Isaiah can ski!

There he is in the red coat... he's following his teacher, "Coach Al". We spotted him while we were on the lift. I was so excited to see him skiing... it was about 20 minutes into the lesson!

We had an amazing time this weekend in Ruidoso, NM... we took Michael's parents with us for some much needed R&R. AND... we took the kids skiing - they loved it!

We also went on a 2 mile hike... 

and threw rocks into the river...

and climbed a big rock...

Part of the hike included crossing the river... on a log. It was a bit scary for some of us, but we all made it across! (somehow we didn't get any pictures of that log) 

What an amazing time we had. I was so proud of Isaiah for being such a good sport. I can't believe how fast he learned how to ski. We stayed on one run the whole day, but Isaiah never got tired. Riding the lift, we watched skiers below and played a game called "Who's gonna fall next?" And one time as we approached the top of the lift, Isaiah said "Alright, this is where the fun begins!!" I loved seeing him so happy and confident. 

note: I do have video of Isaiah skiing... and I tried to include it in this post, but I'm having technical difficulties. 

meow

a dancer? a kitty cat? or maybe just Sarah...

sarah took her very first dance class today. she was all decked out in a pink leotard, black skirt and striped legwarmers. we get there and as soon as we walk in the door she said "i have to get my tap shoes on". she was ready and willing. i think she was even excited about it. (and maybe a little anxious too) they lined up all the girls, marched them into the studio and shut the door. i didn't even get a peek inside. 

45 minutes later they open the door and she comes out, her teacher behind her... who makes a b-line towards me. the first thing out of my mouth was "did she do good?" expecting to hear "yes, sarah is so cute... she did such a great job. your daughter is beautiful and graceful and is destined to be a dancer!!" 

instead, her teacher said "she pretended to be a cat the entire class... crawling on the floor. rolling on the floor. licking her paws and meowing. i'm going to hold off on ordering her costume for the recital in june. she needs to be able to get through a class without pretending to be a cat." lovely. i mean... the girl is 3, right? 3 year olds are all about pretending, right?

needless to say, we'll just have to give her a little time to adjust to this new class... all the while teaching her a little lesson: "when you're at dancing school, you need to be a little girl. you can be a cat at home, but when you go to dance class you need to be Sarah." 

she does make a beautiful cat, though. maybe she needs to be in theater. we'll see.

God's doing something big...

here. check it out. sign up for if you're interested. hope to see you there!!!

oh, happy new year:)

my favorite christmas present

it's the real thing. an original elsie painting. michael is the best:)

more creations and some holiday love

i made this little owl pillow... i painted the owl onto canvas and then stitched the details. 

this little sticky was waiting for me this morning. i'm so blessed to have michael as my husband. he's the sweetest:)

speaking of sweet... isaiah made this gingerbread house at school. he's quite the artist. i think he even has that "artist" look on his face (making such art is serious business).

and michael brought home some sweet treats from his "secret santa" at work. we have enough hot cocoa mix to last us through may. maybe.

and a little glimpse of our christmas decor. it won't be long and all this will be packed away. hmmm. christmas is approaching way too fast.

and another owl stamp that i carved...

i hope you are embracing each moment of the season... it will all pass by way too quickly. 

lovelovelove, e

in love

isn't this beautiful? i found it today... as well as this incredible site. inspiration city.

there are fun things going on in my world...

geoff & ashley are getting married! we had ashley's lingerie shower at my house and then went out for her bachelorette party. i think she looks especially beautiful wearing pink feathers;) btw emily, we missed you!!

excuse me, ma'am... is that felt??

yes, folks i've been felt-crazy as of late. i've made little felt pendants, pouches, animals. i can't stop. there are many more felt projects up my sleeve, just wait and see.

and here are some naked clay sculptures isaiah and i made. (we'll paint them later) he did the snowman and some other tiny creatures not pictured. and then there is a branch and an owl (laying on it's side) i'll be painting them and gluing them together. and then on the right is pingu. my children are big fans.

and i've discovered a love for buttons. this is my starter collection. it's so full of possibilities!

and i've been spreading christmas cheer all over the house.

a little glimpse of our tree this year. it's magical.

and my kitchy garland!! this is one of my class projects. it's gaudy and messy and random and i love it;)

we sure had fun over the thanksgiving holiday. isaiah and sarah adore their cousins, wyatt and amelia. lots and lots of laughter and giggles from these four.

and we went on the polar express! it was an actual train ride... and so magical!

these two have such a sweet moments together.

isaiah and wyatt with the bells they got from santa when he boarded the polar express!

**i've seriously been crafting nonstop lately. i really want to make all my christmas gifts this year... my mind is racing with ideas. i love it! and i love that everywhere i go there is christmas music playing. and today it snowed in lubbock. sarah and i watched it for a while. she kept asking to go outside so she could eat it. she said "you can eat white snow but you can't eat yellow snow. can i go outside and eat that white snow?"

until next time... :) evan