We stumbled upon a "splatty wall" (as my four year old called it) in Coney Island over the weekend. We decided it was the perfect place to try out some "new dance moves".
They couldn't stop dancing. I couldn't stop laughing! She's been asking for an IPod. It's so tempting but not happening.
That's it! My kids finished the school year last Friday. Can you see the excitement?
My five year old loved her first year of public school. They held the "Pre-K stepping up" ceremony in the Park.
She made lot's of friends. She learned to raise her hand before she speaks. To tell the teacher if someone smacks her (and not to take matters into her own hands). She learned how to write all the letters in the alphabet and how to write all of her friends names, that purple is her favorite color and that mom is usually last at pick up. She also learned who Beyonce is, that if she pretends like she has to go potty she can see her sisters class room from the bathroom door, that the nurse gives out stickers and Starburst when you visit her and that her friends think she has "style". She also learned that school is a great place where she is safe and people care about her. She already misses her two wonderful teachers.
I'm a little freaked out by this but this is my 3rd Grader! 3rd grade sounds so old! She had a great year. She had had fun, made lots of friends and worked hard. She really loves reading and math seems to come naturally to her. She received an award at the end of the school year party for "most compassionate". That's my girl. I had to laugh when I saw the award. Compassionate is an understatement.
This is one of the four shirred sundresses I made last week. There are a lot of tutorials on the web if you want to give it a try. It's a very easy quick project (exactly what I need right now). Have a great Fourth Of July!
Last weekend we threw bothof our older daughters birthday parties in the same day! Yep, I'm pretty much crazy like that. My younger daughter turned five in April and has been begging for a "friends party" ever since. I didn't have it in me at that point. Alice was only a few months old so we decided to wait. My older daughter doesn't turn eight until July. All of her friends leave Brooklyn in the summer so she has her party a little early. I know what your thinking. Why not do a double birthday party. I tried. Trust me I tried. They wouldn't have it. So the five year olds partied in the morning and the eight year olds partied in the evening.
We planned to have this party in the park but it rained all day so we moved it indoors. All party decorations were from one of my favorite places on earth. Pearl River . Since the party was at 10AM I just served bagels, fruit and juice boxes.
She planned the activities. She knew exactly what she wanted. We started off with "Pin The Tail On The Donkey"
Of course we had to do some Freeze Dancing and Limbo
We cannot forget the "Fishing" game
Some yummy cupcakes from Monteleones Bakery. Purple and flowery of course.
And some great gifts. Happy Birthday girl. Done! One down, one to go!
The next shindig didn't start until 5PM that evening. She has been studying China in school so she chose a Chinese theme. I just kept the decorations up and added some Chinese decorations to them.
I served Chinese food for dinner. I was thrilled because it took about 30 minutes. Great time filler.I also made Chinese Bubble tea. They LOVED it. I used juice instead because I wasn't sure how parents would feel about tea for their kids.
The Party "boxes" were filled with Chinese candy, toys, and chopsticks.
When the guests arrived they each were given a sheet of paper with their name in Chinese, a small poster board, a brush and some paint. They got to work writing their name in Calligraphy.
They played "Don't Eat Pete". This was another big hit. Kids LOVE this game and it takes up a good 30 minutes or so. You can print it out from The Crafty Crow blog.
I had one more activity for them but they decided they wanted to freeze dance instead. Sometimes ya just gotta go With the flow. I have not laughed so hard in a long time. These little eight year olds and their dance moves. They are starting to take themselves a little bit seriously. That made it even better.
Of course, little sister was right in the middle of all the action!
We played "spin the bottle" to decide what order to open the gifts. They each sat in a circle with their gift in their lap. When the bottle pointed to them their gift would be opened. It eliminated all of the "open mine first" and any hurt feelings.
We ordered a really great cake from Baked. I just added a few decorations.
When all was said and done it wasn't such a bad idea to have them both in the same day. All done...till next year!
Well, we were stuck in the house for most of last week. Both of my older girls were sick. So far nobody else had it. We were all getting a little stir crazy by the end of it so I let them spend some time in the park.
The weather was beautiful! The "bubble guy" was there selling his bubbles to the families in the playground. I use to get annoyed because I didn't want the kids asking me to buy it for them. If we want bubbles we can go to the store! I discovered that once they learn that I am not going to buy it for them it's not so bad. He had my kids entertained for at least an hour.
So close yet so far
Yes! Come to papa!
When they got home all three of them took a two hour nap. That NEVER happens and will NEVER happen again so I decided to take advantage of it. Did I sleep? Oh nooooooooooo! Of course not! I made this instead!
It's the "Easter" dress that didn't get finished in time. It went on to become the "Mothers Day" dress that just couldn't find time for. Finally it came together as the "yes! All three of them are sleeping! Sew as fast as you can!" dress. I used a Portobello Pixie pattern . It's such a great, simple dress. It practically sewed itself. The pattern booklet came with great illustrations and photos.
I let her choose the fabric. This can be a little risky but I think she did a pretty good job. We went to a local fabric store (Brooklyn Mercantile). I just couldn't do a trip into Manhattan at that time (Alice was around 8 weeks old). She was so serious about the whole process. She would hold fabrics up in the light and say "I really think these work together mommy". or "Hmmm...not so much".
There is shirring around the neck, bodice and sleeves.
A very girly ruffle around the bottom.
It just kinda makes ya wanna dance.
Well, I am a little scared to be me this weekend. I decided to knock out both big girls birthday parties in the same day. Just get them both over with. No. they wouldn't go for a "double" birthday party. That would make mommies life easier. Instead we are having one in the morning at the park and another in our apartment in the evening. So far all the boys have RSVP yes. Let's hope I'm alive on Monday!
Yep, I still like to make stuff. And this is now it gets done. In five minute increments. I was checking out Miss Katies blog and Lucy saw her friend Eve wearing a dress and screamed "tell her mommy to make me one!" Don't we all wish. Life would be so much easier if we could just make Katie do it! "Then you make me one! Please! You never sew for me anymore. All you do is nurse Alice! That's all she had to say. I had no solid fabrics and no time to buy any so I ripped into a few cotton sheets. Feeling quite resourceful I made a simple A line dress and added a ruffle (my first ruffle ever...thats why it's a bit wonky). It was simple, quick, and most important she loves it.
Just catching my breath. Little miss Alice is three and a half months old now. She smiles, she coo's she rolls over, and she has us all wrapped around her stubby little finger! If her sisters had it their way they would never go to school. Instead they would lay around and play with her. I am starting to get the hang of this three kids thing. I had no idea how much I would enjoy it. I have loved watching my middle girl become a big sister. She has handled the change really well. Alice is a really easy going baby. She's happy, easy to please and a good sleeper. The trickiest part if the day is getting all of us ready and out the door to school on time. Timing it with nursing is a little hard but if that's all I have to complain about I have it pretty good. I miss my blog and plan to post more often. Please excuse my mommy brain. I can hardly form a complete sentence (then again, what else is new). For now I will leave a few recent photo's.
These are the last words that the sweet nurse said to me as I left the hospital. I know time goes by so fast when you have a newborn. I sooooo wish that I could make time stand still. I would just lay next to her and stare at her forever (which is pretty much what I do all day any way).
Who can blame me?
Born February 4
6lb 7oz
19 inches
We are completely smitten!
Last fall we had a bit of a scare with our guy. When we came home from vacation we could tell something wasn't quite right with him so we took him to the vet. After doing some tests they discovered a tumor in his liver. They were able to take it out and he is "OK" but there were a few days there that we weren't sure how long we would have him with us. These photo's were taken one night while I was waiting for the results of some tests to see if they could operate on him. It's amazing how much you can love a pet. I had no idea twelve years ago when I went out for brunch with my "fiance" we would could home with a member of our family that would teach us so much!
Now he is an "old guy". He has some trouble going up and down the stairs of our third floor walk up. His favorite things to do is sleep on anything cozy he can find, get into the kitchen trash, walk in the snow, eat, and let me know when he is worried about my kids. I enjoy all the quirky parts of his little personality so much more. I don't get annoyed when he does something he knows he's not suppose to (ie the kitchen trash). I think it's because I know he won't be around forever...but he's here now. And that makes me happy.
This is a little experiment I tried a while back. I've seen people combining freezer paper stencil and applique and always thought it would be a fun project. I stenciled the tree on and appliqued the birds and the leaves. My daughter loves it. My "intentions" were to make a Christmas tree skirt using freezer paper stencil, applique and embroidery. So much for "intentions" This is a woman who still has not sent out her Christmas cards yet. I am planning on sending them out "soon". They are too pretty not to send out! People will just have to understand. As for the tree skirt... I WILL do it! I will! Just not this year.
2009 has started with a bang here. These are some of the "rich" experiences we have been "blessed" with so far! One round of the stomach flue for both kids, My husband has "Shingles" (they are EVIL!). It's been a little tricky since he is not suppose to be around pregnant women. On the other hand we are counting our blessings that it happened now instead of a few weeks from now because he cannot be around newborns. THAT would have been really bad. The birth of your child is not something you want to miss. To top it off my four year old currently has another round of the stomach virus. She is so lethargic and miserable. It breaks my heart.
Just don't let mommy get sick. Please...please...please. Let everyone be well soon. Let the bedding be washed, the house be clean, let all the baby clothes be prewashed in "Dreft", let me have time to buy a car seat and other things on "the list", let my dog get a bath, let me find time to buy a plane ticket for my sister to come help me, let me stop rescheduling appointments with my OB because everyone is sick, let us feel healthy and "settled" so that we can welcome this baby home in peace.
Quote of the week: "How is it that your child can literally puke in your face...and it makes you love them more?"
