I'm Digging This

Last night I watched the first half of this new version of "Sense and Sensibility" on Masterpiece Theater. It's so good! I love the casting, I must say, so far I think it's better than the film version. Have any of you seen this yet? What say you?

Easter

We had a great Easter this year. Natalie was so excited and kept asking when Easter would be. "Is it Easter yet, Mama?"




Unfortunately, we couldn't get a picture with all of us together, there wasn't anyone to take one. Plus, Natalie really didn't want to take pictures when I wanted to, it was like pulling teeth!



The Easter Bunny brought Natalie a cinderella dress...I know, a little unconventional, but he brought her fabric Easter eggs, too. Those were a fun little project for me. Do you think she's smiling so big because she knew how hard I worked on those eggs, or because of that dress? Hmmm...

Dyeing Eggs

Natalie was really excited to dye easter eggs this morning, she loved putting the little tablets in the vinegar and seeing what color would be next. Minnie ears...of course.



Natalie has this thing when we craft...after doing a couple things by herself she then wants me to do everything. I don't know why, it's like she gets sick of it or something. So anyway, this is when I was supposed to push the easter egg around and I asked her to do it so I could get a picture. "No, YOU do it Mama."



The finished product. It was a lot of fun, and surprisingly I made the bigger mess of the two of us. Natalie was extremely careful with the eggs after the first one cracked, she did a great job.

A New Tooth

It's been one of those days.

You know, the kind of day where you have to remind yourself that they really are cute.



Natalie has been on one today. She has definitely cried more today than Annie has in the past week. I'm not giving in to her, I am consistent with my discipline...so why the crying when she doesn't get her way? I think she's testing me today, I guess I'm not perfect just yet. =)

Tidbits

Natalie loves her sister, and Annette loves her back!



I found this after coming downstairs after my shower. Very impressive. Later, Natalie's friend was over and started moving the blocks and Natalie said, "No Kayla, it's my name! Don't move the blocks!"



I finished all the squares for my quilt...now I just have to piece them together and the top will be done! I'm so excited to see what it's going to look like.

I Roll Over Now!

Did you know?

This baby will smile at you every time you smile at her? Every. Time. Such a sweetheart.

Stuff

Here are a few things I've been up to lately...just for kicks.

Piecing together this quilt:



Trying to declutter this:



Going to one of my favorite stores (the Container Store) and buying cool things that organize my crazy pantry. Who woulda thunk? Baskets with pull out handles...



Making this for a friend:



Here's the inside:



In a post a little while back I posted fabrics I used to make my sister-in-law a birthday present, I made her a zippered pouch like this one. Just honing up those sewing skills.

Note to Self

In theory, boy leg swimsuits with a halter top are a great idea. They cover a little more leg, have a kind of retro thing going on, they have a cute tie around the neck, they look great on this skinny model...




Reality: they accentuate the tummy area (not cute), they make you look 5 years older than you really are unless you're a size zero (again, not cute), the tie at the neck digs into you causing you to bow your head (probably because you HAVE to tie it tight enough so it holds everything up).

Sigh.

Big Girl

About a week ago, we had Annette's four month doctor visit. She topped the charts at 16 pounds, she's also in the 95th percentile for her height. This is her next to her 10 month cousin, Lizzie. Pretty hilarious.



And I just thought these pictures were cute of the girls:

Ouch.

Flip flops. Trip. Coffee table. Doctor. No permanent damage.




Day Two:

Happy Heart Day...Literally!

Some of you know that Annette was born with a minor heart defect. It wasn't serious, but she had a slight heart murmur, which means she had a tiny hole in her heart. Having never heard of a "VSD" before, it really quite scared me when I first found out about it in the hospital. But I soon found out that most VSD's close within the first year of life and that there are no complications attached with it. Well, today we went to go see the cardiologist and are happy to report Annette's hole has closed up and we never have to worry about it again. She's free and clear, we don't even have to mention it on health forms. I was very happy to hear the good news! Yay!

Projects

I have been on a sewing kick lately. It's my favorite hobby right now. Here are the projects I finished last week:

A pillowcase for Natalie for Valentine's Day. I was trying to think of something that was not candy and would not clutter my house even more than it already is.



Annie's blanket. Natalie has one just like it in different fabrics and loves it. So I wanted to make one for Annette. I might add a silky border of light pink.



A present for my sister-in-law out of these fabrics. I'm not going to tell what it is in case she hasn't gotten the package yet. =)

Reading

I put Ann in Natalie's crib the other day and Natalie started reading to her. Annette was a very attentive listener.

Strollin'

I finally got my new stroller! I think I ordered it at the beginning of November or something, it has been a long wait. And I love it! I tried it out today with the girls. It is lightweight, easy to push, has lots of compartments to store things in, folds up easy and best of all, Natalie likes it. We'll be out and about a lot more now, I'm so excited!

Do you hear that?

Natalie's latest obsession:

Natalie: Do you hear that? (Looks around with a concerned look on her face)
Melissa: What is it?
Natalie: It's Swiper the Sneaky Fox. No take my necklace Swiper! Swiper, noooo swiping! Swiper, noooo swiping! (Natalie holds her hand out in front of her to stop Swiper)

If you don't recognize what Natalie's talking about, good for you! I bet most of you do know though. =)

This is repeated about 15 times throughout the day, much to my dismay.

Blessing Day

Annette had her blessing on Sunday, and it went really well. It was a surprisingly low-stress day, and I really enjoyed it. She's a very sweet baby and we're so glad to have her in our family now.

Check out Natalie's cheesy smile!

Bullets

I am following Katie's format of writing in bullets, because I too, am really tired.

*Annette is really sick right now, it is so awful hearing your three month old cough and struggle to breathe, I brought her to the doctor, and there is not much you can do except wait it out.
*Natalie gave Annette what she had, I think, she's had it a lot longer, but when I took her with me to Annette's appointment the doctor informed me after unofficially looking in her ears, that she had two ear infections and liquid in both ears.
*I am running on fumes...three or four nights of very little sleep, probably because I have a baby who can't breathe very well.
*I don't know why I'm posting all this, I think I just need an outlet, I'm a little stressed right now.
*I don't think I'm as good at bullet writing as Katie is.
*That is all for now!

Endless TV

Okay, I'm starting to feel really guilty about how much Natalie watches tv. I'm going to just confess how much I let her watch it. Then, I want you to either a)tell me your child watches just as much or more, or b)give me suggestions on what you have done to help cut down on tv time. It's usually on 1 1/2 to 2 hours in the morning and I will let her watch 1/2 hour to 1 hour in the afternoon. This does not even count the time she watches her dvd player in the car. Which I don't turn on every time we go anywhere, but I will turn it on probably half the time. Wow, I can't believe I'm telling you all this, now I feel even guiltier, but I really do want some help and advice!