Criss Cross Apple Sauce

We went to the mall the other day. I was on the hunt for clothes on sale for Edmond next season. Lunch time was far from my mind as I browsed the sale racks, until my 2-year-old brought it to my attention.

"Wanna eat," he informed me.

"Right," I said as I glanced down at my watch.

After weighing all my options, I finally settled for Subway. I got Edmond his very own kid's meal.


As he munched on his chips he assumed one of his favorite positions, criss cross apple sauce.

Those marks all over his shins are bruises and other miscellaneous "owies" that he produces on a daily basis.

We ate in silence as we watched shoppers go to and fro. This was a good shopping experience...one that I'd like to remember. Unlike the majority of outings that seem to end in one of us throwing a fit.

Mama's shoes

After a morning run I left my shoes by the front door. I came outside to find that Edmond was putting them to good use.



"Mama's shoes," he told me.

Later that day we heard the ice cream man out on the street. We rushed out to greet him. "What can I buy for one dollar?" I asked him.

He pointed to the menu.

After weighing my options, I chose the astronaut popsicle. He handed us our treat and waited for me to pay him.

I handed over a sweaty handful of warm coins. I let the money drop from my palm into his. He looked a little surprised. I smirked at him. What did he expect?

Boys in Pink

Ahhhhh. Boys in pink. My favorite thing.

These two brothers have been up to all sorts of craziness lately. These are the kinds of things you might hear me shout across the house to them:

• Edmond! Get your foot out of Charlie's mouth!
• Edmond! Stop dragging Charlie!
• Edmond! You're gagging him! Don't stick your hand down his throat!
• Edmond! Stop squishing his cheeks together!

Every day is an adventure.

Conner's Birthday

The young man on the right had a birthday.

Jenn came to our house to throw him a party. There were all sorts of festivities.

The little kids waited patiently while B filled up water balloons for them.

Jay cooked the hot dogs.

The big kids ran wild with their little guns.

And I held my son in one place long enough to take a picture with him.

And then he was off to run a-muck with his cousins. A-muck, a-muck a-muck.

Mommy and Char-Char

Oh, dear Charlie, I love you so.

You make me laugh every day. I wish you would remember and cherish this time in your life as much as I will.

I can't get enough of your cheeks. Each time I kiss them I just want to do it again and again and again.

I love it when you burrow your face into my neck. It makes me feel like I'm really important.

I enjoy getting to know you. Already I can tell that you are a hard worker. You are so diligent in your quest to master the functions of your new body.

Being your Mother is an honor. Thank you for joining our family.

Edmond's Big Boy Bedding

Edmond's been sleeping in his big boy bed for over a month now. I was so nervous to take him out of his crib because I didn't want to start the "stay in your bed" battle. The first night we put him in his bed, he followed us out of the room. So we put him back in bed and told him he needed to stay there, and he hasn't gotten out of bed on his own since. Even in the morning and after his naps he won't get out, he just sits in there and calls for us to come and get him. It's pretty awesome.

Anyway, we found a great deal on a Tempurpedic XL Twin mattress. Edmond's going to be sleeping in it until he goes to college. B and I think it is the most comfortable bed in our house, and now we want to get one for ourselves. This new mattress required bedding, so I got to work.

I was in the mood to create something. I went to JoAnn's and picked out some fabric.

My inspiration came from this post on All Things Thrifty, and this dump truck:

Here's the rough draft:

I am not a seamstress. I am creating this bedding using the sewing machine my dear mother-in-law gave me for Christmas one year, and the osmosis of growing up in a household where Mother was always sewing.

The finished product is not perfect, but I had a lot of fun doing it and I think it looks fine.

For the throw blanket at the foot of the bed I decided to stitch circles all over it.

The bench at the foot of the bed is one of the benches from yesterday's post.

Edmond's tractor jammies were the inspiration for one of the pillows.

There aren't very many XL Twin beds around, so B ended up just making one for Edmond. He is such a handyman.

And here is the finished product:

It will look more fabulous when I can paint my walls gray, and I have some wall hangings that are in the works that will look awesome. I also plan on making a fabric headboard....but these projects all require time, which I don't have a lot of. But I'm really enjoying the process.

As I made Edmond's bedding, I realized that him and Charlie will be sharing a room in less than two years, and he would need bedding to match...so I made some for him too.

Benches

I found some benches at a garage sale in my neighborhood. $5 each. I knew they would look perfect at the foot of two twin beds. So I bought 'em.

Of course, they needed to be re-upholstered, so I did it with this awesome fabric I found at Joann's for $3 a yard. Click on the picture to get a good look at the fabric. It has itty bitty squares on it. Nice and modern-looking.

So pretty. And only about $6 each. I love a bargain.

Independent

"Eddiemundo, where are you going?"



He hauled that wagon all over the yard. As he did, he chanted, "Pull.....tug."




When the wagon had lost it's appeal, he began practicing his jumping skills. He jumped from the step onto the grass over and over.

He said, "One two three...Jump!" each time.

"Edmond! Smile for me!" This is how he smiles for me:

Then he practiced his balancing skills by walking along the wall.

He is so insanely busy. I cannot keep up with him. I do a lot of my parenting from the couch as I feed the baby and look out the window and pray for his safety. I don't think I've ever felt more helpless as I have when I see Edmond being dangerous and I have a baby in my arms. But I know that Heavenly Father hears my prayers and He has protected Edmond from getting stung by the bees he likes to molest and the height of the zip line ladder.