February Miscellaneous

Some great times were had in February!

Joe says he is ashamed that our daughter doesn't have a better superhero cape.  I'll get right on that.

New version of pop-beads is totally rad!

In spite of the fact that our children maul Joe the second he arrives home from work, he is still responsible for making the mashed potatoes for dinner.

Evie is obsessed with marshmallows.

Evie is also obsessed with jelly beans.  

This one is so cute.  I was working at my sewing machine, and this little guy popped up to "help".  I guess he thought his plastic knife was the equivalent of sewing scissors.

Riverview Park in Mesa

Our Henry doesn't like riding in the car very much, so I try make our longer errands include something fun.  Today, I needed to pick up a couple of things from Jo-Ann Fabrics, and since this retailer must think no one in central Phoenix sews, we had to drive to Mesa.  On a previous trip, I had spotted what looked like a pretty cool park across the street from this retail complex.  And it is!  There are lots of cool playground equipment and climbing net structures.  Even a 50 foot tall structure for older children and adults, (you can spot Evie underneath it).  Evie had so much fun, and we will bring a swimsuit next time for the splash pad.  Sadly, there are no swings or sand, so there was really nothing for Henry to do. but he was a good sport about it and enjoyed watching the kids play.

Evie & Henry

Joe is so good at playing with the kids, they really love spending time with him.  He helped Evie build this tower of blocks and plastic fruit & veggies, which she loved and was so proud of.  And I'm not sure what was going on with the rope around Henry, but he was under Joe's supervision the whole time and I promise that we do not tie up our children when they are bad.

Cereal

This morning, Joe thought he would take a few minutes and enjoy a bowl of cereal.  The kids had already eaten their breakfast, but were very interested in helping out daddy with his.  I don't give the kids cereal for breakfast so this was a special treat.  And Joe has been adding frozen blueberries, so that makes it extra special.  I think that between the two of them they ate almost all of it.  Kids!  They just take, and they take, and they take, hahaha.  (Joe had to fix himself another bowl after they left to play).

The Banana Slicer

I cannot even remember where we got this banana slicer.  I know I didn't buy it, and I've never used it (we have knives, you know).  But it's lived in a crowded drawer among our other kitchen utensils for a long time.  The other day, Evie pulled it out to play with it and I explained to her what it was for.  So when I suggested bananas for a snack today, she stopped and declared, "I know!" and then ran for the banana slicer.  Anyway, it was a fun tool for her to use, and she enjoyed preparing this little snack for herself and her brother.

Evie's Room

When we bought our house last April, the room that was to be Evie's bedroom was in the worst shape.  Concrete floors and really ugly, old paint with lots of drips and runs.  In fact, it was the only room not pictured in any of the photos on the real estate listing.  We've had some work to do!
Before we even moved in, I quickly painted her room and closet and Joe installed carpet tiles over the concrete floor.  After we moved in, we switched out the ceiling fan, removed the bi-fold closet doors and hung curtains instead, and installed white blackout roller shades in her windows.  After her birthday in June, she got a new bed, and I sewed her new bed linens and a new pillow for her chair.  And I painted her bedroom door and Joe installed a new door knob.  Since then, I've been slow in making other improvements to her room, (as other parts of the house have taken priority).
When she stopped sleeping a couple of months ago, I started working on her room again, in hopes that it would make her feel more comfortable and secure at night.  So I sewed her some fabric roll-up shades and Joe installed them.  I also made her a bed tent, which she loves.  We put cabinet doors over the top of her closet to hide the mess.  I made her a birth stats print and framed it, hung a mirror behind her door, and assembled these coat hooks for her out of outdoor faucet knobs.  
Evie's bedroom is not very big, about 10' x 11', (her 3-drawer dresser is in her closet).  But we are thrilled with how cute and cheery it looks now.  She loves it too!
Here are some before and after photos:

Valentine's Day

Last year, I did not have any valentines for Evie to give out to her friends at school.  Honestly, it never even occurred to me.  I mean, she was only 2, right?  But I didn't feel too bad about it, even when Evie came home with a half dozen valentines from her classmates, because I didn't think she really understood or would care.  But I knew this year would be different, remembering how excited she was about Christmas.
So I made these valentines for her, and had a lot of fun with it.  (Before anyone suggests I start designing greeting cards, I "borrowed" design elements from 3 different valentines that I saw.  I'm not that good).  The most surprising part was how difficult it was to find candy necklaces.  Apparently, this item, which was hugely popular when I was a kid, is now classified as "nostalgic candy".  And thus unavailable at any of the places you would normally think to buy candy.  It was Evie's first time to enjoy a candy necklace, and of course she loves them now!!

Evie's school also hosted a "Friendship Festival" on Friday evening.  I usually attend these events, but this time Joe took Evie, while I stayed home with Henry.  It was just easier that way (for me, at least).  They played, had a dance party, decorated cookies, ate dinner outside, etc.  Joe said she did really great and had a fabulous time!

And Then... Bath Time!

After a lot of fun with sand, the kids took a bath.  And had a great time!  Evie and Henry both love baths and playing with water.