sewing binge

I've been sewing like crazy this week - heading into my laundry/sewing/wine storage/knitting room to cut, pin, iron and sew every night after the kids go to sleep. The top dress is more of a smock from Amy Karol's book Bend the Rules. It was my first attempt a binding and it worked out great! It's definitely loose and has room to grow with her. The second dress is Em's 4th of July outfit - I can't get enough of the bandanna print. I underestimated how tall my toddler is so worn as a dress, this one is a little scandalous so it's more of a trapeze top :) It's a variation on the simple pillowcase dress. Everything was made with cotton purchased during my mandatory foot elevation/online shopping binge . . . I cranked out another flowery pillowcase dress but didn't manage a snapshot before Em wore it to school. Once it's out of the wash I'll add it to the blog. I have at least five or six more piles of fabric waiting to be manipulated into summer fashions. I better get back to my personal sweatshop.

kindergarten finale

E had his end of year kindergarten performance last night. The whole grade put on a choir concert and then toured parents through all of their big art projects. E's teacher had a slide show of the entire year going on the smartboard and all of the mamas were oohhhing and aahhhing over the past year of memories - they all looked so young and round at the start of the year. They've really thinned out and now look like about-to-be first graders.










Em loved the concert and picked out E in the crowd right away. He's dead center in the back row.

Video below. It was hot, hot, hot last night and you can see E looking a little sweaty in the back row - orange polo:

camping weekend

Our family hit the beach for a camping weekend over Memorial Day. We stayed at a yurt at Nehalem State Park and had three days of lovely sun, campfires and beach time. I think it was Em's first camping trip - she did great. She liked seeing all of the over kids at the campground and put in lots of time at the playground in the park. She did a little sand digging but stuck close to Papa.
E and I got a lot more digging in and even made him a beach chair with drink holder.



We came home smelling like campfire and a little sticky but it was a special weekend.

Friday night playdate

We are lucky to have next door neighbors with a new play structure that is the hit of the hood. After dinner, we head over for some playtime. Em is forging a friendship with the little girl across the street. They circle each other, sometimes there is a touch on the arm, and if we are lucky, Ring Around the Rosie gets played.




E has a bit of a stormy relationship with the brother - sometimes playing lovely and sometimes disolving into tears over . . . . well, whatever a five and six-year-old argue about.

Last night there were no arguments - just play time. After the kids went to bed we got some card time in - spades are the rage on our street this spring.

big girl

Em looks so big to me in this picture. I don't know if it's because she's not in a baby swing or that she's actually growing before our eyes, but just this weekend she seemed to take a significant jump in the world. my sweet girl.

water weekend

We've been having a blast all weekend with this ginormous waterslide set-up in the backyard. Lots of friends stopped by to check it out - it's crazy huge and a great way to celebrate the first hot weekend of summer.

Em just watched from a safe distance and ate her weight in watermelon.

I shared cocktails with neighborhood mamas and got a little reading done. At some point today we're going to have to dry it out and roll it up . . sniff, sniff. I love summer.

my mimic

Em is our little mimic. If I hold my hands to shield my eyes from the sun, she does the same. If I say, "ah" after a sip of water, she does too.

I love to see her learning her big girl behaviors - but she seems to be learning them from more than one species in the house. She set up her play kitchen bowl next to Mara's and imitated her eating and drinking . . . totally delighted with herself. She chitter chattered to herself the whole time and looked up to me in delight.

I supervised considering Em's affinity for cat food. ugh.

happy birthday addie!

Sweet cousin Addie celebrated her second birthday this weekend with a party she shared with her new baby sister Arabella. I realized I didn't get any pictures of the new baby - I was too busy holding her!

Addie was the belle of the ball and so much fun to play with.

Em had a great time and got to know her cousin even more. It was a gorgeous day, full of sun, happiness and cake.

fabric shopping

While I was off my foot last week I did a (cough) bit of online shopping for . . . . fabric. It might seem odd to buy fabric online but I had just as much fun looking at 4x4 inch images on the computer rather than running my hands through bolts upon bolts in a store. I have a new sewing machine and we've been eyeing each other warily - will I be able to figure it out? Will the tension be screwed up? Despite the silly 70's barbie flower on it, I have high hopes.




All of the fabric is for clothes for Little Miss. I've got my eye on making some twirly skirts with this set

















and this set.













I had to get this piece from the new Jay McCarroll line - Project Runway god. This will be a pillowcase dress.











And who could resist Olivia fabric? Maybe a dress or smocky top.
First things first, facing the new machine.

science fair

E was in the school science fair this week. He and his dad had been looking forward to it for weeks. His project was called "How Much Does This Weigh?" - said with a dramatic echo. E took pictures of things around the house - a pizza, books, his baby sister, etc. He predicted how much each item would weigh and then found the true weight. He practiced explaining his experiment several times - and the judge turned out to be his teacher's husband - who was very gentle with his questions.

A lot of kids from E's class participated. Here he is with his buddy Bayard who showed about different liquids have different weights. Another classmate tested to see if you get more banana strings if you peeled the banana from the bottom than the top. Answer - yes!

E got a gold star from the judge and a lovely medal. He's bringing the project to class today for show and tell. Top honors in his grade range went to a first grader who presented on "How Fossils Are Formed" and to the banana girls (they are twins).

they are just the cutest

We had a family dinner last night with our Manilla-residing cousins. More time with Addie and her parents and grandparents . . . Em wasn't quite so jealous at this playdate and the girls bonded over their mutal love of Mara the cat.
Addie heard about an accident Em had while bouncing on the ottoman and warned Em a couple of times to not fall off again. Addie is so very sweet and happy. The girls are nearly the same size, wear the same shoe size and are in love with their papas. I am so excited to see them continue to grow up together and be international penpals.
I have to brag about Tall House, Double Cup. I am out of commission with a staph infection in my foot. I have to keep my foot raised above my heart and stay off it - so THDC took over the dinner party - ordering in fabulous bbq from Russell St., getting the kids bathed and dressed AND picking up the weekend toys so the house looked great for our guests - all things that are very important to me that THDC took very seriously and really came through on. He is continuing to help me out in so many ways. It's really frustrating to be on bedrest - I would love to be home for a couple of days - but only if I could sew, organize drawers, iron, and generally be a busybee. But just google "staph infection" images and you'll quickly sit down and put your foot up too. Scary.

the best ever

I spent the past couple of days hosting author Jon Scieszka at the library. You'll know him from The True Story of the Three Little Pigs and The Stinky Cheeseman. It was such a treat to have him in town - meeting nearly 2,000 kids and parents. He's a total doll and very funny. At the end of hosting authors and illustrators, I usually want to fall into a hot bath and go to bed but he was such a joy, I am ready to charge right back into work and put more energy into my projects. Read Jon, read him frequently!

e's first school dance

E had his first school dance. He was ready to party and celebrate spring with his friends. We cramped his style a bit by attending but it was a family dance so lots of little brothers and sisters were around too.
We had a great time - and in true kindergarten fashion, we ended the night with a trip to the playground for some jungle gym time. Below is a video of E in the hopping contest (this deejay knew how to get little kids moving).

easter

I finally downloaded the pictures from Easter. We had a lovely day of some home celebration and some big family celebration. I don't think Emme knew exactly why she was picking up eggs but she was determined to keep up with her brother. Both kids loved all of their presents and the time they got to spend with cousins

cousin party

We were SO SO SO excited to finally get to see Cousin Addie! Born just two weeks before Em, she's visiting with her mama from Manila while waiting for her new baby sister to be born. I read Addie's blog daily and feel like I know her so well! She has the most charming way of saying, "Yes." I think I got her to say it two dozen times! She is outgoing and very personable - just how I imagined her in her pictures!
Em was not as welcoming and was definitely feeling a bit shy and maybe even jealous! I am hoping for more playdates so Em will warm up. She was especially concerned when her dad hugged Addie - that was just too much for her!

But Sara got some great photos of when Em had more of a smile than a scowl on her face :) Both girls as in love with Mara the cat so they bonded a bit through her. I can't wait to get together again and hear that charming, "Yes!".

easter box arrived

E tore into the box minutes after it arrived from UPS - the annual Easter box from Nana and Jonesie - filled with presents and treats. Even the parents each got a carmel eggs. E loves his chocolate bunny and Em loves her new Charlie and Lola books.
Thanks Nana and Jonesie!

little miss

Em is moving right into the true toddler phase - we don't have to watch her every minute she is moving, she is adding new words all of the time and showing interest in big kid things. She seems to understand nearly everything we say to her and hates to be told no if it involves being held. She can take no when it comes to Otter Pops for breakfast but if you tell her you can't carry her while you make dinner, watch out for the waterworks.

Lately I've just found so much delight in her. I love the way her hair curls around her head, her sweet puppy breath in the morning, the way she tidies up and closes every door she walks by and of course, her self-initiated hugs and pats. When I was pregnant with her, I was so worried I wouldn't be able to love her as much as I love E and everyone reassured me I would. I find that I love her in a different way - totally unexpected way. She is just our delight and ball of light. I love you Em!

no little monkeys were harmed in this blog post

E has made a really good friend in kindergarten. To quote the great Bill Murry in Meatballs, "If you make one good friend a summer, then you're doing pretty well." I would say the same is true for a school year.


Anyway, the boys are really into the same things and feed off each other's imaginations. They loved surprising me this weekend with a ninja kungfu show - and of course, they felt shirtless was the most authentic way to go. I have to admit, I pulled the mom card right after the show was done and convinced them the didn't want to catch cold since they both had a birthday party to attend the next day. Sensible ninjas they are.
Video below: