Toy Airplane Caddie

When a friend of ours was turning two, his mother requested a car caddie for his birthday gift. I knew that our little friend likes all things that move, but had a special affinity for airplanes. So, I decided to try my hand at an airplane caddie.

Instead of going with my original car caddie design, I borrowed Jill's tutorial for her car caddie and made some modifications. I only made four pockets in my design because the planes are a little wider with their wings than cars. I also used Heat N Bond Ultra to adhere yellow gross grain ribbon for the yellow road hashes.

Of course I added an outline of an airplane to the front instead of the car. And as another fun little touch, I used a pair of jeans that the birthday boy's dad had worn out for the denim fabric.

I love toys that are able to be tossed in your purse or bag and taken along when you need some instant entertainment. Perfect for restaurants, church, and traveling.
***I found the die cast planes at Fleet Farm. It was right after Christmas, so I am not sure if they still are carrying them.

Homemade (Yummy) Crescent Rolls

There you are, innocently trolling Pinterest, when a pin grabs you and won't let go. That happened to me last weekend. Supper was in the crockpot, I wouldn't have had to do anything but cook the veggies before we ate. Instead, I found myself making crescent rolls from scratch. Why? Because the picture in the pin looked so good. (And the best part is, that I had already pinned the recipe!) Like so good that we wouldn't be able to enjoy supper without them. And the results? They were delicious. You know those crescents you can buy in the can are okay. They serve their purpose of quick and easy, but if you really want a crescent, try this recipe! Head on over to Nome Made Recipes for the details!

When You Bring Home Your Newest Addition To Your Family

When you bring home the newest addition to your family . . .

Peachy looks a foot taller than before Shortcake arrived.

1) The older children will seem ten times bigger than when you left for the hospital.

2) The older children will seem as loud as a heard of elephants, with monkeys on their backs.

3) You will change so many little diapers, you may forget how to change the bigger ones.

Cream raided the play jewelry and put it ALL on.

4) Your older children may find new and not so amusing ways to entertain themselves such as, cutting their hair, playing with used printer cartridges, and emptying an entire boxes of Kleenex when they are supposed to be napping.

5) You may have to tell the older children to be gentle 100 times a day.

6) You may want to make the older children wear full hazmat suits to avoid infecting the baby with their cold germs.

7) Any item for the baby will instantly become a new toy for the older children. And the dolls and accessories will become an overnight sensation.

8) Your older children will amaze you with what they are all capable of doing on their own.

This is how Cream dressed herself one morning. Complete with buttoned cardigan on backward.

9) Your older children will amaze you as to what they can't do without you anymore.

10) You will find more love in your heart than you ever thought possible.

New Handmade Diaper Bag

It is no secret, I love bags. I may have quite the collection of handmade bags around the house. I have a hard time saying no, when I know I can make one just the way I like it with fabric I love. When I had Peachy, my mom made my diaper bag. With Cream, I used an online tutorial to make one for myself. (You can read about it here.) This time, I purchased the Watermelon Wishes Zip Top Diaper Bag pattern off of Etsy. I had fun choosing the fabric at a new modern fabric store in town. I went with my newest favorite color combination of grey and citron. (Sorry, I don't remember the names of the fabrics.)

I love how this bag turned out, with the exception of the zipper. The first time I followed the pattern directions, but wasn't thrilled with how it turned out. I redid it on my own and now am finding it a bit short. I plan on redoing it and leaving some zipper on each end of the inset.
The snaps on the sides are great for making the bag a little bigger or a bit more streamlined, depending on how much you have inside. The numerous pockets and bottle holders are also a great feature. I love a bag with lots of pockets. (Store bought bags rarely have enough!)
Also, the pattern has an awesome way of accenting the outer packets by leaving about a quarter of an inch of lining peaking out at the top. A super simple touch that ads a big impact.

Welcome to the World Little Shortcake

I can't believe that it has been over a week since our little boy joined our family. Having a baby has got to be one of the most surreal experiences a person can have. For nine months you prepare for a little person to join your family, but until the birth day actually arrives, it just doesn't really sink in. (At least that is how it works for me.) And this time, more than the other two, my mind just wasn't quite wrapped around the fact that another little blessing would be joining us. Even now that he is home with us, there are moments that I just can't believe we have three children!

I will take the time to write Shortcake's birth story soon, but for now, here are his stats.

Entrance made: Thursday, February 13th at 10:13 pm (or 02/13/2014 at 22:13)
Weighing in at: 8 pounds and 14 ounces
Measuring: 20.75 inches
Appearance: Lots of dark hair, dark blue eyes, chunky cheeks and Michelin Man rolls on his arms.
Disposition: A very mellow little guy who likes to eat, sleep, poop, and pea (At least so far.)
Big Sisters' Reactions: Filled with love and pride and happy to help momma out with diaper changes and fetching things.

And just for fun, here are pictures of the big sisters on their birthdays:

Cream (August 30, 2011, 8 pounds 9 ounces, 20.5 inches)

Peachy (May 10, 2009, 8 pounds 4 ounces, 19.5 inches)

Cream at 2 Years and 6 Months

Our little spunky 2 year old, Cream, always seems to know just what she wants and has a hard time being told no. Yet, her sweetness always shines through. Such a fun combination. Thankfully she has been getting better about her picky eating and is willing to at least let us feed her what we are having. She also has grown up much in the last months. She is now 30 pounds and it is no wonder the way she has been eating as of late. Bottomless pit! She also looks more grown up in her face.

I love listening to her little voice talk. She sure does have a lot to say, especially when her sister is trying to tell us something and during church! Sometimes she just rattles on and on. She also has a very good memory and loves to sing songs she has heard.

She is very good at independent play and can focus on one toy or play for a long time. Her little imagination is very active and it is always fun to listen in to her play and play talk.
She talks about the baby in mommy's tummy, but I am pretty sure that it will be a shock when we come home with an actual crying newborn. Ha! I know that she will be a good little helper though, as she likes to talk to and look at all the babies we see while we are out and about. I will just have to watch out for smothering. :o)

It never ceases to amaze me how different our two little girls can be and yet how much I, as a parent, can love each one for their complete uniqueness.

Peachy at 4 Years and 9 Months

I know this must happen to every parent, but there are times I look at my oldest blessing and can't help but wonder how on earth she got to be so big. With so much personality of her own. And able to do so much! I really have a hard time wrapping my mind around the fact that she will be going to school next year. How did the time come for that already?

Peachy continues to grow in so many ways. Firstly, in height. She just keeps getting taller and taller. She wears a size 6 in most things. Do you know what that means? She is no longer in the little girl section. Yikes!

Her growth in learning is also amazing to me. She has a firm grasp on numbers and loves playing with them. Adding and subtracting. Always telling us the temperature as we drive in the van. She also is really starting to put her letter sounds together and sound words out. I bought her some level one readers for Christmas and she loves to tell people that she can read them. (Not quite on her own yet, but she does with help.) She also loves to sound words out that she sees around. I love that she is gaining confidence and well on her way to becoming a reader.

And then there is her little faith in God. She loves going to Sunday school, reading her children's Bibles, and listening to and singing Christian songs. Here is a funny story of her understanding church. We were talking about how their is our church and then there are other churches. She knows that we believe in Jesus as our Savior and she was trying to figure out what other churches believe in. She decided that there are churches that believe in Jesus and then churches that believe in Santa, since we don't in our family. Ha!

As always, she loves to create. That girl doesn't go a day without using her art supplies. And her play usually involves elaborate set ups and story lines.

She is so excited for the baby to come, too. She has been happily telling people how long it is until the baby's arrival. She will even tell them that she came one day early and that Cream came really late. (6 days, so long.) I am excited to see her in the biggest sister position.

Peachy is such a blessing to our family. She has such a pleasant personality and usually has a smile on her face. I am constantly amazed by the awesome little person that the Lord has given us in our first born.