Modeling Time

My very sweet, fun and talented photographer friend, Jessica (who owns Capture Photography in Columbus Ga) asked me if Caleb could be a little model for a friend of her's who makes adorable mustache hats (and a ton of other cute things!)  Of course I said "Yes!"

So, off we went downtown to a super cute studio on 2nd street and Jessica "captured" these oh-so-cute photo's of my little man.

I may be bias, but I'd say he's a natural :)

Play Dough Time

We made play dough!

I have been wanting to get Caleb some play dough for a while and then I decided it would be much more fun if we just made some.

Here is the recipe I used although I ended up adding a lot of flour and a little salt to make it not "gummy".  That's the great thing about this recipe though...you just keep adding more flour or water until you have a good dough.

2 cups flour

2 cups warm water

1 cup salt

2 Tablespoons vegetable oil

1 Tablespoon cream of tartar (optional for improved elasticity)

food coloring (liquid, powder, or unsweetened drink mix)- I used liquid to make brighter colors

We mixed all the ingredients together...adding more flour and salt here and there.  I had a good, ready and willing helper.

Step 4 takes the longest-adding the food coloring and kneading the dough reallly good to get the color a good solid color.

Next I stuck it in the fridge for about 20 minutes to let it get good and set...and then it's time to play!

Caleb had a lot of fun...and for that matter, so did I!  I stuck the playdough in a tupperwear container when we were done and he can play with it over and over!  I am waiting for some lavender essential oil to show up in my mailbox so I can mix some of that in the dough...and then I will let Caleb play with it before bedtime in hopes of it relaxing him.....a mama can dream, right? ;-)

In other news, I found out yesterday that some of my etsy items were featured in a contest on HGTV.com!

Here is the link if you are interested in looking:

http://www.hgtv.com/dress-up-your-design/package/index.html

Scroll down under the photo of the kitchen and click on "See Vanessa's Picks for KellyAnn".

You will see my "EAT" letters, Black and White Peacock Teapot and Shabby Chic Platter.

I am still beside myself about it...very big news for this small town girl...now I am just waiting for the news that someone at hgtv made a huge mistake ;-)

2 year old distraction

Caleb has a fever and he is the whiniest little thing that you ever did see.  Trying to comfort him has proven to be quite a daunting task.  He is beside himself and can't seem to get comfortable.  I remembered a cute, cheap activity that I read about last week and decided it was worth a try.  It's such a simple concept, but for a 2 year old, it's AWESOME...and I will have to say for a 24 year old it was very awesome to have 20 minutes of no whining!  

You need two bowls or pots half filled with water and ice and a slotted spoon.

Then you show them how to move the ice cubes from one bowl to the other!

I'm thinking Caleb felt like a real scientist....doing experiments with cold concoctions....

Trying to find the perfectly icy formula...discovering a new ice species....

Or not....

At least he has proven the formula is safe for consumption :-)

Week Review in Pictures

Our week in pictures!

Last Saturday: We went to see one of our youth group kids at his track meet.  It was warm, beautiful and a lot of fun!  Caleb was mesmerized by the athletes.  

Monday: Dreary day but a good day. 

Headband day because some days I am too lazy to wash my hair.

 Caleb got a good nap in and I sat out on the porch looking at my new shoots in my flower bed, grateful for the first signs of spring and watching the rain.

Caleb got to play in the puddles when he woke up

I also made Caleb a plate...Monday was a pretty fun day

Tuesday: We went to Bible study, out to lunch with our friends (where Caleb knocked over an entire, huge glass of water on the both of us!) and then we went to an FRG meeting.  Seth's captain sent us home with a bag of "Muncho's" because we had never tried them.  Caleb is hooked.

Wednesday:

Dr. Seuss' Birthday and Caleb's 2 year old photoshoot

Stopped to look at the pretty trees that are blooming everywhere around here

Thursday:

Play date with Amy and April.

Caleb had such a fun time with his little study buddy.

Seth came home early and crashed on the couch.  Caleb thought he needed a buddy.

Friday:

Caleb and I headed out early to hit up the consignment sales.  He is so silly.

Then we had lunch and ice cream with our friends.  This is Caleb and his buddy chillin out.

Today is rainy again and we are trying to think of something fun to do!

What did you do this week?

Dr. Seuss, Birthdays and Photo Shoots, On My!

After a couple weeks of not getting around to it, I finally did Caleb's 2 year old birthday photo shoot with the infamous bear!  I will honestly admit that after taking his picture every month for the first year of his life with that bear, I was more than excited when month 12 came along and I could take a break from the bear photo shoots. I had a year to re-coop and here is the 2 year shoot!  My secret for taking these pictures was to put Toy Story in the DVD player and then set up the shoot facing the TV.  Then I grabbed a dum dum and let him eat away...oh the things I do for a decent photo!  It worked pretty good, until I started getting in his way (excuse me!) and he got a little aggravated.  All in all I am happy to have captured a few goodies.

This is him saying "cheese!"

AND...it's our favorite writer's birthday today! Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss!!!  Thanks for some super fun books that have made for precious bedtime reading memories.