our daughter's third birthday

We celebrated our darling Daughter's third birthday over the weekend. At every birthday of her's I find myself becoming very sentimental, and for some reason this year in particular I felt more aware of how fast she is growing up.  And it made me very nostalgic.  I love her so very much and now that her brother is here and we are experiencing all the baby stuff again, she just seems so much older in comparison (obviously) but also at this age is when her impressions are really taking hold, and she is transitioning into the realm of being a little girl... I think we still have until she's 5 for her to be out of the toddler phase and into the little girl arena... and eventhough there are really super crazy hard moments with this age, it is still so sweet. One day she wont hand me her boogers, or need me in many ways, and that's natural, but well I guess I'm simply trying to convey that I am working very hard at living in the moment and being grateful for it all.

So without further ado here are just a few pictures from our weekend.

Above: on friday we were invited to go to her school for her birthday celebration where she held the globe and walked around the sun three times. We brought in pumpkin muffins and stayed through snack time.

After snack we picked up her surprise birthday balloons with the bus, aka the "Balloon Bus"

and then we surprised her with them on saturday morning the day of her party! success!

(do we look tired enough? and old? lol)

On sunday the 27th, on her actual birthday, we spent most of the day in our pjs. We had blueberry pancakes for breakfast, did a crazy toddler pedicure in the bathroom (every color was used!) then followed by a mid morning hot chocolate with mini marshmallows in mom and dad's bed where we gave her two more presents- a book and a stuffed knit kitty cat doll. Then we just lounged there and read the two new books she received. It was pretty perfect!

And I caught her having a little quiet moment at the end of the day.

Our daughter is lovely. I am so grateful to be her mom (I gage when I read this on blogs, but it's true).

I'm holding on to these moments, these special years where after struggling to finally get her to stay in her bed, all I want to do is go in there and snuggle her... it's an ironic mix of sentiments and discipline and this is why the dishes aren't always done...

So Happy birthday to our darling girl. We look forward to all the adventures and funny moments this next year has in store!

Back to School Fall 2013

Well Summer is officially over!

Our daughter went back to school last week, eeer the week before, I have no idea!? She is going to school 4 days a week this year! wowah. And she is already loving it. I will admit that I feel guilty sending her for so many days, but with the husband's crazy work schedule (70 hrs the other week!) and my etsy shop taking off while also taking care of our now 5 month old- it really is for her benefit (and everyone's) that she has some time away from the house and on her own so to speak.

She is so great. A fantastic big sister. She is so funny, loving, and fun to be around. But she is also having a bit of a hard time adjusting to our new pace- the finalized sort of rhythm we have found ourselves in...as a family of four, and rightfully so! I mean I haven't blogged since June people!? What is up with that!? (I have lots to catch you up on- if your still out there and reading this?)

But here she is in all of her almost 3 yo glory!

*Stay tuned for a hopefully- onslaught of blog posts! Summer recap, New Etsy Merch, The slow evolution of our living room makeover, Other home stuff, updates on the kids, planning her 3rd Birthday at the end of October, etc!

I've missed you all!

xo

abs

This Year's Homemade Valentines

Our daughter is having a little Valentine, or "Love Day" Party at school today! since she is two this will be her first real introduction to this funky holiday... and I'm kinda excited about it in a weird way! ; ) For her party, the teachers sent home a blank pink card in a white envelope for the parents to make a special card for their child. We were also asked to send in 35 (!) valentines for her classmates!! I found this free valentine printable that was very toddler friendly, so I printed out the white version and signed our daughter's name on all 35! 

Above: is the card I made for our Daughter!

And the inside of the card. I knew an interactive card would be a hit and I had grand pop-up book like ideas, etc... but ultimately went for a peek-a-boo option. It was very fun to make. I used a lot of Washi tape and just happened to have these collage pieces in my collage stash! win, win. Wish I could see her open it!

And Peek-a-boo! 

(my printer is obviously low on black ink, hence the odd green, but it kinda works in a weird way!?

And my little 7 second "Vine" video I made of the making of this card.

And here is the Valentine I helped her make for the grandparents. Pretty clever, huh? I came up with the pun all on my own! ; )

Have a Happy Valentine's Day!

That time we went sledding on Christmas...

I hope my New England friends are doing well after the big snow storm that hit them this weekend!? We only received a light dusting of snow and mostly rain... no sledding for us. But it reminded me that I've been meaning to share our little sledding adventure we had in Alaska on Christmas Day! Nothing like February to do so.

After our daughter woke up from her afternoon nap, we quickly headed over to Kincaid park to squeeze in some sledding before Christmas dinner. We met up with some friends who graciously shared their sleds with us and we got to see what our 2 yr old was made of!

Like typical parents, we assumed that she understood the concept of sledding and would be willing to go down a hill right away, sitting on her Dad's lap of course... foolish parents. She wanted to observe and take it all in. Plus I think she had to digest the snow she had just eaten off of the car's bumper, as you do. So she and Cameron ran behind our friends on their sleds up and down the hill, up and down the hill and repeat!

And then, just like that, she was ready. She made it pretty clear that she did not want to sit on anyone's lap, she wanted to do this by herself. And I was VERY impressed. There are always some areas where you want your child to express a bit more bravery- i.e. rinsing the soap out of her hair in the bath (what's up with that!?) and then there are other times and areas where they blow you away with their courage! Just shows that you should never assume anything about your child.

Here's a little video I took of her sledding, I tried to lighten it as best I could without over doing it... That's our friend Ben on the sled behind her with the light on the bottom... and Cameron ran behind her to make sure she didn't wipe out but mostly to keep her from cutting people off, as she did with Ben! (view it larger to see what's going on, and sorry about my finger getting in the way) Listen closely, you can hear Ben say "Oh she's getting aggressive!" She loved going over all the bumps her face would just light up and her posture was so straight it made for a funny combination! 

After she went up and down numerous times, I wanted to go down with her... you know create a memory, have a little mom-daughter time. yeah, NOPE! she really DID NOT want to sit on anyone's lap. Gosh I'm such a jerk! lol

So back to solo sledding she went.

It was a really fun little moment on Christmas. It was nice to play outside on a more "temperate" day, see friends, and to see what our daughter is made of!

30 week bump and our daughter's thoughts on pregnancy

I'm 30 weeks this week, that means I'm 7.5 months pregnant and in 6 weeks I'll be tick tick ticking ... So yeah, gotta dig out the baby clothes and other baby gear and finish setting up the baby's room! In the above photo, taken at my folk's house the other night, it looks like they served basketballs for dinner and I went back for seconds! ZING!

But in general, everything is going great! I feel like we are having a boy... but I'm not as certain as I was with our daughter (I was 99% sure she was a girl)! That being said the husband and I are still bouncing around boy names while we have our girl name options pretty set. So who knows what that means? All will be revealed once the little one comes along!

I also noticed a little trend I'm guilty of, using the bump as a TV tray during my snack/ computer breaks at the toddler's nap time. Obviously some snacks are healthier than others! I'm going to miss my snack shelf.

And last night, our daughter got talking about pregnancy... I think she is still wrapping her head around this whole concept. She's pretty into it though. She loves reading the baby book she got from my in-laws for Christmas, and she loves to pat my belly and talk to me about the baby. I've also been showing  her more baby photos of herself, which I think helps her to understand her own experience and babyhood. It will be an adjustment but she's so helpful and sweet with others, that it should be a fairly smooth transition!?!

(the bump makes a good toddler hand rest too)

Home Video: "I Don't Bother You"

I have a fairly extensive nesting bucket list before our second one comes along... the biggest priority is to make an ultimate home video of all the clips I have taken over the past 27 months of our first born.  (this goes for pictures as well) There were so many instances this past fall where I wanted to share a clip right away, but alas I will admit it must not have been a priority. And so over the next few weeks you'll find little clips and bigger clips- of personal home videos here on the blog!

ABOVE: Our Daughter and her Dad play this new game, which is funny and sweet and almost a nightly tradition after bath... I just hope she understands it's just a game and it doesn't translate to actual sleepy-time (although her 2nd night in her new bed, proved to be quite bothersome... more on that later.) In the meantime this sleep deprived mother is watching home videos in order to focus on the positive aspects of her child! joking, kinda.

Progress Report: Toddler Bedroom Makeover

I wanted to check in with my blog and those who read it ; ) to report back on what I've been up to this week... Besides lots of stuff, I've been working on our daughter's big room switch and makeover. It's my big nesting project this go around, plus I'm tying it in with the "January Cure's" bigger month project!

This week has been all about painting! As I mentioned earlier this month, our landlord gave us the go ahead, plus the supplies, to paint the wood paneling in the third bedroom. After a deep clean, it took 2 coats of primer and 2 coats of paint to cover the wood. Check out the very first picture at the top of the post to see what a difference a fresh set of blinds and paint can do to update a room!

In other news, I've made two trips to Ikea since Saturday! And here's what we got.

Pink Duvet Cover: Since we are moving the toddler directly form her crib to a twin bed, we already have a lot of twin bedding in the family. But I wanted to update an existing duvet cover without spending too much money. So I got this pink duvet cover for only $20! (Cheaper to buy it in the store than online) It's reversible- one side is striped while the other is gingham. I think I'll have the stripe side out.

White Storage shelving, Stolem: Then On Thursday, the Husband and I had a day all to ourselves (thanks mom!) so we went to ikea and got the toddler this storage unit. I had been scratching my head looking for something like this since October... I wanted a piece of furniture that was easy storage while creating a height appropriate surface where she could play etc. Then this week I learned about this Ikea piece on A Lovely Lark's post about her Daughter's room! Hooray!!! ps: parents also use the Expedit shelf, turned on its side, for this same purpose, but it was too big for her room. At a local fair trade store, I also bought a few baskets for her room to house toys etc, but the larger basket does not fit into the white ikea piece as I had hoped, so it will have to go back and be replaced.

There really isn't a budget for this room, since there isn't any spare money to spend, lol, but here are a few pieces I've been admiring for our daughter's room.

Reusable dress up wall decals, by lovemaestore (on sale for $25. Their larger version is here!)

Ladybug print, We have the artwork area pretty much covered, but this little one is just so sweet.

Striped storage tote, also comes in large and other colors.

Scalloped sheet set, if we needed sheets, I'd be all over these.

Aviary Sham, might not fit her request for a blue pillow, but still very sweet.

So it's been a busy week for this pregnant lady! But I'm very excited to see how the room shapes up. Since the paint is an eco friendly oil base paint, it still requires a few days to cure and air out. So the plan is to have her room set up by Sunday. (curtains and a potential floor pouf- sewn by yours truly, will happen next week!)

Design inspiration: The Toddler's move to a big bed...

In preparation for our second child's arrival in April, we are making some home improvements and adjustments around here. The biggest one is moving our daughter down the hall to the third and smallest bedroom where she will be further away from a waking newborn and basically keeping their paths from crossing during each other's nap times, etc. I've given the husband and I a deadline to have her room all ready by mid february- which would give us about 2 months until my due date (give or take!) to have her adjusted to sleeping in her new big girl bed etc. When she and I talked about the move and her new bed, she got very specific, looked me in the eye and said she wanted blue sheets and blue curtains! lol. So I've taken her request into consideration.

It essentially comes down to our comfort level... are we ready to have to deal with wacky nights, after having such a loooong stretch of uneventful nights? Well knowing that we are going to have another wake up call with a newborn in the house... so why throw the toddler in the mix? But I think she is ready (eep)!  And to help convince myself, I am focusing on the fun wishful part of decorating her room. So here's my little round up!


1) Teal Otomi Bedding from Land of Nod or Tangled up in blue
2) okay to wake Night Owl, nightlight, changes color to let your child know they can get up for the day
3) Mini Sofa: to replace the glider. We will make it out of her cousin's old crib mattress... DYI to follow
4) Fabric hanging Baskets: pdf pattern- to keep things off the floor. Considering making larger ones for her stuffed animals too!

In addition: I'm thinking about using her closet as extra living/playing space- moving her dress-up stuff inside the closet, and perhaps having a little fort/ tent back in there, it's very deep and roomy and using the space would help balance out her move to a smaller room. I'm excited to organize her room once again to a more age appropriate activity level, which will ultimately give her a nice haven to go and be should she need some space with the bigger change of no longer being the only child in the house.

I'll keep you posted on all the projects and the final outcome!

Advice on taking family photos with a 2 year old...

It was our daughter's 2nd birthday at the end of October, and I learned something that I should have known by now... When trying to get a family picture of your husband, child and oh my god YOURSELF for a change! take the pictures at the beginning of the party!!! By the time I corralled all of us outside after the party was over, the toddler was D-O-N-E, DONE! And these few pictures we managed to take I'm afraid not even photoshop could cut and paste a good one together, or at least my photoshop skills won't get the job done. (although maybe I could photoshop her from the bottom left photo into the top left photo... hmmm!?)

I really should have known better, but it's hard when you are hosting a party to think about these things beforehand... we look like a tired bunch here and now I know why families get professional photos taken. You have to set time aside for these things... you can't squeeze it in after a huge over-sensitized event... but instead actually pick a day that follows a few days of consistent sleep instead of the husband's crazy work/school schedule.  No offense but photo shoots can be so cheesy... but now I get it! I still won't shell out the cash for a photo shoot... but in the future I will hopefully remember to have photos taken of us before the chaos of the day.

 Note: with hurricane Sandy and our daughter being under the weather I 'm still editing and gathering the pictures from her big birthday. I will share them on the blog by the end of the week as well as on our private family photo site.

Halloween 2012

Before hitting the hay tonight, I wanted to share a little recap of our Trick or Treating this year before tomorrow turns us into November and looking ahead to Thanksgiving.

Above: We went to my parent's neighborhood to ring the doorbells of familiar folk. We went around the neighborhood with The Mayor of Munchkinland and the wicked witch of the west. aka my mom and niece. All costumes made by my mom the Mayor!

Despite appearances the little one was pretty excited about this adventure, just tired from an already big day at school where they had a little Halloween party.

She loved putting the candy in her little bag and quickly caught on to how awesome this whole thing is!

This house offered pretzels- which was probably the biggest hit!

The little group nearing the end of our trick or treating.  You can see the mash of leaves and debris leftover from the hurricane... but luckily nothing like other areas further north of us, where some will be celebrating Halloween on Friday to compensate for the hurricane clean up... and then there are towns that won't be celebrating at all this year.

And a little video... reminds me of the countless Halloween videos my grandfather took of us growing up. Our daughter had her "Trick or treat!" and "Happy Halloween!" and "Thanks You!!"-s down pact and I tried to capture some of them, with prompting of course. If you listen carefully you can hear her muttering to herself "More Candy, more candy, more candy" as she walks up another driveway.

Hope you all had a festive Halloween!

Her first (half day) of school

We took the little miss to her first (half day) of school this morning. I was nervous how she would do with us leaving, since she isn't always too pumped at bedtime some nights... but she did GREAT!

I think it helped that she had been there twice already, once for the initial visit, and then for an open house on Friday where she played with the kids and teachers for over an hour. My nervousness came from how I felt like we hadn't prepared in her any way for school. In her 22 months she has never been watched by a non family member nor dropped off at any day care, but she surprised me and did great. Of course she had no idea what was about to happen unlike her fellow toddlers who were crying with the knowledge of imminent separation. Hey ignorance is bliss! So we hugged and kissed her as she played and checked out the fish tank and then we individually faded out of the room. And when we picked her up 4 hours later she was happy to see us but not clingy. Let's hope this sticks! ; )

She goes to school three mornings a week to start, and we'll add more on later as my schedule requires. Hooray for a great first day!

I lud du tomorrow + other home videos

It has been a while since I did a major home video blast of the little one... her recent love of singing Tomorrow, from Annie inspired this video post. I still have a bigger goal of taking all the video ever taken and compiling it into one big file. Feels sort of strange figuring out how to navigate new technology so I don't just have it backed up and stored somewhere- only to forget about it, but rather have it all in one place... like the good ol days on a big wonking video cassette?  Anyway, enjoy the videos. There are more home videos after "the jump" aka- hit the "read more" text to see the rest.

Home Videos: Loving on the dog and wrestlin'

She's taken to loving the dog during meal time... i.e. the only time the dog won't run away from her.

and horsing around with her Dad last month... they are building a bit of a tradition

Our Seashore weekend, in Pictures and Videos

At the last minute on Thursday, we took off to the shore for a long weekend.

It was a relaxing weekend, full of walks on the beach, time spent at the playground and a bit of yard work- 8 bags full of pine needles and other yard debris!

Above: the gang all loaded up on Thursday night.

This season's first trip to Cream Valley, the best soft serve hands down, the babe agrees!

Check out more pictures plus some videos after the jump! 

(click on the "Read More" prompt on the lower left)

"You're Coming with Me!", a new toddler video

The husband taught our 17 month old the phrase "You're coming with Me!" while washing the car this week. Here's a little video of her practicing her new phrase in the bath that night.

Playing outside, who said girls weren't made of worms and dirt!?

It was 73 degrees here yesterday- yeah freakishly warm for March... which makes me think that earth and all the plants think that it's actually May, which would mean we are reeeeeally far behind with our garden! ; ) But the babe and I have been soaking up the fresh air and warm temps as much as we can. (an hour before lunch, and then endless hours before dinner.) And I'm pumped to report that, despite her head being in the 100%, her sunhat still fits from last summer! go us for buying it too big! Anyway, as I've said before about playing outside with a toddler, it can be a lovely alternative and it's one I actually prefer from being indoors. Outside she is more likely to play on her own for longer stretches of time, she studies and inspects different things like a baby scientist should. Mean while I'm able to work on more of our garden prep- win, win.

Here she is stretching out a worm like a rubber band, yeah she eventually stretched it into two pieces, making me dry heave. 

And Dad shows her a little tree seat.

A dirt face plant is always good fun.

and a slightly dangerous garden cart ride with her cousin (driven by my husband!) up and down the driveway... notice at the end of the clip you can hear her say "More!"

Yes, days like these make me feel so happy and like I am accomplishing what I hoped I could offer my children... to spend hours outdoors, in nature.  Makes me VERY excited for spring! And if you haven't read "Last Child in the Woods" DO! It is excellent and really explains the importance of having free time in nature... (it's my ultimate parenting book). Have a great weekend!

~abs

16 months old

The little miss is 16 months old today... and where to begin!? Well on Friday it was like she had a turbo setting we never knew about that she suddenly decided to turn on! The husband and I looked at each other in shock, amusement, and terror. lol  Here she is on Saturday prancing around our room in her diaper and rocking a little bow- that was a scrap of fabric from a sewing project. She's a girl aright! Each day brings new words and I think in two months time her chattiness will be more understood, which in some ways will be a blessing ; ) since some of her meltdown moments are the result of not being able to communicate, but that's why sign language and noises (like animals etc) are helpful to bridge the gap. So I'll keep it brief this month and share some pictures and a video of our little family member. ~abs

Do You have a Bed Time routine? Plus a weekly round up...

I've hinted on here lately, that this past week has been a bit full on... I'm not sure what made this week different than the rest...? Perhaps it's just weeks upon weeks stacking up on each other without a break in the routine of motherhood... that per chance took its toll this particular week? This is not to say that I am less happy, but when weeks tend to feel like one never ending long ass groundhog day, it does make me pause and reassess. Ultimately I want to do a little gratitude round up on this Friday... my best friend in college kept a gratitude journal and wrote in it every night!! It was a great practice (I observed) and it's something I've been thinking about lately... when it comes to my bedtime routine, how can I make my bedtime routine more peaceful and rejuvenating, a gift to myself?  Let me say, I am not one for routine, I think that was the hardest adjustment about becoming a mother- setting a routine for our baby and thus living my life around this new routine.  And it's becoming harder and harder to make time for myself... I know I could find time to work out, stretch, just sit, read, etc but I've found myself falling into the rut of not considering my needs a priority... I think in some ways I get to the point when I don't even know what my needs are, and thus I don't think to ask for help, etc until it's too late and I am officially fried!

And now our daughter is almost 16 months old and her bedtime routine is pretty predictable and comforting... and yet my routine is not. Think about it- what if every night I took a warm bath, played with my toys, was bathed by a servant ; ) then carefully dressed, read to, sung to, talked about the wonderful day, reflecting on all the fun that was had, turning off the lights- looking up at the stars artificially cast on the ceiling (thanks to a certain ladybug), more singing, kisses, cuddles and then when I was at peace- placed in my bed surrounded by soft cozy things, to hum myself to sleep...!? Get it!? I mean this would be awesome, what a gift-to-self! Do you have a pleasant bedtime routine!?

The argument against such a routine, is that my day sort of begins at 8pm when the baby is officially down and out. I hurry around, do dishes, laundry, toilet stop, then head down to my studio around 9pm and work there until 11pm or so, then I come upstairs and usually watch something on hulu with the husband (while I am still knitting or working on something), then I fall asleep tired and sore, with my mind still racing with all the crap I did not get done. It's ridiculous... and the only way I could see this changing is if our daughter went to a daycare!? But COME on! this is America... If we were in France my daughter could go to the local creche, a subsidized child care for children under 3. Well, now I'm officially rambling... so I will get to my gratitude bits from this week... And do share any bed time routines you have for yourself! I would love to hear some suggestions. Ultimately I know that not every night could be so pleasant, but it's good to know how it COULD be and thus remind myself to shoot for that goal. And I'll report back if I come up with anything for myself.

The Gratitude list/ Weekly recap: On Sunday I took my Terrain gift card and splurged on something I wouldn't typically buy for myself- a little arrangement of spring bulbs. They smell amazing next to my bed. They remind me of Easter, and I love smelling them when I fall asleep and then when I wake up in the morning (and I assume all night long too, perhaps I'll have more flowery dreams?) Our daughter loves smelling them, checking on their growth, and seeing which new buds have bloomed. (after each sniff she says "MMMMmmmmm!") And after my visit to Terrain, my curiosity of Terrariums has been rekindled, so I might take their terrarium workshop in March!

I had the morning to myself today to give myself a haircut. My last self haircut was right after Thanksgiving and it was looking baaaaaad, very grown out, sad droopy with a mullet in the back. BTW this is the AFTER shot! ; ) It's a messy take on the classic bob, and it's much shorter in the back... a little shorter than my ultimate goal, but pretty close! (I used a razor and my special scissors and really worked at pinning back sections and pacing myself, cutting it from section to section.... one of my better haircuts. I realized I've been cutting my hair for 15 years!!)

And last weekend I started knitting this doll for our daughter (since I didn't have enough yarn to start the fox stole) ... This was a FAST knit! I am adapting the Margaret Free Ravelry download Pattern into a blabla doll inspired little one. I will put three knit balls of hair on top and a little face, hopefully by the end of the weekend. I will admit that I mostly knit this doll to use up all of these strange bits of yarn I had in my stash... It's the spring clean project, and it's a good one, because you can stuff the toy with all of those bits as well! So long crazy yarn leftovers!

I also knit up this little pink number for baby Luca, my husband's BFF from Alaska's baby who was born last week. (love this pattern!)

We tried it on Mr. Bunny before we sent it in the mail! Hats are a big deal with little miss C, and so is her bunny so the combination was pretty stellar as you can see.

And on Sunday, Cam and the little miss at my parent's Player Piano, playing Moon River (because if it was Teddy Bear's Picnic she would be dancing around not sitting still!)

Well that's the little weird-o random stream of consciousness recap from me! Let me know any bed time routines for-self you may have? and have a nice weekend!

~abs