odd...but loveable...

this little "creation"...a (kind of) bunny...created from an old pair of mommy's gloves...found a new best friend today! okay, so he is a bit odd...but elizabeth knew right away that he was a bunny (impressive...since i'm not sure what i thought she would think it was!).

ten smile tuesday....

How wonderful to reflect on some smiles today. I find that over the past couple days I've had lots of "those moments"...you all know what I mean. Moments where I feel lonely or discouraged for no apparent reason...just the "blahs". Sitting down to type up my smiles helps me to renew my attitude and recognize all that we are blessed with.

1. Best buds...caught this picture of Kate and Mugho hanging out just this afternoon. Kate had been reaching out to pet Mugho and was so fascinated by the feeling of his fur...you could just see the wheels-a-turnin'.

2. Our bag FULL of elephant, lion and zebra books from the library. Elizabeth is running around making elephant sounds and roaring like a lion. We've found several "favorites" to add to our list of newly discovered great books....I promise to post our list soon!

3. More crafty time...I'm getting ready to felt the purses for Mike's family this evening...made a sock monkey last night (I'll post a picture once I get his nostrils and mouth sewed on!)....and just whipped up some baby shower gifts while the girls were napping. I'm finally learning to just find "manageable" (ie. smaller!) projects that I can finish in a hour or so!

4. Having some time with my hubby after the girls are in bed...how wonderful to have both girls going to bed at 8...giving Mike and I some time to simply be together.

5. Elizabeth's new favorite saying "love that mama!"...said in regards to just about anything....the commercial, Kix cereal, daddy, her sock monkey, library books. She gets this serious look on her face and starts nodding her head, and sometimes it comes out, "I'm lovin' that mama". I could go on and on about all the things she is "saying" these days...chattering from morning to night...stringing out sentence after sentence...singing right along with her music....talking to her animals...our little chatterbox. (And Kate isn't too far behind...our little "noise-maker"!)

6. Some delightful time with friends this morning during our visit to the children's museum. Even better that it wasn't crowded at all (perhaps because the weather was supposed to be bad...then again, could be that everyone in the state of Indiana seems to be sick!). Personally I think we also ALL loved getting out...after being cooped in the house with colds and icky weather.

7. Our professional "sitter"...this is Kate's favorite position lately. Last night I had such a great time watching Elizabeth and Kate "play"...Kate was sitting on the floor, and Elizabeth was sitting right in front of her...handing her toys, talking to her, singing....how special that they have each other!

8. Picking out a paint color for our front room....I think I mentioned the shelves we found on clearance in last week's smiles...baby steps...someday soon we will actually buy the paint, put it on the walls, and hang the shelves....someday!

9. Girl Scout cookies...gotta love 'em!

10. Sink time...definitely the most efficient way to get baths done these days (with Mike working lots of overtime!). Elizabeth loves to climb up on the stool and "help". You've gotta love the smile--this girlie LOVES bathtime!

I'll try to post some pics of Elizabeth soon....for some reason everything on my camera this week is of Kate. (Then again, I can't feel too badly...as the first child Elizabeth has had plenty of time in the spotlight!)

paying it forward

i had the best of intentions of posting about my "pay it forward" before today...just didn't get around to it! but here it is....your chance to enter for the privilege of "paying it forward". what does this mean? well, the winners will receive a hand-made "something" from yours truly...i'm not exactly sure what that something will be...or when you will receive it...(i use the same promise fairlight (whose "pay it forward" i was a lucky winner of) did...you will get it before the year is over!--and hopefully LONG before that!). the catch...you in turn have to "pay it forward" to three other lucky winners. so how do you enter? simply leave a comment on this post (you must also be willing to eventually give me your address so i know where to send your little something) letting me know you want to enter. i will be randomly drawing three winners next saturday evening...so be sure to leave your comment before then. (for my family and friends who don't regularly leave comments...please, join in on the fun!--to leave a comment simply choose "anonymous" in the comment form (and be certain to leave your name so I know it is you!).

priceless

Is Elizabeth LOVING this chocolate cupcake or what!? The pictures were taken about a month ago at our flock group...but my friend just recently sent them to me via e-mail.
Yes...we are known to just "strip her down" to "save" the clothes!

just a note....

i do plan to be back and sharing pictures, posts, etc. soon....but we are now awaiting a replacement modem. go figure, after our long wait for DSL, we were sent a faulty modem that isn't functioning correctly. until we get the new one i have been visiting my blog-friends in blog-world, but i have left very few comments....as my modem likes to kick me out right before the comment is sent! so i've just stopped trying to comment! we should be back in business by the middle of next week!

ten smile tuesday

1. I can hardly believe it....BUT my first smile is the fact that this is my first blog entry with our DSL installed. Yep...after 3 years of run around and being told that DSL wasn't available at our house, lo and behold, we are in business. (Come to find out...it really was available all along....they'd never actually measured the distance...go figure!) Can I tell you how amazingly easy it is to add pictures to my entries now (and visit other sites too!)!

2. Spending lots of time with my dearest sister in the past few days. She was here from Thursday to Sunday....so much fun! Along with lots of good time to just hang out, we also made a trip to the Aveda training salon for haircuts (and all the super nice massage, mini-facial, etc. that comes with it...all for the low, low price of $15 (well, mine was more...but thats because I got the eyebrows waxed--but still, you can't beat the price!).

3. The incredibly cute sock monkeys Aunt Michelle found on etsy for the girls. Seriously, aren't they adorable! Elizabeth's is the striped one (and, let me tell you, she has been completely attached to this new friend!) and the one with cherries is Kate's (and she too has already been loving on Mr. Monkey)!

4. Some time for crafting....making aprons for the girls at our second Thursday craft morning, finishing the knitting part of a couple felted purses for Mike's aunts, and even making a pottery apron for my sister (the bottom is split for sitting at the wheel to throw pots!). It's good to be enjoying some "crafting" time...and to look over at my Jo-Ann bags, full of some great fabric for various projects to come!

5. "Craft time" with Elizabeth and Miranda. When Miranda was here Wednesday we made a popsicle stick caterpillar and butterfly and "heart" clothespins. They LOVED it...and Elizabeth keeps talking about making "shapes"...since we made circle and heart shapes to start the projects out. Also, I caught this precious pic of Elizabeth and Miranda "reading" together!

6. Enjoying a quick date with my hubby on Valentine's day. The girls stayed with grandmommy and poppy and Aunt Shell while Mike and I split a plate of nachos at our favorite little Mexican restaurant.

7. Finding some cute little decorative shelves for 75% off at Target...and starting to think about pulling together our ideas and actually decorating a bit more in our downstairs.

8. It's official. I mentioned our church's potential new lead pastor last week...and Sunday evening it was made official. How great to see God's faithfulness to His church and to look forward to what is next to come!

9. Our roly poly, giggling, babbling, rolling, sitting, smiling, gumming, licking, sweet and precious Kate. Seriously, it is hard to remember that just months ago this sweet girl was SO intense and fussy. I am loving these days...her love of our bed-time reading (pulling at each and every page with a massive grin) and singing....those chubby cheeks capping her wide little toothless grin. L-O-V-E it!

10. Listening to Elizabeth's endless chattering about her "bestest" friend these days...Aunt Michelle. Seriously, Shell, you have absolutely won this little girls heart! It's Aunt Shell this and Aunt Shell that...with the occasional mention of the still so popular Uncle Richard and cousin "Wuuuucy" (my sister's big, sweet dog). This morning she couldn't stop telling me what she would do with Aunt Shell at the lake this summer!

11. Making a batch of chimichangas and "choo-choo" sugar cookies (Elizabeth got to choose the cutter and helper with these!) and delivering dinner to some friends yesterday....one family just welcomed a sweet baby boy...so tiny and sleepy (hard to remember Kate was that size just 6 months ago!)...and one fam who has been plagued with the awful sickies!

ten smile tuesday

wow...tuesday once again. as i shared in sunday's post...our week has been filled with a large number of church events....dessert nights, prayer services, and on and on...what a huge blessing, as they have just refreshed my heart and my focus. life just goes better when my eyes are off of myself and on my Lord. anyway...here are some smiles from our week.

1. orange drop cookies...find the delish recipe on andrea's site (these are SO good..you really should try them!)

2. this site...seriously, can there be anything more precious than daddy reading bedtime stories with his two girls.

3. being a winner in fairlight's "pay it forward"....keep watching for more details, because as part of the deal i will be "paying it forward" to some of my faithful blog reading friends!

4. celebrating God's faithfulness at our all church prayer service saturday evening...and seeking what the next steps are for our church. it is an exciting time. even better, round two of the prayer and worship night tomorrow night...how refreshing!


5. our delightful playdate with our MOPS table this morning...elizabeth got to expend some energy playing with all the other kiddos, and i had some time to sit and knit while enjoying some chat-time with the other moms (who were also working on the crafty project of their choice).


6. a wonderful MOPS meeting...focused on decorating (particularly kid's spaces...but it inspired me more to think of our downstairs...i feel like i've spent lots of time in our room and the girl's rooms...). i discovered uppercase living...a pampered chef-ish business...but related to decorating. i think you have to contact a consultant for full details and access to their site, but check it out at http://www.uppercaseliving.com/


7. making another little pair of shoes for kate...i'm just loving this pattern...simple, cute, and so many options. i don't know if you can tell in this picture, but i actually embellished the bottoms with a decorative stitch...so precious! even better, they actually stay on her feet (and hold those elusive socks on as well!).

8. fellowship with our "crew"...a fab dinner at our "usual" spot (a delish mexican restaurant we typically end up at)...make-your-own pizza afternoon after church sunday...the time together at Bible study, dessert night, prayer service and so on...

9. elizabeth's new fascination with "clipping"...at our flock group friday night she had her first experience with scissors (supervised, of course...no horror stories here!) and LOVED it....yesterday at target i found the CUTEST pair of safety scissors...shaped like a duck, and even better, they quack when they open and close! how cute is that! she used them to make daddy a valentine yesterday!

10. a clean check-out for our little kater at her 6 month appointment friday...she topped the scales at 17 lbs. 7 oz....almost the same weight elizabeth was at her 9 month appointment. gotta love our "little" chunky monkey...no wonder those 6 month clothes were starting to seem tight! :)

shoe link...

sorry...meant to include the link to the baby shoe tutorial
yesterday...there it is!

sunday...sunday

since i'm sure you wanted to know what i "whipped up" this afternoon...here's a glimpse!

found a pattern for these sweet little baby shoes online and had to try! for less than $10 i purchased enough material for 4 or so pairs, the elastic, and even some leather for the soles (of course, no need to use that on these little pre-standing/walking pairs). sure beats the price of a pair of robeez...and this way i can have all kinds of fun colors and designs!

anyway...we went to church this morning and heard a wonderful sermon from the man who is "candidating" to be the new lead pastor at our church (a story in and of itself...bottom line...God is so incredibly faithful...our church has been through a long year of painful, strugglish (i know..not a word!) times...and it is so amazing to be glimpsing pieces of the "good" He has in store for us...and perhaps the beginning of something new). we've been quite busy this week with "meet the candidate" dessert nights, a prayer and worship service last night, and we'll be headed back to church for a question and answer meeting in conjunction with the evening service tonight...and my heart is refreshed. i am so thankful for the church family God has placed us in the midst of. but, anyway...after church we headed to one of our friend's house for homemade pizza (this particular friend happens to be a chef...and he is currently working at a bakery...so, as always, it was good eating!) and some time together with our "group"...or what i lovingly think of as just an extention of our family. then we headed home and i had a chance to whip of these little shoesies while the girls and dad took nice long afternoon naps.


so there you have it...our sunday in a nutshell! hoping you all had a delightful sunday (and saturday too!).
.

the museum

Capturing our visit to the museum with grandmommy and poppy last week...you can tell just how much fun we had!

riding on the carousel...can you tell kate LOVED it!

elizabeth creates a GIANT potato head

our own little tea party

lovin' on george!

taking a trip down the slide and talking to george on the phone

somebody LOVES her poppy

measuring the dino bones

watching the "choo choo"

building the glass tower...with some help from poppy

all packed up and ready to head home

our kater kater alligator

{KATE}

all shots taken Feb. 6--her 6 month birthday

I know...there are so many pictures here...but I had such a hard time choosing. Since posting pictures from home is extremely frustrating, I figured I would go ahead and post them all while I had the option of a higher speed connection. Enjoy!

perfect little toes

and clingy little fingers

the lighting is horrible, but i simply

can't resist the face!

i figured out how to get this in my mouth....even upside down

sometimes!

our giggle machine!

full of innocence and wonder

how can you resist a grin this big and bright!

and, of course, the one and only big sister

joins in the photo fun!

P-U-R-P-L-E

(for some reason i can't get this to rotate...so you will just have to settle for a sideways version of Mugho's dog toy!)



Well...purple wasn't part of the "official" color hunt...but we searched for some anyway...especially since I would like to create a book with the results of our hunt for the girls. I also must say, the most important purple item around our house these days is Elizabeth's "tabby" blankie (a hand-made Christmas gift from her grandma last year)...seriously...she is wearing out the ribbon "tabs" because she loves it so much. And, of course, we didn't snap a photo of that. But we do have plenty of purple around the house!

Happy Six Months...

I'll share a "teaser" today...since today is the actual 6 month mark (something I just can't believe!--where in the world have 6 months gone!). This morning we had a little photo shoot to capture the day....I know I talk about her grin that lights up the day....so here it is! (My plan is to post more pictures tomorrow when I can use my parents higher speed connection...so come back to see more!)My Kate...how can 6 months have passed by so quickly. You are truly growing up before our eyes. This month you've experienced lots of "firsts"....


-your first taste of green beans (and the priceless "grossed out" expression that came with this experience), peas (which you loved), squash, and sweet potatoes

-your first night away from mommy and daddy...a "slumber party" at grandmommy and poppy's house

-sitting up on your own

-rolling over...yep...you finally mastered this one after lots of work!

-your first bath in the big tub...with your big sister (who loved helping wash you!)

-your first venture in outlet shopping! ;)



Kate...you have added so much joy to our home....and noise too! You have a voice, you and aren't afraid to use it. You make noise ALL the time (daddy likes to say you really are your mama's girl!)...screeching, babbling, giggling, and yes, crying at times. Sometimes we can't figure out whether your noise is happy or frustrated!


This month we have discovered just how much you love to hear us sing. The minute we start a song, you turn to find us and your little face just lights up, that big grin spreading from cheek to chubby cheek as you "sing" along in all your glorious noisyness! Elizabeth likes to help "teach" you the motions to our songs. You also love to join in on Elizabeth's nap-time routine...sitting in mommy's lap and helping to turn the pages in each book. I love seeing you study the pictures...reaching out to touch the pages. You still love touching and feeling...especially things that are crinkly and soft.


We are convinced you must be working on your first little tooth...you drool and drool and drool...and chew on anything that gets nearby. Poor girl, you have had a rough few nights with the teething...up a couple times at night...which is unusual for you, as you typically sleep through the night from about 8 pm to 8 am. Speaking of sleeping, you finally seem to have settled into a routine of sorts, napping for an hour and a half or so in the morning and afternoon and an occasional cat-nap in the evening. And (drumroll please) you have finally graduated out of your tight little swaddle....sleeping without your "burrito". You do love to clutch blankie bear in one arm and a soft blankie in the other.

Kate, you are growing so fast...and I am loving each day...savoring the smiles, cuddles, giggles, firsts...dreaming of what tomorrow holds. I LOVE YOU! Happy six months!

ten smile tuesday...and a few museum pictures

I'll start with a few pictures from our visit to the museum with grandmommy and poppy last Thursday. Perhaps I will share a post full of pictures this Thursday when I am at my parent's house...take advantage of their high speed internet.

some "pat pats" for her favorite monkey...GEORGE!

introducing kate to the dinosaur

measuring dino bones...she loves to talk about "measuring" now

riding on poppy's shoulders to get a better glimpse of the trains!

And onto some smiles...

1. My husband...who planned a night out for the two of us...complete with a hotel room and everything! He surprised me by asking my parents to watch the girls overnight...so after church we dropped the girls off and enjoyed 24 wonderful hours off...time together...just the two of us. Browsing around downtown and at Borders....a delightful dinner at the Claddaugh...a stop in a chocolate shop....lots of chatting, giggling, resting, and relaxing...a breakfast at Le Peeps (one of our favs--although I don't think I'd been there in over a year)...all in all, a fantastic time...what a terrific early Valentine's surprise!

2. Picking our girls up....how wonderful to have time away...but even better to realize just how much we miss our girls after a little while!

3. Visiting the museum with grandmommy and poppy. The highlight of the trip for Elizabeth was actually the dinosaurs...which made me a bit surprised...I was expecting her to be completely enthralled by the Curious George room (but I think there were so many kiddos it just proved a bit overwhelming). Since Thursday she has been talking non-stop about the dinosaurs..."Dinosaurs make noise"..."Green dinosaur stamp" (the "entry" stamp on her hand)..."Measure dinosaur bones"...on and on! This morning when we got in the car to head to Wal-Mart...she said, "Go 'Seum....see dinosaurs!?" Needless to say, we'll be headed back soon!

4. A much-needed and thoroughly enjoyed visit from my friend Jill last Wednesday night. Mike was working such long hours last week...and I was just done. How fabulous to have some company...and the tomato bacon pizza she brought along was welcome as well!

5. Our color hunting fun. I must tell you...Elizabeth used to call everything "green"...this morning if I pointed to something that wasn't green she simply called it, "not green!"...oh well, the colors will come someday! It does make me laugh because she really does "know" most of them..unless I ask!

6. The crock-pot of vegetable beef soup cooking in the kitchen...and having the dinner dishes done! :) But really, soup sounds like the perfect meal for what is a dreary rainy February day!

7. Having daddy home with us for a four day weekend after his LONG stretch at work. It was too cute...I let Elizabeth stay up until he got home Thursday evening because she had started saying, "I missin' daddy!"

8. That our house didn't blow away. Tuesday evening I was home alone with the girls when storm warnings and tornado watches started flashing across the TV...and my mom called to make sure we were okay. Let me tell you, I HATE storms...especially the kind with the threat of tornados....freaks me out! Anyway...when I talked to Mike, he recommended I go ahead and clear out our coat closet and get in...just to be safe (yes, it is the only place in our house without windows on the first floor). When the storm hit I thought a freight train was coming through the wall...scary! But we made it...and without any damage! I had to share this picture of Elizabeth playing in the closet when it was all over....but I also must tell you; she wasn't nearly this happy about the closet while we were in it. But at least she found a hat she enjoyed playing with, right!?

9. The fun of planning a baby shower for one of my dearest friends ever...and knowing that she too will soon be a stay at home mommy!

10. Kate's absolute LOVE of singing...the minute you start singing the biggest grin ever spreads across her little face....priceless. Can you believe my baby is going to be 6 months old tomorrow!?