A Valentines ornament tree project is a simple project you can do with your kids. It requires few supplies including branches and sticks you can gather from your backyard. Gather some sticks and branches from your yard and put in a vase. Valentines Ornament Tree Project: what you will need & steps 1. You will need felt, fabric, scissors, ribbon, needle & thread, and anything else you want to use to decorate hearts with. 2. Draw hearts on fabric and felt and cut out. You'll need two for each ornament. Make as many as you like. 3. Cut pieces of ribbon you will use to hang ornaments. 4. Sew two hearts together with ribbon in between as you can see in bottom right picture above. have your helper help you hang your ornaments … [Read more...]
What’s New With Sophia?
What is new with Sophia? She's on the move! Sophia started crawling over a month ago and is picking up speed every day, covering more and more territory. It started small- moving short distances from one toy to another. Now she's all over! Her favorite place to explore is the basket of magazines. As you can see in the first picture, she's up on her knees and into it! She pulls several out at a time and rips as many pages as she can out. She's flirting with the idea of standing and pulling herself up- but still a little timid...which is fine with me! Sophia Loves... Playing with her toys Hanging out with friends at mom's group Taking baths Playing ball Watching her favorite show "Yo, Gabba, Gabba" Hanging out with Timmy Showing people how she claps her hands … [Read more...]
A Storybook for your Baby
My Mom made a personalized children's book for Sophia titled Into the Woods. It is a professionally bound book by Shutterfly. Her personal pictures are used throughout the story. The book came out really cute and I would recommend doing it for your own child, relative, or as a gift for a friend's child. It's entertaining to read your child a story about them and it is something they will have forever. Below is the cover, back cover, and a few of the pages from inside. … [Read more...]
Baby Play Date
We had a play date today. Sophia and Baby T practiced their socialization skills while moms baked apple pies. The two are four months apart but just about the same size. Sophia is a little more wild than Baby T, who has always been on the mellow side. He looks at her like, "Who is this crazy girl?" She looks at him like, "Oh my gosh, I can't believe it!" "I'm so excited I can't stand it, you're just like me!" At one point her excitement scared Baby T and he started to cry. I felt terrible. She constantly wanted to grab him and it was hard to keep her from doing this. She couldn't contain her excitement! I put her on the other side of the room with her toys but since she's mobile now, as soon as I separated her, she'd quickly crawl back over to him. They lasted about an hour and a half. Overall I think it was a fun and productive hour and a half for all us; Moms, Sophia, and hopefully Baby T. We baked 2 apples pies. Our babies socialized and engaged one another, stimulating their growing little minds. According to livestrong.com, play dates are extremely beneficial for children because, "Play dates give children the opportunity to socialize with other children, make friends and … [Read more...]
Dana Point and Lake Tahoe Retreats
We recently spent a couple of days at my mom's house at the beach in Dana Point then headed up to Incline Village in Lake Tahoe for Brandon's snowboarding contest. It's always fun to take a road trip and getaway on a mini vacation. Both places are beautiful and were equally enjoyed. Sophia had a great time, especially visiting C (grandma), Uncle Bilbo, and Aunt Marybeth and friends. Beautiful low tide day at Monarch Loves her Dadada Brandon took first in both contests (slopestyle and pipe)! At Northstar Resort … [Read more...]
Show Your Love
I recently read an article in the February issue of Parents magazine titled "Spread the Love" written by Francesca Castagnoli and Amanda Kingloff. I thought it offered parents great advice for how to make your child feel appreciated other than just a hug or a kiss. I know Sophia is only ten months and hugs, kisses, and smiles probably keep her feeling plenty loved and satisfied. It's easy to do this with a ten month old. Kissing them all over is part of the daily routine. As she gets older, I realize it won't always be this way and I'd like to get in the habit now of practicing ways of praise other than just hugs and kisses. Below is a list of my ten favorite creative ways to show your child you appreciate them (10 from their list). my 10 favorite ways to show your child appreciation 1. Let your child teach you something they know that you don't. 2. Give your child a foot rub or a long back scratch. 3. Ask for your child's help when you're cooking dinner. 4. Send your child a handwritten letter to your home address. 5. Shut down your phone or laptop to give your child your full attention. 6. Create a secret handshake that only you, your partner, and your child know. 7. … [Read more...]
Baby’s First Christmas
Christmas has come and gone but since I'm just starting this blog and it's for Sophia, I want to document some memories from her first Christmas here. Heading out to a Christmas party All dressed up Slightly terrified to be on Santa's lap! With Grandma "C" and Mom With Grandpa and Uncle Bilbo With Cousin Elle O'Connell Family Christmas Party White Christmas A walk through the village with mom and dad Cutest Christmas Baby Ever! … [Read more...]
Photo Coasters
For Christmas I made photo coasters for my family. I had seen pictures on tiles used as coasters before but I was not sure how to do this until I read about mod podge. I found I could use this to glue the pictures onto the tiles and as a sealer on top. They were extremely simple to make and came out really cute. Supplies I Used 1. White tiles (I purchased from Home Depot for 29 cents each) 2. Mod Podge - Glossy (I purchased from Hobbie Lobby for $4.95) 3. Tree House Studio Clear Acrylic High Gloss Coating Spray HL - $5.99) 4. Photos (4x6) 5. Sponge applicator 6. Scissors 7. Felt (pre-stick sheets from Hobby Lobby) Step 1 Cut the picture to the size of the tile (If you want to measure it perfect you can, but I don't think it is necessary). Step 2 Use the sponge applicator to apply the mod podge onto the back of the photo first. Seal the photo onto the tile then apply the mod podge onto the front of the photo. I did the same vertical strokes covering the photo. Step 3 Repeat the first 2 steps. Cut your pictures to the size of the tile, glue onto the tile with mod podge, then apply a first coat over each picture. Allow each coat to dry 3 hours. Apply 3 … [Read more...]
