success!

Get a load of that blue ice cream, will ya?

He was so wiggly and excited that his elbow knocked it into the floor, ice cream side down, just a few minutes after this was shot. But really, how much blue ice cream does one little boy need. He was fine with helping us polish off ours.

he's so smart

Biased? Perhaps. But just now he said "Amy, my spoon is all foggy with macaroni and cheese!" I think that's brilliant. And the other day he was looking at a picture of himself in the pool with Rich and he said "I want to put my water pants on so I can go swimming in the pool some more!" I think he's a genius for making up words and ways to say things. Isn't he?

We're toilet training in ernest around here and it's more of a challenge than I thought. He doesn't seem to mind peeing and pooping in big boy underwear all over the house. It's like having a little puppy. But I think today we're making some progress. We haven't had an accident yet and he's very excited to get a little animal from his potty treat jar everytime he goes. Yesterday, though, not even 60 seconds after my reminder to make a trip to the potty he pee-ed in his pants. I made the rookie mistake of only buying 6 pairs of big boy underwear so I'm doing laundry all day long to keep up. Anyway, today if it's an accident-free day it means a trip to the ice cream parlor for a big ice cream sundae. I'm really hoping it works out. It's looking good since very soon he'll have his nap (with a pull-up on) and then it's just a couple of hours before Rich is home and we can deem it a success. I do think we'll have that ice cream today.

adventures in needlefelting

I got a couple of needlefelting kits for Christmas and...

I'm hooked!
I started with this kit that my sister Jessica gave me for Christmas. And it was a really good place to start. It was fast, fun, and easy. One day last week while Alfredo napped, I worked on it happily and was finished by the time he woke up. (And I think it was a short nap that day!)

The needles are VERY sharp and barbed so you have to be extra careful. I did poke myself once and it still smarts.

After the cupcake, I was inspired to try the backyard birds kit that Rich gave me...
It was fun but the results weren't as pleasing to me. They turned out a little off and creepy to me...


But I do like how sweet the bluebird turned out.
I added a bit of color to the cheeks which made it more cute/less realistic. I think that's one reason I liked it better.
After those kits, I was ready to get a little funky...
Okay, maybe A LOT funky. When I was making the swirl of the cupcake frosting, I kept thinking what a fun beehive it would make.
And then I decided to make a bird of my own...
a little Springtime bird with mary janes and a fun hat. Once I got started, it was hard to stop.
I'm having so much fun working in this new-to-me medium. It feels a bit like sculpture and I'm really getting the hang of it, I think.
I even made an itty bitty version.
Here's my little helper...
Thank you all so much for the kindness and encouragement you sent out in your comments and emails. We are so thrilled by our good news and are so happy this new year.

In other news, Alfredo's birthday is coming in less than two weeks. I have some work to do to get ready. First things first...the invitation. Hopefully I'll get those out in the mail today. I'll give you a sneak peek first though.

Oh, and there are just a few stitch kits up at the etsy shop. This is the last of it...I'm all out of the little books...but I'll start working on another kit soon.