Thursday, December 22, 2011

Sydneys Smash the Cake 1st Birthday Photo Shot

Sydney is a ONE year old! Wow!It's been an amazing year! She is the best little girl we could have ever dreamt of! She is sassy, yet sweet! And the best addition to our family.

 I decided that I wanted to do a fun smash the cake photo shot with her. They're only young once right! So I picked up this old wooden high chair at the swap meet and spray painted it teal. Then grabbed some pink polka dot balloons, a pink and white cake, and my little sister ( to take the photos) and headed to an empty field! I love the way they turned out! Thanks little sis! Have a look and let me know what you think!














Best little girl ever! End of story!

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Burlap Christmas Pillow

I realize it's pretty much Christmas, but I'm going to try to squeeze in a few Christmas posts about some decor and outfits I've made! First is a Christmas pillow. Burlap, gighgam and red goodness folks! Alex thinks this is a totally stupid pillow since it's not usable. He doesn't understand decorating! I also made a "Merry" one but once I saw how long this one was I decided it was enough. Maybe next year I'll stuff it and use them both. One on each couch in the living room maybe?






Funny story, I tired to paint these really fast while both kids were awake. Bad idea, in my hasty get it done state I misspelled Christmas. Yeah huge craft fail and total retard I know! Do any of you ever do stuff that you look at and think "wow what a retard"? Alex thought it was pretty funny!

I made Sydney her Christmas outfit today, now she has one for Christmas Eve and Day, I'll post them both this week. Random off topic note tomorrow she will be one! Really tonight while I'm sleeping she will officially be one. Wow! It's so bittersweet. Look out for a totally sappy momma post about my baby girl tomorrow!

Monday, December 19, 2011

Sydneys Pink Lemonade 1st Birthday Party!


Sydney had her birthday party on Sunday! It was Pink Lemonade themed. She had a great time! She has just stared taking her first steps so everyone was excited to see her do that and she was excited to show them! Everything turned out darling and geez people are generous!

Get ready for picture overload...ready...GO!!












The Lemonade Printables are from here
The pink and white straws are from here
The Pink Lemonade cookies are from here
The Pink Lemonade Cupcakes are from here
Candies were from Party City
Lemon Bars are from here

 

Surgery.

The beauty in being little is that you don't realize when something less then pleasant is going to happen to you. Sydney was so happy the day of her surgery! She was smiling and waving to everyone in the waiting areas around us! She was playing peek a boo with the anaesthesiologist and really liked him! She let him carry her away from us so happy! He had her, her doll and her blanket, she was happy as a clam as she was being carried away to be put to sleep. It made me a little easier since she wasn't cry like we had excpeted.

The surgery went well and she has been wonderful ever since!



What a little slice of heaven she is!

Sunday, December 11, 2011

Race Track Place Mat

First I'd like to say Thank you to everyone who has reached out to us since my last post. I never realized so many people actually read what I wrote here! It means so much to have my inbox flooded with loving words for us. We greatly appreciate all your prayers for Sydney and will post at the end of the week, when we are happily celebrating her 1st Birthday! Thank you, Thank you. Thank you.

Although things are crazy right now, I'm still trying to sew! Sewing is "my thing" and allows me time to focus on something other then everything! Plus I still have a few Christmas and party things to whip up! One in particular for an amazing friend that I'm excited to share with you! (After I give it to her of course) So I'll continue with the sewing posts, because that's who I am!
We are so blessed that most all our family lives close. Nathan and Sydney get to see both sets of grandparents and a great grandma almost every week! It's truly a wonderful thing, that I never realized would mean so much to me until I actually had kids. We often times go out to eat with my in laws. Restaurants and 3 year old are a bit difficult at times. Although I will admit that Nathan is one of the best behaved 3 year old I know (so I may be a bit biased) but seriously he is one well behaved kid 90% of the time. So to ease the wait time in restaurants I whipped up this little race track place mat for him! It has a figure 8 race track, little "garages" or slots for his cars, and rolls up to fit nicely in my diaper bag or purse! A funny twist is that it seems to entertain the grandpas and daddy just as much as it does Nathan!

Friday, December 9, 2011

this is me raw..

I've never really noticed it, I guess it's rare that I need to. But I must say I have the very best family support system to lean on a in the world. They are all there. Always. Willing to help us out in any way. It's amazing, and awesome, and such a blessing.

Sydney is prepping for surgery. The same week as her birthday party, a week before her actual birthday and Christmas. We are so busy, so overwhelmed with everything that all the 3 listed things entails. But it is what is best for her. It's operate Thursday, or wait til March when her surgeons has another opening, so Thursday it is.

Meanwhile I'm running around like a chicken with her head cut off. Last minute Christmas gifts, everything I need for her party, all of Nathans normal daily activities, "Post Op" appointments, Etsy orders, and all the normal daily mom duties. It's been crazy.

Then there is the surgery itself. To say the least I am a terrified nervous wreck. Putting my sweet little girl to sleep is easily one of my biggest fears. She is so small, and has so much life ahead of her. It terrifies me. I can  hardly talk about it without tears streaming down my face.

 But her hearing is suffering. I sat there holding her during a hearing test waiting for her to respond to the sound. The sound that I could clearly hear, and she didn't. The women conducting the test looked at me, I looked at her, tears rolling down my checks, we both knew. Her hearing is compromised, in her left ear. I sat in the parking garage and balled my eyes out. She is prefect I don't care what any doctor says.

This surgery will correct her hearing. It will get fluid off her ear drum, allowing it to move freely and respond to sounds. Noises will no longer need to get through that fluid before it reaches her eardrum for her to hear. She will no longer face ear infections constantly. Her speech development will happen normally. This surgery is what she needs, it will make her life that much better. But with any surgery there are ricks. That alone is enough to make any mom lose sleep in the weeks leading up to the surgery. But the risks are minimal, and the rewards are large. So we move forward, with faith that it will work out perfectly. And I whole hearted believe that it will, but that doesn't mean that I don't cry in fear daily when I look at her sweet, innocent face smiling happily at me.

We are doing what we and our trusted pediatrician feel is the best choice. She will feel better on the other side, she will be able to hear clearly.  This is where I am in life. A choice. A choice to take a small risk with great rewards. We'll risk it, because we can't not. We love her, we want what is best. This is what we believe it is. Pray for her. Please.

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Disneyland

It truly is a magical place! We went on Friday, and what a great day we had! It was one of those days were we were celebrating how wonderful our kids, and our lives are. We have been so blessed. We let Nathan have the treats he asked for and just enjoyed time together, watching his face light up at meeting Mickey, riding rides, seeing Goofy in the parade, hearing Buzzs voice from around the corner and the excitement when we round that corner and there he is! Wonderful! That glow of excitement in his little face. Just wonderful!

Sydney slept for a good chunk of the time. She rode a few rides, but for the most part we just watched. Next year she will be right there with Nathan though! Nathan is so cute, the thinks he asked for were popcorn, a churro, and a Mickey balloon. But once we got to the women selling the balloons he decided that he would rather a Buzz balloon, Buzz it was! And while he and daddy rode autotopia, Sydney and I shopped and purchased one large lollipop for him! Which might I add lasted for the better half of the day! Well worth the 3.95! He also asked to paint his face, which is something he has asked for a few times, yet it never seems to work out. Either he is asleep in his stroller when we get to the face painting (LegoLand) or they are closed (Wild Animal Park) or we just can't seem to find someone to paint his face (this Dland trip) he forgot though. So when we are finally able to get his face painted it will be all the more exciting to him!

All in all, in was a wonderful day! Family time truly is the best! It saddens me that Nathan is growing up so fast, but days like that make me realize just how special each and every stage is.

Monday, December 5, 2011

Christmas Table Skirt!!

Around these parts we put on Christmas tree on a card table, simply because if we didn't Sydney would terrizore it! We started doing this Nathans 2nd Christmas, he was just over a year, walking and getting into everything. So it seemed wise to put it up on the table out of his reach. He never showed much interest in messing with it, like I've said before he really is a well behaved kid when he wants to be!

Sydney... she is one little girl on a mission! She loves to just get into things! She does it, then looks at you, smiles and conutines! She is going to give us a run for our money for sure! But we wouldn't have it any other way! She adds great balance to our lives! It's really fun to see the differences in their personalitlies!

The past few years I have just wrapped the table with red satin fabric, and tossed the tree skirt on top. It worked well, required minimal effort on my part, and looked nice! Easy peasy! But sometime between this Christmas and last Christmas I cut up and used that red satin fabric! While standing in line at the cut table on black friday at JoAnns ( you better bet I was waiting in line outside JoAnns at 5:50am on Black Friday) I was talking to another mom who was there for the felt on sale. She was planning on making something like

or this

(via)
 But instead of for a card table she was going to put in on her sons bunk beds! I thought it was a great idea! No huge play tent in their room, yet the fun of imigitve play was still there, and made their beds fort like! Awesome!

It got my wheels turning on felt. We don't need a card table play house, we have a nice sturdy casltle play structure and a sturdy tentin the playroom. So no need for anything more of the sort. Then Alex had mentioned getting our tree the following day. We rearranged and got out the card table for the tree. Then I remembered, I used my red satin table covering fabric...a felt tent. But this one would be different too! I didn't want the kids playing under the table the tree was atop, that would be a reciepe for diaster! So I would sew it tight down all for coners so they wouldn't be able to get in under it! I brain stormed ideas of North Pole sense, and Christmas sense. Then remeber seeing so felt cut outs at the Dollar Tree early in the week.

Sydney and I woke up Saturday morning and headed to the Dollar Tree and JoAnns. We picked up lots of fun felt and foam cut outs, then headed to JoAnns for the felt that would make up the four pannels and the top panel.

I simply measured the table, cut a panel for each side, then laid out my senses. Pin and stitch. For the foam pieces I had to place some tiusses paper over it then stitch. Don't worry you can rip it off and you'll never know it was there! Once you have all 4 panels stitiched. Sew all four sides togther, them take the
"top" peice and stitich it one piece at a time until you have a "tent". Slip it over your table and admire your awesome work!




I added color under some of the cut outs for extra pop.








I love the way my turned out! And everyone who has walked into my house has commented on it! It really was a pretty simply project that I spent about 3-4 hours on. But we will use it for the next few years! I love it! What do you think? Would you make something similar for your tree? Or better yet how to you project your tree from babies who are too young to understand, yet old enough to get into it!?

Saturday, December 3, 2011

Dress, dress dress~

I'm on a dress making kick!
I'm loving it!
I have 3 different styles that I have been playing around with lately!
Sydney is rocking some momma made goodness now a days!
Having her has made me look at fabric so differently!
I never even used to notice the girly prints when it was just Nathan!
Now I'm longing for another trip to the fabric district!
I'm actually even leaning toward less printed fabrics, more simple,
hoping to allow the clothing to speak for itself.
 I've been pinning some thoughts on what direction I want to go with my next few projects...






Just some thoughts in my never ending mental to do list!