For My Octo-girl, Again

OK, I have to be honest. Our family doesn't really "do" Halloween. We usually just watch a movie and devour a huge bowl of candy. But after I saw the perfect costume for Abby to wear to the AWANA Harvest Party tonight, I just had to make it for her!

 The DIY octopus costume idea isn't a new one. It can be found all over the internet (my fave here.) Abby wanted a purple octopus, so I picked up 4 pairs of knee socks when they were on sale at Target.

I did round each sock to look more like a tentacle and less like, well, a sock. I made a skirt out of the socks by sewing them together about 6" down.

The hat was made from the bottom of a toddler's size t-shirt. A simple beanie design with appliqued eyeballs.

My octo-girl is super excited to sport her costume tonight!

 

My Little Punkin

This little one is growing up! 11 months old and almost exclusively walking. She finally weighs 20 pounds and has 9 teeth! This little girl is such a tiny sweet thing, unless her brother bothers her. Then he gets this:

 Oh, I have a feeling I'm going to be seeing a lot of that face....

And she definitely has a mind of her own paired with a strong sense of determination:

"Photo shoot? No, thanks....I'm done."

Happy 11 months, my pretty little punkin!

This Week

This week brought an end to soccer season. I'm sad to see it go. Seth's team only lost one game this year. He's such a hard and determined worker, it's a delight to watch his athleticism on the field. We were truly blessed by wonderful weather to watch every game, but the very next day after soccer was done?

 The rain came to water our thirsty yard. We are happy that our volunteer pumpkin plant produced so many pumpkins! Almost one for every kid, although some will have to be happy with green ones. 

This week also brought orthodontic appointments (Seth got top braces and Abby got her arch wire adjusted), drama practices (Megan was cast as Meg in Little Women), AWANA, and a birthday party for Sarah to attend.

Do we sound busy? 

Yes, and totally blessed.

Meggy-Doodle

The whole world is before you, my Meg.

You are amazing and I am so thankful for you. I hope all your dreams come true!

Happy 17th Birthday!

Look At Who Is

WALKING!!

Anna took her first steps less than two weeks ago and now is walking everywhere. I can't believe it! She is adorable with her shaky steps and big grin. The bumps and bruises have been hard, but that's part of the process, right? She's growing up so fast! 

Upcycled Sister Skirts

(I know! A sewing post! It's only been for-ev-er!)

 Soooo, a while ago, I bought this skirt figuring it would fit one of my older daughters.

It didn't.

But I still liked the cute fabric and the ruffle around the bottom,

so I decided to cut it apart, just below the zipper.

After serging around the top (to save length), I sewed a casing, threaded some elastic through and then sewed the top closed.

Little girl's skirt done!

It fits Leah great!

That left me with this awkward zippered top piece. I got out my seam ripper and unstitched the top bias edge on both sides of the zipper.

Which left it looking like this.

Next I cut out the zipper, carefully folding the bias edges back. Then I sewed up the back seam where the zipper used to be.

I stitched the bias back over the top edge, leaving a hole to thread some elastic in, and then sewed that closed too. A simple hem around the bottom edge and:

Ta-da! Baby skirt!

Leah and Anna were happy to model,

and Leah's thrilled to have matching skirts!

So cute together!

10 Months

Anna is 10 months old today! 

Where has the time gone? We decided to take a stroll outside to celebrate the day.

 She's becoming quite the character! "Look, Mom! I got this leaf!"

 

She's weighing in at 18 lb. 11 oz. Tiny for our house!

If they could only stay small...

 "Wagon rides are sooooo fun!"

"Did you see that kitty? Right over there..."

"Oh! Chickens!"

As I called, "Here chick-chick" she tried calling them too! "Ch-sh-sh...." So cute!

She was quickly rewarded as they came running.

And then she quickly got bored.

"What's that??"

What a true delight and blessing this little girl is!