The Italian Invasion

My friend Brandy and her family came to visit us Monday night.  They drove all the way from North Carolina and made it just in time for dinner.  The kids went wild.  Hers because they'd been in a car for hours on end, mine because, well, there were other kids here!

Brandy married an Italian named Fabio, and now they are the cutest little Italian family in the world!  L is 5, F is 3 ("just like me, Mama!" squealed Ingrid) and S is 1.5.  And they are adorable.

We pretty much just let the kids run wild while here.  Ingrid has a huge closet full of toys we stash away for a rainy day, so they were in the closet playing with forgotten toys.  And the cupcake set they brought.  I love Melissa and Doug toys, but beware of this set.  The markers get everywhere.  Ingrid had a green and blue mouth all night.

In the morning we went to Honeypie for breakfast.  Yum.  The great thing about this place is they are very kid friendly.  I knew two of the workers and know for a fact they have kids this age, so I didn't feel too horrible about the noise and the mess. 

After stuffing our faces with French toast, eggs, and fruit, we saw these amazing cupcakes.  Of course we HAD to get some.  Yum.  I think I might order some for Otis' birthday party.  Oh my god they were amazing!

Ingrid had so much fun playing with the kids, and I had a great time seeing a friend I haven't seen in forEVER.  Seriously, we were like 17 last time we saw each other.  Now we're planning a road trip to NC for spring break, if they aren't going to be in Italy then.  Hooray for reconnecting!  And hooray for cute kids speaking Italian (and then leaning over and explaining "that's Italian!")

Sound of Music Party

Our friends had a themed birthday party yesterday.  I absolutely love Sound of Music, so I was excited for the party.  I had made the birthday girl's dress (green and white, like the curtain dresses) and I had the perfect dress for Ingrid to wear.  Awhile ago I got a dress from Alisha at Lishyloo and it was spot on for this party!

Otis needed something, too, so I whipped up a faux lederhosen shirt for him.  Gotta love felt!

Adeline seemed to have had a great party, and we felt lucky to be included in her day.  Yay Sound of Music!!

It's Sunny! No, It's Cold. No, it's Snowing...

The past few days have been pretty crazy, weatherwise.  We had some super nice sunny days, where we were out in our tshirts and loving the backyard.  We enjoyed the flowers, took nice long walks, felt like winter was a bad memory.  And then this morning we wake up to...SNOW?  Huh?

Good thing we took advantage of the nice weather while we had it.  Our backyard is pretty great.  We have a nice big cement patio, great for drawing with chalk and riding the trike.  There's also a pretty good amount of grass and trees and flowers for exploring and rolling around. 

Saturday was our good friend Poppy's first birthday party.  Cupcakes, balloons, and babies, oh my!

Ingrid had a ton of fun, as usual.  That girl loves her cupcakes!  And I liked the fact that most of my mom friends here in Milwaukee are cloth diaper, baby wrap using crazies like me!  It was nice to sit and chat and compare which diapers our babes were wearing.

Otis was worn out after the party.  He and I cuddled on the couch afterward and I managed to sneak my way out of the blankets to take this picture.  He slept like that for an hour at least.  It looked so cozy.

And in sewing news, I finished my Sound of Music inspired dress for my friend's daughter's Sound of Music inspired birthday party coming up.  It turned out so cute, if I do say so myself!  Can't wait to see it on her.

But now it's snowing, and I have to get groceries, which means I actually have to get out of my pj pants and put on real clothes.  *Sigh* 

Wraps, Bunnies, Cupcakes, and Other Things To Keep Us Busy.

This weekend was pretty busy and fun.  First of all, I got a Moby and am loving it.  Otis wasn't sure at first, I think his legs hanging out bothered him, since the Ergo covers them up.  But he's into it now and I love to wear him in it.

My view when wearing Otis.  How could you not want to wear your baby??

After seeing her little brother in it and hearing stories of her being held in one, Ingrid just had to see if Mama could still hold her in the wrap.  Do you know that I could?  That thing is amazing!

I also made more bunnies.  Easter is coming up, guys!  Do you really want to put sugary sweets in your kids' baskets when you could have a one of a kind wonky bunny instead?  Just look how many different kinds to choose from!

Haha, okay, enough advertising!

Hmm, what else kept us busy this weekend?  Ingrid used  her desk to color and the sun was coming in from behind her.  She just looked so peaceful talking to herself and coloring.  Those moments are what balances all the screaming and whining.

And cupcakes.  Cupcakes in a rainbow.  I finally tried this and they turned out super cute!  And were much easier to make than I'd thought.  For those who haven't seen these, it's easy!  Make a white cake batter, split the batter up six ways and dye the batter with food coloring in the colors of the rainbow.  The dollop each color in each cupcake cup and they come out looking like this!  So awesome. 

We also got a new rug this weekend for our living room.  Little by little our apartment is turning into home.  Things are hung up on the walls, we have curtains, it's great.  We've been here almost a month and I'm feeling pretty settled.  Whew!

Cupcakes, or How I Gained 10 Lbs Today

This pregnancy I have had a major sweet tooth.  I like me some salty things, but man, the sweets just hit the spot!  Usually our trips to the grocery store end up with donuts, cookies, brownie mix, or ice cream going in the cart.  Today cake mixes were $1 and frosting was on sale as well, so that is what we made.  Yum.  Chocolate fudge cupcakes with cream cheese frosting, and topped with candy corn we got on a whim at Target yesterday. 

I gave Ingrid a little bowl of frosting and some candy corn and let her at it.

Inevitably she just licked the knife and started to eat the cupcake.

A couple did get decorated, though.  This one by her:

This one by me:

Can I just say it one more time--YUM.  I don't know why I even have to take the stupid glucose test in a couple weeks--I eat so much sugar that this baby and I would be in a coma if I were diabetic...

Happy 4th of July!

Ooh, we have already had a busy day and it's only just past noon.  This morning Ingrid and I headed downtown to go to the fourth of July parade.  I just love hometown parades, they're so fun for kids!  Ingrid thought that running into the street to pick up candy was just about the best thing ever.  And she loved the fire truck and school bus that went past.  Also a hit were the baton twirlers.

It is hot and sunny out and it was a strenuous walk home, but I'm glad we went and I am once again so glad we live so close to what's happening in Ann Arbor!  No more driving everywhere, it's so refreshing.

I just got the cupcakes out of the oven and we will be decorating them after naptime.  Brendan invited some friends from the lab over for a cookout this afternoon, so we will be having even more fun this afternoon!  I love holiday weekends :)  Hope yours has been good, even if you aren't in the US and don't care it's the 4th!

Sprinklers and Cupcakes

The other day it was hot hot hot out.  We headed over to a friend's house and spent some time in our underwear.  Okay, not me, but oh how I wish I could be as free as a kid on hot days!  I wasn't sure how Ingrid would like the sprinkler since at splash pads she doesn't really like the water spraying in her face.  But Jami put the water on low enough that I think Ingrid felt okay.  She loved it!! 

I may have to go buy a sprinkler for her.  To add to the slide, kiddie pool, and sandbox in our tiny backyard!

Yesterday we went to get groceries.  This is a tricky thing now that I'm pregnant.  On the one hand the thought of food can make me sick.  So making a menu for dinners is hard.  On the other hand, anything and everything else that catches my eye could be the ONE THING I cannot live without and just have to shove in my face.  So wandering down the aisles I usually come away with some things I normally wouldn't buy.  The other day it was ham salad.  For those not in the know--ham or bologna diced up with pickles or olives and mixed with mayo.  Totally disgusting and yet I totally could not live without it.  Last week.  This week it's totally disgusting again.

Anyway, yesterday it was cupcakes.  We walked through the bakery and wouldn't you know, they had day old cupcakes in a neat little two pack, just the perfect size for a mom and her daughter!  We ate them when we got home.  I'd like to think I was a bit neater than Ingrid was.

And did you notice the swollen eye?  That was from being out in the sprinklers--tons of bugbites and all swollen ridiculously.  Poor kid.

Taste of Ann Arbor

Yesterday we took advantage of living so close to downtown Ann Arbor and walked there for a street festival.  There were tons of tents from all the local restaurants and we got to try ribs, corn, beans, pad thai, and of course cupcakes!
It was so crazy weatherwise yesterday.  First it was sunny and bright, then gloomy, then pouring rain, then back to sunny.  We walked while it was sunny, got there to gloom, and stayed through the rain.  Ingrid could've cared less about the rain, she was just enjoying seeing everyone, listening to the music, and eating tons of food.

A lady from the paper was taking pictures of her, so Ingrid is now online in a slide show about the event!  Check it out here.  She's about 58 seconds in.  There will be pictures in the Sunday paper, too, so we'll have to get it next week and see if she made it in there, too.

 Once again so glad we moved and so glad we live where we do.  I enjoy our time here in Michigan so much more now that we're by things!!

Summertime, already? Again?

Our weather has been so crazy around here, I feel I won't really know what to do with myself with so much summer.  We had 85 degree days in April, then it got cold, and now we're back up to the 80s.  And it's not even quite June yet.  And usually our weather is hot until September, sometimes into October, so man, summer is going to be loooong this year!

I'm not complaining, don't get me wrong!  I have been thoroughly enjoying every minute of it.  We got a pool for the back yard, which Ingrid has loved. 

We walk everywhere, which is my dream!  The library and the farmer's market are a hike, but a doable hike.  (And let's face it, my butt could use the walk up and down hills...)  Yesterday we went to the farmer's market and found the cutest prairie bonnet for Ingrid.  I had looked at patterns and sellers on etsy, and I was contemplating buying one from this lady, but we walked by a little old gramma and I couldn't pass by without getting one.  Cute!

After the market Brendan took Ingrid to a local park's pool, which all opened yesterday.  They had fun splashing around, then came home to rest.  But a friend called and asked us over for hot dogs and beer, so we were off again.  Poor Ingrid had about five minutes rest here and there in the car yesterday, she was beat.  But we had fun, the kids played and ate a ridiculous amount of cupcakes, and Ingrid fell asleep the minute we got back in the car to drive home. 

We still have two gorgeous days to fill on this long holiday weekend, too.  Whatever shall we do today??

Charlie and Lola Party!

We had Ingrid's party today.  It has been raining like mad and I was planning on being outside.  Luckily the rain let up and the sun came out, so we all got to enjoy the weather instead of cramming into our tiny living room.

Cupcakes were a huge hit.  The toppers are from this lady on etsy. 

The sandbox Gramma brought was a HUGE hit.

We got an awesome quilt from our friends Marti and Libby.

And we got to listen to the Picnic Pops that was going on across the street!  All day we got to listen to an orchestra playing.  It was a pretty good day.

Busy Weekend

We stayed plenty busy this weekend.  The sun finally came back to us, so Brendan took Ingrid out and about to go walk around various parks.  I got tons of etsy stuff done, yay!  I had taken the worst pictures of the new bibs I made and no one had looked at them.  NO ONE.  But a sunny morning on the back porch with a cute toddler who needs a haircut, and viola.  We have better pictures. 

Yesterday afternoon we headed off to our friend Allie's birthday party.  It was a Hollywood theme, check it out!

Ingrid was obsessed with the balloons, cupcakes, and presents.  She kept yelling hooray for the birthday cake, which is funny since the birthday girl could've cared less.  Same with the presents, Ingrid was all up in them, "helping" while Allie zoned out and walked away!

This week we have our own birthday party preparations to deal with.  I guess I don't have a ton to do, though.  Get some balloons filled, make some food, buy some cupcakes.  Gramma will be here Friday to help, which will make it much easier.  Oh!  And she's here to let Brendan and I go out for our anniversary.  We always forget the damn thing now seeing as Ingrid's birthday falls on the same day...She always wins. 

Cupcakes, Berets, and Mei Tais

First of all, cupcakes are yum.  Ingrid agrees, although she only really cares about the frosting bit.

Secondly, I got a new beret this morning (clearance at Target--I have a problem with buying things I don't need merely because they are only $1.50)  Ingrid also likes this.  She is obsessed with hats at the moment.  She never says hello to Brendan anymore when he walks in the door, she just runs up "Hat Daddy!  Hat Daddy!"

And lastly, I found a tutorial on how to make a mei tai, gave it a try, and it turned out rather well I think.  I didn't have long enough ties but they still tie so I'm not worried.  Although it said to use a heavy weight fabric and I think it would be fine with regular cotton, maybe doubled?  The stuff I used is really stiff and makes it hard to tie a tight knot.  But it's cute!  I used Amy Butler fabric on one side and a cool orange paisley on the other.  The ties were really hard to sew around, so they are wonky, but nothing I think will endanger my child as I wear her.  Yay for sewing!!