Catching up!

First off, I apologize, but I've fallen victim to Instagram---so much easier than posting over here lol. I take back all the mean things I said about it in the past (except my making fun of foodie pictures....I still stand by that :-P )  So if you aren't following me on Instagram yet go do so ASAP HERE

In other news, here is week 23's Sister Saturday picture



Aren't they adorable? :-)

The girls and I are in the swing of our summer schedule---this week Raya had dance camp for ballet and jazz....she's loving it



Brielle isn't old enough for this camp, so I've been trying to make her forget the unfairness of it all by bribing her with donuts :-P



In the summer I have a tendancy to cave often for cool treats---DQ is a frequent stop




As is Starbucks


And when I had all the cousins Sunday night we went to Orange Leaf...on of those add your own toppings places


And DQ before that


John and Em returned from Mexico on Monday and we are missing all the cousin time we had last week---here are a few pics I don't think I"ve posted yet here







We are on day 2 currently of a reading challenge we started. I made a reading chart and set a goal of 10 books a day---8 read aloud between Lee and I and then 2 "read" independently by the girls. They are loving this so far and I love the visual reminder to myself of how many I've read them so far during the day. It's not that I don't like reading to them, but as they've gotten older their books have gotten so long! So sometimes Lee and I just don't really feel like it :-P But I know it's important and with Raya out of preschool for the summer I wanted to keep something academic going consistently.

We went to the library yesterday to stock up on some new books...and play


We've also done quite a bit of sprinkler play! The temps have only been in the low 70s lately so not warm enough for the pool or splash pad really, but they still brave the cool weather to play in the yard :-)



I even set the sprinkler up on the driveway and made a "car wash" for them :-)


Other than all our summer fun I've been doing TONS of photo sessions. I've really enjoyed meeting a lot of new people and getting to cuddle some new babies as well :-)

Here are some favorites of late:













I even did my first in-home lifestyle session!

Adventureland

We to the local amusement park today. We go once a summer and the kids always look forward to it!

This is my favorite pic of the day <3



Here are some other favorites---my mom bought the girls matching outfits at Children's Place and I made their headbands




Raya has a very weak stomach like grandma (and me at times too) and she would get very scared/nauseous on the rides that went in fast circles (like the teacups) or on anything that caused that stomach dropping sensation. But Brielle wasn't scared of anything---she wanted to go on grownup rides and would get mad when we wouldn't let her! Sawyer also loved just about everything that he was big enough to go on. Harper did much better this year than last and liked everything she tried.



We took our lunch and had a picnic---the weather was nice and cool (mid 70s) and the park was very quiet---no lines! A lot of schools aren't quite out yet, which helped



Heading home...thumbs up for an awesome day!! (After this pic harper slapped Brielle on the arm...we asked her why and she said "bc she keeps closing her eyes for pictures!" Don't worry harper, I feel like doing the same thing lol)

Raya's Birthday Interview (A Little Late)

Oops. Forgot to do this---here it is, a little late! These are the questions I first asked her at 3 years old.


What is your  favorite  color?   *Pink and Blue

What is your favorite TV show? *Callie's Wild West

What is your favorite  room in your house? *My room
Why is that your favorite? *I like the other side of my bed because there's a camper.

Do you like princesses? *Yeah
Which is  your favorite princess? *All of them!

What is  your  favorite  food? *Butterfly cakes with cream inside with sprinkles
What  food  don't  you like? * Tacos

What is you favorite thing to drink? *Raspberry flavor and cherry flavor....ummm...blueberry....and strawberry and maybe like one more.....like ummmmm....grape

 If you could change  your  name, what would it be? *That little kitten's name that has the white body....Marie    (Aristocats)

 If  you had lots  of money, what  would you buy with it? * Umm, a Frozen tall as me and a baby Frozen and a dolly Frozen.

 What's your favorite  book? * Disney Books, because they have Elsa and Anna in it

What do you love  about Grandma and  Papa's house? * Having a sleepover....that's all

 If you could do  anything all  day, what would it be? * Buying dollies...buying ALL of the dollies

Who's your best friend? *Lilly and Sawyer

What's  your  favorite game? * Chutes and Ladders

What's  your favorite thing to wear? *Summer dresses, but no jeans! Just summer dresses and no shorts or tank tops!

What  is something you want to teach  Brielle when  she's older? *To reach her clothes with a little stool....I'm gonna teach her skating by herself

What's  your favorite thing to do at the mall? *Eat cookies....that's all
 t
What do  you dream about? * Frozen...I met Frozen in her castle and I did what Frozen was doing.

What's your favorite thing about Daddy? * He teaches me how to rollerskate and he plays games

If you had to pick  a new mommy, who would you pick? * Lilly

Why  is  the sky blue? Because it has to be blue so that the sun comes up....if it isn't blue then it will be dark forever

What  do you want  to be when you grow up? * Teaching school

Would you like another  sister  or brother? * Another sister and it would be a lilly.

What if you ever had a brother? * It would be Sawyer.

But would you like a tiny baby to live with us? No....because they poop and pee all over!

knit headband tutorial

Ok, on Instagram and Facebook I've had quite a few people inquiring about these knit headbands I started making for the girls...and they are SO EASY that I thought I'd share a little tutorial in case someone wanted to try making one themselves :-)

Time: 10-15 minutes
Supplies: 1/4 yard fabric (I can make a headband for both Raya and Brielle out of 1/4 yard), scissors or rotary cutter, sewing machine (or hand stitch if you are really motivated lol)


Step 1: Fold your fabric in half (short side to short side) ...then fold the top (long side) down so that you end up with 4 layers of fabric  (my thumb is showing the long side that I folded down...then the bottom of my stencil is lined up along the other fold that was created when I folded short end to short end)



**The "stencil" I just made up with a ruler. That is the general shape needed for the style I have been making. If you want your ends to be more square rather than pointed you could draw yours with more square ends, etc. I make the bottom more narrow just so that the part behind the neck isn't so wide b/c that bother's my girls. The length of your stencil should be half the head circumference + however long you want your tie ends to be (I tested a couple first and eventually figured out my ideal length---just gotta play around with it.).

Step 2: Cut out your stencil (this doesn't have to be exact...I don't trace it or anything...just cut around the stencil the best you can by eyeballing it.)



**I made mine a little longer than the stencil b/c it was for Raya...the stencil is Brielle's size**

Step 3: Unfold everything and you now have 2 pieces, double the length of the stencil (b/c the fabric was folded over.)



Step 4: Lay the two pieces on top of each other (right sides together---b/c you will turn it right side out after you sew it). Start sewing where my thumb is in the picture below...and sew all the way around until you get to where my pointer finger is--the space in-between my fingers you will *not* sew shut. 

Use a zigzag stitch if possible...it will allow for some stretch better than a straight stitch.



This shows what it looks like when I'm done sewing...see the gap I left unsewn?



Step 5: Start turning it right side out, by pushing the fabric back through that hole you left unsewn. Do little bits at a time b/c the hole is not very big (you don't want to leave too big of a hole because then you will see it on the finished product).



Step 6:

This is the finished product once it's turned right side out! The hole (shown by my fingers) will be hidden under the knot you tie, but you can hand stitch it shut if you want.



Step 7: Put it on! I need to practice my knots haha, but just a double knot of some kind works :-)

 

*** If you like your headbands to be wider then just cut them wider! If you like longer floppy ends on your bow then make it longer. You can pretty much alter it however you want! ***

And seriously, it seems more complicated than it is. Such a quick and easy project--anyone could do it I promise. And if your sewing is wonky and uneven etc it really doesn't matter. By the time it's all tied on their head it hides almost all imperfections.

Have fun!

Here are a few others I've made too

Cousin' lovin'

John and Em are both at a destination wedding all week so my mom has the kids. Today we went to a local zoo!