Backyard Waterpark

Well, William finally decided he liked going in the pool. We set up a little waterpark in our back yard (slides, pool, water balloons). So far this summer and all last summer, he would not set foot in the water. Now he loves it! I am still trying to get Violet to go in the water. Her pinky toe barely touches the water and she starts crying. It's funny because they both love taking a bath. I can't wait to take them to a real pool!

Baby Wearing

This is our best investment besides our cloth diapers! It's a quick, comfy Butterfly Beco "Alice" baby carrier. It's a snap to put on, and it also wears like a backpack (but Violet prefers riding in the front). You can see her satisfied grin in the picture. I use this carrier several times a day (stroller? What stroller?), when we go for walks, shopping, and to William's mom-tot classes (siblings are allowed if they are in a carrier). I purchased it from Jillian (wonderful and so helpful!) at paxbaby.com. This carrier replaced my Mei Tai, and I love it!

Santa Came Early This Year

Santa Claus visited our house early this year. Perhaps you can see why...where would we ever hide this huge thing?!? Danny has been looking on Craig's List forever for a Power Wheels for William. But not just any Power Wheels...it had to be something big, a two-seater (so his sister could ride too!), and of course it had to have a radio. William loves to play with the radio in the car. Finally, he found this Escalade on Craig's List, not too far from our house.

We went to go look at it, and quickly realized why the guy was selling it...he lived in a second floor apartment and it had to be carried down the stairs by himself and his wife, for his young son to use. The thing probably weighs 100lb. While we were there, 3 other potential buyers called, all fighting for it and offering to pay more money. Needless to say, we quickly said yes.

William is so happy about his new truck. When he calls his grandma or his great-grandma (Oma), all he can talk about is his 'big truck'. He gets in and out a million times, plays the radio, and even loads 'groceries' into the truck (canned goods from the pantry).

Doesn't he look small? :-)

Reusable Gift Wrap

For the first time, we will have reusable gift wrap under our Christmas tree! My mother has been doing this for years (I can't even remember a time when we had paper gift wrap!), and I decided I wanted to do it for my own family, so I made my own gift bags. These are all made from Christmas-themed cotton fabric. I started with 6 yards of cute printed cotton fabric, and cute each yard in half. I sewed the bags using a french seam, and they have a drawstring closure (sewed with a button hole and seams on each side of the button hole). To finish, the ties were made using sparkly silver and gold cording. So simple!

Now I will be able to cut the time I would normally spend wrapping Christmas presents by a fraction! Using these bags (and handmade gift tags that I made and will be able to use year after year as well), I could probably get all the Christmas wrapping done in about a half hour. And another great feature of the reusable bags is that odd-shaped presents are no longer a problem. You just stuff the bags, tie, and go!

Being A Parent

I realized something the other day, as I watched Danny and William dancing in the living room last night for over a half an hour. Our main purpose, Danny and I, is to be good parents to William and Violet.

Danny comes home from work every day, and literally the minute he gets home from work until Violet and William go to bed for the night, he spends it playing with William or holding Violet. Danny and William take hour-long baths together just about every night, playing with toys and splashing each other. Since Violet is 2 months old right now and not sleeping through the night, sometimes Danny will keep her with him until nearly 1am while he's watching tv or on the computer, so I can get a bit of extra sleep.

I think the most important thing a parent can do for their child is just to listen to them. Sometimes kids just want to be acknowledged. William talks to me all day long, and he does actually have things to say. Everything he observes, he wants to tell me what he is seeing. Whether it is an airplane out the car window, or a squirrel on the tree when we are taking a walk. If I am busy when he is trying to tell me something, I do my best to explain to him what I am doing at the moment, and that I will help him with what he needs or what he has to say, when I get the chance. It's funny, because a lot of the time when he says something, maybe a new word, he waits for me to repeat it and confirm to him that he was correct. Sometimes I don't understand what he's said right away, but if I listen a couple more times, usually I can pick it up (he is usually right, it's just that his pronunciation isn't always 100% for being a toddler!).

And even though she is so little, Violet looks so smart and inquisitive. The sleepless nights get easier as she responds more to my face during the day; she looks, laughs, and I bet she will be trying to say things or make little sounds any day now. At the beginning I was always having a hard time figuring out what she needed when she cried; but now I am doing my best to take the time and whenever I don't know what to do, I just hold her and that usually does the trick. Sometimes she just needs to relax before she goes to sleep.

It's great being a parent. Some days are a challenge, but I wouldn't trade it for anything.

Japanese Fabric Fat Quarter Swap

I am hosting a swap on Swap-bot.com (if you aren't already a member and love to trade, you've GOT to check this out!) for Japanese import fabrics. If you love this fabric and would like to participate in my swap, please visit this link for more information:

http://www.swap-bot.com/swap/show/24702

And, you can also convo me if you have any questions or need any help with the site.

Thanks and hope to see you there!

Happy Halloween!

This year, William was Spider-man during the day, and when we went trick-or-treating, he was a dragon. Violet was a princess in the pea (costume). I love Halloween!