A Monkey and a Big Brother

When I started thinking about the kids' Halloween costumes this year, and I knew I wanted Jack to be a monkey. Evan was a monkey when he was two, but he hated wearing costumes & had it on for only 10 or 15 minutes. We didn't even go door to door to trick or treat... he just wanted that darn costume off. So I put it away and figured we would use it when we had another baby. I pulled the costume out of storage last week and washed it, and today I put in on Jack just to make sure it fits. It is a perfect fit & unlike his big brother, Jack loves wearing costumes and thought being a monkey was pretty neat. He especially liked the felt banana in his pocket.

And I can't forget about this guy:

I can't get enough of those eyes and his 5-year-old smile, and how much he loves his baby brother.

My Sweet Jack:

You have officially hit the Terrible Twos.

You say "No way!" and "NOOOO!" and "I don't want to!" all. the. time.

You run away from me when I need to change or diaper.

You screech "EVAN HIT ME!" even if Evan is sitting 10 feet away from you.

You love to scream, yell, and fuss a loud as possible.

But... you are still a cuddle bug & love to give kisses.

You get the biggest grin on your face when we go outside to play.

You still love your Pup-pup and Hippo & can't go to sleep without them.

Evan is your best friend & the best part of your day is when we pick him up from school.

I love you, Jack-Jack. Terrible Twos and all.

Ohio Photo Book

Last year I created a photo book for my in-laws and I don't think I've shared it on my blog. I made the book 7x9 inches and had it printed through ArtsCow.

I can't believe it's been a year since these photos were taken. We only spent one year on Ohio, but we did so much during that time & I'm glad I have the photos to remember our adventures.

Cover of album:

Title page:

Pages 2 & 3:

Pages 4 & 5:

Pages 6 & 7:

Pages 8 & 9:

Pages 10 & 11:

Pages 12 & 13:

Pages 14 & 15:

Pages 16 & 17:

Pages 18 & 19:

Page 20:

A lot of this miniBook is dedicated to our trip to the air museum. Mark and his Dad are both really into airplanes, so I thought it was important to include a lot of those photos in this book. And while I love the beautiful weather we have in Florida, I am going to miss the beautiful leaves in Ohio.

Have a wonderful week!

A few more baseball photos

Evan is completely in love with baseball. He looks forward to games, loves wearing his batting helmet, and shrieks "YES!!" when I tell him he gets to go to baseball after school. He is obsessed! And super enthusiastic. I must admit I'm pretty pleased that he inherited the Mitchel Sports Gene. :-)


Mark is one of the volunteer coaches and helps out on the field and when the kids are batting.


Look at that concentration! Or is he annoyed that his mama is pointing the camera at him (again)?


This little guy loves watching Evan play baseball, but keeping him happy during the game is a little tricky. I am not below bribing him... usually juice and teddy grahams does the trick!

Have a wonderful week, friends!

Everyday Details | Scrapbook Layout

A few weeks ago I posted a layout I created about Evan, and I took some time to create a similar layout about Jack.

I changed the colors of the brushes & the itty bitty sticker I used, but the basic layout is the same.

(Supplies: Karla Dudley Designs)

Tomorrow I am volunteering in Evan's classroom as the Mystery Reader... and I can't wait! I love reading to little ones, and Evan has no idea I am coming. He will definitely be surprised!

Baseball Season

Evan started his t-ball season a couple of weeks ago, and he loves it! Practices are a a couple of times per week, and he starts playing games next week. He can hit the ball off a tee pretty well, but he needs to work on fielding a bit. See the picture below!


His favorite part of t-ball is batting. We don't have a tee, so Mark pitches to him in the backyard. After his practice on Saturday, Mark took him to Wal-Mart to buy his very own batting helmet and bat. Definitely the highlight his his day.


I love, love, love this photo. He is going to have a hard time catching a ball when he is looking the other direction and his eyes are closed! But he is so cute... and he tries really hard. Mark and I praise him constantly and he responds really well to that.


We are working on the step-with-the-left-throw-with-the-right concept... and he is starting to figure it out. Oh, that tongue! I had no idea sticking out your tongue was required when throwing a baseball.


After a good practice I snapped this shot of Evan, Mark, and Rocket. This time it's Rocket who has his tongue hanging out. Love that little puppy. :-)

Brevard Zoo Scrapbook Layout

I couldn't believe it when Groupon featured the Brevard Zoo last week... and they were offering family passes for 50% off. We love the Brevard Zoo, and I purchased a pass without any guilt. We are so lucky to have a zoo only 30 minutes from our house, and this zoo also has a water park! Perfect for two little boys on hot summer days.

Evan didn't have school Monday, so I took the boys to the zoo for the afternoon. I also created a layout about our trip. I used Ali Edward's Celebrate Back To School layout as inspiration:

(Supplies - Cardstock: Karla Dudley. Patterned Paper: Karla Dudley. Word art: Ali Edwards. Measuring tape: Ali Edwards. Tab: Katie Pertiet.)

I love the middle picture of Jack... he was pointing to an airplane and screeching "AIRPLANE" as loud as he could. Typical Jack. :-)

Chatterbox

Mr. Jack has turned into our little chatterbox, and I'm afraid when he's 16 and talking back to me I won't remember the sweet and innocent things he said when he was two. His little voice and cute smile melt my heart every time. And to think this will be the last time I will have a two year old pulling on my pant leg and asking me "what's up, Mommy?" makes me a little sad. Then Evan takes his Mario figure back and Jack starts screaming like a maniac, and remember why we are only having two darling children. :-)

These are some of my favorites:

"What's up, Mommy?"

"That's cool!"

"GIVE THAT BAAAAAACK!!"

"Rocket is so cute."

"Mommy, give my pup-pup a kiss. And a hug. And 'nother kiss."

"Cool shoes, Evan."

Goodnight!

Karla Dudley Color Swatch Challenge

Karla posted a color challenge on the Design House Digital website, and I thought I would play along. I used my blog post photos and journaling from Tuesday to create this layout.

I love the colors Karla chose... so soft and peaceful. And perfect for a layout about Evan.

(Supplies - Patterned Paper: Breezy. "everyday" brush: Cypris. "Details" tag: Cypris. "awesome" sticker: Itty Stickers Boy. Staple: Digi Essentials. Clear heart: Clear Essentials 2. White cardstock: Digi Essentials 3. Flower brush: Relax. Zig zag stitching: Cardstock Essentials 3. Paper border: Relax. Strait stitch: Digi Essentials. Heart brush: Be You. Font: Georgia.)

I plan on using the same template to create a similar layout about Jack. Why reinvent the wheel, right?

Goodnight!

Vignette Photos

Happy Friday!

I just have a few photos to share today. These were all taken with my smart phone and the Vignette photo app.

(left to right, top to bottom)

1. Evan has never liked stickers, but Jack loves to be covered in them!

2. My three boys... and part of Rocket's leg.

3. Evan loves it when I bring Rocket with me to pick him up from school. I love Ev's grin!

4. Jack has been putting Pup-pup on his head while we wait for Evan after school. I have no idea why, but it's cute!

5. Rocket likes to take a nap wherever his people are.

6. Jack loves his Leapfrog Leaptop. It's one of his favorite toys right now.

7. Another Pup-pup-on-the-head picture. :-)

8. Our cute little puppy turned 1 last month. He is such a good boy (except for the occasional barking), and he is doing really well with our training. Liver treats are a huge motivator for him!

Have a great weekend!