"blah blah blah" says Mommy

Sassy Pants and her summer project....

2009-07-13T17:31:00.000-07:00

Sassy Pants *finally* got her own bedroom a few months ago when we moved.

We want to do a cute theme for Sassy's room. We're not sure if Jelly Bean will move in with her eventually or not, but we're thinking if she does, whatever theme we go with should be something that two little girls would love.

Sassy loves Fairies. And Ponies. And Sassy's Auntie found some faboo Garden Fairies books a last year for Sassy's birthday. They are full of beautiful illustrations! And guess what- you can get Wallies and prints online by this artist!

Here's my favorite...can you imagine why?!

It reminds me an awful lot of two cute sisters I know!
(one who loves fairies even!)

We decided that she'd outgrown her worn out Barbie comforter and went shopping for a new comforter or spread for her bed in her new room. We came up empty handed. Sassy has a daybed in her room (an upgrade from living on the top bunk), and everything that we found- the print was turned the wrong direction or was ridiculously expensive (target has some really cute stuff....for $100 for just the quilt...then another $12.99 per sham! its ridiculous!)

We wanted something like this...cute...right? $100 for that! For THAT!!!

(except now I think its $40 on clearance...doh! Too late!)

Sassy's Great Aunt gave her a daybed spread for now... but Sassy and I decided that we'd like to MAKE something a little bit more Sassy's style. We weren't really sure what we wanted to do until my friend brought over a quilt she'd made for Jelly Bean. That's when it hit us- we could copy that idea! We could MAKE a beautiful quilt for Sassy's bed!

this is Jelly Bean's quilt

cute, huh?! My friend hand made that!

(and that is a horrible and sideways picture...sorry!)

Grandma gave us a box of leftover fabric from making a quilt for Auntie about 10 years ago- really really really cute stuff too! Everything in the box is pink, purple or baby blue. Perfect!

So we started the quilt today...with a bit of a twist. Since Sassy has wanted to learn to sew more than just a stitch here and there on whatever Mommy is working on, we decided to make this *our* project rather than Mommy's project. Sassy is picking out which fabrics to put together and doing a lot of the hand sewing herself. Mommy is doing all the cutting and pinning and very little of the hand sewing. Mommy will end up being the one that sews all 42 squares together at the end and putting a back on it. Not sure who will do what at that point...

I doubt we'll be done by the end of summer though!

(the goal is to get it done before Jelly Bean learns to crawl in about 3 months....a crawling baby makes putting up a quilt frame in your living room a bit of a challenge!)

We're not exactly copying Jelly Bean's quilt. Just using the idea....1 big fabric flower per square... but our fabric flowers will be much more simple. WAY more simple because an 8yo with no sewing experience will be piecing it together!

Another bonus....I mean aside from having a beautiful hand made quilt and learning to hand sew at the end of this project, I think it also counts for one of her requirements for her Faith In God award that she's working on at church!

Here's a picture of Sassy working on her first square!!

one square half done, one more in process and 40 left to cut and sew. We can get this done in 3 months...right?? (that doesn't even count shams....I plan on doing shams too!)

Stay tuned for updates on our progress!!

Beans are out of control!!

2009-07-13T17:29:00.000-07:00

look at how big those things are getting! Go Grean Beans, GO!!

top secret passage way

2009-07-12T20:47:00.001-07:00

Scooty found one.

not old enough for FlashCards!!!

2009-07-08T15:55:00.000-07:00

Uh....Clowny Pants? You really think your 3mo sister is going to learn to tell time before she can walk and talk??

who needs a playground when there's a public fountain to play in?!

2009-07-07T09:56:00.000-07:00

First, a picture of the baby...getting big, huh?!

we totally did this last summer too- but I'm starting to think this needs to be a weekly thing!

cuteness...upside down...

2009-07-03T15:54:00.001-07:00

sisters :)

2009-07-02T17:53:00.000-07:00

another nest!!

2009-06-30T16:21:00.000-07:00

look what we found this morning- those birds have been working hard all night!!

baby birds!

2009-06-29T13:44:00.001-07:00

Look at what we just found under the eves of our garage!

BABY BIRDS! There are 3 in that nest!

(we have no idea what kind of birds they are though)

my garden is growing!!

2009-06-29T11:00:00.000-07:00

my green beans are getting tall!

my sunflower house is sorta too...

Bossy Pants lost a tooth!

2009-06-28T18:30:00.000-07:00

Jelly Bean is 3mo!

2009-06-28T11:00:00.000-07:00

Silly grins...thanks to Daddy tickling somebody's feet!

2009-06-27T11:00:00.000-07:00

Jelly Bean always makes the funniest faces when Daddy rubs his

wiskers against the bottoms of her feet! And we love her sweet little giggle!!!

Babies are so much fun!

"Wee Haw!" says Clowny Pants!

2009-06-26T10:20:00.000-07:00

Bossy Pants had Cub Scout Day Camp this week....
everyday he's been having me tie a bandana around his neck (because the theme for camp is "wild wild west")...well Scooty thought that was SUCH a good idea, he had to do it too!

ALL WEEK!

babies are odd..

2009-06-22T09:02:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we were driving home from dinner at Grandma and Grandpa's (a 10min drive accross town) and Jelly Bean decided she was DONE with riding in the car and started screaming.

KROQ started to play Alien Antfarm's Smooth Criminal and she instantly stopped screaming. Ironically, as soon as the song was over, she started screaming again!

You know what other song works on her? Boom Boom Pow by the Black Eye Peas.

Seriously. WEIRD, huh?!

Happy Fathers Day...

2009-06-21T18:00:00.000-07:00

To the cutest Daddy I know!

Water Bottle Sling

2009-06-17T14:18:00.000-07:00

I was browsing this blog and came accross this cute project and decided to try my hand at it.

(literally...I hand stitched it all- I don't have a sewing machine!)

I used whatever cotton scraps I had laying around and whipped this one up for Sassy Pants.

Its slightly different from Ashley's pattern-mine is lined, and I added a cute little bow for Sassy. It was totally fun to make!

She totally LOVES it.

Sassy Pants wore it on our walk this morning and I got lots of compliments on it from the neighbors we ran into along the way!
(and Girl Pal tried to sneak off with it!)

I made a blue one for Bossy Pants too and I have pieces cut out for a polka dot one for

Clowny Pants as well...perhaps photos of those will come later...

...note to self...

2009-06-16T12:15:00.000-07:00

Dear Self,
When you make lunch for yourself. DO NOT leave it in the microwave and forget all about it.
Remember to actually EAT your lunch.
Otherwise there's a chance your 6yo will find your uneaten, day old peterfied lunch in the microwave the next day.
-me

Update a baby jumper? I can do that!

2009-06-15T14:12:00.000-07:00

I found this outdated jumper in Sassy Pants' outgrown clothes.Ew, did I really buy that? ....yeah I think I did...

Thankfully most denim never goes out of style, and the cut of that jumper isn't too bad, its just got some really stupid looking embroidory on them...I wonder if I can cover them up with something cute...I mean I've done all those cute onsies, so a jumper can't be that hard, right? Can I do this and pull it off?

Yes, YES I CAN!!

(and you can do it too, I'll show you how!)

First I made myself a template to cut out my fabric shape.

(Make sure it fits over whatever you're covering up)

(mine is a strawberry, yours can be anything)

Cut your "cover up" piece out, embelish as needed.

(I had my 8yo sew "seeds" on. If I done this for her, I think I would have used beads)

Then sew it to your garment.

Finished product!

Wow, that is SO much cuter!

I wouldn't even mind if she was seen in public wearing that!

You can even make a stupid looking bow to go with it if you want!

Jelly Bean doesnt have any hair yet, so it'll be a while before she can wear it. I think I'm going to stick it on a headband. She has a lot of other strawberry clothes that will fit in the time to come that she can wear this bow with too.

And wear with pride!
Our in my case- stick it on your baby and happily accept compliments on your handiwork...

(my mother who-was with me when I bought the jumper 8 years ago- just asked me if it was new and when I'd gotten it...oh silly grandma! lol)

It occured to me after it was all done that I could have used cotton fabric insted of felt...next time I make strawberries maybe I'll remember the square of leftover pink and white polka-dot fabric hiding in a box in my room!

"Cheese me, Mama!"

2009-06-14T16:56:00.001-07:00

Scooty, Jelly Bean and I were locked out the other morning. Scooty saw me taking pictures of the garden and said "Cheese me, Mama!"

so I took these...

now tell me...how come this kid is so darn cute?!

our garden is growing bigger!

2009-06-12T12:12:00.000-07:00

GREEN BEANS

(darn trellis broke!)

The SUNFLOWER house!

(thats a plastic lizard...a BIG one)

Pink!

2009-06-09T11:53:00.001-07:00

...so I've decided that curly brown hair is over rated.
Actually I decided this when I was like 15 but I wasnt allowed to dye my hair when I lived at home, so I just put it on the back burner. I've been pregnant or growing my hair out for stuff since then (like my sister's wedding or locks of love) so brown hair was it. I was actually forbidden to do ANYTHING to my hair but wear it down for her wedding. And my boys had to cut their mohawks off.

Last summer my friend offered to "pink up" my hair. I was ALL FOR IT until I found out I was pregnant. I decided that I'd just have to wait.

Well I'm not pregnant anymore...lets pink up some hair!! Nobody takes me seriously anyway...so why not have a little fun??!!

Sunday night I went to my friends house for a "girls night" and this is what I came home looking like-

pink curls, and pink swirls in my "mommy hair" bun!

and this is what it looks like if I wear it down

I am totally loving it!!!!

This morning when I was dropping Clowny Pants off at school, I leaned over to give him a kiss and the little girl standing next to him said "Your mommy has RED hair!" Clowny Pants corrected her and said "no, actually its PINK." well said Mr. Mohawk!

Come on...its not everyday you see a pink haired mommy dropping off a kid with a mohawk at school...

unless you go to our school! lol

Clowny Pants lost his first tooth!!

2009-06-07T12:07:00.000-07:00

Hurray Clowny Pants!!

We were eating dinner when it happened...
he bit into his hot dog, and started yelling "my tooth! It fell out!" and then spit it into his hand.
And indeed, it had! He's lucky he didn't swallow it!

:( my baby is growing up!
He's offically turned into a goofy looking big kid!

day 12 of the potty train....

2009-06-06T17:24:00.000-07:00

and NO accidents! Hurray Scooty Pants!!

You're getting to be such a BIG BOY!!

The mohawks are BACK!!

2009-06-06T12:00:00.000-07:00

Its almost summer, so the boys decided to bring the mohawks back!

hmmm...I should take a picture of them with their mohaks "styled"....

Aaaahhhh....the bond of sisterhood...

2009-06-04T10:00:00.000-07:00

Sassy Pants loving up the Jelly Bean :)

and the Jelly Bean lapping up every moment of it :)
What do you think... bestfriends in the making?

Beans and Sunflowers!!

2009-06-03T15:57:00.000-07:00

sunflowers

Sassy Pants says this one is about an inch tall

the sunflower "house"...not just sticks and string anymore!

Green Beans and the terrible trellis I made out of string

Sassy Pants says this one is the biggest and its about two inches tall

Look! Two more beans popping up!

...and we have plants sprouting in the garden!!

2009-06-03T11:43:00.000-07:00

Sunflowers!!

New floors are NOT suppossed to do this! VENT!

2009-06-03T10:00:00.000-07:00

We moved into this house two months ago. It had new paint, new floors and new carpet.
Does *this* look like something that a NEW FLOOR is suppossed to do??

HELLO!

found this asleep under my feet...

2009-06-02T12:40:00.000-07:00

...this is what big brothers are good for...

2009-06-02T10:00:00.000-07:00

a PILLOW!!

(yes...thats a diaper... *somebody* found the last diaper in the house and insisted on wearing it...)

The Sunflower House....

2009-06-01T10:00:00.000-07:00

This is a really fantastic book. If you haven't read it- you MUST! We found a copy at our local library!

After reading this really super cute book we decided to plant a sunflower house of our own. Its about 3 feet x 4 feet and the kids are sooo excited and can't wait for it to bloom!!

Right now it looks like this

Dirt. And sticks and string. (So that I remember where to water)

I'll post again when it actually starts to do something...

germination was something like 10 days? We're 8 days in!! SPROUT ALREADY!!

....things that make me smile about being a Mommy....

2009-05-31T10:00:00.000-07:00

waking up to a bed filled with babies :)

Plain onsies? NOT HERE!

2009-05-30T10:00:00.000-07:00

I got tired of looking at plain onsies on Jelly Bean. She has tons of them. So I did this to two of them and I have two more on deck for when I decide what to do with them.

These scream "I'm a GIRL!!" Right??

Favorite Parts of my new baby...

2009-05-29T17:00:00.000-07:00

Fat rolls that make her look like a shar pei. Sweet little lips. Dimples on her elbows...

Sweet, teeny little feet, and the way she pulls her fat little legs in close to her....

a big round belly and a chubby arm...

and those cute little feet again!

this is what happens when you have a big sister....

2009-05-29T10:00:00.000-07:00

..she loads you up with lovies and then insists that mommy takes a picture of how cute you are...even if you're asleep!

Its fun to play with the baby!

2009-05-28T17:13:00.003-07:00

She's only a teeny little thing once, so I had to capture that...right?
And perhaps I'm a little silly...

Two Months Old today.

2009-05-28T16:58:00.000-07:00

its going to go fast :(

the potty train...we're officially climbing on!

2009-05-28T16:31:00.000-07:00

that's right- Scooty Pants is officially jumping on the potty train this week.

It started tuesday. I went to target to buy diapers and he had me stop the cart to look at pull ups...conversation went a little something like this:

Scooty- "I see Kachow!"
Me- "uh huh" (followed by an eyeroll...we see Lightning McQueen everywhere)
Scooty- "Kachow on a diaper!"
Me- "thats not a diaper. THAT kid on the box is sitting on a potty"
Scooty- "ooooooooooh. Kachow beeeeg boy pants?"
Me- "yep...that kid is wearing lightning mcqueen big boys because he uses the potty. Those arent for babies."
Scooty- "I not a baby. I a beeeeeg boy. Get Chow beeeg boy pants."
Me- "we're buying diapers today. You're a baby."
Scooty -"nu uh...I go potty...I beeeg boy. Want Kachow pants!"
Me- "I'm not buying you those. You don't use the potty enough to wear those. Those are for big boys that wear underpants. If you pee in them you make lightning mcqueen sad."
Scooty- "Kachow sad pee in dem?"
Me- "yep. you dont want a sad sad sad lightning mcqueen, now do you?"
Scooty- (now holding my face so that I look him square in the eye) "I WANT BEEEEG BOY PANTS! WIF CACHOW ON DEM!"
Me- "Only if you will use the potty. ALL the time.
Scooty - "K. No Diapers. Baby wear diapers. Jelly Bean wear diapers. Baby. Diapers. Yucky. I wear beeeeg boys."

They were on clearance, so I figure what the heck...a whole box of pull ups for $16? that's a STEAL.

I guess Scooty didn't realize that I'm one of those mean moms that only lets their kid wear a pull up at bedtime, naptime and if we're going someplace for more than 10 minutes...
he's been BEGGING for "Kachow" pants all day...

Now he's not *new* to this whole thing....he's been sitting on the potty to do #2 for about a year. When he was big enough to walk we bought him a potty seat and got him started...
he's been doing #1 off and on since then, but hasn't shown enough interest until now to really push it. Well that's half true. Before the move/arrival of Jelly Bean he was ready but I wasn't because I knew he was about to be turned upside down and wanted to skip regressing in that department too.

He's got the basics. He knows all the parts and what they're supposed to do....its just remembering to go that we're working on.

So far today he's gotten two jelly beans (1 each for #1) and a "beeeeeg chawkit" (hershey's kiss for #2)...now lets see what tomorrow brings....

slinging....

2009-05-25T20:54:00.000-07:00

Remember this post about making a sling out of a bedsheet?

IT WORKS.

However I find it works a lot better if you have a sort of streachy material rather than not...less slipping that way...

Here I am slinging the Jelly Bean when she's a few days old. That's her HEAD sticking out by the way...

pardon my shlumpiness...I'm like 9 days pp in that photo...

SO COMFY!!! And she likes it too! (which is a bonus...#4 HATED the sling!)

I've had like a million and one comments about it when I wear it out in public too...

1million "love your sling where did you get it" followed by "no way, you MADE that?! Very chic, I want one!"

and one "yeah...you can tell you made that- it looks like crap". Gee...uh...thanks...

anyway- I HIGHLY reccomend trying it!

The Moving Day and JellyBean's arrival Story

2009-05-25T15:50:00.000-07:00

Once upon a time there was a family with a bunch of little kids that lived in a very small 2 bedroom condo, sandwhiched between two sets of crazy neighbors. Crazy neighbors that had frequent visits from the cops for being unruly in the middle of the night.

They wanted to move so very badly. They had outgrown the space and the neighbors were crazy.

So they found a cute little 4 bedroom house with a yard and a garage to rent and made plans to move. The day of the move was schedule for 5 days before their baby was due.

The week before the move, Daddy and Mommy spent 5 hours in the ER because Daddy sprained his ankle/foot. Daddy ended up on crutches. Patrons of the ER joked about who would get seen first...Daddy, or Mommy because she'd gone into labor after being in the ER for so long...

Mommy spent two weeks packing everything. The day before the move the condo was nothing but celing high piles of boxes.

The day of the move arrived and everyone was very excited. The kids watched the first hour of the move, and then were shuffled off to a friends house after Scooty Pants had a meltdown over the couch. He watched men from church haul the couch out to the curb to be loaded into the moving truck and ran after it screaming "but I sit there!"

Mommy had some minor spotting and was put in "time out" about a billion times. No contractions, so Mommy wasnt the slightest bit concerned about having a baby that day. Mommy kept running around like a crazy lady....unpacking a box or two here and there, running out to switch laundry in the garage...you know- regular stuff..

Some ladies from church came and unpacked my kitchen and make beds for everyone. Grandma came and unpacked the linen closet. Grandpa and the missionaries unpacked the moving truck. When that was said and done, Grandma and Grandpa went home to take a break and said they'd be back later with dinner.

The kids came home and helped unpack their rooms. Ok so Mommy may have done *most* of it...but still- it was unpacked. The kids could find their toys and clothes (imo thats the most important part of a move for a kid!) Then Sassy Pants started throwing up.

Here's where it gets exciting. (like it wasnt exciting enough)

During dinner (7:30) the contractions started. Yes, STARTED. Mommy managed to go without contractions through the ENTIRE move! They were 10 miniutes apart. Mommy gave up trying to eat dinner and went to lay down. Contractions got stronger and closer together. Guess it was time to go to the hospital and have a baby?

Grandma ran home to pack herself a bag so that she could stay with the kids overnight if need be (Daddy was home by midnight though, so Grandma didnt need to stay the night), Daddy and Mommy ran out the door to drive to the hospital and left the 4 kids with Grandpa. It was about 9:30.

By the time they got in the car, contractions were about 5 miniutes apart. Unfortunatly they had a 25min drive to the hospital.

Mommy's water broke in the car, not far from the hospital. OOPS. (this, by the way come out with a good steam cleaning!)

When they pulled up to the hospital, Mommy couldnt walk. It was about 10pm. Mommy could bearly breathe. Daddy parked the car, jumped out and hobbled up to the ER to grab a wheelchair and tell the ER staff that a woman who was about to drop a baby on the lobby floor was sitting in the car before running back down to collect mommy. Daddy could bearly push Mommy up the ramp!! Someone ran down from L&D to "collect" Mommy from the ER while Daddy stayed behind to give Mommy's info to the ER staff and get Mommy checked in. Mommy vaugly remembers arguing with the L&D nurse about getting out of the wheelchair changing into a gown- hurt too much to move...

10:10- the Jelly Bean arrived after 3 pushes. Mommy was exausted and at some point said "I'm too tired- YOU do it!" to Daddy lol

Yes, you read that right. Contractions started at 7:30 and the baby was born at 10:10.

Fastest. Labor. Ever. in the history of the Pants family. Clowny Pants had a 4 hour labor and was born 1/2 hour after arriving at the very same hospital- he comes the closest.

Jelly Bean was a healthy 7lbs 9oz however Mommy can't remember how long she was...20in maybe? She has brown hair and big blue eyes. (and depending on who you ask, looks like a little carbon copy of all the other kids) She was born with eyebrows and long pretty eyelashes too!

The Jelly Bean, only hours old...

All the kids sitting on the couch at the new house

The Jelly Bean in her *pink* carseat!

an update of sorts!

2009-05-25T15:40:00.000-07:00

wow, is it really the end of May already? Where have the last two months gone?!

so here's our update:

-we moved. Love the house. We've torn out enough of the yard now that the kids have room to play! The spa is covered so that the kids can play and I dont have to worry about anyone drowning. The yard is pretty small, but the space is well used!!

-Jelly Bean is going to be two months at the end of the week. OH I have to post her birth story- it was NUTS. We had Jelly Bean blessed at church a few weeks ago- this is the beautiful dress Grandma made for her. This is really the only good shot I got of her wearing the dress. Jelly Bean is a screamer. I think the poor kid has colic :(

The kids all seem to be finally adjusting to the move and the new baby.

ultrasound today!

2009-03-13T18:09:00.000-07:00

Baby still has girl parts!
she's measuring a couple of weeks behind, but it looks like she's approx 6lbs!

21 days to go!!

an update of sorts...

2009-03-10T10:42:00.001-07:00

Yes, I realize it has been over a month since I blogged. I'm sorry. No really- I am!

It has been crazy busy around here and blogging has been the last thing on my list of priorities. Why? Well lets see...where to begin...

Well first of all I'm 8 months pregnant and I'm TIRED. That should be enough right there- right?

Second of all, we're moving. We've been looking for a house for like 6 months and have seen around 30 houses. Well, something like that. I lost count after the 18th house and I know we've seen at least 12 since then. Finally, we found one. And we're scheduled to move 5 days before the baby is due. Yeah...I hear that's nuts.

I was *really* excited until Sunday and now panic is setting in. I've got a "control notebook" going where I'm listing what needs to go in what room, what the essentials are that need (*MUST*) be unpacked first in case I end up at the hospital for a few days having a baby before the house gets unpacked. (however since my children like to torture me, good chance we'll be all moved in and settled and THEN the baby will decide to grace us with her presence...). Rather than getting bombarded with phone calls from Grandma and Hubs (who will be on kidwatch) with them asking me where everything is (and heck if I will actually know the answer to that), I figure if the *important* stuff gets put away first, that will reduce headaches all the way around.

I haven't packed a single thing yet though- I don't know where to start!

Oh and I am in no way/shape/form ready to have this baby. I have nothing ready for her. NOTHING.
I haven't washed a single piece of baby clothes yet, she has no place to sleep, no place to PUT her clothes once they're washed...maybe moving will help with some of that? I haven't pulled out ANY of the baby stuff...you know- blankets, swing, burp cloths...
I don't have a hospital bag packed (maybe I should put that on my list of things to do)

I have 1 thing done. I bought a carseat. A pink one. And as long as the baby comes out with girl parts- then we're good! Oh and I pulled out all of Sassy Pants' old clothes and figured out what I have compared to what I need and Grandma has been out shopping to fill in the gaps..

So that's pretty much my update.

24 days until my due date
19 days until the move

and this is me starting to pull out my hair.

a funny...from hubs

2009-03-10T10:38:00.001-07:00

I found this on my fridge a few weeks ago and finally decided to share it:

Hubs filled it out as a joke and I cant bring myself to take it down because every time I read it I cant stop laughing!

7 lbs of BEANS?! Make a sensory table!

2009-01-26T10:45:00.000-08:00

I had 7lbs of beans and NO clue what to do with them....
so today when the babies (Scooty and Girl Pal) were going crazy trashing my house it dawned on me I could use them to keep them busy!

Materials:

-7lbs of beans

-underbed chest or big bin

-scoops/containers or whatever from around the kitchen

-we also pulled out some dump trucks and scooper trucks

-wide open space to play in

instructions:

Dump all the beans in the bin, have fun!

We played on the kitchen floor because it was easy to clean up beans, but if you do it on carpet, you may want a blanket or sheet underneeth for easier clean up.

you can store the beans in the bin, but since I dont have a place to store mine flat, I scooped up all the beans and put them in an empty/clean ice cream bucket with a lid. And we can use them again another day!

Merdollies...take 2

2009-01-22T09:59:00.000-08:00

I *finally* finished Sassy Pant's Merdolly!

Only took me an hour to finish her up and Sassy is just SO happy!!

Here are both merdollies together! I'm so glad they're done, now I can move on to other projects...FINALLY....

Check this out...a sling out of a bedsheet...

2009-01-10T21:56:00.000-08:00

Megan posted this on her blog and it blew my mind. A sling out of a bedsheet?! Now where the heck was this youtube video 2 years ago when I was trying to get Scooty to love my OTSBH?! (he HATED it btw...I ended up borrowing a bjorn for him because he was an uncooperative little booger) I still have my OTSBH...and I've inhereted a 2nd one... but hey who needs that when you can use a BEDSHEET!

this is what happens when...

2009-01-10T16:10:00.000-08:00

..you skip your nap and are forced to go grocery shopping with mom...

thankfully mom had her camera stashed in her purse and was able to take a picture of my cuteness.

p.s. do I need a haircut? Grandpa says I'm starting to look like a girl...
mom says its cute and loves my little fly away curlies

the merdollies...take one...

2009-01-09T10:42:00.000-08:00

So I decided I was going to make Sassy Pants a dolly. I've been known to be crafty, so why not, right? Sassy Pants is obsessed with 3 things- not in any particular order- Mermaids, Fairies and My Little Ponies. I decided it would be fun to make a mermaid doll.

I gathered my supplies, googled a bit to find a pattern to follow and got started. Kink number one- no such pattern exists anywhere on the Internet. So I found a doll pattern and a mermaid outfit pattern and morphed the two together creating my own pattern. (go me!) No fabric, and no budget for fabric, so I pulled out the giant bag of felt scraps my mom had given me. SCORE! Thank you mom- every single color I needed to make not only ONE *merdolly*, but TWO *merdollies*. Sassy pants decided it would be a good idea to make a doll for "the new girl" (aka Baby Sister)- you know...so she doesnt feel left out. Sure...why not? Its not like I have anything else I'm doing...wait a second...

After about 20 hours (ok maybe not...closer to 10 maybe lol) of hand stitching, stuffing, and more hand stitching, merdolly #1 - for Baby Sister- is complete.

That.thing.took.forever. She turned out pretty cute though! There's nothing on her that can be bitten off (she's felt and embroidery floss and a bit of ribbon and that's it), so I figure she's ok for the 3 and under crowd, right? I made Scooty a taggy blanket when he was a newborn...maybe I'll make one for Baby Sister to drool all over too and save this for her 2nd birthday...

I don't know what I'm thinking if I think I'm ever going to finish the 2nd doll. I've started on her. I've invested a good 10 hours in her already. I decided she'd be more detailed- you know...for a *big girl* like Sassy Pants...somebody who's not going to try to EAT the doll...

That's all that's done. Beading, hand stitched details (like scales)

Yep- merdolly has a beaded bracelet (stitched directly into the arm), earrings, a "hairclip", beaded bodice and yep, beaded/sequined belt or whatever the heck that is....

Whats left? Stuffing her and stitching her shut. What's stopping me? Its TEDIOUS!! Plus now Sassy says she doesnt even *LIKE* the stupid doll! UGH! How come, you ask? Because she has too much "stuff"...oh- you mean all the "stuff" you ASKED me to add????

So she sits in a ziplock bag on my kitchen table until I'm ready to try to finish her. She's awful cute- I don't know what mermaid obsessed little kid wouldn't want a dolly like that?!

So if I ever finish her...I'll try to remember to post a photo of the finished doll and hopefully a very pleased Sassy Pants.

...the home streatch...

2009-01-09T10:12:00.001-08:00

This is it! 12 weeks to go- I'm officially in my 3rd trimester!!

and here's a belly shot to commemorate my roundness. Holy cow that thing is big!

RAVE: Best Fridge Toy Ever!

2009-01-08T19:18:00.001-08:00

Ranks in the top 3 for us!
Scooty bought this with his birthday money last week. He has the Fridge Farm Magnetic Animal set too, and since it was a hit, we figured he'd love this too.

Its called the Fridge Wash & Go Magnetic Vehicle Set.
It comes with fronts and backs of a car, a fire truck, a boat, a plane and a train, and the object of the toy is to match the front and back together. The toy is totally cute and sings to your child wether they make a match or not. TOTALLY CUTE! And Scooty gives it two thumbs up!

Same concept as the Fridge Farm (which Scooty got for Christmas last year, and still plays with and loves), but insted of matching animal fronts and backs, you match vehicle fronts and backs. We love both toys!

Here's Scooty enjoying his new toy!

Yay, I made a car!

Highly reccomend for any "things that go" fan!

Dear Sassy...

2009-01-08T18:59:00.000-08:00

my Dearest Sassy Pants,
Please stop referring to your baby sister as "the new girl".
You haven't been replaced. She's not your competition. She's simply the final addition to our family- and she just happens to be a girl. I thought you were excited to *finally* be getting a baby sister.... you know after being stuck with "all those boys" for so long?

Yep, in a few months you're going to be over shadowed by a cute, brand new version of you, but you're still cute, and most of the time you're sweet, so you're not likely to be forgotten. (Who can forget about you?! You're the first girl in this family- and currently the *only* girl on both sides, and on daddy's side you're the only girl in 2 generations! You have nothing to be worried about!)

She's not going to be super fun at the beginning anyway. When she comes home she'll be floppy, so she won't be fun to hold for long. She's not going to do anything but stare at you when you talk to her. Plus there's all the pooping and yarfing she'll be doing. Not to mention the crying. You really want to compare yourself to that? You're pretty self sufficient and I love that about you. You've grown into quite the fabulous little girl. One that is capable of making herself a sandwich, dressing herself, taking herself to the bathroom, and doing multiplication in her head. Can your baby sister do that yet? Umm...NOPE!!

Give her a few months and she'll cute up a little. She needs time to learn to sit up and interact with you. Maybe learn to smile and coo at you. When she's a little sturdier maybe you can help dress and feed her. But don't count on doing her hair anytime soon...you kids don't seem to grow hair for a very.long.time. Then in a year or so she'll be your little friend- someone you can have tea parties with (umm...sorta? Plan on her trying to eat the teacup, not actually try to drink out of it..and don't count on her wanting to wear gloves, necklaces and tiaras for a couple of years...), and she'll follow you around wanting to be your little shadow. Your built in best friend. You know...the one you've been wishing you've had for the last few years...give her some time and she'll be the sister you've always wanted. Just please remember that she's actually a person, not a toy...there's only so much doting upon that she can take before you make her scream...

And...you can't send her back. You're stuck with her for eternity. No give backs. Sorry. So if she bugs you? Don't worry- you'll both outgrow it eventually. She's the baby sister you've been begging for. It took almost 20 years for me and Auntie to get along as well as we do. And you know what? I begged for a little sister too, and got one. And now that she's living on the other side of the country, I miss her.

Think of Baby Sister as a gift. The gift of a built in best friend. Someone who will always be there for you whether you want her there or not. Someday you'll thank me.

Love always,
Mom

Happy Birthday To Us!

2008-12-28T21:14:00.000-08:00

Happy 2nd Birthday Scooty Pants!
Happy 6th Birthday Clowny Pants!

Since the boys dont technically share a birthday, having thier birthdays 4 days apart still lets us "share" their special day together- esp at Grandma's house. The highlight of our day was the egg free banana muffins that Clowny Pants made (his egg allergy keeps him from enjoying birthday cakes) . He specially requested the "2" 's and the "6" 's be frosted in green- his favorite color- on the muffins.

Scooty had no idea what to do with his candle, so grandpa blew it out for him hee hee.

Scooty picked up a new sentance that day too (you'd think he'd have mastered it at Christmas lol) "Open Presents!"

My little boys are getting so big!!

From my family to yours...

2008-12-25T06:56:00.000-08:00

More crafts...

2008-12-22T12:37:00.000-08:00

We've been busy this weekend with all of our crafting! More to come I'm sure- we still need to make Snowflakes to hang on our tree!

Finger Snowmen gift bag

Santa Handprint gift wrap

glass photo ornaments

this year

last year

an M&M Christmas

2008-12-22T08:42:00.000-08:00

My kids brought this note home yesterday from church with a bag of m&m's and it was so cute I had to share!

As you hold these candies in your hand and turn them, you will see...
The M becomes a W, an E and then a 3.
They tell the Christmas story it's one I'm sure you know.
It took place in a stable a long, long time ago.
The E is for the East where the star shone oh so bright.
The M is for the Manger where the baby Jesus slept that night.
The 3 is for the Wisemen bearing gifts, they say they came.
W is for Worship, Hallelujah Praise to His name.
So as you eat these candies or share them with a friend, r
emember the spirit of Christmas and never let it end!

Reindeer Gift Bags!

2008-12-15T19:18:00.000-08:00

I know...I know...that's not a bag...that's the card that Bossy and Sassy made for their piano teacher... it was too cute not to share...

-paper bag
-q-tip
-red paint
-brown paint
-black paint
-paint brush
-brown marker (I like sharpies for this project)
-google eyes
-glue
-finger or thumb (I used Scooty's big toe)

1)OK I forgot to take a picture of what it looked like with just the antlers...so use your imagination..
dry completely before going on to step 2

2) draw on antlers...I used a brown sharpie

3) glue eyes on
(I couldn't find my google eyes, so I used a hole punch on white paper, then drew a pupil on each eye and then glued it on...it looks like a google eye, right?)

4) dip just the end of your q-tip in paint and dot a nose on each critter, let dry and VOILA!!

this is the one that Sassy Pants did for her gift exchange- she put noses in the middle of the thumbprint and then she drew a smile on

Reindeer tags/ornaments

2008-12-15T13:46:00.000-08:00

we did these last year with my sunday school class...and then I took the same concept and put them on cards... this year I used the same idea on gift bags- when they're dry I'll add photos...

I totally stole the idea from FamilyFun.com!!

materials:

-cardstock

-scisors

-cup

-pencil

-q-tip-

red paint

-brown paint

-paint brush

-brown marker (I like sharpies for this project)

-google eyes

-hole punch

-ribbon

-glue

-finger or thumb (I used Scooty's big toe)

I cant explain this...so here have a lovely picture:

stamp thumb/finger first and let it COMPLETELY DRY before you glue anything or paint anything or draw anything on!!

Sassy's class visit to "Ellis Island"

2008-12-11T16:21:00.000-08:00

Sassy Pants class has been studying immigration and Ellis Island in social studies at school recently. To finish off the unit, their class took a "trip" to "Ellis Island".

Sassy had a BALL!

The teacher assigned each child a REAL person who visited Ellis Island, Sassy was given Annie Moore, the first woman (who was 16) to pass through Ellis Island. She was Irish.

The night before the big event, Sassy had to pick out an immagrent outfit and pack a "suitcase"- things real immagrents probably had with them. There was a list of suggestions, but Sassy is pretty creative and came up with a bunch of great stuff on her own! She used my old brown purse as a satchel and inside she put a drawstring bag filled with plastic gold coins, a hankie filled with plastic fruit and bread, another hankie with a plastic pearl necklace, a tea cup and tea party gloves, a journal and a pencil, and a shawl to keep her warm on the boat. Sassy was sure to put her passport (made in class) in her bag too.

Then she picked out her outfit. She raided her Auntie's "to donate" pile and found that super cute brown skirt and that white top. The hat came out of the dress up box at grandma's house and the jacket and boots are her own. She makes a pretty cute immagrant!

Sassy told me she couldnt smile in the picture- according to her teacher none of the immagrents smiled in *any* of their photos upon arriving at Ellis Island. Sassy figures they were too tired.

Then she went to school and the fun began!

There were several centers set up. The kids had to sign in, go to the weighing station, go to a health center where their temperature was taken with a red vine lol and....darn I'll have to ask Sassy what the other stations were. She said that some of the kids were sent back to "the detention center" for suitcases that were too heavy and incomplete paperwork or "health concerns" lol. She came home from school that day saying that it was the BEST day of 3rd grade EVER. I wanna be in Sassy's class!!

Poor Bossy Pants. His class didnt do that at all- his class had a "high tea" insted- when they finished reading The Velveteen Rabbit.

Ultrasound Results are IN!

2008-12-08T16:52:00.000-08:00

And I know what kind of baby is in there!!!!!

#5 is a GIRL!!!

Sassy Pants is VERY excited to be getting a sister!!!
(and so are Bossy and Clowny Pants...Scooty is oblivious....try explaining "baby sister" to a 23mo with nothing but an ultrasound picture...he's lost lol)

Finally Sassy Pants isnt the only girl in our family! (not even girl cousins- they are all boys!) YAY!!!

cuteness: uncensored

2008-12-07T15:01:00.000-08:00

Its only taken him almost 2 years, but he's discovered the fun of peek a boo through his legs! lol

I wish he could stay this cute forever!

tomorrow is the BIG ultrasound!

2008-12-07T12:42:00.000-08:00

I'm having an ultrasound tomorrow afternoon- cross your fingers that Impending Arrival is cooperative and lets us have a peek at his or her definitive gender parts! My kids and my mom are DYING to know what kind of kid is dwelling in my belly! (Grandma wants to start her shopping)

Hopefully I have exciting news to share when I get home tomorrow!!

dont try to take pictures of your child unless you're behind the camera....

2008-12-06T16:17:00.000-08:00

because they end up looking like this:

ok- I'll admit it...

2008-12-01T10:45:00.000-08:00

I am admitting to being a closet Star Wars nerd. Not a huge one or anything. But enough of one that I can talk Star Wars with my kids and not be lost...

I swear its because growing up my brother and sister were HUGE Star Wars nerds and it all sort of sunk in through osmosis.

Silly huh.

A thanksgiving nobody will forget...

2008-12-01T10:26:00.000-08:00

because this year my brother came down to spend thanksgiving with us. My brother works a lot, he's running a martial arts school and gets very little time to himself. So when he found out the school would be closed over the holiday, he immediatly made plans to come out and see his family!

My sister and her husband (and bunny) were in town this year too, they're leaving in January for graduate school. So this is probably the last thanksgiving- for a while anyway- where we had EVERYONE together.

My brother decided my big boys were big enough to enjoy his old Star Wars and Transformer toys, so he set out to dig through my parents closets until he found them. Umm...Maybe not the *best* idea- it became a HUGE project, but we found them, and all the kids got to enjoy them! While he was digging around in the closets he stumbled accross my elusive My Little Pony collection (and stable!) which I have spent the last 3 years looking for! Sassy Pants was very excited to see those, but seems to be enjoying the Quints babydolls we found in the closet too. I think she was dissapointed that I only have 6 ponies. Thats nothing compared to the 30+ she has (I had to explain to her that I was a bigger fan of dolls and thats why I didnt have many. She's a huge pony/horse fan, so she doesnt have many dolls

anyway....I got some great pictures of the kids enjoying their Uncle's Star Wars toys and Transformer toys! Grandma put them back in the closet, but at the front so that they are easily accessable...they're not "every visit" toys, but they will for SURE be coming out again soon. Unfortunatly I didnt get a picture of the kids with all the ships...

I just hope that my kids dont expect my brother to pull cool toys out of the closet EVERY time he visits- because thats it! No more cool toys hiding in the closet to be un-earthed!

Here are the kids with both of their uncles and their cousin- tearing into all the toys...

Scooty likes this dino transformer a lot

Bossy about to open a treasure chest...

Sassy even enjoyed the Star Wars toys!

I am thankful for...

2008-11-27T10:39:00.000-08:00

I am truly blessed, and have many things to be thankful for.
Here's a very short, very incomplete list:

-a houseful of noisy children. They fill my life and heart with joy. I think I'd be pretty lonely without them. And gosh they're cute and funny.

-a loving husband. I sure like him. He's a keeper. Even if he can't find the hamper.

- a roof over my head. Yep, our house is too small, yep we have crappy neighbors that party all hours of the night on weekends, but I have a place to call home.

-loving and supportive parents. My mother has had a rough year this past year, and we got the best news we've heard in months on monday. Her PET scan came back clear. That means that all the chemo and radition she's done has paid off. I am truly thankful for that news, I love my mommy and I love that I get to share her with my children.

Thankgiving Turkey Project! FUN!

2008-11-26T11:09:00.001-08:00

Start with a coffee filter and some washable markers

we colored ours over placemats as to not draw all over the table

try not to fall out of your chair

when you're done coloring, dip your coffee filter in about an inch of water

squeeze the water out

ooooh look at how pretty that looks with the colors all blending together!

Hang it up to dry.

Then trace 1 foot on a brown piece of paper, cut it out.

cut out eyes, a beak and a "waddle" and glue it onto your turkey body (upside down foot)

fold the coffee filter in half (when dry) and glue the turkey body onto it.

viola!!

well thats just smurfy....or is it?

2008-11-20T08:56:00.000-08:00

At first glance, it would appear that Scooty Pants has been eating smurfs, right?
Turns out he bit the tip off of a non toxic washable crayola marker. EW!!! Thankfully he spit it right out, but it turned his whole mouth blue!! No more markers for you Scooty!!

Its begining to look a lot like Christmas?

2008-11-16T09:38:00.001-08:00

How come, in the middle of November, I'm already seeing Christmas movies on TV, hearing Christmas songs on the radio and in stores, and seeing Christmas decorations everywhere?

Is Christmas coming early this year? Can't we have Thanksgiving first?

Never mind that its 90 degrees outside...

Halfway There!!

2008-11-16T09:35:00.000-08:00

As of friday I am offically 20 weeks pregnant. Thats the halfway point! HALFWAY!! In 20 weeks I'll be holding a precious new little human! What am I going to do with FIVE children?! YIKES!!!

Best Kid Movie EVER!

2008-11-14T18:34:00.000-08:00

My mom found this movie on DVD for $5.50 at Target a few weeks ago, remembered that it was a childhood favorite of mine and bought it and stashed it away. Today at grandma's house, my kids were digging through grandma's old VHS tapes and found this movie and now THEY have fallen in love with this charming movie! Grandma sent home the DVD for us to enjoy :) Thanks Grandma!

10 thumbs up from our house! Get your hands on a copy!

RAVE!!!! Lee jeans NO Gap Waistband!

2008-11-07T09:19:00.001-08:00

I dont know about anyone else, but at this house we have ISSUES finding jeans that fit right.
Sassy pants and I are both carrying a little big of junk in our trunks, but are slim pretty much everywhere else. Thats where buying jeans is literally a pain in the behind.

Usually the problem is "gap-osis", where there's a 2+ inch gap between the back of the pants/jeans and your back. And then your underpants show. PROBLEM. Not only is it completely unflattering (and who wants to see what underpants you're wearing, right?) but its also really uncomfortable!

Until now.

Last night at kohls, grandma sent Sassy into the fitting room with 14 pairs of jeans. (I kid you not). The 4th pair of jeans Sassy tried on was a pair of Lee girls streach jeans with a "NO GAP WAISTBAND" and you know what? THEY FIT PERFECT! No "gap-osis", no "hitch up your pants-dance" to keep them up...we were in LOVE.

Come to find out after googling....Lee makes an ENTIRE LINE of these not only for little girls (in slim sizes too!), but for ladies too! Guess what my first pair of post baby jeans I'm purchasing are going to be? Yep...you guessed it!

And whats better than finding a fantastic fitting pair of jeans? Knowing that they're reasonably priced!! I think Sassy Pants new jeans were around $11! (on sale, with a 20% off coupon)

THANK YOU LEE for making a pair of jeans that cover our booties!!

Happy Halloween!

2008-10-31T14:06:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween from Yoda, Obi Bun Kenobun, Han Solo, Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia (with an Ewok)!

Whoa there Obi Bun...I think that light saber is a little big for you...

Happy Birthday Bossy and Sassy Pants!

2008-10-26T14:00:00.000-07:00

Today is the 8th anniversary of your birth!

Happy Birthday my little stinky monkies!!

love,

Mommy :)

Hey Big Brother...I have your trai-ins!

2008-10-20T09:47:00.000-07:00

Houseful of Thomas Fanatics here...I think this one is probably this biggest fan...at 22mo, Scooty can name ALL the trains. However he can't tell me what HIS name is. But when he's mad at you he'll call you a "Steamie!" (just like Diesel calls Thomas!)

Little Daddy once again

2008-09-29T13:22:00.000-07:00

These Little Mommy twin babies just dont get old! Look at Scooty loving them up today during his nap in his stroller (yes, parked in the living room-he fell asleep in the car and I transfered him to the stroller to get him into the house-it was so much easier to leave him there than to fight him with taking a nap if I accidentally woke him up)

RAVE!: Trader Joe's Sunflower Seed Butter

2008-09-29T11:54:00.000-07:00

I have 2 nut allergic children, and when my sister found this at her favorite grocery store last week, she picked it up for me to try on them. (Thank you Auntie!) Scooty wasnt too impressed with it(he didnt know what to do with it really), Sassy refused to try it (she's hopelessly devoted to creamy skippy), but both Bossy and Clowny took Sunflower Seed Butter sandwhiches to school today because they LOVE IT!

Clowny Pants loves having a peanut free sandwhich alternative! (I loving giving him something that tastes like peanut butter but doesnt make him sick) And I'm hoping it helps put a little meat on his scrawny little bones too!

I love that its peanut free, and inexpensive! $2.50 for a 16oz jar!

Thumbs up all around!

Fall Decorations!

2008-09-28T10:06:00.000-07:00

My aunt gave my children mini pumpkins this weekend as party favors at her grandson's birthday party. What better way to display them than than a pretty vase on the center of your kitchen table?(this is me crossing my fingers the kids dont touch it and break it)

And yes, those are plastic glow in the dark spiders stuck in there too lol

I *may* or *may not* have gotten the idea for this centerpiece from this photograph in FamilyCircle magazine...

sneaky much?

2008-09-27T17:45:00.001-07:00

Scooty Pants has turned into SNEAKY PANTS!

Look at what I just caught him doing! He snuck the raisins out of the pantry and decided to pork out on them! lol

At least it was the raisins and not Daddy's cheetos, right?

Read It Here First! (unless you read my fashion blog first...)

2008-09-24T10:02:00.000-07:00

ok, I need to take a deep breath before I start.

Breathe in...

Breathe out...

Breathe in...

Breathe out...

I think I'm ready.

I have officially lost my mind. Hubs and I will be welcoming a 5th spawn into our over crowded household around the beginning of April. Yep, that means we've known for several months. But you know how we are about telling people about expanding our family...we just DON'T tell people! lol

So there you have it.

And now back to trying to convince myself 5 isn't that much harder than 4...I can handle 5, right?

Auntie's Bunny...

2008-09-17T17:31:00.000-07:00

My sister has a bunny. My kids call her "Bun". Auntie brought Bun to visit the other day, and I was able to snap some photos of Scooty loving up Bun...

Scooty saying "Hi Bun" and "Soft Bun"

I wasnt quite quick enough to catch Scooty giving Bun a kiss...I swear he's not trying to EAT the bunny, thats just the end of a really big "mwah" that he planted on Bun lol

Scooty saying "Bun, NOSE" before he pulled the side of the bag up, said "Bye Bun" and walked away...

Painting fun!

2008-09-17T17:21:00.001-07:00

Scooty and Girl Pal painted today...

ok well Girl Pal painted the table and Scooty ended up wearing more paint than putting it on the paper...

but it was fun anyway!

this is Scooty telling me that the paint tastes like "BLEH!" lol

do your kids love Wacky Mac??

2008-09-02T12:43:00.001-07:00

MINE DO!

We've just discovered Wacky Mac and its DELICIOUS!
Want a $1 off of 2 bags of wacky mac coupon?
How about a recipe pamphlet?

My kids like wacky mac with 4 cheese pasta sauce and shreded cheese on top. YUM!!

Ponyville Catelog

2008-08-25T14:29:00.000-07:00

Yes, aparently I have nothing better to do with my time than photograph and look up the names of My Little Ponies.

Case and point- I took all 13 of Sassy Pants' Ponyville Ponies out for a photoshoot and cateloged them... they look something like this:

now the wheels in my head are turning...what a cute little birthday gift this would be for her...a little booklet of all of her Ponies...hmm....photoshop isnt that hard to manuver...

lol

OY! I've created a monster!

Do you have a plethera of My Little Ponies? Can't remember all their names?

2008-08-25T09:41:00.000-07:00

Sassy Pants is a HUGE *My Little Pony* fan. HUGE.

She mostly collects the standard size ponies, but she also has a few of the plush ponies and a whole bin of the Ponyville My Little Ponies....

Here's the problem...she *has* to know their names. I'm smart, but I just dont have the brain capacity to remember the names of 28ish My Little Ponies AND everything else a mom of 4 should remember, so yesterday we solved the "Mommy what is this Pony's name?" problem.

Rather than staring blankly at Sassy Pants like "Huh?", we've cateloged all of her ponies. Who the heck does this?! Us aparently. We pulled out all the ponies last night and photographed them with the digital camera. Then I uploaded them into photo shop and labeled them all. We had to look up most of their names- but we found most of them on this collector's website, but since she hasn't updated her collection since 2005, there were several ponies we had to google or find on hasbro.com.

So now, when Sassy Pants asks me "What's this Pony's name, Mom?" I can look her up in our "My Little Pony Catelog". We'll have to update it every time she gets a new pony (which will be soon I'm sure with her birthday and Christmas coming up), but since those come with their name plastered on the package, we won't have to do a bunch of reasearch to figure out their names! lol

The Sassy Pants Pony Collection Catelog looks something like this:

And I suppose if I wanted to- I could print them and put them in a photobook for her so that she could reference The Catelog herself rather than looking it up on Mommy's computer...
(hmm...thats actually not a bad idea!)

The Ponyville ponies are next, I swear! lol

Honestly you could probably do this with just abou ANY toy your child collects or has a googleplex of and insists on knowing ALL their names....like Littlest Pet Shop, Thomas Trains or Star Wars guys.... hmm.... lol

And the best part? Its FREE!!!! (unless you print it- then obviously it would cost you a bit...but worth it?! HECK YEAH!)

better than the splash park- play fountain at the mall!

2008-08-19T17:24:00.000-07:00

Took the kids to play in the fountain at the mall today- SO MUCH FUN! Definitly going back!

WAY BETTER than the splash park we went to last month!

-3x as many "sprinklers" as the splash park
-nobody knows about it, so it was almost empty
-more places to sit
-closer to home!

Can't wait to go back! (and neither can the kids!)

Fun with Markers!

2008-08-15T10:54:00.000-07:00

Since I have these lovely new smocks to use I decided to pull out the washable markers and let Scooty (19mo) and his little friend, Girl Pal (17mo) go to TOWN!

They both had a really great time with the markers. Scooty figured out how to open and close the markers himself and really enjoyed scribbling with them. Girl Pal on the other hand was more intersted in hording all the markers and trying to eat them! lol

this is what happens...

2008-08-14T19:23:00.001-07:00

when we skip our nap and put on a Thomas DVR after dinner...

Clowny Pants learned to tie his shoes this weekend!

2008-08-14T17:32:00.000-07:00

He can even double knot! Go Clowny Pants! You'll probably be the only kid in your Kindergarten class that can tie- but HURRAY!! Now if you could just figure out how to untie your "druple" knots*.....

*multiple double knots

toddler art smock- totally easy to make!

2008-08-14T17:14:00.001-07:00

I googled looking for instructions on how to make one of these and came up with NOTHING. I needed something for my 19mo and his little friend to wear during our art projects....

I made two today- PIECE OF CAKE! and figured while I was making some I might as well do a tutorial. So here ya go...

Materials:

-length of bias tape (I used about 14in for 1 shirt)

-old t-shirt

step 1)

find a slightly over sized long sleeved t-shirt. (I used a 3t) This one was pre-stained (came out of the hand me down box!)

step 2)

turn the shirt over- backside up and cut directly up the middle.

step 3) sew on bias tape "ties" to the neck

I laid it down like so and stitched it down about an inch and a half- make sure you re-enforce it.

step 4) pin down sides, edges turned under to keep fraying to a minimum

step 5) stitch sides down

step 6) I had to hand sew around the ties because it was too thick for my machine, so finish up whatever you need to by hand

voila- you have a lovely new smock for your child to use!!

here's the other smock I made at the same time:

best.treat.ever....well....it ranks up there in my top 10! lol

2008-08-13T15:22:00.000-07:00

mmmm!!!! Melt in your mouth goodness!!

14 days until school starts....YIKES!

2008-08-13T09:50:00.000-07:00

Where in heavens name has the summer gone?! Its literally disspeared before my eyes and I have nothing to show for it! Well, maybe a couple of photographs of the kids messing around here and there- but nothing COOL!

I guess we need to make the best of the last 2 weeks of summer!

this is stuck in my head...Thanks Enchanted!

2008-08-13T09:44:00.000-07:00

RAVE: movie "ENCHANTED" super cute!

2008-08-11T15:01:00.000-07:00

I highly reccomend getting your hands on a copy of this movie! Its DARLING and my kids are hooked! Fun for the whole family!

Strike 2....

2008-07-28T15:00:00.000-07:00

One more strike and I'm mailing you to your Auntie! HEHEHEHE

That face is so cute its hard to be mad at him!

goodbye, Zombie!!

2008-07-24T12:01:00.000-07:00

The zombie left this morning! My friend popped by for a couple of miniutes, told me that was the coolest zombie EVER and then asked what I was doing with it....

I told her she could HAVE HIM, and she went crazy! lol Then she stuffed him in her SUV and went on her merry way. This friend is totally obsessed with halloween, so Zombie will be a good addition to her collection. Plus now I can visit him....if I wanted to! (which I dont!)

So long crazy creepy Zombie! Enjoy your new home in my friend's attic with her other creepy halloween treasures!

Please help me name the Zombie!

2008-07-23T11:39:00.000-07:00

I'm trying to think of a good name for my friend the Zombie.

I know- I want him to go away, but I think he needs a name. A good one. He can be passed along with his name, right? And perhaps a good back story. Hmmm....

is he an old sailor? Perhaps a bank robber? A pirate?

hmmm....

he reminds me a bit of these creepy fellows....

zombie zombie you need a new home!

2008-07-23T08:25:00.000-07:00

Well, the Zombie didnt scare hubs at all. He just polietly asked how it came to live at our house and then helped me "gift" it to the neighbor next door. (we hid it on his porch)

This morning when I was taking the trash out, guess who was leaning against my gate? The Zombie lol!! The neighbor re-gifted it back to us! lol

He scares Scooty and Sassy, so I think its time for him to go! Anyone know of a good retirement home for Zombies?

My sister says maybe she'll take it off our hands....I can't wait!

Halloween in July??

2008-07-22T20:26:00.001-07:00

Something benign ever catch you offguard and scare the tar out of you??

This morning when I was backing my truck out to wash it I saw this crawling out (or in?) of my neighbors trash corral:

Yes, it scared me, (caught me off guard) and yes I screamed and jumped! Its not the first time I've seen the darn thing....for a while it lived on the patio cover next door to the neighbor throwing it away....

(and I'm guessing it doesnt WANT to be thrown away lol- which is why it was on the OUTSIDE of the trash corral)

So tonight in the mask of dusk, I snuck over there and brought it home, first stopping next door to sneak up on my unsuspecting neighbor. She screamed her head off btw lol! Then I put him on my patio in hopes of scaring the tar out of my husband when he comes home tonight! Tomorrow I'm passing him to the 12yo next door to scare her dad with! HEE HEE!!!