It's the little things

Everyone tells you it's the little things in life that matter and you know what? It's SO true. This morning my still getting up in the night 3 1/2 year old woke me up at the crack of 5am telling me he wanted to snuggle. Ok, I'm game. However, when I'm woken up, I'm UP. I can't for the life of me fall back asleep once someone or something wakes me up. Yay! 

So I head downstairs for some coffee and devotional time. Not 10 minutes later, little man discovers I'm gone, comes to find me, and tells me he wants to do "debotionals" with me. Melt my soul. He falls asleep on my lap, I have a cup of coffee and my Jesus time. Life is good. This is a "little thing" and I'm so glad I didn't miss it. :)

Miss Lo's 1st Birthday Party!

Um hi. It's me again. The slacker blogger who claimed I would master blogging. HA. Oh well such is life! Miss Lo turned the big OH EN EE last weekend! Seriously?! She's getting to be such a big lady. Here are some shots from her party! I'm pretty excited about the coral/pink with turquoise/minty green combo. Love. 

Warning: Photo overload!

 Party girl trying on her mama made tutu. It was SO fluffy!

For some reason I cut off the big ONE in this picture?

My sister makes the best cakes for the kids' birthdays!

My beautiful sisters and mama. 

Annd she got a birthday smooch from the future hubby. SO cute!

Her face cracks me up!

Party girl is caked out haha

Looking over her year after the kids went to bed. It went by way too fast. Sigh.

Holidays at the O'neills!

Blogging two days in a row?! I know. I know. I'm getting a jump start on that New Year's resolution and whipping my blogging butt into shape. Ha! Anyways here's a glimpse into my festive family & home over the last few weeks... 

DIY Family Photo shoot WIN!

{<3}

I love the look of twinkle lights in a jar! I think I'll fill it to the top next year. And possibly have at least 5 more scattered through the house. 

Pinecones in a basket. Not too special except the ones I selected for a blast of glitter in the backyard.

Homemade heart garland and pom garland! Would it be a little ridiculous to have a garland in every room? I didn't think so either. PLUS I'm thinking this is sticking around till at least end of February for Valentines Day. Double Duty Decor.

The beautiful bird's nest was made by a gal at church who used these as place cards for our super fancy Ladies Christmas Dinner. How darling is this?!

I love love love her festive pjs. Seriously I want them in my size so badly. 

Last but certainly not least, some sweet roses from Hubby. Not festive but still makes my heart happy. :)

Sock Animals

Bunny for Lo & Fox for Big Bro

Good morning! Jeeze I'm thinking my new years resolution will be trying to keep up with blogging! Once a month blog posting is not what I had in mind! Anyways, I am SO excited to share with you a fun and easy stocking stuffer for the kiddos! I love love love this blogger over at PinkPistachio.com She's amazing. Super stylish, has the best little projects and they're geared towards the super simple crafter like myself. Now, I've never sown (sewed?) anything in my life. That's how easy this was. And cheap! All I needed to buy for the supplies were 2 pairs of socks. That's it! Now, I was trying to save some money and went hunting around my house for the rest of my supplies. I had a needle and thread on hand already, found some buttons off of an old sweater I don't wear and the stuffing is from some old stuffed animals hanging out in the closet ready to be donated. I suppose I could have done the entire project for FREE if I snagged a few pairs of my husband's socks but something about stuffed animals for my kids to snuggle out of my husband's dirty old socks just didn't sit right. Ya feel me? Plus I LOVED the socks she used in her tutorial and ended up randomly finding the exact pair at Walmart! Score! It came in a pack of 2 for $6. So the entire project worked out to be $3 a stuffed animal. *cue happy dance*

If you'd like to learn how to make these, head on over to her blog and she has detailed instructions for you to follow to make your own! http://www.pinkpistachio.com/baby-its-cold-outside/

I know I promised a blog post on a fun new family tradition for Christmas and I promise I haven't forgotten about it! I will share with you all later this week! ;)

Christmas Teepee

Good morning! Today I'm sharing what I'll be giving the kiddos for Christmas this year! In our house, we like to do ONE gift for the kids and a stocking with inexpensive goodies. As hubby and I have had children and are learning what traditions we'd like to have as a family, we're coming to the conclusion that we want our holidays to be stripped of all the bells and whistles and get back to the basics. Boycotting society and their constant push of BUY BUY BUY and the dissatisfaction of what you don't or think you should have. It's so stressful! Why do we do it?! Every year the malls are packed. Mommas load themselves with never ending lists for kids that really would be pumped to just play with the boxes these overpriced toys come in. By the time the holiday are gone, it was a blur and all that's left are toys that will become old news and a pile of debt to sit on to show for it. There's a frenzy of chaos that ensues when the holidays come around and I refuse to buy into it. R-E-F-U-S-E. I will not be stepping foot in a mall, anything I can hand make myself I will, and I intend on soaking up all of the precious memories that will be made by teaching our children about the true meaning of Christmas, giving back to those less fortunate, and letting them participate in the making of our Christmas. SO with that all being said, this year I intend on making the kids a tee-pee for Christmas! Complete with hanging lights, comfy pillows and lots of fun books to read in their new fort. I will be making it out of a canvas drop cloth you can find at any home improvement store as well as dowels you can find there as well. I'm really excited about the chevron print! I had a hard time trying to find an example of what I'd like it to look like but I'm thinking thick and large print with more messy lines than precise clean cut look. Ya pickin up what I'm tryna throw down? Here is what I've been scoping out for my fun Christmas tee pee!

I plan on taking plenty of pictures along with a tutorial when I'm finished. :)

What are your ideas for Christmas this year? I'm excited to share with you all in a few days a great family tradition we started last year that I'd love to pass on! 

Happy Monday! :)

Holiday Family Photos!

Whew! This weekend was pure madness. I kicked off my Big Bro Little Lo Photography business with a holiday mini session for families! It was a HUGE success! This weekend I had the pleasure to meet new families, visit with friends, giggle with adorable children and take beautiful pictures. The best part about this weekend? To see how much love families have for each other. Every family had such unique connections that gave me such a happy heart to see. The beautiful bond between a daddy and daughter, the little smiles and secrets only sisters can share, the teasing glances between a husband and wife... All of these moments that are surrounded by giggles and snuggles. I was overwhelmed by it all. Here are some of the many beautiful memories I was lucky enough to capture over the weekend. Happy Monday friends! :)