A Sleepy Child and a New Diaper Bag…

Joshua often falls asleep when we sit down for lunch.  My Mom said its probably because it’s the only time he sits down.  Well today he not only fell asleep during lunch, it was mid-chewing…

Yesterday I mentioned to a friend that Joshua was really good at keeping his gloves on and he never took long naps.  Then he chose to prove me wrong… He must have thrown his glove on the ground about 5 times on our walk yesterday and today he slept for almost 3 hours.  If that’s all it takes, I’ve got some more ideas to put in his head!

I am especially grateful for naptime because that is when I get to work on my sewing projects.   I decided to make a new diaper bag for child #2, one with a shoulder strap instead of handles.  I figured if I made it, it would have the pockets I wanted and be the right size.  I found this awesome pattern for a messenger bag and started with this tutorial at Sew Can Do

It saved me a lot of work creating my own pattern, but I did make a few changes so the bag would work for us, because a diaper bag in this family has to hold my stuff, the baby stuff, and the hubby’s stuff when we go places.  The Pellon interfacing I used holds its shape without adding bulk.  I wanted it to be somewhat neutral so Andrew could carry it too, but I’m so excited to have a girl I needed it to have girly elements too.  I think it ended up too girly for him, but I love how it turned out.  I cut out a few flowers from the lining material and appliqued them to the front flap.

It has pockets on the inside…

and side pockets on the outside…

I added a zipper pocket inside for my purse items…

 

…and a back pocket for Andrew to put stuff.

At the last minute, just before I sewed the lining and the outside together I decided it was too big and cut everything 2 inches shorter.  This would have been a breeze if I hadn’t added my own pockets, but I had to move the back pocket and the zipper on the inner pocket to make it work.  I’m excited to use my new bag, but I guess I just get to admire it for a few more months.

My Boy with his Little Buddies.

I have to say watching a child play is one of the most enjoyable experiences in the world.  They are just so creative in their actions.  Today after Joshua and I cleaned his room, putting all the stuffed animals on the bed, he decided he needed to be up there with them.

Then he hauled his monster down the hall and they took turns talking on the phone.

(I think he decided since the monster was laying on the floor, he needed to too.)
You make me smile boy!

Happy Birthday!

Today we got to celebrate my wonderful hubby’s birthday

Happy Birthday

Andrew!

Sorry I never took the camera out and I have no pictures, but it sure was cute when Andrew went to open his presents.  I don’t think he actually opened any of them.  Joshua quickly showed his present opening skills, and the Madison and Brooklyn joined in as well.  Andrew is a good sport.

A Trip to the Library

Joshua and I went to the library this morning and they were selling old books: Fill up a bag for $1.  Now I love books and this deal was too good to pass up, (even though we already have a million books at our house, we can always use some new ones.)  I found a couple of picture books for Joshua and some parenting books for me.  I started reading this one already…

I laughed so hard I cried. I would definitely recommend reading it if you’re looking for a new book.   It’s about how motherhood is not perfect, so quit trying to be and just enjoy the ride, the precious moments with your kids.  And speaking of precious moments, here is what my sweetie is doing while I blog…

Today is one of those days when I’m just enjoying the blessings of motherhood.

Christmas Craftiness Revealed…

I thought life would calm down after Christmas but it’s taken this long to get a moment to sit down and blog.  Here are pictures of my Christmas creations.

I made a quiet book for Lizzie’s girls …

I love this fabric I found for the coverMatch the colors into the pocketMatch the Velcro shapesPut the heads on the animalsPut the cupcakes in the numbered pocketSnap on the balloonsUnzip the purse to reveal some blingAn abacus with counting beadsButton the flowers onto the stems

Some baby shoes for Aubrey…


Some slippers for my sister (They looked much cuter on Pinterest)…

And a quilt for my cousin…

This one caused me a lot of stress (and a few tears) but I think it turned out pretty cool.  I almost like the flowers even better from the back.



And here is Joshua sitting on one of his favorite Christmas gifts.  He carried it around the house for days!

We Can Learn a Lot from a Child…

When life gets busy, just slow down and take a rest!

Don’t be afraid to reach out and make new friends

Stay close to those you love

Merry Christmas everyone!  I’ll soon be able to post all of the fun crafts I’ve been making.

Such a Happy Little Helper…

This morning Joshua and I went out to the garage to get in the car, but Joshua ran around to the other side of the van.  He grabbed the snow shovel and headed straight for the driveway to shovel snow. 

He actually made a bit of progress on his own, and then he helped me do some shoveling before he decided it was fun to run up and down the sidewalk leaving footprints behind. I just love my little guy!

There’s a cheesy grin if I ever saw one.