Jocelyn had the very very sweetest summer dresses the year she was two. She had some pretty cute ones this past summer as well, but when I went through her old dresses from the summer before and had to put (most of) them away, I coudl have cried. My baby! So big!

Well I keep thinking about those sweet dresses. Woven, not knit, so perfect for sewing with. I’ve had the thought in the back of my mind for a while, each time I make a little something, I think, “I could get X dress and use that to make this..” but never do. They would be sweet, but it’s like that favorite fabric that you love so much you don’t want to cut it up. I need to think of something WORTHY to make with my baby’s sundresses.

I did however, cut one to make Ethan’s bunny dress. Look familiar?

It’s from the dress up there with the soccer ball.

So now, I am trying to think of some other uses that would be worthy of these sweet little fabrics.

Maybe a quilt?

Maybe I should sit on it a while and make something when she’s a little older and can really appreciate it. (And build up the dress stash.)

As the new year begins, there’s some things James and I have to start looking into. Ethan is attending kindergarten at the preschool/daycare* he has been at since I went back to work when he was 3. We made the decision to keep him there in their private kindergarten this year, but next year he will be going to public school for the 1st grade.

*I don’t want to say the name of the school our kids go to, so for the duration of this post, we’ll just call it, OurSchool. Sound good?

This makes a big change for us. We’ve been going to OurSchool for a long time. Jocelyn was in a home daycare when ethan first started at OurSchool, but when she turned two (the youngest allowable age at OurSchool) we moved her there as well, for convenience. She will have been going there 2 years in March, when she turns 4, and this year marks Ethan’s 3rd year there.

As you may have guessed, we just love this school. The administrators are fantastic, the classrooms are small, the teachers are wonderful. We’ve had a few spots for both kids where the teachers seemed to come and go, but with other teachers having been around for 10+ years, we were not worried. Ethan’s kindergarten teacher has been teaching at OurSchool for over 20 years, and she is absolutely fantastic.

OurSchool has the hugest playground I have ever seen at a daycare/preschool. It is probably three times the size of some of the cookie cutter daycares in our area. They have a 10×10 covered sand box, a domey monkey bar thingee, a pavillion, swings, a big climby slide thingee, a row of tires, more swings and slides, plus more that I’m not remembering – and that is not including the toddler play area which is completely separate from the big playground. The entire playground is fenced in, and along one side is a wooded area which brings the kids closer to nature. In the fall, they both collected acorns to bring home, stack in bowls, hide in pockets until they turned up in my washing machine – I complain (not really), but I LOVED it. Ethan often comes home with twigs, special rocks and of course, sand in his pockets. I love that their playground is not some sterile rubber area surrounded by concrete just outside the fence. They really are in the outdoors, with tons of room to run and play and watch caterpillars and bugs and nature.

So it’s with a heavy heart that I’m looking around at other situations. You see, OurSchool isn’t in our immediate area, and doesn’t service our public schools for before and after care, so with Ethan moving to public school, we will also have to find a new daycare for him for before and after school. I know these facilities have their good points and once we’re used to it, and used to our new routine next fall, all will be well, but just thinking about it now makes me sad.

One thing we’re definitely doing – summer camp at OurSchool 🙂 At least he’ll have those.

There are 2 worst things about being back at work.

1. I won’t be able to sit at my table and make little fabric things.
2. I can’t wear jeans everyday anymore.

Seriously, I just want to wear jeans.

So I would have to say that this holiday vacation was a sewing holiday for me. So much fun to be had sitting and piecing and contemplating and making.

I made some random hotpads that are kind of bright and loud and I love them,
I made Jocelyn a Big Footed Bunny* for Christmas,
I made Ethan and Jocelyn Robots* after christmas (they still need faces and robot panels though)
I got my work area situated (shelves on wall, cork boards on wall, ikea drawer cupboard thingee put together) – it still needs some situating, but it’s about 80% there,
I bought fabric, fabric and more fabric (I like to think it’s OK, because I don’t buy MUCH of it, just 1/3 of a yard for whatever I choose)
I started working on little Peanut* elephants from my new sewing book, “Last Minute Patchwork + Quilted Gifts” which I LOVE (both the elephant and the book)

So the “hey, I’m at work, and not finishing up a Peanut elephant is kind of a bummer.

*all of these are weewonderful.com patterns – even Peanut, which she contributed to the book. I guess you could say I would stalk Hillary Lang if she were in my area!

The kids did amazingly well when I dropped them off to school. I thought Ethan would be a little complainey pants (that boy would never EVER leave home, if it were up to him), but he did great. It’s amazing how the little things make the morning good or bad. Bananas for breakfast – “AWESOME MOMMY!” Letting them get dressed while they watch Go Diego Go! “WAHOO!!”

I am on I guess what you could call a mini resolution – having been home for the last week and a half, I have effectively cold-turkeyed my diet coke in the morning habit. Now that I’m back to work, I am going to do my darnedest to break my usual work routine of egg mcmuffin + large diet coke on the way to work, have breakfast at home, and drink water at work. While I’m at it, I’m going to try to bring my lunch in to work. When my group goes out for lunch (every other friday), that’s ok, but the rest of the time I’m going to try to bring in lunch. I should be able to do that for a month, right?

Right!

The other resolution I got from Anna – she is going to try to take a picture a day this year. I love it. I want to do it, with a little tweak – I’m going to try to POST a picture a day this year. I know that realistically, I won’t take a picture every day, but I can take *some* pictures every week, and them post them each day, so that is what I am going to shoot for! So, count me in Anna!

Yesterday and today’s pictures are cheating, because I didn’t take them. James did the christmas morning photos while I handled the camcorder – but since mine is tweaked, “POST a picture a day,” I think I’m in the clear! I like my tweak already!

And of course the usual third resolution – I don’t know if anyone has noticed, but I have put my Project Skinny page back up, since I started getting (somewhat) serious about it in November. Weekly progress is too much for me to post, but I think a monthly tally is a good way to go. I completely expect to be the same for December (weigh in tomorrow!), but it’s time to get back on it for January.

That’s it for now – I will try to post some pictures of all the fabric + cuteness this week!

I made jammie bottoms for the kids for christmas eve. Ethan said he hated his and threw them on the floor, the booger.

Jocelyn loved hers. Since the fabric was very boyish, I girled it up with ruffles on the bottom. TOO CUTE!

BEHOLD!

1 – big footed bunny (from Hillary Lang‘s Put Together pattern) finished up christmas eve for Jocelyn.
2 – Ethan colored in and cut out this angel at school, then one morning a few days ago, took the original, traced it, colored it in, cut it out all by himself (actually, before James and I were even up out of bed) — so that his sister would have one. how sweet is that!
3 – Jocelyn playing on the new Leapster L-Max (a dora game)
4 – Ethan playing with his new CAT excavator, with daddy looking on
5 – Christmas stockings – re-hung after all the hullabaloo
6 – general christmasness all over the living room floor

Well, Christmas day is almost over, and aside for a little bumpiness Christmas eve, it’s been very enjoyable. Everyone is thrilled with their presents. The hit for Jocelyn was the Woody and Jessie duo – upscaled even the major present, a wooden dollhouse with furniture & people. For Ethan, he really has played with everything, but the big two, excavator and firetruck, are definite hits. I am pleased that the wooden blocks and acorns that Santa put in the stockings were met with glee and not indifference (and acorns were handy for scooping and dumping) along with the watercolors and fancy edge scissors.

I haven’t really had the Christmas spirit the last few days. You know, that feeling of wonder and warm fuzzies. I really love the warm fuzzy christmas feeling, so I tried to get it back, but I guess being royally bitchy chases it away for good.. Cynicism and childlike wonder just don’t mix, especially if you throw in a really sore throat and hacking cough.

But then Christmas morning comes, and watching these kids’ little faces light up with excitement, hearing them shout, “SANTA ATE ALL THE COOKIES! AND DRANK THE MILK,” watching them be so kind to each other, “Thank you for the present, Mommy/Daddy/Jocelyn/Ethan!” and the warm cinnamon roll aroma floating throughout the house – I didn’t need any childlike wonder, because there was plenty of it to go around.

Ethan, as I tucked him in tonight: “Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!”

Jocelyn as I tucked her in tonight: “Jessie doesn’t want to sleep in her hat, mommy.”

Merry Christmas!