A Family Update: On the Move

We have some exciting news!!! Jack has accepted a ministry position at his dad's church, The Rock.

Jack, Silas, Lois and I are moving to Florida!!! At the end of this month!!!

It was almost four years ago, that Jack and I got married. Two weeks later we were on the road and headed to Louisville. We have made some of the sweetest memories and friends during our time here. And of course we have our seminary souvenirs, Silas and Lois, that have made our time here just amazing and totally unforgettable! I was reminiscing, and looking through old pictures and videos, and I came across these goodies, so I thought I'd share.

This was our first Thanksgiving as a married couple, and this is the first turkey we ever cooked. I knew it looked different than what mom's turkeys looked like, but only later did we realize we didn't get a whole turkey!

Our first winter, Jack taught me the most efficient way to get down our stairs to the car. 

Our first Christmas!

 Before we were blessed with Silas and Lois, Jack and I would take mini road trips to different places to try different root beers.

 This was the night Jack and I found out I was pregnant with Silas. We celebrated by going over to the Stanford's! 

November 14, 2010... Silas was born, and that sweet boy with the big, blue eyes changed our lives forever!

Finding out that we were becoming a family of 4.

Best. Laugh. Ever.

Waiting as Lois took her sweet time to make her debut.

On May 10, 2012, we got to meet Lois Michelle. Jack describes Lois as "sweetness incarnate" and that's just what she is!

 Lois being greeted by Silas when we brought her home from the hospital. 

Jack's graduation this past December.

Love,

Laura

Painting Letters onto a Canvas

This has been a game changer for me in the crafting world! This trick allows you to paint in any font you want! First, you print off what you want on your canvas. You need to print it in black so it will show up when you turn the paper over. 

Then, outline the letters with pencil on the backside of the paper. It's easiest to see the letters if you put the paper on a light colored surface. I did a couple layers of outlining just to make sure it would show up.

Turn the paper over and place it where you want your letters to go. Tape your paper down so it doesn't move out of place once you've started.

Trace the letters again on the correct side. This will leave a faint pencil mark of the outline of the letters. Be careful not to trace too hard, as you don't want to stretch or dent your canvas. 

See?

 And all that's left to do is paint in the lines!

Cleaning a Microfiber Couch

Our couch was one of my favorite craigslist finds! I love the light tan color, but it shows every water, drool, spit-up, and food stain ever!
Proof:

But I found this pin on how to clean a microfiber couch, and it's amazing! All you need is a spray bottle, some rubbing alcohol, and a scrubby. I sprayed a pretty thick coat of rubbing alcohol on the couch so that it was saturated. You really have to use some elbow grease with the scrubby. I didn't even do the last step with the bristled brush, because I was already super impressed! Here's the after...

Silas is 2!

On Wednesday our little boy turned two years old! We wanted to spend the day filling it with some of Silas' favorite things. The morning started with two of Silas' favorite things...food and Aunt Nee Nee. I made Silas his favorite breakfast meal, cinnamon rolls, and Aunt Nee came over too! Silas spent the rest of the morning hanging out with his friend Abigail. Jack took a half day, and when he came home we took Silas to the park. Then we took him up to the gym on campus to play basketball, but he was more entertained by climbing the bleachers. We ended the day with some friends coming over, a birthday cookie, and presents! We had an amazing day celebrating Silas!

Nana and Papa sent Silas foam puzzle letters and so he woke up to those in the living room and the first thing he said was "oooooo!!!!" Thanks to Nana, Silas also has a shirt with his favorite letter on it.

Silas at the park. I don't think he ever let go of his disc!

 It was a long day for LoLo, but she was a trooper.

Silas blowing out his birthday candle! 

Silas and Malachi playing with Silas' new mini disc golf set.

We have learned many things about Silas this past year. Here are some of them:

Favorite TV show: Wheel of Fortune

Favorite letter: M

Favorite Color: Blue

Favorite Food: Chicken nuggets & ketchup.

Favorite Fruit: strawberries

Favorite snack: goldfish

Favorite pasttimes: jumping off of things, taking the trash out with dad, playing disc golf, & being outside

Favorite things to say: "Nice shot" "Uh oh" "Awesome!" "Nice!" "I JUMPED!"

Birthday, Kids, & Crafts

I turned 25 this month. A quarter of a century. The kids and I spent a lot of the day at the park. When Jack came home, we went out to dinner and went to a shooting range. I've never shot a gun before, but it was fun. Pictures don't lie...I look pretty hardcore! It's a good thing this picture is from the back, because I'm pretty sure my eyes were closed. Ha!

Jack gave me this awesome Bible for my birthday! It's so pretty, but I know it doesn't stand a chance in my purse, so I made a little cover for it! 

***

Lois turned 5 months old this month. She is starting to sit up on her own. I think she's ready to start solids. She stares at our food, and when I gave her a noodle, she knew just what to do with it! The past week she has been feeling a little under the weather. I think it's just that time of year. She has an ear infection and cold right now. I think she might be the happiest sick baby I've ever seen though.

Yes, I will stay home and take care of you all day!

Lois has eyes for two boys in her life right now...Jack and Silas. She literally does not take her eyes off them if they are in the room. I guess except if there's a camera in the room.

 I think she has got to be teething too! I find her like this all the time! 

 ***

Silas is almost 2! Since we came back from Florida, I feel like he's just grown up. He's been going to bed without a peep, and wanting to help around the house. He's been listening really well, and so I'm really hoping this is a phase that lasts! He is so great with Lois. He brings her toys to play with, and will  get in her face and try to make her laugh, which of course she just eats that up!

CHEEEESSEEE!!!!

To say that Silas loves letters would be a gross understatement! He LOVES letters! He goes to bed with letters on his mind. When he wakes up, the first thing he does is look for his letter "M".  I feel a birthday theme coming on!

Well, that's all the updates for now! 

ABC's

Flop.

This pin didn't go over so well, despite the picture of Silas looking entertained and happy. I was feeling like a stick in the mud, and didn't want to have to clean up a mess, so I tried this. Silas knew it wasn't the real deal, and he wanted to play with the paint outside of the bag. But he humored me, and tried it out for about 3 minutes!