My Old Happy Place!!!

Back in Charlottesville this was my Happy Place!  I absolutely LOVED how Ivy Jane's room came out!  I wasn't planning on doing ANY sewing or crafty stuff due to the fact we moved home a month before having her, and yet somehow I did ALL of the stuff I said I wouldn't!  I made the pillows, the bumper pad (yes with bows that are custom made my yours truly from chiffon and then lace sewn on each side), the bedskirt - and I even ended up making the crib sheet since the one I ordered was only big enough for the bassinet! (oops - guess I was really bad this time with pregnancy brain!) I also made the tissue ball hangings and bow/clip/headband holder, and her name letters (which was one of my favorite things in the room!).  And I even reupholstered the rocking chair back before Cash was born so it is a piece by me too! Anyways, I enjoyed making ALL of it and maybe that is why I enjoyed going into the room before she was born and after when I wanted to rock her - because so much time and energy and LOVE went into it!  It just made me smile! (probably also because it was always clean and looked like this since she was still sleeping in our room when we left!)  Anyways, I loved it and I love her and can't believe it has been 2 months already since we had her!  Now I just have to re-create this and make a new happy place at our new home!  As of right now though hers is the only room not unpacked and set up yet!  It is also a lot bigger so I might have to get some more decor to make it look complete!  Pics of my new happy place to come soon....if I ever get one!  I miss Charlottesville and all our friends there so much right now.  It  has been a wonderful month being in Utah (pics of this to come soon to), and now that most the unpacking is done I am feeling a bit lonely and in need of making some new friends!  Thank heavens for Angie and Brighton and Chezy for coming over and making it a fun day for me and my boys!  They turned what was a very hard day into a happy one for us!

Enjoy the pics!

My Griffi Boy Turns 2!!!

Griffin turned 2 on Friday the 13th this year! (is that a foreboding of the terrible 2s to come or what?! - sure hope not!)  

We are still in Utah and so we got to celebrate for 2 days - on his actual day, and on Saturday when his daddy got back in town so he loved his birthday weekend.  By the end I think he had caught on about the present and cake thing, although he is more scared now of candles we realize then last year!  He is so cute, and I just can't help but smile at him and laugh with him because he is ALWAYS smiling and laughing and it is so contagious.  I am so glad he is a part of our family!

After dinner on Friday he got to watch a little video clip of Kevin and Hollie singing Happy Birthday to him - this pic is of the 3rd time he watched it - I wish I would have caught the first time because he was grinning from ear to ear through the whole thing.  He LOVES those guys!

We didn't do his birthday cake til Saturday so this is his candles in his ice cream Friday night.

BLOW!!!

Then it was present time and boy was his brother really excited to help!

We kept  things VERY low key this year and just had a couple presents!  Some coloring pencils and a 3D color book and he seemed pretty happy about these!

He LOVES to draw and can spend hours doing this activity!

Happy boy!

Cash picked out the next gift and got one for himself too so they could play!

Griff seemed pretty excited about it too!

Getting out the goods!

I LOVE the glasses!

So did Griff!

 After last year's Lightning McQueen cake I decided I couldn't top that and instead went with something much easier to do.  Griffin's favorite song at night is 5 little monkeys swinging in the trees - so here is our version of it!  Turned out pretty cute I think - and he still LOVES to carry around the monkeys and alligator.

I was so excited to give it to him and yet when we put it in front of him he got really scared!

I thought it was the alligator that scared him but later learned it was the candles!

He was trying to be super excited and say yeah, all while trying not to cry and be too scared.  He was terrified and it wasn't so much fun during his song!

Kimmy and Cash were trying to help, and once the candles were blown out and taken off he was much better!

The cake! 

Here he had just say "yeah" and was actually starting to not look so terrified!

 I LOVE this little 2 year old CRAZY MONKEY!!!

Griff LOVED his cake!

He especially loved the coconut and kept asking for more and wanting more! He likes to smile with his eyes closed and say cheese!

Tired from his long day and yummy cake!

I love you so much!

I love how you say "Meeya" instead of me

I like how you say Pees! for please!

I love your giggle and your teasing personality!

I LOVE you!!!  Happy 2nd birthday big boy!

Happy 4th of July!!!

Happy 4th of July last week! 

Yes I know I am late!  But...................

We just had our house packed up on Friday starting at 9 am and ending sometime after 11 pm, got up at 4:00 am the next morning to catch our flights to Utah with 3 kiddos (yes it was crazy but we actually had smooth flights with no problems or hitches at all which I am SOOO grateful for), then we blessed Ivy Jane today at my parents ward and hosted a luncheon after, and are now getting ready for my Grandma Rosen's 80th b-day party at our house tonight with my dad's entire family starting in just over an hour.....so YES! we have been too busy to post - but I did get a few fun pics from people so until the rest come I wanted to document the few I had!

Super Griff! He was WAY too high for my comfort, but just kept saying "Mo, Mo, More daddy!"  

Yes he is flying high!  I would love to remove Chip from this picture just to make him look like he is really superman - anyone with great photoshop skills?

Ladies at the BBQ!!! This pic makes me a little sad because I am missing these cool gals already!  We had some really great friends in Cville!

 Kids (and Chip) were SO excited to be getting ready to light off these fireworks!

They were screaming YEAH!!! the whole way down the hill!

 Doesn't get any cuter or more festive then this bunch!  Love me some red, white, and blue kiddos!

Most the kids loved the fireworks, but G got scared of one and then cried through the next bunch saying "scary, scary!"

 Cash was SO excited to be doing fireworks and loved the sparklers too!  Not sure tho if he or Chip was more excited about the big box we bought this year to light off!

Happy 4th of July to all!  I am grateful for the freedom we have in this country!

Happy B-day to my Grandma Rosen who is 80 today, and my awesome mother-in-law whose b-day is also today!  Glad I get to celebrate with them both tonight!
Happy blessing day to sweet little Ivy Jane, and SO glad we have her!

More pics of all activities coming soon!!!