Waaahhh!! I'm sad ya'll! I can't believe my tiny little rag-a-muffin is 3 today. If you ask her though, she will probably tell you she's 4 or 5. I mean really, where did time go?!! It seems like just yesterday she was still in my belly causing me to lose my lunch, and breakfast, and dinner. She and I had a rocky start, not only did I have morning (more like all day) sickness for almost my whole pregnancy, but I ended up in the hospital several times for premature contractions and dehydration. Then came the colic for 5 months straight! I should have known she was going to be trouble. And that's totally what she is, TROUBLE! And attitude for daaaayzzzz! Humor me while we do a little flashback, to December 29th, 2010. It was a looong labor, but not as long as my first. I'm thinking it was close to 13 hours. Cause thats how I do. We had fun though, I was so much more chill, seeing as how I had just done this whole baby thing like 14 months before. I was seriously still convinced I was going to have a boy, even though the sonograms said otherwise. I don't know if I didn't want to get my hopes up (girls are so fun to sew for!), or if it was all the boys in Michaels family, or if I was just terrified to have a little girl. I mean, what if she ended up just like me? I couldn't handle a teenage me. I was the worst...sorry Mom, Ed, and Dad! The time came for this little baby to enter the world and I was just in complete awe and joy, a little 7lb girl! Just like the Doctors said (imagine that)! OH HOW I LOVED HER! Just instantaneous love. The moment I held her it felt like she was just made for my arms. She fit in them like a perfect little puzzle piece, and our family felt complete. I was so afraid I wouldn't be able to love another child as much as I loved Levi, but it was just so natural. And a different kind of love. We were mother and daughter, a whole new dynamic. ...and she grew. She grew until she was 3 years old! (Does anyone recognize that? The book "I Love You Forever" , a favorite in our house). Now days that little Princess has tangled wild hair and constantly has some sort of self applied pen, marker, or paint marks all over her. That is, when she's not busy coloring on walls or furniture. Her teachers gave her watercolor paints for her birthday and she literally painted for hours straight, picture after picture, until all the paints were used up. She is sassy and ornery and loves to instigate. Sometimes I see SO MUCH of my mom in her, something about the little looks she gives when she's up to know good. She know's how to work it like my mom did, to just try and "cute" her way out of trouble. And the way she finds humor in getting Levi or myself all worked up just because. Such a little pistol, sometimes she just drives me down right crazy! I always say she is like a Sour Patch Kid, because there is also a sweet side to my pretty little daughter! She is the most cuddly, snuggly, cutest little velcro child. When taking a break from the shenanigans she is constant stuck to me. Always wanting to be close, and be held, and just be downright loved on. I try to have patience when I'm cooking, or cleaning and she wants to be this way because I know it won't last forever. Even at 3 years old she still feels like she was just created by God to fit in my arms just perfect. She will just bury her head in you, or wrap her arms around you, and you melt. Seriously, how could you not?! She picked out most of her outfit for her photo shoot! The only thing I helped with was the shirt. She is such a little girly-girl-diva-pants. She also insisted we couldn't take anymore pictures till she got her sparkle [nail] polish. Happy Birthday Sunnie Beth. Your Daddy and Mommy love you so much more than you could ever know. Or maybe one day, when you are grown and married, you will know because you will be so lucky to be BLESSED with a fiery and adorable little Sour Patch Kid daughter of your own. Thank you so much for all the joy you bring to our home and for always keeping us on your toes! I look forward to many more years of sparkly pedicures and sweet snuggles. I love you forever! -Mom
2 Comments
For family photo shoots! I was so honored that my sweet friend and coworker asked me to do a session for her daughters 13th birthday, as well as get a few photo's of the whole family. I was so excited/nervous I practically squealed "YES!" before Sherry could even finish asking. Thirteen is such a big year. The official start of being a teenager. I remember myself at 13- moody, obnoxious, quite awkward looking. My uncle calls it my "ugly duckling stage", sweet huh? Aletha is just gorgeous, I can't believe how much she has grown up in these few years that i have known her. Looks like she is going to skip that ugly duckling stage all together, lucky lady. So pretty, just like her momma! (Ya'll know I'm so jealous of their red hair!) And of course some of the lovely family.... I was so happy to spend time photographing such a genuine family! They are the real deal ya'll. :)
Last weekend was Levi's 4th birthday party. Oh man, birthday parties wear me out. Next year we may just do Chuck-E-Cheese. I was more than thrilled that I was able to convince him to pick a theme other than Halloween again. He wanted to still be able to dress up for his party so we settled on superheros! Of all the super hero's in the world to choose from, Levi naturally chose Robin. I'll be posting more about their costumes (mom-made of course) real soon! I made a "photo booth" from a plastic table cloth, black wrapping paper, and a few wrapped boxes. Almost all the decorations came from a printable party pack by Owlie Powlie on Etsy. I loved that it was customizable and Levi loved seeing his name all over everything! My MIL brought her infamous corn dip (featured in the photo above) which I may or may not have ate my weight in. My wonderful bestie gifted the super yummy cupcakes from a local bakery. Nothing better than corn dip and gourmet cupcakes people! I gathered up all of the existing superhero gear we had in the house already and made a costume station on our antique wall tree. That way any of the guest (including my husband) could rock the party look. For the party favors I stuffed the festive little good bags I made full of yummy candy. The bags were surprisingly simple to assemble. Just print on card stock, cut, fold, and hot glue! POW! We had the hook-up on bounce houses, so that ended up being where the birthday boy spent 90% of his party. Even the adults got in on the fun! I wish I would have taken a picture of the front, it had all the members of the Justice League! The birthday boy had an AMAZING time and we are so grateful to all our friends and family that made his special day so memorable! Now some more party pictures for your enjoyment... Happy Birthday to my big 4 year old!...was October 19th, 2009.That was the day my precious boy was born. Sweet, tiny, perfect little Levi. Blame it on the 24+ hours of labor, or maybe the fact that I was still a baby myself, but staring down at this little stranger I just couldn't comprehend that he was mine. But I knew I loved him, and that God had blessed me beyond measure. And for 1460 consecutive days since then I have just fallen in love with him more. Happy Birthday Levi!Because of you, son, I have a better understanding of the Lord's love for me. I had such a huge dark void in my life from all the loss I had just experienced. But then you were born, and filled our lives with so much light. I started to live my life with purpose. I wanted to be a better Christian for you, a better role model, a light in your life. I just can't believe you are 4 years old today.You are so kind. With that great, big, loving heart you are also intuitive beyond your years. Always taking in all the vibes around you. It is written all over your sweet face and big brown eyes every emotion you are feeling. You are silly, and creative, and love to be the center of attention. Hmmm... wonder where you get those traits from? ;) And such a smart boy! You always surprise me with how much have learned, like the way you just sat down and wrote your name this week. I am so proud of you. I'm so glad God chose Daddy and I to be your parents. I love you forever, I like you for always.
The Bimaa sweater is taking over blogworld....and I have jumped on the bandwagon! I mean, whats better than tiny little toddlers in cowl neck sweaters? I can't wait to make a hooded option, maybe one with ears for Levi. Sarah from EmmyLouBeeDou is a genius. I made this Bimaa from an up-cycled sweater and some very thin navy jersey from Denver Fabrics. The sweater is a very thin knit as well and only has a slight 4 way stretch so I sized up to a 3T just in case. I wish the cowl was a thicker fabric so it had a little more body, still works though. I love the "infinity scarf" look. Playing hide and seek is Sunnie's favorite part about the cowl finish. She's a mess. Fo real. I got Bimaa sweater as part of the SewFab sale that is sadly now over. The bundle came with 26 patterns (only 1 of which I already owned...some please stop me) and so far I've sewed up 2. Post coming soon on Levi's "Pajama Eater" made from the bundle. Get excited.
Great news, now you can have Freckled Shenanigans delivered right to your email inbox! Click the link above and subscribe to my blog via Bloglovin. Every time we add a new post you will get a preview of it and a link the the rest of the post right in your inbox. EXCITING RIGHT!!! Try to contain yourselves, i know ;). You can also enter your email address in the feed burner form on the right side page if you aren't not the whole Bloglovin thing but still what updates. In other very exciting news.... I have been chosen to pattern test a new pattern for Dandelions N' Dungarees! I'm very excited and privileged as this will be my first time to be a tester whoop whoop. Can't wait till I can share this awesome project with you. In the meantime you can see all of her other amazing patterns on her website or check out her Etsy shop! I love the vintage feel of all of the items.
The kids started their first real preschool this year. Along with that came their very first picture day! The Maxwell shirt from Shwin and Shwin patterns (I know, I'm obsessed) helped Levi look like a trendy little stud for his close-up. Don't worry, I gave him a haircut before the actually picture day! I had seen on Pinterest that Kate (from See Kate Sew) made an amazing dress from a target sheet set. It is a great way to keep cost on fabric low seeing as you can get 6 yrds from 1 twin sheet set! I LOVED the octagon fabric she used, so I headed to target to snatch some up. When I was there I found the body pillow cover and sheet set I used for this shirt on the clearance rack. SCORE! I have TONS of fabric left over too. I have to admit that I've had this pattern for a while, I've just been too scared to sew it up. I was really intimidated by the collar, I had never tackled one before. The awesome instructions and photos made it a breeze. I love all the amazing detail in the shirt, especially the contrasting back yoke! I mean how fun are those glasses?! I even put some "secret spy glasses" in the back of the pocket flaps (maybe upside down though). Levi still loves them! Those are snaps, not buttons. First time for those as well! I was a cheapo and bought the ones you hammer. Not recommended, pay the extra to get the snaps with the little attaching tool. So worth it! His teacher complimented him on his awesome shirt at school and he was so proud to tell her that his mommy made it. She repiled "You must have a cool mom", to which he answered "Yeah, my mom is REALLY COOL!". I love him so, he is just the best :).
We were invited to our little pal Joshua's birthday party this past weekend. The kids use to go to daycare with him, and his mommy and I were pregnant together. It's crazy to think he is 3 now! I knew I wanted to make him something special and unique for his gift. Sewing for boys isn't always easy. You have to have a good balance between creative and masculine. I find that homemade clothes for Levi can end up looking real girly real quick if I'm not careful. That being said, I enjoy sewing for Levi because it challenges me more! One of my favorite ways to customize his clothes are appliqués, usually of his choice. In the past we have made sock monkey shirts, guitars, and of course googly eyed monsters. I knew Joshua loved vacuums (along with lawn equipment and john deer tractors- all boy), so I decided a special little vacuum appliqué shirt would be original and fun for him. I mean, it's all about what the birthday boy loves on his special day, right? And you can't just go pick up a vacuum shirt for a toddler anywhere. I thought I would make a tutorial for it so you could see how easy it is, and maybe make something for your little one, or even for yourself! Click the "Read More" below to see the tutorial...
Meet the newest member of Sister's wardrobe, Lucy. It makes me smile a little that most her outfits have cute little people names. This was another fabulous Shwin and Shwin pattern that I got during their sale. I got the pattern last Thursday, printed it on Friday, and sewed it up on Saturday. That never happens! The kids insisted on wearing their "spooky" mask for the photo shoot. :) My favorite part about this pattern is that it is reversible! It also has the option for inseam pockets on both sides, but I was feeling lazy and only did them on the chambray side. Of course it wouldn't be a normal day in our life without some shenanigans. While I was making lunch Sunnie was coloring with washable markers at the table, she mentioned something about "her pink polish" and I just gave her the mommy "um hmm..thats nice honey". Till I set her sandwich on the table and saw her toes.... She had "painted" them with crayola marker, just lovely.
And now to end this post with some Ninja Levi shenanigans! He is usually more the high spirited kind and less mischief, unlike his naughty little sister... Today only my one favorite pattern designers, Shwin and Shwin, has my favorite Maggie Mae pattern for only $4 (regularly $9) if you subscribe to her newsletter! I already own the pattern, but I thought those mama's out there that like to sew might want to snatch one up. It's a very easy to follow PDF pattern that you can download immediately - instant gratification whoop whoop. The pattern also comes with sizes 6 mo-8yrs already included plus 2 lengths, tunic or dress. Oh, and did I mention it has hidden inseam POCKETS! I've already made 3! This red, white, and chambray one was for the 4th of July. I just cut stripes on the bias in opposite directions to make the chevron. I made a 2T, but unfortunately I'm a ding dong and I printed the pattern pieces too large so it was falling off her shoulders. For the Flamingo one I went ahead and used an 18 mo bodice with the measurements for the 2T skirts since my princess is such a skinny thing. That fit perfect! I made the dress below the same way but I added a cute big bow to the front. The husband hates it when I add obnoxious big bows, but I don't care :). I just love the shimmery buttons on this one. So do you have Maggie Mae envy? Go over to Shwin and Shwin, sign up for the newsletter, and add one to your cart immediately...you will not be disappointed!
|
Hello.My name is Cindi. I am a wife, mother, and child of the Lord. Oh, and shameless sewing addict. Archives
December 2013
Categories |