Sew Mama

Isabella washing her hands after church (and spraying herself).
And me, finally getting a photo of the dress on her before striping her down for a messy lunch.

The past several months I've had an intense desire to create things with my hands; sew, craft, make! I'm not really a crafty or creative person so I have had a slow start. Not sure where to begin, afraid my lack of skill and experience would make my creations look, well, blah...I found something I wanted to make for Isabella. I had seen this Oliver + S pattern featured on a few blogs I had been visiting and basically learned all I could about it to make sure I knew what I was getting into.

When my mom came to visit in May we went fabric shopping in the garment district. (So fun!) And then she helped me. I don't think I could have made this dress without her. The sewing machine I have is an old Singer (I think from the 60's) and worked great once my mom worked out all the kinks. And then she patiently retaught and reminded me all the bits and pieces of sewing she had taught me when I was a teenager.

And, BTW, the pattern is called "Tea Party Sundress". So sweet!

Touring with Friends

Hanging out on the front steps of the Morris-Jumel Mansion in Harlem with friends, Chase & Eliot

Daddy + Cooking

Isabella loves her daddy and she loves to help in the kitchen, so this was a very special treat!

Daddy + Bedtime

Silly gnome baby!

When Brian gets Isabella ready for bed it's all fun and games! Isabella's favorite spot lately is our bed. She loves to pull up the covers to her waist and sit and read books. It's pretty cute. (Probably because we often have the air conditioner on in there.) It reminds me of growing up and how my siblings and I use to pile onto my mom's bed Saturday mornings. We would just hang out, laugh and talk and then we'd go make waffles or something like that. Oh wait! We still do that (when we visit)!

The Perfect Weekend

Cousins Devon & Wednesday

Red light!

Green light!

Catching frogs

Not only was the blueberry picking absolutely fantastic, but the rest of the weekend matched it. We played outside with the kids, visited Brian's great aunt, had s'mores on an outdoor/patio/camp fire, and watched The Incredibles on an amazing out door movie theater, set up by friends Dave & Malisa.

More Weekend Fun

Berry Picking

Cousin Roman

I LOVE blueberry picking!

Isabella finding her treasure.

Spencer, Brian's brother, with his loot.

Isabella loved the tart raspberries too. I couldn't pick them fast enough for her.

Cousins Devon & Roman raspberry picking.

YUMMY!

The first time Brian took me blueberry picking I knew I was in love. The most perfect moment was when I was crouched in a field of blueberry bushes on the top of a hill in South Glastonbury over looking the lush, green hills of New England. Then popping a warm, sun ripened blueberry (the size of a grape) into my mouth. The flavor, texture, and whole experience was amazing. Oh, sweet blueberries, I love you so!

Beach Bums

Some of my favorite photos from our trip to the New Jersey beaches yesterday. The weather was fantastic and we had a great time.

Picnic in Sheep Meadow

Brian had a pretty mellow work week with his boss off on vacation, so we got to spend some nice long lunches with him.

Pooped

Isabella was pooped after a long, fun weekend in New Hampshire!

Day 3: Story Land

Isabella's favorite ride: "you drive 'em tractor"

Milking a cow, of course!

Every child's fun place must have a ball pit!

Since we only had a couple of hours at Story Land the first day we went back to fully enjoy the park our last day in New Hampshire. It started pouring before we even left the hotel, but it turned out to be a very lovely, lovely day to play!

Day 2: Santa's Village

Isabella's favorite ride. Don't ask how I got out!

Yes, those are real reindeer!

These little amusement parks are tucked away in the White Mountains in New Hampshire. This was a day at Santa's Village. Kinda quirky, crazy little places, but oh, so fun.

Day 1: Story Land

After traveling from Connecticut to New Hampshire for 4 1/2 hours by car with three children in the backseat we were thrilled to get out and play at Story Land. Isabella LOVED the carousel. Then it poured on us. Once she was wet she became very quiet and still...seriously, I think her arm stayed in that position for, like, an hour. And then she got to "drive" a car, and she was happy again. What a trooper!

Traveling with Toddler by Train

I was a little nervous taking two trains to Connecticut last weekend with just my two hands, a baby, stroller, and all the stuff we would need for a fun weekend in New Hampshire. Isabella was a trooper, as always, and only ran off once on Amtrak while I was trying to stow the stroller in the luggage compartment. Gotta love modern entertainment on long trips with a toddler!

Enjoying the Cousins

Devon & Isabella

Devon took the two photos above. I thought he did a great job!

Roman took these two photos. Notice the smudge: little fingers on lenses.