Dreary Afternoon Update

Well, it has been over a week since I have updated. It has been sort of a stressful few weeks with transportation issues, a sick kitten to tend to and some serious things going on with our oldest and her bio-mom. There has been some good mixed in with the bad, though.

On Saturday we went over to my sister's house for some fun in the pool and so that Luna could open her birthday presents from Grandma. She got a big barn playset with animals and tractors and little people and she loves it! She also liked playing in the pool with the exception of the big, black innertube my nephews were playing on. For some reason, she was scared of that and didn't seem to want it anywhere near her.

Luna has spent a lot of time this week, wrapped up in playing with the farm set and a little house and Calico Critters that one of my online friends sent to her.
We were able to get to the playground this week and it was a lovely day. Since my car was wrecked, the girls have been going through major playground withdrawl. In fact, a few times, Luna has been talking in her sleep about "paygownds" and they have been what she talks about when first waking in the morning.
Not too many of these old spinny things left in nearby playgrounds, but the girls love riding. As for myself, I got on and realized that my inner ear must not be what it used to be. I was about ready to fall over after a few revolutions and had to hop off.
Here's a few videos from this last week. First off, I was cracking up when I peeked out of the sunroom widows and found the girls all singing into sunflowers. The sounds quality isn't the best, but Luna was extremely enthusiastic with her singing.




And this morning, I couldn't help but laugh and grab the camera as Luna was reading.


Now, for today's run-down:

• Outside of my window... it is in the 50's, drizzling rain and cloudy skies and more trees are showing flashy orange leaves.
• In the kitchen... I am about to brew a cup of coffee now that Luna is down for a nap. On the stove there is a pan of peaches simmering in a syrup and it smells really good. We'll have the syrup and peaches over pancakes tonight or in the morning.
• I am hearing... cloth diapers in the dryer, Kaya watching Between the Lions, kittens running amok and the bubbling of the peaches.
• I am looking forward to... getting a call from the parents of one of Kaya's little friends to see if she can come over for a sleep over.
• I am worried about... Nico and her current struggles she is going through.
• I am happy about... Kaya's excitment with the 2nd grade workbooks she's started and her advances in writing skills.
• Today's plans... to finish up some laundry, list some more things on Craigsling and hopefully sell what we've already listed, play Memory with Kaya and help her organize her room a bit and wash the kitchen and dining room floors.
  

Luna Blue is now TWO!

Yesterday our Luna Blue turned two years old. I thought I'd take a litle look back at the last two years and how our family and little Luna have grown.
Luna was supposed to be born at home, but complications after my water broke made it necessary to transfer to the hospital for a second cesarean. My labor at home was wonderful though. This first picture was taken about 12 hours into labor and about 2 seconds before another contraction came. Jay supporting me in the kitchen.

At the hospital, Daddy holds his little girl for the first time.

Luna's first time sleeping in our bed.

Luna and her sisters, she is 3 weeks old.

One of her first smiles.

Loves books, even at four months old!

Miss Bright Eyes.

Who is that cutie in the mirror?

Standing tall.

Here, Mom. Want a tissue?

Playing with her buddy, India.

Luna loves broccoli for breakfast!

Birthday girl!!! She's growing up TOO fast!

A Wonderful Sunday

Yesterday we went to a checurh picnic at a local state park and it was a lovely day. Jay's mom and step-dad brought a cake for Luna's second birthday and she did great at blowing out the candle without adding "extra sprinkles". The girls had a blast on the playground and playing games. At the end of the day, Luna was sooooo tired that she nearly fell asleep in the swing.

Cause and Effect

What happens when you find a family of kittens on the side of the road and bring them home so that they don't get run over by cars? Well, after weeks of trying to find them homes only to discover that the shelters are all full and no one wants kitties, they make themselves comfy and become part of the family.

What happens when someone gives you a pie pumkin in the Spring and you accidentally leave it outside? Well, it turns itself into a whole pumpkin plant in the middle of your yard.
What happens when you do some yard excavation and decide to wait to lay down grass seed because the local old timers tell you that it is more effective to put out grass seed when it snows? Well, the chickadees and goldfinches and blue jays take over the yard landscaping and leave you with a cheerful yard of sunflowers.

What happens when the August temps drop? Well, if you can see in this pic, the leaves start turning orange.....already.
In other news, poor Kaya was sick for part of last week and had 2 days of feeling well and is back to a sore throat and hacking cough. She is feeling crummy and I am not used to my bouncy and bubbly girl being so down and quiet.

Luna Blue is having her last week of being one and she turns TWO next Monday! I am trying to get a handle on just how fast these last two years have flown by and how my baby is turning into a little girl before I'm ready!!

Etsy and Other News

My Etsy shop is looking a bit bare these days. I got a large (for me) custom order off of Etsy and have been working on that. One of my online friends wants 6 necklaces for her birthing team and I plan to make 10 and have her choose the 6 she wants. The other four will be stocked in my shop once she chooses. We've been dealing with random sicknesses (pink eye, fevers, tummy bigs, you name it!) around the homefront, so I am getting in beading time in between playing nurse and housekeeper.

I've recently discovered the beautiful work of Marla at Wren Willow on Etsy. Once I am done with my custom order, we plan to do a trade and I will get something pretty for Luna to wear. Here is an example of Marla's work, isn't it lovely?
My friend Sarah has recently listed these incredible handmade sisters in her shop, freedomRainbow. Her dolls are all made with love and attention to detail. They are unique and sure to be the focus of hours of imaginative play.


Check out the underlined links of both of these shops to see more incredible, handmade goodness!

Kitteny Cuteness

Pepper's kittens are starting to be mobile, so we're in trouble now. Here she is with her mini-me baby, Peppita. The other babies are greyish tiger, but Peppita is the same coloring as her Mama.


We still have 3 of the 4 other older kittens as well as the Mama. Local Humane Society isn't taking more cats at the moment and we're not having good luck finding homes. Nico took one of them to her Mom's house and we're still looking for good homes for them.

Catching Up From the Weekend

I found this clump of mushrooms on Friday and thought that they were neat.
On Saturday, we were supposed to go to Seabreeze Amusement Park with my family. My Mom bought us tickets, knowing how much we love going there. Well, we woke up Saturday morning with a dreary sky overhead and pouring rain. We were all disppointed. But, a few hours later, the rain stopped and we decided to head up there and hope for better weather. It turned out to be a really nice day with my Mom, my Sis and brother in law and my nieces and nephews. (Though, there aren't many pics of Nico and my older nieces and nephew because they were on the go, go, go for most of the day.)
Nico and Chris on the Sea Dragon.

Kaya and Lucas on the Bear Trax.

Isaac and Lucas at the bottom of the Log Flume.

Luna making a "Brrrrrrm" sound on the little cars.

Luna relaxing with the two bears that cousin Isaac won just for her.

She loooooooves the horsies.


One of the last rides of the night.

In a moment of bravery, Nico decided to try the Screaming Eagle with Danielle and Steve-o. She didn't start to look nervous until she got into the seat. She's got kind of a "what did I get myself into" look here. (Notice her bangs? They were a bit tousled from the rides, but she looks so cute!)
Upside down!!

All in all it was a really great day. We look forward to going with my family and getting all of the cousins together.