A Bahamian Wedding Gift

My sister-in-law, Andrea, got married on the beautiful Fernandez Bay Village beach on Cat Island in the Bahamas.  She and her now husband, Bill, wanted a laid-back beach wedding with no stress, and they got just that!  We happily joined in on the stress-free action...we'll, as stress-free as life with a 10 month old and a three year old can offer!

Such a sweet little darlin'!

I relaxed on the beach one morning with Jack-A-Roo sleeping on my chest, and I daydreamed about what I could do for Andrea and bill for a wedding gift as I watched Daniel and Justin kayaking and playing in the sand.

Daddy and the Dapper Doodle kayaking in the bay

And then it hit me!  I could make napkins for them!  Not just any napkins, but Androisa napkins!  Androsia is the "fabric of the Bahamas", and the beautiful turquoise color of the fabric I chose was one of the many beautiful blues of the Bahamian bay which was the perfect backdrop of their wedding!


Hand washing the fabric in warm water to remove the excess dye

Grandma gave me a bag of Androsia "scraps" that had been on a shelf in her closet for years.  I am so obsessed with the fabric that I, in turn, stashed it away for a few years....I hesitate to use it because I would hate to waste it, or make a wrong cut, or use it all and have none left!  I have hoarded it in my closet for a couple of years now too.  You could probably call it vintage Androsia by now!

Air drying in the sun

 I pulled it off the shelf, hand-washed it, and left it outside to dry.  After it was dry I ironed it and cut the pieces that would be perfect for the napkins while making sure to include the Androsia name on each napkin.

The finished napkins

Making the napkins was very basic, but it took me a while because I am a perfectionist (thanks to my Mother dearest). 

 

I wasn't sure how to present these napkins, but a quick rummage through my crafting supplies provided some black and yellow ribbon which is wrapping enough to me!  (Fun Fact - turquoise, yellow, and black are colors of the Bahamian flag!)

I'm pretty tickled with the end result

Congratulations Andrea and Bill!  I hope that when you use these napkins that you are reminded of your beautiful wedding and the sweet promises that you made to each other on that beautiful beach in the Bahamas!

 

Love!

Supper with a Certain Superhero

It's not everyday that superheroes come to supper...

...but we've had one drop in a few times this week! :)

Love!

Early Mornings with Mommy

I get up early, very early, like 4 a.m. early, just to guarantee that I get showered, blowdryed, curled, and made-up before everyone else wakes up for the day.  I also pack lunches, cook eggs, make coffee, and start tea during my morning alone time.

Lately, due to alarm clock snafus and a sweet little 3 year old, I haven't had my morning primping time, and I have been arriving to work late with wet hair, no make up, and wrinkled clothes or any combination of those 3!

Well before his wake time of 6:30, Daniel will start to quietly repeat, " Daddy, I need to go potty!" Until Justin takes him to the potty.  Daniel takes notice if there are lights on in the kitchen and will ask Justin, "Sit (is it) morning time? I want to be Mommy's helper!", and moments later I will hear him treading quietly down the stair to help me in the kitchen.

And although those little footsteps are pretty much a guarantee of me racing into the work parking lot with my tires squealing around each turn, I can't help but turn to mush as I see his darling little morning smile (yes, it's a distinct smile).  With a thankful heart I happily embrace my first born sweetheart as the rest of the family are tucked soundly in their beds, and go on to begin our morning spending time together.  I feel so special that he wakes up early just to spend time with me!

Love!

Sunday Picnic!

Today we decided to take the boys on a picnic adventure!

We drove to our favorite little park on the beach and Justin and Daniel picked a perfect shady spot for our picnic.

Jack played with his toys the tupperware lid while the rest of us chatted, laughed, and enjoyed our lunch in the shade.
 

It was a perfect picnic and a beautiful day!

We had so much fun that we will surely go back again!  Maybe we'll even bring some friends!

Jack-A-Roo's Baptism

Our sweet little Jack-A-Roo was baptized on Sunday, September 22nd!

"Adorable" doesn't even begin to describe how precious he was in this heirloom Baptism gown!

There have been SO MANY babies in my family that have worn this gown..Daniel, my mother, and my grandmother included!  WOW....just, WOW!!!

Father George, who married me and Justin and baptized Daniel, welcomed little Jack to the church with the holy sacrament....

...and Auntie Kelly made her second debut as godmother.

We headed to The Castle for a light lunch and cake (cousin Levi's favorite part of the day), and Jack enjoyed sitting on Grandma's lap while Nana fed him homemade mango purée!

Surrounded by family.....

.....which we gladly call friends....

....we can honestly and proudly say, "Life's good on our boat"!  ~Jimmy Buffett

Love!

Haircut Time!

A hair-cut has been long overdue for our Dapper Doodle...

...although I have to admit, it hasn't been at the top of our priority list because, even with long hair, he's so stinkin' cute!

The Park, Pirates, and Make-Believe

There's a little park on the island where, if your timing is just right, you can have the whole place to yourself to play all the make-believe you want!

We were lucky enough to squeeze in about 30 minutes of playtime during that magical time of day between the dew being just dry enough, and "The Others" that come to play.

It's funny how the boats and pirates of our make-believe morning disappeared as "The Others" descended upon our ship.  

I am treasuring these days and moments as I know that "The Others" in all aspects of our little boys' lives will become evermore present, and make-believe with Mommy will fall away just as quickly as it did that sweet summer morning.

Until then we will walk to the park, one sweet little boy strapped to my chest and the other holding my hand, and hope that we will be able to steal some special time together.....just us.

She said, "YES"!

Actually my sister said, "OMG, YESSSSS!!!!!!!" when she revived this picture text...

And really, how could you say no to that sweet little darlin'?

Sweet Summertime

We love summer, and we're taking full advantage of the sunshine...and the showers (because they leave behind super-fun puddles)!!!!!

 

D-Bird

 

Jack-A-Roo

Everyone we know that has a pool has had a visit from the little Prices this summer!

 

Boating, our favorite hobby, has taken a backseat to our newborn and our new home, but we've already been daydreaming of next summer when we can get the boys, and our sweet Mango, out on the water in the salt air and sunshine!

Are we crazy?

"Are we crazy?  Katie and I decided to jump into the deep end and embark on a total renovation of an old house!" was Justin's Facebook Album description....

 

HA!  With a just-turned-three year old and a 5 month old to entertain...I am tempted to say, "We have to be crazy!  What were we thinking?!" 

 

Visiting Grandma Price

Not to mention that our family business, Price Fire Protection, is just over a year old and growing beautifully, (congrats, Justin) and it's my "crazy busy" time at work...I am tempted to say, "We have to be crazy!  What were we thinking?!"

 

Every business has fire extinguishers!  Call Justin for a quote!

 

Oh, and there is the fact that we have already sold our house and are living here as squatters lessees until the end of July..."We have to be crazy!  What were we thinking?!"

 

Crazy or not, we have an awesome support system to help with paint choices, manual labor, and babysitting that make this crazy idea do-able.  We have a super-awesome cheering section!

 

Armed with YouTube tutorials, the DIY Network, friends and family, and a decent amount of common sense we are going to get this licked!

 

Front Exterior

Living Room

Kitchen

It's a house that was built in the 50's, and from what we've been told, it was built for an executive at a local concrete company.  It has a sample of all of their products from the time, and was used to wine and dine clients and out of town guests.

We are super-excited to wine and dine all of our family and friends that have helped us with the renovation with one helluva thank you party...lol, but we have to finish the reno first!

We're super-crazy-busy, so...

"If the phone doesn't ring...it's me!" ~Jimmy Buffett

Love!

Welcome to the family, Jack Michael!

On January 13, 2012, at 11:59am, Justin, Daniel, and I got a sweet little 5lb 6oz/19 inch surprise!

{Jack Michael}

 



Jack Michael made his debut a whopping two months early!  He came out crying, which was a fantastic sign, but his little lungs still needed time to mature, so he camped out in the NICU for almost a month.

 

The NICU nurses are paranoid of germs (who can blame them - they're protecting our babies), so Daniel did not get to meet his baby brother until we brought him home.  I took a small video (shhhh, the nurses didn't know) so that Daniel could see Jack moving around and Daniel watched that video over, and over, and over.....

 {Brothers}

 

Daniel is adjusting well to life as a big brother!  I will catch him holding Jack's hand in the car when Jack is crying, and when he introduces Jack, he says, "This is my little brother, wanna touch him?" 

{This is Jack mimicking my expression when Daniel invites strangers to touch his little brother, lol}

 

We are slowly but surely re-adjusting to life with a baby at  night, but, during the daytime, life with a baby and a toddler is a whole new ball game!  Although challenging, we are LOVING it!

 

Welcome to the chaos, Jack Michael!  We are so glad to have you along for the ride!

The Big Boy Bed

Tonight's the night! As I type this post, our little Dapper Doodle is drifting off to sleep in his big boy bed!!!

He went to school all day, then he came home to help Daddy build his bed...

They make a great team, although DAP figured out, rather quickly, that Daddy's tools were way more exciting than his, lol

Daddy and I watched him over the baby monitor for about 15 minutes, and he was almost asleep.

We are so proud of our little boy!