Sewing...Sewing...Sewn!!

My Neverland Crew...Halloween 2011

The holidays are approaching and 3 members (4 including my twin brother, Derek) of our family have birthdays in November so that means we are busy, busy! I've also managed to find my way into selling Regal Rhino stuff in at least two craft fairs in November & December. Since my sweet Lexi turned 3 on Nov. 1, I decided to make her a special birthday outfit...then I decided it was only fair that I make Luci a special outfit to go along with the festivities. Because I have a little habit of "flying by the seat of my pants," I didn't decide to make these outfits until the day before the party (I had it in my brain for a few weeks before that but didn't get the materials until the last minute.) I was up 'til 2am making those silly things...I think they turned out pretty cute though.

Lexi loves Tinkerbell so we went with the Tink theme for her party. She was very, VERY sure that she wanted flowers and leaves on her cake so guess what was on her cake....yep. Flowers and leaves. She has been talking about having a bounce house for months, so guess what was in our backyard...yep...a bounce house. The kids all had fun though. It was sweet and I was glad we could grant her b-day wishes.

Luke is 3 months already. How is that possible? He is so sweet and so great to put up with one big mama (me) and two little mama's (the girls)...this boy is in for some trouble!

Mama Luci and her boy (one of them!)

I thought I would share a little of my sewing world. Here are some pics of my tiny (when I say tiny, I mean TINY) craft corner. I knew our formal dining room would come in handy at some point:) You can often find me here when kids are napping or after they are in bed for the night.

A beautiful sight...

My serger...I'm loving this machine

My sewing table

My pattern book (& office in a notebook)

New lunch tote design

I Love Fall

Let's start with a couple of precious pics! These kids are so sweet! (It is SUPER hard to get Luci still enough to take a picture so this is as good as it gets!)

I think fall and winter are the most wonderful times of the year for many people...I know it is true for me! When school gets back in session, things seem to fall into a comfortable routine. Matthew is ALL about college football so he will stand in front of the tv (with Luke in his arms) and yell at the Notre Dame players...as if there is some invisible microphone and speaker system that allows him to coach the guys from our living room (ha!!)

Ok....my little girly girl, Lexi, has shifted her focus to bigger and better girly things...like make-up! I cringe when I hear her tiny voice ask, "Mommy, where's my make-up purse?" Although it is "play" make-up, it is still a huge mess. But, as much as "neat-freak mommy" hates to see a mess, I LOVE providing a place for my little girl to play and have fun. I have tried showing her that the lipstick ONLY goes on her lips, but this is what we end up with every time.

The girls would live at the park if they could. Please note the looks on their faces. Tracy came out to the park along with Jaycee & Kristalyn, the girls' bff's...oh, and Mama Luci, Papa D, Pop & Cici were there to play, too!

Here is a new pic of Baby Luke...or "B-yoook" as Luci calls him...otherwise known as "Lukey Boy" to Lexi...or "Wooook!" to Knox.

I need your help! I am trying to figure out what costumes I'm gonna make for the kids for our church's Fall Festival. I want something that coordinates (nothing scary!) Comment to me to give me your thoughts...I welcome other suggestions, as well. I have been sewing the costumes since Lexi had her first Halloween and I want to keep doing it until they say, "Mom...quit making us wear these stupid things!" Here are my thoughts:

1. Peter Pan theme (Lexi- Wendy Darling, Luci- Tinkerbell, Luke- Peter Pan)...oh, and Lexi says that Mimi (her great-grandmother) is gonna be "Captain Hook." hahaha

2. Flowers (Lexi & Luci) & a Bee (Luke)

3. ___________________ (other)

Let me know your thoughts! Think hard!!!

Four Years, Tobacco, & Eternal Life

Matthew & I celebrated four years of marriage on September 15th. It's been a busy four years but we have so much to show for it! I love that guy and I'm thankful for his godly leadership in our home. We decided to have our anniversary dinner at Magic Time Machine Restaurant....WITH the 3 kids. How romantic!? Fail!...Lexi was scared to death because the waiters dress up as some kind of character and some of them are kind of strange looking. We had Princess Peach from Super Mario Bros. Then, Luke was very fussy because it was so loud in there so half the time I was standing up bouncing him on my shoulder. That's about all I can say about that. Oh well...the food was good.

My precious little Luci...she's a little mischievous sometimes. We talk about how attached she is to her cup. She wants something to drink...like, every second of the day! We were out somewhere the other day and this guy we know had his Sonic drink and a little plastic cup next to that. I turn my back for ONE second and Luci grabs the plastic cup and turns it up to drink from it. I will spare you the details but I do believe it was his "tobacco cup" (if you know what I mean.)

We are working with Lexi on scripture memorization. She has memorized John 14:6 and now we are working on Romans 6:23. She memorizes so easily but she gets a little confused and says, "For the wages of sin is eternal life." Whoa...let's back up and get that straight. Another thing...how do you explain "wages" to a two-year-old? I don't know but I fully believe God's Word is in her little heart.

Daddy's Church

On Sunday morning on our way to church, Lexi will say, "Are we going to daddy's church?" Matthew has been preaching at Lakeside Baptist Church just outside of Trinidad, TX (about an hour from our house) for about 2 months and is planning to be there for at least another few weeks. We love the people there and they are so excited and ready to worship the Lord every week.

There is a puppet show every Sunday morning for the children and Luci especially loves the "puppETTE's." During worship in the sanctuary, the children are encouraged to come to the stage and grab a mic to help the ladies lead songs. Lexi likes doing that, except it lasts a little long for her so she wants to practice jumping off the stage for a while (umm...no!)

Last week, Ms. Juanice (the pianist) asked her to sit at the piano with her during worship. The congregation was singing "Just a Little Talk With Jesus" and we all heard Lexi's rendition...her little fingers pounding on the keys. I tried to nicely and calmly tell her to just watch Ms. Juanice play.

Every Sunday, when we walk out the church doors to get back in the car, Lexi says, "Daddy...I love your church!"

My prayer is that all three little L's will love "daddy's church" and choose to serve the Lord throughout their lives.

Here are some photos taken at church on 9/11...the tenth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. They got Fire Chief hats to wear during Children's Church.


Luci and her friend, Peyton. She loved being carried around!

Better Late Than Never

Three kids later, I decide to blog...better late than never, right?!

It has occurred to me that days are gone in the blink of an eye and I want to remember these wonderful times with my Three Little L's...Lexi - 2, Luci - 1, and Luke - 4 weeks old.

Every day is crazy...almost beyond what I can handle, but I wouldn't trade it for anything. As soon as I wake up in the morning (from what little sleep I had), I hit the ground running...three bags to pack + what I call my "office" in a bag, lunches made, sippy cups ready, nap mats by the door, bathe whoever didn't get bathed the night before, breakfast laid out, clothe 3 kids + myself, find BOTH shoes for each kid, make sure hair and teeth get brushed...then comes the part where we load all the stuff and all the kids in the car and get to the church by 8 am...ish!

Matthew has to be up and gone at the crack of dawn so he is SO wonderfully patient when I text him in a panic and on "overload!" His plate is definitely not empty, either, because he is in the middle of football season and is preaching on Sundays at a church an hour away from home...oh, and he is taking graduate classes online with OU.

My husband and children are such a blessing and although we are in a whirlwind, I want to enjoy this beautiful time in my life.


Lexi Kaye...The Girlie Girl


Luci Jaye...The Tornado


Luke Ryan...Coach-in-Training