Sock Monkey inspired 1st Birthday

As a lover of sock monkeys (mainly the colorful ones), I started planning Carson's party oh about the time I knew I was pregnant. Just kidding! I was however inspired by the newborn photo of Carson taken by my friend Kelly Ring shown in my older post. The photos below are the ones I used at the sock monkey party. How cute are they??

               

                          

As the months went on I started planning and found amazing inspiration on Pinterest. The printables I purchased on Etsy were from the creative orchard.

Party decor- Many of the party things such as colorful tablecloths, platters, etc. I recycled from previous parties. On the walls, I used colorful paper plates and attached some buttons to them to create my own larger button look. The colorful monkeys that I already had in my home were used as accents around the house. I ordered the book 10 Little Sock Monkeys from Amazon to have party guests sign. I also created a time capsule (pictured above) for guests in attendance and those who could not attend, to place notes and items for Carson to see and read on his 16th birthday. I am sure I will be more excited about that than he will.

Candy bar with lots of yellow candies and treats.

I purchased a large number 1 from one of my favorite places, Hobby Lobby and then I hot glued on some (or should I say a ton) of colorful buttons

Party guests were asked to have their picture taken photo booth style with sock monkey accessories. It was a lot of fun!

One of my favorite things from the party was when I used Carson's monthly onesie stickers to create a cute timeline to display his photos. It is amazing how fast time flies.

 

Kid activities were bunches of fun bag toss, create your own sock monkey, 

and of course, the bounce house. 

Food- Our menu was typical cookout food with hot dogs, hamburgers, etc. but the snacks were the big hit. My monkey cupcakes turned out great. I am glad I learned how to color frosting with special coloring from the craft store. My mom's famous sugar cookies went fast, but I snagged a photo before the party guests arrived. I used orange m&m's to create the button look on the circle, sugar cookie.

photo by Kelly Ring Photography

Carson's birthday shirt was also purchased on Etsy. I can't wait to one day have a quilt made with all of his birthday shirts and baby clothes.




I am so pleased with how everything came out and can't wait til October for birthday #2.

Michelle :)

Party of 4

As I mentioned in my previous post, so much has changed in the Pinckney house in a matter of 2 years. Being the oldest child, I never really thought about what it is like to be the second child. Until.....the test! Yep, you guessed it, the little stick that can change your life in a matter of 3 minutes. Well, lucky for us we had been planning to expand our family and just moved into a home with 4 bedrooms.

On Tuesday, October 15, 2013, our family of 3 became a family of 4. We welcomed this little (ok not so little) bundle of joy, Carson Scott with open arms and full hearts.

He was a whopper weighing 9lbs. 20 inches long but oh how cute. 

When Carson was just 6 days old my friend Kelly Ring of Kelly Ring Photography came to take Carson's newborn photos. I knew that being a second child, especially the second boy, I wanted Carson to have some things that Camden didn't. Some of my favorite pictures are posted below and they now hang in my home. 

 Camden loves being a big brother.

Having two boys is definitely a daily adventure but I wouldn't change it for the world. Now you know one reason my blogging has been on the back burner. Chronicling the shenanigans of these two cuties is something I promised myself I would do so stay tuned for a crazy ride. 

Michelle :)

It's Sunny and 86° today

After a long hiatus from my blog, I thought it was time to get back to writing. So much has changed since my last post, from births to deaths, new to old, I just don't know where to begin. Therefore, I will start with my most recent trip home to Pennsylvania to visit my family.

Over the Forth of July weekend, my husband, boys, and I traveled to visit my family in Pennsylvania. It has been a few months since we visited and our last visit was in April for the unexpected death of my grandfather. When we lose someone close to us, it is sad, but can also be a celebration of the amazing life lived.

My grandmother passed 7 years ago and it is comforting to know that after many years, my grandparents are reunited in heaven. There are so many wonderful things I loved about my grandparents. From the way you felt when you walked in the door, to the quirky little things each one of them would do, at the center was love.

When I was home in PA, I was able to visit their home and while there, I came across one of my grandmother's journals. One thing about my grandmother, she spent hours doing her daily devotions, studying her Bible, writing and cleaning.

Being sentimental, I managed to snag the journal and read through it. My grandmother's journal is what got me writing again. I realize that my grammar does not need to be perfect and my sentence structure will not be diagrammed, but writing things down will help to remember my amazing life.

Each day when my grandmother would write, she would document the weather, what she was doing that day and what many of the other family members were doing. It was heartwarming to read about her baking her famous butterscotch pies to take to the church dinners and canning to make her tomato juice and raspberry jam. My grandmother was one of the strongest ladies I knew. Despite her severe arthritis and back and knee problems, grandma Laura would constantly be on her hands and knees cleaning the floor. As I read her journal, I am thankful not only to have these memories to reflect on but also for modern technology and the Swiffer.

Thank you Grandma for the reminder of how blessed we are each day and how we should never take advantage of the time we have. I look forward to reminiscing more on my next trip home.

The photo below is one of my favorites. 

Michelle :)