How to Entertain A Toddler: Water Paint

Rain clouds were lingering all morning one day last week, but I really wanted to let Silas have some time outside. I came across this idea on Pinterest. I just filled a cup up with water and gave him a paintbrush, and that made for a happy Silas. 

Pin: Bow Pillow

This last pregnancy with Lois, I was blessed with an abundance of energy during my second trimester. I decided to learn how to sew in order to make her baby bedding. I had some fabric left, and found this tutorial on Pinterest. I'm definitely a novice at sewing, and this pattern was really easy to follow.

I have been on a quest...

...to find the perfect Cinnamon Roll recipe.
The perfect cinnamon roll, to me, is plenty of gooey mixed with plenty of sweetness. I think I found it, so I thought I'd share the goodness.

God is Faithful.

A little over 3 years ago, Jack and I had dinner with my parents. This was the dinner where he told them he wanted to marry me. We both had little, and by little I mean none, in savings and no future jobs lined up. I remember him saying that as far as finances were concerned he would work hard like it depended on him, and pray like it depended on the Lord.  Jack was sure of his calling into the ministry, and he said he was confident that God would provide. I didn't say much that conversation. As a new believer, I wanted to believe that God would provide, but I had just never seen it or recognized it as such.

Fast-forward 3 years, 2 children, and 10,000 wonderful memories later...

We just paid Jack's last tuition payment at Southern!

The Lord HAS provided!

This past month...

...we were blessed with getting to see lots of family and friends!

Our month started with Aunt Carrie, Aunt Sara, & Uncle Adam driving up from Florida to meet Lois and hang out with us!

Uncle Adam & Lo.

 Silas had so much fun with Aunt Sara!

Jack and I celebrated our 3 year anniversary! He surprised me by sending me to get a manicure/pedicure, AND he even had a babysitter lined up! We went to Hiko-mon for dinner, and then to Comfy Cow for dessert. 

Look at that awesome Dragon Roll!



Then, Nana & Papa came to visit! It is quite the task to get Silas to look at the camera these days!

Next, we took a 'mini' road trip to West Virginia to see our good friends, the LaRues! Jack laughs at me when I call a three hour drive a road trip, because he's a Jarrett boy, and Jarrett boys like to drive from Florida to Alaska in three and half days, so we'll compromise with 'mini.'  It was fun getting to see all our kids play together! We got to visit their church, and hear Glenn preach. Their faithfulness to the Gospel is always so encouraging.

From there, we headed back to Louisville and were greeted at the door by Ray, Becca, and Levi!  Levi has grown so much since we've last seen him, and he is so sweet! He is walking like a champ! It was so great to see him and Silas play together. One day they will be the best of buds!

Also, Lois turned 3 months old! She kicked it off by learning how to roll over! She's laughing now, and it might just be the cutest sound ever! Silas calls her "LoLo."  She is always watching him as he runs around the house. She's been sleeping longer stretches at night, which has been really nice.

Silas turned 21 months, and he loves to make us laugh! He is also starting to talk more. He knows his capital letters, and he loves pointing out letters whenever he sees them! His favorite letters are M and O. We have had a lot of fun together lately. 

Silas has been eyeing the diving board all summer. He loves to be able to do what the big kids do, and so the last time we went to the pool, Jack took him on it. Without even hesitating he ran and jumped off, and he loved it! 

And that was our month. Boom. Done.

Pin: Cleaning Bath Toys

1/2 cup white vinegar + 1 gallon of water...Let toys soak for an hour, then scrub. 

Vinegar is supposed to be a natural disinfectant, and all the toys looked cleaner, so I will just have to trust that this worked!

A Pin For A Rainy Day: Bathtub Paint

Recipe:

1 Tablespoon cornstarch + 1/8 cup baby shampoo + 1 Tablespoons water + food coloring 

I will definitely do this again, because Silas thought it was so cool that he was getting to make a colorful mess in the bathtub! Next time I will omit the water, because my paint came out a little runny. I was nervous the food coloring was going to stain, but it washed off easily.

A Pinterest FAIL..Frozen Yogurt Treats.

I've seen this pin all over pinterest, where you put yogurt in a ziploc bag, cut out a corner, and squirt it out on a cookie sheet, and freeze it. Mine didn't come out as pretty as the original, but I wasn't even thinking that Silas is wary of cold things. So, he wouldn't even try one! Silas loves yogurt, so it was kind of silly of me to go through the trouble of freezing it when he eats it already. Pinterest fail!

Oh, How Pinteresting.

So, I've been trying some things out on Pinterest lately, but seriously who hasn't been??  The world's largest online slumber party has a way of sucking you in, but in turn, has made me pull out some of my dusty craft supplies! I'm always curious when things are marked as "the best thing ever" because I always want to know if it really is the best thing ever. Some of the things I've tried have been flops, while others have turned out good. This has probably been one of my favorites so far!

Silas' drawer before...

Silas' drawer after.

Here's a link to the pin if you're interested!