birthday bunting.

Can I just say how much fun it is to be creative when prepping for birthday parties?

We had a party for the girls' 2nd and 4th birthdays on Sunday, and it was a blast. I've been hoping to make some "permanent" birthday decorations that we can use from year to year and on holidays, and I made some progress using this birthday as my "deadline". I'm sure some folks might call this crazy talk, but the reality is that one of the ways I show love to my family is by creating. Whether food, gifts, a home - I love making things for my girls, my husband, my family, my friends. Ask my poor brothers about my homemade birthday gifts for them while we were growing up. The worst one that immediately comes to mind was a woven dickie turtleneck that I *think* was wool. I'm sure it never got worn. At least I hope not. Sorry Josh!

Hopefully these handcrafted goodies are more useful than some of the ones I made growing up. I do know that they were all made with love though. :)

I was chatting with my mom about how much fun it was to celebrate this special day for our girls in the breezy afternoon with friends at the party. And how much fun it was to make some homemade decorations. And how much we've enjoyed getting to know some new friends over the past year. And she reminded me that these are the things I CAN enjoy more now that I've transitioned from full time to part time work. There's no way I would have had the time to invest in this had I just finished a 40+ hour workweek. I'm so thankful for the change. I'm so thankful for our family. And friends. And God's grace. I'm happy to be alive.