52 things i love about you

i made this for will for christmas.  way back then i mentioned that my plan was to share a few tips on the best way to make something like this for the love of your life.

here you go...

i wanted the cards to have a vintage look to them which i figured i'd have to do myself until i 

found this deck.

i still roughed up the edges with an edge distresser from my scrapbooking supplies.  

before i started working on the cards i made a list of the 52 reasons i love will on a piece of paper.  i wanted to make sure i included serious things, funny things, and i didn't want there to be reasons in there that were too similar.  

i then cut pieces of scrapbook paper that would fit on the cards and distressed those with a brown stamp pad and the edge distresser. after writing the reasons out on those little slips of paper i attached them to the cards (that way if i messed up i could easily write another one without having to pull it out of the book and risk ruining something).  another important tip is to make a guide card to make sure your hole punches all line up.

i added a picture of us.

thread all the cards in the order you wish onto book rings.  again i wanted those to have a vintage look....i found mine on amazon.

ages ago i got these tiny envelopes from anthropologie and to add a special touch i included several of those throughout the deck with the notes tucked inside.  i wrote classified on them....something we always say because of the movie wall-e.

many years ago i found these vintage love stickers at walmart around valentines day.  i included those throughout as well for a special touch.

as you can see you can easily customize this project to be exactly what you want it to be.

etsy finally

for the longest time i've wanted to make and sell prints of my art on etsy but i wasn't sure where to begin.  finally with will's help i made this little dream of mine a reality.  this is just a small selection of what i'm planning on offering.  i wasn't sure about how the printing would go so i didn't want to invest a whole bunch into it until i knew i loved the finished product.  

etsy will be a go to place for affordable prints that are ready be hung in standard frame sizes.  for now i am going to be offering 8.5x11 and 11x14.  i purposely had the printed area smaller than the full size because a larger border makes for a more attractive ready to hang piece. 

i will be adding several other prints to etsy in coming weeks.  

as we make room for the twins i might even be adding some original paintings there.   

 a little over a year ago i set up a shop in society6 and i've sold quite a few things from there.  the beauty of that site is that i don't do much work other than create art and upload it.  since that is the case i also don't have as much say in the whole process.  pros to using society6 would be the ability to have my work printed on various items including throw pillows, shirts, phone cases, etc.  also the fact that they manage all the packaging and shipping.  cons to using society6 is that i don't get so see the final product before it is shipped.  i have no idea who orders what...it doesn't tell me that information.  i don't have as much control in pricing and my profit is incredibly minimal.  that being said i'll still keep society6 open as another option for those who want a framed art print, print on canvas, or various other things my etsy shop wont offer. 

dreaming about my dad

i have noticed that during pregnancy i feel a greater connection with my dad and i miss him more.  

recently i had 3 dreams in one week about my dad.  in all of the dreams he was alive at this present time.  the first dream he was with us taking ever on her first trip to disneyland.  the next dream he was working with brandon.  then the last dream which seemed so real i could swear it actually happened he was teaching ever to ride a horse.  

(pictures of pictures from my scrapbook.  my dad working with my horse whisper.)

the scene in my dream was very much like these photos except my dad had a little bit of a beard and ever was on the back of the horse.

it is always a bittersweet thing to have dreams about my dad.  on one hand i feel like it is a way for him to visit me and for us to communicate, which is so special.  on the other hand it is hard to wake up to reality.  luckily after each of these dreams i felt more peaceful than sad.  i say it is because of the heavenly bond the twins i'm carrying share with their grandpa. 

there are a couple pictures of my dad around the house and ever always points to them and says grandpa.  she kisses the pictures or says sweet things.  one day as i was buckling her into the car she told me she wanted to go see grandpa.  to which i replied...me too.  if only it were that easy.

    as i was looking for the pictures of my dad and whisper ever noticed a couple others in my scrapbook like  this one of my dad as a child.  i've never showed her this picture before nor have i told her who it is of but she knew.  she pointed to the picture and said grandpa then kissed the picture. 

this is a picture ever has seen multiple times before and when she saw it in the scrapbook she squealed then grabbed the page to stare at it.

i am glad that ever has a connection with her grandpa, i just wish he was physically here and i could witness his relationship with her and his soon to be other two granddaughters.  i have been wanting to name one of the twins after my dad in some way but i kept changing my mind about what middle name fit.  finally on friday i figured out a name that feels like a perfect fit.  so it seems our two girls have first and middle names full of meaning which makes me happy.  i most likely will not share their names with everyone until they arrive.  it is fun for it to be a surprise, besides they have already had so many different names in they last few weeks.  i'd hate to share the names today then change them 5 more times before they arrive.  but really i'm pretty certain the names we have in mind are the ones we will keep (besides baby a and baby b, for now the twins will be known as f and o).  i look forward to seeing what kind of connection to their grandpa f and o arrive with. 

everisms

ever is full of funny words and adorable moments lately.  in an effort to remember all of these moments i write them down in my phone as they happen and i suppose documenting them here will become a regular thing.

(just trying on a bunch of my bracelets and wearing underwear over her clothes...a regular day in ever's world...always making a fashion statement.)

-"i so smart!" she randomly blurted that out while playing the other day. 

-"favorite" she said this to me while holding her hand on my face and gazing at me lovingly.

-"oh jeez mister!" she opened the front door and started walking in as our cat pellegrino bolted out almost knocking her over.

-"come here i have to show you something!" she said this to a few of her stuffed animals while running to show them her new kid sized table and chairs.

-"mama cry?  i hug your face" she said this to me while wiping away my tears and squeezing my head. (she caught me in a moment of feeling overwhelmed about the twins and all that we need to get for them.)

-"i too old" when i asked her how old she is.

-"i choked!" said this after she gagged and threw up while smelling something unpleasant.  this girl has the most sensitive nose and gags regularly at smells.  

-"lets go see papa, i miss him." upon waking up and discovering will was already gone to work.

-"it's okay mama." reassuring me when i asked her what was going to happen during an intense part of ratatouille.

-"i hold your hand." she said this as she grabbed the cats tail.

although i try my best not to miss a thing when it comes to ever's funny moments i'm sure i have missed a couple, but at least i have all these cute ones to treasure.  

being the big sister

yesterday i had a doctor's appointment.  usually we don't take ever with us but i wanted to see what she would think.  earlier in the day i told her i was going to go see the doctor and we would listen to her baby sisters.  until the appointment all she could say is "go doctor...listen to baby sisters" she definitely seemed excited about it.  when we got there dr. taylor surprised us with an ultrasound instead of listening to their heartbeats so that ever could see her baby sisters.  she was way more interested in watching them on the screen than i thought she would be.  she kept saying how cute they were.  

baby a (which is the one that will be born first) was the rambunctious one.  she was wiggling and punching and kicking like crazy (reminded me of ever in her ultrasounds).  baby b was calmly moving a little bit.  we kept getting a really clear look at her face and she was opening and closing her mouth repeatedly.  when we went back to look at baby a we saw that she was kicking her sister....poor baby b.  it was amazing to already get a glimpse at their personalities and watch them in action.  

as we were leaving the office ever told each person she saw how she got to "see baby sisters".  she definitely seems to be taking this big sister role seriously.  

a few days ago she ran errands with will and he told me how she was talking about her sisters while they were driving.  she seemed to miss me and my belly so he told her once they got home she could hug her sisters.  first thing she did when she came in the door was ran to me and hug me then hug and kiss my belly.  it is a regular thing for her to love on her sisters.  she sometimes likes to tell me that she is going to talk to them on the phone then she puts her ear on my belly and says hello.  i love that she is already bonding with them.    

easter afternoon

easter morning here

 in the afternoon we went to a bbq out at devin and rita's in hackberry.  in order to keep things fair rita marked the eggs with initials so each child would pick up only the eggs marked for them.  if only the critters (bunnies, squirrels, etc.) would have received the memo that stealing candy from the eggs isn't nice.  by the time we finished lunch and went out to hunt eggs many of the them were robbed of candy.  which was actually pretty funny, especially when we discovered eggs that had been chewed into.  

ever was just as awesome and funny at this easter egg hunt.

she charmed the other kids and adults with her impressive vocabulary and squeaky little voice.

will posing with ever who wasn't interested in having her picture taken.

me posing with our other two girls.

i have to be honest...i almost didn't post this picture because i wasn't thrilled with how giant i look.  i was comparing this shot to pictures when i was pregnant with ever and i looked this size at about 26/27 weeks pregnant with ever....i'm currently 17 weeks with the twins.  i don't expect there will be many pictures of me on the blog in the near future.  i'll most likely still post belly pictures like i did with ever because i know that those will be important to me someday regardless of how puffy/exhausted/unattractive/huge i look.  i just can't imagine how i'll look or feel at the end of this pregnancy if this is what it is like now.  more on pregnancy and the differences with this one another time.   

will said i look beautiful and glowing.  if only i could see myself the way he sees me.  p.s. i'm not saying this stuff for sympathy or compliments....just keeping it real.

it seems ever is very interested in heavy equipment operating.

when we got home ever told me she killed this bunny.  i think she said that because we told her to be careful.  when she first saw it she grabbed the cage and screamed from excitement.  we told her she needed to be gentle or she would scare the bunny.  apparently she took that an entirely different way.  good thing ever's interaction with the babies in attendance was the opposite.  she spoke to the babies in a soft voice repeatedly saying "hi baby, hi honey" and touching them gently.  i hope she is the same way with her sisters. 

i'll leave you with this amazing family photo from our eventful easter.  

easter morning

celebrating holidays now that ever is at an age where she is really aware is so much fun!  when i put ever to bed i told her that when she woke up in the morning she would have easter presents and eggs to look for.  she seemed excited even if she didn't quite know what that entailed.....so excited that she had a really hard time falling asleep.  ever is not much of a morning person but she was eager to start her day when i reminded her there were surprises.  she was instantly wide awake and so appreciative about her surprises.  the fact that she could start her day with chocolate impressed her quite a bit too.

as i prepared everything for ever i had many fond easter memories come to mind.

  

spending an easter in california with my dad's side of the family always stands out to me.  i was only about 5 years old at the time but i remember all sorts of fun details about that year.  i remember how i was so proud of one of the eggs i decorated that i took it out to lunch with us like it was the most amazing treasure.

 i remembered an easter when i was about 10 years old that brandon and i had so much fun finding the eggs we had my mom hide them over and over so we could keep searching.  we even had her hiding them days after easter.  brandon always hated it because i was the champion egg finder all the time.  ever seems to possess my finding skills.  with minimal help she found all her eggs quite speedily.

there were the years when i would stay up late with my aunt bobbie the night before easter helping her hide eggs for her kids.  although i was a teenager bobbie would even hide eggs for my brother and i because she knew just how much i loved the ritual.  

as ever searched for her eggs she kept making little humming noises and then she didn't react when she found them she would just pile them into the basket like it was all too easy.  she was entertained all morning by her candy and fun little surprises.  as we got ready for bed last night will thanked me for making ever's easter special.  i told him i've waited all my life for moments like this.  doing these fun things for our girl is a dream come true for me.  

i don't know what it is about uploading videos on here.  some of the time they upload just fine but more often than not they fail to upload.  i took more pictures than videos yesterday so hopefully i can eventually get them to work on here.  next up our afternoon easter celebration at my sister rita's house.  

building a chick house

ever is obsessed with these fuzzy little chicks.  usually once they are in her possession for a few minutes they are mangled beyond recognition, yet i can't help but to keep giving them to her because she loves to mother them.  she cuddles them, talks to them in a sweet voice saying "it's okay chick i got you", she finds tiny blankets to wrap them up in,  she takes them with her when we run errands.....she adores them.    

a few weeks ago i decided i was going to build a house for the chicks and give ever a house full of them on easter.  i stocked up on the colorful fluffs then busted out the following supplies (all of which i already had):

-hot glue gun

-tongue depressors (these were being tossed a few years ago at work and i took a big box figuring i'd use  them for something, i finally did) 

-scraps of fabric (actually old shirts of mine that were ripped but i never wanted to part with)

-lace

it isn't the fanciest thing, certainly not as fancy as i originally pictured it in my mind.  

i'm sure ever will completely appreciate though and that is all that matters.  

if you have a few minutes to spare during nap time and the supplies listed above you can make your child's day with a house full of tiny colorful chicks.  

i can't wait to see ever's reaction when i give this to her in the morning.    

decorating eggs

it was ever's first time coloring easter eggs this morning.  she was thrilled....so thrilled in fact that she ended up throwing easter eggs in the dye repeatedly before i could stop her.  we had a few messy splashes and cracked eggs but that is pretty much to be expected with a two year old.  i was just happy seeing her so happy....messes and all. 

she kept saying "oh my goodness!" because she was so happy with this messy colorful event.

waiting for yaya and papa kit to show up.

i'm not sure who had the most fun with our easter egg activity this morning...me or her.

will enjoyed it as well but he left the majority of the decorating to us girls since we were all about it.  

the twins are...

girls!

ever is going to have two baby sisters.  

we were lucky enough to get a quick early peek to determine gender last thursday.  ever was able to see her baby sisters on the screen which she seemed to enjoy and be slightly confused by.  later that day she lifted up my shirt to look at my belly and ask if my tummy hurt.  i think seeing the ultrasound made her think that the machine might be hurting my tummy.  of course it could just be because she always hears me say my tummy hurts because of the nausea that still plagues me occasionally.  she mimics me by holding her belly and doing this funny squinty face while saying "my tummy hurts" in a please have sympathy for me type tone.  i explained to her that we were just looking at her baby sisters and it didn't hurt then she hugged my belly.  she often says she wants to talk to the babies on the phone then she holds her ear up to my belly.  several days before we knew the gender of the babies ever was chatting away in the car and she mentioned something about her two sisters.  so she obviously knew before us.  

we are really happy to have a house full of girls.

ever the two year old

one last birthday related post about our growing girl.  

two days before ever's birthday we took her to see a movie (mr. peabody and sherman).  we hadn't tried a movie trip since the first time when she was almost 15 months old.  it was such a different experience this time.  ever was so good.  she sat through almost the entire movie, only got slightly restless near the end.  the rest of the time she was content eating popcorn on my lap with her eyes glued to the screen.  every once in a while she would have something to say about the movie or she'd repeat a funny line.  i was so glad it was an enjoyable experience for all of us.  she keeps talking about peabody and eating popcorn.  i think movie dates can happen more often now.

we also spent much of our free time visiting yaya at work.  that was ever's request days before her birthday and on her actual special day.  honestly it is a request every single day.

ever didn't want to stay still for any pictures on her birthday but i managed to get these ones real quick.  her gift from us was the scooter you see in these pictures.  will and i just smile and laugh nonstop when she plays on it because she looks so grown up yet tiny at the same time.  we gave her the first scooter lesson in the house and instantly she seemed to know what to do.  she took off like an old pro.  when she plays on it outside she gets going pretty fast and tries all sorts of daredevil things.

it was so nice to have will off work for a few days and spend a majority of our time celebrating this brilliant two year old of ours.