Easter Hunt, 2017

Easter weekend - phew! We are still recovering. Easter egg hunts, brunches, neighborhood events, birthday parties, and soccer matches. There was a lot going on, and Mr. Jones was recovering from a terrible stomach flu. Still, the weather was great, we saw good friends, the girls had a blast, and Lulu tolerated the rabbit. She told us beforehand that she only liked "smaller rabbits" and when I tried to put her down next to him she wailed, "Nooooo". So we all got a photo with the Easter Bunny! Then we had donuts and got our arms painted, and went home for a nap, with enough chocolate for coming weeks. I think we ate sweets the entire day. Maybe that's what Easter is for.

PS. Penny's sweater pattern is "Pompom Rabbit", Ravelry link here. Lulu's sweater pattern is called "Sweet William", Ravelry link here. Lulu is wearing a Geranium Dress and Penny is wearing a skirt (no pattern used) in a fabric called "Garden Delights" by Gray Sky Studios.
PPS. Last year's trip to this Easter Egg Hunt is here.

Tiptoe Through The Tulips

We went to the tulip festival, despite the weather being absolutely awful lately. Everyone is saying that spring in the Pacific Northwest is a month behind. It's barely been close to 60 degrees. The girls were so excited to wear their spring dresses and I hate to disappoint them ;), so they wore leggings and long sleeve shirts underneath, with double layers of pants and tights. Still, we could still hardly stand to take off our coats. It kind of felt like this past fall at the pumpkin patch. Bounce houses and horsey rides always make things a little bit better.  They're predicting no rain for Easter weekend. We can only hope.

PS. Lulu's dress details are here. Penny's dress details are here. Last year at the tulip farm is here.

Penny's Ballerina Birthday

We had Penny's Ballerina Birthday Party at the house this past weekend. Penny likes ballet, but hasn't really seen any. Instead, her love of ballet is an amalgamation of a love of princesses and brides and all kinds of girls that are fancy, beautiful, perhaps like to dance, and always wear the biggest dress possible. Instead of making her party dress, we were offered one by google and she fell in love with it. It reminds me of a line from the song 'Suzanne': "And she feeds you tea and oranges that came all the way from China". This whole party came all the way from China - from the piñata to the craft supplies to her dress to the doll who donned in a cake. I only added the icing, and all the small princesses had a very lovely time.

One of my favorite thing is to eavesdrop on what a bunch of 4 and 5 year-olds are chatting about in those groups in which they stand. This time, Penny was introducing her preschool friends to the girls she knows from other places. It melted me.

I've held 8 birthday parties so far, between Penny and Lulu. The best moment of every one is always the blowing out of the candles. Every single person seems to be so happy in that moment, you know?

The rain finally cleared and we ended the party in the back yard. 

Penny had a great time. I don't know if it lived up to the months and months of anticipation, but she had no complaints. She's told me again and again that she's "stopping at 5", growing no older after this year. When I implied that she wouldn't have any more parties she said "No, no! I can still have parties. I'll just be turning 5 again". So there you go. Five is already so good, we're stopping here :).

PS. Penny's 4th Birthday Party, Penny's 3rd Birthday Party, Penny's 2nd Birthday Party, Penny's 1st Birthday Party

Penny is 5

Penny Jones is five years old! She's a girl now. I can feel it. She talks a lot of sense, she knows a lot of things, and she's still the sweetest person I have ever known. I really have never seen anything like it. In all her days, she has not had one tantrum. She loves her family and her friends so fiercely, and when she does them wrong she's quick to apologize. She praises people, she listens intently, she thinks of ways to make people feel good, she's sentimental and optimistic. Her birthday party is on Saturday, but on her actual birthday day, she wanted to skip preschool and go Roller Skating with her friends. She had a really great time.

 

Clara brought her a balloon. When we returned our skates, the woman at the rental counter sang "Happy Birthday" to Penny, complete with sign language. There is so much magic at Oaks Park Roller Rink. It lives in a time where I want to reside, forever, and where I want to raise my kids. At the end of the song, Estella explained to the woman that this was her friend Penny, and that she was 5, and that finally they were the same age again. I almost started bawling.

P.S. I made Penny's dress. The pattern is Geranium Dress by MadebyRae. The fabric is from Black and White by Melody Miller for Cotton + Steel.

January's Inside Out

January is almost over, and I don't quite know what to make of it. We had an epic snowstorm and we were inside for almost two weeks straight. For someone who doesn't like to stay home (with kids, that is, alone I can stay home for hours and hours) it was a struggle. Somehow with sleds and shovels and tons of art supplies and dress-up clothes, we got through it. I started a new job, we got a new President, and who knows what lies in store for all of us. One thing I know is that if life continues to be as sweet as it has been with these two ladies, we're going to be okay.

I've also been working on a New Year's Resolution to print and archive family photos. I'm not much of a scrapbooker, but it's important to me to have printed photos the girls can look through them without a device being turned on. So in January I've lived in 2017, and 2012 and 2013 simultaneously. I'm working my way to present day, and it's truly been a walk down memory lane. To look at the photos above, and think everyone is talking now, everyone is drinking from cups, and there are no diapers in this house anymore! It's truly mind blowing. We are growing UP around here, ya'll!

PS. Lulu's dress pattern is McCalls 8635 (from 1966) in vintage polyester bought at an estate sale. Penny's hat is Big Top Animal Hats by me! Details of Penny's sweater are HERE and Lulu's coat are HERE.