This post combines two of my all-time favorite things: cute babies and the Arizona desert in the spring.
Over spring break, my friend and her kids came walking with us in the South Mountain desert one afternoon. We definitely should have checked the weather beforehand, because it was a HOT day, and naturally we went at the warmest part of the day, and naturally we had to turn back way too early because we had a total of five (mostly fussy) children with us.
But! Nevertheless! I can't get over the bright colors, the yellow and purple wildflowers everywhere, and the pretty spring desert in general. It's always good for me to get outside and explore where we live and chat with a friend.
Video is so fun, and learning how to make better home videos has been my favorite after-the-kids-are-sleeping hobby lately. Although note to self: Trying to take video while wearing a baby who wants nothing more than to tug on and eat your camera strap is not the most effective.
Click here to see the video. It's 30 seconds of cute babies and the desert, so I mean, how could it not make your Wednesday better, right? :)
Anyone else live for the hours right after the kids have gone to bed? It's my favorite time to work on hobbies or just lay on the couch reading. My newest late-night hobby is learning about home video making. I was super intimidated by it at first, but the more I learn about the mechanics of video on my camera, the more fun it is.
A few nights ago we filmed our family outing to Fired Pie for dinner. No, they aren't sponsoring this post, but really, after all the times we've eaten there, they should be. If anyone has a contact with them.... ;) Fired Pie serves the most delicious thin-crust pizzas and homemade salads. This time we tried the Hawaiian BBQ and the Chicken Pesto - and they were so great that we both called dibs on the leftovers. Then we played in the pretty courtyard outside for a bit before going home.
Really I think the title of this video should be "100 Reasons Why the Emery Circus Shouldn't Be Allowed in Public." Haha.... From running circles around the restaurant to Claire's napkin pile to all the puddle jumping, we make quite a scene!
Oh, and never try to peek into the carseat when the baby is sleeping. They WILL wake up.
I wanted to drop in and share this little video I made of Claire. Mostly I wanted to remember her cute little voice at this age, and all the funny things she says. (That particular day, numbers didn't go past four, and the color blue was almost too tricky to remember.)
I had to cut about 10 minutes of her getting on and off the couch between questions, and two full minutes of animal noises, just so the video wouldn't be crazy long. I'm still new at home videos, but hopefully if I keep trying to make them, I'll get better some day! That's the goal at least. ;)
Happy Friday!
Sam and I have a real-life date night tonight, and I can't wait.
It's official. I'm renouncing my status as a Halloween Grinch.
Halloween used the be THE WORST holiday ever. I mean, I guess spending time and money on a costume you wear once is supposed to be fun? And candy is good? And I'm always down for celebrating the ghosts of the dead returning to Earth for one night of terror. But really, Halloween was the holiday to get through so the real holiday season could start.
But now, almost against my will, my Halloween heart grew a few sizes. And it's all because of my squishy toddler. It's fun seeing the holiday through her eyes. Costumes! Candy! Fun! Prancing around with wings on! What's not to love?
(Remember her costume from last year? To date one of my most viral pins ever.)
This year, I present my little desert ladybug! She loves the wings, and wore them around the house for two hours yesterday. We sure like her!
HOW TO MAKE THIS COSTUME
I ordered the wings and antennas on Amazon for $10. Here's a quick tutorial about how I made the skirt:
1. Get the following materials:
25 yards red tulle
1 sheet sticky-back felt, black
1 black waistband
Something to secure the waistband (We bought velcro to use, but ended up just leaving a few extra inches of space on either side, and tied it together. You could also sew on a few snaps, or just sew the waistband together.)
Black shirt and pants to wear underneath (Long sleeves and long pants are probably the way to go, unless you're crazy and live in Arizona like me)
2. Measure how long you want the skirt. I did 8", which turned out to be the perfect length. Double that number and cut the tulle in strips of that length (my strips were 16" long each).
3. Measure out the waistband. I totally eyeballed it, and left a few inches on either end just to be safe, and it turned out fine. But if you want to be more precise, measure around your child's waist and then add two inches on either end.
4. Make the red skirt by folding each tulle strip in half, placing under the waistband, and then pulling the ends of the tulle through to make a knot. Do that same process for the rest of the tulle. IMPORTANT: Make sure you pull the knot in the same direction each time. If you switch sides, half of your skirt will be pointing up and half will be pointing down.
5. Turn the sticky-back felt over and trace circles on the back. (I used a cup for about a 3" diameter.) Cut out the circles, peel off the sticky back, and place each circle on the skirt. Press them into at least two layers of tulle so it sticks fully.
6. Secure the waistband and you're ready to go!
AND, just for fun, we made a little video of Claire prancing around the Arizona desert in her costume. Let me just say, we are NOT good at home videos yet! Not by a long shot! Sam and I were laughing at how shaky everything is, and the three black smudges on the lens. But hey, we're not going to get better if we don't keep at it, right? So excuse the amateur quality and enjoy her cute ladybug costume!
I'm trying to be better at capturing the everyday playtime moments I get to have with Miss Claire these days. She gets more and more fun to be with every day, and Claire has lots of grandparents that are always demanding pictures of her. I try to keep my camera on the corner of our counter, so I can grab it at any second and snap away. Here are a few snapshots of what she's been up to lately!
Two shoes, no pants, no problem! These days, Claire wants help sliding her shoes on and off all day long, and says, "Shoosh! Shoosh! Shoosh!" while she's at it.
We found our new favorite activity! Claire will sit on a towel on the porch and play with bowls of water and measuring cups for almost a full hour. It's the best ever. Yesterday, I even brought my laptop out to the porch and got a few things done while she splashed and played. That's what I call a win-win!
Suns out, shades out.
We finally made it through one entire Sacrament Meeting at church without having to take her into the hall! For the first time ever! I cannot stress enough how much of a major accomplishment this is for us and our crazy, loud, wiggly baby.
I also made a video of Claire doing some of her favorite activities (she empties that drawer about 10 times a day!) and receiving her very first teddy bear. She loves cuddling her bear! Snuggle was so kind to send one over to promote their #ShareABear movement. We also gave one to a cute baby who suddenly found herself in the care of her grandma until everything gets sorted out, but I couldn't film that one for privacy reasons. Today is National Teddy Bear Day. In honor of all the joy, companionship and comfort teddy bears can bring, this SeptemBEAR Snuggle is donating 5,000 teddy bears to children in need. Help us raise awareness by sharing your own memories, photos or videos with a special Teddy Bear in your life using the hashtag #ShareABear. Learn more and join the movement HERE!
At the beginning of the year, I had a goal to do one video a month, and here I am in September doing my very first one. #oops The hardest part was narrowing it down to just 30 seconds. I had so much fun making this that I've recommitted to one per month for the rest of the year. Think I can do it?
