Kids Carnival

Ethan got to go to a really cute "Kids Carnival" tonight. It was actually put on by a friend of Vincent's, who also has a bunch of nieces and nephews that are 2-3 years old. The idea was so cute that I think I'm going to use it for Ethan's next birthday party! They had it all set up in the backyard and had a bunch of games/projects that are perfect for kids 2-5 years old.

They had a ring toss game (where the younger kids could actually just put the rings on the pole), someone making balloon animals and hats, a cake walk game drawn on the patio area, a face painting station, a mini golf game (where the kids only had to hit the golf ball into a hula-hoop), and fishing.

The fishing was by far the most popular. One of the girls helped the kids throw their "pole" over the blue sheet that was hanging on the fence. The pole was a dowel rod with string and a clothes pin as the hook. The dad was behind the sheet, and would attach a toy to the clothes pin, then tug on the string to make the kids feel like they had a fish.

All the kids got a prize for every game, no matter how well they did. They even had the toys divided into "2 years and under" and "3 years and older." It was so sweet of them to invite Ethan, and he had so much fun!

Sewing Projects

So ever since we found out that Ethan's going to be getting a baby sister, I've been busy sewing. I finished the baby quilt, then decided to keep going. I found a pattern online for the Maya Sling. It was super easy to make--literally it only took about an hour, if that. The hardest part was finding material that didn't have a "wrong" side at the fabric stores.

Then, when I was in a fabric store I saw the cutest tote that I thought would make the perfect diaper bag. I never really found one I liked with Ethan, so I got the pattern, made a few alterations myself, and here's the result. It was by far the hardest thing I've made so far, so it's not quite perfect, but I'm still pretty proud of it. There are four pockets in it. One on each of the outsides, where the "dips" are. Then, there are pockets on the inside where the pattern dips again. (I know that is a horrible, description, but I'm not sure how to explain it any better.) I'm still looking for buttons to cover up where I stitched the straps on, but haven't found any I really like yet.

My next project is to make burb cloths. I have some extra fabric from this diaper bag, so I'm going to pair it with a soft pink terry cloth and try to whip up about 5 or 6.

4th of July

This year, Ethan had a blast with the 4th of July.  We went down to where "Uncle T and Uncle V" had scout camp to get Nehi floats.  (They're sort of like rootbeer floats, but you can get them in peach, grape, strawberry, and other fun flavors.)  Then we came back to do fireworks.  It was the first year that he was able to do fireworks "all on his own"...with lots of help from mommy and his uncles.  

He got to do some sparklers and other fireworks before it got dark, and had a lot of fun.  We promised him that after we went and watched the big fireworks, he could come home and do more fun fireworks with his uncles.  So, the whole time during the firework show he kept saying "All done?  Go home?  Fireworks done, go home with Uncle T."  He really couldn't have cared less about the big firework show!  Oh well!  I'm so glad he's got such great uncles that are so patient with him!  It was a great 4th for us!  

What we've been up to....

Just some random photos from our activities over the past week or so.

We went back to DeAnna Rose Farm and Ethan enjoyed driving on a old fashioned tractor, just like Harold! (For those of you who've read or seen Thomas the Tank Engine.) 

I also finished "baby sister's" quilt. We still haven't settled on a name, so Ethan and I are just calling her baby sister right now.  We've narrowed down names to Mia (well, Chris doesn't like this one, but I do!), Kailee, Kaylee, and of course we're still debating new names every day.  Who knows!