Elayna's Surgery

Today Elayna went in to have her tonsils & adenoids removed as well as tubes put in. This surgery has changed a lot over the years. They now cauterize the incisions instead of stitches so instead of recommending ice cream and popsicles, they encourage crunchy foods like chips and crackers. The surgery itself only takes 40 minutes and it's day surgery so she was released only 5 hours post-surgery. Her daddy stayed with her the whole day and I was able to come and go so I could take Chantel to her Christmas party at school today too. Elayna's been tired and in pain (to be expected), but right now she's sitting on the couch with a tray of food in front of her watching a Barbie movie. I think she'll be able to handle this stay-at-home recovery thing just fine.

Chantel's Christmas Concert

Chantel's preschool put on a little 30-minute Christmas concert a couple nights ago. She knew the songs quite well and was super excited to wear her new dress for the night. Opa & Oma came over for hot chocolate afterwards (a treat the girls are getting lots of with our cold weather).

SNOW

Snow has arrived in our town and so far the kids have been spent lots of time in it and are loving it! Especially Chantel - I have to convince her to have breakfast before going outside and she has to wear her snow pants EVERYWHERE so she can wander and play in the snow every opportunity she gets.

Some pics of the gals . . .

I have been crafting but it's mostly Christmas gifts so I won't be showing any pics of those. We've been busy with the December bustle and the realization that Christmas is getting so close already! This past weekend was my husband's staff Christmas party - lots of fun! And last night was my Christmas party (I do some data entry from home for a dutch store) - also lots of fun! And next week will be filled with christmas programs from the girls' schools and Elayna's tonsilectemy is scheduled for next week as well.

So since I don't like to post without pics, here's some cute pics of the girls. The outfit that Elayna is wearing was won on an online giveaway from this store.

some Christmas baking . . .

I recently participated in a winter baking apron swap. The reason I love the idea of swapping an apron instead of just making one for myself is that it's much easer to enjoy something that someone else lovingly made for you than something you probably wouldn't otherwise make for yourself. Yes, sewing for myself is not easy because I'm my worst critic. It's also fun to think of someone else and put together a special package for them. Yesterday I received my apron and a pile of goodies from my swap partner in the apron swap. So the girls and I put on our aprons today and got baking. I love the mini cookie cutters and we made a pile of cookies and some peppermint fudge.

My partner did a beautiful job on the snowman applique on the apron and since Alyssa was more than happy to try it on, I let her show it off for some pics. I love the extra long straps so I can tie it in the front and the fact that the snowman is actually a pocket.

She also sent some special winter stuffies for the girls which they LOVE.

She also put in some appliqued snowman tea towels, a couple recipes, a mini cutting board (which is in my dishwasher) and a snowman card. Thanks Kristi for being such a great swapper!

the mini mom . . .

Alyssa has started taking over the disciplining lately. If someone's where they shouldn't be, she'll chase after them with finger wagging telling them to "Ge ou!". It's quite cute because she tries to repeat everything now and loves to reinforce everything I say.

some Christmas ornaments . . .

The girls and one of my nieces made some Christmas ornaments today. The dough is made from cornstarch, baking soda and water - you have to cook it, shape it, and bake it. The girls had a great time decorating with paint, glue, sequins, and glitter. They were very proud of their creations (even Chantel although she didn't want to pose for a pic).

taking a nap with daddy . . .

18 months old already . . .

My "baby" is no longer a baby. She's a talking, walking, sweet little girl. She suprises us with new words almost daily, and we've gotten pretty good at figuring out what she wants. She is very interested in the potty, but I'm not trying to train her - it's way too early for that. But she did go #2 in it yesterday which was pretty impressive. She very much wants to be like her big sisters and will not let me feed her dinner anymore and she's doing quite well with a fork now. She is definitely spoiled and can be very stubborn at times. She still likes to wake up for a bottle when I go to bed but as long as she sleeps through I can handle that. She was getting quite a few colds but I started her on liquid vitamins the past couple weeks and haven't seen a runny nose since, so I'm hoping that helps. She is a cuddler, and prefers to play with someone but usually that's not a problem with her doting sisters. We are enjoying her just as much as the week she was born and so thankful that God has entrusted this little blessing to us.

what we've been up to . . .

Well October is done already. We fought quite a few colds and sore throats in this house, and our littlest one also got strep throat and an ear infection. So there were many interrupted nights, and snuggles, and sleeping in late. My sewing room is feeling neglected but I'm hoping that some fabric I won here and here will help inspire me to get sewing again.

I did get through a couple hundred giveaways from the bloggy carnival as well but with over 1300 of them, I gave up. It was also a busy week for me because I was an organizer for our annual Harvestfest at our church - it's a games and silent auction night on halloween. The girls had a great time playing games for candy and the event made a lot of money for our Gems & Cadets club. I also picked up some cute little boxes there to display fabric in and hope to get them and the rest of my shelving up in my sewing room when my hubby gets two days off next week.

The kitty is now loved by all three girls and is often treated like a baby, getting carried around and snuggled. She's found a couple hiding places for when she needs a break, and the early morning meowing when she's lonely I could do without; but it's going better than I expected.

Chicken dance

Well even my kids wanted to get in on the giveaways this week. They willingly learned and performed the chicken dance for a chance to win some aprons from the Apron Queen's Reviews. I'm hoping my little bakers win because they've already picked out their favorites - and WOW there is a lot of cute ones to pick from!

Another pumpkin patch fieldtrip . . .

Today was Chantel's turn for the pumpkin patch field trip. We saw apples, pumpkins, barn animals, tried some fresh apple juice, and had fun with all the preschoolers and their parents.

A kitten . . .

We've gone back and forth on this for a long time, and finally decided to get the girls a kitten. We are not big on indoor pets but don't want our oldest to be terrified of animals for life either. So far, so good. Both of the older girls love her and have been entertained by her all day so far. We're hoping to keep her downstairs in the laundry room and playroom for the most part but we'll see how that goes as she gets bigger.

Our toddler . . .

Today I found 13 pictures on my camera that must've been taken by Elayna of Alyssa. It seems that my 5 year old wants to be a photographer when she grows up . . . she's even mastered the ability to make a toddler sit still (something she won't do for me).

Alyssa has been walking for the past month or two now so she's a late walker (just like her big sisters) and suddenly she seems waaaay older and not a baby anymore. She's been picking up lots of words such as juice, baby, sock, shoe, Chantel, bye, night, Amen, and so on. She is SPOILED - but that's because she has two big sisters doting on her (and me too of course). She still tries to demand a bottle in the middle of the night but goes back to sleep if I tell her no and it's night-night time. She loves to get a laugh and can give a LOT of attitude at times. She's definitely a "little person" now, with a personality to go with it.

a Fall dress . . .

I bought this pattern a little while ago and decided to try it out this weekend. Since it's Fall, I paired it up with a pair of thrifted "skinny" jeans and added a matching cuff.

A charm skirt . . .

A couple of weeks ago I won a charm pack of 1974 Moda fabric from one of my favorite blogs and online quilt stores, Quilt Taffy. They have the best customer service, good prices, and quick shipping.

So I decided to turn the squares into a skirt for Elayna. I used this tutorial which was super easy and written by a very talented sewer. I picked up a blouse to go with it and it reminds me a bit of this outfit in her Etsy shop (only hers has an amazing embroidery job).

Chantel is 4!

Our Princess Ariel (as she'd like to be called) turned four yesterday. We had a house full of kids and Moms and she of course was spoiled. We've noticed some changes in our middle "baby" lately - she has become one of our better eaters (that is, if she stops talking long enough to eat) and has started caring for her toys and cleaning up after herself better. She's also quick to say "sorry" (and even sound like she means it), is competitive (turning things into a race or game is a great motivator for her), and is slowing learning patience (definitely her weakness). She's also turning into more of a cuddler lately and last night when she crawled into bed with us I realized that she doesn't squirm and kick like she used to - she just cuddled right into me and we slept till morning.

Pumpkin patch field trip . . .

Yesterday was Elayna (and my) first field trip. She got to pick out a pumpkin, meet some animals, go for a hay ride, and learn about apple orchards.

parenting . . .

So most of my time is spent parenting my three little ones (even though I choose not to share all the boring details here) and since school has started, I've been feeling more like a parent than ever. I guess that's because I now have to take part in the school stuff and the baby stuff all at the same time. School has been great for the older girls. Elayna is learning so much and loving every minute. And Chantel has no problem with me leaving the classroom (something we really struggled with in storyhour last year), she's practically shoving me out the door. And Alyssa still gets enough attention from her big sisters, and even has a cousin join us two days a week so there's no lack of attention there.

The only "problem" I guess you could call it, is that since Alyssa is the youngest, the older girls think they can still pick her up and often get a bit rough with her (she is only 10 pounds lighter than them so she's not the easiest to get what you want her to to do). Yesterday Chantel & Alyssa were "playing" on the couch when somehow Alyssa came tumbling off and her mouth hit the coffee table. A lot of blood, a call to the Nurseline, and a doctor's visit later it was determined that it's a small cut (that piece of skin that holds your upper lip to your gum is partially split) but it will heal on its own. If it had kept bleeding, she would have had to go for a couple stitches but that would have involved anesthesia and the whole works so it was recommended that we just leave it as is. So she had a bit of a rough day and woke up a few extra times last night. Here's a pic of her getting a cuddle from daddy when she woke up late last night.

Terry Fox Run . . .

I got to cheer Elayna on at the Terry Fox Run at her school today. Her class had to run around a track four times which was quite a distance for that age! She came in third of the girls in her class and had to get up in the front of the assembly with all the other top three runners. She had a great time and was very happy that she got a ride home today because she was exhausted afterwards.

This is why I HATE letting them play with scissors . . .

It always turns bad. In fact, this is probably the first time I've let them have scissors since that last time. And Chantel is soooo upset about it and doesn't understand why I can't fix it. I just don't understand why she would stand still long enough to let her sister do it. And the sister that did it is pointing the finger at the baby (yeah right!). And they were so nicely making cards at the table one minute (right beside me!) when it suddenly turned into this.

What I''ve been up to . . .

I've been fighting a stomach bug off and on for the past couple of weeks . . . I've been trying to remember to take my iron because I've been feeling really tired . . . I'm enjoying my quieter days now that kindergarten and preschool have started . . . I've done a little bit of sewing but not much . . . I've been watching my baby turn into a toddler.

First day of preschool . . .

Chantel had her first day of preschool today. She was so excited and kept asking when it was time to go. She picked out a pretty outfit and had her new backpack ready. I had to stay for the first class to help ease her into it and it probably wasn't necessary. She played very well - on her own, and a little bit with others; and not really caring if I was nearby or not. She was very quiet and seemed a bit shy around the other kids. She loved all the different activity stations - her favorites were the lite bright cube, playing "doctor" on the stuffed puppies, the class fish, playing with the dolls, and the rice and water tables. And there are a LOT more stations left to explore.

First day of Kindergarten . . .

My oldest daughter is at her first day of kindergarten today. It's quite a bit quieter around here. She's a very sweet child but between her and my middle child they can get into quite a bit of trouble. It's been really fun getting into the "back to school" stuff. And we went on a special shopping trip for clothes which is something we haven't done before. I'm really enjoying having girls so I can help them pick out things and relive some of my childhood (yes, I still like Barbies). Her daddy got to walk her to the busstop this morning so I wouldn't have to wake up the other girls. He said she was so excited to get on the bus that he managed to get a quick hug out of her and then she didn't even look back. So she's very excited and knows a bunch of kids in the class already so it should be a fun day for her. But do I wish I was sitting in the back of her classroom right now so I can watch her all day? YES!

My "baby" brother is married . . .

The wedding was yesterday - and it was beautiful (despite the pouring rain). ALL the kids walked down the aisle willingly (there were eight of them five and under)! Everyone looked amazing, the reception was lots of fun, and the best part - two wonderful people were married.