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

Name Crisis Averted!

I know that the naming process really hasn't dragged on nearly as long as I feel that it has, but since Madelyn was named before she was even conceived [Yes, really - as a matter of fact, we picked the name Madelyn for our hypothetical baby girl on the airplane en route to our honeymoon destination!], it feels that it has taken forever to name this one! After going through quite a lengthy list of [my] favorites, though, Richard and I have finally settled on a name that both of us love. Our problem up until now: I had enough names to name about twenty girls, and Richard vetoed almost every one of them! His major complaint: Most of the names I liked sounded "grandmotherly" to him. I personally love that older names (names that were popular, yes, when our grandmothers were born) are coming back around, but he just couldn't get past the fact that those he presently knows who carry those names also have gray hair. Anyhow, without further adieu, I'm proud to announce our second sweet baby girl will be named...

Now, I have a request: Please refrain from pointing out the fact that the name Elsie technically fits into the older-names-that-are-coming-back-around category, because I really lucked-out here. Richard apparently doesn't know of any older ladies that carry that name, and he happens to really like the name!

And to answer a couple of questions that I've already been asked:
- Elsie is pronounced ELL-see.
- She will go by Elsie. [Olivia was originally our first choice, but we've decided to use it as a middle name, because we know that it's a really popular name right now and that there are Olivias popping up all over the place.]

And not because anyone asked but because I want to share, a few side notes:
- Taylor absolutely cannot pronounce "Olivia." It always comes out as "uh-LIH-dee-uh." (I think it's supremely cute that his eight-year-old self still has something that it can't pronounce!)
- Madelyn can say "Elsie" on command. It comes out as "eh-EE." (Ah! Melt my heart!)

We're all pretty excited.

Sunshine on a February Day

I have been sewing up a storm for the past week. Since last Friday, I've made a summer top, a sun suit, and a tunic dress for Madelyn, in addition to two infant dresses for the baby. I also finished up a little A-line dress and a bolero jacket for Madelyn that had been sitting in the "in progress" pile in my sewing room for a while. And then my sewing machine decided that it needed a break - so it went on strike - and I was really sad at the thought of ending my sewing spree in order to have it serviced.

But I woke up this morning to sunshine - lots and lots of sunshine - and by the afternoon, it was a remarkable 82 degrees outside! So right after lunch, Madelyn and I went outside to enjoy the weather, and we packed more fun into this afternoon than we have in the past several afternoons. Ball in the yard, some time on the swingset, a stroll around the neighborhood, and some time on the trampoline, too. It was the first time Madelyn had really held her own on the trampoline, and she was serious about it: 

Taylor, of course, enjoyed the sunshine as much as Madelyn and I did, once he got home from school; however, he didn't make it into a single picture today! I just didn't have the heart to ask him to stop running around to take any. Madelyn is, of course, still blissfully ignorant of the fact that I am constantly snapping photos of her - Taylor is not. (Even having dodged the Mamarazzi today, he made the comment to me this evening: "You know what I would hate about being famous? All the pictures!") 

But since it was beautiful outside, I felt like I had more reason than ever to take lots of pictures - so I took advantage of Madelyn's blissful ignorance - and this big patch of buttercups was the perfect spot to do that.

[She really wanted me to smell the flowers.]

[Really.]

[She wasn't gonna take no for an answer.]

And that's really all that there was to today - but it was such a sweet, sweet day. 

Thank you, Lord, for a day of sunshine!

Love Day

Richard is always so sweet on Valentine's Day. I hope that Taylor watches him and learns from him - and remembers, one of these days, that it doesn't take much to make your wife happy on Valentine's Day. Show her that you care about her, show her that you value her, show her that you love her. And however you choose to show her, as long as you convey the message, you've given her all she needs. 

I say that to say that this year was no exception. Instead of getting someone else to put together a floral arrangement, Richard went to the store and bought craft supplies, decorated a vase himself, bought a few calla lilies (because he knew they were my favorite from our wedding), and then went outside and picked a giant bunch of daffodils to fill out the rest of the vase. [The only thing that would've made it more perfect would have been if I'd been able to sneak a peek of him picking those daffodils. I don't know that there's a more perfect image to a woman than to think of her man going to pick her flowers - and in the cold, no less!]

So, yeah - I'm gushing. But he is really sweet.

More sweetness: During our Valentine's Day lunch today, Richard let me babble on about a million different things - and, believe me, I babbled. (So, Taylor, another tidbit to tuck away for future reference: Let her talk - and listen.)

For the second half of the day, I had a short list of things I wanted to accomplish:

(1) Take a photo of Taylor and Madelyn with their Valentine's Day balloons. (Yeah, I have a thing for balloons - but the photo was primarily for my grandmother, who had been so thoughtful to buy the balloons for them.)

* Result: For once, Taylor was happy to comply with my request for a photo. Hooray! (I'd started with "Now, I know you're not a fan of pictures..." but he'd interrupted me and said, much to my delight, "No, it's okay. It's Valentine's Day. You're supposed to be sweet on Valentine's Day.")

(2) Make a super-simple valentine for Richard from Taylor and Madelyn.

* Result: I really didn't think this one through. Of course, Taylor's handprint was a piece of cake, but I forgot that, when you put something slimy on a baby's hand, that baby is gonna want to squish it around and rub it onto the other hand - and onto anything else that is close by. So. We did Madelyn's handprint, and then she rubbed pink paint on her opposite hand - and, as I realized my mistake and ran with her to the kitchen sink, she managed to get it on her shirt, her pants, and her socks. Mom fail. Needless to say, the clothes went straight into the washer - we'll see soon enough if I got them there quickly enough! (Of course, Madelyn was tickled pink [no pun intended] that she got to shed her clothes for the rest of the evening.) 

All that being said, though, I still don't think there's a more precious valentine than a piece of paper with a couple of handprints on it - so - still worth it.

(3) Make pretty pink pancakes for dinner.

* Result: Well, although my plan was to make the easiest thing that I could for dinner without ignoring the fact that it was Valentine's Day, preparing it ended up being a much more tiring process than I'd expected (due to Madelyn's shrieks of anticipation). She was - to put it mildly - very, very impatient (to be more specific, she was clinging to my leg and wailing as I made the pancakes). Everyone did eventually get their fill, though, and they were pretty and pink, just as I'd hoped they would be. 

[I don't have a picture of the finished product - I was trying

to avoid a Madelyn meltdown! Isn't the batter pretty, though?]

Bonus: Taylor actually came up to me as I was about to take Madelyn to bed and said, "I feel like you just need a hug" - and gave me one. Really, that made my Valentine's Day. He's always so attentive to me when he can tell that I'm tired. 

In Madelyn's defense, though, heaven knows that I'm not the happiest camper when I'm hungry! I should know better than to expect anything other than shrieks when she's ready to eat. So, for the sake of sharing, here's a photo that I took this morning:

[She's always happy in the morning!]

So, this Valentine's Day, summed-up: full of simple and sweet little delights. 

And if you're reading this, I hope yours was full of those, too.

Hooray! What A Day!

To begin with, for reasons that I don't really need to share, I ended up with a last-minute appointment with my doctor this morning to check on the baby. Thankfully, we confirmed that the baby is doing really well (and is actually really fiesty!) - and then the sweet nurse told me that they could go ahead and do the fetal assessment while I was there! Yay - no more waiting!

So. I did the right thing and called Richard to confirm what I already knew that he was going to say - that he wanted us to find out the baby's gender together. And I'm gonna pat myself on the back here - I did the right thing, covered my eyes at the appropriate time during the ultrasound, let the nurse put the  ultrasound photos in an envelope, and drove all the way home without touching that tempting white envelope. (I really, really love my husband.)

Then, when I got home, I decided that I should take advantage of the opportunity to capture the gender reveal on film. So after I picked up Taylor from school, we went to buy balloons - because I had this picture in my head of a sweet little photo of the kids, holding either pink or blue balloons, commemorating the moment. But there were no helium-filled blue balloons to be found. So we bought five beautiful, shimmery, pink heart-shaped balloons - and then went from there to buy sad little cheap packaged blue balloons from Walmart. (I figured, hey, if it was a boy, we could still blow them up and scatter them around the kids for the photo.) 

Madelyn absolutely adored the balloons. She "ooh"ed and "aah"ed the whole way home. And the closer we got to home, the more excited I got about the idea of this super-adorable photo. I also decided that we'd first take a shot at catching Richard's and my reaction on camera. But then we got home - and Richard had just pulled into the driveway - which meant that he'd just gotten off work - which meant that he was really, really dirty. And he said what I knew he'd say - that he didn't want his picture taken. So I begged a little (just a little, because I have a super-sweet husband who knew how much it meant to me and didn't really need much to be persuaded). 

So Richard changed his clothes, and he threw on a hat, and we went outside (because I absolutely love natural light and absolutely hate taking indoor photos when I have the option of an outdoor photo). And that's how sweet Taylor became a photographer. And I have to say - for his first time, I'm quite  impressed with him. The pictures are just what they're supposed to be - they captured the moment.

(It took us a minute to find the right photo...) 

(We found it!) 

(And this is Richard's I'm-really-excited-but-terrified face.)

The funniest thing, though? Richard and I were so giddy and giggly, Taylor started jumping up and down saying, "I was right?! I was right?! It's a boy?!" So we had to show him that, no, it is, in fact, a girl! [Hip-hip-hooray! Insert cheers here! And also, for the record, I need to say: I was right! I was right! Mother's intuition was right this time!] 

And then I remembered the beautiful pink balloons - so I ran inside to get them, got the kids situated in the yard, and started to help Taylor tie his shoes - but forgot that I was the only one holding the balloons. So before I realized what was happening, they were sailing off into the distance.

(What a sad sight!)

I was bummed - mostly because I'd gone to the trouble of making a stop and buying the balloons and hadn't gotten any benefit from them (but also because they were just so darn adorable). I did get this sweet photo, though - and I certainly won't forget this day! 

 And, to end on another funny note, I have this photo to share: 

[After we came back inside, Taylor made a slight change to my chalkboard sign.

I think that the news may take a little while to sink in. 

Good thing he's so crazy about his sister Madelyn!]  

Tea Cakes Tonight (The Trump Card)

I always have a working list of things that I need to do and things that I want to do. I'm sure we all do. Over the course of the past several days, though, I've been more and more inclined to let the things that I need to do give way to the things I want to do. The things I want to do (the semi-constructive things anyway) trump whatever else I had planned originally.

Example 1: On Friday night, I was ready to tackle a stack of pants that needed to be hemmed. Considering the fact that I have fewer and fewer things these days that fit properly, I was certain that I'd be motivated to get at least the majority of them hemmed and ready to wear. Instead, as soon as I was upstairs and in my sewing room, I was thinking summer - and summer dresses - and how cute Madelyn would be this summer in her little summer dresses. So I made her one. And I love it.

Example 2: Yesterday, I readied myself to take down that stack of pants - and I was really firm in my resolve - or so I thought. But then I caught a glimpse of this striped fabric that I'd been itching to do something with - and I started thinking about wide-leg trousers - and how cute wide-leg trousers would be on a toddler: my toddler. So while Taylor was at basketball practice and Richard was out working, I made those wide-leg trousers happen. And I added a big cuff, because nothing makes wide-leg trousers cuter than a big cuff. Oh, wait - a pair of red shoes? Yeah, that's even cuter. So I absolutely love these, too. I just love them.

Which brings us to today. Today, I was honest with myself. It was 61 degrees outside this afternoon, and I knew it would just be silly to even attempt to get the "necessary" sewing done when I could be enjoying the weather. So Taylor, Madelyn, and I spent some time outside - and it was so nice! 

[Taylor isn't a fan of photos, but he never 

protests when I take "action shots."]

Today wasn't without its need-gives-way-to-want moment, though. At about 4:30, the breeze outside had made it just a little too chilly for Madelyn and me, so against Taylor's brief protest ["What?! You're cold? I'm burning up!"], we came inside. Then I wanted cookies. And then I remembered the recipe for tea cakes that I hadn't made since - a long time ago. And as soon as I thought of them, I knew that I was gonna have them, one way or another. So, despite the fact that, at that point, it was 5:00 and I had no plans whatsoever for dinner, I started on the tea cakes. And I skipped the "chill for one hour" step, because I wanted them as soon as possible. And then I made the caramel icing to go on top of them. And they were exactly like I'd remembered them. 

[Don't be fooled by this unimpressive photo. They're yummy.]

[Mmmm.]

So. Madelyn had dinner and went off to bed, and Taylor was eating dinner at his best friend's house, so  Richard and I had tea cakes. I figure we'll eat dinner at around 8:30 or so, when our appetites roll back around.

Am I saying that this should become a nightly thing? Of course not. But do I regret eating dessert first tonight? Nope. The tea cakes trumped - and I'm so glad they did!

I leave you with an image of today's first - just about every day has a first when you have a toddler, and I'm sure Madelyn was pretty proud of herself with this one!

["Where's my sippy cup?"]