Halloween weekend 2010

My little princess has changed a lot!

We had such a fun weekend!! 

Friday night I was suppose to go to dinner with a friend but, she had to leave town.  So, Lex and I decided to meet up with some friends and go to a local high school football game.  My parents came to watch Kagen for us so we didn't have to keep her out too late.   We had so much fun!  It's been so long since I have been to a football game.  I ate way too much food but, it was well worth it!

Saturday, we spent the morning with my sister and her hubby.  After lunch, we walked around downtown Mineola.  It's such a pretty area!  Kagen got to see a train go by too!

=)



That evening was the Fall Festival at our church.  I was so proud of Kagen's lil costume.  It was cheap and EASY to make!   It was so fun this year, she was able to play games and win candy! ha! 

 

We ended our weekend with a wonderful church service this morning and some beautiful singing this evening.   

Have a blessed week!!

On my heart

Last night, I read a blog written by the Mom of a precious five year old that is now with the Lord.  This amazing mother lost her little girl to a brain tumor.  As I read, tears rolled down my face.  I was in awe of her and her husbands faith in the Lord.  If you get a chance, I encourage you to read this blog.  I don't know who these people are but, I am so glad I was able to read their story.

  There are days Kagen drives me crazy.  She wants to climb on me.  Hug me.  Kiss me.  Play with me.  While I see a dirty house. Clothes that need to be washed.  Dishes that need to be washed.  Things that just need to get done. 

After reading about Leightyn, I felt awful.  I was so worried about everything else that I easily got annoyed when my sweet baby girl just wanted to love on me.  The guilt over came me.  How could I worry so much about things that are so small when those moments could be taken away so quickly?   I love that little girl so much, I don't know what I would do without her.  She is a gift from God.  I am a firm believer that our time on this earth is in God's hands.  And, his hands only.  I pray I never have to watch Kagen go through anything like this.  I want to stop taking advantage of the fact the she is alive and well.  It's so easy to do, don't you think?
   My husband doesn't like reading stories like Leighyn's.  But, to me, it's a reminder of just how precious life is.  Yes, it's sad but, also uplifting.  Those parents have such an amazing attitude about it.  I admire their strength.  I will be praying for this family and ask that you do the same.

Carnivals, candy and a hay ride

A couple local schools were having carnivals so Lex and I took Kagen and met Erin and boys at the highschool.  When we first walked, without realizing it, we walked into a haunted house type of thing.  This little monster jumped out and scared the people in front of us and of course, it scared our little people!!  We got out of there as fast as we could!!  We were NOT expecting that. ha!  We finally found all the games and CANDY!!

Once we left the high school we went to the intermediate school for there story book carnival.  We got there a little late so we missed most of the activities but, we did get to go on a hay ride!   The kids LOVED it.  After that, they were pretty hyper.  They ran down the halls and in the gym. 

Finally the sugar high went away and that made for a sleepy baby.

This weekend

I'm a little late but, oh well!  And, I'm lacking pictures.....

Friday night, Kagen spent the night with her GiGi and Bill Bill so Lex and I could have dinner with some friends.  Lex's 10 year reunion was this weekend, so after dinner he and I met up with some friends so he could hang out with some of his old high school buddies.  


Saturday we went to Levi's 2nd birthday party.  Kagen had a blast.  There was yummy food and a trampoline!  She was hilarious on it.  She would fall down and couldn't get back up and would just start laughing.

That evening they were having part 2 of Lex's reunion.  Lex didn't want to go so we had planned on staying home.  A friend called said his wife wasn't going and wanted to see if Lex would like to go and see everyone.  I told Lex to go and have fun!  I mean it's his 10 year reunion!!  I didn't want him to miss it.  I really wish I could have gone but, everything was so last minute it would have just made us rush.

After church on Sunday, we had lunch at my parents before going home so Kagen could nap.  That afternoon was Bella's 1st birthday party!  I wasn't able to make it but, Lex took Kagen.  I didn't get any pictures other than the ones I stole because I forgot to send the camera with Lex.

We had a very fun and eventful weekend!  I can't wait til next weekend now!!  I can't wait to show you Kagen's costume!!  She's going to be adorable!!

To Kagen

My sweet Kagen.  You are ALWAYS on the go.  I can't seem to keep up, but I try.

You are such a sweet little girl.  You want to say "Hi" to every person we see. 

You can be stubborn strong willed at times. 

You love to make us laugh. 

You can't go to sleep without your blanket and rabbit.

 You climb everything in sight, including me and your Dad. 

You can be clumsy like your Momma.   Every time you fall you say, "uh oh, what happened?  Are you okay?".  It's pretty funny to hear you say that and to realize how often we say that. ha!

You love to tickle people.  The dogs too.

You know all the letters of the alphabet.

You can count to ten but, here lately you leave out three and eight.  ha!

You know some of your colors, we're still working on that...

As I type this, you are trying your hardest to punch the keys...and you think it's funny.  It is.

When you are doing something you have to concentrate on, you always have this "serious" look on your face. 



I love you sweet baby girl.

Brush em Brush em Brush em

Today, I had an appointment to get my teeth cleaned so I took Kagen with me so we could try this whole Dentist thing again.  You can read about her very first visit here.  She did worse this time than last.  ha!  She wouldn't even let Melanie look in her mouth.     



Future Ty Black DDS employee

 Everyone knows that when I show up, so does the camera.  ha!

My sweet friend Lisa

I had to get a picture of the back of these leggings.  I mean seriously, they are so cute!! 

Emily watched Kagen while I had my teeth cleaned.  She's pretty neat.  ;)

I love the look on Kagen's face.   She kept saying, "Nooo".

Dr. Black.    I miss working for this guy.  He's awesome.

After our appointment we all went to lunch at our favorite place...  Chick-fil-a.

After lunch, Kagen and I ran a few errands before heading home.  We spent the rest of the day making the house messy..... Oh wait, that was just Kagen.  ha! 

2yr checkup

Kagen was originally suppose to have her checkup tomorrow but, her Doctor has to be out of the office so they called to see if we could come in this morning. 
Kathy had given Kagen a medical kit so we've been playing doctor with Kagen hoping she would do good at her visit.  To my surprise, she did awesome!!  Last time we were there she was not happy about ANYTHING. 

Once Dr Steeger was done with her check up, Kagen kept saying, "see ya later!".  ha!  I think she was ready to leave. 

She got a finger prick first and did wonderful!  She just sat there and watched the nurse.  Then, came the shots...  I so wish I could take those shots for her.  I hate it. 

Kagen is strong.  Really strong!  So Lex came with us to help out.  I held her arms, Lex held her torso and the nurse had Kagen's legs.  Again, much to my surprise, she didn't put up as big of a fight as I thought she was going to.  She got two shots.  She cried for a minute then we let her down to get a sticker and she was fine.  No big deal.   She's a tough lil cookie.

Here are her stats:
Weight: 27.2lbs  (60th percentile)
Height: 35in       (80th percentile)


We came home and let her eat some cupcakes since she did so awesome. I was so proud of her.  And thankfully, we are done for a whole year!!!

Jewelry box tutorial

I was asked to make a Halloween jewelry box for someone and since I few people wanted me to do a tutorial, I thought this would be perfect!
I've never done one, so forgive me if I leave off any information. 

A few things you'll need are:

-The jewelry box, of course.  I bought this one at Hobby Lobby.

-Scrapbook paper

-Mod Podge

-Craft paint

-Paint brush

-Foam brush

-You'll also need something to smooth out air bubbles.  I used an old plastic pan scraper but, you can also just use your fingers.


First, remove the hardware from the drawers.  I number the drawers because I've noticed not all the drawers are exact. 

Next, you'll need to trace all the drawers and sides of the jewelry box onto the scarpbook paper and cut the pieces out.

Once you've traced the box, you need to paint the edges and inside of the drawers.  (If you don't want to line the bottom of your drawer with paper, go ahead and paint that too)

Once your paint has dried, it's time to add the paper.  Put a medium layer of Mod Poge on the surface and apply the paper.

Smooth out any air bubbles and remove the excess Mod Podge.

Wait about 10-15 minutes for the Mod Podge to dry, then if you have any excess paper you can use an Exacto knife to trim it away.

If you want to line the inside of the drawers go ahead and do that, too.  I just put a piece of paper in the drawer and made a crease so I knew where to trim off any excess paper.

Next, apply 3-5 layers of Mod Podge to the drawers and box.  Allow 10-15 minutes of drying time between each coat.

Once mod podge is completely dry, use your hardware to poke a hole through the backside of the drawer. This takes the guess work out of locating the holes on the front of the drawer. Then apply the hardware.

And, you're finished!!  It's so fun to do, I just love making these.

If you have any questions, please feel free to ask me.  And, if you're interested in these but, don't have the time to make one you can email me(abby-richardson@hotmail.com) and I would love to make one for you. 

Thanks for checking out my blog!!