Emskyrooney

Things to Remember: Eliza Rose, Age 3

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 24 Aug 2015 18:43:00 +0000

Today our sweet little Eliza Rose turns three. Like all moms, I'm sure, it's hard for me to believe that she's already out of toddler-hood and becoming a preschooler. It seems as though we were just preparing for her to join our family yesterday and now, of course, it's impossible to imagine what life would be like without Eliza around.

Eliza might be the smallest person in our house but she has the largest personality by far. Shy in public, she's boisterous and energetic at home- running all over, squealing with excitement, bossing everyone around and trying to take charge at all times.

She's stubborn and sensitive, sweet and sassy, and over the top spicy.

At three Eliza's favorite things are her brother, her doggies, mermaids, stories, and princesses. She loves to play tea party, help in the kitchen and go swimming. Sometimes she says she's "Eliza BaBaron"- other times she's a "puppy doggy" or a "mermaid with a pink sparkly tail."

Eliza starts preschool two mornings a week next week- she's excited to go to school like a big girl with her "pack-pack" and her snack.

Happy third birthday to our beautiful girl!

Cote D'Azur Sunhat

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 30 May 2015 16:38:00 +0000

Now that we live in the desert we've had to majorly change our sun protection habits. In Massachusetts we wore sunscreen in the summer and hats if it was "extra sunny" but here it's sunny 99% of the time and hot! We're wearing hats, sunglasses and sunscreen basically every day!

I've been relying on a few baseball caps and some old sunhats I had but really needed something with a wider brim to provide more shade. When I saw a tester call for the Cote D'Azur Sunhat I jumped on it and was lucky enough to be chosen!

This is the first wearable pattern from quilt designer Shannon Mac Designs and it is fabulous! The pattern was designed to fit head circumferences of 16"- 24" and has 4", 5" and 6" brim options. It fits most people 12 months and up!

I made my sunhat in size 6 (circumference 21-22") with a 4" brim. I used quilting cotton that I'd been hoarding on the outside and a more neutral cotton on the inside.

The hat goes together very quickly and Shannon's instructions are great and easy to follow. I would say that I'm an intermediate to advanced sewer and that this pattern would be simple enough for a pretty new sewer to tackle. The trickiest parts are attaching the inner and outer hat together.

My hat looks fabulous and I've had many compliments on it already! I have plans for a second hat for myself and one for Eliza as well (princess style as requested!).

Grab the pattern here (on sale for the weekend!):

http://www.craftsy.com/…/accessory/cote-dazur-sun-hat/146892

You should also check out Shannon's blog for a chance to win the pattern!

And you can join Shannon's Facebook Group too (I am!!)...

Things to Remember: Eliza Rose, 32 Months

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 26 Apr 2015 17:49:00 +0000

I have been totally neglectful and haven't kept track of Things to Remember for Eliza since she turned two. With Paul I switched from monthly updates to doing one every six months after he turned two and I totally missed Eliza's 2.5 year update. She's now 32 months and getting closer and closer to what I've been told has now been dubbed a "threenager."

At 32 months Eliza continues to be our drama queen- she's either very very sweet, or very very stubborn. Her mood can change in an instant from happy to cranky and you never quite know what you're going to get. She's mastered the evil eye and has begun rolling her eyes and saying "oh Mom..." when asked to do something she doesn't want to do (no doubt she learned that one from her brother!).

Eliza loves to dance. She has a ballet video Nana and Pappy gave her that she ADORES and she and I are doing Mommy and Me dance at a local rec center. Her usual dance outfit for class includes her Rapunzel dance costume and her trademark sunglasses.

Eliza's language skills are off the charts. We were at the pediatrician for her 2.5 checkup- our first experience with our new pediatrician here in Vegas- and she wouldn't talk at all while he was in the room. He asked me if she says any words and I told him she talks all the time, full paragraphs. He didn't seem to believe me so I told him to step out in the hall for a minute. The second he left the room Eliza started chatting away about everything she saw out the window, "Oh! There's a bus- with people on it! And there's a flag on that building! And there's the grocery store! And that lady is pushing her cart!" and on and on. The pediatrician came back in and said her language skills are very advanced for her age- she just won't use them around strangers!

Eliza adores her big brother- when she's not bossing him around or shoving him away that is! They're the best of friends for the most part and love playing silly games together. Almost daily they play Peter Pan- and they both run around singing the songs from Peter Pan Live...

Eliza is very sure about what she will and won't wear. She definitely has her own style, particularly with accessories and is rarely without her sunglasses (frequently worn upside-down). Lately she's been gravitating towards "sparkly" things- we thought we could avoid the whole "princess" scene but somehow she's figured it out and she has quite a collection of "jewels" that she likes to wear.

Eliza loves to help with chores- she has her own little spray bottle of cleaner and cleans the dishwasher and the fridge almost every day with it. She also likes to do laundry and she particularly enjoys brushing the dog.

She dropped her naps right around her second birthday but still needs a little cat-nap once in a while. Sometimes she'll nap in her stroller on the way to pick up Paul at school or she'll lay down on the couch and snooze a bit before dinner. She still holds tight to her lovies and sucks her left thumb when she's tired.

Eliza brings so much light and joy to our house (along with a good dose of stubbornness!) and we love her more than anything!

House Tour...

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 09 Apr 2015 20:12:00 +0000

I've totally fallen out of the habit of blogging since we moved to Las Vegas. We've been so busy settling in, hosting family for the holidays, having visitors, and just generally adjusting to our new life here in the desert that months have gone by since I last blogged!

Although our Las Vegas house doesn't need as much work and fixing up as our house in Massachusetts did, we still have lots of big plans. Paul and I can't just let things be- we always have a list of projects we want to do and it's rare that we don't have one in progress... I was good at documenting the changes we made to our Massachusetts house and I still love looking back on it so I want to be sure to document our work here on our Vegas house.

To start, here are the before photos- we're settled in, furniture is bought and arranged, but the house is missing personality- it desperately needs some paint on these white walls!

My father-in-law drew up these floors plans for us when we were house-hunting. Remember, we didn't see this house in person until the day we moved in so having a floor plan was very helpful!

From the front door you enter into the living room...

Which opens to the dining room...

Just through the door from the dining room is the eat-in part of the kitchen and our walk-in pantry (LOVE)...

And then the kitchen (with the same cabinets and granite we had in MA!).

The kitchen connects with the family room...

And there's also a sewing room/guest room and a 3/4 bath downstairs...

Upstairs is more spacious than downstairs as there's a huge bonus room over our 3-car garage..

We've set one end of the bonus room up for reading:

And the other for movies and video games...

Up 2 more steps from the bonus room is a small loft area:

And then a larger loft where we have our office/playroom:

The kids' bedrooms are across the hall from the large loft with a bathroom in between:

Our bedroom is at the back of the house...

With our bath attached (SUCH an upgrade going from 1.5 baths to 3 full!)

This is looking from our bedroom doorway back down the hall- the playroom loft is at the left, the bonus room is all the way at the end..

And our backyard (which has already been updated- it was a concrete slab with dirt and rocks surrounding it when we moved in. We hired a landscaper to put in a larger paver patio , GRASS! and plants...

So there's the "before" tour! We've started painting and have some other big plans in store as well! Stay tuned!

A Long Overdue Update....

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 17 Dec 2014 12:00:00 +0000

In my last post I dropped the big bomb that we were relocating to Las Vegas. Two months later, here we are! And here's a long overdue update (mostly photos taken on my phone!) of our journey from Massachusetts to Pennsylvania to Nevada and how we're settling in so far!

Our moving truck (#1 of 2!) was delivered to our home in Massachusetts on a Thursday.

On Friday we loaded up most of the furniture with some hired help.

Saturday morning the kids and I said one more goodbye to friends and then hit the road to Pennsylvania. Paul stayed behind to load up the last few things before starting on his road trip to Nevada.

The kids and I drove 6 hours to spend the next ten days in Pennsylvania with my parents- packing in as many visits with family and friends as we could!

We were lucky enough to be able to see my grandmother and aunts, my college roomie and her kids, and my brother and his family before we left.

While we were visiting Pennsylvania Paul was driving across country with the dog and his friend for company. He stopped in PA on the way for a brief overnight visit- which meant we were able to have breakfast together on our 8th anniversary before he hit the road again!

A few days later the kids and I hopped on a plane to Vegas...

Thank goodness for tvs on the backs of the seats! LP and Eliza were so well- behaved on the whole flight- I was very proud of them! (and oh so thankful that it went well!)

After arriving in Vegas we stayed with Paul's parents for a few days before we could close on the new house. We flew in on a Tuesday and on Wednesday night Paul and I were able to finally see the new place in person!

Hello... desert! And mountains! So different from Massachusetts!

The front of the house...

Checking out our new kitchen (which coincidentally has the same cabinet color and the exact same granite we installed in our Massachusetts kitchen!):

We moved in most of our things on Thursday,

And spent our first night in the house on Friday which was Halloween. Jango Fett from Star Wars was in attendance:

And Scooby-Doo made a very brief appearance. We actually didn't have a costume for Eliza as she hadn't wanted one previously. Our new next-door-neighbor heard that she didn't have a costume and found one of her kid's old costumes for Eliza to wear. So sweet and such a great introduction to our new neighborhood! Halloween was fantastic- the kids loved being in a neighborhood where everyone was out for trick-or-treat, it's exactly the kind of neighborhood we'd hoped for!

Two wiped out kids after all the hubbub!

Some other little things. Here's the view from our master bedroom balcony- I love seeing the mountains everywhere!

This is our neighborhood playground- we pass it on the way to school:

The park the playground is in is called the Promenade- it runs behind our neighborhood and down to the street that the school is on. Such a pleasant walk to school!

LP's first day of school was a little tough but once he learned the new school rules he was happy as a clam and is really enjoying it so far!

And Eliza loves hearing the bell ring for school to start and end- "Bye bye Paul" she yells as he lines up for school to begin:

We love that our street has hardly any traffic and we can get lots of scooter time in:

I love having an eat-in kitchen!

And the house is feeling more like home every day...

We spend most of our time at home in the family room and kitchen, but we also have a bonus family room and a playroom upstairs. It's so nice to have extra space!

And I love the sunsets here.. This is outside of Paul's school when we went over for Parent/Teacher conferences....

So we're getting settled. It's been hectic, moving right before the holidays, but we hosted Thanksgiving and will be hosting Christmas as well. We've already made some changes to the house (lights over the kitchen island and cabinet pulls on all the doors!) and have many more in store for the future- including landscaping our back yard!

While I wouldn't say that Las Vegas feels like home yet, our house itself does, and we're all very comfortable here. I'm learning my way around and can get to quite a few places without my GPS which is good. And we're really happy with all the extra family time we've had.

So far, so good!

Changing Leaves...

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 16 Oct 2014 13:58:00 +0000

Beyond "back to school" and the switch from hot muggy summer to crisp, cool autumn, fall has historically been a time of change for Paul and I. We were married in October, bought our first house together the following October, and had LP in November the year after that. This year we're adding another big autumnal change to our family archives- a move across the country to Las Vegas!

Over the past few years Paul's work situation has become more and more stressful and we were feeling as though we had less and less good quality family time as he went to work before the children were up in the morning, came home at dinner time, and was exhausted on the weekends. His parents used to live nearby but retired out to Las Vegas almost two years ago, leaving us with no family closer than a six hour drive. Although we've loved living in Massachusetts, we decided to start looking to relocate to be closer to either my parents in Pennsylvania or Paul's parents in Nevada as we really wanted our children to grow up close to family.

After months and months of looking for jobs, applying for jobs, interviewing for positions that weren't quite right or for positions that were fantastic but not in the right location, Paul was offered a position working for the county out in Las Vegas. We mulled it over for a while, and decided that although we'll be a lot farther from my family in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Washington, DC, we'll be in the same town as Paul's parents, one of his brothers and his daughter, and an aunt. And we'll be 4-5 hours driving from one of my brothers and Paul's other brother who are in California. Add in a much lower cost of living, better year-round weather (yes, it's brutally hot there in the summer- but dry heat is more bearable than humid and it's warm enough most of the winter to hit the playground, even in January and February), and we decided to go for it. We've visited Las Vegas a dozen times or so and know that it's not just strippers and casinos- in fact, the suburbs of Las Vegas are just like any other suburbs- full of schools, libraries, shopping centers, parks, and regular, every day people.

This decision wasn't made with ease- we're both very nervous about such a big change for all of us. Las Vegas is pretty much the polar opposite of Massachusetts. We know we'll miss the change of seasons (although I doubt very much that we'll miss snowblowing at 5 a.m so that Paul can get to work), our friends, and the home we've worked so hard to create here. Paul has lived in Massachusetts for thirty years and I've been here for fourteen so it's a huge portion of our lives. And I'm sad about being so much farther from my parents. Even though it's a six hour drive to see them, it's a drive, not a plane trip, so we can be a bit more flexible about visits and things.

But we're confident that after an initial adjustment period we'll be happy with the change. And we know that if, in a few years, we decide that Las Vegas isn't right for us, the children will still be young enough that it won't be too hard to relocate and change schools again.

We're excited to be near family, we're excited to be moving into a neighborhood where there are block parties and trick-or-treat, where we can walk to school and to several large parks, where the neighbors up and down the street have children the same age as ours. We're excited to be able to explore the western part of the country more- trips to California, the Grand Canyon, and other amazing national parks. We're excited to more than double the size of our house- we'll have plenty of room for guests now- no one will be relegated to a pull-out sofa in our spidery basement any more. And we're excited for Paul to be in a job were he gets home by 4 pm and isn't so stressed out and exhausted so that we can spend more time enjoying our children and our family.

And so, for now, as the moving truck arrived today and we're loading it tomorrow before the kids and I had to Pennsylvania for a visit with Nana and Pappy while Paul and the dog drive with a buddy across the country, I sign off with:

"Viva, Las Vegas!"

Things to Remember: Eliza Rose, Age Two!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 02 Sep 2014 15:57:00 +0000

It seems like just yesterday that we were counting down the days until the arrival of "Baby Sister." The scheduled c-section was on the calendar more than a month ahead of time unless she decided to make an early appearance, giving us the chance to do a final countdown as our family of three became a family of four. We were anxious and nervous, thrilled that Paul would finally be a big brother and so excited to have a baby girl in the house. While we thought we knew what to expect since we weren't first time parents, we really had no clue how much this little one would change our lives.

Right from the start Paul and Eliza have had an indescribable bond that makes us so happy to see. They love each other completely and totally, even when tussling over a favorite toy. LP is always watching out for Eliza- telling her he's the big brother and will take care of her forever. He even told me that one day he's going to marry her... When I told him he couldn't marry his sister he said, "well, then I'll marry someone else and have a baby girl and name her Eliza." True love at it's best!

Eliza was an easy baby, much like Paul was. She ate well, slept well, and was never terribly fussy.

She learned to sit,

to crawl,

and to walk, all on the same timeline as her brother...

As Eliza has gotten older though, her personality has grown faster than the rest of her. She's still a teeny tiny little thing with big drama, huge smiles, and even larger tantrums.

At two, Eliza is happiest when she's playing with Paul. Their favorite game is to chase each other around the house, yelling "I got you! I got you!" She's the only one who can get away with calling LP "Paulie," and he knows how to get her to do things that we can't get her to do (like get dressed in certain "unapproved by Eliza" outfits).

If Paul isn't at her side, her lovies are. We've graduated from one lovie to two identical ones, both equally bedraggled and beloved. They are chewed on at times but usually held in one fist while the thumb of the other hand is in her mouth.

Eliza adores playing outside. "Run! Run!" she yells as the kids streak back and forth across the yard. She loves the swing and the slide and has bravely conquered the "big slide" at the playground.

She's a spitfire, full of sugar and spice. If you ask her if she's sweet or spicy, she now responds with, "EXTRA spicy!!" She's extremely stubborn and can easily throw a tantrum for twenty minutes at a time over the littlest of things. Unlike her brother who was quick to snap out of a bad mood or tantrum, Eliza prefers to carry on until her nose is running, her eyes are red, and she's completely exhausted herself with all the yelling and screaming. While Paul would sit nicely in timeout on the steps and pop up after a minute with a smile and an apology, Eliza throws herself on the floor and screams, never giving in.

Like her brother, Eliza is a chatterbox. Unlike Paul though, she's really only a chatterbox at home. Out in public she's pretty quiet, not talking to people, even friends she's known her whole life. When it's just us though she's pretty much non-stop. She talks to herself, to us, and to the dog. Her current favorite phrase is "What's that Mom?" as she points to something. "Where'd it go?" and "I want more juice Mom!" are other favorites. On special occasions where she gets to have chocolate milk she insists on calling it "chicken milk."

Eliza loves Minnie Mouse, Paw Patrol, and Cookie Monster. She likes to play Lego with Paul (they're all called Lego Ninjago according to her) and with her play kitchen. She loves to help with chores and has her own little broom and dustpan for sweeping. When putting laundry in the washer she labels each piece of clothing: Paul's Sock! Daddy's pants!

The master of the stinkeye and the dirty look- Eliza knows what she wants and how to get it (as long as Daddy is around- he's more of a sucker than Mommy is). She's quick tempered but also as sweet as can be, full of hugs and kisses. At bedtime she kisses Daddy, Paul, Gabby, all her stuffed animals, some of her books, and Mommy goodnight.

Two years ago we had no idea what this little one had up her teeny tiny sleeves. She's spiced up our easygoing household big time- and we love her more and more every day...

Happy second birthday to our beautiful girl!

Things to Remember: Paul Thomas, 5.5

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 08 Jul 2014 19:43:00 +0000

I haven’t blogged in more than a month which is just terrible. Our June ended up being a little crazier than expected. Right after LP finished school we headed to my parents’ house in Pennsylvania for a week-long trip. LP was going to attend Vacation Bible School for a week and I was headed to NYC with some friends for the weekend. Our trip was extended due to a death in the family and we didn't get back home until July 3. We’re leaving again this Friday for a vacation (Disney!) and so have been trying to recover from travelling and prepare for the next round!

Seems like lately I've mostly been posting sewing photos on this blog, and I definitely have more to post but want to do a little LP update as I missed doing his 5.5 update (and I owe one for Eliza’s 22 month!).
Paul finished up his year of pre-K and will be an official kindergartner in the fall!

Here's LP on his very last day of school!

Of course, there was a "graduation" ceremony and a family picnic. The teacher shared a video she'd taken of all of the kids talking about their favorite part of school. LP's was "snack time." That drew a lot of snickers from the crowd of parents!

Here he is with his teacher, Miss P. LP LOVED school- he's such a social kid and he really enjoyed being with the other students and all of the activity. We had a lot of great reports from his teacher and he's already looking forward to kindergarten.

LP also did T-Ball for the first time this spring. Since his father and all 4 of his uncles played ball we wanted him to try it. I wouldn't say he's a natural but there is some natural ability in there if he'd stop chattering to all the players and coaches and focus on the ball!

This spring was the busiest we've ever been as far as activities for Paul- we usually keep things quiet with a little yoga class at the library. But we'd heard that karate can be really good for helping kids develop strength and signed him up. Paul's large motor and fine motor skills are a little lagging behind other kids his age and we're seeing a difference already. He's learned to jump with both feet at once and his hands are now strong enough that he can open and close the car door himself and put on his seatbelt which is huge (and was rewarded with an ice cream cone lunch!). He LOVES karate and will start classes back up in the fall.

As usual, LP is always there to hug his sister- and his cousin! He just can't control himself and hugs, hugs, hugs!

Some funny LP quotes:

LP went to Vacation Bible School while we were visiting my parents. The first two nights he asked to be put to bed early (VERY rare for a kid who is almost always still awake 2 hours after bedtime!). After telling us about all of the activities at VBS he said, "I don't know why they call it a vacation!"

While signing a song at VBS about Noah and the flood he wanted to know why the animals went into the Ark by "twosies" and came out by "threesies." Pastor wasn't quite expecting to have to get into that!

After a story about Adam and Eve and the serpent Paul raised his hand and told everyone that "the serpent is really the Devil and he's QUITE villainous!"

At our local grocery store they have photos of all of the store managers hanging on the wall by the cash registers. LP likes to check them out and ask their names. A few weeks ago I was paying for our groceries when he turned to the cashier and said, "So, I see you have some new managers! How's that working out for you so far?" She stared at him for a moment before cracking up.

You just never know what he might say next!

E+M Patterns, Boy’s No. 7 Shirt Review and GIVEAWAY!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 06 Jun 2014 12:00:00 +0000

ETA- Congrats to comment # 6, Laura who wins her choice of pattern from E+M Patterns! I'll be in touch!

Recently I was chosen to test out a boy’s shirt pattern by a new to me designer, E+M Patterns. Well folks, I have to say that this pattern is fantastic!
The Boy’s No. 7 Shirt is designed for woven fabrics. It has fabulous details like a boat neck style neckline, button closures at the shoulder seams, side seam hip vents at the hem, a simple pocket to hold treasures and the option of full-length sleeves or 3/4-length sleeves. I was asked to test the shirt in a size 6 with long sleeves for LP which ended up being a perfect fit for my tall and skinny guy.
For fabric I finally broke into my hoarded stash of Sarah Jane Designs fabrics and pulled out a fat quarter of the “A Pirates Life” from her Out to Sea line. Sarah Jane is my all time favorite children’s illustrator and I adore all of her fabrics… This seemed like the perfect shirt to really showcase this adorable print. I had just enough to squeeze out the front bodice.

I love to upcycle clothing so I dug into my bin of castoffs and used an old button-down shirt that was Paul’s.   I had to get a little creative (my favorite part!) when cutting out my pieces and ended up using the front of the button-down, buttons and all, for the back bodice of the No. 7 shirt. I used the extra buttons for the shoulder closures so that all the buttons would match.

The shirt went together very quickly- I’d say it took me about an hour and a half start to finish (not that I got to sit down for an hour and a half straight!), including cutting out the pattern, cutting the fabric, and doing the buttonholes. I mostly used my serger for the shirt but Alison of E+M Patterns also includes directions for using your regular machine- and all of the seams are finished so there’s nothing rubbing up against sensitive skin.
I also really love when I learn a new technique from a pattern. I’d never used seam binding to finish off the collar of a shirt before.   While reading through the instructions I couldn’t quite see how it would work out but I took it step by step and all of a sudden I had a perfect collar! An “aha!” moment!
It turned out so cute that I couldn’t wait to get it on LP.

LP says it’s “very cool” and comfortable too. It’s loose fitting enough that he can run and play in it but structured enough to look nice and tailored.   I think it will be adorable with khaki shorts and sandals this summer….

I love this pattern so much that I decided to make a girl version for Eliza.   I haven’t been able to get photos of her wearing it yet as it’s been so rainy but here are a few photos.   For the “girl” version I added some width to the bottom part of the shirt and stitched in some pintucks. I used the same pirate fabric on the front of the bodice and chose a blue calico with tiny white flowers for the rest- my Aunt Sue had passed this fabric along to me. I love how the shirts coordinate but aren’t totally matchy-matchy.   Hopefully soon I’ll get some photos of both kids at the same time in their cool new No. 7 shirts.

I am participating in a blog tour showing off the latest release from E+M Patterns! The schedule is posted below. At each stop on the tour, you have a chance to check out the new pattern, funky variations and hacks, and reviews. Each blogger will also be giving away a pattern as well. So check out the itinerary below:

Wednesday, June 4, 2014: Finn's Door (review)
Thursday, June 5, 2014: Baby Steps to Couture (review)
Friday, June 6, 2014: Emskyrooney (review)
Tuesday, June 10, 2014: Friends Stitched Together (pattern hack) and Made by Amanda Rose (review and tutorials)
Wednesday, June 11, 2014: Mae & K (review) and Sprouting Jube Jube (tutorial on a knit version)
Friday, June 13, 2014: Rebel and Malice (pattern hack), Sew Many Adventures, Sew Little Time (review) and Pity Kitty (review)

Each stop on the tour includes an opportunity for you to win a copy of an E+M Pattern! So come tour with us as we check out this cool little shirt!

And if you just can't wait for the giveaways to end for you to win, you can purchase them. The E+M Boy's Shirt No. 7 can be purchased in any of Allison's online pattern stores: E+M Patterns official website, Craftsy, and Etsy.

If you’ve read through this far you’re in luck- E+M Patterns is giving away a pattern of your choice! Just leave a comment between now and midnight EST Sunday night about what you like most about this pattern. I’ll use a random number picker to choose one of you on Monday to win!

Be sure to visit E+M Patterns at one of the following links:

www.empatterns.com
www.etsy.com/shop/empatterns
http://www.craftsy.com/user/3129921/pattern-store
Also be sure to like the E+M Patterns Facebook page!
Good luck!

Eliza Rose: Things to Remember, Month 21

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 27 May 2014 23:00:00 +0000

Wow, I’m a terrible blogger lately. It’s been a month since my last post, and I can’t even say it’s because we’ve been super busy- it’s really just because I’ve been lazy. That and I just haven’t had anything terribly exciting to post about- sure, I could write about “life as a stay at home mom” but who wants to hear about how I got a little crazy at lunch time and cut the sandwiches into squares instead of triangles, risking the wrath of the little minions waiting for their sandwiches? That’s about as exciting as it gets around here…

But, Eliza is very quickly coming up on the two year mark, and I don’t want to neglect the last few monthly “Things to Remember” posts. So here’s Month 21.

Over the past month Eliza has taken things from “red pepper” to “habanero” on the spicy scale. It seems like every day she gets more demanding, more dramatic, more bossy, and more feisty. I imagine that all of these personality traits will help her in the long run- she won’t let anyone mess with her- but right now, phew! It can be tough to manage. Paul told me to night at dinner that if he hadn’t been there when she was born he would have sworn that she couldn’t possibly be my daughter. We might look alike (people insist we do, although I don’t see it) but she is definitely NOT a “mini-me.”

Eliza still insists on wearing leg warmers on her arms whenever she has a short sleeve shirt on. I guess it’s her thing- quite stylish! She’s been ok so far with cropped pants on although we haven’t attempted shorts quite yet.

She is also very decisive about which shoes she’s going to wear. Lately it’s all about her “Anna-Pappy Shoes!” (aka the shoes Nana and Pappy sent her). She will not go barefoot, not even in the house. She must have her shoes or her Elmo socks on her feet.

Paul started karate a few months ago and has learned to count to ten in Japanese. Eliza can count to two and can often be heard saying, “ichi, ni…. ichi, ni….” Other favorite words are “careful!,” “move!” and the always popular with the under two set, “MINE!”

Eliza is still a great sleeper- fingers crossed, knock on wood. She takes one nap mid-afternoon and lately has been asking to go up to bed at naptime. At bedtime she absolutely MUST go for a horsey ride on Daddy’s knee before going upstairs. “Trot-trot!” she says as she climbs onto his lap. “Ready! Go!!!” She gets one ride where she falls off the horse and one “Trot-Trot to Mama” who is waiting with the pile of stuffed animals that now accompany Eliza down the stairs in the morning and up to the crib for naptime and bedtime. She has 2 identical “lovies” (stuffed owls with little blankets attached), a Beanie Baby shaped like a dachshund (“Gabby doggy!), a large Ikea dog (“big doggy!”), a medium dog with cupcakes on it (just “dog”) and a large stuffed dog she’s named “Quack.” It’s quite the entourage.

Just like her brother, Eliza has very good manners (when she’s not throwing a huge fit). “Thank you! Welcome!” she says, and “cuse me!” if she burps. “Please! More!” she’ll yell if she needs something. She hands me my towel after almost every shower and yells gleefully, “WELCOME!!!”

She’s really just too much fun- this age, with the exception of the temper tantrums is one of my favorites. Every day Eliza is learning something new- whether it’s stringing words together or walking down the stairs by herself, every time I turn around she’s just a tiny bit bigger. And a whole lot spicier!

Eliza Rose: Things to Remember, Month 20

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 28 Apr 2014 18:51:00 +0000

Time is moving too quickly around here and I totally missed Eliza’s 19 month “Things to Remember.” Oh well, I’m the first to admit that I’m not perfect!

While LP and Eliza have been on pretty much the same exact track developmentally (here’s LP’s 20 month Things to Remember for comparison) they do have very different personalities. LP has always been a pretty easy going kid; he’s not terribly fussy about things and when he gets mad or upset he gets over it pretty quickly. At his 20 month pediatrician checkup he was nice and calm the whole time. We had Eliza’s checkup this morning and it was polar opposites! She’s very fussy lately about not having clothes on and got mad at me when I undressed her. She yelled at the nurse, wouldn’t look at or talk to the doctor, and screamed bloody murder when they did her shots. As soon as we put her clothes back on she was all smiles. The good news is that she’s gaining weight and growing nicely- in fact, she’s a little taller than the average girl her age! I was almost always the shortest girl in my class so I’m pretty excited about that. I guess having a 6’2” tall Daddy has paid off!

Like her brother at this age, Eliza knows a TON of words. She’s started stringing a few into sentences as well, saying things like “Mama sit down!” and “Doggy! Outside, go!” The doctor asked if she knows at least 10 words but she’s easily over 100 at this point. At dinner the other night we had sriracha out on the table. Eliza is OBSESSED with ketchup and wanted us to give her some sriracha. I explained that it was spicy and since then she’s been walking around saying “sssspppicy!” under her breath. She also, somehow (probably from her brother) learned the word “disgusting.” LP has a book about how his body works and Eliza loves to open it to the page about muscles, say “sssgusting!” and then slam the book closed while cackling to herself.

This baby girl of ours makes the funniest faces. She’s very expressive. Paul always had a lot of words but Eliza has taken body language over the edge. She throws major tantrums and hissy fits several times a day.

Eliza LOVES her big brother. Except when she doesn’t want him anywhere near her and is screaming at him. She’s pretty fickle that way. And heaven forbid he tries to sit too close to Mama- that’s a major no-no in Eliza’s book!

Eliza LOVES to color. She sits down at the coloring table at least 5 times a day. Her favorite coloring book is Minnie Mouse. “Coggy Mina!” she says…

Eliza loves to help with chores- emptying the dishwasher, spraying and wiping things, and sweeping. She also loves to “cean up” which is great and highly encouraged!

I mentioned before that she’s fussy about having her clothes off. If her pant legs ride up or her sleeves are pushed up she’ll come over to me and whine until I fix them. We’ve put her in short sleeves a couple of times this spring and she freaks out until we put those little Babyleg leg warmers on her arms. Paul likes to call her his little Amish baby and I think he’s secretly encouraging her to cover her arms and legs. It might make for a pretty sweaty summer though!

If I had to pick one word to describe Eliza at 20 months it would be “spunky.” “Ssssspppicy!” would work too! She knows what she wants and doesn’t want. As long as she’s getting her own way she’s the sweetest little thing, but watch out world if you cross her! Love this munchkin!

Chic Cocktail Swing Coat

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 07 Apr 2014 17:52:00 +0000

I just finished sewing up yet another Heidi and Finn pattern- the adorable Chic Cocktail Swing Coat. I had added this pattern to my Pinterest “Sewing for Kids” board more than 2 years ago, before Eliza was born and have been dying to make it ever since…

I made my version with a cotton outer and a fleece lining. I chose to do a collar instead of a hood mainly because I didn’t have quite enough of the fleece to squeeze out the hood- in fact, I had to make the sleeves a teeny bit narrower in order to fit the patterns on the fabric I had (I pulled from my stash so was trying to work with what I had).

Eliza was in my sewing room as I was putting this together and once she figured out that it was a coat for her she wouldn’t stop talking about it until it was finished and she was wearing it. “Coat! Coat! Me, Coat!” she kept yelling. Fortunately she loves to wear it and has had many compliments on it when we’re out and about.

Using the fleece as a lining made this coat just the right weight for a Massachusetts spring- it’s warm and cozy but not too warm for those days when the sun decides to finally shine a bit…

As usual, I’d highly recommend this Heidi and Finn pattern! It went together so easily and is true to size. Eliza is currently 19 months and almost 25 lbs- I sewed up the 18 month size. The coat is meant to fit a little loose and I’m thrilled that she should be able to wear it into the fall.

Eliza Rose: Things to Remember, Month 18

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 05 Mar 2014 15:00:00 +0000

Little Miss Eliza Rose continues to gain in spunk and sass as she gains in age. This is a little girl with serious amounts of determination and stubbornness, as well as personality.

At 18 months Eliza’s language skills continue to grow at exponential rates. Tell her a word once and she remembers it for the next time. For a few weeks if you asked her if she could say “Eliza” she’d respond with, “Baby!” Yesterday she responded with “Lila!” Water is “waddy,” sit is “s*it,” (hee hee!) and Gabby is “Gubby.”

Like brother, like sister, Eliza is in love with Thomas the Train. Her favorite parts of the show are the opening and closing songs which means we don’t actually have to be bored to tears by the show itself, she’s happy as long as she gets to bop around to “They’re 2, they’re 4, they’re 6 they’re 8. Shunting coal and hauling freight….”

Eliza is a big copy cat. Whatever her brother does she wants to do. Paul’s favorite song write now is BINGO and we frequently hear Eliza clapping her hands and singing “E! O!!”

When I shower in the morning Eliza runs in to the bathroom as soon as I turn off the water so that she can hand me my towel. Then she points to the drawer where we keep her brush because she knows I’ll comb my hair next.

Like many toddlers Eliza is a lover of all things routine. Throw her off her schedule and it does not go well. If someone opens the freezer she absolutely must get an ice cube out to put in the dog water. Even if she’s strapped into her highchair she has to get down immediately. At bedtime she has her choo-choo show (Thomas), then plays horsey (trot trot!) on Daddy’s knee. Next it’s upstairs for “tee” (teeth), “s*it” for a book, then into bed where she MUST stand up and look at her Peekaboo Peter Rabbit book with Mommy (she’s convinced Jeremy Fisher is Santa because of the white ascot he’s wearing). She absolutely will not lay down to sleep without a peekaboo from “Ho-Ho” (Santa).

When we’re home Eliza talks all the time just like Paul. One way that they’re different though is that when we’re out Paul has always talked to everyone we meet- whether it’s the cashier at the store or people we know he never stops talking. Eliza is much quieter out in public. She gleefully yells “bye-bye, bye-bye!” to the ladies in the childcare room at the YMCA or to the folks working at the grocery store but she’s fairly quiet otherwise, at least when we’re not home. At home though Paul and I have decided that we might need to invest in earplugs for dinner as it’s non-stop. If the children aren’t talking while they eat they’re humming.

Eliza also loves to “cuggy” or color. She gets very excited about sitting in the little chair at the coloring table and scribbling in her Minnie Mouse coloring book.

She’s starting to take an interest in what she wears and has definite things to say about which pair of shoes she’ll wear (Boots!!) or which shirts she most definitely will NOT wear.

Eliza is a little sweetheart most of the time but watch out when she gets cranky or upset about something! And just like most toddlers, her mood can change at the drop of a hat! Exhausting, but adorable!

Some Sewing- Heidi and Finn Patterns…

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 03 Mar 2014 18:32:00 +0000

Recently I was asked to test a couple of patterns for Heidi and Finn- the Tulip Tunic and Dress and the Pintuck Blouse and Dress.

First up was the Tulip Tunic and Dress which is for knit fabrics. This is the 18 month size. I made the tunic in a green with sparkly dots with dark grey at the neckline and as an appliqued heart. I've used this material several times and still have some left- in fact I tested the Heidi and Finn Slouchy Cardigan with that fabric- Eliza was so tiny then!! The tunic is adorable! In the photo below the sleeves are folded to the inside as they ended up a bit long- I think Eliza must have short arms as I always have to shorten the sleeves to the next smaller size.

Next I made the dress version in the 18 month size. I used a polka dot knit (also seen previously) for the sleeves and top portion, a slub knit from an old t-shirt for the dress part and the same dark grey ribbed knit for the neckline and cuffs. On this version I shortened the arm length to the 12 month size and it’s perfect. I left the dress unhemmed since knits just roll up nicely on their own for a casual look.

The Pintuck Blouse and Dress was next. This pattern is for knits or wovens and closes with a simple tie at the back of the neck. I started with the dress in a gingham fabric in the 18 month size. The sleeves are too long and I still need to shorten them but Eliza put up such a fuss about wearing this dress even for a few minutes that I haven’t bothered yet.

When I made the shirt version in the 18 month size I shortened the sleeves to the 12 month length which was just right. For the shirt I used a patterned calico (thanks Aunt Sue!) along with a super cute white with red polkadot binding around the neckline. In an attempt to get Eliza to wear the shirt willingly I used my Silhouette to add an iron-on dachshund with a little polkadot collar. It sort of worked- she loved the shirt when I showed it to her but put up a fuss about wearing it the first time we tried. Two days later I tried again and the shirt went on with no problem!

As always, these patterns went together quickly and easily. Each one took about the time of an average Eliza nap to finish (1.5 hours). They’re adorable and versatile- each can be made with short sleeves instead of long and can easily be embellished or left plain. I highly recommend checking out the Heidi and Finn shop- I continue to love every pattern by them that I've sewn!

Eliza Rose: Things to Remember, Month 17

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 24 Jan 2014 23:50:00 +0000

I missed my Things to Remember, Months 15 and 16 for Eliza, but the months were such a blur that I can’t even fathom trying to remember what milestones she was hitting so I’ll just skip ahead to today, Month 17. As usual, I love to look back and see what LP was up to in Month 17, and like every other month, Eliza is on the exact same timeline.

Our little Miss Eliza continues to be full of sugar and spice. She’s sweet, sweet, sweet and then she’s oh so mischievous. She knows exactly what she wants and how to get it, or how to get someone to do it for her. She knows what face to make to get Daddy to give in to her requests for “coogies,” (aka cookies) and how to get her big brother to follow her around like a little puppy dog.

Just like Paul at this age, Eliza LOVES to help. She likes to empty the dishwasher (whether it’s clean or not!), throw things in the garbage (whether they’re trash or not!), put laundry in the hamper, clean up her toys, and take the dog out.

She’s also insistent on doing things herself. When she’s hungry she’ll open the drawer in the kitchen where we keep the goldfish crackers, sit down, take the clip off the bag and dig in. She’s happy to share with the dog who comes running pretty quickly.

Favorite activities are pretty much anything her big brother is up to. A frequent game is chasing each other around the house, both yelling, “Go! Go!” She also enjoys playing Star Wars. “Shoo shoo!” she says, swinging whatever toy is masquerading as a light saber for the moment.

Eliza has gotten over her clinginess from our trip to Vegas and now runs happily into the childcare room at the Y without any tears. We had our very first non-relative babysitter since she was 3 months old the other week and she was great.

Miss Eliza knows a TON of words- way more than Paul did at this age I think. They include: Mama, Dada, Paul, doggy, baby, coogie (cookie), waddy (water), cup, chair, sit, out, up, down, pop (popcorn), baba, Doc (McStuffins- a favorite show around here), coat, cold, hot, shoe, sock, night-night, hello, bye-bye, thank you, what, really, that, and quite a few different animal sounds. If you ask her what a bird says she’ll respond, “teet-teet!” while flapping her arms.

Eliza has begun putting two words together, as well. “Night-night Dada!”, “Bye-Bye Doggy!” and “What’s That?” are all heard a lot around here. She loves to say bye-bye to things, even saying bye-bye to the elephant shaped humidifier in her room before she comes downstairs in the morning or after a nap.

Eliza has added a lot of spunk to our house, that’s for sure. Things are rarely quiet these days with two chatterboxes in the house. We’re not quite sure where they got it from as Paul and I are fairly quiet but it definitely keeps things lively!

Vegas, Baby….

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 22 Jan 2014 14:17:00 +0000

Next up in my recap of December, 2013 is our trip to Vegas. Paul’s parents retired out there within the past year and with one of his brothers and a niece in Vegas, a brother and niece in San Diego, and one of my brothers in LA we knew we had to get out for a visit. We hadn’t seen Paul’s brothers in two years so it was so great to finally get out there and to meet our niece who’s just about two months older than Eliza…

Unfortunately, I really didn’t get too many great pictures. In fact, we really didn’t do very much while we were there other than visit with family. We’ve been to Vegas so many times that we didn’t feel as though we were missing out but travelling with a 15 month old definitely meant a lot more time at the house and a lot less time going places.

Eliza did great for her first time flying. She cried a few times on the very first leg of the trip as she wasn’t sure how to nap on my lap but figured it out pretty quickly. She LOVED take-off and landing and was pretty content as long as she could look out the window and eat snacks. LP was great as usual- we pretty must just handed over the iPad and he was all set… We had a very short layover on the trip there (too short- just enough time to go potty and book it to the next flight) and had to leave home at 3 a.m. but it was worth it to arrive in Vegas before lunchtime there…

One of the places we always end up in Vegas is the Silverton Casino/Hotel (off the Strip) and the attached Bass Pro Shops. There’s a huge fish tank in the lobby so we met up with Paul’s brother and girlfriend and their little girl the first night for dinner. The kids always love seeing the fish.

The next day we went with Grammy and Papa (who we stayed with) back to Bass Pro to visit Santa. Eliza has been obsessed with Santa since he first appeared at our local mall and started calling him “Ho-Ho.” Paul was not as keen on visiting Santa but we finagled him into going up with Eliza. Sure enough, Eliza freaked out and Paul ended up sitting and chatting with Santa for quite a while. Go figure.

Of course, we had to go see the fountains at the Bellagio and the Christmas decorations in their atrium garden room. It’s impossible to photograph well because of the crowds but it’s totally worth seeing if you’re there at Christmas time.

We even managed to get a decent shot of the four of us!

All of the decorations are covered with flowers, kind of like the Rose Bowl parade. It’s really quite beautiful.

The following day Paul’s brother in San Diego flew in for the day with his daughter. Our niece has grown so much since we last saw her- hard to believe! By this point Eliza was practically glued to me- she had a hard time adjusting to the time change and to all of the activity/people and I could barely put her down without her screaming so I wasn’t able to get as many photos of the kids as I would have liked…

Below is a photo of our oldest niece with LP the first time we took him to Vegas- he was 15 months old and she was four I think- they’ve both grown up!

The photos below are the only shots I was able to get with all four cousins. They’re so terrible they’re funny…

LP, of course, loves babies and ADORED his little cousin… Maybe too much!

And Eliza and her cousin were pretty good about playing together.. Well, near each other anyway!

It was a busy but wonderful visit. We stayed with Paul’s parents who live a little bit outside of Vegas near the mountains and it was gorgeous there. My brother in LA and his wife drove out for two nights and Paul and I were lucky enough to take advantage of our babysitters (thanks Grammy and Papa!) and their comped rooms at Red Rock Resort to stay in the same hotel as my brother and spend some time with them… It was strange to be in Vegas with my brother- not something we ever imagined happening but we had a ton of fun!

We were there for six nights and had quite a time getting home. On our trip home our plane stopped in Topeka before continuing on to Chicago. We were literally the only people who didn’t get off the plane in Topeka. We had a three hour layover in Chicago which ended up being over four hours as the East Coast was getting hammered with snow and ice. We finally got home at 3 a.m. The kids, fortunately, behaved pretty well the whole time.

So that was Vegas, baby. With babies.

Let’s Start at the Very Beginning…

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 21 Jan 2014 19:47:00 +0000

So I’m way behind in my blogging- there are so many things I want to share and instead I’ve been plopping on the couch at night just letting everything pile up around me. We had such a busy end of November/December. In a span of 5 weeks we had LP’s 5th birthday and birthday party, Thanksgiving, a week-long trip to Las Vegas, a 4 day trip to Pennsylvania, and Christmas. It feels like we’re just starting to get back to normal around here…

I’ve missed blogging about all of these events, I’ve missed Eliza’s monthly updates for months 15 and 16 (and she’s now almost at 17), but I did mention to get my “10 on 10” done each month so there’s that…

I’m sure most of you don’t need to see photos of all these events so feel free to skip the next few posts, but since I like to use my blog as a sort of online scrapbook I’m going to start posting away!

I’ll start with LP’s birthday. I did manage to post about him turning 5 (!!!!) but of course I need to share some actual birthday photos!

We started his birthday off with a visit from Nana and Pappy who came up for the weekend for his party. LP wanted a Lego Star Wars themed party and picked out a fairly simple cake for me to make (phew!)…

We decorated with paper and balloon tiefighters and some of his Star Wars toys…..

Each guest got to decorate their own Lego minifigure with Star Wars things. I stenciled the minifigs onto small canvas covered boards and then printed out various pants, shirts, light sabers, etc. for them to attach with glue.

We also played a few games of “Pin the Ears on Yoda.”

After that LP opened the presents from his friends…

And then there was cake!

Followed by some outside time…

With Pappy as the designated swing-pusher.

After the party was over LP opened his gifts from Nana and Pappy and my side of the family.

The next day, Sunday, was Paul’s actual birthday. After saying good-bye and thank you to Nana and Pappy LP opened his presents from us and from Paul’s side of the family…

It was a very Star Wars birthday… And I’m pretty sure he loved every minute!

I ♥ Faces: Best of 2013

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 18 Jan 2014 15:20:00 +0000

This month at I ♥ Faces the theme is Best of 2013. It’s always so hard for me to choose but ultimately, my absolute favorite photo this year is one I took of LP with Eliza. I love seeing how much he adores his baby sister and this photo really captures his love for her… I’m so happy that I was able to capture such a sweet moment between the two of them…

Be sure to go to I ♥ Faces to check out the other entries!

10 on 10: January 2014

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 10 Jan 2014 14:40:00 +0000

10 on 10:

Ten photos taken during one day or event, documenting that day or event, and posted on the tenth of the month.

I decided to continue the 10 on 10 project through 2014. The group of photographers who participated in 2013 were fabulous- so inspirational and I learned a lot from them. Looking back on 2013 I have to say that I’m also so happy that I captured the little every day moments by doing this project- a lot of my favorite photos were from the 10 on 10 and I know I might not have captured them otherwise!

Here’s what the kids were up to while Paul was outside digging us out of Winter Storm Hercules…

LP goes in for an aggressive looking snuggle:

Static cling!

Big brother barrels through:

And wins the fight:

Eliza moves on to watching Daddy outside with the snow blower (she watched him out the windows for an hour!):

Gabby was parked in her favorite spot:

And Scout and Violet saw some action:

Now continue on to Such is Life Photography in Northeast PA- my home sweet home pre-Massachusetts!

10 on 10: December

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 10 Dec 2013 14:00:00 +0000

10 on 10:

Ten photos taken during one day or event, documenting that day or event, and posted on the tenth of the month.

I wasn't sure if I could pull off my 10 on 10 this month- things have been hectic around here! But I really didn't want to miss the last one, so I've cobbled together some photos of our Thanksgiving weekend to share…

This year our Thanksgiving was a little different. For me, it was the first time in fifteen years that we didn't have Thanksgiving with my family or Paul’s family. For Paul, it was the first time ever. His parents retired out of the area earlier this year and we spent Thanksgiving last year with my family so we planned on just a quiet day for the four of us at home. Good friends heard our plans though and insisted that we join them instead, which ended up being a ton of fun for the grown-ups and kids!

The day after Thanksgiving Paul is always itching to start getting the Christmas decorations out so we spent the rest of the weekend picking out our tree and decorating. And then, because we didn't wind up with any leftover turkey Paul decided to smoke a turkey on Sunday after Thanksgiving. We’re still eating the leftovers of his "small” (if 17 lbs for 2 adults and 2 kids is considered small!) bird!

(p.s.- halfway through these photos my logo changes- been working on some things as the first steps of getting a little business set up! I still have some tweaking to do with the logo for when I use it as a copyright but I'm getting there!)

Pretty Girl!

Puppy Love....

Girls...

Father/Daughter:

Picking an Ornament:

Decorating:

Little Grinch:

Gentle Touching:

Goofball:

Mmm.. Drumstick!

Now go check out Jan Madert Photography, Gwinnett Lifestyle Photographer for her 10 on 10!

Paul Thomas: Things to Remember, Five

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 20 Nov 2013 03:58:00 +0000

Oh what a difference a year makes. Paul turned FIVE on Sunday. Last year, when he turned four, I lamented the fact that he had gone from a toddler to a little kid in the blink of an eye. Another blink later and he’s not a little kid anymore- he’s a big kid, a five year old, heading off to pre-K with his backpack and his lunchbox and not even a wave good-bye over his shoulder.

LP has grown several inches since he turned four- just look at the difference in the photos below, taken just about a year apart. He looks like a baby to me in the first photo, and so grown up in the second.

At five, Paul is intelligent, engaging, witty, and I have to admit, rather adept at sarcasm (it runs in the family on both sides and was bound to happen). He loves to talk to anyone and everyone but is particularly happy talking to grown-ups, especially the elderly people who frequent the YMCA we attend. I’ve been told several times by them that he’ll grow up to be a politician or a salesman. When I mentioned this to one woman she looked at him and said, “Perhaps a diplomat.” Time will tell!

LP has a memory like an elephant (it IS the elephant who never forgets, right?). Do not mention anything to him, even briefly or under your breath, because while he likes to pretend that he can’t hear me when asked to do his chores, he hears and remembers everything and it will come back to bite you in the long run. He is constantly practicing his negotiating skills and is very fond of making deals, especially when it comes to his beloved “screen time.”

Paul remains completely obsessed with his baby sister. Even as she gets into his things more and more, and has begun pushing him away when he hugs her too tight, or stamping her little feet and yelling at him, he continues to wax on about how adorable Eliza is. He refuses to let anyone else beat him into her room when she wakes up in the morning or after a nap, insisting that he go in first. Even with an almost four year age difference they play so well together, and Eliza is quite happy to follow “Ba” wherever he goes.

Always a skinny kid, Paul has gotten even skinnier as he’s grown taller but seems to be getting a little more athletic as he gets older. In the past few months he learned to ride a bike (he still has training wheels but couldn’t even figure out how to pedal six months ago), get the glider on our swingset going on his own, and has a pretty natural swing with a baseball bat. While he’s still timid about climbing and slides at the playground, and doesn’t quite keep up with the other kids running around, it doesn’t bother him at all.

LP’s favorite days of the week are the days when he has school or yoga class at the library. He counts down on the calendar until it’s time for either activity and wakes up every morning asking if it’s a school day or a yoga day. He’s made several new friends in Pre-K and is always telling me about the adventures they have at recess and who was naughty or well-behaved during circle time. He had a few naughty moments himself earlier in the school year but quickly realized that joking around with Bobby when they were supposed to be paying attention just resulted in not being allowed to sit next to his friend and there’s been no trouble since.

Paul is growing up into just the kind of son and brother we’d hoped for, and we consider ourselves very very lucky parents indeed… He’s smart, silly, loving, and kind; full of hugs and kisses and cuddles for his sister and mommy and loves nothing more than hanging out and wrestling with his daddy.

Although I hate that Paul is growing up so quickly he’s promised me over and over again that he’ll always be my baby, forever and always.

A look back in time:

10 on 10: November

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 11 Nov 2013 16:18:00 +0000

10 on 10:

Ten photos taken during one day or event, documenting that day or event, and posted on the tenth of the month.

This weekend felt like the calm before the storm a bit… We’re about to start the whirlwind that is LP’s birthday, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. To make it crazier we decided to schedule a trip to Vegas to visit Paul’s family just before Christmas so all of the shopping, baking, sewing and decorating has to be done by early December… Yikes!

Below, some photos of a quiet day spent mostly at home. I was out for a bit in the morning doing family photos for a friend and LP and I were out hunting down Star Wars Lego party supplies in the afternoon but all of the photos I took were while things were (somewhat) quiet around the house….

Now go on to Rachel McCalley Photography to see her 10 on 10!

A Bit of Sewing….

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 07 Nov 2013 19:27:00 +0000

I’ve been on a sewing kick lately- made a few things for Eliza that I thought I’d share (of course, I also have a list about a mile long of things I really need to get working on for Christmas, but bumped them all to make these little, totally not needed but too cute to resist, pieces…).

First up is another Geranium Dress from the pattern by Made by Rae. The pattern is for a sleeveless dress or one with cap sleeves but I really wanted long sleeves so I drafted my own and they worked out perfectly! The fabric is a super soft baby corduroy. I made a mistake and sewed the skirt on the wrong way- instead of picking it all apart though I decided to just cover my seam (which should have been on the inside- whoops, distracted!) with a fabric band. I used the same fabric for the lining in the bodice.

On the patch pockets I stitched Eliza’s name- it says “Eliza” on one pocket and “Rose” on the other.. I wish I’d used the polkadot pattern for the pockets as I think it would have shown up better but oh well!

The dress is so cute on her and so comfy. Now that she’s walking instead of crawling I’m so excited to put her in more dresses!

About a month ago a ton of pattern designers put together a collection of patterns for an amazing price for one week only that I couldn’t pass up. The Sew Fab collaberation was 26 patterns for $30 and after looking at each one I just couldn’t resist and made my purchase.

First up from the Sew Fab Collab is the Bimaa Sweater by Lou Bee Clothing. I am OBSESSED with this pattern. There are three versions- cowl neck, shawl neck, and hoodie. The fit is perfect and with my serger it literally takes me about 20 minutes to sew one together. Besides the polka dot one below I also made one for Eliza that is solid pink knit with a floral knit cowl. I didn’t get a chance to photograph that one yet but it’s just as cute. I’m planning to make LP a shawl neck one next.

Also from the Sew Fab Collab are the Skinny Jeans by Peekaboo Pattern Shop. I need to get some better photos of these but they’re very cute and much easier to sew than I expected. Eliza had a cute sweater on with her jeans at our playgroup this week and literally every other mom asked me where I got them. My only complaint is that I made the 12 month size based on her measurements and they just barely fit her. Fortunately I have enough of the fabric left to make the 18 month size in hopes that they last a little longer. I also have a pair planned for LP out of a grey knit fabric as he’s fussy about wearing jeans but needs a slimmer fit in his pants. These jeans have so much detail in them- all the little pockets are there, they have an adjustable waistband, and all of the top-stitching that really makes them into “jeans.” I think they took me about 4 hours to sew and I made quite a few mistakes and spent a fair amount of time ripping out stitches. Hopefully I can get it down to 3 hours for the next pair!

The final thing was actually something that I sewed months and months ago but that just fits Eliza now. It’s the Little Girl’s Crossover Pinafore by Smashed Peas and Carrots which is a free (!!!) pattern and tutorial. There’s a blurry photo of the back below and one of the front. I used fabric by one of my favorite kids’ artists, Sarah Jane Studios. The inside is a grey polkadot fabric and it can be worn with either side facing out.

Oh, and check out Eliza’s cute new do! I took LP for a haircut yesterday and had them trim Eliza’s bangs. Without a clip they were always in her eyes and looking scraggly and I think they’re sooo adorable trimmed!

So that’s what I’ve been up to late at night when the house is quiet(ish). I have about 20 more projects in mind and really need to get working on holiday stuff!

Eliza Rose: Things to Remember, Month 14

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 04 Nov 2013 19:27:00 +0000

Once again I’m a little late with this but it’s better than last month’s!

Just like her brother at 14 months, Eliza has made leaps and bounds both physically and verbally. She’s gone from taking 5-6 steps to running around the house non-stop. The only time she crawls anymore is if she falls over and needs to pull herself up on something.

Also like her brother, she’s added several words to her vocabulary, including “no!” (her favorite word, which she always says quite emphatically), “woof-woof,” “ba-ba” (bottle), "shoes," and “up.”

She’s picked up a few baby sign language gestures such as “more” and “all done.” She’s also started to walk over to the fridge and point at it when she’s hungry.

Eliza has started following simple directions and is able to “bring something to Mommy” or “give things to Daddy.” She’s imitating our actions more and more, brushing her hair, putting things in the hamper, and throwing her dirty diapers (and the occasional toy) in the garbage.

Never a very good napper, Eliza has pretty much dropped her morning nap (except on occasion) and naps for about an hour and a half, if we’re lucky, in the afternoon. Fortunately she’s still sleeping a solid 12 hours at night so we’ll happily put up with the shorter naps.

Eliza is getting more and more mischievous and impish, as well as quite dramatic when she doesn’t get her way. Sometimes she flings herself on the floor, sometimes the throws things, and sometimes she lays her head on the couch and cries while looking at you out of the corner of her eye…

Sneaky and sweet- that’s our little girl! Just like the nursery rhyme:

There was a little girl who had a little curl

Right in the middle of her forehead;

When she was good, she was very, very good,

And when she was bad she was horrid.

Monday Snapshot: Anniversary Edition

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 21 Oct 2013 18:39:00 +0000

Today is our 7th wedding anniversary. Our wedding was perfect- full of family, friends, love and laughter. And ditto for the last seven years….

This is part of PAIL’s Monday Snapshot! Check out more entries here!