Sewing Adventures

I don't really know how to sew. My mom and dad gave me a sewing machine when I graduated from BYU, but in the last 8.5 years (wow I'm old) I haven't used it very much. I've started using it more for scrapbooking and a few weeks ago I actually got brave enough to sew ribbons onto cloth diapers for Stefani's baby shower gift. But for some reason, on Wednesday I woke up with a strong desire to sew a blanket. I've never sewn a blanket before, but I've always wanted to try. I had read a blog post (on the Moorpark Ward blog) about fabric and I think it got my mind going on sewing. So, I went to Joann's and picked out some super soft fabric and this is my creation:


A blanket for Stefani's baby Julian (if he ever comes out). Poor Julian has to be the guinea pig for all my sewing practice. :) Anyway, I'm happy with how it turned out. Not bad for my first try.

When we were at the fabric store, Noah saw some Lightning McQueen fleece and begged me for it. So, I bought a yard, some blanket binding, and made him a little blanket too.

His favorite blanket is a fleece blanket with satin binding, and he likes to rub the satin between his fingers, so I made this one the same way. Blanket binding is a little tricky because it's hard to tell where the stitches are on the bottom of the blanket when you're sewing. The corners are also not very easy. But I don't think Noah cares that it's not sewn perfectly. He just loves it because it has Lightning on it!

Potty Training Update!

Noah is doing so good! I'm so happy! He still has occasional accidents, but he actually tells me when he has to poop! Yay! He's so proud of himself, too. Whenever we're in a store, he tells the person at the checkout that he goes poo poo in the potty. :)

Potty Training . . .

Noah has been so difficult to potty train. Nothing that worked with Isaac works with him. So, we decided to try something different (for us) this time. On Sunday January 6, we took the diaper off and put him in underwear (trained or not!). He's pretty good at peeing in the potty, but up until that point he hadn't pooped in the potty. I just decided that putting him in underwear would be a good motivation for me to be consistent (I don't want to clean up his messes!). Plus, I figured that maybe he wouldn't like the way it feels when he goes in his pants. I'm glad we decided to just do it!

January 6 - Noah stayed dry, but didn't poop (in the potty or in his pants)
January 7 - 1 poop accident, 1 pee accident
January 8 - 1 poop accident
January 9 - 1 poop accident
January 10 - I finally caught him as he was starting to poop, and he finished it on the potty! This was a big step for him! He earned his Spiderman Scooter (which I bought and promised to him weeks ago if he would "just poop once in the potty")
January 11 - 1 poop accident
January 12 - 1 poop accident
January 13 - Accident free!
January 14 - Accident free!
January 15 - Pooped his pants at preschool (poor Miss Tami!)
January 16 - Accident free!
January 17 - Accident free!
January 18 (today) - 1 poop accident (so far)

Plus, he has stayed dry all night long all but 2 of the nights since we started the "intensive potty training". So, I figure it's been pretty successful. He's still not "perfect", but he's getting there! Good job Noah!

So, here's some pictures of him (and Emma) with his scooter the night he earned it (it was already dark, so I just let him ride it in the house). As you can see, Emma was a little jealous, but she was really happy when she finally got her hands on it!

Noah's Ark Exhibit at the Skirball Museum

When we were in California we had the opportunity to go to the Noah's Ark exhibit at the Skirball Museum. Here is the description they give of it on their website:

"Imagine yourself immersed in a favorite childhood tale. Five years in the making and occupying an 8,000–square–foot gallery, Noah's Ark at the Skirball welcomes children and families to take this journey together. Inspired by the ancient flood story, which has parallels in diverse cultures around the world, this one–of–a–kind new destination invites visitors of all generations to have fun—and to connect with one another, learn the value of community, and help build a better world. Inside a floor–to–ceiling wooden ark, filled to the rafters with whimsical animals, you and your family will play, build, climb, explore, collaborate, and more. Conduct a storm, help construct the ark, and bask in the glow of a beautiful rainbow. Mingle with hundreds of fanciful animals—from cuddly companions to life–sized puppets—all crafted from recycled materials and everyday objects, including bottle caps, bicycle parts, baseball mitts, croquet balls, mop heads, and rear-view mirrors."

It really was AMAZING! Very cool and very fun. What made it even better is that it was FREE (every Thursday admission costs nothing) AND we got to enjoy it with friends! One of my friends told us about it on the Moorpark Ward blog, and it worked out that a bunch of people were able to go on Januray 3 (and we just happened to be in town), so we joined in. So much fun!

California Trip

I've been a total blog slacker, so now I have a little catching up to do!

On December 26, we left for our trip to California. This was our first time flying with all 3 kids, and I was a little nervous about it. Isaac and Noah couldn't have been better behaved. Emma, on the other hand, probably couldn't have been much worse. :) Our flight was delayed, so it was a pretty long day in the airport and on the plane. Emma did not like sitting on our laps, and flailed around as much as she could (I actually had a bruise near my collar bone from her flinging her head into me so many times). Eventually, we took Noah out of his carseat (which we brought onto the plane) and put Emma in. That worked a lot better because at least she was strapped in. We wished that we had just paid for Emma to have her own seat . . . oh well, probably by the next time we fly, she will be over age 2, and we'll HAVE to buy her a seat!

Our visit in California was very nice except for the fact that Emma and I were sick and we made almost everyone else sick while we were there (Noah, Grandma Hoyle, Grandpa Hoyle, Nana, and Michelle). Sorry everyone!

Some of the highlights of our trip (in no particular order):
- Isaac spent most of his time playing Mario Party 8 on the Wii
- Noah loved being with Grandma and playing with all the fun toys at her house (especially the trains)
- Emma LOVED the "almost" life sized Santa my mom has in her entryway. At first she was a little scared of him, but by the end we couldn't keep her away from him!
- We had a fun time seeing our Moorpark friends. We miss you guys!
- Happy New Year (toasted with the kids, put them to bed and went to the Wright's annual New Year's Eve party).
- The Skirball Museum (more to come on this)
- Matt and Sara got engaged (finally!)
- The train at Simi Town Center
- Grandma got up with the kids in the morning so Mommy could sleep a little more!
- Visit (and presents) with Grandpa Harvey, Yvonne, Brittney, Michelle and Trevor
- Wendy's with Nana
- Honey Baked Ham Dinner
- Isaac and Noah watching movies on the laptop in the airport (thank goodness!)