Busy

Things have been busy around here. Crazy busy...but a good busy. So I have a few things to catch up on.
H. recently had her first haircut. I had it evened out so it is a little less mullet like.
Before:



After:





I have done a lot of sewing for Christmas. Most of it is for gifts so I will have to post about that after they have all been opened. One thing I did was make a felt garland. It was super easy and quick. The longest part was cutting out all of the circles. But I had lots of interruptions. I am pleased with how it turned out and am thinking of other ways to use this idea. Perhaps little triangles for a birthday party. This would be a great first project for someone wanting to learn how to use a sewing machine.
Circles cut out...

Sewn as garland...

On the kid's tree.....



A couple of weeks ago S and G had picture day at gymnastics. Here are a few shots. This is where I work one day a week.

Can it be?

Nine years ago today, you asked me a question. You had a beautiful plan and it is one of the only ones to date that I didn't see coming. I can't believe that it has been that long. We have been through so much together over these years. I can't imagine sharing it with anyone else. I am so glad I said "yes."

Thanksgiving 2008

This year we had Thanksgiving at our house for the first time. It was the largest sit down dinner we have had. Finding a place for everyone to sit was harder than I thought it would be. See what I mean? There was another table attached to the left of this photo.




I am happy to say that I think that everything went pretty well. We ended up eating an hour later than planned but everything tasted pretty good so it wasnt a total loss. Why is it so hard to get everything hot at the same time? I guess it takes years. I had lots of great helpers for the crunch time at the end. Thanks to my neices for their help as well. One helped me with the prep work the day before and the other the day after to clean up the aftermath.
We tried some new things like singing a hymn and a prayer said in unison. I think it gave special meaning to the day. Thanks to my husband for putting together some amazing booklets for everyone. Even if staples messed up the amazing font you had picked out...oh so perfect for the time period.










This Thanksgiving I was feeling particularly grateful for my children and realizing once again the enormity of the miracles that they are. Thank You Lord for choosing us.

Funny

So our kids have been saying funny things lately. Well two out of three have been saying funny things....number three is just plain funny..see what I mean.







Ok...so back to the point.
A couple of weeks ago my husband was reading to the kids. The story mentioned bows and arrows. Being the excellent father that he is he went all the way up to the attic and brought down a case to show them first hand a bow and arrow. The case was huge and actually ended up containing other war like items like a tomahawk. They of course were in awe. Studying everything carefully. Since then the case has remained in our bedroom.
Well this past weekend my dear friend Erica and I did something totally crazy (since both of our husbands were away),we had a sleepover. It has been years and was just like the old days, except with the having four kids part. So she was getting her son ready for bed in a pack-n-play in our room. She needed to plug something in and a handy outlet was just behind the case. As I was moving it out the way S had to comment..."oh yeah that's my Dad's killing stuff."




This is the same boy who over the summer held up a candy apple kit (with the bright red apple picture), the kind in the produce section and said "hey Mom can we get some of these poisoned apples?"

A month or so ago we had friends over for a meal. Later the kids were enjoying popsicles. I look over and see G laying and trying to eat hers. I simply state that laying and eating is not a good idea. She sweetly replies so matter of factly..."but I am tired and hungry." Of course what was I thinking.





So this brings me to today. I was getting the play doh out for the kids to play with. I don't mind if they mix the colors up but today I got the dentist set out. I was explaining to them that should keep the white seperate for the dentist set. S says,"oh I know why Mom because teeth are white." Your right I tell him. G quickly responds,"no they are not Mom, they are yellow....like yours..see"

November 16th

Happy Birthday to the one I love. Thank You so much for how hard you work for our family. We miss you when you are away....like right now. Why couldn't I find any pictures of you and I together? Guess we should work on that.

Skirts

I stumbled upon this pattern for a lazy day skirt. Others have said that you can actually make it in the time it takes to make dinner. I would agree....if I didn't have so many interruptions and if I wasn't making two at the same time. I am happy with how it turned out mainly because it was so easy to make. Actually it was so simple I wouldn't even consider it a pattern. However, next time I make it I will make it a little shorter so that it hits right at the knee. I was trying to give the girls extra coverage and it just ended up making the whole thing look baggy. Also, I think I would like it better if the material had a smaller print. I would also like to try it where the fabric is solid and the ribbon has a print or pattern to it. So these will stay in the closet for couple of years until everyone grows into them a little more. The whole point of sharing this with you is if there is someone out there who would like to try their hand at sewing....this would be a great project to start with.





It is a good idea to have your fabric kid tested and approved if you want them to be excited to wear it!







I know I have mentioned making pajama pants before but I have to admit I am obsessed with them. I thrifted these flannel pillowcases and immediately thought they would make cozy winter pajamas for S and G. They are quickly becoming their favorites as the weather gets colder. This would be another easy sewing project for someone to start with. All you need is an existing pair of pants to copy. I so glad I stumbled across this tutorial.

S

I had intended to write this post immediately after the last one...you know even Steven as we say around here...but here it is a week later. So for the first time S and G are separated. It is great to see them enter a group without being able to rely on each other. S had a much harder time on his first day than G did. His choice...Kung Fu. He started in September and has already earned his first(white) sash. He loves going and we love to watch him. Unfortunately we are not able to take pictures of him during class so you will have to make do with this shot from home.

G

In September G started ballet. She loves it to say the least. She is such a girly girl....the more sparkle the better. So of course ballet it is. I love to hear her using the terms and positions at home when she is dancing around the kitchen.

Photos

Everyone remembers the first time their child imitates real life scenes....like talking on the phone. When S and G did this I remember thinking "wow this seems early for them to pick up on that....they are so smart." H has been doing this for quite awhile now. However, I did notice the other day that she is imitating me to a T....notice it is cinched between her head and shoulder. Classic.





Our children are obsessed with sunglasses...




They are also obsessed with playing dress up. It is their first choice in terms of playing. I recently scored a sweet Ariel wig....and now H loves playing dress up too.





I often think that S and G go through stages where they really look alike. Usually they don't but this photo strikes me as they look so similar.

Red Riding Hood Jacket GIVEAWAY !!!!!!!

This is one of my new favorite blogs. Check it out. It is inspiring and I can't believe all of the beautiful items she creates and then.....gives away!





Red Riding Hood Jacket GIVEAWAY !!!!!!!

Stickers

A while ago I stumbled across these stickers I love using them for labeling around the house. The hardest part of our day is always while I am making dinner. Everyone is needy, hungry and usually underfoot. I was trying to come up with ways to make this part of the day smoother. The idea came to make one of them my dinner helper while the other one plays with H. It gives me one on one time with either S or G (which rarely happens) as well as encourages them to have special time with their little sister. So far it is working out really well. The stickers worked well as I attached them to a magnet. We switch these every morning when we do the calendar/weather. If anyone has any other ideas of how to use the stickers I would love to hear them.

Baby parade

This year we had a really hard time coming up with an idea that fit. It took us forever to decide which one was right. We thought this would be classic yet not as time consuming as some of the other's we were considering. Although I loved the idea we were way off with the amount of time. It took me forever as the majority of the costumes were sewn. In the end it was worth it.
















As an added bonus we ended up getting first place in our category as well as first place most original out of everyone. That was a surprise. I wish I had pictures of some of the other entries. These people really go all out. It was fun but I am glad it is over!

How Long?

So it has been awhile since my last post. I have been so busy this past week that I hope I don't experience stress like that again any time soon. But in the end it was worth it. You see every year our town has the largest street fair in our state. It is crazy times around here people. The parade actually goes right by our front door. It is so exciting and I am glad my children will have this memory. We get to see them preparing days ahead which just adds to the build up. When we bought this house we had never even been to the fair. Then one day we realize that we are literally seated right next to the judges stand. This is a big deal for these folks let me tell you. We even have news crews live and on the scene. The fair itself runs from Tuesday till Saturday with the big parade on Wednesday. These photos are the view from our front porch.







So anyway...back to why I have been so busy. Every Saturday of the fair they have a baby parade. The first year S and G were seven months old. I had never even seen the baby parade before but it sounded fun...so why not. It ended up being really fun and strangely enough we won first place in our category. I think they definetly had the twin thing going for them...and the fact that they are so cute.



So after Ragedy Ann and Andy we were hooked. The ideas for the next famous couple thing started flowing. So at eighteen months we tried Pebbles and Bam Bam. That was a fun one to make. We used a lot of sculpy for the bones, necklaces and bracelets. I don't remember if we placed or not for that one. We did however get a sweet picture in the local newspaper. Sadly this is the best photo I could find of both of them together.




At two and a half they were Jack and Jill. The well was the best part and my husband did an excellent job with that. Without it we could have been considered Hansel and Gretel.









In September of 2007 my sister's children joined in the action. It turned out pretty cute if I do say so myself. We ended up calling them "Half Dozen." We also entered my sister's town baby parade as well. We placed at both which was exciting. These kids deserved lots of treats after what we put them through. They didn't complain at the unexpected hot day or when the feathers were stuck in their faces. They didn't even complain about the bags of down batting that they each were stuffed with. I think this went so well because their were so many of them and they all looked exactly the same. This was a fun one to create.





At the second parade you couldn't have a wagon so H. lost her nest in place of the front pack.




So this brings me back to why I have been so busy. Check back tomorrow to see more!