August in Review ✽ Monthly Recap

(Two months on time in a row. Wow, I am on the ball. I'm not sure why... hahaha!)

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Little Cutie <3.

Playing a joke on us, licking ice cream that has eyeballs ;).

They attached allll the markers together until they could touch the ceiling with them, haha.

Josiah = Very happy... Noah = Very tired ;).

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We had a wonderful August... most notably, little Isaac joined our family! He's continuing to do well, and has hit 10 lbs at just three weeks! He's already smiling, and he's such a happy baby. We all love him <3!

We also celebrated three other birthdays this month - Mama's and Daddy's on the 26th (they are exactly 3 years apart!), and Abbi's big #10 birthday on the 29th! Thanks to Isaac we have 4 birthdays in less than 3 weeks... that's a third of our family's birthdays, hahaha!

Other than baby excitement and birthdays and visits from family so they could meet Issac... actually, that's enough, right? Haha! We've not done too much else out of the ordinary, just life. And all trying to get a turn for baby snuggles ;).

One day both Bethi and I stepped outside and decided it felt like fall, and we were so ready to go for a walk... but it took us a few days to work one out, and by the time we did it was sooooo nasty hot out, haha. Oh well. We enjoyed ourselves anyway... we found the cutest cul-de-sac in the neighborhood (it reminds me of our Virgina neighborhood), and then we came home and ate cookie dough and watched a Family Affair episode (which, if you like cute old TV shows, is currently free on Amazon Prime, as Mama kindly pointed out. You're welcome ;).) Our cucumber plants gave us a few more cucumbers, but now they are dying off. One tomato got eaten and the other fell off the vine while it was still green... so I don't imagine we shall get any of those. Our bell peppers are doing way better than I thought they would, though! And our basil came back, even though it's growing season is over, go figure. We can grow that overtime, but not the stuff we are actually working for... haha! That's fine, though, because basil is "my" seasoning. I love. the smell of fresh basil! Mmmmm.

I've been making an effort to read a bit more (again) this month... I would say that on the whole (sadly) this is working... of course, I will also say that I am pretty sure 65% of my reading has involved reading "Should I Share My Ice Cream?" to the little boys, which Noah has at least 50% memorized, and it's adorable to hear him "reading it" to Josiah... they are so cute! I have been reading "Woman of the Word" by Jen Wilkin along with my usual bible reading, and it has so much truth in it, I am loving it (and Mama suggested a conference session dealing with Psalm 139 by her that was great, if you want to check it out on youtube!). I continue to read through the bible at a pace that allows me to stop and "dig in" whenever I need to... I just read Hosea, and there were passages I hadn't noticed before that were just beautiful pictures of how loving our Lord is even in His discipline of sin... we could truly never earn the amount of love that God has shown to us, and yet He bestows it upon us anyway, in a display of His glory. How wonderful He is!

And now that it's September... I'm beginning to think about the Write31 blogger event! I can't quite decide on a theme to spend the month on... I have lots of ideas, but I don't want to bore y'all, either. Sooooo, does anyone have a suggestion of something you would like to see a series on here at Forget Not His Benefits?

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"Tori, Katie sent you a hug."
Tori: "Where?..."
Me, sarcastically: "In the mail."
Tori: "Okay. I feel hugged." Haha!

"We have no ice cream. This is a public crime."

Bethi: "It's like cleaning out your drawers - you think it will take 5 years, and it takes 5 minutes."
*blinks* "How clean are your drawers??? Just 5 minutes?!??!!?!"

(Jokingly): "Wow, Noah, you are work!"
Noah, looking straight into my face: "I forgive you." *hugs me* LOL!

Abbi, talking about our church's mission team: "But how do they choose who to help?! *I* can't choose *ice cream*!!!"

Tori: "How smart are you, Noah?"
Noah (who only ever answers 3 for any number question): "Three."
"How cute are you?"
"FOUR."
Annnnnnd, he knows it...

Noah: *chokes on water*
*reaches for  milk* Because it's totally different and won't make him choke, right?

Bethi: "You're phone has a sensitive notification. Be careful with it, you might hurt it's feelings."

*about 10 hours after Isaac was born* "Isaac said hello earlier."

"Good job, Isaac! You'll be a pro at picture taking by tomorrow!"
*Isaac cries at the thought*

Mama: "I should video tape this sometime. Then you could go get a job as a photographer's assistant."
Haha! The first baby photo shoot I remember helping with was Emmi's six months photo shoot. I've been involved with every one since then, and I do love it. But Isaac was an awesome little subject, too - so alert and content, he made the rest of it easy!

Abbi, in awe at the boxes of 3 dozen donuts given us by a friend after Isaac arrived: "Is THAT a box of donuts? It's so... big!!!!"

Josiah: "Croutons are spicy."
Tori: "Wow, he's more sensitive than I am."

Cooking whole wheat noodles for the first time in years (we usually use rice): I (think???) they might be done???? *drains them and hopes for the best* Then I remember... this used to come naturally? Lol!

Aunt Tessa, explaining the water play game she's come up with: "Whichever team's bucket is empty first, wins!"
Daddy: "...You may not pick up and tip the bucket over just to win."
To Aunt Tessa: "I know how they think. They think like me."
*Aunt Tessa stares a bit confusedly at all this unexpectedness*

Noah has stuck stickers to his sippy cups:
Cup #1, milk:" "Hang in there!"
Cup #2, chocolate milk: "NICE!"

Tori points to a hippo: "What is that?"
Noah: "A squeaky pig!"

Noah's hands are two birds: One says "caw, caw", and one says "tweet, tweet", and they talk to each other all the time. This has been going on for a while now.

Josiah: "I hope we are having gonemade pizza!"

Noah's head pops up from his play pen when he wakes up: "I should go to Bri's bed!"
You totally should, buddy <3.

Bethi to Andrew: "Hello shrimp."
A.K.A, Andrew is taller than everyone but Daddy at this point.

Noah pulled my covers down for me at night before getting in bed and asking me to cover him up xD.

Tori: This person is 100 years old on Mama and Daddy's birthday.
Me: Who?
Tori: You know, the main lady from that movie.
Me: HOW OLD IS THAT MOVIE?!
Tori: Not the actress, the lady she played, Bri...

"Did you just pick-pocket him?!"
"No! Hey Andrew, can I have a hug?"
*sneaks Andrew's watch out of his pocket*
AND HE NEVER NOTICED UNTIL SHE SHOWED HIM.

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I have been super busy creating this month, although I haven't added too much to the shop lately. Here are a few new makes, all special requests....

The winning canvas design from Under The Tapestry's 3rd anniversary contest! I had fun with the design of this one, I love the font and the vine! I used to do these vines on handmade cards all the time, but I hadn't thought of adding it to a canvas before!

A little fake goldfish for those "perfect pet" aquariums that people are making inspired by Pinterest. (Funny side note... we made some of these for craft time during the summer camp I helped at this summer, except with the plastic fish, instead of crocheted, and there was actual water in the jar... which translated to some careful propping of the fish on the underwater plants, so they wouldn't be floating belly up, oops. Haha!

Some of you said yes to adding the hearts around the ice cream cone, and so here is the updated new chalkboard! I love this one!

Little dinosaurs! These were a custom order, so they are already sold, but I would be happy to make some more - or some of their friends!

Also made this month: two birthday gifts (which I shall share sometime soon) and a tiny hedgehog toy, along with finishing Isaac's baby blanket (which necessitated texting my aunt for an hour as we worked on the placing of the appliques, because I didn't want Mama to see it until it was done and I wanted advise, haha!).

Under The Tapestry turned 3 years old, and we celebrated with a sale and a discount... and my shop was also featured over on Alyssa's blog. That was such fun, and proved again that the music chalkboard (which was originally inspired by and designed for Alyssa herself!) is the most popular item in my shop ;). NOW, Etsy is having a Labor Day Sale through the 3rd, and everything in Under The Tapestry is 20% off :D! Including custom orders, so let me know if you want something that isn't currently listed ;).

And here are the posts that I shared on Forget Not His Benefits this month, if you haven't had a chance to read them :)...

On My Bookshelf

Grateful Hearts

Baby Name Challenge Tag

And there should have been another post, but I decided not to even try to post on Abbi's birthday, haha. And then I was only two days away from this post, so I decided to wait ;).

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So, that's a glimpse of all that has been going on in the last month for me! I would love to hear about your month - what were the three best parts of it? What do you think I should blog about every day in October? If you are joining Write31 too, let me know, because I would love to follow along!

Rejoicing in Hope,
Bri <3