Halloween '08

So Anastasia was a princess and Isabel my little pumpkin. We had a great evening after a bit of a trying day. Nick's dad fixed our dryer over the weekend which was a total blessing. Otherwise I would still be drowning in dirty laundry. Unfortunately I dried an orange crayon in the dryer with a load of clothes. I ruined 2 of my favorite things, salvaged almost everything else, and overlooked orange blotches on my diaper covers and newly handmade napkins. My "Life Is Good" shirt that fits so nicely and happened to be white was destroyed as well as a little sleeper with huskies on it belonging to Isabel. She would have outgrown it in a month anyway.

I also made sugar cookies and decorated them today. In the decorating process poor Anastasia reached for some sprinkles from a chair and fell out of the chair. She brought with her the entire container of sprinkles (to Leia's delight) and a glass of water (which didn't break!) and landed flat on her back. I was covered in icing and wiped my hands and Anastasia didn't scream for several seconds... it scared me... she totally had the wind knocked out of her for like 15 seconds or more. It seemed like an eternity and gave me a real scare. She cried for 10 minutes afterwards and needed to be cuddled. She was okay after that. Poor kid.

When Nick came home we went trick-or-treating at the Hibl's house and socialized a bit afterwards. Both girls had many admirers and Anastasia had a lot of fun but was slightly overwhelmed by all the kids there. She had a meltdown and we had to go but boy was she cute!!! It was fun while it lasted! So that was my crazy halloween. Thankfully everyone is okay and we have candy, cookies and pumpkin pie.

Happy Halloween!!

I hope everyone has a happy and safe Halloween!!!

Spoiled Pumpkin

That is what Anastasia was after our weekend with Nick's parents. We enjoyed a trip to the pumpkin patch, some caverns, the Shennandoah museum, a winery, the Wayside Inn (which was AWESOME!!!), a little shopping and a lot of eating out. A great time was had by all especially Anastasia who adores her grandpa. Anastasia is like the miniature version of her Grandpa M. I think he sees himself in her. Aparently his childhood picture is very similar to how she looks now. They definately connect so quickly whenever we visit which is a great thing.

And so not to leave out my little Belle, here she is in her favorite little bunny suit:

And guess what? She definately has red hair!!! I love it. It is this lovely light shade of auburn and I am hoping it stays. Like I said, she is the complete oposite of Anastasia. And I call her Belle for short.

An Apply Day

My parents came to visit yesterday and we went out to Roy's orchard for some seriously delicious apples. They didn't have pick-your-own which was probably good because it wouldn't have been easy with a toddler and newborn... even with 3 of us adults.

Here is Isabel sporting her apple attire. In her apple and pear covered car seat! I am such a nerd I know... I love all the coordinated items. Even Anastasia wore her apple shirt. How cute is that?

Anastasia's favorite part were Roy's cows. Especially when the mama cow mooed.

The most popular place in the house these days is in Isabel's basket. Anastasia loves to climb in with her. Don't they look like little canoers-in-training? I am so proud. It must be because we live in "the canoe capital of Virginia." I am sure we have a lot of competition for that title. Even Leia attempted to curl up in the basket a few times when it was empty. Silly dog. It kind of makes me want a big basket to curl up in. Anyhow, the posts have been few and far between. I have been successfully carting two girls around and it really isn't so bad. Anastasia has been awesome on our trips with little fussing and fits lately. I have been trying to emphasize the importance of her roll as a big sister and she seems to take it all in. We have been to Joann's, Michaels, Martins, the doctor and the library all on my own! Nick's parents are in town so I doubt I will be posting too much in the next few days. They did bring me a brand new HuskyStar sewing machine that my sister-in-law bought and never used!!! I am so excited!! Hopefully I will have some good naps next week to test it out during!!! I also have some fabrics I ordered from Etsy last week that should be coming in the mail soon! Until I steal some time away again... I wish everyone a GREAT weekend.

Monday ramblings...

We had another nice weekend... but way too short. Mondays are always a harsh reminder that we didn't win the lottery so Nick is actually at work today. Isabel has had a couple rough evenings of crying for an hour or so. I am sure it is milk related because she is also ultra-congested so I am now on Day 2 of a dairy-free diet.

Our dryer is still broken but I think I have the clothes-hanging thing down now. Our electric bill was down $30 last month so that is AWESOME. I have decided I would rather have a freezer than a dryer... especially for when Nick learns to hunt and we have a garden next year.

I finished Christmas shopping for the girls with a few crafts left to make them. I spent less than $50 on Anastasia... and only about $5 on Isabel for a silver-plated rattle in the clearance bin at Target. I may pick her up some nice wooden rattles if I can find any between now and Christmas. I got Anastasia a ride-on zebra and some playsilks from A Toy Garden. I have a few small items that I found via my travels to yard sales and thrift stores so we are set. I am considering a trip to Joann's today for some material for Isabel's stocking. I have a 50% off coupon and so I am thinking I might brave the public arena with 2 kids... all in the name of Christmas.

This is going to be a full week for us as we have a Dr. appointment tomorrow, Apple picking with my parents on Wednsday and then Nick's parents are driving here from Indiana on Thursday. I am trying to plan some evenings of desserts and wine and a breakfast or two for them while they are here. I smell apple pie on the horizon and a lack of self-control needed to lose my extra baby weight that is clinging to my tummy area. Any one have any good tummy-toning excercises other than crunches? I hate crunches with a passion. (Elementary PE still haunts me).

Our first outing

Everyone fell asleep and I am in my pjs, with a glass of Spanish wine and a delectable brownie so I figured I would write a quick blog post.

I had my first experience taking the girls out alone. I was supposed to have Isabel at her first doctors appointment at 9:30am. I woke up at 8:00 and by the time everyone was diapered, dressed, fed, in their seats and on the road, it was 9:15. The doctor I go to is 30 minutes away so I knew I would be drastically late. Especially since I was supposed to be there a little early to fill out paperwork. So I called and asked if I should still come or reschedule. When I was asked to reschedule due to the doctor's heavy schedule I felt defeated. I had failed at my first attempt to go somewhere as a threesome. Then I decided to stop at Target for some eggs and cheese and a few other odds and ends. I found some nice headbands in the dollar section and some halloween bows for Anastasia. I felt much better... so good I didn't give in to the in-store Starbucks calling me for an ultra sweet and fattening comfort beverage. I felt so proud passing up that Pumpkin Spice Latte... and was reminded that this trip was far more successful than my first outing with Anastasia alone.

I took her to Target and tried to feed her in a public restroom due to my fear of nursing in public (I overcame this fear pretty quickly) which was far less than ideal. I had a successful trip and then locked my purse, phone and keys in the Jeep!!! Thankfully I didn't lock Anastasia in the Jeep too (atleast not that time) and I had to use the courtesy phone at Target and call Nick at his work number because his cell was long distance. I was so happy that he answered (I usually got his answering machine) and happened to work right around the corner. He came over with a coat hanger and took a long time (much to my dismay) unlocking the Jeep in the cold of January while I sat in his car with baby Anastasia. I felt like such a uncapable mom... but have overcome that as well. Its amazing what being a mom teaches you. Its always somewhat overwhelming at first but I imagine I will find the balance of mothering two eventually.

Please excuse the Mess!

This is just a corner of my kitchen table right now... which is home to multiple unfinished projects and other clutter. Anastasia and I made the tree picture in the back out of sticks and crinkled tissue paper. I also made her the magic want yesterday to go with her costume and Isabel got a wee pair of pants and an argyle diaper cover (not shown) from a wool sweater I found at a thrift store last week. There seem to be crayons EVERYWHERE and notebooks with paper and toilet paper crumples all over the floor. The The crafting is not over, just more sporadic. Last nights dinner dishes are in the sink still, and diapers and clothes are on the clothesline and draped over the deck (because I ran out of room on the line) and our dryer is still broken. And the reason for this mess? Pictured here:

Don't they just look super cute and innocent? I assure you that they are trouble in disguise. :) And I love them to pieces. Anastasia loves "holding" her little sister but sometimes doesn't understand why I can't attend to her as immediately as I would like when Isabel is nursing. My first couple days at home without Nick weren't too bad. The hardest part is single handedly keeping everyone fed, diapered, with clean clothes and clean dishes to eat off of. It seems when I finish attending to one little person's needs, I have another little one's needs to attend to.

We had a nice weekend attending the local leaf festival and a harvest festival at the arboretum. Isabel slept through most of it but Anastasia had a ball! Now it is almost the weekend again!!! I hear a baby....

*2 Hours Later*

Fed the baby... twice. Started laundry. Took Anastasia outside to take pictures of her costume to send with announcements. Made eggs and bagels. Now we are eating lunch. Isabel is sleeping in her basket. Let me post before anything else happens!!!

Its hard work being a big sister.

Swap Greatness

So as maybe I mentioned on here, I participated in another craft swap found on Melissa Goodsell's blog for a Stationary swap. I swapped with Erin and you can see pictures of what I made her on her blog. Here is most of what she sent me... minus Anastasia's crayon pouch:

I absolutely love the detail of the embroidery on the front, and all the colors she chose:

Here is Anastasia enjoying her little crayon/paper set:
I have been a bit void in posting, not so much because my newborn won't give me time to myself, but because with Nick home all the time, I have competition for the computer! lol. He is going back to work tomorrow, and I am so sad... and wondering what it will be like taking care of 2 all by myself! Yikes! I am inspired by the fact that I am not the only person in the world with more than one child to take care of. In fact, people have been doing this since Adam and Eve had Cain and Abel. It has been nice having back-up this past week and should be interesting to see how everything works out when Nick goes back to work. Hopefully I will be taking/posting more pictures soon!

A Family of Four

Our way home from the hospital and our first evening as a family of four (and dog) was a bit chaotic. We had two screaming girls in the car for a bit until we sang old Mac Donald 50 times. Anastasia was resistant to sleep. Isabel slept fine. But if Isabel woke up crying, it freaked Anastasia out so she started crying.

Since the first night, life has been very peaceful. Anastasia has been up to her normal house-destruction and Isabel has been sleeping mostly. When she wakes and eats, she often enjoys hanging out looking at me, and the light from the windows. And get this, I can actually lay her down in her basket!!! And she will sleep in it for hours!! She doesn't scream at all, just fusses a bit for food and when she needs burping. She just seems SO QUIET and calm. Which makes me seriously glad Anastasia came first... :) I love my spirited child, but she is a lot easier to attend to with a peaceful newborn.

It has been such a blessing to have frozen meals from people and I definately appreciate it more than I could have with just one child. I also am so blessed to have Nick home for a week. He has helped out when Anastasia wants to be held and snuggled while I am feeding the baby. It seems that feeding Isabel makes a great time to read to Anastasia. Hopefully this tactic will be effective for when Nick is no longer here during the day.

I am healing quite well and much faster than with baby #1 and am actually starting to feel a little bored. Anastasia kept me busy for the first ten months of her life (when she started walking) so I am not used to having a baby that can be "put down". So now I am thinking crafting may be in my nearer future than I thought! Another cool thing about Isabel, is she wears her hats! I love baby hats! I guess she needs them more than A. did since Anastasia had a HUGE mop of hair.

Anastasia seems to like her little sister. When I put the basket on her bed, Anastasia likes to put blankets and toys and clothes in there for her. I know she means well, but I had to stop her when she picked up a book. She seems very fascinated by the whole nursing thing. So it has been pretty awesome watching Anastasia with her new little partner-in-crime.

I had a mostly smooth 8 hour labor and delivery (thanks for all your prayers and good thoughts). Fair Oaks Hospital was WAY better than Holy Cross amazingly. The nurses were incredibly nice overall and Dr. Anderson was great too. We were able to leave after 24hours thanks to our (Nick's) persistence. We also enjoyed our stay better since the nurses LEFT US ALONE. What good nurses. And our room actually had a decent flat screen TV with a selection of movies to watch and internet access that was not the best. We enjoyed National Treasure 2 and the Bourne Ultimatum. We also enjoyed visits from my aunts, uncle, cousin, parents and Tara. I wasn't nearly as bored this time. :) I, of course didn't get much sleep because I can't sleep in hospitals but the adrenaline kept me going.

I also have now decided that since men's clothes have a Tall size, women's clothes need a Busty size. Thanks to this round of nursing, all my shirts that fit last winter (even when I was nursing A) are now tube tops. So I guess I have an excuse to do a little shopping. ;) The awesome thing about the first several days post-partum is waking up each morning to a smaller tummy. I have a feeling I don't have too much more of this luxury so I might actually have to work out this time.

Well thats a quick update. Two kids are actually better than one. I now see why people have so many. :)

PS-See our house showcased at our friend Regina's blog: House Art Journal.

Isabel

I am so excited to introduce Isabel Therese born Friday, October 3rd 2008 at 4:38pm. Yay!! Here she is about 10 minutes old: Here she was this morning.

We think she weighed 7lb, 11oz or so but don't really know. She is a very happy, calm baby and seems pretty okay outside of the womb. We love our new little person!! I am nursing so I can't type too much now... more to come!!!

The last duck is in the row.

So I have finished all the big things I had hoped to complete. Today I made Anastasia's halloween costume. I used leftovers from curtains and Nick's Rennaissance cape to make this little dress loosely based on the Simplicity Disney Princess pattern. It is actually a little bit big, but I want her to be able to wear it to the Faire next fall if we get to go! Plus I think it will last a while in her dress up box. I made the crown out of wool felt inspired by the design in Soule's book, The Creative Family. I am so happy with how it turned out.

And for Isabel I have a little pumpkin onesie and a fleece candy-corn cozy. So I am set. I have a cute halloween basket and I am trying to think of what to fill it with for Anastasia. I am thinking some stickers, some dried fruit and goodies from the bulk section at the store, maybe some finger puppets? I want to make a little laminated sticker book for her too. We will see what time allows with our new little arrival coming tomorrow! And can I just say I am SO EXCITED!!!

On the flip side, our dryer seems to not be working. I think it is the "start" button but I am no expert. All I know is that I am SO GLAD that it was sunny and breezy so I dried all my diapers and then a second load in one day which is good. I hate leaving baskets of laundry to come home to. Anyhow... I had best get to making my stew and enjoying our last dinner as a threesome. Hopefully my next blog will be loaded with pictures of our bundle of joy.

eBay saves the day!

About a month ago I went to this consignment shop in Winchester for their "Fill a bag for $10" sale. The ad in the paper basically said you could fill a paper bag of clothes for only $10 or pay $1 per item which is a steal! I assumed that meant any clothes, but I should have known there would be a catch. In fact only items with certain colored tags (mostly summer clothes) were part of the sale and there wasn't much left when I got there at noon (they opened at 10am) so I was terribly dissapointed. Especially because all the regular priced items were outragously priced for a consignment shop. Entire outfits cost between $10-20 which is crazy for used clothes.

Anastasia found a cute ride-on zebra that she fell in love with. The paint was all chipping and it was $9 which wasn't horrible, but not that great either. I was considering buying it just because Anastasia had become so endeared with the thing. Then this lady took it from Anastasia while I wasn't watching and bought it as Anastasia ran across the store to me crying! The lady looked at me and said, "I hope you weren't going to buy it because I need it because I am buying the matching cow and I have twins." I told her I was strongly considering buying it, and she just said, "well I really need it I can't just have one." This is all through Anastasia screaming and giving the lady her most passionate pout. I was seriously mad that the lady took the thing from her and probably should have said something to defend that, but I didn't. I just bought my two $1 items and left, vowing never to go back to that store again. Seriously though, who takes toys away from cute little girls?

Since then, I have been looking everywhere for a wooden ride-on zebra (or other cute animal) and no one seems to have a clue what I am even talking about. And then today I typed "wooden zebra toy" in the eBay search engine and FOUND IT!!! I found hippos, cows and ZEBRAS!!!! I am so happy and think I will have to add this to Anastasia's Christmas list. The best part is, for a brand new zebra with shipping and handling, it is only about $20!!! I am happy to pay the extra money for a brand new, non-chipped zebra!!! That made my day.

Speaking of eBay, some lady bought a house on eBay for $1.75. Wow.