this could take all day

matchy-matchy

Packing their Christmas dresses up for them to wear to a wedding this weekend.

 

Walking by these little matching piles has made me smile all day long. Love being the mama of two delightful and adorable little girls.

Now if only I had the cash required to dress them alike every day...

beautiful fall day

I know the snowsuit is a bit of an overkill for a nice walk on this perfect fall day.

 

But seriously, it is WAY easier than wrangling her into a coat, getting a hat on her head, trying to keep booties on her busy feet, and wrap a blanket around her legs so it doesn't come off. Can I get an A-men?

Thanks Gran. It's perfect.

love that giggle!

easy cooking fun

Last week when I was looking around online for some recipes to add to my meal plan for the week I stumbled upon this easy recipefor Nutella rolls. 3 ingredients total. Looked delicious. So I added the ingredients to my shopping list and decided we needed to whip these up that very afternoon.

Now, I'm no Ree with her beautiful cooking photography, but I had Darin take a couple shots so we could share the fun here with you guys.

Ingredients:

• Nutella
• Refrigerated Crescent Rolls
• Powdered Sugar

Grab your ingredients, a baking sheet, and a toddler who is eager to dip her fingers in the chocolaty goodness.

 

On each crescent roll drop a spoonful of nutella and spread it out a bit. Do this quickly or impatient toddler will mutiny and stick her fingers in the chocolaty goodness.

 

Let toddler roll up those bad-boys.

 

Sprinkle with powdered sugar. (We forgot this step, but I think Daisy would have liked this part.)

Bake according to package directions.

And then the best part, licking the nutella spoon!

 

(Please ignore the post-nap hair!)

Interesting note: the toddler loved the nutella better than the crescent rolls.

Side note: kinda like chocolate croissants, but way less fluffy.

Question: when does said toddler officially become a preschooler?

Dani smiling

This little girl is in love with her Papa.

 

 

  

And I am totally okay with that.

 

saying yes

So many times a day I find myself saying "no" to my eldest child. Way more times than I want to. Telling her "no" to bad behaviors. Telling her "no" when she asks for things she can't have. Telling her "no" when she wants to do something that we don't have the time, space, or energy to do. That no word is heard way too often around here.

Recently I was challenged by this blogger about my use of the word no and have been trying to take a pause before it comes out of my mouth. Take a pause and ask myself if I could really say yes?

Last night the question (acutally, more of a request) from Daisy was: "Mama, take off yo cyoes and take a baff wif me." (Take off your clothes and take a bath with me.)

I took a pause.

And then I said, "sure". And the smile on her face was all the reward I needed.

It was fun to sit in our way-too-tiny and way-cooler-than-I-normally-enjoy bath and play with her. Splash around. Wash her hair. It was a good mother/daughter moment. And I was glad for the chance to say yes.

Today I wasn't so good at saying it.

Gonna try again tomorrow...

I would love to hear some of your "saying yes" stories in the comments to inspire me.

sharing the playmat

I was sweeping the kitchen the other day and things were a little quiet in the playroom. I came around the corner to find this beautiful scene:

 

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE watching these two together. The magic of siblings.

fall craft party

I have big dreams of spending hours doing crafts with my daughters, but we're definitely not there yet. And since we've got to start somewhere instilling crafting love, I'm on the hunt for preschool-friendly-do-it-in-five-minutes-or-less kind of crafts.

On Monday I hosted my first ever preschool craft event. I offered room for 5 kiddos, but only 2 came. I think that was great because it was a much more maneagable scene.

First up on our list was a craft from a recent issue of Family Fun Magazine which involved paints! Our first foray into real paints!

Here's the example I whipped up:

 

Supplies:

• cardstock
• brown marker
• construction paper
• fall paint colors
• sponges

Directions: (Use your discretion of which jobs you do and which you have your kiddos do)

1. draw a trunk and branches on your white paper
2. draw a cloud on a piece of construction paper and cut out the inside, making a mask/stencil
3. place the mask over your white paper (I found paperclipping the two together helped with the younger kiddos)
4. use sponges dipped in paint to make the leaves on your trees

Here's the two-year-old version:

 

Crayons optional: (but since they were on the table to draw a "cloud" they must be used!)

 

I think we might try this craft again next fall, but overall I was pretty impressed with her version. (By the way:I'm all about letting kids do crafts their own way. If you buy a craft kit and expect kids to make it exactly like the packaging, you're gonna be dissapointed. Or you're gonna be doing it for them. This has been a hard lesson for me to learn, what with my OCD craftiness, but my time spent in Children's Ministry has really helped. Kids need to learn to create and express themselves, not be taught how to do a craft exactly as shown: that's what math is for!)

Our second craft of the day was pretty simple.

Supplies:

• fall leaves, dried
• contact paper
• scissors

Directions:

1. collect leaves and allow to dry
2. cut contact paper to size of a placemat
3. place leaves on paper and press down
4. cover with a second piece of contact paper

Hints:

• internet directions recommend drying leaves in a heavy book before using them, but since we were doing this craft day-of we just laid them out to dry for about an hour on a towel. I would recommend flattening, as the placemat is a little bumpy
• cut off the stems, also add to the bumpyness

 

This was a pretty simple one, but Daisy enjoyed placing the leaves and pushing them down onto the sticky paper.

Next up...Christmas crafts!
 
 
 

Happy Birthday Roomie!

My dear husband turns 29 today. That means two things: (1) he's beginning his final-year as a 20-something, and (2) I'll be doing the same thing in a couple weeks.

Last year we spent his birthday weekend in Lewiston to help celebrate Amy's baby shower. And on his actual birthday we spent the morning at the Kaufman farm and the rest of the day driving home.

This year he's spending his birthday weekend in Spokane helping the Eddy's remodel their bathroom. And on his actual birthday he'll work all day, and spend the evening driving home.

I think he must like these guys or something.

In college Jen, Amy & I called Darin our "fourth roomie". Not only because he spent so much time in our aprartment that he often would chip in for food; but because we all really loved the guy and liked having him around. I'm just the lucky one who got to marry him, probably 'cuz I saw him first.

Fortunately enough, it seems Darin gets along pretty well with the other husbands of the group too.

But he gets the three of us girls in ways that Joe & Kevin never quite will.

I love you babe. I love being your wife. I love that you are the father to our kids. I love that we get to spend our last year as twenty-somethings together.

And no, you can't come to Mexico with us girls next year. (If you weren't married to one of us, we'd probably let you!)

right now

As inspired by Miss Ali Edwards.

 

Outside my window: it is pouring rain. Welcome Washington fall.

I am thinking: about sleep training. Dani is doing so well, usually crying less than 5 minutes before sleeping at both naps and bedtime. But now Daisy thinks she has to cry herself to sleep too, and its been 30-45 minutes the last few nights. What next?

I am thankful for: my warm home, internet TV, a photo of me and my girls, and southwestern salad from Trader Joe's that made dinner nice and easy.

From the kitchen: 3 brown bananas just waiting to be made into bread. Seriously so easy to whip up that I have to psych myself up for the dishes more than the baking.

I am wearing: my shirt from today and new PJ pants. Needed to take off the jeans but was too eager to eat to change my shirt too.

I am creating: a cleaner scrap space (hopefully), some burp rags, a craft for December MOPS, a page about Dani's curls, and a cross-stich about seasons. I like to have lots of projects going on at once.

I am going: to the library tomorrow. Overdue books (Harry Potter is a little long to finish in 3 weeks but I can't get it renewed) and Gilmore Girls season 3 waiting for me.

I am reading: 10 pages to go in Harry Potter & the Halfblood Prince. Looking forward to picking up Jesus for President when I'm done. And I also have about 15 magazines on my shelf to peruse.

I am hoping: to not just survive the next 3 days as a single mom, but to enjoy this time with my daughters. And then to welcome Darin back with excitement and not exhaustion. (He's in Spokane helping the Eddy's remodel their bathroom.)

I am hearing: quiet. Thankful that Daisy is now quiet. A little "white noise" from the hallway fan too.

Around the house: there are messes. Little spots that show this house is lived in. And candles. I am loving the chance to light more candles around here.

A few plans for the rest of the week: library, getting pictures taken, church, hosting a preschool craft party, Darin's birthday, and p-lay (as Daisy says, emphasizing the "p").

A photo to share:

 

Daisy's "cheese" smile looks rather appropriate on this pirate ship. Doesn't she look like she's saying "ARGHHHH"?
 

pausing time

This baby of mine is just about the cutest thing I've laid my eyes on. (Of course, her sister holds that title too.) And it feels like she is already growing too fast.

 

The perpetual pain of parenthood: you love to watch your children grow and learn new things. But there is this ache of knowing someday they'll be on their own. This little baby won't be a baby for long.

 

So that's why I get out my camera. That's why I want to learn to shoot this little face better. To edit those images the best way I can. So that in some small way I can pause time a little. See the light in those eyes, remember her sweet giggle, and how on this day she just hung out at my feet while I tried to learn to sew.

 

And then I put my camera down, pick up this cutie pie, and do a little nuzzling. Did I mention she smells good too? 

 

cowgirl Daisy

At nearly 2 and a half, we have begun to enter the fabulous world of pretend. Like the previously mentioned "bean cooking," Daisy has begun pretending throughout her day. She pretends to be a mommy while caring for her baby dolls, she pretends to go to work at camp while getting in and out of her play car, and she pretends to be a cowgirl when she dons her adorable cowgirl hat.

(You too, can own one of these lovely hats as we sell them in our camp store!)

  

 

She is absolutely delightful and I can't wait to see what her imagination will do next.

ps: Mom, Dad, Deb, Michelle: A little blast from the past here?

cookies and milk, and beans

Last weekend my niece Molly came over to help watch Daisy. I was busy speaking at camp (4 talks, which went well, thanks for asking) and Daisy LOVED having her cousin's full attention.

I only took 1 picture during the weekend, a Saturday afternoon snack at Daisy's table.

 

(And Daisy really loves playing with her beans. Lately it's all about pretend cooking. Two weeks ago we got a steal of a play kitchen on Craigslist and I can't wait to give it to her and her sister for Christmas. You can add play food or dishes to your Christmas list if you're the gift-buying-for-Daisy-type readers here.)
 

when a good swaddle goes bad

going...

 

going...

 

gone!

 

keeping busy

LOTS of things have been keeping me from this blog lately. Problem is, the more I do the more stuff I have to blog about and the less time I have to blog.

• Spent last weekend up in Lakewood so Darin could help his brother roof his first home. We are so excited for them to join the ranks of homeowners, and this great house is undergoing some major renovations before moving day.

Some of the crew, pausing for a picture break:

• This coming weekend I'm speaking at the "Fusion" retreat for 4th-6th graders. I've got 4 talks to write so I've been imersed in notes and bible stories and reminiscing about my own stories in order to come up with 40 minutes of good material for these guys. Oh yeah, and Darin's working too, so I've got to figure out how to take care of my kiddos. Thank goodness my neice is coming over to help for the weekend!
• I love my gig as MOPs craft coodinator, so I'm often consumed with ideas there.
• I need to come out of the woodwork and get my rear in gear with 4-H. Fair season is OVER and now we're back to work. I have about 50 emails I need to respond to.
• Has anyone seen my floor? It's buried under a mess that desperately needs sweeping
• Got back into Harry Potter. Finished book 5 last week and have book 6 lying around here somewhere. But I have to get my fusion talks done first!
• I've got an adorable and hilarious 2-year-old, and a beautiful and demanding 2-month-old that fill up my days too.

Oh yeah, and typepad takes FOREVER to load photos. That doesn't help this lack-of-blogging thing either!

don't want to forget

Miss Dani,

This afternoon was rough. You were only interested in napping 20 minutes at a time, and the times you were awake all you did was cry. And cry and cry and cry. Nothing I could do was helping.

And the thing is, I was extra frustrated because my to-do list was quite long, and don't you know kiddo that naptime is my time. My time to get things done. My time to write a blog or read a chapter of my book. My time to fold some laundry and return emails. My time to plan the next MOPs craft. My time.

But this day I decided to give in. We settled down to nurse and I just stroked your head and prayed as you happily gulped away. And seconds after burping you were asleep on my chest.

I could have laid you down and prayed you stay asleep, jumping into my list. But instead I gave in again, settled my cheek against the top of your head, and breathed. I know from experience that this baby time doesn't last nearly long enough and I'm gonna miss it when its gone. So today I soaked in the feelings and did my best to capture the memory so I can return to it when you're all big and grown.

I then I stretched my arm out and took a picture. That'll help too.

freedom!

She took a bottle last week!

It took some tears, and quite a bit of coaxing, but she managed to get down a few ounces. And hopefully it will just keep getting easier and then this Mama could be away for a few hours without her having to tag along!

video post

We've had a whirlwind week, what with a visit from my very favorite twins and then a camping trip for our little family. Needless to say, I've got a lot of photos to go through. So while I work on those, how about a post full of some recent videos?

I had the video camera out one day and Daisy wanted to watch herself on it. So I made her "do something" that she could then watch. Since I had her at my disposal and the camera on, I had to document the way she says these two words: popsicle and bicycle. Makes me laugh every time with her little french accent.

While reading a repetitive book can often seem tedious for a parent, it is really cool when your kid catches on and can join in the fun. And even cooler when she says "what do you see?" in the cutest way possible.

Inspired by a recent episode of Dora the Explorer, here's Daisy's version of the Happy Dance.

These videos were a little Daisy heavy, so here's a recent conversation with Miss Dani.

chatting with Dani from Deanna Gemmer on Vimeo.

bean bin

One of my projects for this fall was to make a tactile bin for Daisy. So each trip to the grocery store we picked up a bag of beans and slowly began a collection.Then earlier this summer Darin found a bucket full of beans in the craft barn at camp. He wasn't sure if camp would ever use them so he brought them home for us. Score!

 

We found a shallow tub and some random things for pouring and Daisy went to town. She was enthralled with it for a long time and Darin got her in the habit of picking up any spilled beans right away.

 

We also went to Goodwill and picked up a few more fun things to add to the bin. Daisy picked out a little pot and lid and would not let them go. "Buy for me?" she kept asking in her adorable way.

 

And see that chair there? The bean bin fits perfectly underneath it until we're ready to play again.

park picnic

This morning I woke up with the idea to take my best girls and my Mom on a little picnic playdate. One of my favorite parks around here is about 15 minutes up the road in a town called Home. They have an awesome play area and lots of shade.

Here's my Momma, cuddling the baby so I can play with Daisy.

 

And Miss Daisy, fearless on the big slides today.

 

We even brought CC along to guard our chairs.

 

 

Wish this one wasn't so blurry.

 

My picnic buddies.

 

And, lastly, my favorite shot of the day.