Shortcake's First Birthday

We really did celebrate Shortcake's first birthday, I just haven't gotten around to blogging about it. So, here it is, a few months later.

Shortcake's birthday party ended up being very low-key, but sweet. Both sets of grandparents were able to join us for at least part of the day. He ate cake, opened presents, and enjoyed the extra attention.

I did a little bit of a woodland theme. I had pinned some fun ideas, but in the end just made a banner and decorated a cake and called it a party!

He was a serious cake eater.

When you have a little brother, his birthday is like your birthday!

Randomness

A completely random update on what we've been filling our days with lately.

*We enjoyed our traditional corned beef and cabbage dinner on Tuesday. Peachy wanted to know if that is what the leprechauns eat.

*We also doned green for the day. There was a mad scramble to see what the girls could find that would fir the bill that morning. Cream had a green shirt and green pants and green undies. (Until she had an accident and spilled her green milk. So much for the luck of the Irish.)

*We have pictures scheduled for Saturday morning. (What was I thinking when I scheduled them for Saturday at 9???) Here is what the kids are wearing, except Shortcake will only be wearing one peair of pants. I am trying to decide which.

*This was taken about a week and a half ago. The snow is all melted now, but those first tastes of spring were awesome. I really love living somewhere were we get to experience that changes of the seasons.

*Mr. Cherry took the scissors to Shortcake's hair for a real haircut. I wasn't sure at first, but now I love it. He is very cute with shorter hair. But he does look much older! It must feel different because he keeps playing with it now that it is cut.

*I went away for a retreat last weekend. It was awesome, but coming back to reality was rough. Thankfully last night everyone slept through the night. The day to day is so much more manageable when you have a solid night of sleep. Hats off to Mr. Cherry for allowing me to escape and managing the young ones again. Maybe next time we can both escape together.

Shortcake: 12 Months

This post is a month overdue, but I had to do one last monthly post on our little man. He has really grown up a lot even in the last month!! He is much more motivated to stand now, will sit up on his own, and also had started to do some crawling on hands and knees.

He definitely will say bye-bye and uh-oh unprompted. And we do think that there are mamas and dadas in there as well. So instead of having one first word, we will go with four! We also catch him doing some signing. Most often when he is done eating and wants out of the high chair.

He also points all the time which is totally fun. I love seeing what they are interested in. He loves to look out of the windows and see the backyard. We have a bird feeder that he keeps an eye on.
He loves being around his sisters and getting in on the action. (This isn't always met with their approval. Peachy often tells me to put him in his bouncer so he doesn't get into what they are playing with.)

Right after he turned one, I left town for a long weekend and he did just fine with daddy. I was a little worried because we still hadn't done complete night weaning. However, he slept better for dad than he does when I am around. So, yeah, the sleep thing still needs some work.

He is alternating between one and two naps. Unfortunately our schedule means that we need to be out picking Peachy up around noon, so there are days he falls asleep in his carseat. I often can transfer him, but I try to either put him down so he can nap before we leave or try to keep him up until we are home. Thankfully he is pretty flexible and this seems to work.

I really can't believe that my baby is already one!! There are days that I miss that baby stage, but then there are other days that I am happy we are moving on to more independence and less reliance on momma. However, everyday we are all blessed to have this little man in our family! He is a true joy!

Dinning and Craft Room Halfway Reveal

When we first moved, I made our dinning room a priority. There were a few reasons for this.

#1) It needed to be changed!! The floral wall paper. The matching floral curtains. The pink carpeting.

#2) It is a great big space, so we decided that is where we would locate my sewing and crafting area.

#3) I could do a lot of the work on my own.

So I surfed the internet and came up with a plan. You can read all about it in this post.

I started by removing the wall paper and painting the walls. And that made a huge difference. Next I replaced the curtains. 

It was a family affair.

I bought a organizational cubby piece at Shopko of all places! It houses all of the kids art supplies so that they can use the table for all of their creations.

For the time being, I am using pieces that we already had to hold all of my sewing and crafting supplies. We do hope to build in something a little more permanent at some point, but it works for now. 

We also need to tape and texture the wall that had the paneling and replace the carpeting. (Are you shocked that we are getting rid of the beautiful carpeting in the eating area? Although I have recently decided that it is a similar color to the Pantone color of the year, Marsala. Right?)

That is why I am calling this a halfway reveal. We still have some work to do, but lots of progress has already been made.

I couldn't get a picture without the room in use. This room gets used for eating, sewing, and projects by the kids. It is a great multipurpose room.

I was able to create the light fixture by taking apart the existing one and just adding a drum shade.

One of the challenges of a multipurpose area is keeping it picked up. Between my sewing area and the kids' project area, this room is always a bit on the messy side.

While there is still some work to be done, it is very functional right now and a big improvement from what we started from.

On Blogging and Me Time

No doubt about it, this is a busy time of life for this mommy. With three littles to care for on a daily basis, there are days I wonder if I will ever get me time. (I am not complaining here or thinking that I am busier than the next person. This is the period of life I am in at the moment.) When I do get some time for myself, I usually spend it in some totally selfish and frivolous way. (Pinterest and Instagram to name a few.) And you know what? I don't feel guilty about it. How we all choose to spend our down time is up to the individual, wouldn't you say? Some wind down with the television, others go for a walk, some like to clean (that is certainly not me!!)

Anyway, that leaves our little space here on the internet a bit neglected currently. I have thought about giving up on blogging,  but I just can't do that. Instead I have decided to write posts when I feel like it. I love using this blog to record the days and moments in our little family. Do you know how many times I have used this blog to look up this and that about our children or our home or certain projects? And there it is, right at my fingertips! I also love to use this space to just write and connect. I have several friends that I have never met in real life, but because of our blogs, we are just that, friends. As a stay at home mom, those adult connections are much needed at times. I also like to write and share and this is my special place to do that. I am hoping to do more of that sharing just what I am thinking. Even if no one reads what I write, I enjoy the process of writing and sharing what is on my mind.

Peachy asked the other day how many blog posts I had written. I looked into it and figured out that I have written over 1000 posts. I have been keeping a blog since we moved into our first house the year before Peachy was born. Those seven years of blogging have made my mind think like a blogger. I find myself writing posts in my mind throughout the day. I don't always get around to actually typing and publishing those posts, but I am hoping to do a bit more actual blogging in the coming months. Hopefully I can use some of my new found time (since I am done getting ready for my craft fest) to share with you.

What about you? What do you like to do in your me time? How do you like to relax on your own?