Newborn Photo-Shoot!

As the title says. This is Nicolas's photo shoot. The pictures are not professional quality, I know, but I tried! :)

EDIT: I also made his birth announcement and forgot to post it. Thank you Pinterest for the idea. :)

Birthday Tutu!

So, yesterday I went out and bought 5 yards of tulle from Joann Fabrics - best part? It was on sale. $0.74 per yard! That means my first attempt at making a tutu wouldn't cost me an arm and a leg if I messed it up somehow. I wasn't looking to make anything fancy, just something for Avalyn's 2nd birthday picture.

I'll post step by step how I made it, and what the finished product looks like. I really like it, and so does Avalyn, I suppose that's all that matters!

Here are the colors I picked. A bright pink, lime green, orange, teal, and lavender. I chose a deeper purple for the ribbon.

I measured Avalyn's waist and cut my elastic to size and sewed it together.

I spread each yard of tulle out on the floor (easier than a table for me right now).

Then I folded it in half, and sliced it down the folded edge.

After that I measured  and cut six 6 inch strips. Thankfully the squares on my rug are six inches each so it was super easy to measure!

Ta-da! All the tulle is cut!

I looped the elastic around one of my lovely pillows (it's so well dressed now). And tied on the tulle. I folded each strip in half - the long way - as shown above.

Then I looped it behind the elastic.

And pulled the bottom of the strip through the loop.

Then I tightened it down (not too tight!).

And pushed it up against the rest of the strips.

It took me about an hour to do. Cutting took the longest. Yow! I didn't take pictures of putting the ribbon on, but it was super easy. I took an inch wide ribbon and wrapped it around the elastic and knots of the tulle. To start I left a foot of ribbon (to tie the bow), and started to wrap it. I did it around every other strip of tulle. At the end I tied it like I was tying a shoe.

Here's a picture of what I've done so far.

I actually made the bow a bit smaller and then put a stitch or two in it to keep it tied (kids love to untie bows), then I cut the edges on an angle and sealed them with a lighter so they wouldn't fray.

Viola! A tutu! And here are some pictures of my big girl - she's 2-years-old today - in her new "pretty dress." :)

Happy birthday to my 2-year old baby girl! Love her bunches. She's the best birthday gift I've ever received! :)

Four Year Anniversary!

It's Matt and my four year anniversary today!

In honor of that he accompanied me to my doctor's appointment and went with me to fill Keith's script! Clearly, we don't know how to celebrate...

What we did do today was the kids hand prints in cement for their grandparents (a combo of Mother's day and Father's Day).

Keith's already finished stepping stones.

Seeing if his hands still fit (it's been a week, they may have grown ^_~).

Time to get Avalyn's prints!

Success!

I think the grandparents will like these.

Keith showing Avalyn how small her hands are compared to his.

He's finally realized that "she's so little!"

Amazing.

Can't wait to see the finished products!

Thrift Store Gold!

For the past several months I have been looking for a suitcase for Avalyn. It sounds like an easy task, but I assure you it's not! Luggage (even for kids) is expensive and I can't see spending $40 on a suitcase that a kid will outgrow. Enter the thrift store...

I found the coolest rolling luggage, it's pink with black zippers (I love pink and black together), and it has six places to stash stuff (well seven if you count the little pouch that clips onto it). Needless to say I jumped on it when I saw it. All of the other suitcases and backpacks there were marked between five and eight dollars so I knew I would be getting a deal even though there was no price tag on it. I looked it over and it was pristine. As in never used. There were no marks on it, the desiccants were still in it, and it was clean. How lucky is that? When I took it to the counter I asked how much it was an my jaw almost hit the floor when the cashier said two dollars. There is only one imperfection (for me anyway): It's personalized with a name.

Yes, I know Clara isn't Avalyn's name. ^_~

The "Clara" is going to have to go. Sorry to Matt's Grandma Clara, and the folks over at YHL, but I've got to change it. Even if it did say "Avalyn" I would change it. I guess I'm not comfortable having Avalyn's name on her things for strangers to see. I think I'm going to bring it to Alfie (remember the place I worked two years ago?) and see if they can remove it and add a cow or Avalyn's initials to it. Or maybe I'll sew a patch over it... hmm...

Either way two bucks is a steal! I'm super duper excited! I kept bringing it up to my mom today because I couldn't believe it. I looked up the place the bag is from and found out how much it would be to order one and I got even more giddy. I love me a good deal! 

It is from personalcreations.com and it is listed at $39.99. The reviews are pretty good, and I will agree with the main complaint: It doesn't stay upright. It's not a big deal to me, but I can see it being a problem for those who spent full price. 

If I wasn't super pregnant (considered full term now!) I would do a happy dance. But instead I will just wave my arms like a crazy person and write a blog post about it. :) My super pregnantness (it's a word) is why I'm so excited. I packed a hospital bag for Matt and me, for Nicolas, for Keith, and now Avalyn's is ready to go! Just in time! Well, technically I'm not due for three weeks, but it doesn't hurt to be prepared!

Has anyone else found a super awesome deal lately? I know I'm not the only one who enjoys going to thrift stores!

Memorial Day Fun!

Some pictures from our Memorial Weekend we spent with my parents at the cottage.

Avalyn in her new swimsuit from Grandpa and Grandma. The hat was a second hand store find! I added a ribbon to help keep it on her head.

Avalyn thought a weed was a snake and was concerned when Grandma picked it up.

Filling up a tube for Avalyn to float in.

Turns out Avalyn wanted the blue tube. Good thing Keith loves his sister.

He wanted a mohawk so I gave him one!

Keith smashed the sandcastle and Avalyn was less than thrilled. "No, Keith!"

My kiddos!

I hope everyone else had a wonderful weekend! We sure enjoyed it!

Mother's Day

My Mother's Day was pretty nice this year. Usually I spend six hours in the car because we have to pick Keith up, but this year we were about fifteen minutes from home when Avalyn got sick. I had to turn the car around and get Avalyn home and cleaned up (as well as the car seat and her clothes), and Matt went on his own to pick up the boy.

He also picked up something else.

A new computer! Needless to say I was shocked. It's made for graphics and has a quad core so hopefully it will be able to keep up with me and photoshop! Yes, of course there are already finger prints on it. *Sigh*

I also got yoga pants (because I'm too big for the waistband of my other pants), and a nice little card. :)

I also packed Nicolas's hospital bag. There's some burp clothes, a receiving blanket that my mom made, a couple different outfits (who knows how big he'll be), a music box (mostly hiding it from Avalyn in there), a binky (also hiding from Avalyn), and his baby book.

Pretty sure this won't close.

It won't stay this neat.

Also, on Mother's Day, before we got in the car for that fateful, smelly, trip, I took pictures of the work Matt did outside. Finally right?

One tree gone. The tree in the upper right is next (it's dead).

Five more tree's gone. Seriously, I'm not thrilled with cutting down trees, but it had to be done.

Avalyn about thirty minutes before the vomit car incident. She loves Daddy's garden.

Matt removing another tree.

So, it was a good day (puking aside), and we got a lot done (I super-cleaned more of the house... definitely nesting!). Also, over the weekend my baby girl hit another milestone. She's 23 months old now! She'll be a full fledged two year old in less than a month. And soon after that (or before, who really knows?) she's going to be a big sister.

I got her floppy hat at Once Upon A Child for two dollars, and added the ribbon today to keep it on her head. And it keeps those pesky mosquitoes away (sort of - one got her on her right eyelid and it looks like she got in a fight. Poor girl!).

Anyone else have a nice Mother's Day? Or alter an article of clothing? Are mosquitoes this insane everywhere or is it just here? It's insane. Like walking into a big black cloud of biting and nastiness every time I go outside!

Late, As Usual

Okay, I promised to post, but I lied. We've had a lot going on this week. Avalyn had a rash that went from nothing to insane in about a day, so I had to take care of that... Matt had work meetings so I was a single parent for a couple days, and today I had an appointment with my OB. I'm just now relaxing. You know five minutes before bed. Tomorrow starts more crazy because this weekend is SWWACHL, and Matt is going to move or fix the Jeep, and I will be calling to make my maternity prepared stay appointment, as well as pack my hospital bag (and Matt's and Nicolas's, and overnight bags for Keith and Avalyn), and we're going to work on our garden a bit. Well... Matt's going to do the last part because while his thumb is green, mine is black. The only plant that has survived me is my bamboo. He's a hearty fellow!

Okay, first up, our garden. It was full of leaves last year, but this year it will be full of fruits and veggies! The previous owners of our home had some very nice landscaping going on by the garden, but after that crazy blizzard in March, Matt and I are rethinking the amount of pine trees we have near structures.

Notice how many trees we have? Oh, and like the look Matt's giving me? He loves having his picture taken!

Here are a few trees that need to go. The rocks make a path around them... you'll see.

Here's a "during" shot of Matt raking the garden.

There are the pathways. The tree that's a "V" shape is dead and needs to go. The tree on the far left has to go. It's right next to the potting shed and could threaten the structure (unfortunately). I really hate removing trees. I love trees, but sometimes they have to go. :(

Like this beautiful birch tree. Isn't he pretty? We didn't think there was a reason to take him down. He's a pretty hardwood, not close to the house, or the garden, or the shed. Can you sense there's a butt?

But the storm made him lean. Big time! Depending on the way he tips he could destroy the jungle gym, the garden or even the shed.

We can't let anything happen to this baby. This is why Keith said we could buy the house!

Here's a better view of the paths. Fun right? And Keith doesn't have to mow through here because it's all moss. The three trees in the back left corner have to go, too. One is dead and the other two have to move so the hardwoods can have some room.

Ta da! The garden. Need some soil and probably some pinwheels (to keep the birds and deer away) but this is progress!

Okay, onto the kitchen. My once naked kitchen now has some cover. This isn't for everyone, I can safely say that, but I really like it. It makes it look so much less bare and so much more lived in! I like lived in.

This is before (I know, it's messy).

After! All those serving dishes we never used from Matt's grandma are now serving as decoration! They look so much better on top of my cabinets than they did in the cabinets. Don't you think so, too?

All right, onto the reason why I didn't post this sooner. Avalyn has had a rash for about three weeks now. It started out as a few bumps on her tummy and chest (skin colored I couldn't see them just feel them), then a week later the bumps were on her leg, a week after that they were on her arm ( it was a weekend that those appeared)... So, I decided that it was time to call a doctor. Aveno Baby Eczema Therapy wasn't working and I was getting worried. Well, the next day it was a full blown breakout, but only on one side of her body.

See? Very red. I sent this picture to Val and she and I agreed that it did look like eczema. But the whole being on one side of her body and not knowing what was causing it was freaking me out.

It didn't seem to bother her, but I made an appointment and brought her in first thing on Monday. The doctor was as baffled by the rash as I was. He was surprised she didn't itch and it wasn't bothering her, and he was doubly surprised that it was only on one side of her body. He prescribed a mild steroid cream and told me to give her Benadryl. I have been doing that since Monday, and here's what she looks like as of Thursday night.

Much better right?

The rash is almost completely gone, but I'm still worried about what caused it. I haven't changed detergents, haven't given her any weird food... could it be because it's spring? But why was it only on one side of her body? I hate not knowing.

 Okay: reason number two of why this is late. I'm 33 weeks pregnant and it was time for another ultrasound. Keith was born with water on the brain and we requested a late ultrasound because we were worried Nicolas might have the same problem (we were the same way with Avalyn). Better safe than sorry, right? Well good news: No water on the brain, and everything looks great! Nicolas is measuring ahead by a week or so but he has a normal size head and everything. The tech said he has a big tummy, chubby cheeks, and a good sized melon. 61st percentile. Not too big, thank goodness! Right now he's weighing in at 5lbs 4oz. Big boy!

Looks like Daddy's nose and mouth, and mommy's cheeks.

So, I'm done with my excuses and I'm just going to be happy that everything is normal with my pregnancy. I'm hurting quite a bit (darn ligaments and pelvis - ouch!), but it's worth it to know he's thriving in there. We had some storms here today as well, and boy was it humid. Avalyn's hair says it all...

Look at those curls!

Anyone else having severe weather? I hope not. Stay safe, friends!