storm Lee hit the Gulf Coast of AL. Luckily, the drive was pretty uneventful until we made it to Orange Beach when the first drops of rain began to fall and the winds picked up. We were on the side of the street right next to the bay, and at times the rain was so intense that you couldn't even see the water. It was like a gray sheet was hanging right outside the window. The winds were also SUPER strong and I kept getting scared they would suck the kids away when we stepped outside. (A little paranoia on my part and OBVIOUSLY not a legitimate possibility, but I was scared, nonetheless).

This was the boys first trip to the beach, so I was a little nervous about how they would like it and if it would be worth the effort to take 2 toddlers. Thankfully, they both LOVED it! J was a little shy when it came to getting in the the water, but E loved rolling around on the sand as the waves broke on the shore. It was so fun to watch them both have SO much fun! They apparently needed a break as much as much as we did because E made comments over the first couple of days like, "Momma, I love you SO much (as he sweetly laid his head on my arm)! Now for those of you who know E, he is not usually that verbally sweet or affectionate-totally opposite of his brother-but it was so sweet to see him this way and have such a good time.

We videoed E and J's first beach experience. We took them down to the beach immediately after dropping our bags in the room. You could see the beach across the street from the hallway in front of our room. They had already caught a glimpse and were DYING to get their feet in the sand and water! Ok, who am I kidding? It was ME who was DYING to get my feet in the sand and water. Whatever the reason, we rushed over there and they were in awe.

I built them a turtle out of sand (something I remember my mom doing when we were younger) and wanted to take a picture of them in front of it....which led to a cry-fest. Sometimes I wish I understood what goes on in those little minds of theirs. What about taking a picture would cause such a reaction? Just thought it was a little humorous.

M soaking up the rays on the beach. The kids played so well on the beach that we were able to relax more than we thought we would be able to. Can we go back?

Ready to swim!

E proving that he is a boy after my own heart. He LOVES order maybe even more than I do. I get it, E, I really do. Order allows us to relax and enjoy, strange as that sounds.

Since the first few days were rainy, we took the opportunity to take the boys to their first movie - Cars 2! There were only 2 other families in there, plus we loaded up on popcorn and drinks and they actually did surprisingly well. They started to get antsy at the end, but I did too, so I couldn't blame them. They both LOVE cars right now, so I think this was a good movie choice for them!

E loved holding Daddy's hand, running towards the water as the waves receded, then running as fast as they could back to the shore as the waves chased them!

A childhood memory of mine associated with the beach is going to a fair/carnival type place to ride a few rides one night. So we took the kids to a local spot and let them ride the train together and then each choose another one to ride. I couldn't ever get a good shot of J's face :(

For E's ride, he chose the Carousel.

And J chose the Ferris Wheel. He was the only one on the ride and sat perfectly still in his seat the whole time. It was really cute!

I didn't just pick a picture that was good of M and I, I promise. This literally was the best one of the boys too where you could at least see their profiles. M was DYING to wear khakis and a white polo and has an awkward picture taken of just himself on the beach to put on his facebook. As hilarious as that would have been, I refused. (I apologize to anyone who has a khaki and white picture......they are cute, just not for us :)

We had an amazing time at the beach and couldn't believe how well the kids did! The weather turned out to be great at the end of the week and not too hot because of the previous storm. We created many fun memories together as a family and are thankful to get the opportunity to go. What kind of adventures have you and your family been on lately?

Absent no more!

For the 2 people who actually read this on a regular basis (and I really don't even have 2 specific people in mind, I just thought that would be a good number to assume read this blog. I mean, my kids are cute enough for 2 of you two look at my blog, right? Ha!)

Moving on.

I've totally been MIA from this ole blog for a few months now and thought I would entice you to 'come again' with some fun pictures of my boys.

Wow. I'm awesome at the whole 'moving on' thing.

So, without further adieu.............

Summer with my boys

My kids make me laugh

Apparently, we have been watching this youtube video WAY too much.

BECAUSE.....this is what they are now singing.

Oh no.

I'm ashamed that this is one of the first Pop songs they know, but it IS super cute.

And this is the way they have been dressing recently.

It makes me smile and they are happy. Why not, right?

Happy Tuesday friends!

Hodge Podge

Where did April go?!?!? I was getting really good about updating the blog for family and friends (especially those far away) so they could keep up with us, and I guess life just got in the way. We have been going no-stop but I have so much fun with my boys recently. They are both at such a fun age and are learning to play with one another....ok, play sometimes and fight most of the time.....but for now, we'll just act like they are perfect angels. Ha! Here are some recent random pictures of fun family times!

J enjoying his dessert after being a good boy and eating all his dinner!

Had to get a picture of cousin P. He looks like he's sneaking into something!

Having fun with my new iPhone:

I LOVE this picture of E. It is VERY rare to get any pictures of him looking at the camera, let alone looking at the camera AND smiling!

Reading time with Mammy! (J is totally cheesin' it up - he loves the attention!)

Brotherly love!

J has recently started singing, and now he does it ALL the time. I LOVE it!

In TOTAL contrast to the last video (cute, sweet, etc.), this one is definitely more of a regular occurrence - brothers screaming at each other trying to get the most attention. Oh, and the hands in the underwear is a regular occurrence too. Completely gross. I guess this is a common thing with boys. Or maybe mine are the only crazy ones. Either way, the second video is a more accurate depiction of our daily lives. Enjoy!

Oh, and happy Mother's Day to all you rockstar moms that read my blog!