Easter Egg Hunt YMCA

All little kiddies gather round! It’s the first annual Easter Egg Hunt at our new YMCA. We’ve really enjoyed going to the YMCA this winter. Luke and Ben love the pool and Luke is getting better with his swimming all the time. They have a great kid-watch most of the day so I can go to yoga or work out and Luke gets more playtime with friends. True to their family-friendly credo, they hosted a big egg hunt for children of all ages and even had the Easter Bunny available for a photo. Luke was so excited to see the real Easter Bunny and sit on his lap! He found lots of eggs, which he promptly broke into to see what prizes may be hiding inside. It was one of our first sunny warm spring days, too, so all around it was the perfect prelude to Easter and what will hopefully be a nice spring ahead.

Fired and Hired: Knighton Studios

Well, if you've been looking for updates to our blog since January, you might have noticed I fell off the blogging wagon. In fact, I recently told a friend of mine I fired myself from keep up our blog because that's exactly what would happen if I did such a poor job anywhere else! Luckily, grace, like hope, springs eternal and I have at least managed to get some delinquient posts up and catch things up the present at bit.

The main reason for the quiet on the blog in February and much of March is that I've been trying to get a small jewelry and accessories business started. It's called Knighton Studios, after Luke's middle name. Many of you in the family know about this little venture, and thanks to so many of your for your support and early patronage. I finally got a few items up and listed for sale on the crafters' site Etsy (http://www.knightonstudios.etsy.com/), so I'm giving this outlet a try for now. I added a mini-version of my listings in the sidebar of the blog so you can see the type of pieces I've been making. I will have a new cache of items to post soon, so check back often if you like the look of my pieces. I'm also toying the idea of going off Etsy to my own site or at least a seperate blog-style site with all my pieces, be them presently for sale, sold, or gifted to a loved one.

It's been an education learning about and fumbling through starting a business, but it's all great experience. When I get frustrated or discouraged about the business details, I just remind myself that the more I sell, the more I get to make---that gets me going again! So while I was and still should be fired from blogging about my family, I've hired myself on for a new adventure in making my own jewelry and bags by hand. I hope you'll take a look at my site and let me know if you see anything you like. I love custom work, so feel free to just let me know if you're looking for something special. I'd welcome the opportunity to make it for you!

The Big Three

Sunday was a big day at our house. Luke celebrated his third birthday! He had been so excited thinking about it all week, even leaning out the front door one afternoon and yelling to the girl next door, "Remember Janie, my birthday's coming up!" Well, it finally came and he got to decorate the house with special flowers and new candles for the occasion, feeling very special knowing all the hubbub was over him. My parents, sister Michele, and family friend Galen all came on Saturday, saying overnight and through Sunday's birthday lunch, cake and presents. My Mamaw, Uncle Harmon, and Aunt Beverly joined us on Sunday for the festivities. We remembered our time in Italy, eating Luke's favorite: lasagna bolognese. And for his big surprise, he had a snowman birthday cake, thanks to lots of help from Michele and Galen. He was so excited when he saw it he yelled, "It's Snowy the Frostman!"

Luke happily received birthday cards, calls from all of Ben's family and many of our friends, and lots of gifts to open then and all this week as they arrived in the mail after the MLK holiday. In the lead up to this big birthday, we experienced some of the real changes of what it means to be three. Within one week, Luke started using the potty pretty reliably and sleeping in his big-boy bed! It's a trifecta of milestones, and he couldn't be prouder of himself. If he keeps going at this rate, he'll be growing a mustache, dating, and driving a real car by the summer!