Not a baby anymore

This is a picture of Lizzie's first piggy tails!

My sweet little Lizzie seems to be growing up. A couple of months ago, it's like she went to bed a baby and woke up a little girl, so full of personality and new skills. She's talking and running and playing with other kids. Expressing herself, learning manners and EATING! She's finally eating! I don't meant to say she didn't before but it's like she really eats now. She finishes everything we give her and wants more without throwing everything on the floor. She's been drinking pediasure for at least a year now because she wasn't gaining any weight. I hope that's about to change. (By the way, she can say pediasure and it's really cute.)She's starting to tell stories and share things she remembers doing. I gave her a compliment, "Lizzie you look so cute," and she said "thank you." It was so sweet! I should mention she still doesn't have hair. Haha, poor girl.

Binki Free

Or free of the binki for yet another child. Lizzie gave up the binki about a week ago. It wasn't planned but it was time. She and Edin played in the toilet water with pee in it. Unfortunately her binki took a swim so bye bye binki. We had her put it in the garbage herself and told her it was gone forever because it got pee on it. The first nap was a challenge but not terrible. Night time was okay, a few more tears. The second nap was great. The first few days she actually seemed to sleep longer. Coincidence? Perhaps. But I'll take it. She does wake up in the middle of a nap a little sad, perhaps missing the binki, but manages to calm down and sleep some more. Only occasionally does she put William's in her mouth. Just experimenting though.

"Oh no, we lost another binki. Oh fine, let's open a new one. She needs to get to sleep." Then one day, "whoa, look at how many I found around the house." And yet, how do they all get lost again? I had to take a picture of them all together one time because it was so crazy.

Good bye sweet binki faced girl. I'll miss you.

Happy 4th of July

We had a really great weekend! I got excited for this holiday by making shirts for my family. Here's a look.
Lizzie and I got ruffles, Edin and William had straight lines. James was merciful. I asked if he wanted me to make one and he basically said he knew it would stress me out to make another one.


I decided to make these shirts on Friday. I saw the tutorial on one of my favorite blogs, Make it and love it. I was hoping to get them done for the family BBQ on Saturday but man, I was still elbow deep in this project Saturday morning. I stayed up until 5a Sunday morning finishing them so we could wear them to the Mantua family party.
I learned so much from this project.
--First, I went to the DI to get shirts to cut up. I'm not totally certain it was cheaper than buying, say, a third of a yard of fabric at a fabric store but the blue and red shirts were only a dollar. And I can never find the right "t-shirt" fabric at JoAnn's.
--Second, I've never used "Wonder Under" fusible webbing before. It's this iron on stuff you use for applicas. I used it to keep the strips and blue squares from moving around while I was sewing them. I guess I need some practice because I either ironed the stuff too little or too much. It was hard to separate the fabric and paper stuff. Then, it didn't really stick very well; the corners got bent while I was sewing.
--The third thing I learned was to make ruffles. I hope to sew straighter next time.
--And the fourth thing was using a stabalizer when I was sewing T shirt material on a t-shirt. Lizzie's ruffles got all bunched up underneath so I used a napkin on the back and sewed through it all. I admit it was difficult for me and I spent way too many hours doing it but I really like accomplishing something so cute and festive!

Now on the festivities. There was a BBQ at Bill's Saturday. We brought our swimming suits. I was the only adult with my swimming suit on and I didn't hold back. I ran through the sprinklers with the kids and I think they really had fun. The we all hopped in the hot tub and Edin and Lizzie thought it was so fun!


Sunday we traveled up to Mantua for the Bigler family BBQ. Yummy food, good games, and wonderful company. We play volleyball every year. They played for two hours this year!!

I like this picture of Lizzie because she's wearing her cute shirt but you can't tell at all!


On Monday we had a picnic for Family Home Evening at a Park here in Provo. We played t-ball, soccer and played on the playground equipment. I loved creating these memories with my children.
This is William's first "captured" smile. I'm in love!