Etsy and some rules

I posted about a little family rules project that Ryan and I did a few months back. It was originally intended to be subway art, which I had been wanting, created by my 'oh so talented resident designer', while incorporating some family rules in a style and design that would fit our home. Well, since that post we have gotten emails, letters, phone calls, telegrams from hundreds of people willing to do whatever they had to do to get their hands on a copy of those family rules.

Or maybe just two people.

But that's neither here nor there.

So for those hundreds of two people, we introduce to you our Etsy store.

Alexander Creative on Etsy

Currently we have these two items for sale:



The kinks are still being worked out, but we are having fun learning the ins and outs of running an Etsy store and are excited about the potential. So, thanks for your interest, and stayed tuned for more items that will be posted soon!

Just Like That...

she is nine. I am the mom of a nine year old. Oh how that hurts my heart to type. Nine. The last year of single digits. P has been counting down the days. Me, not so much. She could hardly wait to be 9, and I would have been happy with 8 for much, much longer! But alas...

The celebration this year consisted of a sleepover with a few friends. Bless her, she went back and forth with all the ways in which she wanted to celebrate, one of which included "building" a bear, but in the end, we went with a sleepover with friends. That's right, friendS. Like more than one. Like six. I guess I am a sucker or a glutton for punishment. Or both.

The big day fell on a Friday this year, so it worked perfectly for having friends to spend the night. Six of her pals showed up Friday evening for the festivities. Instead of building bears, we built our own pizzas.


While the pizzas were in the oven we had a riveting game of charades. Oh my gracious, if you have never played charades with 8 year old girls, you are without a doubt missing out. Oh the hilarity. Between the pizzas and cupcakes we also had our very own dance party with dj Dad. I wish we had pics of the oh so stellar dancing, but I guess dj Dad couldn't drop the beats and be the photog at the same time. So, you are just going to have to take my word for it that these girls dance moves were no joke.

Somehow in my planning for this I thought it would be a great idea for the girls to frost and decorate their own cupcakes. Again, sucker or glutton? The frosting. Oh the frosting!





After watching two movies most of the girls crashed with the exception of a couple. Bless them. They were still ready to party well into the night!

In the morning I made blueberry muffins. The girls built a gigantic fort in the family room with every blanket under the sun, and then went outside until it was time to be picked up. I think they had a good time, and we are glad they all came to be a part of celebrating Peyt's day.


Peyt, I love you more than you could ever know. You are my firstborn; the baby that made me a mommy. I love you always! Happy Birthday sweet girl! And remember, this was your last one; no more birthdays for you.

Adoption A'Plenty

What an honor it is when God places people in your life that lead by example. People that understand God's heart for orphans. People that want to be obedient to God's calling. People that are willing to take a leap of faith. We have some of those people in our lives, and we are blessed to be able to call them our friends.

Royce is Ryan's good friend and co-worker. He and his wife Eve and their two girls have been on their adoption journey for quite a while. The DeGrie's just got a referral for a sweet, teeny, tiny little lump of sugar in Africa. I know they are ready to have that sweet baby in their arms. They have done their share of waiting and then some. But it won't be long now, and we could not be happier for them! You can follow them on their journey here.

Casey and TJ are some of the first friends we made when we started going to our church. We actually started our small group with them almost five years ago now. I remember Ryan being so excited when he came home from church one Wednesday night because he met this great guy and his wife's name is Casey, and "it ends in a y like yours does." Um, okay Ryan; in that case, I am sure we will be best friends! Bless him. But the truth is, we did become friends. We were able to be a part of their surprise of little Will after there struggle with infertility, and now we are blessed to see them walk this journey of adoption as well. The Overstreet's started the adoption process a few months ago and have chosen a special needs child off of a waiting list in Eastern Europe. I know they are counting the days until they get their little guy home. You can follow them on their journey here.

Jason and Kelly are also friends that we made not long after we started attending our church. We are connected through our children (who are very close in age), our church, our small group, and of course, our friendship. J and Kelly are just beginning their adoption journey for a little boy in Ethiopia. And I already have his name picked out! Right Kelly?! We are so excited to watch God show up big for them through their journey. Cause we know He will! You can follow them on their journey here.

We love each of these families. We consider it a privilege to pray for them and love on them as they seek to obey God's calling on their lives through adoption. May He be glorified!

Select Soccer Girl

Most weekends this fall, from August to November, you would have found the Alexanders on a soccer field somewhere. P just finished up her first season of select soccer. Practice 2-3 nights a week and then games on Saturday and/or Sundays. It was busy and hectic and sometimes downright tiring, but she loved it, and that makes it so worth it.





I am grateful for the team that P has gotten to be a part of this season. These girls love them some soccer and some fun!






It is no secret to anyone that knows us that we love sports. We are all about competition; specifically, winning competitions. We may or may not be a teeny, tiny bit competitive. But aside from the competition side of athletics, we believe that many life lessons can be learned through being on a team and competing in a sport. Dedication, commitment, hard work, being a team player, being a gracious winner and loser (although we always prefer the former), responding correctly to authority, yep, even when you don't agree, and of course the relationships that are developed between teammates--all life lessons that in one way or another you will deal with for your entire life. So, for this season of our life, we are cheerin' for our girl and loving getting to watch her experience these things.

So proud of you #3!

Myrtle Beach and Sunsets

Thanks to this guy always doing this...



we get to enjoy these...









Wishing I was there again right now.

Myrtle

Fall break fell the first week of October this year, and we took our first, hopefully of many, vacations to the beach. We have been to the beach before when we have visited family, but we have never taken a trip just for beachin'.

With it being October, it was considered the off season, and we got a great rate for a week. We stayed in a condo on the third floor of a quaint, little beach front complex. There is just nothing like going to sleep to the sound of waves crashing. This is what we got to wake up to every morning...


Pure bliss I tell you.

Our unit had two bedrooms with a kitchen and living area. Nothing fancy, but was beach front with a great view and perfect for our little fam.

But, we didn't go it alone. Just to keep things interesting, we went with three other families; the Hales, Stewarts, and Coxs. 10 kids. 8 adults.

We are no strangers to these families, and truth be told do most of 'life' with them, but this was the first time we have vacationed together as families. I was cautiously optimistic that all of the kids would do well spending every day together for a week. For the most part they get along really well, but the older girls sometimes have a bit of trouble acting like...well, girls. And all in all, I think they did great. It is always interesting and sometimes quite comical to watch the dynamic of them together, but they truly love each other, and my prayer is that they are forming relationships that will be true and authentic for a lifetime.

There was some golf, shopping, eating out, date nights, and putt putt thrown in the mix, but we all spent the majority of our time on the beach. Each family had their own condo, and we would all make our way to the beach in the mornings and set up camp for the day. Man, there is a lot of gear that goes with beachin'. We looked like pack-mules making our way down in the mornings.

This is Parker and P on boogie boards. P loved being in the water. She was always out there on a board ever in pursuit of the next big wave.
P + a boogie board = a cute buns photo op. (Shhhh, don't tell! She would be oh so embarrased)





There was some serious bocce ball games that took place on that beach. Kids and adults alike. Doesn't matter where we go, we always find a way to make a competition out of something!



This was a great get-away for us! I loved the no schedule, reading, walking, playing, talking, eating, relaxing, swimming, and just hanging vacation that going to the beach provided. We had so much fun and made memories that we will have for years to come. I am grateful to these families for sharing a week of vacation with us. We are blessed to have them in our lives.




And here is just a bit a proof that vacation or no vacation.... some things never change.

A big 'fourd' year old

This little guy was counting down the days till he turned 'fourd.' Somehow in his little mind he thought that he would get to go to school when he was four. Sorry bud, not going to happen.
We did a little family celebration on his actual birthday. We had his favorite, pancakes for dinner, and then opened a few gifts.








For the past few weeks, maybe even months, Mas has had an obsession with 'bowling pins and bowl.' They have a little play set of pins and a ball in his class at church, and he plays with it every week. And every time we would pick him up he would say, "can i get bowling pins and bowl for my birthday?" So, when we were planning his party, we asked him what he wanted to do for his birthday party, and you guessed it... 'bowling pins and bowl' with my 'fwiends.' You got it mister! We can make that happen.











Oh my word, I love his guts! Happy birthday big 'fourd' year old! So blessed to be your mom!