"Mama, any day that I get to do my art is such a good day."

- Liam, age 4.5

Two months with Brooks Wilder.

Dear Brooks,

Thirty more days around the sun has exploded our love for you, just as we expected.

You're weighing in at just under 15 lbs, which puts you in the 99th percentile for weight. "There is no 100th percentile. He's as big as they come," the doctor said. You have rolls in places I've never seen rolls. You are round and happy and apparently getting just what you need. You eat well and spit up a lot, but are generally calm and comfortable.

You're starting to interact with us more every day, easily recognizing Mommy's and Daddy's faces and flashing your bright eyes and deep dimples when we talk to you. You're so tolerant of those loving siblings of yours, not even whimpering when they clobber you with wet kisses all over your face.

You have a name now, sweet boy. One that feels so fitting and came straight from God's hand. We wouldn't have chosen it, but it fits you more perfectly than the one we did choose. And with it comes a story I will never tire of telling.

You are our peaceful place, and someday, we pray you will bring the peace you've found in Christ into our fractured world. We read the headlines today and everyday and there is such a need for the peacemakers. You have a purpose in this world, my Brooks.

I love you like crazy,

Mom

I hope this picture resurfaces at your rehearsal dinner someday. ;)

Kids DIY: Marbling paper with shaving cream.

It's been a while since I've posted a DIY project here (I'm embarrassed to even find out how long!). In reality, though I haven't posted, DIY projects are part of our every day life at home. I'm homeschooling Liam this year for his second year of pre-K and about 75% of our daily "work" involves art. He thrives doing it and I thrive teaching it, so it's a good fit for our family. Liam and Lanie's very favorite thing is when we have an "art day" where we do several projects in a row. I set out some simple supplies - glue, tape, construction paper, kid-friendly scissors, glue sticks, markers, play dough - provide some guidance, and they can go for hours. For some moms, I'm sure that sounds overwhelming. But I believe that if you set up your space well, putting down paper or towels and using washable supplies, it's doable. 

Now onto this project... 

There are dozens of ways to marble paper with shaving cream, and this is just one of them. I loved the results so much that I thought I'd share the materials and steps we used!

Materials: 

Shaving cream

Suminagashi marbling ink*

Watercolor paper (cut to fit your container of choice)

Shallow dish or container to hold the shaving cream 

Popsicle sticks 

Spatula or ruler

*This marbling ink kit is a small investment for a lot of fun projects! If you follow the instructions on the box, you can marble paper with just water and ink. Also, there are many other ways to marble paper with shaving cream: tempera paints, food colors, acrylics. I just love this because a little goes a long way and we can use it for several projects. I totally recommend it.

Here's how: 

1. Squirt some shaving cream into a shallow dish (if your child is old enough and can be trusted, kids love doing this part!). 

2. Let your child choose which colors they'd like and drop a few drops into the shaving cream.

3. Use the popsicle sticks to swirl the colors into the shaving cream. Be sure not to overmix it.

4. Place the paper into the shaving cream, making sure the entire front side is saturated with shaving cream.

5. Pull the paper out and scrape off the shaving cream with a spatula or ruler to reveal the design. Let it dry completely and you're done!

We had fun cutting out the shapes into leaves and pasting them on paper, but the options for this paper are endless: making stationery or cutting small shapes to create a garland are just a couple ideas. Enjoy!