I love this stuff . . .

Ok, at this point most of you know me well enough to know I'm a music person. So this kind of thing turns me inside out. Trust me on this, you gotta watch and listen to the whole thing to really grasp how talented this kid is. I could listen to this over and over . . . and to top it all off, I hear he loves Jesus :)

Sage is 2!!!

Happy birthday big girl!

Last year at her party. . . This year . . .

Can ya'll believe my baby is 2? She's no baby anymore, and she definitely reminds me of that truth every day. Sage talks up a storm. I hear many of the same phrases over and over, but rarely do they ever get old. Her sweet little voice is so entertaining and hilarious. Her favorite questions and/or phrases are:

"Hey Mom, what doin?"

"Good job Mom."

"Whoa, hear dat Mom?" (When she hears a noise.)

"I do it Mommy, I do it."

Every day when Brian comes home, he and Sage love to "scrap." That's their term for wrestling. It's precious daddy/daughter time. Sage gets so excited as soon as she sees Brian drive up. Once he gets in the door, it's not long before Sage screams,"Daddy!! Scrap meeeeeee!!!!!" Translation, "Daddy, let's wrestle."

Sage also wins the prize for changing her mind the most times in a minute. If I give her a choice, say between wearing her kitty cat or frog pajamas, the convo usually goes something like this:

Me: Sage do you want to wear kitty-cats or frogs?

Sage : (Very definitively) Frogs!!!!

Me: Ok.

Sage: No!!! Kitty-cats!!!!

Me: Ok, kitty-cats it is.

Sage: No!! Monkeys!!

Me: Sage, monkeys aren't an option. Do you want to wear frogs or kitty-cats. This is the last time I'm going to ask.

Sage: Ok. Kitty-cats . . . . No!! Frogs.

Me: Ok, we're putting on frogs.

Sage: No, kitty-cats.

Me: Nope, that was the last time I was asking and we are putting on the frogs. END. OF. STORY.

Sage: Ok Mom.

Surprisingly, she usually goes right along with whatever I say once I actually put my foot down about it. I love her for that. For real. I'm sure some kids would throw a fit. And maybe she will too one day, especially since we are entering the infamous "TERRIBLE TWO'S!!!!" I'm praying we just sail right through those or skip over them all together :) He he.

Anyhow, we had a Sesame Street party at the house today, which is her actual birthday. It was fun planning a theme party. (Don't get to do that very often.) It would be so fun to be able to do that with unlimited funds!!! One could really go crazy if ya know what I mean. The party planning was great, but the party itself was even better. A few pics of a fun day with family and friends . . .

I I Ithink she was licking the icing off of her third or fourth cupcake at this point . . .
















I wish I could include a picture of everyone that was there, but that would make this post way too long. We were so thrilled and honored that Sage's neighborhood friends and their families joined us for her special day, along with some of our family too! I prayed that the rain would hold off, and praise the Lord, it did!!! It made for such a fun party.

I Just Had to Share

I found this picture on Pinterest the other day and it makes me laugh out loud. For real. So I couldn't resist sharing it. I mean, look at all of their faces! Each guy is so stinkin' animated. I love it.

Source: thingsiloveaboutweddings.tumblr.com via Lindsay on Pinterest

Weekend Remodel

Late last week I got an itch to put in a backsplash. I've always loved white kitchens. I've pinned a million of them on Pinterest, like this one:

and this one:

Common elements in many of the kitchens I love are: lots of windows, white cabinetry, and white subway tile backsplashes. I already have white cabinets and there's not much I can do about adding more windows. Sooooooooooo, that leaves the backsplash. After doing a little research on the internet I was convinced I could install it myself. And that's exactly what I did. It was back breaking work, and I regretted not forking up the money to rent a wet saw. But I needed to do this on the cheap so I did it the hard, frustrating way - with a hand saw. I have to say though, the results are wonderful! My kitchen is so much brighter and looks much more "polished."

A pic of my handy work:

While I was at it, I decided to spruce up the room even more with new switch plates for the outlets (see above) and new hardware for the drawers.

These are inexpensive touches that really finish a space. I hope I've added some value to our home, if not, at least I'm enjoying the update!

My next project might be building a new dining table like this one or this one. We'll see if I can work up the courage :)

Beauty

My grandmother has a book about the life of Ruth Bell Graham that sits on a table in her living room. I love to read snip-its of that book, getting a glimpse into the life of Mrs. Billy Graham. She was truly fascinating.

Ruth spent much of her childhood in China where her parents were medical missionaries. She had an amah (nanny), whom she loved dearly, but her amah was not what the world would consider attractive. One of my favorite quotes from Ruth's book is about her dear amah and reads as follows . . .

She was a homely old soul.

But what did it matter;

She was so loving,

I would have sworn her beautiful.

I find that so inspiring. I think I need to post this on my bathroom mirror to remind me that while I work on my physical appearance, preparing my heart to love others is much more important.

Faces

Sage's face was priceless this Christmas. She got so excited about many things; like her art easel, Weebles, and Reeses Cups just to name a few. I wish I could have gotten a better angle on some of these shots, but toddlers are always on the move so that's nearly impossible. If you look closely you can see her sweet expressions.

She devoured the Reeses Cups in her stocking faster than you can blink. Sorry the pic is blurry, but do you see how full those cheeks are?

I'm not sure what she's looking at but I adore her captivated expression.

Riding in Nanny's walker

4 generations

And just because I love it . . .

Christmas Card 2011

So, I guess I didn't realize how popular we are . . . kidding. Just kidding. But seriously, I didn't order enough Christmas cards! I feel terrible! Clearly I didn't plan properly. It also may or may not have had something to do with my wonderful husband accidentally erasing all of our contacts and addresses from our lap top :) Anyhoo, nothing I can do about it now, so if you didn't get a card from us this year please accept my apologies, and know that you probably aren't alone! Due to our mistake(s), I've posted some pics of our card this year. Just imagine that's your hand opening the envelope :)

FRONT:




BACK:



As with every Christmas season, Brian and I are so grateful that our Lord humbled Himself, took on human nature and entered this sinful world as a tiny, innocent babe. He is the most precious of gifts. As we have brainstormed ways to keep Christ the focus of our family, especially at Christmas time when ten thousand distractions beg for our attention, we came up with an idea to hang a stocking for Jesus. In it, we will place pieces of paper where we have written down our gifts to Him for the coming year. Maybe it's a change in attitude toward a certain person or situation. Maybe it's a bad habit that needs to be broken, etc. etc.

However, on Pinterest the other day, I stumbled across this idea (originally obtained from Noel Piper's book "Treasuring God in Our Traditions") and

L O V E D it. Please take the time to read how this family seeks to give back to Jesus every Christmas. I love their sign,"What can I give to the King?"