tum tales!: August 2010

Friday, August 27, 2010

{this moment}

Joining: Soule Mama {this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember..

Yay, it's FRIDAY!

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

A Tee Pee Tent!

My girls are always asking me to make a tent. Usually, it entails several chairs from the dining room being dragged into their bedroom and pulling out some big blankets / sheets to get the job done.

A few months ago, we purchased a new carseat for Ada and had a HUGE cardboard box hanging around. The girls were quite happy to make that their fort. When not in use, it was stashed next to my side of the bed - in a 2 bedroom apartment, there just aren't that many options.

With Isla's birthday on the horizon, I thought it would be great to invest in an actual tent that could be collapsable. I wasn't really digging many of the options available out there for purchase and that's when I found this great online tutorial for a Twin-sheet Teepee Tent over at ObsessivelyStitching.blogspot.com. I was so excited!!!

Thankfully, Chris was here for the week leading up to Isla's birthday and was able to help me lay out the sheet in our living room and keep the girls off of it during the marking / cutting process. Good times, good times. ;)

The End Result: Two Very Happy Girls!

Itty Bitty Bird!

I was determined to knit up a little toy for my big birthday girl, Isla, who turned two this past week. I found a really cute birdie pattern called: Egg to bluebird and a little nest, too from Susan B. Anderson's Itty-Bitty Toys book. This birdie seemed just perfect since I'm always calling Isla, my little Isla bird!

It even hatches!

Hello bitty bird

Isla hasn't quite figured out how to flip it inside out. Thankfully, her big sister is all over it!

Isla Turns the Big 2!

This past Saturday, we paused and celebrated our littlest girl turning two! We decided to just have a family affair this year and we had a blast.

First thing in the morning.

Getting used to this whole birthday girl thing!

Getting smooched on by her Sista

Hugs!

Squeeeeezzeee! Oh wait, I can't breathe!

Inspecting the royal coloring book racks

Someone who is really excited to get this party started

Awww, watch out! She's got some sweet moves!

Abby Cadabby makes a guest appearance

Isla's Birthday Crown, made with much love and felt (using this great tutorial!)

My amazing husband preparing the birthday breakfast of Eggs & Toast

just a little cuteness

such a big girl!

Ahhh, the terrific twos! Here we come!

"Ammmmi" Toast and Jam!

Another satisfied customer!

One of the many faces of Isla

and another

Pizza was requested and had by all

After lunch, it was time for the Birthday Girl Parade around the house to Sousa's: Stars & Stripes Forever!

We each carried a balloon and marched around and around the house until we finally broke out into dance in the living room

loving her special balloon

really loving her new sippy: A Big Girl Nalgene (just like Ada's- only purple)

After presents it was time for Moooo Cuppy Cakes (Cows are Isla's favorite animal)

Didn't Michael do an amazing job! Utters and all!

Happy Birthday to YOU!

Really concentrating on what she will wish for...

After a bite

or two

Sistas!

And so, that is pretty much how we spent our Saturday. Snuggling up with our two favorite girls. We had such a wonderful time as a family.

Isla you have changed our lives forever for the good! We love you soo much sweetie and pray that God will continue to mold you into a woman after His heart!

We love you forever!

Mommy & Daddy

Friday, August 13, 2010

And we're back! Michigan: take 1

We've had a super memory filled summer complete with a trips to Michigan, NJ, and Pennsylvania. I will be loading photos piece meal because I like to take my time with each one... Soo, if we visited you this summer, please stay tuned and be patient as I walk you through our adventures. The pictures will come in time...

We start our summer tour of the east coast with a stop in to beloved Lapeer, Michigan. Our flight out left us with a 4 hour delay in Phoenix, which meant instead of getting into Detroit at 10:30 pm, we arrived at 1:30 am. We were ever soo tired and burned out, but it was wonderful to be greeted by Carrie, Mamaw, & Papa at the airport. We made the two hour drive home with non stop talking. It wasn't until we got off of the highway and onto some back, country roads that I realized what a little city girl my Ada has become. She was quite intimidated by the land stretching out there far and wide and the intense darkness! She rode the rest of the way home with her hands over her ears. We got in around 3:30 am and could not have been more happy to nestle into our new cozy beds.

The next morning the girls crawled into bed with Mamaw and Papa!

It was time to begin our big MI adventure!

Isla loved spending her afternoons "keeping house" in the dollhouse that the Damaskas lent the girls.

Ada was a little too aware of all the spidery spiders creeping about the "country cottage" and preferred to ride the tricycle instead.

When they weren't playing with their respective toys, they loved helping Auntie Carrie pick strawberries in Papa's garden.

Papa's Strawberry Patch

A little helper

yummo!

The rare few that didn't find their way into our mouths, actually made it into the bucket

My super cute sista Carrie!

All dressed in her Sunday best!

Discovering quite the intriguing assortment of rocks!

Sunday, after church, The Yeykals came over, along with Uncle Josh's sister , Caitlyn, who was visiting them from Chicago. We had such a great time sharing a bbq and relaxing outdoors.