I Made That!

Remember Girls (Crafting) Night? Rachael requested (again) that we go to As You Wish for our night out. Poor Rachael, she has been trying to get us to do this for over a year (maybe 2?). So we finally went in August.

I am not a painter. So I wanted to do something simple. I had seriously planned to pick a small thing to glue a magnet on for the fridge. But all of their add-on trinkets were silly or holiday related.

so I picked this mug (tumbler? it has no handle).

I found this awesome speckly paint for the base, and then I just wanted it to be sorta shabby flannel-looking. (I don't know if that's actually the word I want..) This way it didn't matter that I can't make a straight line to save my life. It was intentionally a little wobbly. Can't you tell?

And I chose colors to match my green kitchen.

 I started this wreath on our Lawlor Girls Weekend LAST YEAR. Not even kidding. I wanted to do a fall colored yarn wreath. But that was as for as I got. I couldn't decide what embellishment to put on it after I finished wrapping all the yarn. Then it was Christmas time and I never even hung it up.

In the middle of August I realized it was almost time to get out my fall decor. (YES! Isn't that what determines cooler weather? decorating for fall. Duh.) Which meant I needed to make a decision about finishing this wreath. I looked up a lot of felt flowers and chose to make these easy rolled up ones. It cost me $1 for my 4 felt colors and then I realized Rena Jean still had my glue gun. So I didn't actually finish it until the first weekend of September. (Not bad for me.)

 I used this video tutorial for cutting out the flowers. They are super easy. I had planned to do it two-tone like hers, but I guess I made mine too small or something, I still really like it though. And the leaves I just free handed.

I'm so happy to have something fall-colored on our door finally.

Next year I will probably hang it with a different ribbon. This is what I bought for it last year, but I want something wider to stand out more.

Snuggle

I went in to check on Valette before bed. Usually I find her in a crazy curled position with no covers, which is the reason I like to check on her.

This night I walked in and was so surprised to find her snuggling the baby doll. She is not a lovey, snuggly kind of girl.

I was really excited to catch her asleep like this so Eric helped me get a picture.

August 31, 2012

First Attempt

 This is Eden. My new niece. She was born in July.

Also this is her Chris-face. (That's her dad.)

August 24, 2012

 Kaylee marched Valette back when she ran off. It made for a cute image. =)

 This is what Eden and I did while they were gone. Sweet. 

talking. 

 giving [very wet] kisses.

more happy talking.

Kaylee tried to teach/help Valette to hold Eden's head up. Valette didn't get it at all. She would take her hand out from under holding Eden's head immediately. We need to practice at home on a couch.

AZ Science Center

I got us a culture pass from the library and on Eric's day off we went to the Science Center for free.

They had this awesome musical water display that we went to first. Unfortunately there was a school on a field trip there too. (How did they score a field trip the week after school started?) I was going to take cute photos of Eric helping Valette to throw the plastic balls in the water, but the kids started a splash-each-other fight right by me and by the time it was safe to take out my camera Valette was done with this area. Sigh.

 August 17, 2012

This drum beat in time with your heart rate when you touched the metal plates. Eric was comparing how much faster Valette's heart is than his. 

 Have I mentioned Valette's obsession with Grandma's iPad? Well, she asks for it the minute she sees them.

Okay, this little computer animation thing looked like a giant ipad to her. She spent a good 15 minutes in front of it. Probably her favorite part of the day.

 Yay! I caught a smile!

I made Eric take our picture before we went back to the car. I wanted proof that I was there too.

For free, it was a good day. But most of it was still over Valette's head. Next time I get a culture pass I'm going to choose the Phoenix Children's Museum. I've been told it has way more that she can understand. And that Eric will like it better too.

Apple of My Eye

August 21, 2012

Valette saw me with this apple while clearing the counter. She asked for it (first time she used the word apple) and I said "alright but you're not going to be able to bite into it...." She proved me wrong.

 I got out the camera and she was loving the attention. And the open window. I don't move the curtains away from our french doors much--the backyard isn't exactly a pretty sight.

  

 Valette was chowing down on this apple.

Then she started playing peek-a-boo with the curtain. We finally got some smiles in between bites.

I had to take the apple away when she decided that because of it's resemblance to a ball it was now time to throw it and watch it roll on the floor, and then still eat it. That was not gonna fly.

***

Alright, let's talk about the elephant in these photos. The reason I was willing to let her have a whole apple not in the high chair because I just wanted Valette to cooperate long enough to get some good photos in this shirt.

Did you read it? It says Big Sister.

It's true. I am pregnant. Yay.

I bought this shirt for her the day I found out. She wore it when Eric got home from work that day and I gave her the pregnancy tests to show him. (Thank goodness for those lids because she totally put one in her mouth.) The tests made it too easy, he didn't even notice the shirt until a half hour later when I had to point it out to him. But she also wore it to both grandparents houses when we told them and everyone else saw it right away.

12 Weeks

Baby Lara 2.0 is coming in March 2013.
Eric is hoping that this child will come equipped with cuddling and Daddy-prefering tendencies.