BUGS!

Lilly has now reached the point where bugs are fun and interesting. She loves to go outside and look for bugs. She carries a little bucket and collects them. Her favorites are the roly pollies. I think all kids love them at one point. She has also become good at catching the spiddle bugs (sp) that are everywhere right now in the yard. She started wanting to catch ants wondering in the driveway, but we have finally gotten her to avoid all ants because you never know when she will pick up a fire ant. She likes to "feed" them dirt, because apparently that's what she thinks they eat. We also go walking to look for worms in the mornings. She knows we use them to fish on the lake so she is not scared of them at all. On another note... I have been trying to come up with the perfect gift to give Lilly when baby Evelyn is born. While reading one of the many craft blogs I like to browse for ideas, the girl mentioned a doll she made for her daughter when her baby sister was born. I thought that sounded like a great idea. So I did a little research and I love the waldorf dolls. They are handmade dolls stuffed with 100% wool for warmth. It is believed that these particular style dolls were first made in Germany around the 1920's and it is still practiced today. You can see many different variations of the dolls on Etsy. When I read they can be expensive to buy I had NO idea HOW expensive. You can expect to pay $100 to even $300! Since I don't like to buy something I can make for less I of course want to take on the challenge! Of course it would be more special to Lilly if I made it as well. They do not seem particularly difficult to make with all the great online tutorials, but very time consuming. Many of the supplies can only be found online and they are a little pricey, but I hope it will be worth it in the end. Here is a really cute one for sale on etsy: TheLittleJBird shop on Etsy has this doll listed and it is one of the lower priced ones. If you browse them you can see that every doll is unique and comes with a unique outfit. Has anyone else ever heard of these dolls? What do you think?

Mermaids and more

Lilly loves mermaids so when I was trying to think of how to decorate her (and Evelyn's) bathroom I thought it would be the perfect addition. I have held off doing much with her bathroom other than using things I already had because I knew if we had a boy it would need to be a neutral bathroom, but since we will have 2 girls it can be girly! I just need to add some pictures to the walls now. Here is some of the bathroom. . Mermaid applique towels I did for each of them. The coordinating hand towel. I recovered Lilly's old infant carseat for Evelyn. I figured since we are using most of the same stuff for her I should at least change it up some. I also made her a carseat cover/stroller blanket to match.

Lilly's Big Girl Room

I finally have a new computer so I can post more with pictures. A couple of weeks ago Lilly's "big girl" furniture was delivered so she finally has a room put together just for her since we will be using the nursery furniture again for her baby sister. Here are some pictures: I made the bed crown from an upside down planter and some tulle like glitter fabric that I just had to sew a seam in and gather. She has so many bows that I had to find a better way to store them so I can actually find which one I am looking foor. These were over her crib. She "helped" me paint the brighter colors on them so they didn't look so babyish. I have also redone her bathroom decor since we now know we can have a girly bathroom! Lilly is into mermaids so I did some cute mermaid appliques on the bath towels. Everything else is just pink and white girly stuff so I can change it later if I want. The only thing left is pictures for the wall, but I am not sure what I want to do yet. I love making things. Especially when it involves sewing! I have made several things for the baby lately, but I didn't want to leave Lilly out! I have made her a couple of apron knot dresses. She loves them and thinks they are like princess dresses. One reason I love making clothes for her is that she is so excited to try on what I've made and proudly tells people that "Mommy made it!" Here is one of them: Some updates about Lilly... She is still very active and bursting with personality. She doesn't meet a stranger. She talks to EVERYONE! She is very interested in shadows lately and sometimes worries when she cannot find hers inside. She is mostly potty trained, but occassionally still has a accident if she is really tired. Lilly is really excited to be a big sister and she talks to my belly all the time. She has also decided that she has a "big brother" in her tummy. Her baby sister moves around all the time now. We have finally decided on a name, too! She will be Evelyn Grace. Now I just have to get her nursery in order...