Girly girl...

I've never really thought of Molly as a girly girl - she's always loved her books more than her bracelets, dolls and purse.  Being the book lovers that we are, this is something that we've encouraged.  The other day Molly shuffled over to me in my sparkly sandals that she'd found in the closet.  The next day she asked me to put Mrs. Potato Head's earring on and at nursery I spied her cuddling with a doll.  She still carries her blankie and a book almost everywhere she goes, but even book lovers like to dress up and have a girls day every now and again!

Cupcake Craze...

One of Molly's favorite books is "If you Give a Cat a Cupcake".  She excitedly sang out "cupcake" and pointed at the cupcakes I'd baked while she was napping on Sunday.  I think she enjoyed putting sprinkles on the cupcakes just as much as eating them!

best buddies!

Happy Father's Day!

We love you Daddy!

I made matching aprons for us to wear while we cooked up our Father's Day Feast!  Molly's really into pockets and was so excited that her blankie fit in her apron pocket.

You Gotta Wear Shades

Molly got a new pair of shades this week and she loves them!  She wear her "Classes" inside, outside, and upside down.  There isn't a wrong time or place when your shade are this cool!

Helping Daddy mow our patch of grass, in her shades and pajamas

...you gotta do yard work early when the sun is this bright!

I was cracking up when Molly started posing in front of the mirror with my hat and shades.  Too bad about the smudges on the mirror - Molly was giving the mirror kisses as I was cleaning it.

Happy Girl!

What a tease!  As soon as I pulled out the camera Molly started giggling and playing peek-a-boo with her favorite new book - "Party" ( If you give a pig a party).  This picture captures the happy girl that she is; always laughing, dancing and singing.  She runs and hides when it's bedtime and squeals with delight when we chase after her.  What a cutie!

I think we've got a winner!

Memorial Day Weekend 2011

I don't know what it is, but for some reason I feel let down if I don't get to go hiking or do something outdoorsy for Memorial Day.  To fulfill this need, we went to a park preserve that has a duck pond and a bunch of walking trails so that we could enjoy nature.  Then it was home for naps (Shane and Molly) before going to the Diamondbacks baseball game.  It really was a perfect day!

 

We had front row seats for duck watching!

 

One of Molly's new things- balancing on walls

 

My little helper!  Helping Mommy cut out donuts

Weekend in San Francisco

Shane had a work thing in San Francisco on Monday so we decided to go with him for a little weekend adventure.  Molly has become quite the little traveler and feels right at home on a plane...she especially loves the little treats we pack (pretzels and marshmallows) and starts looking through the carry on as soon as we get to the airport to see what kind of surprises we have in store.  Here she is with the pain au chocolat we grabbed for dinner.  It was love at first bite.  Poor Shane.  I think he was expecting to get more than a bite or 2!

Molly was also introduced to sourdough bread, which she loved (or maybe she was just really hungry!)  Shane and Molly got chili in a bread bowl from the popular Boudin Bakery.  I enjoyed the gluten free snacks I'd brought from home.  Don't feel sad that I missed out - we found a yummy bakery with gluten free cupcakes for me.

We stayed with James and Lindsey (Shane's sister) and loved spending time with them!  We're hoping to go back again soon.

We took a ferry over to Alcatraz and did the tour there.  

Very interesting!

 Hanging around in one of the cells at Alcatraz.

Molly and Linds

Quiet Book: FINISHED!!! (with the option to add on...)

Hooray!  I may be the worlds slowest sticher, but that just makes every completed project that much more meaningful!  Truth be told, I don't need a finished project to get excited.  Every little accomplished step is a victory for me.  Isn't this just about the cutest Quiet Book cover you've ever seen!  I didn't have a pattern,  but I knew I wanted handles, some kind of clasp and an inside pocket.  It took way more time than it should have for me to figure it all out, but I did it and learned so much in the process.  Hopefully all these new sewing skills will stick with me and make the next project go a bit quicker.

 Here's how it looks open.  I love the fabric!

 I was completely mystified about how to connect the cover to the metal rings holding the pages together.  I came upon the most brilliant idea online and I forgot to write down the site so I can't give proper credit.  I sewed a piece of ribbon down the center of the inside of the book cover leaving gaps for the metal rings to slip under.  Thanks to whoever came up with this genius idea!

 I sewed a pocket to the inside back cover for paper and pen or to tuck in a little treat.

 And here are the last 2 pages of the book, at least for now...

 I'm in love with these little felt finger puppets.  So cute and really not too difficult to sew!

 This page pales in comparison to the barn, but is still a great page for learning in and out or on and off (you can stick your hand in the glove).

All buttoned up and ready to go

 Here's my inspiration! 

Molly and Me

I love Mother's Day!  For a lot of years Mother's Day was a really hard day for me...a celebration of my greatest desire, my desire to be a mother.  Enter Molly and her sweet birth-mother Ana.  They have blessed me with the most precious gift and highest calling of all.  Motherhood.  I celebrate this every day when I look into the eyes of my beautiful baby.  I am a mother.

My little helper in the sewing room

 

Always ready with a smile

 Can you see the mischievous spark in her eyes?

 Mama's shoes

Spring Fun!

Molly has decided that she is officially part of our dining scene.  No more being buckled in (although she will sit in the booster seat...most of the time), no more cut up quesadillas (our lunch time staple), and "yes, please!" to any and all condiments whether she likes them or not!  She cracks us up! 

Her new favorite things is watching home videos on the computer and if ever she catches me sneaking off to check my email, she is right behind me to take custody of the keyboard.  Today she watched a 1 minute clip of her grandparents 6 times in a row.  As soon as it would finish she'd sign "more" and call out "Bampa" (Grandpa), making it hard to resist our little munchkin.  She knows what she wants and is getting to be quite dramatic when she doesn't get her way.  Luckily her crocodile tears can usually be consoled with a big hug!

Our church had a big Luau over the weekend.  I'm wearing a muu-muu that my grandma wore as a missionary on the Hawaiian islands back in the 70's.  I love it!

Shane had the 16-17 year old young men from church come over to our house and hear about his mission in Paris, France.  We made crepes for them to eat and Molly fell head over heels in love with nutella.

Show us that nutella grin!

 We had some leftover pudding from the Crepe Fest, so I let Molly try her hand at fingerpaintting.

It's delicious!

Easter 2011

I hope you had a wonderful Easter!  At church during Primary (Sunday school class for children ages 3-11) the most beautiful book was shared about a treasure hunt for the true meaning of Easter called Easter walk by Deborah Pace Rowley.  The pictures and message are beautiful.  It really touched me and is a book I want to share with my family not only on Easter, but throughout the year.

We had a quiet afternoon including naps and a silly photo shoot.  It's hard being away from family on holidays and being new to the area we haven't yet found "family" to spend our holidays with when we can't be with our relatives.  We were blessed to have that in Chicago and hope to find that in Arizona.

 Molly loved the Mrs. Potato Head she got for Easter!

 Cheese! Who's got the biggest grin?

 Seriously, those eyes just make me melt!