Bodhi

I have to be honest...when Addison was born, I was pretty nervous about bringing him home and introducing him to our boxer.  As some of you may know, boxers are very high energy.  They jump up, get in your face, and can be rough without really meaning to be.  I was so nervous that when we got home with our newborn, Bodhi would try to jump on him, sniff him to death, sit on him...I played a million scenarios over in my head.  Our dogs are our babies too, and the thought of having to give our adorable loving boxer away because he was to rough, made me sad. 

But to our very pleasant surprise, Bodhi has been quite the opposite of my fears.  He has been as gentle as ever with Addison from day one.  And not only has he been so gentle, but he has put up with just about everything that Addison has done to him.

 Addison can stick his hands in Bodhi's mouth and eyes.  Tackle him, grab him, jump on him, sit on him, squish him.

  He can really do just about anything to this dog without so much as bark.  I've seen Addison take food out of Bodhi's bowl while he's eating.  I've seen Addison grab bones, balls, and chewing toys out of Bodhi's mouth.   This dog has dealt with it all! But he also plays with Addison.  He chases Addison when he wants to be chased,  let's Addison snuggle with him, and will even let A read him a story or two :)

 

This is by no means a profound post.  I just wanted to brag on our dog for a second :)

The Tooth Fairy

As you may or may not know, I've been making animal softies for a little while now.  I absolutely LOVE making them. I had been thinking about making a doll for awhile, but lacked the motivation to sit down and design one. About a month ago my dear mother-in-law called me up and asked me if I'd be interested in creating a tooth fairy doll for Layla Grayce (her granddaughter, my niece) for her 5th Birthday. That was just the motivation I needed, and I couldn't wait to get started.

 

I couldn't be happier with my first attempt and haven't been able to stop making them.  I decided to go ahead and make them little dresses instead of just having a decorative body.  I love putting the fabrics together, and coming up with their overall look. 

Now brace yourself for a shameless plug...

 

I have a few dolls up for sale in my etsy (would love for you to check em out and spread the word if you feel so inclined), including a listing for a custom order! I was pleased as punch to have received my very first order for a custom doll last week.  She's finished, and headed off to a 7 yr old girl in Switzerland of all places!  Gotta love Etsy!

 

Addison loves these dolls and asks to hold each one I make.  Although it's fine for him to have a girl doll, I'm really wanting to make a cute little boy version with Airplane wings to match the ones he has :)  So stay tuned for that!

Yay for Friday!!  Enjoy your weekend friends!

3,2,1 Blast Off

You know that moment when you just LOVE being a parent?! Last night was one of those moments for me. We had planned on spending the evening outside, but our plans fell through because of bad weather. So what do you do when you have a rambunctious toddler stuck indoors...you make him wings :)  It took me awhile to figure out what we had around the house that could work.  I guess it's a good thing that I never throw any crafting supplies away, cause I finally found a use for some heavy duty stabilizer that I've literally had FOREVER.  Take a hanger, break off the top, cut your stabilizer into wings, sew the hanger inside, attach elastic straps...and you've got yourself some wings!  Then you let your amazingly talented husband decorate them, and your sweet toddler color them, and you have yourself the perfect buzz lightyear wings a 2 year old could ask for.

 

I wish I could have captured the look on his face when we first put them on.  It was as if a whole new world had been opened up for him.  After flying around for a bit, Russ had the GENIUS idea to pull out a couple mattresses we've had in our back room, and set them up in front of a chair so Addison could really fly!

 I'd say that idea was a huge success :)

Needless to say, he has been wearing his wings non-stop.

 

 

 (from our walk this morning to the play ground)

 (a little more flying practice)

 These are the kinds of moments that make being a parent one of the greatest jobs on the planet!

There's an app for that...

Just found the blogger app for my iPhone! Haven't decided whether that's a good or bad thing yet...ha!

Actually, I'm gonna go ahead and say it's a good thing! I honestly wish I had kept up with blogging these last several months. Not even so that people could read about my life (cause it really isn't even all that interesting), but for ME! I just recently went back and read my posts from the first year of Addison's life. Wow! I can't believe how much has changed since then. I wish I would have documented the changes, to help me remember every stage of his short two year old life.

Addison is quite literally all over the place. Sitting down is reserved for eating and after nap snuggles. It's exhausting at times, but I love it! His personality explodes, and I can't help but smile. Don't get me wrong...there are moments when i feel as though I could pull my hair out, out of frustration, but the smiles far out weigh the hair pulling :) his very being is like a sponge, soaking up every bit of life. We've hit the stage of questioning. "what is that?" is a common phrase of the house. He's so curious, and picks up everything...including things we'd rather he didn't. The other day he repeated the phrase "Oh Crap!". Not the worst thing he could possibly say, but still.
But even though he's picking up so much, i'm needing to remind myself that he is still just 2. It's hard to not get frustrated when he's been doing well with potty training, and out of nowhere poops on the floor! Those are the moments when I need to stop and remind myself, that he's still learning, and that this too shall pass.

Well that's all I have for today. He's napping, and I'm crafting. All is as it should be in the Hickman household!