Even boys like to dress-up (aka Aleena's birthday present)

So my niece happened to be having a birthday...in talking with her mom (Luke's sister Tanya) it seemed she is very much into dress-up. I toyed with the idea of getting dress-up shoes as she didn't have any...but like a good auntie decided to make something. Tanya said her favorite characters were Belle and Ariel...but she had a Little Mermaid outfit...so Belle it was. As I was "researching" (aka internet surfing) my mind started to go wild with the possibilities and a simple dress-up turned into 2 full blown outfits with matching cloaks. These will go in the mail tomorrow and hopefully Miss Aleena likes them! I will say...I had SO much fun making these outfits and watching them come together exactly as I imagined in my mind...lol!

Here is some proof that it doesn't matter the gender...boys like to dress-up too...lol!



Joel in the blue "town" dress.



Dress or no dress, boys will be boys (also the back of the dress)!



He thinks he's hot stuff with the cloak on.



Here is the 2nd dress...Belle's Gown



Both dresses, one for dressy and one for play!



The dresses with their matching cloaks!

I hope you enjoy Miss Aleena! We love you!

New 'dos

A week or so ago Daddy and Christian went to get haircuts. Micah decided he needed his cut the next day and Joel badly needed one as well...we go to a great local place that is WONDERFUL with the kids. They also had to have the faux-hawks to go with their new 'dos.

Joel and Micah with their new 'dos!

It is the rare photo-op I get without the paci!

The same day as the cuts Nana called and wanted pics of the boys with their new balls they got for Easter. Joel is such a little man with his hand in his pocket.

Easter in Portland

Here are some highlights from our quick Easter trip to Portland...aside from the birthday lunch with Nana/Papa in Vancouver, the joy the kids had of staying in a hotel with a POOL, getting to see Kutless do worship at Athey Creek (wonderful Easter service too), and getting to see the In-laws for the first time since Christmas.

All the cousins (Joel, Aleena, Christian, Taylor, Jericho, and Micah)...including the "bellies" that contain Lily (l) and Gracie Mae (r)

Joel's proof that anything can become a helmet and sword!

Aleena totally loving on "big" cousin Christian.

The cousins after egg hunting:

Back: Taylor, Christian, Olivia, Micah
Front: Aleena, Joel, Jericho

All my boys have done this so I of course had to get a pic of Joel sitting on his new "ball"...Aleena had to join him!

Stomps of Love

This is my mom's Christmas present...and, yes...it is 3 months late but I am pretty sure she will still like it.

I saw this bathmat tutorial featured in the Sew Mama Sew Handmade: Holidays Blog in 2007. Since the moment I saw it I KNEW I would make it for my mom. The tutorial comes from the Montessori by Hand blog. Meg did a great job with this one. Unlike the tutorial suggests I actually used new fabrics to create a new color scheme for my parent's Master Bath at their house in Ocean Shores. I wanted to make it special and personal so for the feet the outlines are of all the grandkids feet (with their names embroidered in them so she will know whose is who). Since this was not our year to actually see Summer and the kids I had her outline the kids and send them up to me. This project held a lot of firsts for me...my first quilt piecing, hand embroidery, and topstitching to quilt the outline of the feet (don't look close at those...can definitely tell I am a newbie...lol). I am SO happy with how this turned out and cannot wait to finally give it to my mom next weekend!

some close-ups of C's feet and the "clean feet" embroidery that you can barely see

close-up of my nephew's feet

How a 2yr old does it...

Figured I would share what Joel has been up to lately...AKA...how a 2yo does it...

...plays with the dogs (this would be Jack)

...fights the bad guys

...thinks he is eating an english muffin (really just wants the jam)

...dumps a glass of chocolate milk on Nana's computer (must be hereditary...couple weeks later I dumped a cup of tea on mine)

...takes eating lessons from the dogs

...and last but certainly not least...how a 2yo sings "Scooby Dooby Doo", atleast as much as I can get video taped of it

Let's try again...LOL

Okay...so January is now close to being over and I basically missed the whole month. January for us held a lot of busy-ness...colds, basketball, wrestling (for Coach Luke), the never-ending job (Luke's) and some traveling (to Nana's for the rest of us). I will try to post a couple pics in the next day or so but left the camera in the car at the moment!

I will shoot for a better February!