Love...

Yesterday we did a little photo shoot of Valentine pictures...with a big red paper heart and a big flower headband...

This one is my favorite...
Or this one...can't quite decide which one to use for Valentine pictures...I think she is just too cute!

Hearts, Hearts, Hearts...

Valentines day is approaching...and around here we like to celebrate any holiday we can...we have started our celebration very early...because it is the middle of winter and any change from "normal" is good and welcome! This week we have enjoying heart shaped pancakes...

And they simply must be served on the "Love" plate...
And we must eat breakfast at the counter on the stools...just because Elsie is such a big girl!
Anything for a smile! And yes we were eating breakfast and Elsie is wearing clothes because it is so much fun to sleep in your clothes! (I think of it as less laundry!)

Slumber Party!

Tonight we are hosting a Slumber Party...for the "little aunties"...They came over this evening toting their little vintage suitcases...

After an evening filled with lots of play-doh fun, play kitchen and some TV watching...and lots of snacks of caramel corn, an entire jar of homemade pickles, sandwiches and chips...they were ready for bed...
Last week Elsie got her first big girl bed...a daybed with a pull out trundle underneath...so the aunties had to come over for the night to try the new bed out!
Lots of cuddles, tickles and memories...
Wild and crazy girls...I have a feeling now that we have a big enough bed for the 3 girls we will be having slumber parties! Fun times...

Headbands...

Today Elsie and I have been busy with sewing projects...I found an online tutorial for a Heather Bailey headband...and we added a flower to Elsie's for a little added style...

Elsie loves her new headband...and it was quite easy to put together...I have a feeling that we will have lots of these floating around our house before long...they will be great for summer...
I had to get super creative and make myself a headband as well...I was having a tough time getting a good picture...
Can't go wrong with black and white fabric! I used the left over fabric from the still-un-finished Gumdrop Pillow... I figured I could match the new pillow!

What a Big Girl...

Elsie 's favorite place to sit is on the bar stools in the kitchen...she crawls up on the stools like a pro...she has a little trouble getting off...but she is figuring that out quickly...

She looks so little sitting up high on the stool...and eating the tater-to-hotdish from Grandma B.
I love this picture...feet dangling and the dropped food on the floor...my parents and sisters volunteered to come over and help me get the house in order before Lilly's grandparents came...they had just finished sweeping when Elsie decided to eat and drop food on the floor! I have come to realize that a clean house and children simple do not go together!

Bath Time...

Last week Elsie and Lilly enjoyed a bubble bath...a first for Lilly!

Elsie has a thing against bathes lately...well not really the bath just the hair washing...so having Lilly take a bubble bath with her helped to take her mind off the hair washing part!
Lilly just enjoyed lounging in the tub in her fancy new tub seat...while sucking on a teether to help those 2 new teeth pop through!
Such a goofy girl...and such wild hair! We have taken to washing her hair in the sink...and to give our ears a break from screaming we wash it about 1 time a week...I think only a toddler can get by with that!
All bundled up and looking like a froggy! Sadly these are the last pictures of Lilly we will see on this blog...she has now gone home to Nebraska with her Grandparents...we enjoyed the 4 and a half moths she was part of our family...we will miss her...

Craft Time...

Today Lilly took a very long morning nap...and Elsie was busy playing play-doh...that meant one thing...Free time for me!

I have had a craft itch going on lately...last week Jon watched the kids for me one afternoon so I could go to town and get some new patterns and fabric...I plan on making the Amy Butler Gumdrop Pillow...and a Heather Bailey flower clutch purse. I cut all the pieces out for the Gumdrop Pillow...and realized I was out of interfacing...so the project is on hold until I get to town...
So instead I made Elsie a new pillow for her new bed...I used a fat quarter for the front and back of the pillow and some minky scraps for the sides...for not having a pattern it turned out pretty good...and Elsie loves it!
Love the shabby colours of the pillow...I had other fabric picked out for a new pillow for Elsie...but Elsie saw this pink fabric and fell in love and assured me it was her favorite! She is happily sleeping with the pillow right now...so it must work okay for her!

Potty Time...

Elsie has been doing quite well being potty trained...She goes back and forth from only using her potty chair to only using her potty ring...She told me her potty chair to dirty so she has to use the potty ring! I have since cleaned the potty chair...but she still chooses the ring...I think the roll of toilet paper hanging close to the big potty is the main reason for her choice!

If I forget to take the roll off when I put her on the potty I soon hear the roll of paper going around quite wildly...and by the time I rush back into the bathroom most of the paper is off the roll! So if you come to our house...think nothing of the Tupperware dish sitting on the garbage can full of toilet paper...It is simply our new way of displaying the toilet paper...who likes a roll anymore anyhow!?
See how pleased Elsie looks with herself...today after she un-rolled a roll of paper again before I could even begin to discipline her she looks and me and innocently says..."Oops, Mommy..." like it was a total accident!

The Way it Is At Our House...

For most of last week Elsie still had her nasty cold...Lilly was teething...I was just plain pooped out from 2 crabby little ones and being pregnant...and the house fell by the way side...Snacks were eaten any time of the day anywhere you pleased...I was just happy to see that Elsie's appetite was returning!

Kleenexes were EVERYWHERE! I am not exaggerating one bit...when a 2 year old finally has a real reason to reach in the Kleenex box and help herself why not get out about 3 or 4 at a time!?
See...Kleenexes everywhere! We went through 1 regular box and over half of a giant box...I hope no tree huggers are reading this! I did try to get Elsie to use a burp rag...but we kept getting a spit-up rag for Lilly and a nose rag for Elsie messed up...so instead we used TONS of Kleenexes!
On Tuesday my family all came over for a visit...I would like to say they contributed to the mess...but I don't think they brought with a bobby pillow and I know the green shoes in front are mine!
The counter in the kitchen...looks like breakfast, snacks and just maybe some left over dinner still sitting out...
This is my favorite...I cannot handle dirty dished all stacked up... especially when the kitchen is the first room in our house you walk into! Good thing the social workers didn't decide to make a surprise visit last week!
I am happy to say the Jon surprised me by coming home Tuesday night and announcing that he had the remainder of the week off due to cold weather...I like to think that he knew I was at my wits end and choose to take the week off to help out! This week the kids seem to be doing better...no more runny nose for Elsie...no teeth yet for Lilly...but a much happier baby! And I was able to work on getting this house all cleaned up through out the weekend...a nice clean house and happy children...what can possibly go wrong this week? Other than 4 leaking spots in the dining room roof...but I am not thinking about that today!

Nail time...

Last night Elsie talked Daddy into painting her finger nails and her toe nails...Elsie just sat and patiently waited for Daddy to get done with each finger...

Elsie really wanted yellow and green polish...but all we have is pink...must be why she likes her aunties to paint her nails since they have all the wild colours!
I thought it was just so cute to see Jon paining Elsie's tiny nails...now I know when my belly is too big to paint my toe nails Jon can do mine! What a Daddy!