{Judah} 24 Months (2 Years!) Old

I'm a couple of weeks late posting this, but Judah turned two years old!  I seriously can't believe how quickly the time as gone by.  It really seems like yesterday that we were waiting for him to arrive in the hospital.  As much as I loved him being a newborn, it is so much fun having a toddler.  Here is what life is like with Judah at two years old:

Celebrating his 2nd birthday at his favorite Mexican restaurant

He loves, loves, LOVES trucks.  He can point out  and name fire trucks, cement mixers, dump trucks, garbage trucks, tractors, tow trucks - any kind of truck makes him happy.

 Playing with his new construction site from Grandma and Grandma M.

 Jude is a good sleeper and napper.  He is a little cuddlebug when he wakes up in the morning and after his nap.  This is the time he likes to sit in my lap and drink his milk while he's waking up.  I'll be sad when he's too big for this!

favorite TV shows:

favorite movies:

Favorite foods are iced oatmeal cookie Clif bars, yogurt, applesauce, pizza, spaghetti, French fries, hamburgers, mashed potatoes, strawberries, bananas, and candy of any kind :)

He loves having his head scratched before naps and bed.  This is a new thing of his.  Sometimes he'll take my hand and move it across his hair and yell "Hair!"  (Just in case I was missing one of his signals!)


Right before his birthday, we took him to our town's yearly festival and he had so much fun.  His favorite parts were going on rides and watching the parade.

 First ride of the year!  He loves roller coasters!

 We made sure to get one ride with all of the cousins...love all three of them in that pink car.

 Watching his first parade with Grandma M.

He has also really started to enjoy coloring and playing with Play-Doh.  I think these have really helped him learn his colors.

He is also still struggling in the church nursery!  We're just learning that his personality takes time to warm up and new things can be hard for him.  However, I think he has gotten a lot better, and we'll just keep praying that this phase will eventually end.

Cute things he likes to say:

"hink" = thank you

"mocker" = grandma

"pa pa" = grandpa

"goon" = balloon

"garby" = garbage truck

"far far" = fire truck

"ekatakeh" = elephant and excavator

Happy 2nd Birthday, Judah!  We love you!

I opened an Etsy shop!

Something I have been really excited about for awhile is finally happening - I am opening an Etsy shop!

Here's the back story behind this new venture:
My grandma was a sewer.  She made all kinds of things and I remember her sewing machine always being in their basement family room.  My mom would use it to make curtains and many of our Halloween costumes.  My interest in sewing grew from watching them.

In grade school, I would spend my extra money buying little cross stitch kits.  Then, when I was in high school, I chose to take a sewing class as one of my electives and I loved it.  It was my favorite class and I loved putting all of the pieces together to make something new.

Fast forward to a couple of years ago, and I had not sewn or embroidered since my high school class.  And I started to wonder if I remembered how to do it.  With my mom's help, I made a little blanket and pillow for Jude and it all came back to me.

So, I bought a sewing machine and started playing around with different patterns and tutorials from Pinterest.  I have spent the past year learning new tricks and improving my skills.  I have made little gifts for friends and my nieces, and nothing makes me happier than creating something handmade for someone I love.

After hearing Drew and a few others start to say that maybe I should start selling the things I make, I finally decided to go for it!  So, the "Hey Jude" sewing shop was created!

I make dolls,

zipper pouches,

felt food,

coffee sleeves,

and much more!

All items are child or adoption related and proceeds will go towards our adoption.  A portion will also be donated to SHONA Congo, which helps provide an income for women in Eastern Congo.


Any support you could give to this little shop would be greatly appreciated!  Please "like" the Hey Jude page on Facebook and stay tuned for new items and giveaways!

Sending off our first order to New Hampshire!