Happy Valentines Day/ Photoshop Lesson

My friend Stacie is always doing wonderful things with her pictures. I was at her house the other day and she had a collage with four photos in a row of her kids in hats. I loved it and asked her if she could do it for me if I took the pictures. Do you know what her reply was? If you give a man a fish he eats for a day if you teach a man to fish he can eat forever. I just looked at her and she said why don't I just teach you? So anyway this was my first photoshop lesson. I knew I wanted to use a picture for my cards and hopefully make a collage. Thank you so much Stacie we will see what I can do on my own!

Before:

Huge difference! We I uploaded these pictures I thought they were terrible and did not know if we could fix them.

After:

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Happy Valentines Day! We love everyone very much!

Hailee's Valentine Pictures

My good friend Jill asked me to take Hailee's Valentine Day pictures, she says she likes using me because Hailee is comfortable with me and we can get it done quickly. I have been taking her pictures since she was born and I just love watching her grow! Here are just a few of my favorites!

Kate had to get in on the action!

Bathinette

I feel the bathinette deserves its on post. This was one of my obsessions the past year. We were at Debbie's house and she pulled out a bathinette that she had gotten in Germany of course! I started searching the Internet for one and did not have any luck. About a week before Kate's birthday I decided that we could make it. We meaning my parents and myself. I had my mom pick up the one from Debbie's house so my dad could look at it to see if he could make the frame. Long story short we ended up at Home Depot and the fabric store. The hardest part was figuring out how to make the tub part. I love this because it folds up and stores so easily. Kate loves it because she is obsessed with water. After the party we filled it up and Kate and Dylan had a ball. She needs to work on keeping the water in the tub but it was fun!
That is her new water baby- she floats and dries very quickly. She is the baby tidoo by Carolle.

The tiny girl after a very busy but fun day!

Kate's Birthday Party

Kate had two birthday parties. A family one at the Mugleston's and a friend and family one a week later. She loved all the attention and tried to sing along! She knows what cake is and when the Dr. asked her at her two year appointment if she had cake she shook her head yes so hard and got all excited. I think she thought he was offering her cake!

Look at that beautiful smile!

She knew exactly what to do and did not need any help blowing out her candles!

I keep attempting my manual settings I took this one and then I get nervous and switch back to automatic... I think this one turned out good!

She loves all the play food!

Auntie Brenda made her a beautiful scarf!She loves the singing again!

Aunt Audrey had to rescue me in the preparations of the party and frosted her cupcakes for me they turned out cute.

All the kids at the party: Dylan, Owen, Ellen, Hannah, Kate, Lilly, Ellinor, Ben, Calvin, Stella, Jessie and Jenna

It was not very warm outside but it was so hot in the house that I decided when it was cake time to put them outside to cool off and to keep the crumbs off my floor!

Kate received some wonderful gifts: wooden puzzles with the velcro a birthday cake and vegetables, grocery cart and food, a little cabbage patch doll with a pink tutu like her, a strawberry shortcake doll, some ballet crocs, a blanket crocheted around for her baby, a cute apple outfit for this spring, a dress with smocking on it for this summer, a tea set in a basket, a princess plate, bowl and silverware, a high chair for her babies, pj's, two color wonder books with markers and triangle crayons, and a bathinette with a bath baby with a hooded towel and robe for her baby.

The party favors we did were Kate's favorite things. All the girls got hair clips with their name embroidered on them (Etsy), each family got a cd that I put together with her favorite music and everyone got a ring with ribbon sewed on to dance with.

I think everyone had a wonderful time I know Kate did! Thank you everyone for coming! I love being surrounded by the people who we love and love us!

Stock Show

We made it to the Stock Show the last weekend it was in town, late in the day and it was really cold outside! It seemed a lot different to me this year and I was a little disappointed. The children's area did not have near as many animals that they could watch and see and everything cost extra. When we left it was after six and we went to our favorite local restaurant Rico's and had pizza. A fun family outing!
The kids had fun looking at the guinea pigs and rabbits that were for sale. They had a little petting zoo with goats, pigs, and sheep. There was a carousel with real ponies and Kate loved watching them!

I love her dress. Tracie sent it to us Kate got lots of compliments!

Having fun on the Tractors!

Happy Birthday Kate!

Here is our tiny girl- her big 2 year pictures! I am just in shock at how FAST the time is going! I know deep down it is really bugging me because I am totally obessing over my house and her birthday party!

We went to my moms on Sunday to celebrate and while we were singing she was clapping and trying to sing along and blew out her candles no problem! A couple days later we took her to her two year check up and the Dr. asked her if she had a lot of cake and she was frantically shaking her head yes super excited!

Words Kate attempts to say:
mom, dad, dyl, max, pops, sam, aud, anything starting with a "b", baby, belly, bum, bow, ball, balloon, bird, she loves saying ewwww, me and still the grunting.

She is a wonderful daughter and sister. Her and Dyl have so much fun together! She loves playing dolls and will stand there rocking them swinging just her hips back and forth so fast! She loves all the attention she gets from her Uncles and Aunts and Cousins. Kate is definitely strong willed but I have learned certain tricks to keep everything under control and to make her think it is all her ideas!

We Love you so much Kate and wish you a very Happy Birthday!

These next four pictures I used on the front of her bday invitation. I will take a picture and post later!

Wearing and sitting in everything she got for Christmas while at Grandmas and Pops house!

She loves curlers but her hair is still so short it looks funny when I take them out!

Pictures from when we did our Christmas card pictures!

Merry Christmas!

We hope you all had a wonderful and safe Christmas! We love you all very much and hope to see or hear from you very soon! To everyone who sent us a card thank you very much- I absolutely love getting them and hearing all about your wonderful families!
Just a side note I have been playing catch up so I can publish my blog at the end of the year so if you are bored scroll through I put them in by date so keep going!

Christmas

For Christmas morning we were able to open presents, relax and have a big breakfast before heading out to Grandma and Grandpa Schafer's house. Dylan received a math puzzle, build a bear reindeer and cool hat, a robot crab, a remote control car that can go in water and on land, a cool soccer shirt that mom made for him, some board games and in the stocking under ware, bubble bath, phone,and car cup.
Kate received a new baby with a mimi (binky), a cradle handmade by Papa and a cool hat, bottles and baby things, her own back pack, princess little people and blankets for her baby.

Kate LOVED opening her presents. By the time we got to the Schafer's she just wanted to open everyones presents!
We also celebrated some overdue and early birthdays! Happy Birthday to Kevin Aunt Wendy, Grandpa and Me! The Taylors were not able to make it to Christmas because they were all sick!

Bandit and Max beat after the long holidays!

Christmas Eve

We spent Christmas Eve at the Mugleston's. Everyone was there except Carly! We had the traditional Mexican dinner and lots of fun! Christina's parents were able to join us and we had lots of wonderful company! I made (with lots of help from Wendy and her mom) pj's for the kids. I only wanted to do pants for Dylan and found the cute Peanuts shirt from Target! We also got them croc slippers.

Kate received a new red outfit, a tutu with a cute shirt, headband with a flower,a princess chair and a stuffed bear.

Dylan got a hand held leapster, kung fu panda and a car chair.

All my wonderful siblings!

Notice Kate's Tutu underneath her pj's? We could not get it off of her!

More Handmade

A box we painted and modge podge for Jenna, inside we placed all kinds of crafting supplies!

I can not take credit for this one, it was such a great deal on ETSY I do not think I could of made this for the price I paid. Little bag 2 diapers burp cloth and bib for Lilly's baby.

This was for Jared. He is into this book Wimpy Kid. This is my new favorite craft. Freezer paper painting. Thanks to Stacie who had us all over and gave us step by step instructions. I made one for Dylan with his silhouette kicking a soccer ball that turned out so cute!