Gifts for my Girl

Someone has a birthday coming soon.

And in honor of that little someone...

I have made a couple of heartfelt, handmade gifts.

(so glad I finished before the big day!)

The night before Aspen was born, I was up late.

I know, what's new? I'm always up late.

But, with good reason (usually).

That particular night, I was doing an experiment -

I wanted to find a way to make cute baby shoes, for her.

(and I did - remember?)

Well, to honor the year mark, I had to make her another pair.

They will go with her Birthday dress (it's super beautiful!)

Satin, pink, flowers...oh-so-girly.

Having a girl, in a way, brought out the girl in me.

(Can you believe I formerly hoped for only boys?)

When she was born, a new part of me was born.

(no...I still don't wear makeup more than 1/10 of the time...)

The sewing part of me was born. Who knew?

It's the part of me that wants to make beautiful things

especially for her.

Handmade dresses, shoes - and toys.

I actually got the pattern for this Happy Stacker a long time ago, even before I had a sewing machine. Now, I admit to being somewhat of a "rebel" when it comes to sewing (and a few other things) - for instance, I don't usually mark things, or pin things - I just kind of eye it and wing it - ie. the shoes. But for this project, I had to follow the pattern to the "T". It was tricky (think of making a donut and turning it inside out). But I did it. It was a labour of love, just for her. Thank you to Jacob for playing with the kids all of last Sunday afternoon so I could be sure and finish it in time for her birthday.

I've never considered myself super sentimental. As a minimalist, I don't usually hang on to a lot of sentimental "stuff" anyway. But I've found I want to hang on to more than I used to. I want to save just a little for her, of these special things I am making her - gifts from the heart.

There is no way she will appreciate these gifts now...but I hope that one day, she will look back and know that love comes in words, and deeds. And in her case, maybe, some loving stitches and sparkely new Birthday shoes.

I can't believe she's about to be one!

Let us eat cake {Martha Stewart's Ruffle Cake}

Hooray!

I did it!

(even if it was a day late)

I have been wanting to make this cute little cake forever. And I am not, let me say that again, N.O.T. a baker. Although, ever since I got this for Christmas, I have had the urge to spend more time in the kitchen :-)

So...I originally wanted to make this cake for Aspen's birthday, but since we are not doing her birthday party at home, the venue doesn't have a kitchen, and the cake obviously wouldn't travel well, I decided, instead, to make it for my own birthday.

(yesterday, it was)

We're eating it tonight! Why not just let the 6 days between me and Aspen's birthdays just be one looooooong celebration?! Hooray!

NOTES FROM MY EXPERIMENT (should you want to try):
I didn't have 3 6" baking dishes, so I just had to be creative. I baked two 8" rounds and then the day got away from me and by the time we picked Jacob up from work it was just too late to finish the cake. So, I baked 2 more 8" rounds this morning. (don't worry, we had a nice treat at dinner and I was the one who begged Jacob to let me make my own cake this year). Anyway, I ended up just cutting an inch from around the perimeter of 3 of the cakes, and I cut the last one into two mini circles - to save for a mini version on Aspen's "real" birthday. Am I boring you yet? I totally cheated. I used Trader Joe's cake mix (it tastes homemade). I did do Martha's buttercream frosting, but was interrupted by Sawyer and it turned out *ok* so I added a tiny bit of confectioner's sugar to thicken it up a bit. It is so-not-good-for-you (but it definitely tastes good!) Oh, also, it is okay to be generous with your "ruffles". I was worried I would run out of frosting, but I had some to spare. For a first try, I think it turned out, well, pretty darling. Almost too cute to eat!

Alligator Adventures

The day after Disney, a handful of us (our family, my twin sister, and our parents) headed out for a nice drive to the headwaters of the Everglades to go on an airboat tour. Admitedly, this is the activity Jacob had most been looking forward to. I was excited too - I think we all agreed it exceeded our expectations - it was awesome! Something real amidst all of the "magic" attractions that Orlando has to offer. We were NOT disappointed...

I had contacted the captain of our boat ahead of time and he said we "might" see a 'gator or two. We saw TONS! From baby 'gator's to "BIG BUBBA" (16 feet long!) we saw lots of them plus beautiful local and some endangered bird species as well. Not to mention the pretty awesome boat ride - I had never even seen an air boat before. It is amazing you can glide - fast - atop only inches of water. It's noisy, and windy - hence our gear - but OH SO FUN! I am positive this is something Sawyer will remember for a very long time! And so will we!

So...if you're ever in the Orlando area - check out Kissimmee Swamp Tours - they don't lie when they say it's worth the drive. It's pretty funky to see cows grazing under palm trees, too, on the drive out ;)

PS - the captain never once said a word about me randomly jumping out of my seat every few moments to try to get closer to the alligators. My dad kept saying "get a good head shot!" I sure tried!

One Magical Day

I am gonna take these vacay posts one at a time.

First off -

We spent one day at Disney's Magic Kingdom (thanks Mom & Dad!).

To be honest, I wasn't sure how much the kidlets would enjoy our day there, since they are so little, but, as it turns out, they quite enjoyed it. And so did we!

You know you're a grown up/parent when...

You honest to goodness get a thrill from watching your kids enjoy the "kiddie" rides

much much more

than going on any of the more exciting "big kid" rides yourself.

Some of my siblings were nice enough to do "fast passes" for us for some of the more "thrilling" rides at the park.

But honestly, I didn't enjoy those rides all that much. Don't get me wrong, they were fun and I appreciated going on a ride or two with Jacob beside me. BUT.

What I liked most, was letting Sawyer be our guide.

First stop: The Race Car Track!

Aunt Tia let him drive and I annoyed the other drivers by stopping ahead of them to snap a pic of my boy in the drivers' seat.

(too bad you could hardly see his head - he had the biggest smile!)

Daddy and Aspen waited and cheered as we passed by!

We also visited The Enchanted Tiki Room

Pirates of the Carribbean

Big Thunder Mountain

Winnie the Pooh

The Haunted Mansion

Space Mountain

The Mad Tea Party

It's a Small World

and

The Liberty Square Riverboat

The only attraction we didn't get to, but would've liked to, was Tom Sawyer's Island (we did see a lot of it from our ride on the riverboat, however). I wanted to take Sawyer there so he could run around and wrec havoc with a charming grin like his namesake ;-) But he does that most every day, anyway.

Everything got even more magical when it got dark outside.

Cinderella's castle was all lit up and changing colors, and the lights twinkled all around us.

Our favorite rides were these:

Sawyer - The Indy Speedway

Mommy - Pirates of the Carribbean

Daddy & Aspen - It's a Small World

and we all enjoyed the ride on the Steamboat.

I have to add that Aspen was ADORABLE during It's a Small World. She kept pointing at the dolls and saying "eh eh!" She looooved it.

We stayed to watch the fireworks go off over the Castle.

By the time we rode the tram back to our car, both kids were zonked out. Such a busy day for such little people. Who knows if they'll remember it years from now? Hopefully these few pics I snapped will help. I've got to admit, as cheesy sometimes as Disney can be - there really is something magical about that place. I'm not sure if it's really "The Happiest Place on Earth" - seemed to me there were a lot of kids who were overstimulated or intimidated by some of the rides. But it sure made for one fun day. Thanks again, Mom & Dad!

we're back!

We made it home Tuesday from a much-needed, much-appreciated (thanks Mom & Dad!) little vacay in sunny/warm Orlando, Florida. We spent time with my family - yes, everyone minus my youngest sister was there (we missed you Jamie!) FIFTEEN GRANDKIDS now, and counting! We also spent time on the beach, in a boat, and in the pool. Of course who goes to Orlando without also visiting for a day with Mickey Mouse & Co.? Of course, I took some pictures of our adventures! For the most part, I am rarely in pictures since I am generally the one taking them...but as I was uploading the loot to our computer, I found a handful that Jacob took of me and Aspen at Cocoa Beach. I thought I'd post one with me in it for a change. I love it: warm, sandy beach. adorably cute baby. lottsa love and lottsa good times happening right there. (and notice our swimsuits even coordinate -- I am such a dork, I tell ya, always trying to coordinate with my girly!)

Okay, so that's fair warning that you can expect a picture overload at some point in the near future. In between birthday parties, that is! We've got so much celebrating to do! January is going to be anything but glum in our house!

1.12.2011(today)=4

FOUR YEARS

already?

Time flies when you're having fun.

(and there's lots more fun to come!)

HAPPY 4th ANNIVERSARY JACOB!!!!

XOXO,

your pigeon