Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving was a lot more fun than I thought it would be. I'm one of those people that spent every holiday with family growing up so not having family around is kinda rough sometimes. It took me five hours to get everything made, but I actually enjoyed it. Kinda weird huh? It's like I can add another badge on my vest of womanhood :) Jared spent the whole day playing video games, Melody watched movies and colored, and Katie slept. I think everyone got to spend the day just how they wanted.

Mmmmm! Look at all that carb infused food! I threw the broccoli in there last minute when I realized what exactly I was feeding my family!

The spread! Maybe by next year my dear husband will have finished my beautiful table just waiting in the garage and we can actually invite someone over!

Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree...

You like the antenna sticking out the sides? I call that our redneck ornament.I think it really adds something to the whole ensemble ;)

I broke down this year and we bought a fake tree. We've always had a real tree. In fact the whole process of picking the tree was a pretty big deal in our family. We've been known to go to several tree lots in search of the perfect tree. Unfortunately when we downsized to a smaller apartment we lost all that extra room for a Christmas Tree. I decided that getting a small one to go on top of the entertainment center would probably be the best we could do this year. It also keeps little fingers out of my ornaments!

Since it's so small I had to sort through our ornaments and pick out the few that were small enough and light enough to work. Seeing that that didn't amount to very many and I wasn't spending any more money on Christmas decor I decided to make a few. Nothing fancy, but they'll make a nice addition to our ornament collection.

The kids oohed and aahed over everything. I think I'll call this our first REAL Christmas now that the kids are both old enough to enjoy it!

Becoming more aware

Sorry about the long delay between posts. This last week may have literally been one of the worst weeks of my life! Well...so far at least. Here's hoping this is as bad as it gets *fingers crossed*

We have been having car troubles and it's been in and out of one shop or another for over a week now. Which equals us stuck at home with two VERY unhappy children, and one VERY stir crazy mom. I won't bore you with the details, but suffice it to say I have never felt more loved and cared for by friends than I have in this last week.

I was nervous moving away from family with our two small children. Should we need some help they wouldn't be there like they always had been in the past. However, when we ran into trouble this last week the people in our ward stepped up and were simply amazing. Last Sunday a lady I didn't even know stepped in to help me with my restless children during sacrament when Jared couldn't be there to help. She actually took them on a walk around the church and allowed me to take a minute to just listen to the talk being given. We had a friend offer us her car for a few days so Jared could at least get to work and her and her husband made due with just one car. For anyone that has to do the one car juggle you know this was no small thing! Then I had another friend that has graciously toted my daughter to preschool and has more than once taken the three of us along so we could go to a midweek activity. I am so grateful for the ward we live in and the people in it that live their religion. It's not just something they do on Sunday to pass the time.

I'm so glad that we've had to deal with all this in the last week, if for nothing other than to see the example these people have been for me. I've always tried to be aware of the people around me and on the lookout for the opportunity to serve, no matter how small. But I realized this last week that the opportunities don't always present themselves to us. Instead we have to be actively aware of the people around us. I didn't want to ask for help because I didn't want to put any one out. They have their own problems and their own families to deal with, why would I add my dilemma to their load. But because those particular ladies asked 'how are you?' and did it really wanting to know the answer I was able to find the help I needed. They were my angels.

Heavenly Father has sent us here for many reasons and one of them was to care for and uplift one another along the way. I know I will be paying closer attention not only to the people in our ward, but the random people I interact with every day. Hopefully I'll find the opportunity to be someone elses angel!

Stop the rain

For the record I almost didn't post this video because I didn't feel like flaunting my 'fluffy' tummy, but really it was too cute! This is the way we spend our free time, playing and having fun.

I noticed when we got home from church that it was looking kinda dark, but didn't see any clouds or notice any wind so I didn't think much of it. Jared had just given the kids a bath and I told them they could play outside while I got dinner ready. Suddenly the sky opened up and started dumping! Every time I'm just astounded by how fast and hard it comes down! Since we're next to the golf course we get a lot of run off so it's like a lake downstairs. We have a great time splashing in puddles, but this time it rained so hard the porch was starting to form puddles. Of course Melody didn't help matters! She kept yelling that she had to stop the rain and started catching it in a little bowl and throwing it on the porch! Katie was very distressed by it all. She's still deciding if she likes baths so she wasn't too sure what to think about this! After all was said and done she was just mad that her baby got wet.

Just like Daddy!

Melody and Katelynn are always wanting to get up and play daddy's piano, and I let them when it's off as long as they're soft. But recently Jared let Melody play it when it was on as long as she followed the rules. His has a LOT of buttons and a touch screen so there any number of ways it could get screwed up if Melody wasn't careful, so Jared gave her ONE button she could push. It's the one that changes the sound, so she will play a few notes then change it then play a few more. My house sounds like the circus when she's playing! :)

Today she was pretending to sing and play just like daddy and is finally to the point that she LIKES being taped. She sang me two songs and then told me a story behind her next song. I love how she kept flipping the pages like she was actually reading the music!

Turn up your volume she was singing softly!

Learning about the Fire Station

Today we had our midweek activity at the fire station. We don't usually go to the midweeks because I don't ever have the car, but I really wanted to take the kids to this one! My friend Gretchen offered to take us in her van. I always swore I'd never have a van, but I think the day will come *sigh*.

To start off Melody was grumpy because she woke up at 6:30. She woke up, not me. I put the TV on PBS before I go to bed so she can just get up and turn it on and leave me alone. Katie just thought this place was a lost land just waiting for her to explore every inch of it. She kept running to the truck trying to get under it, or in it. The firemen were very nice and kept retrieving her for me.

Melody did a god job answering the fireman's questions. I didn't know she knew what 911 was! I guess I probably have PBS to thank for that. She also learned how to stop drop and roll, the other kids had a blast practicing, but she wouldn't do it, I think the firemen were making her nervous, which is very odd for my overly social little girl.

Here are a few pictures I was able to get when I wasn't chasing Katie down!

Sitting together watching the fireman get dressed in his fire suit.

Melody had about 6 million questions and wouldn't stop asking them long enough to listen. I finally had to tell her I wasn't answering any more questions until after the fireman was done talking.

He had all the kids come up and give him a high five so they would see that he wasn't scary, but Melody wasn't too sure. As you can see Katie charged right in, she wanted to play with all the doo-da's on his jacket! Once Melody saw her sister and all her friends up there she decided it was OK and went up, gave him a high five, then ran back to me as fast as she could.

They let the kids walk through the seating area of the truck. One of the things that is nice about having a church play group is we all know each other pretty well and we all know each others kids so no one has a problem jumping in and helping if someone needs it! Sharma was so good to help my kids get on the truck so I could get a picture.

Once she was in there, Katie had no interest in coming out. WAY too much to look at and play with to leave! He actually had to get in and bring her back out!

Later he let the girls go back in again while the other kids explored the outside of the truck. This time Melody took Katie's hand and led her back out. I almost got a picture, but it blurred! I was so mad!

We had a really good time exploring the fire station and learning about fire safety! Thanks Gretchen for taking pity on us and letting us bum a ride! :)

Sweet sweet baby

My little Katelynn is so sweet! She just climbed up in my lap, snuggled up and said 'nigh-night mommy'. I asked her if she was ready to take a nap and she says UH-HUH! So I took her in a laid her down thinking she would lay there and play for a minute then want up, but she passed out! She's so different form Melody, by this age Melody had stopped taking regular naps! How funny that two kids can be so different and yet still so much alike!

The greatest bibs!

I think this is my new favorite thing to make for baby showers! I mean who doesn't need good, sturdy, washable bibs? The fact that they're too cute just makes it better! They're kind of labor intensive, but there's SO much room to just let my creativity wander! These were a little tougher for me because they're for a boy, and being the girl mom that I am I think everything needs ribbons and sparkles and flowers! To further challenge myself I didn't want to buy any fabric. These were made 1oo% with things I had on hand. It took some digging, but I found this material at the bottom of my scraps tote.

*I really like this one, but the next time I make it I'll definitely square it up better!

I made a few for myself first to see how well they held up. The first night we used these we had lasagna, then it sat in a laundry basket for a few days. I was sure it was done for, but when I pulled it out of the dryer I couldn't believe it, not a spot on it! I've had mine for 4 months and I use them several times a day and they all still look like new! I just love how the denim makes it so sturdy and they hold their shape really well which means better shirt coverage. :)

*This was supposed to be a basket weave design, but it didn't work out quite how I envisioned it, so I cut the extra denim and made it just lines. And there I go again with the squaring! I think my eyes are crooked, maybe that's why I can't get anything straight! :)

If you want to make your own it's super simple! Just get a bib you already have that you like the shape of and trace it onto butcher paper. If you don't have a bib handy you can find them in abundance at the dollar store. I usually iron two pieces of butcher paper shiny sides together. It makes good pattern paper since it's not flimsy when it's double weight. I also fold my pattern in half and even it up after it's cut out so it's symmetrical.

Using your pattern trace it onto your choice of fabric. I used stuff I found in the remnants bin and a few pairs of Jared's jeans that he had worn out for mine. I can get 5 or 6 bibs out of one leg if I go over the top of the seam like I did in the picture below. Makes the sewing part a little tricky, but just add a small pleat here and there. It gives it character as my wise crafting mother would say.

* This one I actually goofed up! I didn't mean to sew the smaller stars on backwards! After I had cut it out and realized what I had done I needed a way to make the stars stand out more so I did a running stitch all the way around it. Then I added a few more in red to fill in the blank areas. Next time I'll print off a pattern so the stars aren't so wonky. Then again it kinda adds character, right mom? :)
Cut out leaving about 1/4" around your tracing line. Decorate the front however you would like. I've done ribbon, applique and reverse applique, and some hand stitching. This is where your creativity can give into it's wanderlust.

*One thing I learned making these is when you do reverse applique you need to make your design 1/8-1/4" bigger than you want it to be once it's finished. I didn't think about the seam allowance when I was cutting these out. Good thing it turned out decent!

Once you're done with the front pin the pieces right sides together matching your tracing line on front and back pieces as you go. Sew all the way around leaving a 2-3" opening on the bottom. Trim seam allowance except for in the opening. You'll need the extra there for when you press and sew it closed. Turn and press. Top stitch about 1/8" in all the way around starting at the bottom opening.

I then add buttons because my kids haven't yet figured out how to get them off, but if you want yours to be more baby friendly You could do ties, Velcro or snaps. I don't know how to do snaps, but I've heard you can get them at most craft stores and they're not too tough to put on.

These bibs are definitely worth the effort! I'm no longer ashamed to take bibs along with us when we go out to eat. Feel free to email me if you want to make these and have any questions!

EDIT: I realized that I had posted the following bibs on the website and not the blog so I thought I would post them here also so you can see another option with the design. These were the first set I made.

My children's personalities in a snapshot

I feel like I have finally caught my children's personalities on film, or memory card...what ever. This is THE picture. Jared has been working swings shift this week, so we've been on our own for entertainment in the evenings. They were keeping me company while I was working on the computer, I left the room for a minute and when I came back this is what I saw.

This picture is perfect for so many reasons. I love the look on their faces, you can tell they've been up to mischief. Causing mischief is a major part of their lives, any one that has spoken to me on the phone for more than 5 minutes knows that I have to stop what I'm doing every so often and pull them out of whatever it is they've gotten into this time. Before I can blink they're into something else! The neighbors probably think I'm nuts for as often as I'm hollering at them to get down, or get out of that, or stop touching, or hitting, or pulling the dogs tail, or climbing the highchair, or throwing random objects off the balcony... This all happens in the space of an hour!

Then there's the fact that they are at the piano! They spend so much of their time singing and dancing and playing with their plethora of toy instruments. Jared will randomly make up songs about them or what they are doing. Melody has started to do it too, but I have yet to catch it on camera. They both try to sing in sacrament meeting even though they have no idea what they're doing they just kind of sing along. Music is definitely a major part of our lives.

Then there is the bedraggled state that they are in. I've given up. I do their hair and get them dressed in the morning and unless we're going somewhere special I just don't bother. They're busy little girls and I'm just thankful they have clothes on. You can't see it, but Katie has only one sock on and one of Melody's shoes on the wrong foot. They have more important things to attend to than worrying about how they look!

My present!

My baby brother made this mobile for me for my birthday, I had to post pictures because I think it's terribly cool and very creative. It was kinda hard to get a good picture cause it's made of wire and we have white walls, and it's so long it had to be broken into two pictures. Jared pretty much hates it cause it's so long he's always running into it, but it's not my fault he's a lurp, I don't have any problems ;0) Thanks Tay!