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Bike

2012-01-24T20:44:00.003-06:00

Drew had been riding around on a plastic tricycle for long enough. Our nice friends handed down a beautiful bike for Drew, complete with a basket for her baby to ride along. So far the bike has brought a whole mix of emotions. From whoops of excitement after her first spin, to screams of terror as she started rolling backwards (very slowly) into the street, to laughs as she steered herself right into my legs, and to tears of frustration after she and the bike toppled over after a sharp turn.

I think she loves and hates that bike.

Loves.

Loves.

Hates. Tears of frustration. Good thing baby was in her basket to comfort her.

Speaking of frustration...

"How dare you strap me in this stroller? You know I need to be in constant motion every waking minute of my day!"

New Pet

2012-01-05T08:35:00.002-06:00

Since last post... we went to Disneyland. It was fun. We had Christmas. It was my favorite Christmas ever. Starting fresh in 2012.

My mom set up with a woman she works with for Drew to come and meet her horses.

Of course she was in heaven. She was holding on to that horse all by herself which thrilled her and terrified me. This horse was so well trained she was able to walk (and even trot) around the pen for as long as she wanted. She really, really wants a pet horse for our backyard now.

And being the accomodating parents we are, we did buy her a new pet, though not as large as the horse...

His name is Turkleton. He would like everybody to know he is a tortoise and not a turtle.

My Halloween Loves

2011-11-02T09:15:00.002-05:00

Snow White...

and Dopey.

Just perfect.

In Training

2011-10-24T06:18:00.000-05:00

Daily pushups really strenthen your inner core.

As does wrestling with monkeys.

Camping

2011-09-30T09:15:00.002-05:00

I've kind of forgotten how to do this blogging thing. For the past month or two it has felt completely unimportant to me. Sure I've thought, "Okay this picture of my kids snuggling together is amazing...must blog." But when I've sat down to put a post together, my heart just isn't in it. No desire.

Plus, how can anyone really understand how sweet and lovable my little boy is? My words and pictures just don't do him justice. Or how they both drive me to near madness and the next moment Drew is hopping around grunting like a gorilla to make Nash laugh. So then I put away my crazy pills and my heart melts with love.

So life is a lot of crazy. And a lot of love too.

And I'm talking crazy enough that we decided to take a family camping trip. All four of us in one little RV. Drew was bright and bushy-tailed by 4:30 am.

Drew sure makes a mean smore though.

Halloween in July

2011-07-13T18:01:00.010-05:00

After a short hiatus of sweet babies and summer happenings, my shop is finally open again and back in business! I start celebrating Halloween in July and this year I added a new Halloween dress...

A Halloween Stripe Maxi Dress!

I have made several of these maxi dresses for Drew this summer and we both absolutely love them. They are so comfortable and versatile. What I love about this black and white stripe maxi is that it is perfect for Halloween and can be worn as is for school, parties, etc. or add accessories for an adorable costume as well. Here are some of my ideas...

Chic Pirate Costume:

white tunic, pirate hat, boot covers, and buccaneer sword

Stylin' Witch Costume:

leather jacket, boots, hat, and broom

But come November 1, this dress is not finished. It can be worn seriously in so many ways to make really fun and funky outfits. Here are some more of my ideas that I will be using it for...

Outfit for fall/winter:

denim jacket, floral neck scarf, ballet shoes

Another outfit for fall/winter:

cardigan, belt, boots

Outfit for spring/summer:

cardigan, pearl necklace, sandals

You can also pair this dress with pretty much any color of rosette belt (also new in my shop!)...

And, these belts also come in women's sizes too! Perfect accessory for an outfit that needs a pop of color.

And don't forget to like me on facebook! You can find my free shipping coupon there, good through the rest of July.

It is never too early to get in the Halloween spirit.

Summer Happenings

2011-07-07T11:23:00.004-05:00

I.
Drew had her dance recital last month. Regardless of what other parents might have thought, our daughter was the best (and most beautiful) dancer on stage! And Jason wins an award for sitting through the two hour show to watch Drew's three minute dance.

II.
Hanging out with cousins. Nash may be 6 weeks younger, but his size and weight holds its own. Don't let his Daffy Duck bandaids fool you... he was both tough and macho when he got his shots.

III.
We went to the circus. Drew jumped, clapped, danced, and laughed for the first half of the show, then crashed hard in the second half. She was carried out of there crying, "I just want everyone to stop bugging me so I can go to bed!" She does say that her favorite part was the tall guy. A.k.a. the clown wearing stilts.

IV.
Nash's first swimming adventure. Yes he is chubby. You don't get to be 95th percentile in height and weight by being slim.

V.
Without our own pool in Phoenix in the summer, you have to get creative. This sprinkler toy has been treating us just fine so far.

The Harvest

2011-06-08T09:51:00.002-05:00

We have succeeded this year in doing what few people are able to do... plant a garden in Phoenix and things actually survive. You can see our pea vines in the background are all dead now, but only after we scored buckets of pea pods.

Here the gardeners are picking potatoes and carrots for our foil dinners that night.

Eating her spoils.

The overseer of the laborers. He runs a tight ship.

Also, Drew's dress is a sample of a new pattern of mine. Just a few adjustments to make and it is perfect. I am slowly (very slowly) getting my shop together again. I have so many things I want to do and negative amounts of time to do it in. Remember... overseer... tight ship:

Who am I kidding? This boy will never do any wrong in my eyes.

Also on the menu this week from our garden:
Beef and vegetable pot pie
Parmesan oven fries
Hashbrowns

Pocket

2011-05-27T06:05:00.001-05:00

Nash's onesie had a pocket. Drew and I thought it was funny to put things inside of it.

Like his binky.

His hairbrush.

Crayons.

An ipod.

Finger puppets.

Legos.

A carrot.

A lobster.

And daddy's pager.

He puts up with us.

2011-05-20T09:03:00.001-05:00

Drew calls him "her little man". I love this little man.

Note

2011-05-17T10:20:00.002-05:00

Drew wrote me her first note. She sat this next to my sewing machine while I was working on something and said, "I love you mommy." Made my day.

Kids

2011-05-12T08:55:00.000-05:00

Aren't my kids sweet? I have loved referring to them as "the kids" in plural form. It makes me feel old and mature. (Even though I am in shock that I will be turning 28 this year and should definitely stop the process of trying to feel older.)

Having plural children is a whole new ball game. This morning I put Nash back to bed at 5:45am and was only starting to lose consciousness again when at 6:00am Drew is pulling at my arm for a bowl of Lucky Charms. I keep trying to remind myself that someday I will get a good night's sleep again.

And even though it is crazier, I am enjoying this postpartum weirdness more than the last time. Postpartum weirdness is defined by me as major lack of sleep, up and down emotions, trying to find a new "normal", and choosing between a wardrobe of baggy maternity jeans or tight pre-maternity shorts that won't budge over my hips. I've had to resort to stretchy skirts.

Even though I haven't figured out what is the new "normal", I think we might have the sweetest little baby on our hands ever. He is laid back and cool as the other side of the pillow. Even when his sister is constantly in his face, kissing and mugging on him. I envy his patience with her.

I am enjoying it more because I am not pining for sleep-filled nights, clothes that fit me (well maybe I am), and for Nash to reach all the next little milestones. Because I am almost 100 percent certain all those things will eventually come. Just trying to ride this wave of crazy and enjoy "the kids" and life for what it is right now.

But Lucky Charms at 6:00am has got to stop.

Nash

2011-04-27T12:05:00.002-05:00

Nash was born last Thursday night, all 8 pounds and 4 ounces of him. He is the best thing ever. So far he reminds me of the koala bears we saw last month at the Phoenix zoo... he sleeps for about 20 hours a day and is the best cuddler imaginable. Between the three of us he is constantly hugged, kissed, and loved on. We are so happy to have him!

Baby

2011-04-18T09:26:00.005-05:00

What have we been up to? Drew has been getting pedis and I am somehow trying to prepare for a new baby this week.

Everyone asks if Drew understands about the new baby and if she is excited. Well she has been counting down the days till her baby brother comes for the last couple weeks with squeals of joy like it will be Christmas. And she is obsessed with her baby cousin Otto so I know she loves the idea of a baby. Unlike Otto, I try to remind her that this baby is going to live in our house and be with us ALL the time. It is possible that he might take some attention away from her. Or get in the way of her managing day to day affairs around here.

She will be a great big sister though. The other day she shared her most prized treasure, her white old blanket, with her 6-week old cousin. I had a sweet vision of what a loving sister she will be. She then impatiently demanded of the infant that he say thank you to her. "Otto, say thank you." So... she has a lot to learn still about babies. But at least she will be teaching her brother and cousin to be polite.

Me? I am thrilled to meet the little guy.

Garden

2011-03-21T09:20:00.003-05:00

A few weeks ago we planted our garden. We have planted a bazilion things in our yards since we moved in almost two years ago. Either because we don't really know what we are doing or because we live in the land of scorching sun and clay dirt, a lot of it dies. I personally have a poisonous touch and kill most living things under my care. Drew and Jason should count themselves lucky.

We planted onions, carrots, potatoes, peas, peppers, cucumbers, watermelon, and our most successful crop from the past, giant sunflowers.

Drew must have the magical touch. She had her hands on every seed or bulb and everything is coming up really good so far. Or maybe it is her beautiful sign work that is encouraging the plants...

My Nephew

2011-03-09T09:03:00.007-06:00

The sweetest little baby boy came into our family in the wee hours of Monday morning. My arms are hurting looking at these pictures because I want to hold my nephew again. He is an angel.

My sister's whole delivery process and the arrival of a perfect little baby gave me mixed feelings about my own impending due date (still about 6 weeks).

a. I can hardly wait until those newborn fingers and toes are all mine

b. Regarding labor and delivery, I can definitely wait

Uhh... but those fingers and toes.

Drew absolutely loves her little cousin. She talks about him all the time. She is going to love being a big sister.

Welcome to the family little O. And happy birthday today mom! Our kids are so lucky to have such a wonderful grandma.

Dance Class

2011-03-01T08:32:00.002-06:00

Few things make Drew as happy as when she is in dance class. Or me for that matter. I can't tell who enjoys it more.

She has no fear or shyness and wants to be in the front of the class for everything. This backs up my theory that she will be a Hermione when she starts school.

She likes tap the best and loves to practice in our kitchen. I keep telling her that one of these days I am going to get out my old tap shoes and see if they fit. I picture the image though of a 7-month pregnant woman flapping around in small tap shoes though and I resist the urge. Plus we will have to try on all my old dance costumes and I know I won't be fitting in those for a while.

How could you not love watching this?

Last week not even a bloody lip could stop this girl from dancing. For one who milks even the smallest scratch or blemish, that is saying something.

Love it.

DIY Play Makeup

2011-02-22T08:20:00.004-06:00

Getting dressed and ready for the day takes entirely too long in my house for having only one child. Drew insists on wearing only dresses, which makes me sad for her amazing skinny jeans that sit folded in her dresser. She also lines up every single one of my eyeshadows or blushes for me to put on her before she feels ready for the day. I pretend to load her face with makeup until she looks at herself satisfied in the mirror.

For Valentine's Day this year I put together a little makeup bag of her own so that we can both do our makeup at the same time. It has been a big hit. I was initially going to buy her a little plastic set probably of the Disney princess variety, which she would have loved too. But this little DIY version was much cheaper and I don't think she has realized yet that it is not actually real makeup, since it looks just like mine.

All you need to do is go through your makeup bag and pull out everything that is empty or you don't wear or use anymore. I found a lot in mine, like brushes that I never use, old Bare Minerals containers, and even an empty tube of mascara (more on this one later). I did not have any empty eyeshadows or ones that I wanted to give up, so I went to the dollar store and loaded up on some eyeshadows there.

For the eyeshadows, blushes, compacts, or powders, it is so simple. I just popped out the little metal trays of eyeshadow out of their plastic containers, then I cleaned everything (including the brushes) with hot, soapy water. Lastly I cut pieces of felt that fit into the containers and hot glued them in. Total cost was five dollars for the eyeshadows I bought.

Make sure you cover the blemishes on your chin...

And very important, don't forget the nose...

Sure, why not some purple eyeshadow on your neck too... That looks nice...

The mascara was definitely the trickiest, but is her favorite part. It is part of my makeup bag that she has never got to play with and now she has her very own. Of course I tried to think of how I could give her her own tube of mascara without worrying that she will poke her eye out. So I took my old empty mascara and took it apart. I pulled out the wand from the twisty tube lid and from the bottom container I took out the plastic piece that sits inside and wipes off the excess goop when you pull out the wand. This piece just sits right in the top and came out pretty easy. Things will start to get messy here, even if the mascara is old and empty.

Next, I actually dropped both tube and lid into boiling water. Warning: Do not use a pot that you will want to cook food in in the future! I have a glass pot I bought one year at a thrift store only for crafting and easter egg stuff. I let the tube boil for a few minutes and with tongs swished it all around in the water. Mascara gets nasty here. It will come out liquid, but cover the sides and everything with a film of black. It cleaned out of the pot, I just wouldn't want to boil spaghetti in it later or anything. When I pulled the tube out of the water, I wiped it down clean and used Q-tips to clean out the inside a little better. I did not get the inside of the tube completely clean like I wanted. Although boiling it must have hardened the formula and not a single bit of blackness has come out of it again.

Lastly, I hot glued a feather into the lid. She loves this part. She can pretend to put on mascara just like I do and I don't have to worry about her losing an eye.

I really love my little girly girl who always wants to look pretty. And her beautiful little face that I hope will never grow up to put actual real makeup on.

Drew's Room

2011-02-17T08:35:00.002-06:00

I may as well just concede that these are going to be the best pictures I can get of Drew's room. Problem being, there is hardly any natural light coming in, despite that window. I can either go with the washed out look of flash photos or these non-flash super yellowy shots. I tried to adjust them in Photoshop although they still look like I ran a 1970's action on them. Any ideas, photographers?

Anyway, this is Drew's room. I finally feel like I'm finished. I have been working on several projects in here for probably the last year. I'm slow. When I'm sewing a ton for Bitsy Bear I don't usually feel like sitting behind the machine again to work on personal projects. But somehow the quilt and curtains got done.

This room had zero lighting when we moved into the house. No ceiling light or fan and not even wired for it. Before we hired an electrician to come wire a couple of our rooms for lighting, we decided to try out these swing arm wall lamps. They definitely give out enough light and we like them.

I saw this Favor print probably two years ago and had wanted it ever since. I got it here, where you can see how the colors actually look. I love the combo of yellow, purple, and red. And I love the girl doing her makeup on a motorcycle. It somehow just seems Drew appropriate.

Does anyone remember that old blue rabbit pillow on Drew's bed? I would still be sleeping with it if Jason hadn't kicked it out of our bed when we first got married. Heck, that thing made it all the way down to the bottom of the Grand Canyon with me at one time, strapped onto my pack. Jason doesn't understand. But I never threw it away like he told me to and now Drew sleeps with it. Actually I had to make a cut throat trade with her since she had been sleeping in my oversized U-shaped maternity pillow for so long and I wanted it back. She seems okay with the rabbit pillow for now but has made it very clear that she wants the big pillow back once baby brother gets here.

Another project was that tall white bookcase hanging on the wall. It was actually an old brown window shutter I picked up at Goodwill, put a backing on and sanded and painted. I will have to get a better picture of the seashell calendar to explain that. It is just like the spoon calendar I made for my kitchen, just using seashells instead.

Another shot of the ruffled curtains that I about strangled myself with they took so long. And that pop art picture I made forever ago hanging on her wall. Oh and since I took these pictures last week, Jason has also added a little ballet barre on that wall below the picture. It is so cute! Jason came to observe Drew's ballet class last week and noticed that some of the girls were able to hold their leg up higher on the barre than she. He has been encouraging her to practice ever since. I merely mentioned we should put a barre up on her wall and the next day I came home to one already installed. Those other 3-year-old ballerinas better watch out!

So there is Drew's room done on a very small budget in a very large time frame. Now on to the baby room. Hopefully he will have something finished before 2012.

Yellow Easter Tuxedo Dress Giveaway!

2011-02-15T08:18:00.004-06:00

This is my very first giveaway I have ever done! I'm hoping to establish a Facebook following so I have a better way to inform customers about new dresses and items in my shop. Me and Twitter have never come to terms, so Facebook it is! I am giving away one of my most popular dresses, this banana yellow tuxedo dress.

The tuxedo dress is my all time favorite dress. It is made out of a cotton poplin fabric with just a tiny bit of stretch that really gives the dress a great feel. It is beautiful and appropriate for formal occassions and photo shoots, but is also extremely comfortable for everyday wear. The dress features tuxedo ruffles along the button-down front and a tacked on fabric tie belt. Also, the sleeves flip up to show off the coordinating yellow gingham fabric. It is the ultimate Easter dress!

You can win this dress in any size, from 0-6mo all the way up to girl's size 9. To enter, please leave a comment on this link only. The contest ends Thurday at 11:59 PM MST. The winner will be announced Friday.

**PLEASE PLACE ENTRY COMMENTS HERE ONLY**

I will use Random.org to select a winner from Facebook comments only.

My Valentines

2011-02-14T09:38:00.003-06:00

Happy Valentine's Day! Check back tomorrow to start planning for Easter- I am giving away an Easter dress on my new Facebook page and will tell you about it here too. Follow the link to like Bitsy Bear on Facebook, or just like it up in the top right corner of my blog.

Also- I actually have several other posts lined up to share, including Drew's (finally) finished room and Drew's new ballet and tap class. She's wearing tights and leotards. You don't want to miss it.

Have a love-filled day.

I Spy

2011-02-09T08:38:00.003-06:00

Drew has a bazillion miniature toys. The smaller they are, the better. She also has a batrillion cups, boxes, containers, tins, and bags that they gets sorted and resorted into. Often we find them in strange places hidden around the house. The other day I found a wise man from a small Christmas nativity set hiding in the crack of our sliding glass door. We are tempted at times to get rid of her messy collection once and for all, although it is about the only thing that will keep her entertained all by herself. There's only so much UNO Moo I can play, so anything else that entertains her is my friend.

Yesterday we decided to join two of her loves into a fun project... her collection of miniature toys and I Spy books. We set up a few I Spy scenes using some of her little toys and took some pictures. I was just going to get some enlarged prints for a little Valentine surprise, but now I am tempted to create more I Spy scenes and get printed a full photobook. Something I can slip in her Easter basket maybe.

I Spy...

a butterfly, dice, a lobster, Lumiere, a spool of thread, Dora, the letter L, and the American flag.

the letter M, a white flower, Cinderella, and a pink pitcher.

an elephant, a treasure chest, two puppy dogs, a princess shoe, a swan, and nail polish.

Now I have to get creative and see what else we can come up with.

Pregos and Bomb Dropping

2011-02-05T22:43:00.005-06:00

Everyone who is pregnant needs to coordinate to have a pregnant sister as well right along with them, or two sisters in my case. It is a lot of fun. Not only will you get strange baby-bump-touching photos together (forced upon by your grandmother), but there are many other advantages as well. Such as discussing food aversions, then food cravings, comparing ultrasounds, eating doughy brownies and ice cream with, and talking about babies for as long as you want knowing the other will not get tired of it. Shawnda is due in five weeks and I have twelve weeks to go. Although someone should inform my large belly of this and tell it to pace itself.

My sweet, innocent Drew has been testing out some new words lately. Two of which are fat and ugly. The other day she shamelessly called me both of them. We had to have a talk about how we may read some words in books (the new bedtime favorite, The Three Billy Goats Gruff, contains both these words) but we don't use them when talking about people. I wasn't sure what to say though when watching Steven Tyler on American Idol she said, "Mom that boy is soooo ugly." Well that is very debatable, Drew. Very debatable.

Drew also pulled a teenager when after being told no, she walked away saying, "I hate my mom." What? How does she even know that word? And how to use it in the right context? Upon further discussion she informed me that this is what Nemo told his daddy. So thanks, Disney Pixar for the shining example. My daughter is telling me she hates me at least ten years too early.

At least she has not dropped these bombs again after being talked to about them. Except for the whole Steven Tyler and ugly thing and I am still baffled as to how to reply to that. Watch her jumping on the jump-o-line (as she calls it)...

She is too sweet to say such things to her mommy...

New Dresses

2011-01-17T13:16:00.002-06:00

We got home from vacation last night and I added new Easter and spring dress to my shop this morning. 2011 feels like a great year so far.

Happy Christmas

2010-12-23T16:23:00.003-06:00

I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas weekend! I loved opening all the Christmas cards we received and definitely plan on sending out our first family Christmas card next year. Until then I will enjoy what we accomplished for Christmas this year. For one, Drew learned a ton of Christmas songs. Enjoy Rudolph...

Merry Christmas!

News

2010-12-01T10:25:00.002-06:00

Perhaps I should mention that I am pregnant? And that we are having a BOY? I still have a long ways to go. He's not due until May 1. Maybe this will give me enough time to get acquainted with little boys and how they work. I am super comfortable in the girl arena. I think I've got them figured out pretty well. But boys? I'm awkward like, "So... pokemon huh? The Hulk... is it?" Is pokemon even around anymore? These are the things I will need to figure out. But I am so excited I can hardly stand it!

All the pictures in this post were taken by Drew, the budding photographer. She has a little plastic camera without a flash. The above photo is the only one I have of me pregnant so far, even though I am already way bigger than that. It's funny seeing things from her viewpoint. And then you'll see Baxter the beast. The rest of the photos are taken from her portfolio titled, Costco. You have seen them here first.

Witchy

2010-11-01T06:32:00.000-05:00

Every single day in October Drew told me something different she wanted to be for Halloween. I asked her every day just to hear her entertaining response. Bowser, a dinosaur, a cowgirl, Mario... then for two days in a row she told me she wanted to be a witch. So we went with it.

Unfortunately, I bought the cheapest witches hat ever that wouldn't stay on her head. It lasted an entire three pictures worth until she refused to wear it anymore. Without the hat and broom, trick-or-treating became a little confusing for some. "What are you? A pirate?" One time a nice man asked her what she was and she said, "I'm a Drew." He looked very confused, "A jew?" By that time she was already in someone else's pot of candy so I just let it slide and laughed to myself. We're working on her pronunciation.

We got to see cousins and in special Drew fashion, she had 6 adults following her around trick-or-treating. For the time being she is the one and only golden grandchild on my side. Until my sista's baby in March!

She also drove us around the neighborhood. No trick-or-treaters were harmed.

And thanks to those who voted in our PPCC 2010 contest. Unfortunately for me it was yet another win for Jason who got the most votes with Pumpkin Smasher. Bravo.

Cast Your Vote!

2010-10-28T11:02:00.004-05:00

Without further ado, here are the contestants for the 7th Annual PPCC 2010. Any and everyone please vote taking the short survey below!

Rollin' on 40 inch rims and complete with dice in the mirror, the Pumpkin Smasher will surely roll over any competition that gets in his way. But don't be fooled by his flaming hair, Mr. Smasher is actually a sweet guy who enjoys bike rides, wine tasting and curling up with a good book.

Yo NotoRiou$ P.I.M.P.kin up in here. A.k.a Flavor P yo. I be ballin' with da bling in ma grill. Just chillaxin with ma homies. The hunnies be lovin my stash yo. Fo shizzle.

Meet Mrs. Jack Skellington. Yes, boys. She is taken. She's just like your average girl... likes taking long walks on the beach, taking FOREVER to get ready and of course, helping jack prepare for christmas. During Halloween time she can get a little... scary, so i would keep your distance.

Please cast your vote: (the survery scrolls down)

PPCC 2010

2010-10-27T11:08:00.002-05:00

Since it's inception in 2004, the Patterson Pumpkin Carving Contest has been a highlight of our year. It started out very humble and has grown into an intense competition. This year we tried to introduce Drew into her heritage of pumpkin carving, but she was quickly disqualified when she refused to even touch a pumpkin seed. Hopefully next year she will understand the true meaning of Halloween.

The contest will be posted and ready for your vote either by tonight or tomorrow morning! Until then, enjoy our past year's contestants...

Autofocus

2010-10-21T16:37:00.002-05:00

This last January we were in San Diego at Seaport Village. We stopped outside a cute surf shop at a duck pond and I pulled out my camera to get a picture of Drew and the ducks. My lens would not work and the camera refused to take a picture. It completely stopped working on autofocus mode for the rest of the trip, and I am terrible at manual. So all of our Disneyland pictures the next day were taken with my zoom lense where I had to stand about 20 feet back to get my family in a single picture. I sent the lens in for repair immediately after that trip and it has worked perfectly ever since.

Until our most recent San Diego trip in September. We were at Seaport Village again. Outside the same cute surf shop. Next to the same duck pond. In fact my feet were probably planted in the exact same location. Drew was loving the ducks and I thought it would make a cute picture. It crossed my head that this is right where my camera stopped working last time, but there is no logical reason why it would happen again. Lo, I took out my camera and it refused to snap a picture. On autofocus mode. I still do not have a picture of Drew and those cursed ducks.

I don't know what voodoo is going on at Seaport Village, but I have not been able to use autofocus for the last month and a half. I have been forced to shoot in manual, which means two things. One, I have not taken many pictures and two, of those I've taken most are slightly blurry. Really, how do you shoot in manual mode with a three year old?

But more than this, many aspects of my life could do with some autofocus. This last month has been a blur of sewing machine, unruly puppy, emails, attention demanding three-year-old, packaging and shipping, and busy husband. Having a small business has been both exhilarating and stressful. And everything in between there. There is so much I love about it and a lot that needs to be changed to keep this one-woman-show on the road. Because always the attention demanding three-year-old and busy husband should be the focus. And maybe the unruly puppy, but he has lost some standing with me lately.

Either I should get my autofocus fixed, or get better at doing it in manual.

2010-09-30T12:10:00.004-05:00

This is Baxter eating his lunch. Yes, Baxter. Sometimes I feel the exact same way you do.

La Heaven

2010-09-21T22:54:00.002-05:00

Every time we stay in La Jolla it gets harder and harder to come back. Last week was no exception, every day was wonderful. We went to Sea World for two of those days. The first time we took Drew to Sea World she was barely a year old and was toddling around. This time however she was large and in charge, pulling out her map and trailblazing the way to each exhibit. She was excited about each animal down to each fish in all of the tanks we saw. When asked though, she will say her favorite part is when her and daddy got splashed by Shamu.

Every other day that we weren't at Sea World, we were parked on the beach. I think Drew could have wrapped up in a towel and slept on the beach. She would walk down to the water, hauling her boogie board, and the second her feet touched water would drop her board and ride the two centimeter surf. She's pretty amazing. We played frisbee, a beach tradition. We built killer sand castles. Drew had sand coming out of her ears. Literally. She might not have ever come back home if she didn't miss her puppy so much.

I'm already thinking about our next trip.

Birthdays

2010-09-10T15:17:00.003-05:00

Jason and Drew's big birthdays were on Sunday and we had a great party weekend. Jason lost all birthday decisions three years ago when Drew was born. She got to pick the cake, the Spongebob plates, and basically stole the entire birthday limelight. Pssh, three year olds.

Of all the possible birthday cakes, Drew asked for two things. Blue frosting and all different colors of m&ms.

She had been talking about her birthday party every day for at least two months. When the day arrived she couldn't nap and couldn't wait. I stalled in every way possible before the party guests (family) were to arrive at 5pm. I curled her hair. I painted her nails. She tried on different princess heels. She chose this dress to wear. Even though it's a dress I needed pictures of for my shop and now it's covered in blue frosting.

Basically we have the best family ever and she had the time of her life. And got really great presents too. It has been like Christmas in our house this past week.

All I can think about when I see this last picture is kissing her cheeks. They are soft, squishy, and cool to the touch. Best things to kiss ever.

Drew loves to tell me how she is growing bigger. That her feet are getting bigger. Her hair is getting bigger. Her eyes are getting bigger. And her hands are getting bigger. Every time I tell her in reply that she can't grow any more and she needs to stay small. And every time her reply, "Never."

Halloween in the Heat

2010-08-23T06:18:00.000-05:00

It's been miserably hot here, but we are already gearing up for Halloween. (I've been dreaming about it for months now.) I'm not the only one ready for Halloween because these dresses have been selling in the shop. Here's a new one for this year... same leggings and same cute model though.

Has Drew changed much from a year ago?

Meet Baxter

2010-08-15T09:11:00.005-05:00

Baxter is Drew's new puppy. He was an early birthday present and is the sweetest little beagle. Drew has long been obsessed with dogs and we figured now was a great time to get a puppy. Heck, we just potty trained one, we can potty train another. Really though, this guy acts like he is the newborn baby of the family. "Oh, I'm so cute with my sad eyes. Hold me and cuddle me."

How is Drew adjusting? She's obsessed. When we brought him home, we put him under a box with a bow on top. She lifted the box and was stunned for about 5 seconds, then ran circles around the house laughing and shouting. Then he touched her slightly with his paw and she started bawling.

See, he had some sharp little puppy claws and Drew's pain tolerance is at a negative two. For a while she would run away any time he came near her, would wear long stretchy black pants to protect her legs, and drew in claws on all pictures of him.

Now things are much better and Drew carries him around the house like one of her stuffed animals.

Welcome to the family, Bax.

Summer Snapshots

2010-08-02T23:39:00.005-05:00

Friends
Family
Swimming
Potty Charts
Sun Splash
Tan Lines
Kisses

famiy pics

2010-07-15T08:46:00.002-05:00

Our very good friends, Zach and Rachael Olson, took our first official family pictures for us a few months ago. Drew has become a real chore to take pictures of, so I was amazed at all the great shots they got of her and of us all together. The Olsons have been taking pictures for a long time (they even took our engagement shots over 7 years ago!) and are at the moment revamping and getting a brand new website. But you can follow them on facebook here at O2 Photo Studio until the website is done. They are so talented and great to work with.

The dress Drew is wearing is one that I have meant to put in my etsy shop for a long time now along with my other summer dresses. Not sure if or when I will get to that. Because lets face it, long ago I have started looking toward the fall.

iVillage

2010-06-18T18:34:00.002-05:00

My swimsuit is iVillage's Etsy Pick of the Week! See article here:

Haute Halter Swimsuit - iVillage

Classifieds:

2010-06-07T09:09:00.003-05:00

In need of a new model.

Must be as small and cute as a two-almost-three-year-old, but minus all the attitude.

Preferably one who does not hate it when I pull out the camera.

Or walks away from me to give me the stink eye.

Or hides behind a bush and cries.

I pay in suckers.

Good Times

2010-05-31T07:02:00.000-05:00

Betty White said in her day it was considered torture to look at someone's vacation pictures. It is torture time.

We went cruisin' with this lovely couple. We will miss the Alder's with their move to Oklahoma!

We also went cruisin' with the Red Hat Society. I will become a member of this group just for an excuse to wear some of their phenomenal hats. Hello lady down and center!

Our first stop at Catalina we toured the island in style. Mark my words, I will own a segway in the future. I will never have need for walking again! Jason and I refused to turn our heads when talking to eachother. We turned our entire bodies with the slightest twist of a handle.

Next stop, Ensenada. And dune buggies. Zero power steering equals me running down a tree.

Too many fun times! Cruises are the way to go. I wasn't sure how much I would enjoy a cruise, but now I have decided I would like to live on a cruise boat. And own a segway. And segway myself to the 24-hour soft serve ice cream machines at least eight times a day.

Don't feel sorry for Drew back at home. She lived it up with her grandma and cousins. Well, her second cousins... because I have the best cousins ever.

*Pictures courtesy of Grandma's phone.

We all had a good vacation and are happy to be back together again.

Tank Dresses

2010-05-25T11:13:00.003-05:00

I am "recovering" from my week long vacation and trying to get back into the swing of things. Until my cruise pictures are ready, here are some new summer dresses I just added to my shop:

What are you talking about?

2010-05-12T08:45:00.006-05:00

Drew asks me all the time, "What are you talking about?" I don't know what I'm talking about today.

We fed Charlie the giraffe at the zoo. Very long tongue.

Instead of listening to the radio, our car plays Disney's Greatest Volumes 1 and 2. So basically I never hear new music or what other people in the world are listening to. Currently, when I'm not listening to "Under the Sea," I'm loving Mat Kearney. Like this song. Or this. Everything this man sings is amazing.

Did you know Jason proposed to me down in Havasupai? Havasupai is my favorite place so far on this earth. This isn't Havasupai. It's Fossil Springs.

We've had this kite since Christmas and finally got to fly it. It's a crocodile.

I'm also listening to Parachute. Love this song. And this.

Frogs.

Shield your eyes. This whiteness is me. I am not nude either. Just wearing a white and yellow swimsuit on a white body. Jason wants to take this on a cruise? Yikes!

Also on my playlist is The Script. His voice is cool. This song makes me smile.

Hey Sha Sha.

Matt Nathanson makes me want to get married all over again (to Jason of course) just so I can have this song playing at our wedding.

And I'm done.

Wait...

Yes, I'm done.

Butterfly Party

2010-05-03T06:37:00.000-05:00

If you thought buying caterpillars was not very cool, then please check this out...

Oh yeah! Best thing I ever bought. They were caterpillars for about a week where they doubled in size almost every day. Then one by one they all climbed to the top of the cup, attached themselves, and hung down to start the cucoon process. After a long wait, the actual change from caterpillar to cucoon happens very quickly, maybe a minute. I was at the right place and the right time and got to see one of them shed their fuzzy caterpillar skin and turn into a shell. See, entertainment for the whole family.

Last week when the first butterfly hatched Drew and I were screaming, laughing, and dancing in excitement. "We got a butterfly! We got a butterfly!" Yes, I was really that excited! It's pretty amazing. Soon all ten of them had hatched and were drinking from the sugar-watered flowers we picked for them.

We planned a last minute butterfly party for their release. It concluded with the final release of the butterflies, where Drew tried to recatch them in her butterfly net.

Nice wings, Drew!

But also included a game of Pin the Butterfly on the Flower. Drew loved it since my blindfold was lame and she was able to see underneath it. She landed the butterfly on the flower every time. When Jason doubled it and made it so she really couldn't see she started crying and said, "I don't like this anymore." So we let her cheat.

And what's a butterfly party without butterfly cookies?

Now we must return the butterfly books to the library, get on with life, and try not to look at the empty spot on the kitchen counter where our butterfly friends used to be.

Caterpillars

2010-04-19T06:25:00.001-05:00

Last Friday the Fed Ex man rang the doorbell in the middle of Drew's nap. She was up at once thinking it was grandma. Instead it was our caterpillars.

Yes I said caterpillars.

These babies are going to crawl around in their cups and eat and get bigger for a week or so. Then they will climb to the top of the lid and make cocoons, or "tutoons" as Drew would say. Then a week or two later and we will have ourselves some butterflies!

(Katie, you better believe I've got you and our first graders on my mind!)

I ordered my kit here. So far it's the most exciting thing that's happened at our house.

Kitchen Transformation

2010-04-08T10:09:00.006-05:00

Befores and afters. I wish this was a Chelise transformation post then I could show you this "before" of me on a grungy morning sweeping the kitchen, and a glamorous "after" of me in make-up and heels. Unfortunately I look pretty much the same at the moment as I did in this before shot two months ago. I HATE to post this, but it is the only before shot Jason got of this part of the kitchen.

Before:

After: (enter Chelise in a glamorous gown... or at least dressed for the day)

Before:

Afters:

Before lighting:

After lighting:

Before:

After:

Before:

Afters: (Hi Jason!)

Things to notice:

Jason made the most amazing bench under the bay window area. He can do anything.

I love these curtains I made out of cheap broadcloth fabric ($2 a yard) and added the vertical ruffles. I think they probably cost me about $20 for all four.

The spoon calendar! I have been collecting baby spoons and forks for a couple years now to make a magnetic calendar. I got the idea from my sis in law Brittney who made one out of her collection of skeleton keys. Just cut some sheet metal to fit inside a frame and glue craft magnets to whatever kind of collection you have.

New above the range microwave.

Why does my fridge look the same in all befores and afters? I could have it least cleaned it up a little, dang it.

Countertops went from pink to dark. This was a small budget remodel so we stuck with the laminate and spent about $600 instead of $4000 if we were to get granite. At this point in our lives we are really happy with the way the laminate looks and it was just the amount of money we wanted to put into the house anyway.

The cabinets are pretty white! We actually had help because Jason's dad owns a cabinet shop up in Show Low so we took down all the doors and sent them up to him to be sprayed white. Then we sanded all that was left and used a roller to get a smooth paint job on the rest. We bought new handles and hinges which made a world of difference. FYI- do not spend $6 a piece on handles or hinges at Home Depot or Lowes. We bought ours at Woodworker's Hardware for about $1.50 a piece. Although their site is a beast to navigate.

Rose bushes are the best. We have about a million roses right now.

Still more little things to do here and there, but for now it is done!

New BB stuff

2010-04-06T16:33:00.003-05:00

Now that the Easter dresses are done and I am not a slave to my sewing machine anymore, I am in the works of adding new designs to my shop. I am really excited about this since all of it has been in the works since December. But there is only one of me so it takes until April to see out my ideas. If I start now maybe I can have spring 2011 stuff ready in time for next year.

Here's one of my new items... a swimsuit! Drew officially has a perfect body. Except for the scuff she got on her knee when she tripped while modeling these pictures for me. I'm glad she hasn't figured out worker's compensation yet. And that she still lets me pay her with mini Reeses candies.

Remembering Easter

2010-04-05T09:11:00.002-05:00

Drew loves to reminisce about all the fun things we do. Combine that with her slight stutter and she reminds me exactly of Chris Farley in The Chris Farley Show. It sounds like this:

Drew: (some stuttering and in a really excited voice) Remem-remember when we went to California and we went to Disneyland and we went on the Tall Tall Mountain ride and there was a white bear and we said Raaah! and we weren't scared? Remember?

Me: Yeah.

Drew: That was fun!

She starts reminiscing about things as soon as five minutes after we've done it and this Easter weekend she has had a lot to reminisce about.

Re-remember when we painted the Easter eggs and I put them in the colors and my hands got all dirty and they were so pretty?

Remem-remember when we made cookies and I put on frosting and m&ms and sprinkles and I ate it and it was so yummy? Remember?

Re-remember when the Easter bunny hid the eggs and I found them and there were treats inside?

Re-remem-remember when I blow the bubbles and daddy went Yah! and popped them? Do you remember?

As Drew would say, "That was so fun!"

Happy Friday

2010-04-02T11:13:00.000-05:00

New Kitchen

2010-03-30T23:55:00.003-05:00

We are finally almost done with the kitchen remodel and it feels like a completely new room. Before and after pics are coming soon and it is big changes! We spend so much time in the kitchen and now it is a happier place to be. Some recent activities in the new kitchen:

Painting.

Baking.

This girl loves to bake. I have finally made peace with the fact that when she helps me, she will draw letters in the flour she spills all over the counter. And I will walk on sugar that she has spilled on the floor and I will cringe because I hate walking on sugar spilled on the floor. And the prep time it takes before popping whatever it is in the oven will triple as she carefully picks out which two eggs from the carton should be used. But I have made peace with all that (except sugar floor) and now it is something fun to do together that doesn't feel like a chore.

She is trying really hard to lick that chocolate off her face.

An Exchange Between Drew and Seymour, the Petting Zoo Goat

2010-03-16T07:01:00.000-05:00

Drew: Hey Seymour, how's it going there buddy? You hangin' in there?

Seymour: Oh you know, I've seen better days.

Seymour: It's just that nobody understand me in here, you know?

Drew: Oh pull it together Seymour. You don't have it so bad.

Seymour: That's it. You don't get me either.

Drew: Wait Seymour, I didn't mean it like that.

Drew: Would you just stop? Hug it out, Seymour.

Monkey's Uncle

2010-03-15T07:11:00.000-05:00

The last time we went to the Phoenix Zoo was more than a year ago with a bunch of family. When we stopped at the first exhibit, the giraffes, I said to no one in particular, "People are so lame who take pictures of the animals, with no one else in the picture." I turned my head to see who I was talking to and it was my sister, Danielle, as she had stopped mid-photo taking a picture of the giraffe eating the leaves. I tried to recover and tell her I was just kidding, but what was said was said. The poor girl looked at me hesitantly before every picture she took the rest of the day and deprived herself of many exotic animal shots.

Look Danielle, I took an animal shot this time! I've always loved those flamingos.

And of course I captured other wildlife. Can you tell which is the monkey?

Drew is pretending to be a flamingo.

Attitude.

We were checking out sleeping Mufasa who barely twitched a leg for us.

The zoo was great. Sometimes Drew's personality can be overwhelming cooped up in a house, but out in the wild her excitement and enthusiasm are very entertaining.

Jason and I were also entertained by those who take video footage of the lazy animals. Do any of you do this? And if you do, have you ever watched this footage over again, say for some Friday night entertainment? Just wondering.

Drew's favorite animals: petting zoo goats, black bears, and the river otter.

Grandpa B

2010-03-12T14:53:00.003-06:00

I can't believe it is already the middle of March. February wanted nothing to do with me and flew by in a day's time. Every day is usually the same, walking around the house covered in yellow threads, with a million things on my mind.

Two days ago the normalcy of life was interupted when I visited my grandpa in the hospital and later that day he passed away. This is Grandpa Bob, Christmas Eve 2009, waiting for the kids to put on the nativity play.

If we are the same people when we make it to heaven, and I'd like to think we are, then I have a good idea about what Grandpa B is up to.

In only two days time, the man has gathered and entertained many of the hosts of heaven. Someone hummed a tune and grandpa will have found a piano and played a loud, glorious, and grandiose rendition of the tune, just after hearing it once. (They had to stop asking grandpa to play the piano in church because his rendition of church hymns were a little over the top, but in heaven it's all good.)

Grandpa has danced the jitterbug, as he danced with us around the piano. He has preached boldly, and laughed, and already made a million friends. Most of them will probably speak Spanish with him because he loves the Mexican people.

Just two days ago heaven became a much livelier and friendly place.

Two Minutes

2010-02-15T22:39:00.009-06:00

Drew was put in time-out last night and, as usual, tears and crying ensued. Even though she is not allowed toys in the red time-out chair, she somehow managed to smuggle her plastic cell phone. From the other room Jason and I listened as she tried to call her grandma on the plastic device. "Grandma, I'm in time out," she cried. "For two minutes." More crying. "Daddy make me so sad." And another sad, pitiful cry that would make any grandmother's heart melt. If they were listening to the conversation.

She's probably the funniest little thing ever.

Another topic... wall art. Haven't bought much of it. Our living room has a vaulted ceiling and a really big wall that I want a big piece of art. I've been searching around for prints or vintage posters to be framed and I just don't love anything yet (that is in my price range). What I'd really like is for it to be my art, taken from my Black-Friday-bought camera, and blown up huge. I have been so inspired by Pioneer Woman's recent depth of field posts and photography assignment. The photos people submitted are amazing. Some of my favorite...

, originally uploaded by baybeexjackie.

this little nutty stayed home, originally uploaded by Cosi!.

Tiggy, originally uploaded by jackiehampton.

drops of bokeh, originally uploaded by tab.itha.

I need to learn to take pictures like these.

Design Inspiration

2010-02-08T07:14:00.001-06:00

In our six plus years of marriage I have never really decorated our home. We have rented up until nine months ago and for the last nine months the money has gone towards the outdoors.

But now it is my chance to finally shine. I have literally four big projects going on in my head: the living room, the kitchen (complete remodel), our bedroom, Drew's room. And I'm working on things for all four of them and therefore will never finish.

I am always flipping through magazines or blogs to give me ideas and inspire me. It took another annual family Christmas party to remind me that the decor inspiration and talent lies in my own heritage. My dear grandma and her decorating was something very picture worthy.

Plastic tablecloths and arranged centerpieces on every table. And Happy Birthday napkins for who? Jesus of course.

There is definitely a sequin theme going on here.

Bringing in nature with the pinecones.

Grandma, I'm so loving purple right now. It's my favorite color.

The old birthday board to celebrate the special birthday boy or girl. On Christmas of course it is Jesus. How do I replicate this?

The woman of the hour.

Grandma, I think you're great. I will help you set up plastic tablecloths any day just to see your amazing centerpieces. And I am in need of a centerpiece for our new kitchen table... hint hint.

Family Photo

2010-01-22T09:28:00.001-06:00

Chasing the Birds

2010-01-21T08:03:00.000-06:00

Sand Castle Contest

2010-01-20T22:17:00.000-06:00

Ocean View

2010-01-19T07:04:00.000-06:00

Beach Blues

2010-01-18T07:01:00.000-06:00

I was going to post a bunch of pictures from our week on the La Jolla beach, but I just couldn't do it. "Oh look... here was our fun trip... blah blah blah... now it's over with... blah blah blah... the end." No, it deserves better than that. It deserves a whole week of pictures. Just a picture a day is all, in hopes it will take me back to that blessed seagull-infested beach. If only in spirit.

I love this picture because it is Drew au naturale. Wind-blown salty hair and sand all over the place. After the sun would go down and we left the beach for the day, the bathtub would drain and an entire layer of sand would be left in her place. There's nothing like it.

And thanks for all the opinions on those pictures. I did always like the first one most, because I am a sucker for that little face. I still have a lot to learn about photography and how to get good lighting and things, but it helps to have that little mug to save the day.

Opinions Wanted

2010-01-13T16:35:00.002-06:00

I thought I would take advantage that we were on a beach for an entire week and try to get some pictures of a new dress I've been working on. Same tuxedo dress but in a banana yellow for Easter and spring. Every time I see this dress I love it even more than the red original, although each is perfect for it's season.

Taking pictures on a beach is harder than I thought it would be. I could never get quite the right lighting. I dressed Drew up two different mornings and took probably a hundred pictures. Still I did not get one picture that tells me, "Hey, I'm the money shot."

So these are the two pictures that I am deciding on for the main photo for the dress in my Etsy shop. This has to be the picture that will grab somebody's attention even though it is one little item on a page of search results. I've asked three family members and they all like one picture best while I like the other. Will somebody agree with me? Which do you like best?

1)

2)

California, part one

2010-01-12T00:15:00.002-06:00

Last week we took Drew to the happiest place on earth. Of course she had been there before as a 3-month old, although her and I spent most of the day in the mother's lounge. Taking a two-year-old to Disneyland is so much fun. Especially Drew who is brave and adventurous.

The girl had no fear. She was in heaven when she met Aladdin and Jasmine and just smiled like a fool when Aladdin called her a princess. Thank you Aladdin for seeing past her churro mustache.

What was one of Drew's favorite rides? Oh, probably the Matterhorn. Yes our two-year-old went on the Matterhorn. One, because she was just exactly tall enough. And two, the white mosters with glowing red eyes had more to fear than she did. Her and Jason used their finger guns to shoot them all down. Drew came out laughing at the other end and said, "That was so fun!"

More of our California week in heaven to come.

Pop Art

2010-01-05T12:56:00.002-06:00

Call me Andy Warhol. I wanted a funky poster for a big black frame going in Drew's room and got addicted to making these pop art posters on Photoshop. I used the tutorial here. One of these posters will make it into Drew's room.

It snowed in phoenix

2009-12-31T14:56:00.003-06:00

Just Drew and I were home that night, two nights before Christmas, when our Christmas tree fell to its doom. The little hooligan was at it again playing with the ornaments, and again it fell over, scattering miniscule styrofoam snowballs all over my carpet.

The first time it was kind of funny. Drew had a mouth full of snowballs and was very remorseful. The second time her mouth was clean as a whistle and she acted like the tree falling down was old news ("What's the big deal mom?") I guess you learn after the first time a plastic tree falls down on you to move out of the way. If she only had a few snowballs on her body I might have felt better about the whole thing.

Apparently artificial trees are only manufactured to fall down once. After the second fall, our tree was never to stand again. The plastic base was snapped in two places and no amount of duck tape was holding the thing together.

This Christmas our tree looked beaten to a pulp and leaned against the wall, breathing its last breaths. We might have let that break our Christmas spirit, but we didn't...

Drew was still an angel in the family Christmas Eve nativity play. Although the halo she is wearing is a fake! I promise.

She still got showered with the best gifts (like furry princess boots) that she plays with EVERY day.

We still got to spend time with tons of family.

Drew still got the new pajamas I made for her.

And Christmas morning was still a joy. Although I can't say the same for our sad tree in the background.

And the final tally this year comes in:

Drew- 2
Christmas tree- 0

Presents

2009-12-23T09:46:00.002-06:00

Christmas time has been so much fun this year. Drew doesn't understand all the ins and outs yet of the holiday, but she is crystal clear on one thing. She knows that Santa only brings presents to nice boys and girls. What she has failed to understand is that she is not the authority who brings down law regarding this Christmas rule. At one time or another Jason, myself, and all 200 of her stuffed animals have had their presents taken away this year.

She has always taken the liberty to tell us to "be nice!" Especially when we're doing something really mean like giving her a bath when she doesn't want to. Lately she tacks on to that a cool, calm, and collected "You get no presents." Luckily she is very forgiving and if handled right, the judge will change her sentence. I can't remember at this point if I am or am not getting presents for Christmas this year.

And I believe every resident of the Phoenix valley was at the temple Monday night. And we were smack dab in the middle of them.

Behind the Scenes

2009-12-09T23:23:00.005-06:00

I love my model and heaven knows she is sweet, but sometimes taking pictures of Drew is like working with a wild raccoon.

She works best with no direction.

I must follow her around in her natural habitat.

It's as though she doesn't understand my language.

Food rewards are helpful. A single blue M&M can get her in a dress and out the door ready for a photo shoot pretty quickly.

I organized all my picture folders the other day and through the bazillion modeling pictures of Drew. Out of the bazillion are a handful of good shots and the rest are made up of the following...

playing with rocks,

eyes closed,

crying,

playing with more rocks,

that wild hair in the face,

mid sentence,

"if you take another picture of me I will make you pay" face,

and the final, "I'm done."

I just snap pictures through it all.

Kitchen Plans

2009-12-07T10:59:00.002-06:00

Erica remodeled my kitchen here! It's all perfect. This should convince Jason to put the plan into action.

How to enjoy a Christmas tree

2009-12-02T14:53:00.002-06:00

One night we find her sitting in her rocking chair, reading Christmas books by tree-light.

The next night we find her on the ground, underneath the tree she just pulled over, with a mouth and hair full of snowballs. She wasn't hurt so I am still laughing at the image.

Thankful

2009-11-30T23:37:00.003-06:00

This Thanksgiving I was most thankful for my two frenemies. Both my best friends. Both my enemies when they combine forces against me. Which is most of the time.

See how they enjoy their Thanksgiving dessert.

Backyard Before and After

2009-11-24T09:28:00.002-06:00

When we were house hunting back in May and we saw this house, I completely fell in love with it. And like most brand new loves I looked past its flaws. It's main flaw being the backyard which was just small and ugly. "This yard is the perfect size for a two-year-old and we can just take out those bushes, take out all the rock, plant a garden here, plant grass, plant citrus trees here, add a swing here.... It won't be that hard to make it look good." This was coming from a rookie who had never done yard work in her life.

Six months later and we're basically done. All of the work on our house has been on our front and back yard. We've planted so many trees, shrubs, vines that I've lost count. And for each one we had to dig deep holes in our cement dirt with a pick axe and shovel. By "we" I mean "mainly Jason". We love our backyard now though and it is the perfect weather to be outside playing.

So the past couple of weeks almost killed me. I was sewing so much I barely slept, hardly sat at the computer, almost forgot my husband, child, and home, and developed a horrible twitch in my right eye. I hope to never do that to myself again. Or my family. Or to my eye that is still twitching. Seriously, Jason will hardly look at me anymore because it freaks him out.

People of the Valley

2009-11-05T22:24:00.002-06:00

I am really really excited for this boutique! It will be so much fun. And me and my dresses will be there. Don't miss it!

Holiday Dresses

2009-11-02T14:25:00.001-06:00

Christmas Plaid Tie Dress:

Holiday Tuxedo Dress:

This Tuxedo Dress is one that I have been dreaming up for a while now.

When I first sketched it, 1) I didn't know how I was going to create the pattern for it, and 2) it kept me awake at night I was so excited about it. It took a good time to figure out how I was going to make it. And then when I figured that out, there were so many pieces and so much construction that it took me a good time to actually make it. But the finished dress makes every ounce of energy worth it. I love it.

I love the tuxedo ruffles, the length of the sleeves, the sleeve cuffs, the pretty collar, and the poofiness and flow of the skirt pieces (poofiness is a great word). It is made out of a poplin fabric that gives it just the right weight and feel. For me, it is perfection.

And Drew has the sweetest lips in that last picture. I will look back at that picture ten years from now and remember what her sweet little two-year-old kisses were like.

Minnie's Halloween

2009-11-02T09:19:00.002-06:00

Though she had been milking sickness for every ounce it was worth for the days and hours preceding Halloween (crying all day and all night), trick-or-treating may have been the happiest we have seen her ever. I love Halloween in the Valley where the weather is perfect and no bundling up over the costume is required. I have the best childhood Halloween memories (what up Hawli!) and I can tell Drew will too. She was born for trick-or-treating.

Cast Your Ballot

2009-10-28T00:15:00.000-05:00

The flesh has been cut. The guts have been pulled. The seeds have been spilled. This year there are five pumpkin contestants in the PPCC '09 running. You decide who takes the title. Without further ado, meet the contestants...

Frederique. Frederique is from a small cannibalistic tribe in New Guinea and enjoys “hanging out with friends”. He really shines in the light of a campfire. A true friend till the end, just don’t cross him. Frederique is sure to bring the fun to any party!!!

Jack-o-Maggot. More than every fisherman's dream, Jack-O-Maggot is a perfect addition to any halloween decor. Despite his obvious charm, Mr. O-Maggot is also a connoisseur of fine wine and enjoys classical piano. A dynamite challenger!

Meet Your Maker-go-round. Not a ride likely to be seen at Disneyland, the Meet your Maker-go-round leaves every rider breathless... literally. Complete with custom wooden spike seats and hanging bats, spiders, and guts, this ride will surely be the last thrill of your life!

The Pumpkin Queen. What's worse than laughing so hard milk shoots out your nose? How about a 5 foot flame of fire, thats what! And as any jester in Ms. Queen's court will tell you, every act is hot, hot, hot! (see video footage)

There was an Old Lady.
She swallowed the spider to catch the fly,
It wiggled and jiggled but she didn't die,
Be warned if you don't see eye to eye,
She will gobble you faster than pumpkin pie.

Please vote by filling out our survey HERE.

Anyone and everyone can vote!

Polls close on Halloween!

My Birthday and the Skunk

2009-10-26T08:44:00.004-05:00

Oh this was a good weekend. One of those weekends I've been needing for a very long time. As the title suggests, it was my birthday. Jason and I drove up to Fossil Springs for some camping and hiking and perfect weather.

After eating some campfire-grilled steaks with our fingers, trying eight unsuccessful times to cook a biscuit on a stick, and telling Jason to stop waving the burning branch of fire around in the air (to which he asked me if Smoky the Bear was my uncle), we decided to cash in our chips for the night. We were watching 24, Season 7, when we heard rustling outside our tent. Realizing we should probably bring our bag of food in the tent, I drag myself out with the flashlight, take two steps, and stop dead in my tracks. There, rustling in an empty box, was a horse of a skunk with his tail high in the air.

I do not like skunks.

I dove back into the tent. And though we eventually got the food in, it did not stop horse-skunk from hustling and bustling all night through our stuff. All night. Just as my aching can't-sleep-on-the-ground body would allow me to find some form of peaceful sleep, skunk would bustle along and wrestle around with an empty lantern box. Jason tried to hiss it away once with the flashlight and he quickly got the raised tail warning. We didn't bother him again.

Skunk aside, Fossil Springs was perfect. We hiked alongside the creek, Jason bouncing and gliding from rock to rock like Legolas. Me trudging up and around the rocks because I have zero hops. Malia, remember going to watch Lord of the Rings and being in love with Legolas? Ha. The end of our hike was a nice little waterfall. No Havasupai, but beautiful still.

Jason asked me if I would rather he of taken me to a nice restaurant instead for my birthday. I would not have traded this weekend. Not even the skunk.

Oh, and Wednesday morning I am going to post the pumpkin contestants for your vote! Make sure you check them out.

Goings on

2009-10-21T08:53:00.001-05:00

This is the last picture taken on our camera. It was taken September 9. Folders on my computer are bulging with pictures from each month of her life, but as a two year old this one lonely photo sits alone.

It's like she is looking at me saying, "Mom, don't you love me anymore?" Really she was just taking stock of her garden and watching for birds and lizards, turning for a smile and a picture when she was told. But I know what she is telling me with that look.

Goings on in the Patterson household:

Singing lots of Ariel songs. Drew asks me to sing Ariel all the time. It takes me back to certain childhood videos when I taped myself singing Ariel, convinced of my musical talent, tossing my hair from side to side. Except I wasn't two years old. Or five years old. Or even eight for that matter. It is blackmail footage, let me tell you.

Planting grass, sewing a duvet cover, decor projects for Drew's big girl room (when she moves out of her crib). I want to share the results of all these.

Drew plays computer games. She will spend an hour on the computer playing games on Dora the Explorer's website or Sesame Street, with minimal supervision. She's thinking of starting her own Facebook account.

Sewing. A lot.

Watching my language. Drew loves to pick out key phrases of mine and use them repeatedly (at appropriate times too). These include, "Oh my gosh," "Oh crap," and "Dang it." They just don't sound right coming out of her mouth ("oh cwap")! We're working on it.

Reading Erica's azcentral blog, Under my Roof. I love every one of her ideas.

Listening to audiobooks on my ipod. I am pretty proud of myself for figuring this one out. I love to read, but seriously have no time to read. So through our library I can download books for free on my ipod and listen to them while I'm working doing all sorts of other things! Sewing has never been so enjoyable. Books I've listened to so far: Eragon by Christopher Paolini, The Book Thief (amazing) by Markus Zusak, and now listening to Eldest, the next book in Paolini's series.

Trying to get Drew interested in "the potty chair". So far watching Potty Time Elmo has only accomplished one thing, giving me a good laugh.

We're all good here.

You down with PPCC?

2009-10-05T11:05:00.002-05:00

October has got to be the best month of the whole year. I love everything about it. Yeah, Christmas is a fun holiday, but with it comes stresses about all sorts of things. Halloween brings cooler weather, costumes, decorations, jackets, candy, pumpkin carving, and no stress.

Well maybe a little bit of stress. Every year the PPCC gets more intense. Year 2004 began with my lowly Spider and Spiderweb pumpkin, progressing to my 2008 winner, Skeletor. I look back with such fondness at our pumpkins over the last five years...

Last year was especially fun when we had some challengers enter the contest. I've heard talk from a few fellow pumpkin carving enthusiasts that they will be entering the contest this year. Time will only tell.

If you want to join in on PPCC '09, let me know.

Front Page Action

2009-09-28T11:09:00.002-05:00

What a surprise! One of my dresses made front page today on Etsy! I seriously love Etsy.

Ponies in my Shower

2009-09-24T15:51:00.002-05:00

There are ponies in my shower this morning.

There are marbles in my shoes.

And there are crayons scattered in various tupperwares throughout my kitchen cupboards.

Usually I keep up on Drew's gathering and scattering. These past few weeks I have let her gather and scatter to her hearts content, so that I may have little windows of time to get done all that I am trying to get done.

That means I don't know what I will find where anymore.

Sad Kitty

2009-09-18T00:00:00.002-05:00

She's testing me.

For some unfortunate reason Drew's hair doesn't grow naturally falling down the sides of her head. It grows from the back tip of her scalp straight down over her forehead and eyes. If I don't want her to look like Cousin It, I have to clip it to the side.

It drives me CRAZY when her hair is in her eyes. She knows it drives me crazy. Which is why she has begun to take her clip out every time I am not looking. Then she hides it. Not as a game that she thinks is funny, but mischievously. All of a sudden here comes Cousin It walking around and going about her business. I ignore the fact that she is blinded by hair and constantly brushing it out of her face. I really try and ignore it for as long as I can.

Yesterday morning as I was putting the clip in I told her, "Drew, please keep your clip in your hair. Are you going to keep your clip in your hair?" I got the yes answer. She's watching Mickey Mouse and I start sewing in my craft room when I feel a presence watching me from the doorway. She has a stone serious expression and she waits until I look at her for her to pull the clip deliberately out of her hair and throw it at my feet. She turned and walked away.

She's testing me.

Today we were playing a game of mean kitty, nice kitty. It's a really fun one where Drew tells you to be a mean kitty and you meow really mean. Or she tells you to be a nice kitty and you meow really nice and soft.

In the middle of this enjoyment she asks to play with her stamps and make a really big mess in my craft room. After explaining my no, she put on one of those temper tantrums that are getting more and more common. This time I ignored it, turned my back to her, and kept working.

Eventually she quieted down and silence. Then I hear, "Sad kitty. Meeeeooooow. Meeeeeoooow. Meeeeooooow."

I may have a two-year-old teenager, but she still makes me laugh.

Boothday Pawty (as Drew would say)

2009-09-10T11:08:00.002-05:00

Saturday was the long awaited birthday party. She had been talking about it for weeks. She knew what it entailed. She was so excited she could hardly control her emotions. From the moment Drew woke up, even the balloons were a little too much for her to handle. And her birthday party wasn't until 5pm.

I hid all birthday paraphernelia throughout the day, including the balloons and the birthday cake, since two-year-olds are not known for their patience and understanding. Once 5:00 finally rolled around, and her fan base showed up (the family), it was birthday party central around here. It included Jason and Drew sharing a birthday cake, smearing it on eachother's hands and faces, then Drew screaming and crying for "Help!" when she couldn't clean the frosting off herself.

All in all, the day was a sucess!

And for those who asked... the amazing model is Tiffany's daughter!

Fall '09 Line is Here... Almost

2009-09-06T07:01:00.000-05:00

It feels like I started designing and making this (small) fall line forever ago. The photo shoot pics are in and they turned out amazing! The photographer was Heather Nuttall from Plainly Taken and I couldn't be happier with them. I want to list them all in my shop right now, but I am going to wait until Tuesday morning so I can catch up with the Halloween dress orders. I can't wait another day to show these pictures though!

All the fabrics I used for the dresses (except the zebra print) are by my favorite designer, Anna Maria Horner from her Good Folks line. Not only do I love every single use of color in her fabrics, but I also love her blog and pretty much everything about her!

Anways, lots of pictures...

Lace Edge Slip Dress and the Brown Twill Flap Jacket:

Plum Tie Dress:

Mod Zebra Collar Dress:

Retro Collar Dress:

Pomegranate Tie Dress:

Bitsy Bear models:

Oh poor Drew fell down in those monster boots. I love that picture though!

Thanks Heather for the great pictures. And the dresses and jacket will be listed on Tuesday morning, as soon as I can feed Drew her Lucky Charms and get Mickey Mouse Clubhouse on tv.

Get Ready for Halloween!

2009-09-01T16:59:00.003-05:00

I have some photos coming soon from a photo shoot we did for some new fall dresses I've made. In the meantime I've just listed my Halloween dresses and an amazing costume! These are in my Etsy shop. I think my model has gotten pretty good...

Seriously. I love the peacock!

A Weekend Before and After

2009-08-31T10:08:00.001-05:00

Before:

After:

Birthday duo

2009-08-28T09:43:00.004-05:00

A week from tomorrow I will have a two year old on my hands. And a thirty year old. But the guy who loved his birthday so much that he dedicated the entire month to himself now hardly gets any of the attention.

Two years ago from this day exactly was my due date. But I was doomed to be pregnant forever. So my doctor said if I hadn't gone into labor by Sept. 5, that she would induce me then. From the beginning Drew was determined to have whatever her daddy had. And that was his precious birthday. So I was induced on Jason's birthday morning and by 5pm Drew had arrived to steal the spotlight.

Yesterday Drew watched a Dora episode where she went to a birthday party. Naturally she wanted to talk about birthday parties.

I asked her, what are we going to do at your birthday party? She said: "Sing songs and read books."

I asked her, what are we going to eat at your birthday party? Her reply: "Celery, carrots, onions, and blue M&Ms."

Drew makes the September 5th decisions. Sorry Jason.

Post Edit: Drew is not a big vegetable eater. She just knows her produce. She's quite helpful in the grocery store.

Things do grow in this barren wasteland.

2009-08-27T09:40:00.003-05:00

Our garden is very succesful. The pumpkin vines have grown so much, they are starting to get cramped and will have to pour out into the yard. Every day I swear the vines grow twice as big.

Drew grows twice as big every day too. Like a pumpkin vine spreading its leaves, wanting to take over the garden.

Good analogy.

Day and night she talks.

2009-08-25T10:13:00.005-05:00

Last night we hopped in the car to go get some ice cream. We pull out of the driveway and Drew starts talking something like this...

"Drew get blue ice cream. Mommy get brown ice cream. Daddy get green ice cream. Oh, Drew find moon! Mommy find moon? Daddy find moon? Mommy get blue ice cream. Drew get brown. Daddy get green. Drew feel all better! Not sick. Medicine all better. Thank you medicine. Go get ice cream. Have stickers, mommy..."

As she continues such through the short drive, Jason and I look at each other. He with the look, "does she ever stop talking?" and me with the look, "welcome to my all day."

Evil Laugh for Qwest

2009-08-19T09:19:00.007-05:00

I have been without internet going on six days now. Because Qwest is awesome. Our laptop gets the faintest wireless signal from a nearby network that I have been able to tap into for minutes at a time. And then the signal is lost and I get the lovely "cannot display this webpage" screen. What is going on in the blogging world? In the world of abundant internet?

A person can do a lot of soul searching in six days.

Our laptop only has old pictures. I chose this one of Drew's laugh. Because she has inherited Jason's evil laugh. Anyone who has played Jason in any nature of game knows what laugh I speak of. And because Brittney is cute.

I still have my wireless signal? Yes!

More Songbird

2009-08-11T07:06:00.000-05:00

This song is dedicated to all the Daydreamers out there. To those who put themselves out there and sing out loud for all the world to hear. To those who belt it out, even though you may be a tad off key.

This one's for you.

Adele's version is here.

At the Sewing Machine

2009-08-10T09:56:00.003-05:00

I have been sewing like crazy.

As much as I love staying at home every day with Drew, my mind demands that I have more than My Little Ponies and mac and cheese going on in my life. Usually this takes the form of various projects or books or ideas. Really, not a day passes that I am not concocting something in my head.

Jason recognized a moment of concoction (loving that word) last night as I sat on the couch and manipulated around a piece of black tulle. Of course he says, "Oh no. Now what are you planning to do?"

Yes, it's true that much of my concocting has led to less than masterpieces. But every once in a while I get a Picasso, feel recharged, and I'm ready to take on the mac and cheese again.

My latest concoctions (I'm going to keep saying it) are turning out to be masterpieces. I'm making patterns and dresses reminiscent of when my mom was a little girl, with some of my favorite fabric by Anna Maria Horner. There is a lot more to do and plenty to keep my mind busy for a long time.

With my brain happy, I just might be able to read the Disney Princess Look and Find book for the hundredth time today.

Some Drew One-Liners

2009-08-04T15:07:00.004-05:00

Hi, _________. (fill in the blank)

Hold you.

Please. Thank you. No thank you. Bless you. (all at appropriate times)

Shorry.

Be nice!

Go away!

No touchy. (my personal fave)

Sometimes it takes only few words to get your point across.

I have a box of puppets

2009-07-30T15:12:00.003-05:00

I left ASU with two things. A husband and a box of puppets.

Jason and I parked off campus and pulled our bikes off the rack behind his car. He with his Schwinn and me with my light blue, sparkly Huffy. He rode off to Biochemistry or Organic Chemistry or something of that sort, while I pedaled onto the fine arts building to my Puppetry and Children class. (I actually miss my days at ASU when I speak of these things!)

As an Elementary Ed major you are required to take some fine art electives. I had colored, read picture books, and sung my way through my classes thus far. Why not try puppetry? I love to craft, so making puppets would be fun. If only that was all there was to it.

Imagine an older man, maybe late thirties. Imagine him with the curliest blonde ringlets of hair you have ever seen. Then imagine that man believing puppets and puppetry was the most serious passion and mission in life. That man was my puppetry instructor. He was a stickler to every small point of his puppeting grading scale. He was the one who was going to bring me to a whole new level of public humiliation than I had ever before experienced.

Because puppetry is not only the creation of puppets (very small part of the course), but it is the art of being a puppeteer! It is voice, script writing, performing, and passion! It is talking in a high whiny voice and flapping your hand around like an idiot in front of a class of thirty other adults. My instructor was so serious about his art, that if you did not put on a believable act of voice-whining and hand-flapping and idiot-looking, he would dock points. And he was not friendly about it.

But once you get past the embarrassment and feeling like an idiot, puppetry can be a beautiful thing. I soared through my class (while only having to do two or three extra credit assignments to get the coveted A in puppetry... and my instructor's approval). And let me tell you, using a puppet in front of a class of twenty first graders is a lot easier than in front of thirty adults. And it's even easier in front of one one-year-old who thinks everything is funny.

And a one-year-old looks a lot cooler playing with puppets than an adult does...

(PB&J, Kat, and finger Zebra pictured above are my own creations.)

Proud Parents

2009-07-27T14:45:00.003-05:00

Drew is not the subject of this post today. We are the new proud parents of little pumpkin and watermelon sprouts. Not to brag, but this picture was taken only 5 days after planting the seeds. They are little achievers. It was supposed to take them 7-14 days to germinate. It must be mine and Jason's high expectations.

I love the little guy pushing through the mud clumps to break through. It makes you just want to help him out. But we each need to find our own way, right?

Halloween on the Brain

2009-07-20T07:12:00.001-05:00

1. Because this weekend we planted our pumpkin patch. And if these pumpkins actually grow in this heat and meet our qualifications they will be our next contestants for the 6th Annual PPCC. And because the heavens gathered light around me and angels sang praises and I was inspired with a pumpkin carving idea for this year.

2. Because I've known for months what Drew's costume will be.

3. Because Jason's muddy feet are Halloween freaky.

4. And because the only way to get me through July and August is to look forward to all the amazing holidays I have to plan for from September through January.

Froo Shakes

2009-07-17T07:04:00.001-05:00

This has been the summer of Froo Shake in our home. We make them pretty much every day. There is only one rule when making Froo Shakes. Whatever Drew says, goes. And she can whip up a mean Froo Shake, let me tell you.

1. Juice. We usually use apple, sometimes orange, but any kind would work.

2. Fruit. Always a banana, and whatever frozen fruit Drew calls for. Strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, pineapple, mangos. She's the boss.

3. Plain yogurt. Healthier alternative to ice cream.

4. Ice cubes.

5. Blend button. Hold on to your mommy because the noise is a little loud.

6. Enjoy. Must be in a Spongebob cup.

I've never tasted a Drew Froo Shake I didn't like.

My Kitchen

2009-07-16T09:50:00.004-05:00

This is a view of the side wall of our kitchen, a picture I took before we bought the house. No need to show more of the kitchen, because this picture says it all. Not much has changed since we've moved in. The walls are still white. The cupboards are still lame. Countertops are still pink (who gets pink countertops?). Oh, except we had to buy a new fridge, since all the appliances in our home held a meeting and decided to all brake after we closed on the house and moved in. The fridge and our air conditioning unit are in cahoots. I don't even want to tell you how much air conditioning units cost. It will ruin your day.

Anyways. The fridge is now black to match the rest of the appliances. I need to remake my kitchen and I have a $0 budget at the moment. Here's what I'm thinking. Wouldn't those cabinets look much better painted white and with added handles/hardware? There needs to be some color on the wall. My problem really lies with the pink countertops. I can't replace them anytime real soon and so am stuck with pink. Any ideas?

These are some of my black and white inspiration kitchens:

$0 budgets really put a hamper on things.

Chlorine and Sunscreen

2009-07-14T09:56:00.005-05:00

First day of swim lessons... successful.

The smells of sunscreen on warm skin and chlorine took me back to my days when I was the tan one in the water telling the kids to kick their feet. Okay I was never that tan, but I loved coaching and teaching swim lessons. As much as I loved it, everyday I was envious of the moms who dropped off their cute kids and sat in the shade watching my lessons. I couldn't wait for the day when I was the one watching on the sideline, waiting with towel in hand to wrap up my dripping wet child.

Boy was I wrong. I sat on that sideline yesterday melting in the miserable heat. I was paranoid every second that Drew was going to slip off the side into the pool. I stood like a lion waiting to pounce in case it happened. I kept checking my phone to see when it would be over.

Drew on the other hand did pretty good. After she warmed up to her teacher she almost blew some bubbles, and she was kicking her feet on her front and back. While Drew was waiting for her turns in the water she busied herself splashing the boy sitting next to her repeatedly. If he didn't like it, he didn't say a word but sat there and endured it.

Finally it was over and I wrapped up my dripping wet baby girl in a towel five times too big for her and held her closely. That was the best part.

Two "Mom" Thoughts:

2009-07-08T17:04:00.004-05:00

Yesterday afternoon Drew and I went to escape the dripping heat at a public pool. She starts swim lessons next week and I wanted to practice drill her to make sure she is not going to embarrass me (she really needs to get the bubble blowing and motorboat kick stuff down). The pool was packed but I eyed a nice shady spot in the grass to drop our stuff. I had barely dropped our towels when I felt tiny stings all over my feet and hands and looked down to see myself swarmed by ants. Leave it to me to walk straight onto an anthill. I started flinging and swatting my arms and legs. A balding man sunbathing only five feet away adjusted himself and turned his head the other way. As I was jiggling and wiggling trying to free myself from the little stings, Drew knelt down and swatted at my feet for me while I took care of my hands. As quick as the ants came, the ants went, leaving me with little red bump souveniers. Since then Drew likes to remind me of the ants and pretend to swat at them on my feet. I can't say exactly why this story is sweet to me. Perhaps because I am always taking care of Drew and she was so willing and happy to take care of me back. Even as I am scratching my itchy feet today, I can't help but smile thinking about it.

Also yesterday, Jason came home and told me about a patient that I can't get out of my head. This surgery patient was a two day old premie baby whose mother had died while giving birth. The father was in jail somewhere and there is no other family yet known. Even though well cared for by all the nurses and doctors, I can't help but think of the little unnamed baby being completely alone in this world. Coming out of surgery with no one to hold his tiny hand. Jason reminded me that he is only two days old and that he really doesn't know the difference. But I think he does. I feel so incredibly lucky today that I have someone to love and take care of.

Who also takes care of me.

Fourth of July in Six Pictures

2009-07-06T07:06:00.001-05:00

(Where did that table full of illegal fireworks come from? And did you think you could smuggle them safely across the Arizonan border if you hid them in an Ulta bag?)

Songbird

2009-07-02T09:57:00.002-05:00

This girl sings all the day long. Usually the ABCs, but she also enjoys popular artists like Plain White Tees and Adele. Try not to love driving when this beauty is in the car with you.

Big Girls and Binkies

2009-06-30T07:02:00.001-05:00

Drew said goodbye to a very dear friend yesterday. A friend that has been with her for every nap and every bedtime of her little life. Jason and I knew we wanted her to be rid of the binky by her second birthday, so we decided why not just do it and get it over with. (That is what I am repeating to sentimental Chelise who is sad to say goodbye.)

After her nap yesterday, Drew and I sat down on the couch with all her bedtime gear: white blanket, stuffed lamb, and binky. I told her that binkies are for babies. Then I asked her if she was a baby or a big girl. She told me she was a big girl. Progress. She usually tells me she is a boy.

I continued telling her that big girls don't use binkies, so if she is a big girl then she needs to throw the binky away in the trash. With a smile she hopped off the couch, trotted to the kitchen (she never walks, she trots), and threw it straight in the trash.

Bedtime rolls around. We brush teeth. We sing our song. She gets white blanket. She gets lamby. Where's binky? "Remember Drew, you threw your binky away in the trash because you're a big girl." She cried for ten painful minutes then fell asleep.

I think this big girl stuff is going to be harder on me than it is for her. I might have fished into the trash later after she threw it away and kept her binky for myself. I am going to miss her little button mouth with the binky bobbing up and down, up and down, up and down...