Ryan turns 1!

So we celebrated Ryan's first birthday a week and a half ago. It was really funny because the big kids had such high expectations for his birthday, and of course, to Ryan, it was just another day. They were hugging and loving on him all day, and going out of their way to play with him and keep him happy since it was his big day!

We started the morning by opening a few presents that his Nana and Papa Cowley had sent. Let me tell you, they were right on the money with the stuffed bear "Cashew" they sent. Ryan couldn't stop hugging and kissing it after he opened it. He wasn't interested in opening any of his other presents after he opened Cashew either! So we actually waited until after cake and ice cream that night to open the rest of his presents.

(I love the double chin he has in this picture! I just makes me want to squeeze and kiss him all over!)

After a busy day of errands, we came home to make cupcakes. Well, sorry for Ryan, we forgot to get eggs while we were out. It was late and everyone was starting to get a little irritable, and we hadn't done birthday dinner or cake and ice cream, so we looked up online that you could use extra milk as a substitute for eggs and we tried that for the cupcakes. Unfortunately, we were misinformed. The cupcakes turned out concave, and mushy inside. But luckily for us, none of the kids even noticed or cared. I guess a treat is a treat right?

Well, Ryan was cranky by the time dinner was done and cake was ready, and he didn't understand the flame on his candle. We

wouldn't get it close enough to him to touch, so he pretty much looks grumpy and or terrified in all the pictures until the candle is taken off the cupcake.

Once the candle was gone, he was happy to get down to business and dove into his cupcake and ice cream. Compared to the other kids' first birthday messy face pictures, he actually stayed pretty clean.

Overall, it was a great relaxing day with the family! Days like that always remind me how lucky I am to be the mother of these four amazing kids! Happy Birthday Ryan, thanks for being my kid! You really are a VIP in our family!

The First Day of School

So all the kids started back at school last week. Kimmy started at preschool. She goes twice a week for 2 1/2 hours. She loves it! She loves being a big girl and getting to get ready in the morning like Nate and Dana. She really likes the sandbox and the dress ups!

Nate and Dana started at their new school this year. Since we moved across town, they are going to the school down the street from us, instead of their old school across town. I was a little nervous for them, but after one week, they seem totally adjusted.

Dana loves it and makes a new best friend every day. She keeps saying that she just can't believe that she now has to do homework, but she secretly loves it. She tries to say "it's not fair that I have homework," but she can't get out the whole sentence without smiling. When I asked her what her favorite part about school is, she says that she loves the challenging work. Just like me, I loved school when I was little too.

(Did you notice that Dana and Kimmy both have the same pink boots for school. We found them at Target and they both fell in love. Dana was glad that Kimmy got some too, because she loves to be twins with Kimmy...so sweet.)

Nate is a little discouraged because they don't have any tetherball courts, but that just means he has to learn to play basketball instead. They seem to have some really good after-school enrichment programs too. He is excited to see some of his friends from around the neighborhood at school.

Soccer Banners

So for whatever reason, I volunteered to do both Nate and Dana's soccer banners this year. When I offered, I thought the deadline was September 14th, only to realize later, they meant August 14th. I took about a week planning them out in my mind and designing the appliques, another week procrastinating, and then spent several late night/all night sewing sessions to get them complete. They are still not totally done, I have to add uniform numbers and a few

finishing touches, but here they are.

Nate's team is called the Owls. I originally planned on having the owls sitting on the ball all the way around, but then I realized there were more than 8 players on his team and that wouldn't fit. So instead, they are lined in in the goal, and on the top of the goal. I think it turned out pretty great since I made up the patterns for all the appliques myself. They were surprisingly simple to make and I actually really like the idea of using buttons for the eyes.

When I add the numbers, they will go on each owl's tummy.

Dana's was a little more difficult. There were sixteen girls on the team, and each has to have a little part of the banner that is all their own, because at the end of the year they cut up the banner and send each little girl's part home with her as a keepsake. I wanted to make it soccer, but keep the theme of space, since they are the Meteors...thus I came up with the idea of the soccer balls being the meteors streaking through space. Each soccer ball was the white base with the black hexagons appliqued onto it, with ornamental stitching to make the white hexagons.

I still need to add red stitching around the yellow felt flames, to give them dimension and detail, and I also need to add the uniform numbers, but I really like it. The last thing I will do to both banners is fold back the tops and the sides to make a place to slide pvc pipes through, so we can stake the banners into the ground at their games.