a rite of passage {spring break part II}

Lookie, lookie, what do you see?No, not the haircut, but the SHINER!!!That's right. My sweet little guy is now sporting a "big bad bruise" - the little pumpkin's words for almost all boo boos, except this time it fits. Yes, his poor little eye, his nose too, a little bit on his lip, a finger, and his knee too. It's not his first time to hit the pavement, nope, he's done that here and here, but first time to end up with a big bruise like that.

This time he fell while running outside at Mimi & Pop's house. I wasn't there and it's probably a good thing because I probably would have cried more than he did. According to Mimi he was pretty tough and only cried for about 30 seconds. He's been getting lots of extra kisses, that's for sure.

Changing gears a bit...

I know I've said it before, but to me there's nothing like "God winks", you know, those moments when you feel like God is revealing Himself to you plain & simple...moments when you know He is talking directly to you. Today was one of those days. {I've already shared this with some of you but I wanted to record it here so I can look back during tough times and remember just what an awesome God we serve.}

On my way to work this morning I was feeling pretty discouraged about a particular situation. My thoughts drifted to simpler times...to the time I worked at a gymnastics facility while in college/grad school and the hard-working man who helped us keep the gym nice & clean. He always had such a genuine smile, a kind word of encouragement for the kids when they were feeling discouraged at not being to master a new skill, and seriously the BEST attitude ever.

He worked his behind off to put his daughters through school and would often talk about them with pride. He once shared a story with me about how he prayed for the person(s) who stole all of his lawn business equipment instead of getting mad at them. We always had great conversations and he reminded me a lot about my own grandpa. Whenever I worked late, he would always walk me to my car to make sure I was safe.

Since graduating and leaving the gym I've only run into him once. In retrospect, I wish I would have told him how much I admired him and what a difference he had made in my life. I said a quick prayer and went on to work.

This afternoon on my way home from work, while sitting at a red light, I heard someone honk their horn twice. I looked up and lo and behold, in the right lane was Mr. F, in a shiny yellow truck. I couldn't believe it. I rolled down my window and fought back tears. Beaming that sweet smile of his, he said, "I thought that was you!" I finally told him how much I admired his work ethic and what an impact he made in my life. Yes, car to car! He smiled a little bigger. The light changed, we said goodbye and went on {and yes I boo hoo'd all the way home). God is in the details. Always.

I have to be honest, I almost didn't share this. I wanted to keep it tucked in my heart like the gift it was to me from our Heavenly Father. But I know how blessed I have been at different times to read about how God manifests Himself in others' lives and so I decided to share it here with the hope that it blesses someone else who might need a little God wink of their very own tonight.

If you're reading this and you're hurting...whatever the reason, I pray that you will feel God's hands holding your heart in His.

potty training...what potty training?!? {spring break part I}

I had grand intentions of potty training Hudson during Spring Break. He's almost there, but we haven't made the official move to big boy underwear 100% of the time. I planned on an abbreviated potty training boot camp like we did with Grace. But the blue skies, gorgeous sunshine, and dare I say breezy weather (it is the South, after all) had different plans. So we opted for playing in the park instead. Good choice, Good choice...yup, that's what I keep telling myself! Had we been honkered down in the middle of potty training survival we would have missed the opportunity for an impromtu picnic with Noonie... Yes, even if it was Sonic take-out - Ha!
{I'm lovin' the new Picasa editing tools by the way...}I would have missed these sweet, sneak-attack, squeeeezy hugs in the middle of our dining al fresco...I would have missed these two sweet littles exploring hand in hand...So the potty can wait. I'll only have this little bit of
"two-ness" for just a short while. June is just right around the corner and my baby boy will then be three. Today I'm embracing the diapers and pull-ups. I love you my sweet Hudson and I promise we'll get to those big boy underoos soon enough.

You know what else I love?? Of course I love the little pumpkin too...that goes without saying...but I love this sweet sundress made out of vintage tea towels! I bought it a couple of years ago at an art fair and Grace is finally old enough to fit it! LOVE! More of those wAckY editing tools...fun!If you happen to be on Spring Break, hope you're having a super fun week! {and even if you're not, hope you're having a great week too!!!}

Lulu wraps, Shutterfly & a Question...

Noonie and I made a couple of sweet Lulu wraps for a dear friend to coordinate with some of her girls' Matilda Jane Serendipity dresses.......Joanna Wrap dress on the left and Peaches & Cream on the right - I didn't buy either of these two dresses for Grace so I didn't have them on hand to make sure the pinks worked, but I used the last of some of my favorite pink fabric that had a vintage feel to it and I think they turned out sweet.{photos via here, of course}

Here's another peek... I've used Shutterfly for several Christmas cards, seasonal cards and photo prints, but I had never ordered note cards from them...until NOW! I had an offer I couldn't resist so I ordered some thank you notes for Grace's birthday and I LOVE how they turned out!! {last name blurred for privacy reasons}

We printed copies of the photo for family since they wanted a real photo, but these were just adorable for personalizing our thank you notes to all her sweet friends. I love that I could add a photo to the inside as well...Sweet little details...Thank you, Shutterfly!!

Okay I need your HELP! Tomorrow the littles are having their annual Easter pics with bunnies so this is very last minute. Please help me pick out which boy outfit looks better with Grace's dress!I looked everywhere this year, but I did not find any little boy clothes that I just loved for Easter, so I ended up with several outfits hoping one would work. I'm kind of leaning toward this one because I just love the little peter pan collar but not sure if it's too casual (it's shorts, if you can't tell by the first pic). So if you happen to read this tonight, will you let me know what you think???Thanks! Hope you're having a great night...it's the beginning of Spring Break for us...woo hoo!

tangerine tango

So I seem to have a "small" crush on the color tangerine. Yes, pink/ coral/ tangerine/ orange/ clementine... I love all these shades. Add a little yellow or turquoise and I'm all set - HA!This is working out great because a sweet friend told me a couple of weeks ago that "tangerine tango" is the color of the year. I thought she was joking, but nope, she's right...it's right {here}.Seems I've been quite vocal about this color love because both Lance and my mom surprised me with birthday presents in this fun shade. Thank you both!!As I was going through Target yesterday morning to pick up some last minute stuff to put in Hudson's MDO lunchbox {yes, nothing like morning-of, last minute school lunches...grocery shopping is NOT one of my favorite things...my littles have taken Chick-fil-A breakfast chicken minis as lunch one too many times, I call it "special lunch" - HA!}, I spotted {these} lovely little cupcake stands. I couldn't pass them up so they came home with me ;)And then as I was turning the corner, I spotted {this} cute top and somehow it ended up in my buggy too. It's a softer coral shade than in this stock photo...It's a good thing, because after eating two of these, I needed the forgiving shape of this blouse today! Hmmmm...maybe I'll go back and get the blue colorway too...you know, to wear with my tangerine beaded necklace - he he he. A few fun birthday pics...

Our attempt at a family photo...I had a great birthday spent with the people I love most. Lance was so sweet...he checked Grace out of school, picked up Hudson early from Mother's Day Out and came to my office to take me out to lunch. He then took the littles home and cooked dinner while they made cards for me. He had to go to a retirement dinner for his boss so he left everything ready for us - love him!! So blessed to have him in my life!

The littles were so sweet hugging me and saying "Happy Birthday" over and over again. Thank you Mimi & Pop and Papa J too for the generous gifts - you guys sure know how to spoil a girl!!

I also made this for you, mama...See, it's a mosaic for your office...NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! He didn't make that. I DID. He's going to mess it up!!
{yup...just keepin' it real}Noonie came over with my favorite soup & salad from Olive Garden and those delicious cupcakes in that picture up there and we had a yummy Italian dinner....portrait by Grace :)

After dinner, I had the best little helpers in the whole wide world...I just sat back and enjoyed.Let's stop and look at a couple of things in this picture...
1. Yes, the little pumpkin IS wearing a cartoon character shirt. Grace 1/Mama 0. In my defense {sorry, yes I have an aversion to cartoon character clothing}, I didn't buy it, but it is really cute. It has Dora on it and says "little pumpkin" and she LOVES it. Pulls it out of her play clothes drawer almost every.single.day. And it is orange. *wink*
2. Hudson still has spaghetti noodles in his hair and he's wearing a 10 sizes too big Dallas Cowboys t-shirt that HE loves.
3. Our mini art gallery in the background is a MESS! Yes, we still have the traced human body hanging up from when the little pumpkin studied that unit at school a month couple of weeks ago, and yes, that's the valentine mailbox from the school party and the St. Patrick's Day green decor is still up too. C'est la vie.Mini me. Super excited about "fancy shoes"!Here's the story behind those gorgeous shoes...a week or so ago, I sent Noonie a text titled "Shoe Love" with a comment saying something along the lines of "I didn't even try them on...didn't want to be tempted." She knows I have a serious weakness when it comes to shoes. Wellllll....being ever so sneaky, Noonie saved that picture and went to the store and bought them for me as a surprise. Perfect size and fit. Soooo sweet! Thank you, Mom!Noonie also gave me this pretty, vintage-inspired necklace that will go perfect with - what else - a tangerine dress! bahahahahaI'm thinking *maybe* I have a problem. My last three purchases have all been the same color...the cupcake stands, the top, {this} dress:Want to check out more tangerine pretties...check out my It's Beach Time! board on pinterest. That's right. I'm soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo excited because come June, we will be here......I'll get to see my beloved grandma and lots of family I haven't seen in 3 1/2 years, she'll get to meet Hudson for the first time AND we'll be there to celebrate her 88th birthday with her! It'll be Lance's first time to visit Puerto Rico where I grew up until we moved when I was 12. Such.a.beautiful.place - LOVE!!Today is my mom & stepdad's 13th wedding anniversary... HaPPy AnnIVeRsARy, Noonie and Papa J!!!!! Maybe you should go see this on Friday...I know I can't wait!!And oh my, a little someone has a purse crush of her own...uh-oh, here comes trouble.It was a great birthday indeed...Tangerine + ocean blue = Ahhh
Now, to lose those 20 lbs. that seem to love me a whole lot..........

34 blessings.

Today, I'm counting my blessings. 34 years worth. The good, the bad, the unexpected, the hard, the struggles, the joys, oh the joys!

The list is long, much too long to list here, but here are 34 in no particular order...

1. my littles & hubby 2. my dear mom & stepdad {I don't have adequate words...I'm so, so, so blessed} 3. my amazing grandparents {one here, one in heaven...both loved beyond measure} and the example of what a Godly marriage looks like
4. my family...birth, steps, and marriage...all of them!}5. my health, my family's health
6. my Savior Jesus Christ
7. my dear friends, near and far
8. my freedom and all those who have paid the price for it
9. the family who helped my mom and I out of our overturned car, who later when we tried to send them a flower arrangement to thank them, did not exist at the address/small town they gave us
10. the day when at one of my lowest points I cried out to Jesus who answered me in prayer while I read my bible and told me that I would indeed have a family and children, more specifically a little girl that I should name "Grace" not Madison Grace as I had previously loved for a girl's name. Not only is this significant to me for obvious reasons, but also because I feel this was the first time in my adult life that I accepted and obeyed, without hesitation. I can't quite describe it, but it was a feeling of complete peace in my heart.
11. the day a year later when Lance and I were just starting to get serious, when he uttered the words, "you will have a family...and children...I'm sure of it." nevermind, he knew nothing of #10. I bawled like a baby.12. the sweet little old lady who was ever present in the chapel during weekday mass for an entire season of my life. she comforted me when I cried. she prayed with me and for me. she asked the priest to pray for me. she was the hands of Jesus to me. I never saw her again.
13. photography
14. amazing teachers and schools my littles are lucky to attend
15. creativity
16. experiencing life through the eyes of my littles17. integrity, compassion, sensitivity...all the life lessons my mom made sure to instill in me18. a safe & happy childhood, a best friend relationship with my mom as an adult, Mother-Daughter-Grands Annual Trips
19. overcoming an eating disorder in my teens20. Grace's drawings and imagination...the way she twirls in a tutu, Hudson's laugh and little boy silliness21. My mom and mother-in-law who take such good care of our littles on the three days I'm in the office and anytime we need help...such a blessing!22. my mom surviving the car accident that left her in a coma when I was 6 months old
23. peanut butter, pancakes, cupcakes, Riesling, cheese, animal crackers...
24. the gift of motherhood25. opportunities...past & present
26. celebrations...big & little, especially the ones for no reason at all27. Spring, picnics, cherry blossoms
28. the Rivera family
29. Sister Georgine, my 4th grade teacher
30. Puerto Rico and my family that lives there
31. a little angel in heaven
32. the birth of both my littles and their sweet hugs, oh, their hugs!33. mistakes...and lessons learned
34. God's unfailing love, Proverbs 3:5-6.

Thank you God for letting me see 34 years and for the many blessings in my life! Shape me into the person you want me to be. Help me to be a better mom, wife, daughter, friend...
Help me obey and trust without question. Guide me in every step. Amen.