Funny Things Layton has been saying

Some funny things Layton has been saying that I want to remember:

“Layton is drinking his diet coke” everything is a diet coke now.  He heard me order one at a restaurant the other day and now he refers to his sippy cup as “Layton’s diet coke” I can’t help but laugh every time he says this.

He also says “This is daddy’s house or Layton’s house” when we are at home.  When we are somewhere else and he is ready to leave he will tell us “I go to Layton’s house.”  He is really remembering our friends and families houses and he tells us when he wants to go somewhere. 

The other day we pulled up to Wal-Mart and he said “Layton go to Wal-Mart” and I never even mentioned where we were going.  He just recognized where we were.

He pushes his shopping cart around the house and says "I go to HEB."

He told me tonight when I was reading him books before bed "mommy lets rock a little bit"  He still loves to rock awhile before I put him in bed.

He is still singing Happy Birthday Jesus all the time.

If his nose is running he will come up to me and say "I need a kleenex" he does not like his face dirty.

There are many more I'm sure but it is late and I'm heading to bed.

A Weekend Full of Family, Crafts and More Sewing

Our internet wasn't working last week so I know I'm falling behind but I'm hoping to catch up this week.

Last weekend Daniel and Lauren came into town with the kids and spent the weekend with all of us.  Layton was so excited to see his cousins and Daniel and Lauren.  Saturday I had my friend Juli, Lauren and my mom over to the house after lunch to work on some craft and sewing projects.  I had a few Valentines Day projects I wanted to work on and my mom was helping me and Lauren sew a pillowcase dress.  We had so much fun that afternoon and thankfully Layton took a 3 hour nap so I was able to get a lot done while he was sleeping.  Clifton was working most of the day Saturday and then had to be at church that night so we didn’t see him much until Sunday.  Saturday night my parents cooked us all a yummy Mexican dinner and we played with the kids.  Lauren and I worked on our pillowcase dresses that night and then I headed home and her and my mom stayed up late to finish hers.  I have a few pictures of our fun weekend and a few pictures of the crafts we worked on together.  Clifton has been teasing me a lot lately saying I’m getting old before my time but I really have enjoyed being creative lately with sewing and crafting and it is so relaxing to me.

Daniel and Kyleigh

 Sunday Kyleigh wore the dress I made her to church.  She looked so cute!

 Cooper was looking nice in his overalls too!

 Layton was giving Cooper a hug here :)  He loves his cousin Cooper.

 

My mom, Juli and Lauren Saturday sewing and crafting.

My wreath I made for our house for the spring.

 A little Valentine decor for our mantle.

 

I made this one for my mom because she loved the ones Lauren and I made for our houses.

With some help from Lauren with the embroidery software last weekend I figured out how to use my mom's embroidery machine.  Sunday night I made these for one of my high school friends that had a baby girl recently.

 A potholder I made Sunday afternoon while Layton was napping.

Learning the Basics of Sewing

As I mentioned in an earlier post I got a sewing machine for Christmas from my mom and dad.  It is a very basic one but is really easy to use.  I wanted something very simple and then if I decide I really like sewing then someday I can get a fancier one.


My mom has so generously spent a lot of time with me over the past few days showing me all the basics of sewing.  I have had so much fun learning all the tricks and tips from her and I still have so much more to learn.  I started off by making two pillowcases so I could learn how to use my machine.  They turned out really cute.

I made a Thomas the Train one for Layton.

 This past Thursday my playgroup decided to host a diaper shower on Friday for Tawny one of my friends that is about to move away for her new baby boy that is due next month.  I decided this would be the perfect opportunity for me to make a home made gift.  My mom stayed up late with me Thursday night showing me how to make a baby blanket and burp cloths.  My mom also has a nice embroidery machine so she added his name to everything.  It was more work than I thought it would be but we had lots of fun doing it.  Since it was a gift I really wanted it to turn out nicely.

 Saturday afternoon I headed to my parents house with my sewing machine and Layton in the rain.  I was able to put Layton down for a nap at their house so my mom and I could work on another sewing project.  A couple of weeks ago we spent a few hours at Hancock Fabric getting me some supplies and material to make a few things and we found some cute corduroy fabric on clearance.  I knew I wanted to make a dress for my niece Kyleigh with it.  My mom showed me how to cut out a pattern and we finished the dress about 7:30 Saturday night.

 I can't wait for Kyleigh to wear it!

 Clifton was playing with my camera while I was sewing.

 My mom showing me how to make a onesie dress

 We made this last night too.  It was super easy!  I think I might add some ribbon and a flower on one side around the waist to dress it up a little.

After church today I was ready to tackle some burp cloths by myself so I set up one end of our dining room with all my stuff.  Thankfully Layton took a three hour nap this afternoon and I was able to finish 10 burp cloths.  I will just give them away to my friends that are having babies soon.  I realized that all of them look pretty girly so next time I go buy some material I need to make some that would work for boys too.

 Here are all the burp cloths I was able to finish today.

Thanks mom for all the time you have spent helping me.  I have really enjoyed learning about everything and hopefully I can sew like you do some day.

Recap of Twenty Ten and Goals for Twenty Eleven

I know I'm a little late on a New Years post but I've been filling my time up with more important things like going to bed earlier at night, getting up super early to work out, playing more with Layton before he goes to bed, spending time at home as a family and trying to learn how to sew.  2010 was a great year for our family and we have been blessed beyond what we could even imagine.  Clifton and I have gotten to watch Layton grow up so much and learn so many new things the past year.  He went from just saying dada and clapping his hands at this time last year to walking and talking non-stop.  He really has grown into a little person now and we are seeing more and more of his personality come to life everyday.  His new phrases he says quite often these days are "I don't think so or I think so" when we ask him a question.  He also tells me "Mommy I be right back" and then takes off into another room.  He is learning so many new words everyday I can't keep up with them anymore.  I just went through all of my pictures for 2010 and wow we have a lot of good ones that I will cherish forever but here are some of my favorite.

Favorite Pics of 2010  

Let me update you on what Clifton and I have been up to lately since usually everything is all about Layton here on the blog.  Clifton has been extremely busy with his job lately which is a huge blessing.  He has two new agents in the La Vernia office working for him that are doing great and all of his agents in the Pleasanton office are selling lots of property right now too.  Being married to a real estate broker can be a little stressful at times because you have really good months and really bad months depending on how the economy is doing.  Thankfully the good have outweighed the bad this year and Clifton continues to love his job.  He has been working most weekends lately but I can't complain because I would rather him be busy than with nothing to do.  Our next project at the house that Clifton has been working on designing is our barn.  We have someone coming to start building it on Monday and we are both really excited.  Ever since we moved into the house we have been saving and hoping to one day build it next to the house.  I can't wait to have a covered place to park our cars soon and a place to store all of Clifton's tools and yard equipment.  I will post pictures of the progress once they get started.  Not much is new with me I'm still working at Energy Transfer in San Antonio as a SOX Auditor in the accounting department.  Our company is growing fast and we have so many new faces around the office.  I'm thankful to have an employer that still allows me to work a flexible (part-time) schedule of 35 hours Monday through Thursday.  I love my Fridays off so I can spend time with Layton.  I'm also trying to learn more about photography and have signed up for a Nikon photography class in Houston in February with Lauren.  I'm really looking forward to this.  My dad gave me his older Nikon camera this past summer and there is so much to learn.  I want to take better pictures so hopefully the class will help me.  I'm also learning how to sew.  My parents got me a sewing machine for Christmas so my mom has been helping me.  I'm excited to learn more and get better at it so I can start making gifts for my friends.  When Layton is napping or in bed at night I fill my free time up with those two things, working out, reading and trying to keep this blog up to date.  I don't really have much time for anything else but I'm enjoying this stage of life that we are in and am ready to see what God has in store for our family in 2011. 

Lets just say I've already taken on 2011 as a fresh start and I'm trying to improve in lots of areas as a wife and mommy.  Here are a few goals that I have set for myself this year.  I wanted to document them somewhere so I can look back on them as a reminder to myself throughout the year. 

1)    To be more patient with Layton I have to remind myself he is only 18 months old and it is my job as his mommy to teach him, discipline him and help him grow into a little person.  Sometimes I find myself getting frustrated with him so easily.

2)    To make the time everyday to have quiet time and spend time reading God’s word and praying.  I realize this is the only way to grow and become closer to Him but yet I put so many other things in my life that there isn’t time for the most important thing.  My sister got me a really neat daily devotional book for Christmas so now I have no excuses.

3)    To learn that it is okay if the house isn’t always clean and it’s okay if the laundry isn’t all washed, folded and put away at any given moment.  You see I’m a bit of a perfectionist and I want my house to be perfect I will stay up until all hours cleaning, doing laundry and picking up the house just in case someone stops by.  Very rarely do we have people stop by our house.

4)    To play more with Layton.  If he wants to play trucks then stop what I’m doing and just play with him.  He constantly asks me “Mommy come play?” and there are many times I feel like I have to go clean or cook dinner or do something else.  I should be giving him my attention because I know these days are flying by fast and he will only be little once.  I’m sure when he is a teenager I will be wishing he still wanted to play trucks with mommy.

5)    To stop trying to multitask all the time.  I’m really pretty good at it or so I like to think I am.  I always try to do way too much.  I should stop over committing myself and sit down and relax more.

6)    To take the time to spend one on one time with Clifton more often.  We usually stay up late talking at least one night a week just to catch up with one another but I really wish we made time to go to dinner by ourselves or see a movie every now and then.  Every time we go somewhere by ourselves it is usually a party or a wedding where we are with lots of other people.

7)     To live in the moment and stop trying to plan everything.  I love to plan for the future of our family and I need to appreciate what I already have. 

I think I have gotten off to a good start other than the fact it is 1:00 in the morning and I have to be at work at 7:30 in the morning.  Oh well at least I'm all caught up :) 

I got this verse from one of the blogs I read daily and I think this is a great verse to read at the start of a new year.

"The unfailing love of the Lord never ends! By His mercies we have been kept from complete destruction. Great is His faithfulness; His mercies begin fresh each day. I say to myself,"The Lord is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in him!"

-Lamentations 3:22-24

Happy New Year!