6 months

connor is now 6 months old. he is 13.5 pounds. time is really going by much too quickly. i can't believe half a year has gone by. the other kids have really taken an interest in connor lately. mornings are fun around here because we all end up sitting on the big bed reading a story or playing around. mason and dahlia argue over who gets to sit next to baby connor. this eventually ends in a big tickle fight. they get such a kick out of making connor laugh.

all the kids have been taking turns getting sick this week so we are laying low and trying to relax. it is nice to have some time at home and not running all around town. i am getting a little restless though. i am not very good at sitting around. i guess that is a good thing with three little ones. time to start planning more stuff.

baby's first food

connor had his first taste of rice cereal this afternoon. miles was so excited to feed him. he dragged the high chair out of the garage and got it ready for him. i am always a bit reluctant to start the baby food phase. i try to procrastinate as long as i can. it is such a messy phase. i hope connor likes baby food more than dahlia. she was never a good eater. she still isn't a good eater for that matter. if his first taste is any indication of what is to come the outlook is pretty good. he seemed to love it. he was a bit apprehensive at first but once he tried it he opened his mouth for more and more. i guess that means we will have to start experimenting with other foods. soon. for now i am content with the rice cereal.

happy earth day

there have been so many fun earth day celebrations this year. we have attended three. two of them were at the store anthropologie and the third was at the los angeles zoo. on saturday christina and i took the kids to a potting event at anthropologie in newport beach. it was great. they got to draw a sunflower from the roots on up to the petals while a woman explained all the parts of the flower and the purpose they serve. when they were done with their drawing they were given a biodegradable container to fill with dirt and plant a sunflower seed. the kids loved it.

dahlia missed out on the first potting event because she fell asleep in her stroller. i thought it was so much fun we decided to go to another anthropologie event in santa monica. this one was a little different. the kids got to pick a terra cotta pot or empty can and then decorate it. there was a table filled with beads, canvas, burlap, bottle caps, and different colored string and yarn. everyone decorated their pots and then were able to fill them with dirt and pick a plant to put in it. it was so nice. both of these events were free and the kids were so excited about their new plants.

the los angeles zoo event was just ok. there were lots of booths set up with different activites for the kids and information about protecting animals. the kids collected stamps in a booklet that was turned in at the end of the day for a seed packet to plant. i am so excited to see that earth day has turned into such a cool day to learn about our beautiful planet. happy earth day to everyone.

tea party

sunday afternoon we had a tea party. i have been wanting to have a tea party for the kids since dahlia got her tea set for christmas. we have been reading fancy nancy tea parties and collecting ideas.

we started the party by decorating our butterfly place mats with stickers. the kids then enjoyed herbal tea and tea sandwiches. we served cucumber with cream cheese, turkey and swiss, and peanut butter with jelly. there was also fresh fruit and the most delicious mini cupcakes ever. the kids loved the tea party so much that they have been requesting another every day.

shopping with the cousins

this weekend was just too much fun. the guys were having a computer gaming party so my sisters and i had all the kids to watch. yes. all five! on saturday jen had to work so christina and i took the five kids to fashion island in newport beach. they had so much fun looking at the koi fish pond and the fountains. we were even brave enough to eat at a restaurant. after lunch christina had the great idea to just let them run around on the grass. we were hoping it would wear them out, although i think christina and i were more tired than they were. they were so cute playing together. i am so happy to see that my kids love their cousins so much. it will be fun to watch them grow up together.

roller skating

christina and i took the kids roller skating. i loved it. the moment i walked into the skating rink and heard la freak by chic i knew we were in for a fun evening. zena's school was having a family night and christina invited us to join them. we got to skate at a semi private event for only $2.00 per person. the place was called holiday skate in orange county. they have this completely classic look. i think it has not been remodeled since the eighties. mason and dahlia were a little unsteady on their feet but they loved it. the experience wouldn't be complete without playing a few video games. i don't know why, but seeing them in roller skates added at least five years to their age. you can see here that my two year old was already needing to make some phone calls from the roller rink. too funny. i can't wait to go again.

three little pigs

we got the best surprise for easter this year. a cute little package arrived in the mail containing three stuffed pigs and the book charlotte's web. the kids and i were thrilled. we all sat in bed this morning with our stuffed pigs and started reading the book. we got just past the part where the kids take a swim in the creek and dahlia decided that she needed to put on her diving suit. her "diving suit" as she calls it is her bathing suit. the story was then put on hold as mason and dahlia put on their bathing suits. i did manage to read a bit more to them before they ran outside, but i think it is going to take us quite a while to get through the book. yay for books. we are so lucky to have such thoughtful and generous friends.

tag blankies

i made this fun tag blanket as part of baby shower gift last week. it was so much fun to make i decided that connor needed one too. he loves his tag blankie. he has been teething lately so it is the perfect thing to chew on. he loves touching and sucking on all the different shiny ribbons.

it is a snap to make. i found the pattern in the book simple sewing for babies by lotta jansdotter. i love this book. there are so many cute projects for babies. i have a bunch more that i can't wait to sew.

bags, bags, bags

i have been sewing lots of gifts lately. i recently finished these three bags that were given to a good friend and my two aunts. it is really a pattern for a diaper bag from the book simple sewing for baby by lotta jansdotter. the bag can be used for anything of course. i was thinking it is the perfect size for someone without kids to take to the beach. if they were taking kids with them this bag would be much too small. the finished size is 12 inches tall and 16.5 inches wide. it has two nice pockets on the front for easy to grab items. i used canvas for all three. i ended up lining all of them to make them a bit more sturdy. this really made the fabric hard to sew when i attached the straps. it was too thick. i don't really have the right sewing machine for heavy duty fabrics. i love the finished bag though. my sisters have already requested one for themselves.

i sewed a matching coin purse for the blue one. this is a pattern from bend-the-rules sewing by amy karol. it was pretty easy to make but requires you to hand sew the lining. it was a fun little bag to sew, but i think it would have looked better if i embellished it with a ribbon bow or something cute on the front. my mom wants one so i think i will try another and experiment a little.

easter sunday

i loved easter this year. my sisters and their kids spent saturday night at our house so all the little ones got to wake up together and see what the easter bunny had left for them in their baskets. mason declared that he couldn't see the easter bunny because he was "hiding in the bushes." so funny.

after examining their loot we all got dressed and drove to orange county for church. my mom and dad met us there with the rest of my brothers and sisters. it is the one day every year that we all go to church together. i think it is a sweet tradition.

we all went to brunch at a restaurant called lucille's smokehouse barbecue. i had a yummy salad with barbecue dressing. i usually dread going to a restaurant with all three kids but they surprised me by being pretty good. i actually got to eat my meal with only four trips to the bathroom for diaper changes. the highlight of the day was the egg hunt held at my sisters house. we hid 84 plastic eggs filled with treats. it was fun to watch the kids run around grabbing them. mason was the big winner with 30 eggs! miles was thinking that next year we should color code the eggs so everyone gets the same amount. i like that idea.

an easter dress

i decided to make dahlia's easter dress this year. i had planned this a while ago and bought this pattern from oliver + s. this dress was supposed to be really easy to make, but it ended up taking me longer than i thought it would. i suppose i shouldn't have waited until a week before easter to start it. there were a couple of late nights for me. i made a few mistakes that had to be corrected by pulling out the stitches and resewing it. i also made it a bit more difficult by adding a lining to the skirt part of the dress. it did get done on time though and i thought she looked so cute in it. the reinforced hem makes the dress flare out slightly so it is good for twirling.

getting ready for easter

we had so much fun getting ready for easter this year. jen, ray, bodhi, christina, and zena all came over on saturday to color eggs and decorate sugar cookies. we always have big plans for decorating the easter eggs, but this year we kept it simple and just colored them.

earlier in the week jen and i made easter chick and bunny cups with the kids. this was a fun easy craft that the little ones were delighted to see filled with sweet treats. we all stayed up way too late with all the activities, but that's what holidays are for. right?

the huntington library

today we took the kids to visit the huntington library in pasadena. you can sign up on the first of the month to get free tickets. jen was so good and remembered this so she got tickets for all of us. i took the three kids and met jen, ray and bodhi there. it is so beautiful. it has been a long time since i have been there. i think the last time i saw it was when i was a student at art center.

we walked all around the grounds and saw the most beautiful gardens. we didn't even get to look inside at the art collection. we spent the whole time outside. the kids had a blast running around and looking at all the flowers. i think my favorite was the wisteria. we are looking forward to going back and see the rest. there was just too much to see in one day.