Birthday Party

Thank you Auntie Jan for taking pictures!

Eli's Birthday Present

It was in the yard for over an hour before he noticed it. We sent him on several errands into the yard, and he walked right by... 

He loves his trampoline!

Pink Dress

Iris' 1st Birthday Party

We had Iris' 1st birthday party on Saturday

everyone had pizza and cake


Iris had her very own smash cake


She was very excited about it, until everyone started singing. 

I couldn't sing. I was laughing so hard at the scared look on her face...


She was really happy to get the cake, because she wanted to play with the candle

once she realized it was cake though...

After cake there were presents. Iris got toys and clothes.  

Once she realized there were toys, she decided she was done opening gifts.

We had a fun fun time, thanks to everyone who came!

More Bat Stuff

You know I'm generally not in favor of licensed "stuff"

You'd never know it looking at Eli...

Quick, Robin! To the Bat-Box!

(thank you, Auntie Kim!)

Auntie Kim is Moving!

To Seattle! So sad!

She visited us this past weekend

Read books, ate pizza

and brought Iris an adorable fleece vest!

Eli's Lunchbox

Eli's grandparents brought him a lunchbox from Yellowstone Park.

He's been going on pretend picnics all week. 

Here's his lunch:

Apples, bananas, and chicken with monster sauce.

(He says it's spicy)

Gifts From Poland

My sister Kim recently returned from Poland where she spent 4 weeks digging up medieval vampires. Is there anything cooler?

She brought some gifts for my kiddies...

For Eli:

Does she KNOW this boy, or what?!

For Iris:

Jeremy was confused by this gift, because he doesn't think it looks European, but it totally reminds me of these goats.

Which kinda freaked me out as a kid...

The day after we got these gifts, Iris was sitting in her high chair playing with a toy, and when she looked the other way, Eli took the toy and replaced it with the goat. She looked back expecting to see her toy, and screamed bloody murder when she saw Goatee here. 

He is a little creepy looking...

A Blanket for Anna (And some other stuff...)

I have been making baby blanket left, right and center lately... so many babies!

This one is for my niece, Anna, who Iris loves very much (hence the super happy expression)

Her Momma really likes green, and I had a hard time finding green material that wasn't for boys or really stoopid looking.

I had some leftover material, and I really like the way these two co-ordinated... 

I made a Anna a little bib

(Iris models)

I really dug the bib, and I had some material left over from Iris' blanket, soooo 

I made one for Iris, too! 

I'm going to have to dig around in my scraps and see if there is enough of Mason's owl material to make him one!

More About My Clothesline

I know that my stupid clothesline is way boring, but I just love it.

And look what I (idiot) discovered!

No clothespins!

Okay, so everyone probably figured this out ages ago, but this is the first time I have had a clothesline and a baby at the SAME TIME!

I am so easy to please, huh?

5 Things I Love About My Clothesline

1) The yummy fresh smell of my line-dried sheets. (It smells like Idaho!)

2) Getting cooled off in the hot sun by holding cold, wet, clothes

3) The large amount of vitamin D I soak up while doing the wash

4) The speed! Laundry is done in 4 hours instead of 2 days...

and my mostest favorite thing:

5) Eli's indignation. "MOM! Those are my underpants! Why are they outside?!"

(Aren't little boys drawers the cutest?)

What's not to love?

My Mother's Day Gift (or "A Man Craft")

Jeremy bought the stuff to build my clothesline for Mother's Day, and this week he built it!

He built the poles in the garage...

Stuck them in cement

Here they are waiting for their line

And here, with line and clothes! 

(And a little clothespin baggie I made)

Thank you, honey!

A Jingle-y Surprise!

There was a jingling package in the mail the other day...

Goodies from Grand-Auntie Liz!

Iris says "Thanks" for the envelope

She's a little too little to appreciate this.

Eli remembered the ball he left at Arthur's house, and was so excited to have it back, he was jingling and jingling with joy. 

(Note the joyful expression...)

(And yes, that IS the ball that Auntie April got in China, brought to Missouri, gave to Eli, ELi left it UNDER a bed or something, and since last August, it has resided in MO. Finally home in Idaho! That is a well traveled ball!)

Jeremy says that this ball is a sign that Liz and Bruce hate us

I say us leaving it at their house for 9 months is a sign that we hate them. Besides, Eli has at least 5 toys that are more annoying than this one. 

Thank you Grand-Auntie!

A Blanket for Mason

I made a sweet little blanket for my sweet little nephew, Mason, who is due next month.

(Iris reluctantly models it...)

When I saw this fabric in the store, I screamed out loud. So cute!

You have to know my sister, Cheri. She is such a bookworm, an owl just fits her personality perfectly. And who doesn't LOVE argyle?

So Jeremy and I have 3 nephews, and 3 nieces, but they are all on his side of the family. This is my very first on my side! So exciting!

Can't wait to see you, little neffy-poo!