fall festival 2013

Who's excited about Fall Festival 2013?  These two!  

Every year Britton's daycare does a Fall Festival where the kids get up by class and sing songs and recite poems.  Britton was figuring out her outfit the night before.   "I want a poufy dress, Mommy."  So we settled on an orange tutu with leggings.  

The hubs and I showed up, legs falling asleep the minute we sat in the tiny chairs.  And the hubs started laughing, pointing at the seat a few rows in front of us.  Yep, Britton's chair was looking back!

Britton had a blast, smiling and waving at the hubs and I, and getting really animated and loud.  I watched the entire performance through my phone while I videotaped her, and I found myself turning into that sappy parent I used to make fun of.  You know, when I didn't get what the big deal was about your kid singing silly songs and wearing a funny flower hat.  Yeah, I get it now.

it's like a gay pride parade in here

Britton declared today, "My favorite color used to be pink.  Do you know what it is now, Mommy?  It's RAINBOW!!!!"  And of course, I agree and respond that rainbow is one of the best colors there is.  Because, really - you don't correct a four-year-old that "rainbow" isn't technically a color.  Maybe it is.  Maybe it's like the bells in the "Polar Express" - adults can't hear the bell ringing and can't see rainbow. Doesn't mean it's not there for the believers.

Rainbows have invaded my life recently - not just Britton's new favorite color, but rainbows are taking over my sewing.  I decided to get a jump start on teacher gifts for the daycare teachers, and these potholders will be part of it (tied to a jar of cookies).  Every color is my favorite!

And Jessica was contacted by a lady who makes fourteen inch blankets for babies born too soon - be it preemies or babies who don't make it home because they are born too little.  Didn't just tug at my heart, damn near ripped it out.  I looked  at some quilting blogs and found out that some moms buried their babies with the blanket, some kept the blanket as a memento, one mom still slept with hers every night under her pillow even years and years later.  And for the babies who make it, the blanket is a nice way to snuggle a baby usually stuck in a sterile hospital with scratchy blankets. So Jessica asked her if she takes miniature quilts too, and she does, so I made a few.  

Ohhh, I love you narwhals….

And it was this star quilt (those blocks are only two inches!) inspired my newest quilt.  I wanted tiny stars, and I wanted rainbow.  I combined the two and came up with this design…

                                            

And then started pulling scraps and making tiny stars.  I've gotten through ROY G. and am moving on to BIV as soon as I sort scraps.  It's so bright and cheerful.  It started as a baby quilt, but is now growing into a twin-sized quilt.  Maybe it'll become Britton's fifth birthday quilt?  Assuming rainbow is still her favorite color, of course!

let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

We woke up yesterday morning to snow on the ground.  It's not technically the first snow, because back in October we had a very brief (all of 2 minutes) snow fall that hit the ground and immediately melted.  This was the first "real" snow fall - the one that actually stuck.  Britton was so excited, telling me about going sledding and making snowballs, and eating snow cones.  And then, as it always happens early in the winter season, the snow was on its way out by the time we all got home that afternoon.  No sledding, but I did manage to get some shots of her in front of the shadow-covered snow that survived.

And then I added a note in Barrett's baby book:  "First snow!  11/12/13" 

barrett: 6 months old

This big baby boy is half a year old today.  He is the biggest ball of good mood and laughs and smiles I've ever seen!  Sure, sometimes he gets cranky, especially when he's hungry or tired, but for the most part this baby is happy.  

On to eating - Barrett finally loves baby food!  Not the cereal, of course, since it's glorified sawdust, but the real food.  So far his favorites include peas, apples, spinach, sweet potatoes, and carrots.  He's still getting 6 bottles a day, 6-8 ounces each.  

                            

Developmentally, he's right on track.  Barrett can roll over, while on his belly he moves his arms and legs in what looks like a swimming motion but I know all too soon will be crawling, and he grabs for objects. He babbles a ton and loves when I talk back to him as if he's really talking to me.  His latest thing to grab for is my face, and he grabs either side of my face with his hands then nuzzles his head into my face.  Seriously, a basket of pug puppies and bunnies could not be cuter than this kid!

He gets shots tomorrow at his well baby visit, but he went to the doctor last week for a cold, so we got some stats.  He's 21.5 lbs, which means we're now shopping for a convertible car seat - the one he uses now from Jessica only goes to 22 lbs.  Man, I am going to miss the convenience of the bring-it-along car seat, but maybe once we get the convertible car seat the callouses on my hand will go away.  Car seat plus this kid equals some heavy lifting!  I attempted to measure him with a tape measure, and it looks like he's about 29.5 inches long.

And this week, his gnawing paid off (and poor Sophie the Giraffe got a break) when two teeth on the bottom finally broke through.  

Barrett is doing well with naps, and at night he's taking his bath and going to bed at 6:30 pm.  Then he usually gets up at least once in the night for an 8 ounce bottle, though when he gets up fluctuates - sometimes as early as 9:00 pm and sometimes as late as 3:00 am.  Around 4:45 am every morning he starts moving around and waking up, but the hubs and I ignore him attempt to sleep through it and he's gotten the hint that it's not time to get up.  Then we get him up at 7:00 am to start the day.

Ridiculously beautiful baby...

Likes:  being sung to, playing on his play mat, Glo-Worm, when I do "airplane" with his spoon, Britton, being in the car, going on walks in the stroller

Dislikes:  strangers, wind, being cold, Sadie (he doesn't dislike her so much as he can't figure out what the heck she is)

say cheese!

This time around, we had two kids getting pictures taken, and seeing as how we have yet to get Barrett to a photographer's studio, we decided we'd buy the pictures if they turned out well.  They turned out well!

I mean, other than the photographer cutting off the top of Britton's head (below).  But it's so cute I couldn't not get it, you know?

The one with the tire swing is the "something's not quite right" photo pose.  It finally occurred to the hubs and I - it appears that Britton only has one leg.  Check it out.  You won't not see it now!

Poses are limited when you can't even really sit up well.  But dang it all if this isn't the cutest picture ever!

these are a few of my favorite things

Whiskers on kittens?  Warm woolen mittens?  Actually, can I be honest? I've never seen "Sound of Music."  Really.  That all-American childhood experience never happened.  But I've heard that song probably close to 500 times in my life, so it sticks in my head.

First up - Britton's little table was drowning in creative supplies.  Markers, crayons, coloring books, scissors - they were taking up so much space on the table top that she couldn't even use the table.  So I went off to Home Depot for some peg board, then to IKEA for some kitchen wall storage, and boom…an organized creative station!  And peg board bonus - no drilling holes because they were already there.

Special rainbow with glitter manicure for special cruise trip...

So far, Barrett loves sweet potatoes, carrots, peas, and his favorite, apples.  This from the boy who wouldn't touch baby food for weeks.

Stealing decorating ideas off of the internet.  Heck, I don't even bother signing into Pinterest anymore.  Just a simple google search, then a click onto "Images" and I'm good to go.  A quick trip to JoAnns for gift tags, sticky letters, felt, and tiny clothespins, and my "grateful" and heart banners were complete!

Every day, on my drive to work, I pass by this mailbox.  Snoopy and his dog house.  It puts a smile on my face every time I see it.  And if I ever live in a neighborhood where the HOA doesn't dictate my mailbox choice (or, where I mercifully don't have an HOA), I'm getting one for myself.

51 months old

Britton is going on a trip this week - a Disney cruise with the hubs, Memaw, and PawPaw.  Yep, I'm not going, as someone needs to stay home with Barrett.  Originally, it was Memaw and PawPaw taking Britton themselves, but then the hubs wanted in on a Caribbean cruise during the cold Pennsylvania fall, and he joined in.  Which is fine by me because Barrett goes to bed at 6:30 pm, and this gives me tons of nighttime sewing time!  Yes, this girl can party.

Anywho, Britton is very excited about the trip, ready to get on a plane and use the frog earphones the hubs bought her, swim in a pool again, and just have fun.  I know I've said it before, but four years old is a fantastic age.  Britton is just so much easier than she was in her toddler years, mainly because she's reasonable and can communicate!  

Everything is going smoothly in her world.  She's in a  new class at school (4.5 years old to 5 years old class), and finally reunited with her friends that moved up before her.  She loves all things art - drawing, painting, coloring, and has recently been role-playing her dolls as marrying each other. She wants me to do the entire "Do you, Cinderella, take this man, Princess Charming, as your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, from this day forward…" wedding routine every time!  Her friend at school is a flower girl in a wedding, so I think they've been discussing it in detail (or, as much detail as two four-years-olds can).

Today was supposed to be Britton's last day of soccer (the official last day is next Saturday, but Britton will be out of town).  But soccer was cancelled, and the coach never bothered to tell me, so we ended up all going to the municipal center for no reason.  Britton was hugely disappointed because the hubs and Barrett, who have missed every soccer because it's during Barrett's nap time, came to watch her play, and Britton couldn't show them all she had learned.  So we headed out the empty field, and the hubs pretended to be Coach Jay, and Britton showed us her moves.  We decided to go ahead and have her last soccer practice, even if no other players were there!