First Day of School

The kids started their Kids Day Out program last week. Overall they did pretty well. James had a hard time when we dropped him off, but they said he settled down and had a pretty good day. Elizabeth was a little bit upset when we dropped her off, but also had a good day - even talked to her teachers some in story time. That's a big deal. Here are our first day pictures. We got them all dressed in their new outfits that they picked out (well James had a little help from us) and they looked WAY too old. I couldn't believe how big they both looked.

We had trouble getting a picture of both of them. This was the best we could do.

Happy Birthday Sweet Pea!

Happy Birthday Elizabeth. Five years ago, Daddy and I welcomed you into this world. From the moment we found out we were pregnant with you, we were so excited. We couldn't wait to meet you, to hold you, to love you. I can't believe that it has already been 5 years since you were born. That morning that you were born was an amazing time for us. You made it clear very early that you were a Daddy's girl. When the nurses took you to weigh you and clean you up, you were screaming. Whenever Daddy would talk you would turn your head towards his voice and stop crying. This happened several times and we knew from then that there was no hope. You and Daddy would have a special relationship, unlike any other. And as a certified Daddy's girl myself, I couldn't be happier. I love our relationship, but it makes me smile to see you and your Daddy.

In the last year you:

- have gotten very good at drawing - your favorite thing to draw is dogs.

- have come out of your shell even more - you are now willing to talk to your teachers at KDO and answer questions in circle time - a major accomplishment.

- have learned to read a little bit - you enjoy sounding out words in your Bob books.

- have made it clear that you are going to be an animal lover for life - you can't get enough of animals - especially dogs and cats.

- took dance for the first time and enjoyed it, even getting up on stage and dancing in your recital.

- also were in Kid's Choir for the first time.

Overall you have grown up in many ways. Your thoughts and questions are challenging and make me think about things that I never have.

As Daddy and I watch you grow, your personality and passions become more and more clear. You have a heart that loves to help. You enjoy doing things for people - helping them out with something, making them things, giving presents. You are passionate about life. You are a girl that does things full on with lots of energy and emotion behind what you are doing. You are very cautious of people you don't know, but have learned to overcome that when necessary. You struggle with being scared of things, but have also learned how to handle that in positive ways - distract yourself, sing your Bible verses about fear, pray.
You decided this year that you wanted to become a Christian and so with Daddy's help, you prayed a prayer of salvation. You understand that sin is things that we do that are wrong and that Jesus came to die so that we could be forgiven of our sins. You believe in this. We can't wait to see how God uses you as you grow up and learn more about what it means to be saved from our sins. As you learn truly what the grace of God is all about and choose to follow him, we know he will use you in amazing ways. He will be able to accomplish so much through you. Happy Birthday Sweet Pea. We love you!

Taking Care of the Family

Last week Dave and I headed to some friends' wedding a couple hours away. My parents watched the kids Sunday afternoon and evening. They spent most of the time at their house, but then headed to ours to let people in and start a Bible study at our house. We got there a little late. Apparently when they got to our house, Elizabeth brought my dad a marker and paper and proceeded to tell him the things he needed to do to take care of Stache (our dog) and James. So, here's the list she gave him - I think she's about ready to hold down the fort by herself. Well, maybe not quite yet, but maybe once she turns 5 in a few weeks. :)

James
1. take care of bloody nose (he had just had one on their way to our house)
2. change diaper
3. watch so he doesn't pull pet tails
4. be careful is he messes up stuff
5. help if he gets hurt
6. no eating playdough
7. watch in front yard
8. feed when hungry
9. help when needs help
10. watch curtains so he doesn't them down

Stache
1. don't let him bite door
2. train for dog show
3. give him water
4. give him food
5. don't let him chase Meko
6. don't let him on the blanket when watching t.v.
7. scratch his ears when he can't reach them
8. pet him
9. let him outside when he wants to
10. get him in a safe place when might hurt him

Pay It Forward

A few weeks ago I was browsing through my blog list that I look at regularly. I was over visiting Unplug Your Kids where Sarah has great ideas on activities for kiddos that get them away from the tv, computer, etc. and doing experiments, acitvities, all kinds of fun stuff.
Well, she was participating in a little pay it forward project and I was one of the first 3 commenters, so I get to participate too. Fun.
Above is what Sarah sent me from a recent trip to France - a beautiful bookmark and postcard and a cute little stone that you can spray perfume on and put in your drawer (like a sachet). The stone says Amitie which means friendship. I also love the envelope with the fun French stamps on it - so cool.
Now, my job is to pay it forward. So, I will send a little something to the first 3 people who comment on this blog post. If you comment, please be willing to pay it forward to 3 more people. If you don't have a blog, that's ok. You can do it in person or I think it would be fun to do on facebook or something. Anyway, just being willing to pass along something nice to 3 more people. Please only US residents. If you comment, make sure to put your email address or some way for me to contact you to get your address so I know where to send your package.
Thanks for visiting my blog!

Free Motion Quilting

I have been very excited about quilting lately. I’ve been working quite a bit on it and really enjoying it. As my post last week showed, I have several things in the works. My mom and I are working on a couple of quilts together. I have gotten excited about the idea of free motion quilting them after watching the Old Red Barn Quilt Along. There's one major problem with free motion quilting - I'm a perfectionist and the thought of it terrified me. But, I decided that I really wanted to try it out and see if I could do it. I also decided that I didn't want my first attempt to be on one of these 2 quilts my mom and I working on - there has been quite a bit of time and money put into these quilt tops and I wanted to practice on something first. But, I also didn't want to just practice on a scrap. It's very hard for me to practice on something that isn't going to be used. With two little ones running around, I don't have much time to sew, but when I do, I want it to count. I went to my favorite fabric store and looked at their sale section. I wasn't really sure what I was looking for, just something that I could use that would be simple, but still useful. I found some blue fabric with cats and dogs on it and realized that it would be PERFECT for Elizabeth. So, I bought a yard of it and another fabric and decided to make her just a little blanket. Well, I free motion quilted it. I read and watched the tutorials several times at Old Red Barn and Oh Fransson and then I just did it. And I loved it. I loved doing it and I LOVE the way it turned out. It isn't perfect, for sure, but I'm ok with that (a huge step for me). I finally realized that this is handmade and nothing handmade is ever going to be perfect. So, now I'm really excited about getting the other quilt tops done so I can quilt them. I'm definitely a convert to free motion quilting. Now, I have to bind this blanket for Elizabeth and I'm thinking she'll use it for rest time at Mother's Day Out this year.

I have been working on this and Elizabeth has seen it. She asked me who I was making it for and I said it was a secret. She thought on that for a day or two and then said, "Mommy, I think I know who the secret is for. I think it's for me because it's blue and has dogs and cats on it." Bingo - I knew it was perfect for her as soon as I saw it.

The Reception

The wedding reception was very fun. We had a great time. My husband's family knows how to throw a party and they go all out for weddings.
Dutch (the ring bearer) and Elizabeth sitting in the big chairs. James and me at dinner.The 4 of us all dressed up.

James looked super cute in his tux. Unfortunately we didn't get many pictures of him in the whole thing, but the vest and bow tie still look pretty cute.

Dave and me.

I know this isn't a great picture, but I had to put it up because Dutch and Elizabeth spent a ton of time together. Dutch was always hugging Elizabeth and they played together a lot. It was really cute. Too bad they don't live closer to us.

These 4 cousins played together a lot of the reception, including attacking Dave at one point. From the left is Zeke, James, Elizabeth, Dutch, and Dave.

Aunt Ali and Elizabeth - this is potentially my favorite picture that we got. I'm not sure why, I just think it's so sweet. These two love being together. This picture makes me think of Ali and her Mini-Me.

My parents made the trip to join in the festivities and help us with the kids. It was great to have their help. I don't think we could have done it all without them. Here they are dancing with the kids.

While people were eating dinner, there wasn't much dancing going on. So, the kids had the whole dance floor to themselves. They definitely took advantage of it - they ran around and kept falling over and were just generally being silly.

My brother, Evan and me.

Uncle Richard dancing with Elizabeth. Uncle Richard loves playing with the kids and they all have so much fun.

Dave with his baby sister - they love to dance together.

Elizabeth thoroughly enjoyed her cake.

The parents of the bride (and my wonderful in-laws), Mike & Joyce.

Uncle Evan and Elizabeth dancing. I think she was whispering secrets to him - which obviously were funny.

This is Dave's dad, James, and some other family member named James. I'm not exactly sure how he's related, just know he has the same name as James.

Dave's mom and Dave.

My parents took James back to the hotel to get him to bed, but Elizabeth really wanted to stay til the end. We told her she could stay. Well, it wasn't too much longer til she was fast asleep in Uncle Evan's lap. I think all the festivities totally wore her out.

And Richard and Ali make their exit. It was a beautiful wedding with a fun, rockin reception - just what they wanted. We were glad to be a part of and celebrate this wonderful day with them.

We love you Ali & Richard - may God bless your marriage!

Getting Ready for the Wedding

Dave's sister, Ali got married at the end of June. The wedding weekend was very fun and very exhausting. We had a great time and were so thankful to get be so involved in it. It's a blessing to have siblings that want you in their weddings. So, Dave was a groomsman, I was a bridesmaid, Elizabeth was the flower girl, and James was the honorary ring bearer. It was lots of fun.
The morning of the wedding Elizabeth and I headed over to Ali's house to get hair and make-up done and get ready.
Elizabeth and Ali getting their hair done. These two are so alike in so many ways. As you can tell, they look a lot alike, but their personalities are very similar also. Elizabeth got her hair done, then it was time to eat some lunch. Poor thing, she really wanted to lie down, but I kept trying to keep her up so that she wouldn't mess up her hair.

Elizabeth hanging out with Aunt Ali.

Elizabeth got her make-up done. I wasn't really too excited about it. The make-up lady asked me if they could do princess make-up - a little bit of blush, some sparkles, and lip gloss. I said sure. Well, it ended up being full make-up, even mascara, but oh well. These things don't happen everyday.

The bride and bridesmaid having a little pre-wedding toast. We just hung out in the bathroom at the church while we waited for the time to come.

Joyce (Dave's mom) and Ali both looked beautiful.

Elizabeth was ready to walk down the aisle.

Since I was in the wedding, I didn't get any pictures of the actual wedding. It was beautiful and the ceremony was very nice. Dave and Steph wrote a song and Dave and Amy (my brother's wife) sang it during the wedding. It was really neat. I think Richard and Ali really liked it. I am uploading the video of the song right now. Hopefully will have it posted soon.

Not much blogging going on...

But a lot of sewing. I've been really bad about blogging lately, partially because I've been sewing a lot. I'm totally on a quilting kick at the moment. I am going to try to get caught up on some blogging, but here are some previews of what I've been sewing.