Who Needs Toys?

When you have a house full of things like pots and pans, boxes of food within reach, cabinets full of towels and toilet paper to raid.

Elsa found the angel food cake pan.

She had fun rolling it around

and watching it spin on the floor.

On Saturday, Rhaevyn and I had a date. It was filled with grocery shopping, trying on fancy dresses , dessert first and then lunch. We started at JC Penney where she tried on pretty, poofy dresses. Then we shared a parfait at TCBY, ate tacos at Taco Bell, went to Target and Winco Foods. We ended our date at Jo-Ann's. We had so much fun and couldn't believe how fast the time went on our date. By the end, though, Rhaevyn was laughing and joking that her "dogs" were tired and sore.

While at Jo-Ann's, Rhaevyn helped me pick out some fabric to make some bibs. I had looked at Target for bibs, but the ones I liked were $6.99 for three. We are down to two bibs here at home, and one of them is almost out the door. I decided since I had several coupons for Jo-Ann's to just make my own. I ended up making six for the price of the three at Target.

I have experimented with bibs before. I made several before I was pregnant with Myles. I used elastic around the neck because I really detest bibs with Velcro. They always seem to get stuck on something and that something gets shredded when the Velcro is dislodged from it.

So, I decided to use the bibs I had as templates and then go with a snap instead of elastic this time around. Here are the finished products.I made them out of flannel and reversible.

I bought some really nice snaps.

Here is Elsa modeling one of them.








They aren't perfect by any means, but I love them.

Rhaevyn also helped me pick out some ribbon at Jo-Ann's.

The girls and I decorated these notebooks with the ribbon.

I think they turned out so cute.

They are our mother/daughter journals where we can write things to each other.

Myles dancing with Rhaevyn.

He is such a good sport.

This week Myles was singing the song "I am a child of God" to me.

He got to the part where it says "...has given me an earthly home with parents kind and dear" but instead said "with parents kind of dear." I had to laugh.

Elsa almost took her very first step the other day without holding onto anything.

She is getting good at letting go of things and standing while supporting herself.

She is also moving onto finger foods.....sort of.

We've had a couple of choking incidents, which scare the jakers out of me.

I should be used to it by now because Rhaevyn, Aeva and Myles were all pretty big chokers.

There's nothing like a choking child to get your adrenaline flowing!

She loves to drink water out of a cup.

If one of us is holding her and drinking water, she will spit out her

binky and lean forward to try to drink from the cup.

Well, I am off.

I am listening to Myles and Elsa see who can be the loudest.

Which translates to mean I am thankful that I can hear my noisy children and that I have healthy children who love to hear the sounds of their voices :)

Oh happy day, oh happy day!

Videos, Pictures, and Updates.... Oh My!

This week Aeva and Rhaevyn got their hair cut.
It is hard to tell in the picture above that Rhaevyn got hers cut.
It needed it. She hasn't gotten a hair cut in about two years.
She got about two inches cut, and it looks so much better.

In the picture below, Myles was a good sport and vacuumed up all their hair.
We actually got a house visit, which was nice. Our favorite hair-doer was in town and came to our house to do the cutting.

Aeva modling her new hair cut.

It's super Myles.

Look, Mom, I can fly!

Myles doing a little dance action.

He was trying to copy what the girls were doing.

So, Myles, let's talk school.....

He is liking his Sunbeam class as church, although, he got a bit teary eyed last week. Chris went and sat with him for a little bit. This week he did much better. He saw his teacher, took her hand, and off they went to class.

This is what he learned and colored in his class last week.



I love Miss Elsa's wispy hair.

It is fun to see if I can get little bows to stay in it.

They don't last too long in her hair, so I had to snap some pictures quickly.

Here a few of the new things she has been doing this week......

Our practicing pianist.


And, I think Miss Elsa is looking a bit like her daddy.

I think it is the forehead.

Girl corner.

And I finally got this frame finished with all the pictures in it.

Before I forget to mention it, Rhaevyn loves her fencing class.

There is no actual sparring going on.

The teacher is drilling them til it hurts.

Have a fabulous week everyone.

Nine Months and Counting

This past week our little Miss Elsa turned nine months.
I can't believe in three more months she will be turning a year old.
That just doesn't seem possible. Didn't I just bring her home from the hospital?
I have been thinking how much she has changed.
I think the only things that haven't changed are her blue eyes and her sweet personality.
She has gone from weighing 8 lbs 12oz to now weighing 18 lbs 1 oz.
She has grown about 6 inches too.
She is walking a lot while holding onto things and definitely knows that I am "mama" and Chris is "dada."I hear "mama" a couple times a night, which I don't mind because one day I know I will miss hearing that several times a night.

Our little one when she was born.

Almost two months old.

Six months old.

Nine months old.

No more dark hair......more on the blond side.

Our little gal is loved more and more each day.

We truly cannot imagine her not a part of our family.

She loves music and we get a kick out of watching her when music is playing in our house.

When Aeva is practicing piano, Elsa likes to sneak over and plunk the keys since she is tall enough now to reach up and touch them.

Chris thought he'd just sit her on the bench the other day to see what she would do.

I think she sat there for 15 minutes just content to pound on the keys.

I think these two could have been twins.

At times they are almost inseparable.

Elsa lights up when she sees Myles when she wakes up.

He always wants to know where Elsa is and that she is alright.

He often says he doesn't like other people to touch or even look at "His baby."

And it is funny how they really are similar in many aspects.

Like Elsa does this thing where she wags her head back and forth.

Myles is my only other baby that ever did that at the same exact age.

There is just a different bond between these two.

I love watching it in action.

The girls have just started to try and feed Elsa.

They love it and think it is lots of fun.

Here is Aeva on her first time feeding her.

In other news....

Aeva is finishing up her first level in piano. Oma had gotten her some of her next level books. Saturday we went to the music store, and Aeva helped to purchase the rest of her level B books. She is very excited to go on to the next level.

Rhaevyn starts her fencing lessons tonight. She is really excited. She is still attending the fencing group on Saturdays with Chris and absolutely loves it.

Myles still loves soccer and last week was learning to try and keep the ball away from his teacher. I am not sure of the soccer lingo for that....maybe guarding?

And today we started a bit of school work for him. He was ecstatic! He kept saying...."school work for me? Really?" and "Girls, mommy has schoolwork for me to do."

Here is Jaba the Hut's palace that Myles made from blocks.

Here's to hoping you all have a supercalifragilisticexpialidocious week!

My Little Man's Room and Other Happenings

Here is my little man.

A few weeks ago I took down the two big puzzle pictures that were hanging in his room. They weren't very masculine or little boyish. I found new places for them in the house. He was not too happy. I think he felt like his room was too bare.


I have been wanting to do something with his room, but actually only had one idea.


This was the idea.

A picture frame with a picture of my dad, Christopher's dad, Myles and Chris.


It is almost complete....it is just missing a picture of Chris.


Thursday I got the bug, or itch, to do his room.

As you walk down the hall you will see this picture just outside his room.

After three and a half years I finally have a baby picture of all my children hanging up in the hallway.

Welcome to his room......

He thinks the little boy in the picture of Jesus is him.

He says, " Look, it's Myles and Jesus!"



I almost bought this last week, but decided not too.

I knew if I put it back I would end up wanting it.

Oh well, it gave me another excuse to go to Ikea.

I made some magnets for it.

This is one of my little princeses.

Oh how she loves the bath.

Check out the hair! I love it!

Robert and his wife,Peiling, came to visit. We very much enjoyed visiting with them and meeting Peiling.Chris enjoyed playing table tennis with her. She whipped his butt.

Happy 2010, everyone!