count your blessings, one by one

Here are my blessings. God gave me the greatest gifts! He's given me my salvation, my husband, and these great kids! My family is pretty awesome, too! Oh, yeah! And my friends... Gotta lova all of them! God is so good.

Pretty Fairy Princess Kaydence.
Rah, Rah, Rah! Go Kayden Grace!

Beautiful Bride, Kailey... Ummmmm, how bout we slow down, she's growing up so fast!

All of our girlies. Aren't they gorgeous?

And we wouldn't be complete without a runaway fairy bride... That's my girl, Kaelin!

Picnic, Anyone?

I made this quilt with the intent of using it as our picnic blanket. Yeah... The weather's changed, so it didn't make it outside this year. But... We have had two picnics inside, which have been worth it! Last weekend Nana was in town so we had Chinese food on the picnic blanket while watching Olivia. Tonight we had Mac and Cheese (or as Kaelin likes to call it, Monkey Cheese) and watched the new Tinkerbell movie. Love it! My girls get so excited when they see the quilt. They know what's coming when I put it on the floor. I love the little joys in life, don't you?

Sidenote: I don't know what the little smug is, sorry!

The Miscellaneousness of Life

I don't know how a month has gone by with nothing on the blog front. Oh well. Life I suppose has had other plans. Well, here are many pictures of very random events over the past month. I hope you enjoy!

This is Kayden reading her new AWANA book. She's doing so well with her verses. Her teachers are aware of her speech delay and they are willing to work with her. It's been great!

Remember Kayden's birthday dress? I had this pattern for pants, but I just didn't get them done for her birthday. I made these with the left over fabric from her dress. She LOVES them! They are super cute on her, too. I thought they were going to look a bit clownish, but they don't. They look very chic and boutique-ish! She gets lots of comments on this outfit whenever she wears it.


I decided I needed to find something to do with the girls that would keep them occupied for a few minutes at least. I dyed some pasta with food coloring then let the pasta air dry. I figured the girls could make necklaces that they could wear (but couldn't eat!). They loved the idea. For some reason, though, Kaelin is much more coordinated putting the "beads" on the string than Kayden is. Don't you love Kaelin's outfit?? She is very into dressing up as a princess, as you can see. She was making this necklace for Nana Susan when she was in town this past weekend. She got very focused on making this necklace. Don't you love her concentration?

And lastly, this is Kaelin helping her sister put beads on the string. Kayden was much more interested in getting her picture taken.

Up, Up, and Away!

We braved the Balloon Races again this year. I made muffins, got all the blankets ready, had sippy cups filled and ready to go, and the girls warm clothes laid out so we could leave bright and early. As much as I wanted to go, a little part of me craved the warmth of my bed and the comfort of home....And 4:00am is REALLY early in the morning to get up and get the girlies ready! However, life decided to make the decision for me. Kayden woke up at 3:50am with a nightmare which in turn woke Kaelin up. I figured it was meant to be that we go to the races this year. We were ready and out of the house by 4:20am. Fun stuff, huh? Kayden was fascinated by the balloons... Kaelin on the other hand was, well, not so happy to be there. We found out the night before that she was teething, two fat molars! Not fun, I tell ya! So, suffice it to say, when the sun finally decided to grace us with it's presence, Kaelin was done. Ready to go home. Finis! We had some "quality time" with cousins, Auntie, and Uncle and then we called it quits. I had to attend a CPR class right after we left the races, so suffice it to say, it was a REALLY long day for us. To top it off, we almost went to the Camel Races in Virgina City, but, well, that would have been a crazy thing to do, so we all came home and took naps. Much better than smelly ol' camels!

You can see more of the balloon races here.

One Last Hoorah

Yeadon took this past weekend off and it's been great! He needed the break and we all needed some family fun. Yead and I decided to go to Tahoe for our one and only visit of the season. The girls were soooo excited. We stopped at a local corner market store where all the summer accoutrements were 90% off... Yep, I got sand toys, water noodles, and squirt guns for just pennies. The snacks cost more than the toys! Anyway, we made the trip up the mountain and within an hour were looking at the beautiful scene of Lake Tahoe. We drove to the beach where we needed to pay for parking. I was smart. Got cash at the market.... However, the money taker person was not available to break our $20 in order for us to have change for the $8 fee... so we had to "donate" the extra $12 to "Keep Tahoe Blue." Yep, not so smart on my part. Whatever. We loaded up all of our gear and got to the beach. Kaelin, my oh-so-fearless child, ran right to the water without taking off her clothes. Luckily, we reached her in time before she dove head first in the water. The water was not nearly as cold as I thought it would be, which I was very thankful for. We decided to walk out as far as the girls could go, just to see how deep the water was. Not too deep, but deep enough that we made sure that our daredevil wouldn't go walking out by herself. We played in the sand, tried to catch the little fish that were everywhere, and tried to chase the squirrels whom Kealin named "Tika" (for those of you who don't watch Dora the Explorer, this is the name of one of the characters on the show.) Overall, it was a FABULOUS time and we loved every second of it. Maybe next year we won't wait until the end of the season to enjoy the wonderfulness of Tahoe!

You may be wondering why Yead's wearing his shirt while in the water?? Because he's a VERY WHITE man and he would not have been happy with the burn he probably would have gotten.

FYI: If you would like to see a video of our time at the beach, check out this link.

Woven and Spun

We love all things homemade and handmade in our home. I have been SO very productive in that capacity since having my surgery a month and a half ago. Quilt tops, clothes for the girls, gifts for other little girls... It's been a sewing extravaganza in this home. I've loved it! That's one of the reasons the blog side of things has been so quiet... I've been creating!
Auntie Nikki made this pillowcase dress for Kaelin's birthday. She loves it! Whenever she puts it on she says "Aunti Nikki dress." :) I made this dress for Kayden out of a vintage looking skirt of mine. It never fit me the right way, so I thought I'd repurpose it and this is the result. Love it. I used a pattern and had the lining material on hand so it didn't cost a penny to make. Love it when THAT happens.
This is one of my new favorite hairstyles for Kaden. It's a ponytail, turned inside itself, then seperated into three parts. These parts are then braided into three braids and the three braids are then braided together. Soooooo pretty!

Good Morning World!

This was the view at the kitchen table this morning... Fun times, fun times!

Yep, that's Kaelin's elephant towel draped on the back of the chair and on her head. Have a great day!

Riding the Rails

Yeadon and I took the girls up the road to Virginia City a few weeks ago. Virginia City is our local piece of history. It was originally the capital of Nevada during the gold rush years. It is now a quaint little town, resplendent with one of the oldest schools still standing in the US and the "Bucket of Blood Saloon." Fun stuff, fun stuff! Anyway, we decided to ride the steam train on it's 30 minute tour of Virginia City. The girls had fun and so did Mama and Daddy. We just found out that the train will now run from Virginia City to Carson City... Won't that be a fun day trip for the fam??

My Loves

God has so richly blessed my life and I just had to share some picts of my loves...

Changes are Coming...

This is a month of changes for our family. I can just feel it! I had to get another epidural last week and I'm just praying that this one lasts forever. If not, one a year isn't too bad, right? Yeadon had Lasik done last week, too. The running joke between us is "Hey, you can see now, huh?" to which Yeadon replies, "I can see! I can see!" Mind you, he always wore glasses or contacts, but without either he was truly vision impaired. And lastly, I will be having a surgery at the end of the month that will hopefully change my life forever. It's pretty personal for details on the web, and if I haven't already explained it to you, well, give me a call and then I'll give you the details. But suffice it to say... Our God is big and His plans for our lives are always amazing.

As for the new do... Well, I got my hair cut a few weeks ago and I just wasn't pleased with the way it was growing out. So, I made an impulse call to my stylist and this is what came of the visit. I LOVE it! So much fun and I feel sexy.... Hey, a mom of a three year old and a two year needs to get her perks somewhere, right??

She's only two, but....

Sometimes I wonder about God's sense of humor. Kaelin turned two last month (pictures coming.) How is it that my sweet little girl has turned into a terror? I love her, I really do, but GOODNIGHT! She was energetic, yes. Smart, no doubt. Headstrong, I'll give you that. But... A total transformation has come over this child and I don't know what to do. Example: Yeadon and I were going to go out to eat the other night to a new restaurant. We had to LEAVE the establishment because of embarassament over our child! She was literally climbing on EVERYTHING! ::Sigh:: Such is life with a two year old AND a three year old... This too shall pass, yes??

On to happier things... Belated 2nd birthday pictures!

Since we were unable to give Kaelin a birthday party last year due to my back, we kinda splurged this year. We went to pizza at our favorite pizza place and I got Kaelin a very fancy birthday cake from a VERY yummy bakery. We had friends and family join us, and it was a delightful time.

Yeadon made Kaelin this birthday hat. He felt that since I made Kayden a birthday crown, he needed to make Kaelin something. I think it is just fabulous.

We also decided to convert Kaelin's crib into a "big girl" bed. She loved climbing in it and playing in it; however, the sleeping part didn't come so easily. We still have to lay with her until she gets close to falling asleep. The first few nights she would play in the girls' room until she crashed somewhere on the floor. One night I found her curled up in the corner of the room with her blanket and pillow, and she was sleeping on the feet of the rocking chair. My poor girl. We're getting there, we're getting there...

Belated First Day of School

Sorry about not getting pictures up earlier of Kayden's first day of school. I didn't think that once a kiddo started school life would be even MORE hectic than it already was... Now I know! Kayden goes to school from 12:40pm to 3:15pm Monday thru Thursday. Honestly, this is a REALLY inconvenient time for us! We usually do nap time around 12:00pm, so you can see how this school schedule makes it a little difficult. The first day we picked Kayden up she was out like a light the moment she got into the car. Thankfully next year she is in the morning class so she will still be able to have a "rest time" after lunch.

For the princess...

Here's something just for the princess! I have been eyeing this fabric for months, but it just wasn't cheap enough for me. When it went on sale for $1.99 a yard, I couldn't pass it up! I am so pleased with this nightgown! The moment Kayden saw it she called it her "princess night night." Perfect, wouldn't you say??

For me...

Here's something just for me! I have been wanting to make myself something since I've been making something for everyone else. I LOVE this dress! It is sooooo comfortable and fun. I also changed my hair... I had to compromise with Yead though... I went blonde (for him) and short (for me).

Sacramento Zoo

We decided to take the girls to the Sacramento Zoo the day after Kayden's birthday. Yeadon's sister and her family couldn't make it up to Reno for the party, so they wanted to meet us at the zoo to celebrate with Kayden. Yeadon's dad came with us, so it was a pretty packed truck with me sitting in the backseat between the two carseats!!! Yeah... don't think I'll be doing that again anytime soon!

I know there aren't many pictures of the day... sorry! The animals weren't very cooperative, and neither were the girls! Such is life! We also went to a place right next door to the zoo called Fairytale Land... no pictures from there either! The girls were DONE by that point, so we called it a day. Overall, it was a good day spent with family... but, by the time we got home I was glad it was over!

THE LOOT

Here's an upclose pic of Kayden's crown... Now I just get to make three more! One for each girl in our family who has a birthday coming up...

Here are the dollies that I made Kayden and the carrying case they go in... Yes... I did make the clothes too!

And here is our princess! She wore this dress to school this week... The first thing one of the little boys said when she walked in: "Wow! She looks just like a princess!" You can bet Kayden was on cloud nine after that!