Sewing

Ashton got her first sewing machine for Christmas.

We were a little iffy on the gift, but decided to go for it since Ash is always so interested when she sees either of her grandmas or me working on a project.

Thankfully she was really happy with it!

She and I sat down together to do her first project: sewing a little bag.

We had to start with the basics, sewing in a straight line, and pinning things.



The kid's sewing machine she got came with instructions and supplies for two little projects.

I helped her, but she was able to follow along and figure out what steps came next.



To start with, she ran the pedal and watched, while I ran the fabric through.

She's a pretty fast learner, so she'll catch on in no time.



Ash also got a cute little sewing box with filled with fun little fabrics which she LOVED from her Grandma Jean.  She was already taking requests for blankets and quilts from her sisters and friends.

That might take a little while...

But the bag turned out pretty cute, and all her friends were suitably impressed with her mad skills.

A Stocking For the Baby

With our new baby due before Christmas, our kids were very concerned that we didn't have a stocking for him.

I didn't see that it was a problem; we weren't really planning on getting anything for him for Christmas anyway.

Really, what do you get a new baby, who has 4 older siblings?

But when my mom got here, she took control of things and made a stocking for that little boy.

The big kids could now rest easy, knowing that their little brother would not be forgotten on Christmas!

My mom is amazing, and she doesn't even think so.

She took a look at the stockings we already had, and our stocking holder, and came up with a design for the new one.

Then we went to JoAnn's, had fun picking out and buying fabrics, and she got to work.

She made this stocking for us in one afternoon.

I wish I had even a tiny bit of that talent...

This stocking holder was used for inspiration. 

I think it turned out really cute.

So now we have a full SEVEN stockings, hung by the fireplace with care...

And here's Andy, sleeping through the fun.  He had to stock up on his sleep before the baby got here!

Whatever, Andy ALWAYS has to stock up on his sleep!

Thank you MOM!  We sure were spoiled while you were here!

Can you come back yet?

Pumpkin Carving

Andy is always in charge of pumpkin-carving at our house.

He enjoys the process.

I really don't...

Of course the kids all love it.

Andy finds all sorts of pumpkin designs online and lets them pick out what they want.

Cayden chose Bowser, Ashton Jack Skellington, and Lillian got Minnie Mouse.

Even Mason got in on the process this year.

Although standing on the edge of her chair was the most dangerous thing she did.

She was soon sent to bed.



Clearly, Cayden was very involved here.

These are the tiny pumpkins the little girls and I brought home from Lillian's field trip.  I bought big pumpkins to carve, but Andy actually ended up carving this little ones a few days later.

I'm not a big fan of the mess, and pumpkin seeds all over the place, but Cayden, Ash and Lillian did a pretty good job scooping all the gunk out and keeping it contained.

Apparently Andy uses the activity to let out some frustration...

 Here's Asthon's finished product.  I actually did the cutting, so I did contribute beyond the photography!

Cayden's Bowser.

He loved his pumpkin, but unfortunately we had a pretty warm October and within days his pumpkin started molding and folding in on itself.  We carved the pumpkins a week before Halloween, but poor Bowser didn't even make it that long.  Cayden was devastated.

And all three finished.  The kids had a great time with their pumpkins.

The Builder

Andy took some scrap wood, spare lawnmower wheels and broken jump-rope and built a go-kart for our kids.  It took him all of a morning to do.

Lucky kids.

He even added a little brake on the side so they wouldn't go careening uncontrollably down the street.

That was probably for my peace of mind.

Mason calls it "Daddy's bike".  Everything small with wheels is a bike to her.

Gettin' Crafty

We look forward, twice a year, to General Conference weekend.  Mostly to hear the words of the prophet and leaders of our church, but also because we can spend Sunday in our pajamas!

The kids, especially, love 'Church at Home'.

This year, they all broke out the craft/art things on Sunday morning.

(Well, they do this almost every morning, but this morning I didn't immediately rush them on to other things...)

Cayden made some Halloween themed decorations; Mason colored.

Ashton and Lillian put together a stained-glass bear that we've had for years.

 Mason colored some more, and Andy taught Cayden how to make origami bats (with a little help from the internet...).

I baked.  One of my favorite things to do.

Honey Whole Wheat bread,

and Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread.

Ummm.  Gotta love a lazy Sunday morning.

It Only Took Two Years...

I've made a quilt for each one of my babies.

Cayden's was finished by his 1st birthday.

Ashton's before she was born.

Lillian's a few months after she was born.

Mason's took two years.

And I had TONS of help with it!

I started the blocks after she was born, when Andy's parents were visiting.

Andy's mom, Jean, is an amazing quilter, so it was fun to go over ideas with her.

I had the blocks finished by Christmas, and Jean hand appliqued the antennas (antennae?) on, then I sewed the blocks together, added the borders and it was ready to quilt.

My mom had it quilted, and together we found the perfect binding. 

And that's where I got stuck...

I didn't have quite enough fabric for the binding so my mom had to send me some more.

After that, we moved and I ran out of steam.

I had always had a goal to finish the quilt by Mason's 2nd birthday, and it was 95% done long before that, except for that darn binding.

When Jean was here for Cayden's baptism, she mentioned it, and said that she'd be happy to finish it up for me.

YEA!

Thank goodness for mother-in-laws!

Without her, it probably still wouldn't be done...

Jean sat and finished it in about two nights.

I'm pretty proud of that quilt.  I think it turned out pretty cute!

Although Mason doesn't really appreciate it much yet.

She will, though...

Swinging!

Andy made a swing Saturday and hung it up on the tree in our front yard.

And guess what?

Lillian is swinging on it, all by herself.

Pumping her legs and everything!

This is what I get when I tell her to smile, silly girl...

So you know what this means?

One less kid that I have to push at the park.

Whoo hoo!