Four!

My son is four! How did that happen?

But isn't he adorable?

Father's Day

I have never been good at finding something "right" for Father's Day, but I'm super excited about what James and Elizabeth and I have made this year!  I'm not a great photographer, but I'm really happy with how this has turned out. I realise now that the tree and sky are pretty distracting, but it took me an hour to get all the letters in "Daddy" and "Grandpa" so there's no way I'm going to do it again!

Now, off to do the other!

Mother's Day and Birthday Gifts

Today was my third Mothers Day . . . it should have been my fourth, but my son decided to stay put until the day *after* Mother's Day the year he was born. Turkey.

We had a very nice day, we went to pick Paul up from work and then stopped in town for some groceries. James picked out his (second) birthday gift: Mac from the Cars movie. It fits his Lightening McQueen perfectly, but sadly he's nowhere to be found. Hm.

Had BBQ scallops, asparagus and hamburgers for supper (my pick!) and after the children were sent to bed, Paul got this out for me:

and we got to work.

Elizabeth has everything a nearly one-year-old could possibly want, so we were really stumped about what to get her for her first birthday. And then we realised that we don't really have a really nice set of blocks. I really want to get her the gorgeously perfect Haba set, but they're rather expensive so we've been looking at alternatives that are a) big enough that she can't choke on them b) in a big enough set that we can all play together with or c) a smaller set that you can add on to.

So we looked around and upon realising that one of our maple trees needed a few big branches pruned off, we came up with these!

They're not bad for a first try, and they still need sanding and sealing, but so far I love them! They're cut in 2cm increments, so will hopefully fit ok with a smaller, cheaper set of the super fabulous Haba ones. (I can't see myself making a dome or an arch out of a maple branch!)

My little prince and princess

Since 4am was a bit early to get up, even for a royal wedding, we set the PVR and hit play as soon as we got up this morning.

What a beautiful wedding! James kept asking me "WHY are you saying 'awww', Mommy?" Even Libby was watching! I was pretty excited that they're named Baron and Baroness of Carrickfergus, which is Paul's hometown, and where we were married.



Look, Mommy! A princess!

But how can you not love our newest royal couple? They look so head over heels in love and are going to make some beautiful little princes and princesses . . . although not nearly as gorgeous as mine <3

Easter

After 6 long months, 5 feet of snow, and -37 temperatures I think spring is finally here in earnest. It's been around 10 degrees every day, most of the snow is gone, and we have a bouquet of pussywillows on our kitchen table. Life is good!
We've been busy doing lots of Eastery baking and crafting: hot cross buns, egg shaped cupcakes, jello eggs, and dying regular eggs too. James is crazy for crafting and baking, so he was a very happy boy all week!

Easter was fun, James really "got" the whole Easter Bunny thing this year. He wasn't as in to the hunt as last year, because last year it was all about finding eggs and this year it was about eating eggs.

We didn't go too overboard on treats this year, but I (or the Easter Bunny, rather!) found some playsilks and wooden scenery from a few Etsy shops (Beneath the Rowan Tree and The Enchanted Cupboard) and both the kids are really enjoying them!

And here's Miss Elizabeth modelling her new Easter skirt . . .

She tried a bit of chocolate for the first time and it went over ok, but she was just as happy to get back to her egg yolk :)

Pam the Builder

I have to share what I just built for the kids' bedroom!

James loves his Thomas trains, but he's annoyed that they are starting to get chipped in the bag he keeps them in. I've been looking for something to keep them in for ages and then decided to just make something.

"My shelves are so beautiful, Mommy!"

*Someone* doesn't want his sister touching his trains...

The plans are from Ana White, which is my new favourite website!  I made them all by myself!  Ok, Paul held the boards once or twice while I was drilling, and he pounded a few nails, but the rest was me . . . I even used the big saw! It was tons of fun and James is thrilled with his shelves.

The books are so much better displayed this way too, little Robert Munch books and the like are hard to find when they're all spine-out. The moment he finished putting them all up, he grabbed one to read.

And no, that's not all his books, the rest are under Libby's crib and we'll circulate!

The Nursery

I love this little room, it's my favourite in the house. It used to be this horrible dark room with old curtains, an orange rug over brown tile linoleum and dark (fake) wood paneling. Like a 1970s basement. The fake wood paneling is still there, but thanks to Mr. Moore it's a creamy white.  The floor is just laminate, but it's such a friendly, cheerful little room!

Libby's dresser

Art from Etsy

Lib's side of the room

James' side of the room

Toys and Art Gallery

 

Lib's bed

James' crib is now exchanged for a double and we still haven't got "kid" linens for it, so he's making do with the brown sheets from the days we used his bed as a spare bed.