Monday, September 29, 2008

Hat Boy!



Colin loves hats. I think he might get this from Ian, who proudly wore his huge Captain Hook pirate hat with tall feather for about six months straight. Colin, being only 15 months old is not overly picky about what kind of hat he wears. This weekend we caught him cruising around on his firetruck wearing a dress-up Madeleine yellow hat complete with long black ribbons. He thought it looked just his size. :-)


Costume Update: The pressure's on as September is almost over. The chemise is done (the sleeves took a little while to do because the openings are so small) and it's on to the pantaloons. Those shouldn't be too difficult other than some fancy pintucking at the hems. I can do it,

I can do it, is my mantra, LOL.

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

A New Title For Our Blog

I changed the title of our blog since TheFifeSix was no longer accurate. :-) If you are having difficulty accessing it please resave the link under the new blog title - http://themerrybandoffife.blogspot.com/

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

The Cat's Out of the Bag


We are thrilled and blessed to be expecting baby number five! I can't believe that by next summer we will be a family of seven - it sounds like a lucky number to me! I'd been having some health issues, so it was a bit of a surprise to find out that #5 was on it's way 1.5 weeks ago. I couldn't be more excited about it though, and the kids are ecstatic too. We are looking tentatively at a due date of May 25th - our first ultrasound to either confirm or adjust the date is set for Halloween. It seems SO far away, and it's hard to be patient. I just want to see a picture of that cutest of cute little bean. Ian wants another boy so that the boys "win" and the girls want a baby sister so that they can share a room (that'd get old REALLY quick, I bet). There's nothing like the start of a new life to make you feel so spiritually connected with the world and your family.
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Friday, September 19, 2008

Figure Skating Class





I finally remembered to bring my camera along to Idaho Ice World to take pictures of Hero and Allegra during their figure skating lessons. They started back in July and have moved into the second "Koala" level. The really love it and are SO cute. Hero especially seems to have an affinity and talent for it. Although it adds one more weekly thing to the schedule I have do admit I don't mind because I enjoy watching them; it brings back memories of winter weekends spent at the little ice-skating pond behind the volunteer fire station in Rib Mountain.

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

We Know Better, But It's So Cute...



Yes, we totally get the eww factor, but we had to indulge Colin in his newfound passion for the dog dish just long enough to snap a few pictures. He's apparently learned (kind of along the lines of the cats who learned to drink out of the toilet) that there's always something available to quench his thirst - Rory's water dish. Rory could care less, she has to frequently share her dish with the cats (they even sneak her food sometimes), so no worries there. He leans over and drinks it up just like a dog. And he makes a nice watery mess all over himself in the process. Kind of gross, yes, but totally cute too.

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

My Weeknight Project


I love the idea of sewing, but the actual process can be harrowing LOL, so I do it quite infrequently. Allegra wanted to go to the fabric store and pick out a pattern and some fabric for her costume this year and I thought that would be so cute. She picked an adorable Little House on the Prairie style pioneer girl costume with slip, pantaloons, dress, apron, and sunbonnet. I cut out the fabric right away, but the whole project has been staring woefully at me from the "sewing" table for several weeks. Last night I promised myself I would start, and I didn't get too far (because I had to make buttonholes right away, which I've never done before) but I did spend a few hours working on it. I imagine I'll be spending several weeknights this month slaving away at the sewing machine. Now that I mentioned my project in public though I'll just HAVE to make sure it gets finished in time for Halloween LOL.

Friday, September 5, 2008

A New School Year





It's no secret that Autumn is my favorite time of year and always has been, but since becoming a parent it's gotten even better because it means BACK TO SCHOOL time. I love my kids, but I also like having a peaceful, sane house for a few hours everyday. Hero's in 4th grade, Allegra is in 1st and Ian is in 2-afternoons-a-week preschool at Shepherd of the Valley. The girls have been walking home most days and I LOVE it because they are tired out and relaxed when they get home. Now that we've gotten into the school routine, we'll see how smoothly we get into the extracurricular routine that starts next week. Here's some pictures of the girls on the first day of school and of the boys keeping themselves occupied when they have the house to themselves.