Monday, November 28, 2011

My Birthday

I know, these pictures are a month late. I blame blogger :) I'm not even going to narrate, I think you can probably figure it out! It was, however, a really great day - happy 24, me!











Saturday, November 26, 2011

Toddler Themes

We started doing these when Cadence dropped her morning nap. The time between her waking up in the morning and going down for her nap suddenly seemed incredibly long, and I noticed that around lunch time things would start going downhill. There was simply a space in our routine playtime wasn’t sufficiently filling. Perhaps if I was the type to get out more we would have filled it with storytimes and playdates – as it is, I really just like to stay home. I needed something to keep me from going insane with boredom, and Cadence loved to have activities to work on, so these were perfect.


The concept is simple: pick a theme, and spend about a week on it. Five minutes here, five minutes there. Maybe some books, a craft, or some art. Some music. Not a lot of prep, not a lot of focus, just a lot of fun.

The themes have been pretty varied and random: yellow, flags, trains, C, B, Thanksgiving. The Holy Week. Whatever interested us became our them.

Usually they last about a week, but we just go until we get bored or run out of easy ideas. If I find myself pushing Cadence to “do it right,” then I drop it. It’s supposed to be fun. If I find myself stressing to “get everything ready,” then I drop it. It’s supposed to be fun.

We’ve had a blast doing these, and I think I will gather up some pictures and share some of the ideas we’ve liked most so far.

Monday, November 21, 2011

A Brilliant Idea

The other day when Cadence was playing with her Play-Doh, I had a brilliant idea.

Now, I'm sure other people have done this. To you, it may be old hat. But to me? Brilliant. Startling. Genius. Revelutionary, even.

And here I am, being kind enough to share my brilliance with you. Humble, aren't I?

I was sick and tired of getting putty under my fingernails trying to get it out of the canister. So...



Plastic wrap! It works perfect, the dough doesn't dry out, and to get it out, you just tug on the plastic wrap. (Inspired by batteries by the way ;))

Sunday, November 20, 2011

November Pictures Post One

10 Weeks - This child has perfected the pouty lip. This is only a very small sample of his prowess.

This is our special reading place. We sit reclined and James falls asleep while Cadence and I snuggle and read.


Doesn't he look like a big boy? He is way too young to be wearing cute big boy clothes :)

Cadence loves play dough, and she loves Little Red Riding Hood... this combines the two passions for lots of fun. Here she is about to chop the wolf's head off.

They love to play together.

Climbing up Daddy. Since we don't have a swing set, Daddy is her favorite jungle gym... then again, he probably would be anyway!


"Hey, I can hold toys by myself now. And I shove EVERYTHING in my mouth!"

Aunt Ruth Ann gave him this very cute outfit

Ok.... disclaimer *Cadence chose his clothes* James watching Cadence play.



Twelve weeks - does he look fun or what?? It is so great to hear him shriek and chuckle!



They almost match :)

Friday, November 18, 2011

Cadence's Beautiful New Sweater From Aunt Kristina

Kristina knitted Cadence a gorgeous sweater for an early Christmas present.


Cadence loves every aspect of it - all the way down to getting to open a package from the "package truck."


I love it too - it is so incredibly adorable!


Cadence even remembers going to the yarn store with Aunt Kristina to pick out the yarn for this sweater, then sitting on the couch and getting to choose which pattern she wanted. 


Kristina did such an awesome job - the knitting is excellent!





Thank you Kristina!

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Slings Made by Me

I just finished making two ring slings, one for Cadence's baby dolls, and one for James.

This one is Cadence's. She's been wanting one for a while, so I decided to make her one for Christmas (and as practice, since it didn't have to be just right... after all, it doesn't matter if a baby doll falls on the floor!). Unfortunately, she went with me to pick out the fabric, and I didn't think I would survive hearing "Where mine sling Mama? When make mine sling, Mama?" thirty billion times between now and Christmas. So, she got to open it at my birthday 'party'.


It works perfectly - and as you can see, it makes snuggles with baby all that much easier! 




Next was a sling for me to leave at church. I wanted one with a little bit prettier fabric, and it was also important to be able to keep it there, since I sometimes forget to take one, and that makes for a very miserable service indeed.


I was glad I had practiced on Cadence's, it made it much easier. The basic pattern is incredibly simple and easy, but since I wanted to dress it up a little I actually had to do some thinking. Let me tell you, thinking with a sleep deprived brain and two babies to distract you is not fun :) This tail is with 2 1/8 yards fabric, less than what the pattern recommended, but perfect for church, since I don't have to worry about sitting on it.


I used this pattern. Definately go with narrow pleats if you make one! I used what I thought would be narrow (about 1/2 inch), and while it is fairly comfortable, if I make one to wear longer than the length of a church service, I will use even smaller pleats to have a narrower shoulder. 


I also used the website those instruction recommend for ordering the rings in my sling, and was very pleased. If you order some, keep in mind the quantity is for a set of rings, not one individual ring. On a different note, does anyone need some rings? ;) 

James liked it just fine when we tested it at home, although he did seem to think he needed to eat it. It now safely resides at church, where it has already come in handy - of course.