Forever?

Yes, I know it has been FOREVER since I updated (you all keep reminding me.) We've been really busy although I'm not really sure where all of my time goes. This post will be in the form of several posts because Picasa will only upload so many photos at once and it is a lot faster than doing them one at a time. So, without and further adieu, here are a few pics of what we have been up to:


We went to McGarrah farms in Pea Ridge and picked pumpkins and took a hayride. Sydney was pretty excited and finally chose a green pumpkin (that turned orange in one spot once we brought it home.) Of course, we had to pick a very heavy pumpkin from the patch that was the greatest distance away. Dad got the honor of pulling all three of us, plus two pumpkins in the cart. Sydney was really excited about the clippers she got to use to cut her pumpkin from the vine, and all of the pumpkin plants were well groomed when we left.





Elle enjoyed it too, and Sydney picked a nice orange pumpkin for her.


For some reason, Sydney was dead in this picture (how many smiling dead people do you see??)



These were my favorites- I just love them. David said he'd buy me one, but I said that it was ok and I didn't need one. He gave me a long lecture about how if I wanted one, get one because he would NOT be driving back. I took a picture and promised that would suffice.

Pumpkin Carving

My mom and dad were here for pumpkin carving (after Mom locked her keys in her truck Dad had to drive the two and a half hours to come and get them out.) Good thing they were here, too because I'm pretty sure we never would've managed to carve two pumpkins with two kids. We definitely aren't parents cut out for a slew of kids - man-to-man defense is all we've got. Sorry girls, you're it.


Here is Elle's pumpkin, carved by yours truly. I traced her hands on the pumpkin and then cut them out.



Sydney and Daddy did hers and she decided it needed to be painted blue. We've never heard of painting a pumpkin blue, but Sydney usually picks the road less traveled.



And here, our "traditional" family shot. I'm not sure how we got into the habit of taking a family photo with our pumpkins every year, but it is neat to see how Sydney has grown from year to year.

At our house, we definitely get our money's worth out of our Halloween costumes. We had our ward party, Sydney's ballet party, trick or treating at Wyeth, and of course actual Halloween.

At Sydney's preschool they did a fall celebration and the kids were supposed to wear black and orange. Well over a month before that I found a super cute candy corn print fabric that I just knew would make a really cute dress. Being the procrastinator I am, I started sewing the pillowcase dress at 9 p.m. the night before the party. But, Sydney loved it.




For Halloween Sydney decided to be a cheerleader (after going back and forth between Tinkerbell, a princess, and Mulan.) She loved her costume and loved trick-or-treating. For my little chatterbox, it wasn't so much about the candy, but about getting to knock on a million doors and talk to everyone.



Elle was a pepper, which went along great with her nickname since birth, "Ellepeno." She didn't mind her costume, and spent the actual night sleeping (I think she felt like she was in her swaddle.)

Chilli CookOff

We had our ward chilli cookoff the weekend before Halloween. I finally was brave enough to try making chilli again after the "Cinnamon Chilli" fiasco of 2006. (Long story, but I grabbed the wrong bottle and added cinnamon instead of chilli powder.) So, Sydney and my mom helped me chop and add ingredients to the chilli. I have to say I was the proud winner of the "mild" category. Notice that Sydney is holding a chilli powder bottle, and definitely not cinnamon.



Here is our trunk all decorated for trunk-or-treat.

Soccer ends

After six weeks of soccer, we are finished. I loved coaching and it helped me fill a void and make the transition to being a full-time stay-at-home mom. Sydney did great, minus a few pouting episodes (ok, two a practice.) It was so fun to see the kids learn each week, and of course I can't complain about the hugs either.

"Back up boys, this is my goal"






Soccer is hard work.

Big Sister

So, Washington Regional has this silly policy that no one under the age of 12 can visit new babies unless they are a sibling. Sydney has been DYING for baby Caleb to get here, so we had to figure out a way to let her see him. Two days later just wouldn't work with her. So, Ben decided that just because Caleb was Chay's first baby, didn't mean that it had to be his first. Here is big sister Sydney with her half-sibling for the day, Caleb. Isn't he cute! She was so excited and she even got a button that says I'm a Big Sis. She even played along with Ben being her "pretend dad" for the day.



Elle is growing up so fast. She is closer to seven months than six, which absolutely breaks my heart. She is sitting up independently, which makes it much easier to move her from room to room with me during the day. This kid does NOT like to be by herself. She is perfectly content sitting and playing as long as someone else is in the room with her. The second she realizes she is alone she SCREAMS. So, she gets toted everywhere (which I totally realize is only encouraging this behavior, but what can I do?) Along with the joy of sitting up goes getting to ride in the grocery cart vs. her car seat. Can I just say that I am PUMPED about that?? I love not toting that heavy car seat. Most of the time Elle has been in the Moby wrap at the store and everywhere else we went. It makes life so much easier, especially when chasing Sydney. But, the one drawback is that I haven't built my arms up to carrying the car seat like I did with Sydney. I'm seriously such a wimp when it comes to carrying it, not to mention that Elle is almost the size at 6.5 months that Sydney was a 1 year. But, darn she is cute!

Finally, I got her bath shot. I have a cute picture of Sydney as a baby when bathing with bubbles all over and it sits in my kitchen. I told David that if you looked at the pictures around our house you'd never know that Elle is a part of the family. Finally, I printed this picture and it is on the kitchen counter next to Sydney. So, after 6.5 month, welcome to the family, Elle.

And here is one of my favorite pictures - Elle and Sydney curled up napping together. They really are best buddies and I dread the day they learn to team up against me, because I'm in for it.

Where did September go?

Yikes! Time flies and lately life has been CRAZY! Over the last month I have lost/quit my job, started Sydney in preschool, ran (ok, ran and walked) a 5K, oh and had the official Ear Infection Extravaganza of 2008.




So, a bunch of us ladies at church ran/walked a 5K for the NWA Children's Shelter on Labor Day. It was a lot of fun and I accomplished my goal - I didn't finish last. It took me 45 minutes and some seconds, so since I'm such an over-achiever, I'll make my goal for next year to finish in under 45.

We also went to Bella Vista and went hiking one day, which is the waterfall picture.



Next, Elle started solid foods. My plan was to wait until 6 months, mostly because I'm lazy and HATE the time it takes to feed a baby. Well, Elle had other ideas, was reaching for our food, so alas, she is getting solids. Here are a few pictures from her first food - Malt-o-Meal. She LOVED it. I however, have found that it is very messy, but I can't bring myself to feed her that nasty, nasty baby cereal. She has since moved on to yummier options like applesauce and avocados. I also can't bring myself to feed her regular baby food, so we are making it for her instead.



Sydney started preschool at the Christian Soildiers Preschool and loves it. She is in Mrs. Char's class. When I ask her what she learned she usually replies, "nothing." I'm glad to know my money is going to a place where she learns nothing. (Shh...don't tell her, but I've heard her singing her days of the week and months of the year along with a myriad of other things she didn't know a month ago.) But, seeing how she is learning nothing, I at least hope she is having a good time.





We also found a pick-your-own raspberry farm, and I had no idea how yummy fresh raspberries taste! These are a special crop that are grown as a fall crop. We picked 12 pints with help from grandma (who came up to help me because I was sick.) Elle yelled (she was in a front carrier) when she realized we were eating the raspberries and she wasn't. She loved them, and we gave her lots of taste tests. If we ever went too long and forgot, she let us know. We now have a ton of raspberry jam (which has more sugar than raspberries) and some frozen raspberries. We will be going with some of David's co-workers to the same farm to a pick-your-own pumpkin patch this Friday.

Elle had the mother of all ear infections all month long, but I think we're finally over it. In the process of being up at night with her, I got sick.

Me+ no sleep = sick

Elle and I spent a good amount of time sleeping in the chair night and day. Thanks, Mom for coming up and helping out the last couple of weeks.

The Napping Bird

A couple of weeks ago my parents brought up a twin size bed for Sydney, who was still sleeping with Mom or Dad. (Bad, I know, I know - I'm just a spineless jellyfish)

So, thanks to an idea from another mom at a playdate at the park, the Napping Bird has been visiting our house. The Napping Bird only comes when you are napping, and if you wake up and get out of bed, he goes away. The reason you want the napping bird to come is that he leaves you treats.

On the first night, the Napping Bird left a yummy chocolate that happens to be "her" favorite treat on Sydney's pillow. I woke up to "Mommy, Mommy, look what the napping bird brought me!" So, she ate her chocolate. A few minutes later she said she needed to write the Napping Bird a thank you note. I'm thinking, what a polite little girl - I've done such a great job. I get her a card, she "writes" in it and then I asked her what it said. She read, "Dear Napping Bird, Thanks for the chocolate but I really like suckers." So, that afternoon this Napping Bird went promptly to Wal-Mart and retrieved a bag of suckers.

Scaring it dead

On a walk several weeks ago Sydney was playing with a Praying Mantis. Daddy was playing with her and growling. She promptly said, "Daddy, quit. You are going to scare him dead!"

This made me laugh

If nursing in public bothers you, feel free to cover your head with a blanket and finish your meal in the bathroom.

Missing Bear

Well, this week Sydney is doing the central Arkansas tour and visiting grandparents. I thought this would be a great time to get lots of house projects done since I would be down to just one kid to take care of. Here it is Friday morning, and I'm still not dressed or showered, although I have managed to eat a bowl of Rasin Bran. Sydney's room is in worse shapte than it was when she left, my closet is still not cleaned out, and oh, the house is a wreck. Yep, that whole easier to take care of one kid is a fluke. It turns out, Sydney is a much bigger helper than I ever realized. She stinkin' entertains Elle all day and keeps her happy. With Sydney gone, Elle isn't as content to sit alone. All of the times that I've told Sydney to get out of Elle's face - yeah, I think I was wrong. Elle actually LIKES it. She is definitely missing her big sister and I am, too. I've definitely enjoyed some alone time with Elle and think it has been good for her, but the house is so QUIET! Right now Elle is watching "Baby Eimpstein" as Sydney calls it, be she definitely likes watching it with Big Sister much better. We miss you Little Bear! You're such a great big sister.

Elle's Blessing

Well, now that Elle is three months old, we decided we'd better get her blessed or she'd be too big to hold. We had a ton of family and friends that came and were excited to have every one be a part of the special day. David said Elle just smiled up at him the entire time he was blessing her. She's such a happy kid, and I'm sure that this will follow her throughout her life and she will be loved by many because of it. We feel so blessed to have her be a part of our family. We love you Elle!

Branson Trip

The last week of July me and the girls spent a couple of days in Branson with my grandma, Nanny, and my sister, Stacey. Nanny usually takes me every year for my birthday, but I wasn't quite up for the trip in June, so we took it now. On the way up we stopped for a potty break in Eurkea Springs where Sydney got to look through the telescope which she thought was pretty cool. She also got a kazoo. Note to self: no more kazoos (especially the metal ones) on road trips. We also came home with an amazingly annoying rainbow colored pig named Piggy Bank. He snort and walks. Now, this is usually the type of toy I avoid, but Sydney was so excited about it that I really couldn't resist. She talked about it the whole time we were eating dinner, so I slipped back over to the shop and bought it for her. She was a very happy little girl, walking on all fours through the middle of the mall with Piggy bank. Another really cool thing we did was visit the Butterfly Palace. When we walked in and Sydney saw all of the butterflies flying around she was so excited that she was literally squealing with delight. There were hundreds, and even as an adult I thought it was really neat. Elle of course, slept through it.


We also went to the Noah show, which Sydney loved. The theatre was really pretty and it was cool to see all of the animals. Thankfully they had a cry room, where Elle and I spent the last half of the show because I couldn't find her pacifier in the dark. Another vote for mother of the year. Sydney left with a souvineer of an umbrella - the kid is obsessed with rain.


It was a really fun trip and I really enjoyed spending time with my family.

I'm back....

Well, needless to say, July was a busy month for us. We spent the 4th down in Morrilton where I got some fun pictures of the girls. It doesn't get any more American that Watermelon on the 4th of July. Also, there is the picture we like to refer to as "Elle for President" (I'm sure she'd do as good as either of the Bozos we have to pick from.) We were supposed to get to watch "Papa's Rock Band" as Sydney refers to it, known to the rest of us as Relic, but the weather had other ideas in mind. So, instead we went down to green thumb and shot fireworks. David and Ben decided it would be a good idea to put a sparkler bomb inside of a tube. The result - a really loud ear ringing bang. We were about a mile away in the car (I decided that wasn't good for little ears) and it shook the windows of our car.

Elle also got to meet her Great-Great-Grandmother for the first time that weekend. Not many kids get to do that!

Then, there was the introduction of Elle to her Bumbo seat (If you don't have one GO GET ONE! They really do rock.) Sydney prefers to pretend that it is a beauty salon, hence the blanket draped over Elle and the brush. And yes, we had a LONG talk about how it was only pretend and that no scissors should enter the "pretend beauty shop."

So, there is a quick rundown of the first part of the month. If you haven't noticed, my etsy shop is up and running which is why I have been so behind on blogging. But, it is a nice hobby and I'll ride it while it lasts. I have set up a separate blog for my etsy shop - bugabeardesigns.blogspot.com

Things I've made

Fabric Choices

My etsy store is up and running...yea! I just need a place to post my fabric choices, so I guess this will be it.

Our Fun Day

Since this week is the Fourth of July, I decided that I should pretend like it is my vacation and take the girls to do lots of fun things. Today we went to story time at the Springdale Library, then to the Jones Center for a picnic and swimming. After that we came home for a little while and got a few things done in the house (not vacation!) We then went to tour the fire station with a bunch of kids from our ward. We had 30 kids there, not counting the babies. It was a little crazy since most of the kids were younger. But, Sydney had fun and we got some cute pictures. She had planned on asking a lot of questions, but got shy once she got there.


Thanks, Jen for organizing this and to Firemen Mick and Kyle for putting up with our brood.

Fireworks and Family Home Evening

David decided it would be fun to get a couple of families together and do FHE. So, everyone came to our house and we did a lesson and then LOTS of fireworks. There were 192 sparklers, 9 kids,3 babies, one burnt foot and not nearly enough adults.

Sydney of course, was queen bossy. For some reason, whenever I teach a group of kids she thinks that automatically entitles her to be the teacher, too. (This is the main reason she CANNOT be in my class at school - it just doesn't work.) All during the lesson I keep hearing, "Boys, look at me. See how I'm folding my arms. Shhh. Sit like me." So, yeah - I never expect to go to a parent teacher conference and here that she is getting in trouble following others. I'm sure however, that I will be told that she is a little (ok, a lot) bossy with the other kids.

But, back to the fireworks. I'm pretty sure the dads had twice as much fun as the kids - and I think the kids had a pretty good time! It was a fun night and a great way to kick off the 4th of July week. My favorite thing was watching how differently little boys and little girls act with sparklers.

Little Girls: "Look I'm a fairy/ princess/ ballerina."

Little Boys: "Hmm, I wonder if this piece of paper will burn."