Can I Bite You? Please...

I often get this crazy urge to bite my children. I just want to nibble on their cheeks, bite their toes or just completely consume them whole. Apparently, this is scientifically deemed a normal reaction. Here I was thinking I was crazy, and it turns out that scientists have actually done studies on people where this is extremely common. Not to be confused with the biological primal urge to eat your young, the term "cute aggression" coined in 2013 by a research team at Yale, refers to the almost-overwhelming urge to do violence to an object that we find incredibly adorable. 

I know I'm extremely biased when it comes to my kids, but has anyone else ever felt cute aggression? It could be when looking at pictures of puppies, kittens, babies, really anything we find adorable! Mine really only comes out when I'm looking at adorable babies. 

I can't help but want to squeeze these sweet chubby cheeks. I found these pictures a few weeks ago, from back when Jonathan turned one and I wish I could jump in this photo and squeeze him tight! 

Obviously, I try to resist the urge to bite my kids, because that would only teach them bad habits and then make them an undesirable play date, friend, human... because let's be real, who wants to be around someone who bites! (full disclosure, Jonathan has done this once or twice out of anger, obviously, we are working on it)

Ribbons & Bows: Being a Girl-Mom

If you would have told me five years ago that I would suddenly love all things floral, bows & pink, I would have said you were crazy! I enjoy my fair share of "girly" things, but it wasn't until I found out that our newest baby was going to be a girl, did I start to dream about sparkles, unicorns & different shades of pink.

There was this moment a few years ago, God placed it on my heart that I would one day have a little girl. I knew I always wanted a daughter, and was afraid that because I wanted it so badly that, like a lot of things in my life, God would make me wait. I'm on this constant struggle with the Big Guy as He is always working on my patience. I was starting to get scared thinking that this voice that I heard, telling me I would one day have a daughter, was just my own brain trying to convince myself it would happen. 

I kept praying/pleading with God, telling Him, "If you just give me a daughter, I'll stop begging you for more babies." We were so excited when we found out it was a girl, but it never really hit me until it came time to give birth. In my heart, I prayed for a blonde hair, blue-eyed little beauty, just like her brother, I had this vision of what she would look like, what she would act like. It all felt like a dream, and like I was being greedy for making demands.

Then as she was crowning, and the doctor said she had blonde hair, I lost it. No way was this dream becoming a reality. Tears of joy streamed down my cheeks, God is so good for giving me those specific dreams of what my daughter was going to look like. I truly believe those visions were from Him. Late at night, I would plead with him to give us another baby, and he would respond with visions of a little girl, in sun dresses and a sun hat, with long medium blonde hair and tan skin. Visions of her beautiful smile, her big beautiful eyes and I could hear her sweet giggle. God deals in specifics. 

Do you ever wonder, Chicken or the egg? What came first? Did I pray for those specifics because God made me want those? Or did I pray for those specifics and God answered my prayers? I know that He knows us even before He perfectly knits us together in the womb, and these two precious little blessings are more amazing than anything I could have dreamed up! 

I'm the luckiest mama in the whole world! I've been blessed with two beautiful children, and I couldn't love them more! Being a boy mom is AMAZING, and just as equally amazing to be a girl mom! 

My Favorite PENS: Tombow Dual Brush Pens

I remember when I ordered my first Tombow markers, over two years ago now. I was hearing a lot of great things about these dual brush pens, and I just had to get my hands on a few. So I ordered my three favorite colors, (Aqua, Green & Grey) and of course a basic black. When the package arrived, I ripped open the box, grabbed the pen and started writing. Realizing that my handlettering skills were really not that great, I immediately felt intimidated by these wonderful pens! At the time, brush lettering was not my forte and I knew I needed A LOT of practice. So I wrote that I was exhausted, and then promised myself that I would get better at using these beautiful pens. 

I don't claim to be the best at using them, and I feel like I'm learning new things every day, but I sure do love experimenting with them, their blending abilities, and just all around their versatility! 

I really enjoy creating with them and I would encourage everyone who is interested in getting into brush lettering to give them a shot! If you've never used brush pens, they definitely take some getting used to, but I LOVE THEM!  

You can get yours HERE! 

Uploaded by Jordanne Marie on 2017-09-11.

The Classic Black & White: Tombow Mono Drawing Pens

I have spent many years searching for the perfect drawing pen. Back in college, I had an obsession with illustration and would spend countless hours drawing and trying to create perfect images to scan and digitize, but the pens I would use would always bleed, feather & fray. I could never find a tip small enough that I could get the perfect amount of detail. Now, here I am, almost 10 years later, still in love with illustrating and I finally found the perfect set of pens! 

Handlettering video www.jordannemarie.com/blog