Mixer Cover

Today I sewed a mixer cover for my mixer. I have been meaning to do this for years, but had never got around to it. I used a tutorial that I found on the internet. I made a few changes to her directions. I lined my cover with muslin and instead of quilting it, and I used fusible fleece on the outside and interfacing on the inside pieces. I also just used regular seams for the cover instead of bias tape like she did. The other thing I did was instead of drawing a circle like she suggests to make the arch on the front and back pieces, I just used my rotary cutter to cut around the edge of a salad plate. It fits great and I like how it looks in my kitchen.

Handmade Gifts

This Christmas, the boys and I were the recipients of some great handmade gifts. My sister Julie made the sock monkeys for the boys. Jack's has the red scarf and Ryan's has the blue hat and glasses. Ryan named his monkey Monster Truck. He's slept with him for his naps and at night since he got him on Christmas eve. I think they are so cute.

My sister also made the below pillow for me. She made up the pattern of the dandelion and embroidered it on the pillow. I LOVE it.

My cousin Katie made these blocks and bag for Jack. They are super cute and he loves chewing on them.

Katie also made the car roll for Ryan below. His name is on the outside...
and when its flipped over, there is a road and pockets for each car. It is the coolest thing.
I just had to share because these gifts are so special!

Christmas

We had a whirlwind of a Christmas. Our Christmas starts on Christmas eve morning at my parents' house. Ryan was beyond excited to open presents this year. He couldn't wait.

Jack was really into the wrapping paper and bows. I think the presents will be more interesting next year.

The package below was the one that interested Ryan the most. He couldn't wait to open it. Inside he found a dump truck and a loader. He was thrilled.

He also liked pretending to be a package. Here he is "surprising" me when I unwrapped my "present."

Our next Christmas event was at our house with Phil's mom and her husband, Don. The boys opened their gifts from them. Again, Jack was really into the paper and bows.

After Christmas with Grammy and Papa, we went to church where Ryan had his debut performance in the Christmas program. The preschoolers have always been and always will be my favorite part of the performance. When I asked Ryan why he didn't make the animal sounds in his favorite song he said, "because I didn't want to." I also complimented one of his friends on how well she sang. She looked at me and said, "I know." I love 3 year olds.

Our last stop on Christmas eve was at my Grandma Net's house. Denise's husband, Andrew, took the family photos for us.

Christmas concluded for us the next morning when Ryan found this gift under the tree.

He was pretty excited and had a good time riding it on Christmas morning. What an event!

What a Mighty God We Serve!

What a mighty God we serve

What a mighty God we serve

Angels bow before Him

Heaven and Earth adore Him

What a mighty God we serve!

I've had this song stuck in my head since last night when Phil's dad arrived at our house. He and his wife Pat were in a pretty serious car accident on their way home from a cruise Sunday afternoon. Tom (Phil's dad) doesn't remember what happened, but they went off the road and crashed. Pat was air lifted to KMC, while his dad had a ride in an ambulance. Both will recover fine, but Pat is still in the hospital. Phil's dad got here and there were hugs and tears all around as we were reminded of what an amazing God we serve and we are so grateful that they are alive and here with us.

This event has completely overshadowed what our intended weekend plans were. We went up to Fresno to celebrate and see the performance of Phil's play that he wrote for NorthPointe Community Church. The play was great and was received well by the audience. Phil has worked so hard on writing it and I have helped him edit many drafts. We loved seeing the final product being performed in front of us. I am incredibly proud of him and his success. If any of you are in the Fresno area, I highly recommend seeing the play. It won't disappoint.

Our family has so much to be thankful for this Christmas season. I am so grateful for my part time job and my return to it in January, I love my little boys and my big boy (Phil), and I love our wonderful families. I am so proud of Phil for his success in writing and I am so thankful for the faithfulness of the Lord.

Merry Christmas!

6 months!

**UPDATE**

I took Jack the the doctor for his check up (12/18/09). He is one big boy! 19lbs. 14oz. and 27.75 inches long! I can't believe it. Since both of these measurements fall into the 90th percentile, the doctor commented that he is "very symmetrical." I thought that was really funny.

Jack turned 6 months old today. I can't believe how much he's grown and how quickly the time has gone by. Jack's interests now are chasing Rita and Jed around the house in his walker. He also likes to run his walker over Ryan's cars and then laugh when Ryan gets mad. His favorite people are Ryan and Rita. He has no interest in sitting up and if I try to make him sit up, he pushes himself backward, then rolls over and tries to pull himself forward toward any object he can, without luck. He has two little teeth that look so cute when he smiles. He is working on getting his top two teeth, but those two are giving him trouble. He is a super happy baby and is pretty easy going. He loves being around people. He only gets unhappy when he is tired, or hungry. I'm just thankful both of those situations are easy to fix. I love this little guy so much!