eloise

We were playing outside and I noticed that it was the time of day that has the most perfect lighting for pictures so I ran in to get my camera. By the time I found it, the moment had passed, but I still chased Eloise around and took a few pics.

A few pictures

There was some serious silliness going on at breakfast today, Fina kept saying some stupid line from Frosty the Snowman and then Eloise would throw her head back and laugh like it was the funniest thing ever. They kind of stopped when I got the camera because Fina was trying to make sure I got her face straight on in the picture, but they're still cute.

Fina's favorite toy from Christmas is rock star Elmo. Too bad it wasn't actually FOR her. But it's kind of nice because she turns it on and she and Eloise both dance and sing forever.

 There's only some minor fighting because when Eloise gets tired of dancing, she thinks the drums are a little chair and sits on them.

Eloise's favorite toys are her baby dolls, she's pretty much always carrying one around.

Eloise's doll crib

I assembled Weez's doll crib and then put the doll in and said "ni-nite baby!" and she looked at me like i was a moron and covered the baby with her blankie.

 Then after a few seconds more of "ni-nite baby", she threw the doll out so that there would be room for her. I ended up falling off the end of my bed trying to scoot down to get a better picture of her crammed in the cradle so this is the best i got. 

I crafted a thing.

I felt like I should use up the glass ornaments I bought for my failed attempt at nail polish ornaments, and I do like music so I liked this one.

It didn't turn out as well as I had hoped, if I did it again I would find higher quality sheet music.

Also:

OMG! Mommy is taking a picture of something that is not me! I better shove my face next to it!

Turk-rant

Want to know a secret? I hate turkey. I don't care who cooked it, i hate the taste and texture of turkey and chicken. It makes me want to gag. I'll eat a little to be polite, but if you keep asking me over and over "how do you like it?" Eventually I might crack and actually tell you. I DON'T LIKE IT. I hate that we have to have it twice in 1 week because you don't like how my parents cook it. At least it is usually only once a year that we have to have this turktardation. Do you know what is worse than eating the turkey the first time just to be polite? The fact that I know I'm destined to be eating turkey dishes for the rest of the week. Oh, you're going to cook pork chops one night to break it up? Excuse me for not jumping for joy. I wish I'd married a vegetarian.

A visit to relatives

So my dad was going to Aunt Jean's house for a visit, and he wanted company in the car so he brought me along. I was half dreading it, but apparently the Aunties have mellowed some in recent years. Here's dad and his sisters:

And of course half the fun of bringing me along was that he got to bring his grandkids to show them off. Lunch was on the stove and they were trying to decide whether to wait for uncle Evan or just eat without him. This involved a lot of comparisons about how Aunt Jean's great grandkids can't wait for a meal and get really cranky, and how well behaved my kids were being. Finally Uncle Evan got home so Aunt Mary went to get a high chair while Aunt Jean set the table, and as soon as Eloise saw the highchair go to the dining room she started asking "eat? eat?" (Yeah guys, the baby totally needs a fancy placemat. Wouldn't want to be raising a heathen.)

After lunch the girls were being wild so Grandpa took them out to the yard to run off some steam. Aunt Jean owns the little tikes pick-up truck, because that is way superior to the cozy coupe. Eloise liked that you can put the tailgate down and pile more kids in the back.

Then grandpa decided Eloise's hands were too cold so he made her come inside and watch Fina play through the window.

The "best" part of visiting relatives is totally being forced to look at a bunch of pictures of distant cousins you will probably never meet. Eloise dutifully looked through the pictures of aunt Mary's grandkids. (I did too, even though I'd seen them already on facebook.)

And at the end, Aunt Mary brought a little dog and her suitcase out of the bedroom to load into her car. Fina was impressed and petted and petted the creepy little thing.

A picture story

Two little girls, walking along toward home, when suddenly the small one gets that shifty look in her eyes. She bolts off to the grass.

Her sister tries to herd her back to the sidewalk.

But she falls, and needs helped back up.

Sister tries to outsmart her by grabbing her hands and pulling her to the house.

So the baby lays down on the grass and grins like a fool, until her mother finally puts down the camera and comes and carries her into the house.

1 picture

I took this picture after church while Fina was trying to herd Eloise into the house. I think it is freakin' awesome because of how the part in the sun just completely whited out so it looks like they were standing in front of a white screen or something. It looks photoshopped around Fina's head.

Watching TV

It's like a bunk bed couch. Handy for 2 kids to lay around and watch tv.

An informative graph

I thought of this the other day when my children wore their pajamas to Yellowstone park. From the time we left (3 AM) until about 8 AM, the footy pajamas greatly enhanced the cuteness factor. But if I hadn't changed them into their clothing at that point, it would have gone from adorable to kind of weird. Taking a pajama clad kid to walmart at 10 PM to buy some tylenol because they are running a fever is pretty neutral, taking them in their pajamas at 10 AM to go shopping for the hell of it is strange. Also trashy. So now you know.

Cool blocks (and other yard sale tales)

I went yardsaling today, with my mom which is usually really sucky and productiony but today she did pretty well. I got Fina a new bike for 7.50, and it is purple despite saying BARBIE (I thought there was a law that barbie branded stuff has to be pink). We also got a few books, an angelina ballerina and a winnie the pooh which are both reminiscent of The Jolly Postman (which incidentally I always lusted after.), one about a moose helping santa, a mostly uncolored in Nickey Mouse coloring book, some random other books Fina helpfully tossed in the bag, and some of those american girl tiny paper dolls that mcdonald's gave away in their happy meals a year or so ago. We got a dress for Fina for next summer and a pair of black leggings for her. For Eloise I got 3 pairs of pajamas, a new dress, an oshkosh jumper, 4 play outfits for this winter, 2 pairs of pants, and a couple t-shirts. We also got a bag of wooden blocks, which is a mishmash of them from several sets like you would expect to find in Aunt Jean's basement. Which leads me to the picture:

I thought these 6 were pretty cute (I bet the whole sesame street set was cute, especially before there was years of filth layered on them) We have Franky, Prince, Bert, Ernie, Poco Loco, and Little Bird.

Eloise got this really obnoxious "learning drum" that she grabbed off a table as we walked by and then held on tightly to until we got home. And we rounded out the day with a couple stuffed animals of course. The books, blocks, and most of the clothes came from a church rummage sale where they handed you a shopping bag at the door and you stuffed it full for $2, which is why I was sort of tossing shit in my bag with no abandon. Oh, and at that sale I also got a swaddling blanket that I was going to give as a baby gift to my new niece or nephew but I think it is a larger size so I don't know about that now.

I spent:

7.50 for the bike

$2 for the bag of crap

$1 for the 4 play outfits and jumper for Eloise

$1 for a stupid stuffed turtle that Eloise "needed" because Fi was buying a stuffed toy at that sale (Fi brought her own money, score!)

And I think mom paid for most of the rest of the junk. Mom bought so much crap that she had to leave me her car and borrow the yukon to transport it all home.

Eloise's owly diapers

She's going through the bag going "Oooooh, what else did mommy buy?"

Climbing up onto the couch

I love how she's just serious when she's chilling. She's like "I know you're photographing me but I don't care."

Hamming it up a little by trying to stand up.

This is how we SLIIIIDE down.

Hey, I found the remote!

Magic Singing potion

Apparently today in primary during singing time, they sprayed "magic singing potion" into the kids' mouths to "help them sing better". Fina was telling me all about it when we got home. She said, "it tasted just like juice!" Then she sang a song to me and asked "Don't I sing better now that I've had that magic singing potion?" (answer: no. I've never heard her sing more monotone and chantlike) but I told her yes and she said, "Yeah, it's really too bad they didn't give you any."

Pictures of "fishing"

We went fishing today. Well, John did. The girls and I played in the water. He didn't catch any fish, mysteriously.

Just before I took that one, Fina came up behind her and kicked water and splashed her in the back. That's the mildly startled face but it was too cute not to include.

And it was about this time that I realized: I do have spare clothes for them, but I don't have any towels or even baby wipes to wipe off the mud and water. Luckily I had a fleece blanket that we use for picnics or things sometimes and it was enough to dry them a little.

Dolls

The other day I was digging out the cords to my sewing machine and Fina said, "what are you going to make? You should make me a doll!" Since I hadn't decided what I was making, but i did have a doll pattern bookmarked that I had been wanting to try, I obliged. I actually made 2 dolls because I have 2 girls and I figured if i didn't then Eloise would be super jealous.

Both dolls:

Fina's doll:

Eloise's doll:

I did the head/hair on Fina's doll first and I wasn't quite happy with it, Eloise's has the same style of hair except that I cut the loops and I made it longer so that it could either stick up like a topknot or lay down on her head.

They're best friends. I don't really like how they turned out, but the girls are happy with them. I think they're the perfect size for Eloise, she likes to play with hers and love on it. Fina has played with hers a little bit, but not near as much as Eloise. Mostly Fina just knows that it is hers and carries it around and asks John, "doesn't my dolly's hair look boyish?"

If I was going to use the same pattern again, I might enlarge it slightly so that they don't end up so weirdly proportioned and pointy limbed. Also I would find maybe peach flannel or doll fabric for the heads instead of the peach cotton that I used this time. And maybe buy some white paint and do their eyes a little differently.

Stylin Fina

I don't know why she is obsessed with these socks. I bought them to make fuzzy sock monkeys and opened them in desperation last winter when our house was freezing. I tell her not to wear them but she always finds them and puts them on.

She was being silly and hamming it up for me.

Note the dozen barrettes on the top of her head:

Bonus picture of Eloise, who was making this face in every picture I took of her today. I guess it was just serious baby day. (Or she's disappointed that I let fina out of the house looking like that)