Hello there and happy Tuesday!  It's another week of Project Life!!

This week covers the week of January 16-22.  Which consisted of a day off school (MLK day), my father-in-law in town, prepping and creating CHA layouts and Elle's Studio kit layouts, a field trip, two sick kids, an unexpected trip to the ER, and todd being out of town one day of the weekend.   needless to say, it was a BUSY and CRAZY week at our house!

This week I made an effort to include more quotes and funny things family members did/said. I know these are the things that i will look back and LOVE.  

Since the trip to the ER was definitely a major happening of the week, I included the photos I took at the hospital in a separate photo insert.  I used a  photo pocket page by We R Memory Keepers-- it is a 12x12 page with nine 4x4 inserts.  I trimmed it down to hold only four inserts-- perfect for Project Life and being able to see the whole week in one spread.

I felt a little funny at first taking photos in the ER.  It was somewhat of a stressful situation but I felt that down the road I might appreciate the photos.  and i do.  i realize however that there are times you feel comfortable taking photos, and times you don't-- and that's okay.

On the back of the insert I included one more photo from the ER and I handwrote this blog post about what happened that night in the ER.  It ended up being an incredible story-- one that I will always remember and cherish (as weird as that sounds).

I love the photo of the coffee on this last page.  There was a day during that week that I went through the Drive Thru at Starbucks twice.  Talk about shame and embarrassment as I drove up to the window for a second time that day!!!!  That happens RARELY but it really provides a picture of the craziness of that week.    

What can I say-- i'm a slave to the coffee bean.  This is evidence.

Thanks for swinging by today!   Be sure to head over to Elle's Studio and leave a comment on today's Project Life post for a chance to win a $15 prize pack of Elle's Studio goodies.

Linking up to Jessica today.

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Jonah and Jordan's Birthday Party

Saturday was a BIG day at our house--- it was Jonah and Jordan's birthday party!

We decided since Jonah has a January birthday, and Jordan has a February birthday, we were going to combine our celebrations and GO BIG.

We had the party at Agape Therapeutic Riding Center-- an amazing faith-based, equestrian program for those who have disabling conditions or are at risk in Indianapolis.

My sister Annie has always had a love for horses and riding, and she serves on the Board of Directors at Agape.  We thought this would be a wonderful place to hold a birthday party for the kids.

To say they did a great job hosting all 25 kids and their families (over 50 in attendance) would be an understatement-- i could hardly believe all the detail and time Agape put into planning the kid's birthday party.  From the organization, planning, decorations, party favors, to drinks and ice cream-- they took great care of us.

Each child got plenty of time on a horse in the big arena.

Jonah rode Nashee and Jordan rode Sheba.  It was all they could talk about for the rest of the day-- sheer joy.

There were also miniature horses!!!  How cute are they?  The kids were able to brush them, pet them, and lead them through the cones.  So fun (and slightly less intimidating for the younger ones).

My friend Jennifer made the cakes-- she was so sweet and wanted each of them to have their own cake.  Can you even believe how amazing these are??? not only do they look awesome but they are the best tasting cakes ever.

  
Agape provided the ice cream and the milk in these fun milk bottles.  The party favors for each child were tied up in bandana bags :)
  

Jonah and Jordan were all smiles while we sang to them (separately of course:)

We had so much fun with all friends who were able to come.

My grandma (a former rider) even came and pet some of the mini horses.  She said she REALLY wanted to ride but didn't want anyone leading her horse (she's hilarious).

We were so blessed by Agape and would definitely recommend having a birthday party at their (gorgeous and clean!) stables if you live in the indianapolis area.

One thing we decided to do as a family was in lieu of birthday gifts, suggest a donation to Agape.  I wasn't sure how this would go over with the kids, but they were SO excited about it.  We explained that these horses helped kids learn about Jesus and His love for them.  Once we told them that their friends could bring presents for these special horses, they were all about it.

We did not hear one peep about not having presents there.  And that makes my heart soar.  I want to them to grow up knowing that celebrations are not about "the stuff"but about people and relationships.  And that it's better to give than receive.  I am so happy we gave them this opportunity to "give back".

It was truly a perfectly, crazy, wonderful day.

And i think this girl and her brother may take after their Aunt Annie and be riders one day.

Lily Bee Sneaks

This week Lily Bee has previewed their four new lines for CHA.  If you haven't had a chance to check out the lines, you must head over to the Lily Bee blog and check them out!  (plus there are giveaways to win each new line!).

The colors are so vibrant and fresh, and each line is unique and just wonderful.   I know I say this every time , but i think this release is just phenomenal.   I had the opportunity to design with Double Dutch and Buttercup for Lily Bee booth CHA and just wanted to share a few sneaks of my projects.









If you are attending CHA (and OH how i wish i was this time around!) be sure to stop by the Lily Bee booth (booth 1690) to see these gorgeous collections and enjoy make and takes, and more!

Project Life: Week 2

Today I am sharing week 2 of my Project Life (january 9-15)



this week's highlights were: making the switch from a PC to a Mac (yeah!), Jonah having a sick day (boo!), meeting a friends new baby, more house planning, regular things like ballet on thursday, and my birthday dinner.


Yesterday I shared those pages over at Elle's Studio and also wrote a bit about "not having enough photos".  I think it's easy to discouraged when you fly through a week and realized you weren't really in "documentation mode".  Some weeks are like that.

When that happens I try to fill in the gaps with lots of journaling.  You can read more of my thoughts on this here. (and pssst there's a giveaway too :)



And yes, that's my birthday candle on that page.  Todd's face was priceless when i blew my candle out, and put it in my purse.  :)  girls gotta do what a girls gotta do, right?

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