DIY: Balloon Wreath

So....I know it is a few weeks away....but I have already started crafting for Preston's FIRST Birthday Party. (His first birthday is a whole other subject that I can't fathom, and will be posting about at a later date).  The first thing I have started to work on is his Birthday Balloon Wreath.  We are doing a Baseball themed party Check out the invite:

I blacked out the address, day, and time for security purposes.  If you like it and are doing a baseball themed party yourself, you can purchase it here.  She was great to work with and very timely. Don't you love Etsy?

Anyway...back to the balloon wreath.  It was very easy to make, this was my first time making one, so it is not perfect, but I thought it turned out pretty good.  

What you need:

1. LOTS of balloons. I think I used around 180-200 balloons.  

2. Greening Pins (they usually come in a package of 500 or more)

3.  A straw wreath, with plastic on, to avoid shedding.  (Not Pictured)

4. Baseball stick-ons, or another prop (optional)

Directions

This is so simple, right up my alley.

1. Like I said, keep the plastic on the wreath, to avoid shedding. 

2. Twist a balloon and put the pin right below the twist toward the wider and bigger part of the balloon.

3. Then stick into wreath, trying to hide the pin with the skinny part of the balloon (it should be hanging  down.  Note: it took me a few tries to get the skinny part of the balloon to cover the pin. Just keep trying, you will find a system that works for you.

4. Repeat step 4 until the whole wreath is covered.

5. Add stick-on baseball or other accessories where you see fit. They can be used to hide some of the pins. That is what I did ;)

My finished product:

This will be hanging on our door for the whole month of June. First birthdays are a big deal in our house! Plus, I can take the baseballs off, and replace them with flags, for the fourth of july.  I am all about repurposing! 

Stay tuned for  DIY craft tutorials, as I have a lot of crafting in my future.  

Happy Memorial Day!

Busy Past Few Months!

Is it really almost June? 

April and May were extremely busy months for us!! Here is a breakdown of the past few months:

April:
~A visit from my Sis and co.
My Sister, Brother-In-Law, and nephews all visited. They surprised their boys with a trip to Legoland and Disneyland, and on the way home they stopped to visit us for a weekend. We had so much fun with them!  We went shopping and down to the strip for some crazy people watching and entertainment. FYI~ pushing a stroller through the masses on the strip is NOT fun! ;) We even got to spend a child-free evening to catch up and enjoy some yummy food and drinks.  We really enjoyed our time with them and can't wait to see them again in December.

Bradley and Preston woke up early one morning, so we all quietly tip toed downstairs. Bradley was nice enough to share his "BaBa" with him :)

Playing in the ball pit!

~ Preston's Baptism
The next weekend we had preston baptized. His Godparents, Ashley and Perry, came into town, and we had a blast with them!! Everyone stayed with us and were under one roof...craziness! Ashley came in first, so we got to have a night alone with her. We had a ton of fun eating sushi and taking sake bombs. I always laugh so hard when I am with Ash.  She is a free spirit, and nothing holds her back from being her and I love that.  Perry, who had just got back from a year in afghanistan, brought his newly wed wife, Katie. We spent time some time catching up with them and getting to know Katie a little better. Once Sunday rolled around, it was time for our little man to get baptized. I was a little worried, since he doesn't really like to sit still and that he was going to be fully immersed into water.  I didn't know how he was going to do with it all. Luckily, for the most part, he did wonderfully well.  He really pulls through when we need him to most :)  After chuch, we all headed back over to our house for a brunch.  Even though, it was a lot of work, everything turned out really well, and everyone was happy.  Couldn't ask for much more.

Sushi and Sake with Ash!! Miss you Ashy!

Welcoming Perry home from Afghanistan. Thank you Perry!!

Waiting to be Baptized

Daddy immersing Preston into the Holy Water

Not the happiest camper right after being immersed, but he did great over all.

Pretty cross and flowers

Us <3

Preston, Us, his Godparents and the Priest

Happy Camper after getting dried off and dressed

Flower arrangement I made for brunch

Cuddling with his Godmother

Hanging with his Godfather

~My Birthday!
The weekend of April 20th, was my birthday! We had a party to celebrate.  We got it catered with mexican food so I didn't have to cook, which was a birthday present in itself!! It was such a low key fun evening. The weather was wonderful, so we got to enjoy some fun outside under the stars, too.

Jake and I on my birthday

                                                


~Angelina's Bachelorette Party
The last weekend in April, all of my college girlfriends came into town to celebrate Angelina's last hurrah before she got married. We had so much fun!! It was so nice seeing all of my friends again.  We had so much fun in college and got to relive the glory days for a weekend.  Elise, my freshman and sophomore roommate stayed with us, so i got some wonderful bonding time with her. Preston absolutely adored her. He took to her immediately and loved being around her.  The best part of the weekend was hanging out at Tao Beach.  It was so much fun to dance and hang out in the warm weather by the pool all day.  I miss all of my friends so much, and can't wait for someone to get engaged so we can do it all over again!

The Beautiful Bachelorette!

Reading her list of things to do...a tradition started at my bachelorette party.  

Elise and I at Tao Beach

Maka being, well, Maka

Getting ready to celebrate Ang!

Elise, Maka, and I enjoying some mimosas

Preston hanging with Elise as she shows him our wedding album 

He loved his Auntie Elise!

May
The next weekend, we actually got a break! It was very nice to get caught up on house chores and just hang with my boys.

~Angelina's Wedding & Mother's Day
The weekend of May 10th, we headed to San Francisco to my girlfriend, Angelina's, wedding.  We brought Jake's mom, Mel, along with us so that she could help watch Preston when we went to the wedding. Since we were packing up and getting on an airplane, which these days takes a lot of effort, we decided to make a trip out of it. We went from Thursday-Monday.  We had a BLAST! It was so nice to get to see my friends again. We got to take Preston to St. Mary's, and Jake got to see the new baseball field that was built over the winter and spring.  Angelina and Brenden got married in the St. Mary's Chapel, where Jake and I got married, as well.  Memories came flooding back, as we entered the chapel.  It was so great to be a guest in the chapel, as we have only ever experienced a wedding, as the ones being wed.  It was a beautiful ceremony!! I, of course got a little teary eyed, as I always do at weddings!  We then headed over to Crow Canyon Country Club for a beautiful reception. Angelina was the most gorgeous bride and Brendan was  overflowing with joy and happiness. It was such a fun night! The next day was Mother's Day.  My first Mother's Day was perfect. We spent it in San Fran, down by the pier.  We ate at a cute dinner by the ocean and then made our way to pier 31 to watch the sea lions, eat ice cream and enjoy the wonderful weather. Preston was a trooper through it all, especially since he only had one nap.  We also had so much fun with Jake's mom.  We see her almost everyday, because she takes care of Preston while we are at work, but it is only enough time to update us on how Preston did for the day and say hi and bye.  Having the whole weekend with her was so special and a ton of fun.  We had a wonderful weekend that we will always remember.

Visiting the new baseball field at SMC

Love driving into St. Mary's. What a wonderful place. So many memories were made here.

Adam and Jake. Old baseball pals

Daddy and Preston at the new field.

Elise and I before the ceremony

Hubby and I at the reception

Mr and Mrs. Burke's First Dance

In front of the St. Mary's Chapel

After being proper, they busted into a fun dance. This is so them.

Our lives have calmed down since getting back from San Francisco.  We have been busy trying to get our house, that we ignored for almost 2 months, back into shape and have enjoyed the fact that we haven't had any major plans.  All of the above, explains why I have not blogged in so long.  I apologize, but life happened.  We had a lot of fun, but are now getting ready to hunker down for a HOT summer.  Aside from Preston's FIRST birthday, a visit from my mom, and the celebration of our 4th wedding anniversary, we will be enjoying a low key summer with a lot of BBQs, ice cream, and time spent by the pool.  I will be blogging all about it, so please stay tuned!


Happy Summer friends!! Stay cool! :)