Nora's Nativity

Me & Nora Time

I recently sneaked in some time, just for me and my eldest girl. I am SO very happy that I did :) We spent some creative time together at our local pottery painting place.

Nora made a drippy cone and I made a few tiny treasures. I absolutely savored each minute that we spent. Our one-on-one is far too scarce.

It felt so good to reconnect with my girl. Especially since she is in school now. She is starting to become a part of this great, wide world. It's been a bit tough letting go.

Honestly though, she is doing so well. She makes me so proud every day. Still, it feels nice having her all to myself. Even for only an hour.

Just Getting Started

So far Fall has been full of great things. My mom and I took the girls to kiddie park, my bff and I went to a local spot for some festive fun and Nick and I will be taking the girls to look for pumpkins soon :) Oh how I love this time of year. I've been making a huge effort to take advantage of the season.

 

I've also decided to push the reset button on some things here at home. I'm taking the Orange Rhino Challenge. There's a badge to the left of this post, if you'd like to check it out. It's a challenge to eliminate the yelling and show more of the loving. Needless to say, I LOVE my kids but sometimes the stress and negativity get in the way of me showing them that. I'm taking this challenge b/c I believe it can improve my relationship with my girls and they are so WORTH that.

Another fun thing that I'm doing this Fall is participating in some Ami Swaps. I crochet an amigurumi and mail it to someone in the group and they do the same for me. Here's what I got in the mail last month :) Super cute!!! I don't have any photos of the ami that I sent but it was a little bird. I've signed up for two swaps this October. I can't wait to get started making them :)

Apple Trees and Some More Crochet

Nora has been adjusting really well to Pre-K. I'm so thrilled for her. I am convinced that in part, has to do with her teacher. She is seriously a dream come true. She is so sweet and amazing and does really great things with the kids. We feel so fortunate to have her :) Another part of that equation is undoubtedly Nora. She is making an honest effort every day to get out there and try new things. I know this is sometimes tough for her (especially on Zumba days), but she has been branching out and getting involved and for that I am very proud of her.

Speaking of branching out, we made apple trees for show and share Friday. Nora, Claire and I had lots of fun making these fun tissue paper/t.p. roll trees. We found the idea HERE. Pure genius, if you ask me! I reluctantly let Nora do the whole craft by herself, which took a lot of effort on my part since this project was a messy one ;) Consequently, Nora learned to make an apple tree and I learned to let go a little bit. Win win if you ask me!!

And as I'm sure you've noticed, I've been a bit obsessive about crocheting amigurumis lately :) On average, I've been completing one project per week. Mostly I've been making small food-themed amigurumis and a couple of animals as well. Pictured above are some WIC's* from earlier this month :) Patterns can be found HERE, HERE and  HERE. Next I'll be stitching up these adorable animal hats by Monica Rodriquez Fuertes: Elephant Hat and Giraffe Hat. My mom will be gifting them at a twin's baby shower this month.


*Works In Completion

Nora's First Day of Pre-K!!!

Phew!! Nora's first day of Pre-K is behind us and all of us made it through. Honestly, Nora fared better than I did and if she was nervous, she didn't show it at all. We showed up early and sat in her classroom for a while before class. Then, when her teacher showed up, Nora was like "BYE!!" No fussing or fretting, just, "I love you, Mom. See ya later!" I have never been so proud and so broken up at the exact same time. There is just no feeling like it in the world. Here is this little girl of mine, who has been with me almost exclusively since birth and now here she is, so grown and so confident and out in the real world. Just recounting that feeling makes me want to sad/happy cry all over again.

I fiercely want to remember this day, forever and ever and ever. I want to recall how grown up, trusting and independent my little girl was. It has been one of the best days ever :) And to show her just how proud I was, she got the biggest hug ever and this little crocheted owl/egg (she picked out the pattern a while back). Words just can't sum up how I'm feeling today but it's something like the top of the world!!

Pups, Pears, Preschool, Pumpkins

Pictured below are my girlie poos with our neighbor's dog. We let him out on weekdays while his owners are at work. I like to send them a photo to let them know he's been out. This one is from last Friday. In preparation for the photo, I asked Koby (the dog) to sit down. Here is what happened next... 

 

Not only did Koby NOT sit for me but both girls immediately did! I honestly could not stop laughing about this, especially since my girls never listen to me and I was asking Koby to sit, not them!!

~~~

Further below is a crocheted pear. I made her for a sweetie that I know. I found this pattern on Ravelry but bought it on Etsy. It's by anapaulaoli and you can find it HERE. Included are eight more ami food patterns, ALL of which are cute. Currently, I am torn between the little egg, the pancake and the coffee cup. But knowing me, I'll eventually crochet them all so no reason to hem and haw.

Next is a SUPER fun project I'm making Nora, in honor of her first week of Preschool. Oh my gosh, I can't believe her first day is tomorrow. I'M FREAKING OUT A LITTLE BIT RIGHT NOW!! I'm hoping to finish up her little owlie tonight so I can gift it to her tomorrow a.m.

And last but not least, here is GROUCHY PUMPKIN. This one is just for my Nick. He is always teasing that everything I make has a giant happy face on it. He's right, of course...or he was up until now. This pissed off pumpkin is just for you, Bear :)

Favorite Things

Mini Yarn Skiens

Fall Crochet Projects

Pink, Sparkly Play Dough and "Booby Chick"

Practice Knitting with Little P ;)

Cat Pool

Random Friday fun at the kiddie pool (or the "cat pool" according to Nora. Cat as in kitty as opposed to kiddie, lol)!! Good times, as usual with Gam Gam :)

Best Surprise EVER

...as long as it doesn't jump at me!!!

BFF Juniors

Random fun with my BFF and all our cutie pies :)

Happy Birthday, Little Frass

 

Hey!! Don't take my cake away!!

Little Claire, you are finally two!! Time just continues to fly. You are becoming a little girl, right in front of my eyes. You're not a baby anymore. But that's okay, because I can have conversations with you now :) You give hugs and kisses now and you count as you walk down the steps. Most of the time, you like to share with your big sister, and other times you tell me, "Nora stole!!" Your favorite things are baby dolls, juice, dresses and Gumby. You have a big temper and aren't afraid of saying, NO! Sometimes you like to shove. You are just now getting into looking at books and like the Very Hungry Caterpillar and Monkeys Jumping on the Bed. You love going to the beach and looking for rocks in the park and you love picking flowers as well. You are a bit of a picky eater but never pass up cake!! Most importantly, you have my heart, now and always!! Happy Birthday <3

Sweet Treats

Two little cuties have just turned two. Two sweet treats are in order :)