Sew, here it goes...

First of all, sorry grandparents - we have been up to alot and I have plenty of pictures to post, just haven't had time to do it yet. We just spent an interesting weekend in Farmington/St. Genevieve - hopefully I'll get to posting about that in the next day or two.

However, here is one of the things we have been busy doing...The machine had been threaded for weeks (thanks to the support of the in-laws - who really just sat there while I figured it out, but just having a posse sitting there gave me courage). I got up my nerve to wind the bobbin. I found this pattern for a really easy skirt months ago and printed it out. I finally just swallowed hard and gave it a try - and here is the outcome:




















Granted, it is a little big and if you look really close a lot of the stitching is crooked, but I did it. The fabric is one of Mike's old shirts and the ribbon came on one of the gifts I got for Olivia when she was born (anyone recognize it?). She wore it all day - christening it with pizza sauce and marker. I couldn't be happier - or more pumped to start the next one!

Deep Thoughts by Olivia McBride

While painting this morning, Olivia was talking to herself (or maybe me, I don't know I was busy making a grocery list) about our neighbor Julie and her potential plans for the day...

"When she comes she will be here...when she doesn't come, she will not be here." Deep.

Because...that's the way it is.

We were practicing our catechism the car the other day and it went a little something like this around questions 4 and 5:

Catechism: How ought you to glorify God?

Olivia: By loving him and doing what he commands.

Catechism: Why ought you to glorify God?

Olivia: Becaaaauuuse....that's the way it is.

Might ought to work on filling that one in for her a little bit.

Birthday Serenade

There is nothing shy about Olivia when it comes to Ms. Jackie, though she looks shy in this picture. And there is nothing shy about Ms. Jackies' singin' - Olivia loved being serenaded. Jackie came over to share some birthday treats with us (we missed Mr. Warren because he is recovering from neck surgery). I will have to post Olivia in the sassy outfit they gave her. Jackie has quite a sense of style - for herself and 3-year-olds!

Birthday Crown

I am frustrated because my pictures are not posting in the ordering I am choosing them...I guess I will have to choose them backwards.

Anway, so here is the little craft project - it was a birthday crown. It is pretty simple. I sewed on three buttons for "jewels" and ideally we will add a jewel every year - until she is twenty or so and refuses to wear it anymore. We laid it by Olivia the night before her birthday, hoping she would put it on first thing. Sure enough she did (which made me so happy) - but of course, in true Olivia fashion, it was upside down and backwards - see bottom pictures. Lauren was over to play the morning of O's birthday. Lauren just also happens to have a birthday the day after Olivia's - we were pleased that Olivia was willing to share her crown. I'm not sure why Olivia seems to have her hands around Lauren's neck in every picture???

Camp in

These pictures posted out of order and I am too tired to figure out how to change it. It has been a very full and fulfilling week around here and I am pooped. At supper tonight Mike asked Olivia what her favorite part of her birthday was and she just started listing people - people who have stopped by and spent time with her the past few days...in case we weren't sure that she is a social being. I have a few posts worth of pictures, but I'll have to do it over a few days because in about ten minutes I am going to start misspelling words.

About a month ago we floated the idea to Olivia of having a campout for her birthday. We have had perfect weather here lately and we thought...I guess I thought it was a good idea. I did meet with occassional, nonadventurous skepticism from a few unmentioned parties, but in the end it was a go...until it rained for a day and a half before and then then temperature dropped to low 40's for the night of the campout. We punted and grilled out hotdogs and had smores around a fire pit (for several hours - it was great!) and then set the tent up in the family room. Annika and Olivia actual slept the whole night in the tent.




























Amazingly enough, the dogs were the only ones we had to constantly herd away from the fire pit - the exception of the one time Olivia nearly face planted out of her chair into it - thankfully Jonathan had quick reflexes. (It wasn't that close of a call so the grandparents can relax.)














Not sure what Olivia is saying here, but she has everyone's attention.

We love our sweet friends - thank you for celebrating with us. I wish I had more pictures, but our camera just won't do much in the dark unless everyone sits absolutely still and that doesn't work with 2 3 year olds, a 2 year old, a 1 year old and Sage. I am sad not to have a good picture of Karl and Joseph. Karl and Olivia share a birthday - and Lauren's is the next day.

Paranoid