Like It??

As you can see, I have a new look to my little blog. I played with the Html and everything! I'm pretty proud of myself, since I don't consider myself very skilled in technology or anything. In fact, before today, I labeled myself "technologically inept", but now I think there's hope for even me!

Yesterday we went to the Stapleton Central Park playground. This is a new million-dollar playground that is absolutely huuuuuge and has really innovative play things. It's designed to help kids play more imaginatively (as if Natalie needs any help with that!) It was really fun, but very crowded, since it was a weekend. I'm glad Casey was with us, since it would have been hard to follow Natalie around, while all Layla wanted to do was sit on the bench with me and eat Goldfish. It also has those big fountain things in the summertime, like they have at Southlands, so I'm excited about that. I'm just excited about summer in general!

I've been meaning to share this photography blog I came across. It's called Shutter Sisters and has some cool photos to ooh and aah over. Enjoy!

Mermaid

This is the Mermaid skirt I made Natalie for her birthday. She's having a mermaid birthday party next weekend and so I'm going to give it to her that morning so she can wear it at her party. I'm very excited, I think she's going to LOVE it. Currently, she wraps a blanket around her waist as a mermaid skirt, so this will be a nice replacement for that. It was a lot of work, since my serger hasn't worked for quite awhile now and so there were a lot of French seams involved to prevent raveling, but I think it will be worth it.

There is a show on HGTV called Find Your Style and they help people who don't quite know what their decorating style is. Anyway, they have a quiz online to find your own style and I took it for fun. My style is *sweet*. Here is what they said about it:

What's sweet is chic. Nothing stark and modern for you! You're drawn to cozy interiors and a welcoming palette (think soft, sun-bleached hues). You like your patterns whimsical and your buildings quaint. You enjoy heirlooms with sentimental value, like a rocker that once graced your grandmother's nursery.
Other styles that suit you: English Country, Romantic, Cottage

I can honestly say that all of this is right on, except for the rocking chair part. I actually have my great-grandmother's rocker in the house, but moved it out of Natalie's room when it kept backing up and hitting the wall the more I rocked her in it as a baby and since every time she'd fall asleep, it would creak SO loud when I stood up, all my rocking was rendered worthless! I replaced it with a glider from a garage sale, which needed oiled often and then broke after Layla was born, so I'm determined to get a really nice one for this baby. WOW, that was a little rabbit trail there :) Anyway, you can take the style quiz here. I'd love to know your results!

Ah, the Weather

The weather is beautiful today!!!! So we went to the park. We were not the only ones to take advantage, there were several people there. I like park people. They're always nice, they seem like the kind of people that really enjoy their kids, ya know? I took these pics of the girls, although the best I got of Natalie was a rear shot and I got this video of them on the swings. Layla was belly laughing, it was too funny, but she sort of quit when I started filming. Oh, well. I know better than to think that spring is here for good. I am, after all, a Coloradan and so I know it could dump snow tomorrow, but I am sooooo ready for it to come to stay. Winter feels so oppressive at times. Praise God for this lovely taste!

There are some great words about feminism on Femina here, and along those same lines, my copy of Passionate Housewives Desperate for God arrived by mail today. My sister talked this book up here and I'm so excited to get started reading it. Stay tuned for a list of my favorite books coming soon in my sidebar, along with my longer, updated list of blogs I read. Have a wonderful day and go outside, at least for a little while!

God's Handiwork

There is nothing about this picture that I don't love. The gleam in her eye, the tiny smile, the carefulness of her hand, the green masterpiece drying on the table. Even Layla's high chair and sippy cup back there make me smile. The Lord spoke very personally to me yesterday about what Natalie needs from me right now and I have been inspired to get back to basics. We haven't turned on the cartoons in two days and I have found things for her to do that inspire her creative side and that we can enjoy together. We have discovered that she loves any and all art projects and I'm so happy that God has given such creative juices to my little girl, since I have found so much fulfillment in creativity as well. So, we are not putting quite as much emotional energy into the potty training for now, although we are still trying, and more emphasis on just living. The result? The sweet, happy, positive Natalie that I know and love has returned and so has a happier Mommy. Now if I can only get an epiphany about these endless mountains of laundry!

Happy LOVE Day!

We woke up to some nice little treats this morning. Casey left me these chocolates and chocolate rose. Yes, there are already two missing in this picture. There might be three missing now :) The girls got some new books from me and Daddy and a new pillowcase (for Natalie) and some new bibs (for Layla), handmade by Granny. Not to mention the ice cream money. AND, the friends we had over for dinner last night brought them some heart cookies.

We also woke up so a big snow storm this morning, after 60-degree weather yesterday! I skipped Bible study this morning, since Layla's getting over a cold and because I did not have a chance to make my twenty valentines to pass out to the other ladies. The snow was the decision-maker. The effort to get out the door greatly increases where snow is involved :)

Thanks for the encouraging words about the potty training. We do have two more stickers on the chart, so we are making slow progress, I suppose.

I'm off to iTunes for the new Jack Johnson. Happy Valentines Day!!!!

Progress??

I know what you're thinking--I posted all those nice and time-consuming scrapbook pages and this is the best I could do for a potty chart? Okay, I just needed it quick, like right then. You can see it has one sticker. ONE. We've been at this gung-ho for a week and a half and she has pee-peed in the potty exactly one time. Then there was church, so she spent the day in a pull-up and today all that progress seems lost. If she gets all the squares filled up with stickers, she gets to watch the Cinderella movie we bought on Friday. She was very excited about it at first, but now she just wanders around saying dejectedly, "Now, I'll never get to see the Cinderella movie." Drama queen. What to do? Layla tries to get up on the potty using Natalie's stool. Maybe she'll be easy when the time comes. Maybe I should just train her now and wait another two years to try again with Natalie :)
I wish I had other things to blog about today, I truly do.

How Time Flies!

Here is another page I made for Natalie's book this week. This is a picture I took on the airplane to my sister's house last summer. As I was putting it in her book, I started looking back and got so nostalgic! I can't believe how little she was just a few short years ago. She was Layla's age in the pink page and I was barely pregnant with Layla in the last one. I can't believe she'll be three soon. Even more, I can't believe I'll be the mother of three-year-old! I still feel like such a kid sometimes.

My friend Jenn posted a really yummy cookie recipe on her blog here. It looks sooo good and I think I may try it today. Then again, my kitchen is so clean right now, I might enjoy that for the one hour that it might last :)

Yesterday's News

I made this scrapbook page yesterday for Layla's book. Angela took this picture when I was pregnant with her and I think it is my absolute favorite picture of Casey and I. (Can you tell I'm a little behind on the scrapbooking front?) Anyway, I have so many sewing projects to finish for others, that I needed a break and decided to do something for awhile that no one else benefits from. Selfish?? Maybe, but therapeutic too.

It snowed all day long yesterday and it looks beautiful outside. The *snow fairies* just pulled up and started shoveling our driveway. Gotta love the HOA :)

The second picture here is of Natalie coloring red lipstick with a crayon on all the girls in the Penney's catalog. My sister and I used to do this and I'm thankful now for all these creative ideas of things to do, when it would be so easy to let her watch Playhouse Disney all day long. I'm sure as she gets older, she'll progress to mustaches and boogies like Jana and I did too, hehehe ;)

I'm thinking of switching to cloth diapers. Any tips? Have you seen these newfangled things they have now??? I read that the average parent spends about $3,000 per kid on disposable diapers, as opposed to $300 for cloth. I'm also going to call today to request a recycling bucket, since I read they don't require you to sort it all anymore. Trying to leave less of a footprint, I guess. Speaking of diapers, Natalie is not wearing one today. We are trying yet again to potty train, since she turns 3 in a month and people are starting to comment. It's going much better today than yesterday, when she pooped first thing (having kids is so gross) and because I have tried to change my perspective a little too. Instead of saying, "she'll never get it!", I'm telling myself, "she'll get it very soon!" Psychological trick maybe, but I feel better about things :)

Spilling the *Bean*

Well, for those of you who haven't already heard, this coming August, we will be joining the ranks of the families of five. We are having a third little peanut! I hesitated to spill too early, since I have suffered a few miscarriages the past several months, but yesterday was my first appointment and as you can see, our newest little bean looks just fine. Can you see the little arms? Aw.

I was soooooo super excited this morning to find a link to my blog on this post on A Round Unvarnish'd Tale!!!!! And as a sewing reference, no less!! I'm pretty sure this is the first time someone has linked to my blog, (that I know of) except for Sew Mama Sew, so I was probably a little over-thrilled, hehehe. I even called Casey to tell him.

Anyway, I'm also excited to announce that my good friend Angela, of Angel Photography LLC has started a blog to showcase some of her photos. She's the one that takes many of the beautiful pictures of our family and kiddos that I post here so often, so drop by and congratulate her if you have a chance. And give her your business too, I promise, you won't regret it!!!!!

There is a very encouraging post for young mothers on Femina today. Oh so true about the attitude thing! I suppose this is not just true for mothers, but for every stage of life.

Happy February everyone! Let's make it extra lovey this year :)