Saturday, August 29, 2009

Cecret Lake

Updated: at church today, a ward member gave us this picture she took.
Take two of the ward hike to Cecret Lake. It was pouring rain and lighting-ing when we were supposed to go two weekends ago. The hike was harder than I expected, but the lake was lovely and also being enjoyed by two moose and some salamanders.
Can you see John and Maggie?
Throwing rocks in the "bake" - her favorite activity.

Friday, August 28, 2009

Aunto Bacho

The microphone on my webcam isn't working, so this video is for Auntie Rachel to hear Maggie say some cute things.

Thursday, August 27, 2009

Aerospace Museum

Back in July, Jana and I took Ethan and Maggie to the Aerospace Museum at Hill Airforce Base. This is really the only good picture I got. They were a little young to appreciate it, even though they both love airplanes. They had the most fun climbing on a fake porch and knocking on the door...

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Baby Pants and Hats

Baby is seriously lacking in the pants department and has zero hats, so I made some pants to go with all the gender-neutral onesies we have, and some hats to keep his little head warm. The pants turned out better than the hats. I was able to get 2 hats and 2 pairs of pants out of a 3XL shirt I found for $3 at DI. I also used about 25 cents of elastic.
I made the pants pattern by tracing pants we bought for baby in sizes 0-3 and 3-6 months. Pants are pretty simple to make following this method, and there a a lot of tutorials for making baby pants. I found this one to be the most helpful.
I used this tutorial and pattern to make the knit fabric baby hats. The pattern is quite tiny and doesn't quite fit with the instructions - or maybe they have a different definition of "5 inches" than my measuring tape. Anyway, I enlarged it, and hopefully the hats will be useful, if not perfectly shaped. The lumpiness is due to my poor knit-sewing capabilities.

Road Block

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Non Purse

My purse has started to unravel a bit at one seam. As I thought about fixing or replacing it, I remembered that I didn't really use a purse when Maggie was a baby because of having to haul a diaper bag everywhere. So instead, I made a little zippered pouch with a cell phone pocket.
I got the fabric in the remnant bin for about 60% off, and it even coordinates with my diaper bag. The lining is the same muslin scraps I've been using for everything lately.

I made the strap from a 1x10" strip, ironed into fourths with the ends inside so I wouldn't have to turn a tube.

The cell phone pocket is what I love about the purse I made. I made this pocket the same way, by sewing together rectangles of the lining and outer fabrics on three sides, then turning it right side out, tucking the top in, and top stitching the top. Then I topstitched the three sides to the lining before sewing it together.
Just the right size for non-baby things that need to be brought.Here are some helpful tutorials:
twelve 22 zipper tutorial
bored and crafty zipper bag
skip to my lou lined zipper bag (I didn't use this one, but the bag was cute)

Monday, August 24, 2009

Blue Slides

I took Maggie and Ember to the waterpark today. Ember starts school on Wednesday, sadly for Maggie, so it was our last time taking her.
Jump, Jump!

Car Seat Canopy

Our Winter-in-Utah baby needs a few things that our Spring-in-SoCal baby did not. A car seat for example. (Maggie's hand-me-down has long since seen it's way to the dump) And a car seat cover. I was going to buy a carseat bunting, but I was inspired by John's cousin-in-law, Hillary, and instructed by this tutorial in making one instead.

I made a few changes so it fit our carseat the way I liked. I made straps out of 14"x2.5" strips of the lining fabric and sewed them 11.5" in from the sides, instead of 10".
The fabric on both sides is flannel, so it can be used as a blanket as well. I tried out one of the decorative stitches on my sewing machine and did a scallop border around the edge.
Hmm. Maybe I should have mentioned that the fabric she was picking out was for baby...

Sunday, August 23, 2009

Hiking in the Rain (Again)

It poured on our hike today. Maggie was perfectly happy, holding the umbrella and hiding under the rain cover on her carrier. In fact, she asked for "more beaning". John and I got completely drenched, not to mention the mud.

Friday, August 21, 2009

New Cousin

Baby Vivi and her Grandma.
Maggie and Aunt Anne.

She's Dying, You Know

Thursday, August 20, 2009

Let Us Now Praise Awesome Dinosaurs

Here is a sneak peek of my latest project. Needless to say, Maggie loves it.
*title from Leonard's new literary work.

Jumping Like Gigi

I took Maggie and Ember to go bouncing yesterday. I sat and read a book while they went crazy. Every time Ember tried to sit down and rest Maggie would drag her back up the slide. Miss Ember is worth every penny. ("Gigi" is how Maggie says "Tigger".)

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Garden Girls, Age 2

A year ago, Tasha and I took Maggie and Colette to the Thanksgiving Point Gardens for $2 Tuesdays. We went again today (Madeline came too this time!). The girls were even less cooperative with the camera. Also, since they were both wearing hats, the same shoes, and the same colored shirt, you can barely even tell who is who.
They fed Cheerios to the fish, which swarmed all over each other.Hmm. Maggie's training pants are hanging out.

The Lucy Dress

We are dressing as Peanuts characters for Halloween, so I made Maggie a dress a la Lucy Van Pelt for her costume. The pattern is Simplicity 5695, which I have used before. This version was a lot easier, with only one layer to gather and less to cut out. The fabric is the same color as the dress I made Rachel, so I didn't have to buy thread. The dress cost me about $5.