Lowering My Standards

I am making a photo book and wanted some recent pics of all the kids together for the last page. So, tonight we ran down to the river and snapped some pics and ran home. (Karate gets over around 6 and hubby had to go Home teaching at 7) Before we would come home with over 300 pictures and have a few good ones. Today, we took 18 pictures and they aren't too bad. Either the kids are getting better (yeah, right!) or I am just caring less.

I love her little pose in this one. And those striped pants kill me!

Captions

For the biggest BYU fan I know's daughter...and quite possibly the best T-shirt dress I have ever made!

I got my hair did! How else can you do a mohawk?

What do you do during time-out?

Why I sweep three times a day.

She picked jeans on her own!

Old shoes made new again.

First PB&J. My life just got a little bit easier!

Out With The Old

This is my purse.
I bought it at the dollar store about 3 years ago. I didn't make it out of stuff I got at the dollar store--I bought it in the purse section. Before this, I had a wallet that usually hung out in the diaper bag with my dead cell phone. The funniest thing about this purse (aside from the fact that it lasted more than 3 years) is that every time I would walk into a fabric store, the cutter and the cashier would comment on how cute my purse was and ask if I made it. ---Nope, got it at the dollar store. About half the time, they would ask if I thought they had any more.

But then one day, I noticed that my totally awesome $1 purse was getting a little worn on the bottom corners. So, now that I am the craftiest person on the planet and can sew anything (yeah, right!) I decided to sew one. I saw a link to a tutorial on Homemade by Jill and decided to refigure it to make it a purse instead of a clutch. (I just added 3 inches to every dimension and a 3 inch strip on the bottom to make it a deeper bag. And I didn't have fusible fleece but I did have HeatNBond and some fleece--note to self, next time, iron the fleece first to shrink it before you put the HeatNBond on.) Well, the instructions say to sew 2 gathering stitches and gather to bottom part to fit the top part. Yeah, right! A layer of corduroy, fusing, fleece, and lining? No way was that gathering! So an inverted pleat it became. I love it! I put a loop of elastic inside to hold my keys so I don't have to dig around for them. I wish I had enough cord to make the strap out of that but oh well. I still like it!

And I didn't have to buy anything to make this. Now, I would only have to make about 300 more to use up all my fabric.

She's A Genius!

(or maybe she's just listened to the CD 7 kajillion times.)

(I wish we had a video camera when the boy was little. At 2 he used to "read" the giving tree. Including the dedication: For Nicky. It was adorable!)

10 Months

I think 10 months is wearing her out! She finally gave up her 6pm nap, but this is how I found her last night, after I put the girls to bed. Out cold on the living room floor. Now, Munchkin fell asleep on the LR floor all the time but Squirt has never fallen asleep like this. This is how she sleeps in her bed, except she squishes her CareBear right up to her face.

My girls love their sister...and posing for pictures. They are always playing with her, squeaking at her, "helping" her. Sometimes it drives both Squirt and me a little crazy! But for the most part, Squirt is very patient with all the lovin' she gets heaped on her. I didn't even take this picture--must have been the boy.

Squirt is so funny. She is excellent at scooting backwards on her tummy. She loves wheeling around in her walker. She rolls all over the place. Yesterday, while I was getting dressed, she rolled into the kitchen, and was eating Munchkin's breakfast scraps off the floor. **Note to self: mop more.** In the last couple of days, she has been getting up on her hands and her knees...and going backwards. She gets a little frustrated but hasn't been able to figure out the forward motion yet.

Remember these pancakes from yesterday?

Well, I was changing her this morning and Munchkin said, "Maybe the leprechaun came and changed her poop to green just like the pancakes."

**Note to self: next year, have some regular food coloring, instead of just the paste.**

Luck 'O The Irish

We decorate.

Sometimes.

For some holidays.

The kids want to decorate for every holiday. (Guess what decorations the boy found for President's Day?!) So I oblige...with what I have in my craft room.

These things used to hang off of my welcome sign but then I got a cool bear to hang on the door and dress up so...a little drilling and a little wire and a new decoration is born.
(I just need to seal the glitter on the pots of gold so we aren't so shimmery.)

Dollar store frames. A coat of paint and some paper and cookie cutter stamps.

Shamrock tile

But the kids were so excited about St Patrick's Day this year. Lucky for me--their shirts from last year still fit. That NEVER happens!

This morning, the leprechaun made our pancake batter green. The kids were amazed.

Even Squirt liked them.

I made a new shirt for Squirt this morning. I decided to make it not a St Patrick's day shirt but just a cute shirt with green.

It turned out so cute that I think I might just buy her a bunch of onesies for her summer wardrobe...even if she does look a little like Popeye with those muscley arms.

It's the Little Things

Have you ever seen a baby that can sit herself up but can't crawl?
Now you have!

The girls are making macaroni necklaces. I think I dyed that macaroni about 3 years ago--maybe longer! But it is entertaining them, which is good because today is laundry day!!

BOO!

The Big K

My parents bought us a great ear thermometer for the kids years ago. It was great until the battery died and we couldn't find replacements. I would look if I remembered when we were at the store but no luck. Fast forward a few years. Hubby has a test and needs his calculator and the batteries are dying. They take the same kind as the thermometer. So, while I was running to the dollar store, I decided to check K*mart since it's right next door. I walk in the door and am bombarded by some photographer selling picture packages.

"You get 5 poses with a 11x13 photo for $10."

So we talked it over and decided to do it. But we knew we were only going to get the one pic because we want to get family pics taken when Squirt is a bit older and walking.

So hubby went and picked up the picture when I was out of town.

How cute is that?

And they had the batteries, too!

Firsts in Idaho

We went to visit my parents in Idaho this past weekend. The kids had school off on Friday so we drove up Thursday after school. It was my first trip without my husband since I was pregnant with ET.

Friday and Saturday, the kids got to help with some chores. While we were getting a burn pile together, ET saw some blueberries:

But he wouldn't eat them until they were washed. My dad had a great laugh telling him he was looking at deer poop.

Then he let ET burn the pile.

The next morning, my dad was doing his back exercises and Munchkin joined in.

I didn't get any other pictures of anything since Squirt decided that she didn't like anyone else there and would only be happy if I was holding her. So I tried to help cut and stack branches by sitting on the ground (with Squirt on my lap) and having my sister bring the branches to me so I could trim them. It wasn't very effective.

But all in all it was a fun trip...except for the driving up there through snow and rain for 5 hours! But the kids did great in the car. Hopefully our next trip goes a little something like this!

For Ruby

Munchkin picked this book from the library. It is actually very appropriate for her. She is the only one of my kids that has know her first, middle and last names since she was 2. She is in trouble that much.

Thumbelina wants to read one next. Maybe when we get back from our trip.

Last Days

Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is with deepest regret that I inform you of this latest development.
I fear the days of the mohawk are waning.

She now has the appearance of a balding (but trying to employ the comb-over) used car salesman.