Mosspiration

Moss screams spring to me. And lately, I've seen it popping up everywhere.

First, on Talia's adorable woodland tray.

Then when I googled "how to make a spring wreath" and found this tutorial.
Inspired, Aubrey and I set to work and made a set of these wreaths to go on both sides of the garage.

Then, there are a million options on etsy.

Like mossy monograms.

And sweet little love jars.

Inpired by all the mossy goodness, I think I finallly have a vision for some of my dad's old windows (which he has a huge pile of, btw). I've claimed the smaller ones, but if you're in the market for a big window, all it takes is a drive to Porterville.

I'm thinking a moss covered frame combined with one of these other ideas.

I'll keep you updated on the results.

2 steps forward -- 2 steps back

They come together, 'cause opposites attract!
Oh, and my girls are SUCH opposites.

Aubrey - 12 months

Juliet- 14 months

I think one of the best parts of anticipating a baby, is guessing what that little critter is going to be like. Then you have your first kiddo. They're usually different than you expected, but now that you have this sweet little one, you can't possibly imagine them being anyone else. And as you're expecting baby #2, that anticipation starts all over again. Will this baby look the same? Act the same? It's hard to imagine anything different than what you already know...until they make their debut. And suddenly you realize that God made them so uniquely different than your first. I definitely SEE more similarities as Juliet gets older, but the similarities pretty much stop at looks.

Here are some of the antonyms that define my little opposites.

A= Shy, especially in large groups.
J= Outgoing, especially in public places.

A=Thinker
J=Free spirited

A=Rarely sick
J=Always sick (mostly due to her ears)

A=Snuggler and cosleeper (if she had a choice)
J=Independent sleeper (REFUSES to sleep with us, even on nights that she wakes up and fights sleep)

A=Plain palate-- has very limited preferences
J=Adventurous eater-- will try whatever we eat and usually likes the things her sister hates (cucumbers, salad, broccoli, dips--any and all)

A=Teeny tiny feet (8 at 4 1/2)
J=Is about to catch up to her sister's shoe size (5 at 1)

A=Cautious-- will examine all the risks before embarking on an adventure
J=Impulsive-- discovers all risks while taking the adventure

All these differences and I wouldn't change a single thing about either of them (well, except maybe the ear infections). I love how God made them so uniquely themselves.

Aubrey&Juliet=Loved more and more each day!!

Discovering Snow

A few weeks ago, we woke up late on Sunday. There was no way we were making it to church on time, so I suggested that we throw on some winter hats, borrow my sister's snow gear for the kiddos and head up to the mountains. As we headed out of town, I was doubting my spur of the moment inspiration because the clouds were ominous. I was sure that we were somehow going to get stuck on the grapevine--snowed in overnight. At this point, there was no turning back. Aubrey was EXCITED and Juliet was napping ;) We kept climbing up and soon we were above those nasty clouds and the sky was clear and bright! It was the perfect weather for a play day in the snow! Such a pleasant surprise.

Our first stop was a little public park in Frazier Park. There wasn't a ton of snow, but there was enough to have fun!

The girls built a snowman.

Juliet was fascinated by the ducks

And Justin turned someone else's melted snowman into a jump for our adrenaline junky, Aubrey.

We had a great time at this park, but we decided to drive up a little further to see if we could find some real hills to sled down. About 10 minutes down the road, we found the perfect little turn off with the perfect little hill. There were no other people or cars, so Juliet could roam and discover as she pleased.

She was quite fascinated by that fluffy white stuff, especially when she tasted it.

Aubrey had it all planned out.

She knew all the activities that you do with snow and she loved experiencing them all.

Snow Angels, sledding and snowball fights...so fun!

Everyone was worn out when we left!

Other than the fact that I completely FLAKED on a friend's open house shower, it was such a great day. Next time, I'll check my calendar before any spur of the moment inspirations ;) Regardless, I'm so glad we went!

P.S. I published this same post about an hour ago asking how to make my pictures x-large....I FIGURED IT OUT! If you can't get an option for x-large pictures, go to settings>basic> changed your editor to the new one. It uploads pictures differently, but you can make your pictures any size you want!