Happy Birthday C

Happy birthday my oldest, bestest big brother, smart, handsome boy.
He tells me today that I am his favorite, but that I won't always be. One day he might meet someone about as pretty as me.
I guess I'll just have to enjoy it while it lasts then. You will always be my favorite Clarkface. Forever and Ever.

Intsagram

Some of my favorite Instagram pics from the end of 2012 and 2013. I want to get a print of this from Printsagram and hang it somewhere in my house. 

A long to do list

It is a new year and like so many, I have a long to do list. The first wave of settling in is over. I understand how we use our house better and it needs some updates to function at it's full potential. The list feel so long that I don't always know where to start and can spend an hour or two in the morning just staring at my pinterest boards indecisively.

Here are a few things on my list.

Lego table of sorts

baby gate

Laundry room makeover

add basket storage

paint said storage chalkboard green

Make a clothing ladder.

Jones is a very neat person, except when it comes to his clothes. They form a pile in bedroom corner.

The plan is to give him a ladder to drape said clothes on. If you can't beat em, join em, right?

Are you or your husband like Jones?

Make one of these (A Beautiful mess tutorial)

These are just a few things on the list, there is also

*finishing/fixing the half bath

*making a fold down cutting table for my studio

*Print pictures for Studio and kids room

*table legs for dining table so all chairs can fit around it

*eating healthier 

*organizing C's schoolwork

*going through kids clothes/repair/get rid of out grown

*practice playing guitar

*sew some pillow cases

*make cardboard house

*perm hair

I could probably go on and on.

Today I am going to go to hobby lobby to get some bias tape to finish some fleece blankets for church. We are giving them to the kids who have just gotten baptized as a reminder of the comfort that Holy Ghost can bring us.

Jones is gone for the week and I already feel slightly lonely. Hopefully it's the kind of lonely that gets a lot of things done and not the kind of lonely that watches 3 seasons of something on netflix. :)

Motivation and Encouragement

I was watching Project Runway a few seasons back, and it was about half way through the season. The judges were in some kind of a mood this season and they were driving me a bit crazy. Every episode was complaint after complaint about the clothing not being sexy enough. This episode particularly bugged me because the dress that was praised was the most no skill cop out kind of dress there is and the prettiest thing about it was the model wearing it. You know the kind of dress I am talking about, with either a really low front or back- no underwear-basically wearing a sheet- pornography kind of dress. Oh but it was sexy. I realized in that moment that I don't dress to be sexy. My clothing is my billboard. I like it to express fun-weird-beautiful-comfortable-adventurous. Sometimes because I feel those things I am what (at least my husband) you might consider sexy. It was while watching this episode that I got mad, then I got inspired. Inspired to dress real women, find real beauty. (Justin Timberlake singing "she's bringing beauty back")

Sometimes though, I, like anyone else, feel discouraged, ugly, unmotivated, and lost. So to help me keep that passion and fire going I made a few prints for my studio/office. 

I feel very vain looking at these, but since Confidence in me is the goal they are pictures of me and my work with LilmohAha.

Feeling mad-inspired-confident-happy-beautiful?

2014 Our kiddos

 It's 2014 and our Babies are getting so big. Here is a little photo update of the little ones.

Everest 9 months

Loves to play with his tongue. 

Our little chubs has started army crawling, and is almost sitting up on his own.

He loves people and will happily greet you with a smile. A drooly smile. Still no teefums!

Alfred 2

If you ask Alfred at any given time what he is doing he will say "uh doin Alfred"

And he is. This kid does what this kid wants. 

Like howl at the moon when I am trying take pictures of him

when he gives kisses he puckers his lips like that. sticking them way out like a duck.

 with little concept of consequence or right and wrong, He gets into a lot of trouble, usually involving the kitchen and/or coloring on every wall in the house.

He is all boy, all enthusiastic, all mine.

Still my baby in many ways.

Miss Tober 4 

 This little one has gotten a bit serious lately. She hates being laughed at and doesn't like being referred to as silly.

She is still my adventurous and loving girl though.

 She takes matters into her own hands and I will often find her having collected things from all over the house to accomplish something she's set her mind too. Example: yesterday she found herself some glue, some ka bob sticks from the kitchen, and grass and leaves from outside and made a tree out of them. Never needing validation or permission from me.

 She insisted I take some pics of her with her dog. 

 Clark Face 6 almost 7

Not much about this kid ever changes. He is still mainly motivated by being the fastest/ strongest and interested in things that are fast/strong.

He discovered power rangers the other day. I was his age when I discovered them and it's been fun to see him experience something I did.

 Ever the Pessimist (for lack of a better word) we still constantly have to bribe and encourage him into remembering he likes things. We could be in the car on the way to his favorite place on earth and he will find a way to complain about the length of the trip, or not being able to play with legos. :)

 Still a super awesome example and wonderful big brother. 

A couple months ago I had really bad vertigo. Clark got his siblings cereal, changed baby's diaper and put on a show, while I laid perfectly still on the couch trying to stop the spinning. He's amazing.

His prayers and constant humming of hymns bring the sweetest spirit into our home. 

There you go. Four handsome kiddos and a new year of growth and change ahead. 

Our 2014 family motto

So trusting my all to thy tender care,

And knowing thou lovest me,

I'll do thy will with a heart sincere:

I'll be what you want me to be.

LDS hymn "I'll go where you want me to go"

I know that my Heavenly Father loves these kids. That He knows their potential. I know that when we trust in him we become more than we ever thought we could be.

Valentines Day DIY

 A little early Valentines Decorating has been going on over here. 

I know quite a few people who are V-day Scrooges. 

Not me. 

I don't know if its because I was born in February or if it's just my nature but I like having a month to Celebrate the ones we love. 

We could gripe about it, wallow in self pity, find reasons to be sad, OR we could see at as an opportunity to serve and love those around us. 

Just sayin.

On that note, here are two easy peasy DIY Valentine Decorations. 

 *I liked my longer tassels better than my short ones, so give them some slack if you want

I had originally envisioned using a thinner string, making it lighter and perhaps "nicer" looking,

but I am an advocate of using what you have and in the end I like my fluffy home made yard tassels :)

NEXT

 This one is slightly unconventional but makes me crazy happy whenever I look at it.

READY FOR THE UNCONVENTIONAL PART!

*I did a test run and found that with a little warm water and soap the honey come off great. I used minuscule amounts so I am not worried about it. You can also use corn syrup or this corn starch paste. 

Tober snuck a couple gold circles in there. :)

 A little happiness and love. 

Of course now I want to make about a thousand of these heart shaped pillow from Ruffles and Stuff

A bit of silliness

This Mama wanted to have some fun with her baby bump pictures. I might have had too much fun.