4th of July Rockets

We had to find an inside project to keep Sophie entertained today because it's been raining non-stop. Not only raining but POURING!! My husband Robbie was inspired to make these cute Fourth of July rockets from toilet paper roles after seeing a similar project at Alpha Mom.

Sophie was happy to help! Here are the two of them deep in concentration.

Here's how you can make some:

Supplies:

• Toilet paper roles
• Red, white and blue fabric, construction paper or scrap book paper 
• Red, white and blue ribbon
• Things to decorate your rocket: stickers, sequins, tissue paper, markers, paint, pipe cleaners, etc.
• Yarn or string 
• Stapler
• Glue 
• Tape
• Scissors 
• Pony beads - 1 per rocket
• Hole punch

Directions:

1. To make the rocket body, cut fabric, construction paper or scrapbook paper to the size of the toilet paper role and staple or glue in place. 

2. Cut a 3.25 inch circle and cut a slit from the edge to the middle. Fold it into a cone shape and staple in place. 

3. Decorate the cone and rocket with stickers, sequins, markers, paint, tissue paper or anything else you wish to embellish it with. This of course was Sophie's favorite part. 

4. Use tape or glue to attach ribbon streamers to the bottom of the rocket. I think crepe paper would also look cool but we didn't have any on hand. 

5.  Use a hole punch to put 2 holes on either side of the top of the rocket and run a piece of yarn or string through the holes.

6. String the 2 ends of the yarn through a pony bead and up and out of the center of the cone. The bead keeps the yarn centered so the rocket will hang straight. Make sure the yarn is long enough to hang the rocket. 

Here they are with the finished product:

Obviously kids will need adult assistance to make these but the decorating part is perfect for little hands. 

Sophie also enjoyed wrapping the yarn around everything in our dining room. And dancing to patriotic music her Daddy had playing. It was a good distraction from the rain in more ways than one.

Alpha Mom  has instructions for making these as popper rockets that will "explode" and release confetti. I'm sure any kid would love "popping" those but we decided to simply make them as decorations. We're busy enough with a newborn without having to vacuum up confetti from all over the house! 

And this has absolutely nothing to do with this craft project but I happened to snap this really cute silly picture of Sophie! I love this kid! (And she's a great big sister too!)

Hope everyone has a happy 4th!

Linking to these parties!

Here in Our Corner

Sophie stated dance classes last week. Have you ever seen a cuter ballerina? She was so excited about her sparkly leotard and she even let me put her hair in a bun. I was so proud of her for attending the class by herself (no parents allowed), enjoying herself and making new friends. She was skipping around happily when I returned to pick her up. 

 

See the bruise on her cheek? She ran into the corner of the armoire in our bedroom. Then a few days later, as she was getting off the bed in our room, she hit the back of her head on the corner of the nightstand and bit her bottom lip. This little sweetie is always getting bumps and bruises. We go through a lot of "boo-boo band-aids" around here, as Sophie calls them.

 Robbie enjoyed his first father's day with 2 girls! I took this adorable picture of him with Sophie.

But Audrey wasn't in the mood for pictures that day! 

Audrey is getting so big already. She was one month old yesterday and 8 lb 5 oz. as of last Tuesday. She's already outgrown her newborn diapers and nearly outgrown the newborn onesies. I'm not ready to start packing away her little clothes yet!

She's waking up usually twice a night to nurse and is awake much more during the day than I would expect for a newborn.  She loves loves loves to be held and is often not happy when we have to put her down, which makes it quite challenging to do anything for myself or the house! She's notorious for taking cat naps in your arms and as soon as you try to put her down she's wide awake! I wish I had nothing else to do but hold her all day! 

Sophie's cousin Robert came to town last week to spend a couple days with their grandmother. We enjoyed a fun morning at the pool, followed by lunch and dessert (chocolate chip cookies!) at Grandma's house and then went to the aquarium. You might remember from this post that they went to the aquarium several months ago and Sophie has talked about it non-stop ever since. I can't tell you how many times she's said "Mama, let me tell you somebin' - I want to go to the aquarium with Robert."

Who knew fish were so exciting? 

The kids were just as excited to play in the play areas as they were to see the fish. 

Sophie held a starfish and petted a snake. She had no fear!

 

 I tell you what, Sophie and Robert are 2 peas in a pod. They love spending time together. 

Robert has an younger brother named Lanford. I hope he and Audrey will be as close as Sophie and Robert are. 

Audrey's Going Home Dress

Things have been super busy around here since Audrey's arrival. I definitely don't have much free time to spend on the blog but I wanted to make a quick post to show you the sweet little dress I made for my baby girl to come home in! 

I love the piping, trim and bow details!

I used Itty Bitty Baby Dress pattern from Made by Rae. One thing I noticed about the pattern is that one side of the bodice is slightly larger than the other. So rather than printing both sides and taping together as the instructions indicate, I simply used one side of the pattern and cut it on the fold so that both sides are identical.It was an easy pattern to make and you could easily sew up a couple of these in an afternoon.  

It was a little big on her but at least we'll get more wear out of it over the summer!

Linking to these parties!

Father's Day Painted Tie Craft

Sophie made her Daddy a cute tie for Father's Day. Here's how you can make one for the special man in your life: 

You will need:

• 11 x 16 paper
• Paint
• Paintbrushes
• Ribbon 
• Scissors
• Tape
• Hole Punch

Directions:

1. Let your child paint on the paper however he/she wishes.

2. Cut out a tie shape using one of your husband's ties as a pattern.

3. Cut out a small strip that measures about 2 inches high and 6 inches long to make the knot.

4. Hole punch both ends of the strip so that you have a space to weave the ribbon through.

5. Wrap the strip around the top of the tie and tape into place.  

6. Weave ribbon through holes.

What a special gift for Daddy! (Great for Granddaddy's too!)

Linking to these parties!

Audrey's Arrival!

Sweet baby Audrey Elizabeth was born May 23, 2013 at 12:14 pm weighing 6 lb. 15 oz. and 19 3/4 inches long. I am head over heels in love with her and Sophie has adjusted very well to having a baby sister! I was blessed to have a very easy and quick delivery - only 7 minutes and 3 contractions before she was in my arms.

Here is Sophie meeting her little sister for the first time. She said, "Mommy, she's so pretty!" Since we've been home Sophie has been helping change diapers and give Audrey sponge baths. She's always checking on her little sister and offering her toys.

 First Family photo:

Life has understandably been hectic for the past 10 days and my primary focus is on family. I'll still be blogging as time permits but know that it will be sporadic over the next little while. Nothing comes before my girls!