Easter

We had a pretty quite Easter this year. This was the first year I decided Ruth Ann was ready to dye Easter eggs. I'm crazy obsessive about keeping her clothes stain free, so the thought of letting her go wild with multiple containers of liquid that would ruin her clothes made me a little nervous. I pulled out the tie dyed shirt I made for her on vacation at the Disney Hilton Head Resort from last summer. I figured it wouldn't matter if that shirt got a little bit more dye on it. As you can tell, someone was very excited about what we were about to do...



In the following picture I'm sure she was bossing me around in some form or fashion...



We loaded up the cups and waited...waiting for a 2 year old is obviously the hardest part...



I purchased 2 different color kits. One came with the cute cups...the other didn't. I actually preferred using the Solo cups because Ruth Ann kept dropping the eggs into the liquid and the Solo cups kept it from splashing everywhere...I think this will be what we do from now on!

Our eggs turned out pretty good...



But I'll be working on perfecting my egg art work for next year!

Tripp-man sat peacefully on the porch and watched all the fun...



Then we got up bright and early Easter morning, put on our Sunday best and headed to church...

#11 in your program...

But #1 in our hearts...



Having a 16 year old step son has given me insight into what athletics will be like when Tripp starts playing sports. Let me warn you friends...it's time consuming! Spencer started preparing for the 2011 season in June 2010. This basically means he plays nearly 11 months of the year...insane friends, insane!



Since our family has a 3 month old in our house right now going to the games was difficult for the entire family at one time. Thanks to some warm evenings we all made it to 2 games...as always, I think Ruth Ann may have been Spencer's biggest fan...

The newest Princess

Is anyone else planning on getting up at 4 am to start watching the royal wedding? Which network will you be watching?? I've got the DVR set for NBC, but my mom just told me Clinton Kelly and the guy from "Say Yes to the Dress" will be hosting on TLC...so now I'm reconsidering my network choice. We're heading to Camden bright and early for our Easter pictures...pictures that almost didn't happen because some little girl I know ripped the smocking out of the neckband of her hand made & hand smocked dress during church nursery on Easter Sunday...I nearly had a stroke. A few quick fixes and modifications and we're set for picture time! If I don't get to see much of the new princess tomorrow...this will be all the princess time I need...



Nothing against Kate M....but I think this princess is way cuter anyway!

Have you ever...

Have you ever tried to get a 2 year old, very sassy & very independent child to smile for the camera on demand...



Let me tell you...it's not always easy...



It usually requires a lot of time...



and a lot of patience...



and maybe a dose of anti-anxiety medication...



But if you wait long enough...



and if you have a very large memory card in your camera...



you may be able to get at least 1 picture that's a real keeper...



The more pictures I take of Ruth Ann the more I am surprised I have any pictures from my childhood when all pictures were taken with film! How did you know when you got a good picture? Thank goodness for modern day technology!

It's a dangerous place

For Christmas Ruth Ann got a bath tub baby doll from Santa. What a great idea Santa had...Ruth Ann loves playing we her babies and what could be more bun than playing with a baby doll in the bath tub...



The bath tub has proven to be a danger zone for this baby. I've put this head back on countless times and Ruth Ann pulls it right back off. She loves filling it with water and pouring it on her head...so maybe a set of cups would have been a better selection for Santa.

A sweet smell

I'm not sure there is a sweeter smell than Johnson's baby shampoo...except when it's on this sweet baby's head...



Is it just me or do you want to kiss those sweet cheeks all day long!!

Bribery...

I'm not above it...



When considering how I would decorate our children's bathroom never did I consider Barbie and Reese Pieces...however, when trying to potty train a very stubborn child...I'll resort to bribery and I'm not ashamed to admit it!

A report from the front lines...

Potty training this girl has been a battle my friends...at this point I could take on any member of the Taliban with great ease! Yesterday we had a great day...I set out wanting to avoid Pull-ups at all cost because I find them to be glorified diapers. I wanted her to know the feel of wet undies...but she was unphased by this tactic & I ended up just changing wet panties over and over...so in order to keep up with the potty training and not completely torture my in-laws...who are also very graciously my free childcare...I bought our first pack of pull-ups. I also invested in some very little girl appealing bath toys...Barbie! Ruth Ann knows that if she can make it a full day with dry panties then she gets her choice of toy. Yesterday she finally made it one full day...HOORAY!!

However...



today, not so much. I know it's going to take time...until then, the rest of the Barbies wait for their day in the tub!

Lunch dates

Last week Ruth Ann had a lunch date with these 2 good looking boys...



The Clark Boys!

Ruth Ann also enjoyed her time on the slide...sometimes she goes down correctly...



And other times incorrectly...



This girl is a dare devil...but in her words, this slide was "slippy" so she flew down on the slide when she went on her belly, landed on her face, brushed herself off and then went down the slide correctly until we left the park. Live and learn!

Someone's planning a trip...

and she's counting on the US Postal Service to get her there...



This is the product of Ruth Ann's time when she's on cartoon restriction. Do you think the lecture I gave her about stamps being like money will to stick with her?? I don't.

Little old lady

Years before Arch and I met he decided to be Granny Clampett for Halloween. Fast forward to present day...I ran across the wig he wore while I was cleaning out the top of the hall closet...you never know what kind of gems you'll run across there! Anyway, Ruth Ann was watching me, so I put it on her and told her to go show her daddy. We've gotten a lot of laughs out of this wig, but it's back up in the hall closet for now. Ruth Ann started wanting Tripp-man to wear it and I saw it as too much of a suffocation hazard. We'll get it back out in another few years and laugh again I'm sure! Until then...here's our little old lady...

Monsters

Okay, let me set the stage for you. In recent months Ruth Ann has been talking about monsters...a lot. At first I did a lot of talking about how there were no monsters and our dog outside would protect us and monsters can't get in the house...etc. But nothing helped...she had convinced herself they existed...the end. So I started playing along with her instead and what I discovered was that she would turn it around and assure ME there were no monsters. When she would hear a sound from the back porch and said I thought I heard a monster, she would explain to me that it was just Griffy (our dog).  She seemed to fix the monster problem for herself.

However, sometimes I tease her just to see the Drama Mama within come out in full force. We are deep into potty training right now and I'm finding many of our best conversations are had in the bathroom. Last night we had the bathroom window open so we could hear all the bugs outside. We can also hear the interstate from our house so you can hear the big loud trucks roaring down the road. When you see Ruth Ann cut her eyes up and to the right, she's looking towards the open window. My parents think this very cruel...but if you know Ruth Ann you know she's fearless...I believe a little fear isn't such a bad thing and could keep her out of trouble in the future!

In the background you'll also hear Tripp crying. It was his bedtime and he was resisting it last night...I promise, he was fine.

A few things

It seems like every time I finish a garment for Ruth Ann or make a new appliqued t-shirt for her I think I've just made the cutest thing to date...but seriously, this might be the cutest things I've ever made...

I saw this applique and immediately knew I wanted to modify it just a little...



I LOVE red and any shade of blue and knew I had some turquoise buttons stored away. The appliqued had wheels to stitch out too, but I just skipped that step and added my own wheels...



I saw this applique first on a website that sells monogrammed clothes...then I randomly discovered the pattern a few weeks ago...it may be my favorite pattern to date!



I'm trying to do less things with her full name because she's at an age where she might respond to a stranger and not really understand how dangerous that is...isn't it sad that this is world we live in now?



At the Junior League Holiday Market 2 years ago I bought an outfit just like this. I ran into my sewing teacher while shopping, showed her what I bought and she thought we could easily come up with a pattern for this outfit. Not everyone in my class wanted to make it and then I started my never ending list of "Things I Want To Sew" and before I knew it this idea went to the back burner. I've been on maternity leave from sewing class but still make it into her shop on occasion. The last time I visited her I walked in and there on the wall was the pattern for this outfit!



Again, I changed a few things. It called for a ribbon to tie off the top...2 ribbons actually to make a bow on each side. I made one long sash and tied it off on just one shoulder. I made one other change that is too detailed to describe...



I've also made a stack of onsies for Tripp-man, but unfortunately everytime I try to get his picture in one he has spit up on it before I can get a good picture. Ruth Ann spit less than 5 times during her first year...Tripp is spitting up small amounts on a pretty regular basis. Arch says Spencer was a projectile spitter-upper so I'm convinced it has to do with the male gene!