The Week in Photos 8

Eight weeks into the New Year and four more weeks until my estimated due date! I have gone into labor late with two girls, early with one and on my exact date with our twins. 

All of my births have been within a week of my due dates, however. Only time will tell when this little babe will arrive!

Here is week #8 in photos: 

A trip home from the fabric store. The sky was lit up with a fiery sunset. Unfortunately, we do not live on a ranch and had to witness the beauty through tree lined suburban streets. Still.. beautiful. 

We witness this 40-foot replica of the Statue of Liberty’s Arm and Torch when we enter the Please Touch Museum and know it is the beginning of a fun day!

Monday home from school for President's Day. We played endless rounds of Kinder Bunnies which is our new favorite card game!

Tuesday there was a two hour snow delay at school. I allowed the girls to stay home partially because our street was still icy and partially because I just felt like having them all home together.

Tonight while making dinner and gathering dishes, I looked out into the dining room and thought how lucky we are to sit together at the table every night. They may not realize it yet, but they will someday.

Sewing a tote bag that will be stuffed with birthing supplies and send out this weekend to Konbit Sante as part of Craft Hope's Project 11. Yes, I was sewing only by the light of the machine. I was so absorbed in what I was doing,  I didn't even realize the dark room until Madelyn called me on it.

Stormy end to our week. Outside, rain, thunderstorms and winds gusting to 60 mph. Inside, Isabella was sick with a fever and cough but seemed better before falling asleep early tonight. I had a slight headache but mostly from being tired. I still plan to play a round of Phase 10 with Mike and the girls before bedtime, however. 

Also, Madelyn's injured finger seems much better now and we have canceled the x-ray appointment. 

Just a reminder that no matter how stormy life may get, the sun will always return. 

To view the rest of my Photo 365, find them on Flickr: here!

May your weekend be full of sunshine! 

 

Museum, Art and a Minor Injury

We took another trip to the Please Touch Museum this past weekend! Mobility for me is slow at best, but I try not to let that stop me from getting out with Mike and girls for some fun before the birth of our new little one.

Each month at the museum there are different activities and programs. For the month of February, they had a "printmaking" session in the Program Room for the children. The girls spent a lot of time here creating some of their own original art. 

They could have stayed creating pictures the entire day until every ounce of paint and stamping ink had been depleted. We did manage to clean up and gather our dried art before closing time though. 

The twins dressed up as Crayola crayons and played on climbing mats. 

Even Madelyn joined them for a photo! She may not like it much when she finds out I posted it on the blog.  I will keep this photo as a reminder to her when she gets older to just have fun and not worry how embarrassing things might seem. Because usually things are not as dramatic as we make them out to be.

Isabella and Grace thought she was the coolest sister in the world and were incredibly happy when she dressed up to be with them!

We were able to spend more time in the Alice in Wonderland maze than we did last time we visited. It was a bit less crowded than the other rooms. Sophia made tea for the Mad Hatter, March Hare and I. Isabella and Grace had fun in the tiny illusion room, sliding down the sloped floor.

Towards the end of the day, we sat in the main hall where there was a Brazilian live music and performance being held. 

This torch is a 40 foot replica of the Statue of Liberty's Arm and Torch created out of toys, games and other 'found objects' gathered and assembled by local artist Leo Sewell.

Madelyn climbed the staircase on the torch in order to get a better view of the dancers and their costumes. On her way down, she twisted her finger on the railing causing a pretty bad bruise and swelling around her knuckle. 

A trip to the doctor granted her a splint and a recommendation to get an xray. 

Thankfully the injury was minor and we had another entertaining day out as a family! 

The Week in Photos 7

This week went by a bit too quickly. With the two days lost to feeling under the weather, I woke up to a warm, sunny Thursday morning feeling like I had to make up for some serious lost time!  

Today was a beautiful day and the girls and I spent most of the afternoon barefoot on the deck, playing, reading and enjoying the sunshine!

Here are my photos for week #7! 

Took this photo late Saturday night. It is the lamp my Dad made forever ago. It hangs over the dining room table at my parent's house where we eat meals and hold our weekly book club.

The brownie bites I made for the girls' Valentine parties at school. They were cute and tiny and the kids loved them! 

Valentine's Day! Mike brought home roses for Madelyn, Lana, Sophia and I. A different color for each of us. The twins each got a heart shaped balloon which was way more fun than roses according to a couple of two year olds.

Today I had a headache and spent most of the day on the sofa. It possibly could have been due to the huge amount of chocolate I injested the day before. Isabella tried to hide under my blankets when I got up. I didn't mind. I just crawled right underneath the covers along side her.

Another day sofa-ridden. I crocheted a dozen or so shamrocks to make a garland for St. Patty's Day. Found the pattern via Skip to My Lou.

The sun came out along with the bucket of perler beads today. I thought I had seen the last of these for awhile but no such luck. *sigh*

We were lucky enough to lay out the picnic blanket that I made last summer after lunchtime. The sun came out and the girls ran around the deck barefoot playing and giggling. It was a sign of our future Spring days to come!

To view the rest of my Photo 365, find them on Flickr: here!

Happy Weekend to you all!

Spring Fever

It is a lovely day! It is downright warm outside considering some of the freezing temperatures we have been experiencing this Winter. We must enjoy these next few days with temps nearing 70. The forecast calls for chillier days next week. 

As much as I adore snow, lighting fires on cold nights, blanket forts to cuddle in, and late night mugs of hot chocolate, when warmer weather arrives it is a joy!

Today I feel a bit recovered from two days of a headache and a general sickness that left me lethargic. Perhaps it is the nice weather that rejuvenated me. I would like to think so. 

I opened a few windows to let in a breeze, have been cleaning up after the lost days I spent on the sofa, listening to songs from Mumford and Sons, the girls are playing quietly, and I am feeling much better!

When warmer weather arrives, it sparks a fire inside me! I want to write endless to-do lists, fling flannel sheets from the bed, clean and purge rooms of clutter, ready the garden, play outdoors, and dream of new bright cotton fabrics for crafty projects. 

Or maybe that is just my nesting instinct finally settling in. Our baby girl's due day is fast approaching with the beginning days of Spring and we are anxious to meet her!

Still I dream of picnics on pastel colored blankets, day trips to parks and museums, gathering on the front porch to talk and sip tea, or simply a family drive together... the windows down, the kids falling asleep in the back seat and a good song on the radio. 

We must be patient, however difficult that may be. Those days are coming soon, friends. Hope today is bright in your neck of the woods as well!

No winter lasts forever; no spring skips its turn.  ~Hal Borland

The Week in Photos 6

Lana turned a fabulous eight years old this week! I also had my last office visit with my midwife. She will be visiting me at home from now until the home birth. I started my 34th week yesterday! Now my top priority (besides my sweet Sophia's birthday preparations) is to get my bedroom clean and in order for the birth. Our new little one will be here soon! 

Here are my week #6 photos. I am not overly thrilled with the photo results but they do show my return to creating/crafting since before the holidays and that is a good thing! 

Book club night! I made banana bread with Lana during the day for our nighttime snack. Unfortunately, Lana fell asleep before getting a taste of her creation.

My refrigerator magnets. I spent a lot of time in and out of the kitchen due to Superbowl Sunday so I found this photo suiting for the day. 

The twins working on the lacing cards their Grandma gifted to them recently.

Crocheted these fingerless gloves for a little Valentine gift exchange we are doing with our book club. The cute beaded bracelet was crafted by Sophia. It just about fits on my wrist but I love it. 

As a way to spice up our book club, we chose a crafty project to coincide with the book we are reading. Each member is creating a cowboy themed pillowcase and then we will draw names to trade! We finish our book, True Grit, this week.

 

Lana blowing out the candles at her Hippie Chick birthday! She is our wonderfully sweet girl who can light up a room no matter how dim.

Isabella fell asleep just before the girls came home from school. She must have been super tired because the twins usually do not take afternoon naps. I wish I could have snuggled up beside her and got a bit of a nap myself.

Sorry this week's photos were posted so late. I hope to be more on top of things next week! Cross your fingers for me. 

For the rest of my Photo 365, you can find them on Flickr here.

Chinese New Year Party

 

Madelyn's 10th birthday this year happened to fall on the beginning of the Chinese New Year. It made for the perfect party theme! According the the Chinese Zodiac, 2011 is the Year of the Golden Rabbit.

Pre-party decorating! Sophia was eager to set the table and hang the few decorations that I had made. I had printed and hand-colored a Chinese Zodiac chart so that guests could see what their Chinese Zodiac signs said about their personalities! 

I also photocopied and hand-colored a dragon head and feet. I then created the winding dragon body with colored card stock and white centers for guests to write birthday wishes for Madelyn's "New Year"!

I found these two printables from the January edition of a series of books. The January Idea Book has fun ideas, crafts, recipes and printables for New Year's Day, the Chinese New Year, Dr. Martin Luther King, Artic and Antartic Animals, and much more. 

The books are great for both classrooms or homeschooling environments! I hope to collect all 12 months as well as the Season editions. I have the Winter edition which has a treasure trove of ideas to stay occupied for the cold months spent indoors.

My sister, Hannah, made the cakes for our celebration. She designed and created them herself. One had the Chinese symbol for Family and the other had the Chinese symbol for Happiness. Perfect choices for our family and friends that gathered this day in celebration! They were also as tasty as they were beautiful! 

Oh, and if you are wondering. My sister is looking for a job. Her passion is baking cakes and other tasty pastry confections and her dream is to find work in a bakery creating edible art.

Forgive the photos. I am sure they do not give them as much justice as they deserve.