So full

These past couple of weeks have been so full for us.

First, as we prepared for our friends' visit, our days were full of preparations: cleaning, grocery shopping, cooking.

Then, once they arrived, our days were full of fun, laughter, reminiscing, and love. And my heart felt like it would burst every time I heard the Monkey tell our friends he loved them. They are such good friends, it was such a wonderful blessing to have them visit.

After our friends left, our days were full of teething issues, sleep problems, and crankiness; full of moments where counting to 10 was necessary and where tempers were tested.

And now it finally seems that we've moved beyond that (for now), and our days are once again full of laughter, play, and lots and lots of singing.

Oh, and lots of preparations for the Monkey's upcoming birthday party, of course! I finally got the invitations made last night, and am so happy with how they turned out. I used Papertrey Ink's Enjoy the Ride stamp set and an older dinosaur from AMuse. When I saw this adorable card by Erin Lincoln, I knew that was the route I'd take for the invitations. The theme is dinosaurs, and I was a bit worried that it didn't come across so well (aside from the pun in the wording, of course). But then the Monkey saw it this morning and he said, "Mami, dino driving car!". Mission accomplished!

I initially wanted to have the dino flying an airplane instead of driving a car, but the stamp set I own (PTI's Fly Away) didn't work with the dinosaur I already owned... and I wasn't about to go out and buy all new stamps for 8 invitations. I really like how they turned out, though, so it worked out for the best... and I'm thinking I might have to use this dino + car combo for something else for the party. Any ideas?

I have a handful of other things I want to make for his birthday, including a quilt for his crib this summer. I'm really keeping my fingers crossed we won't be dealing with sleep issues much longer, so that I can get back in the sewing room a few nights this week and get his quilt finished. I'm so excited!!