Monday, December 29, 2014

Simon's 2nd Birthday

For Simon's 2nd birthday we decided to go all out and throw a big party.  We didn't really give him one for his first birthday because we knew he wouldn't really get to enjoy it like he would if he was older.  He probably still didn't get into it as much at age 2 but oh well, we had fun and he seemed to have a good time.



  He is in the beloved train stage right now so we went with that as a theme but I wanted more the vintage look and not a specific look like Thomas.  There are so many cute ideas on Pinterest that we were able to incorporate and it turned out pretty cute.  Fortunately we had some outside help that made it a lot easier to pull off a party like this because if it was all up to me, it definitely would not have turned out this cute!






Coloring pages for the kids





Photo booth hanging up for pics


Train tracks that led upstairs to the playroom





Party favors: a train whistle, bandanna and stickers


Food table


Drink station





Getting his ticket punched...








Photo booth time!











Opening presents










Thank you to everyone who came and made his day so special!  It is a really fun memory that we will treasure for a long time.


XOXO
Joy

Tuesday, December 16, 2014

From Nursery to Big Boy Look: Simon's Room Grows Up

When we were expecting Simon, we didn't really have a room to make into a nursery and then by the time we moved, I just used what had been given to me to put something together.  We were so thankful that so many people generously gave us what they no longer needed - it truly saved us a lot of money!  And, of course, it all just happened to match!

Oak colored furniture is not my first choice but we were happy to be given such great stuff that we went with it.  Here is his nursery before (I had not put anything up on the walls since we moved in):




Now that we are expecting #2, I decided to do a "big boy" room for Simon and it turned out so cute that I had to share.  I am not one of those people that can just put something together without seeing it first.  I know what I like when I see it but it usually takes me a while to really know what I want.

 Naturally it took me 2 years to figure out what I wanted to do for Simon.  I knew that I didn't want a juvenile theme and I really didn't want to do sports so what did that leave me?  Modern. Western.

Bed:  Bunkbed from Pacific Lifestyle Furniture (Beaverton)
Quilt:  Redrainbootshandmade.bigcartel.com

Teepee:  Etsy (The Cuckoo Clock store)

Cowhide:  Ikea
Curtains:  Pottery Barn Kids





Moose:  The Orchard Store
Porcelain Deerhead:  The Land of Nod (online)

Pillowcases:  H&M (online)

 It didn't turn out perfectly - there are a lot of little tweaks that I'm going to do once we have purchased a house and aren't in a rental.  But the things that I got I am really happy with and will use for years.

He absolutely loves it and thinks it is so neat that he has his own big bed with pillows on it.  He helps to pick them up and put them back on the bed after he gets up which is so cute.

One thing I have to mention is the amazing, custom quilt that my sister made me for his bed.  It is one of my favorite pieces about his new room and is such great quality that it will last him forever!  You guys seriously have to check out her store and her amazing handmade stuff @ www.redrainbootshandmade.bigcartel.com/.



XOXO
Joy








Monday, December 8, 2014

Holiday Glow Makeup

Hey girls,
  I thought I would share a great little tip with you all for achieving that extra glow in your makeup look during the holidays.  You'll notice that winter makeup is very different than summer makeup and part of that is because your skin is different during the seasons.  During the winter your skin will need more help in looking less sallow and flat.  To help with this, use an illuminator to glow and soften everything up.  It's really that simple.  Another term you will hear for this is "dewey".  Here is a picture as an example:



Notice the light on her cheeks and above her eyebrows?  That is because of illuminator. It catches beautifully in the light and is just gorgeous.  It looks amazing in evening lighting and with all those Christmas lights everywhere you will never want for a great spotlight.  ;)

 I did a makeup tutorial to show you how to use one and where to use it on your face.  Sorry my lighting isn't the best so it's hard to see but you'll get the general idea.









XOXO
Joy

Wednesday, November 26, 2014

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Another year has passed and this week always makes me reflective on how much has changed and how thankful I am for so many things in my life. Because we celebrate Simon's birthday a few days after Thanksgiving, I'm more reflective than usual, thinking about another year with him.
I feel so incredibly thankful and blessed to have Simon and Peter in my life (and baby #2!). They are my biggest blessings aside from my salvation.  When I married Peter, I knew that I wanted to spend my life on an adventure with him but I had no idea how happy I would be as Simon's mother.  Being his mom has given me such a sense of purpose, peace and fulfillment.  I've honestly never been happier.
This past year has been surprising, adventurous, hard and fulfilling.  We have had an amazing support system of our family, friends and our church and for that I am extremely grateful.
I decided to do a few pictures from our last year so I hope you enjoy them.  =)

Enjoying lunch

Celebrating our 4th Anniversary

Cousins Axel and Simon

With Cousin Jordan

Bike ride

Road trips!

Lots of Spartan Races =)

Camping

Adventures with Daddy

Plane Ride
First time at the fair

First Carousel ride

Sitting on top of the Hill
Tea Parties!

Visiting Grandad and Mum-Mum

Sweating our the Heat

Exploring the piano

New Favorite Hat

Potty Training!
Pumpkin Patch



Happy Thanksgiving, Dolls!

XOXO
Joy