Better Late Than Never!

I've had plenty to write about over the course of the last three weeks - I just haven't had the time to do it! So here's my attempt to recap some of what we've been up to lately.

• Madelyn's face-first fall: My foot in Madelyn's way + a hardwood floor to land on = Madelyn with a giant purple knot on her forehead (and one sad, guilt-ridden mama). 

• Adventures in cycling: Richard and Taylor geared up and took Madelyn out for her first ride in the bike trailer. They were so excited. I was a little nervous about it, because sitting still isn't an easy thing when you're 16 months old! She did really well, though - she didn't get restless until the very end of the nine mile ride! (So much for a brief maiden voyage!) 

• The headband: I'd seen a picture of a headband online - a ridiculously cute but terribly impractical headband. I was so taken with the ridiculously cute part of it, I decided to make something similar. I'll admit it - I knew she wouldn't wear it willingly, because she still tugs on (and eventually takes off) any and every hat and hair bow that I put on her. Still, I made it - and I loved it - especially once I saw it on her. I was happy (and lucky!) to get a few pictures of her [shirt-less, because everyone knows that less clothing makes for a happier baby!]. And that was that. We'll try it out again when she's a little older and hopefully a little less annoyed by headwear [or we'll save it for Elsie]. :-)

• Tulips: They bloomed, and I was excited - so I took pictures. 

• Celebrations: Madelyn hit the 16-month mark, and Taylor and I tallied up his months just for fun, discovering that he would hit the 100-month mark the next day (which also happened to be St. Patrick's Day!). So I suggested that we have party to celebrate - and we did just that. We ate  green pancakes for breakfast, munched on Taylor's favorite snack foods all day long, and finished the day with a peanut butter pie with candles.

[Gnawing on those fingers - a sign of what was to come.]

[That green icing doesn't look too appealing, 

but Taylor sure was pleased to have his personalized pancake!]

[I attempted to make pancakes that looked like four-leaf clovers. 

It's the thought that counts, right?]

[Taylor's stash of party food - sugar, anyone?] 

[Madelyn really wanted to get to those candles!]

• The first wakeboard run of the year: Taylor suited up and did an awesome job. He was so excited to be on the water again! It was definitely a good thing that he had the wet suit, though - he said the water was still pretty chilly. 

[This is his "I'm so hard core!" face.]

• Damage control: Poor Madelyn started cutting five new teeth, so I was especially thankful for beautiful weather. Time outside always makes her feel better - or distracts her enough to make her think she feels better. (Cold grapes and yogurt helped, too.)

• Bathing suit day: Decided to go through Madelyn's summer things to see what she had outgrown. In the process, I tried one of her bathing suits on her - and it was just so cute, I left it on her to wear around the yard while she played. (I have no shame when it comes to cuteness.) For what it's worth, though, it was really, really warm outside on that particular day. :-)

• 15 Miles of Glory: Taylor completed a super-hilly 15-mile bike race. He was the only racer under age 16! His finish time was 1 hour, 7 minutes, and he was on cloud nine for the rest of the day. (Who could blame him?) 

Recent Adventures

Whew! We've been busy, busy, busy lately!

Part I: Adventures in St. Louis

This past weekend we made a whirlwind trip to St. Louis with some friends of ours to go watch a supercross race. This year I was short on remarkable ways to celebrate Richard's birthday, so this trip was a late birthday treat. It was also, of course, a treat for Taylor, our young dirt bike enthusiast.

So we made the trek - and what a trek it was!

Highlights:
(1) Proud Mama: Because we had decided on the front end that we would try to make the trip as budget-friendly as possible, we all piled into one vehicle and rode together instead of taking two cars. Taylor was a sweetheart and didn't complain once about having to ride the entire way there and back in between two ginormous car seats - or better yet, between two antsy toddlers. Of course, Richard did offer to pay Taylor $5 for "babysitting" on the way there (which, amusingly enough, Taylor forfeited at the first stop we made - in exchange for the instant gratification of a single pack of Starburst!).
(2) Instant Celebrity: At the race, the sweet lady who sat next to Taylor apparently got the impression that he was an actual young dirt bike racer. Taylor was obviously pleased that she was of this impression and chose not to dispute it. We still aren't sure about what he said to give her this impression in the first place. All we know is that, at some point, she asked him, "So you're the first racer in your family, huh?" (His response: "Yep!") When the race was over, she gave him the program that she'd purchased, and he was elated. (We were, too, because they were selling them for a bajillion dollars, so we hadn't planned on purchasing one.)
(3) Family Togetherness: We spent Saturday morning/afternoon at the St. Louis Children's Museum, The Magic House. It had more than enough activities to keep all of the kids happy and entertained and was definitely my favorite part of the trip. You can't go wrong with a kid-oriented place that is hands-on, educational, and - bonus! - not over-stimulating! I took lots of pictures while we were there. [Side note: I was in rare form this weekend - camera-less! I elected to leave my camera at home in order to avoid having to lug a big camera bag around St. Louis. So all of our photos were taken with our cell phones - gasp! For where we were and what we did, though, I was okay without it - and I'm sure I'll make up for lost time soon enough, now that we're back home.]

A few from the museum:

[Climbing a giant beanstalk...]

[Taylor inside a bubble - super fun!] 

[What kid wouldn't love giant rubber Legos?]

[Madelyn was kinda fascinated with the giant water table.]

 [Putting a muffler on a car...I took this photo especially for Papa!]

And a few from the race:

[This photo was definitely taken by a man - namely, my husband. 

I failed to take any pictures of the actual race, because I much prefer 

photos of people's faces - my kids' faces, especially.]

[Madelyn fought those earplugs like she fights hair bows

and hats, but we managed to distract her with some crackers.]

[Apparently I've rubbed off on Taylor a little, because 

he was prepped and ready to take some photos of the race!]

Part II: Adventures in Sewing

The other reason why it's been a little while since my last post? Well, suffice it to say that I've been spending a lot of time in my sewing room. As soon I finish one project, I start two more - and so on and so forth. And with all of this unseasonably warm weather that has been teasing us about the summer that lies ahead, I've been working full-swing on the girls' summer wardrobe. I've sewn and sewn and sewn.

Yesterday, for example, I made these little tops during Madelyn's naptime:

[Madelyn's is already wrinkled - ha! It seems appropriate, 

since it will look that way in five minutes after I put it on her!]

And this is my favorite of last week's projects (which I made on one of those fabulously warm days):

[I made two of these dresses last week and am finishing up a third one.]

So, with that being said and shared, out of a pregnancy-hormone-induced guilt, I feel the need to give a little shout-out to my super-adorable-but-way-past-the-point-of-letting-me-dress-him son:


Taylor, how I love you! Yet again you are left out of my sewing endeavors. But what's a mama to do when all you want to wear are t-shirts and jeans? Better yet, what's a mama to do when summer comes and all you want to wear (all day, every day) are your swim trunks? I regret the fact that I had no useable sewing knowledge until you were long past the age for Jon-Jons and other dapper little boy clothes. But it can't be helped now, can it? (And I know you aren't complaining!) So I resign myself to these facts - and I will relish in the realization that you are more than happy in your comfy, boy-approved, store-bought  clothes. I also acknowledge the fact that the thought of any article of clothing with - Dare I say it? - buttons - would not be Taylor-approved. 


But I can't promise that I won't try to sneak a bow tie in on you here and there.   


Love, 
Mom