Tiny Dancer

So, Finley may "Move Like Jagger" but she isn't the only dancer in the family!!!

Crafting

     As most of you know, I am between jobs right now and enjoying my time with Carlie.  While Carlie is attempting to walk and Chad is busy working, I have been spending some time doing what I love CRAFTS!!!

     We will start with the cute little red heart.  Each year for Christmas we get Hallmark Ornaments.  Due to the fact that we are very low on money, we had to choose wisely.  I opted to make Carlie's ornament out of Fimo Dough (we also couldn't find one that we loved).  Fimo Dough is a harder version of Play Dough that you can cook to harden it.  I wanted to make something to commemorate her battle this year.  

     I have been searching the for the best diaper bag/purse that is a downsized version of what I already have.  I borrowed from Mel and I looked everywhere!  Finally we were at Cabela's in Springfield for the first time and I found a cute camo tote bag that was perfect!!!  The only problem was that I didn't have a changing pad to take with me.  I could have used the one that adjoined my previous bag but it was too padded that I couldn't fold it up small enough to fit in my new tote bag just fine.  So instead of continuing my search I decided that making a changing pad would be the best route.  Then came google searches to see the best route to make it. I found a tutorial on how to make a changing pad and a carrier for the pad, wipes and few diapers that I fell in love with.  At JoAnn Fabrics, there is some PUL fabric that is specifically meant for homemade cloth diapers, changing pads, bibs and more items for wipe down or soaking purposes.  So I found a cute fabric and picked out some PUL fabric to match.  For those interested in how I made it, I will add my own tutorial soon.

  

      Lastly, I have been looking for a backpack for Carlie to carry some toys in. Usually I use her daycare bag but I always have to dump it out and reload it each time.  Chad has been helping me look for just the right one for her but I have been struggling.  Well, I discovered recently that Goodwill and St. Vinnie's have patterns for really cheap.  I found a pattern for pj pants, a shirt, and a matching bag for a teenager.  A sleepover set.  I really liked the bag so I bought the pattern for a whopping 29 cents.  Then Carlie and I ventured to our favorite store, JoAnn Fabrics in search of the perfect fabric.  Well Carlie didn't like anything accept for the really expensive Corduroy with Dora on it.  We were all ready to settle on a floral one when I spotted another really cute Dora fabric and lucked out that it was a whole lot cheaper!!!

     These are my most recent crafts that I wanted to share.  I have a long list of more I plan on doing.  Thank you Melissa for introducing me to Pinterest where I have found many more Crafts to work on.  My lists consist of Growth charts, button magnets, felt food, quiet books, and more.  I will try and post these as I go in case you are looking for some Christmas ideas of your own.

Carlie "Crawling"

This is Carlie's last week being 9 months old and I thought I would update everyone on all the amazing things this girl has been up to lately.

She has perfected sitting up!  She doesn't look wobbly anymore and when she "falls down" it's because she purposely is choosing to lay down.

She is working on her 8th tooth!  It is going to break the surface any day now!

She can now go from laying down to sitting up on her own! I haven't been able to capture that on video yet but when I do I will show you.

We have been working really hard at getting her to hold her own bottle. Just when we think she's figured it out, she drops the bottle. She just has better things to do with her hands while she is eating. Well I finally decided to just hand her the bottle and figure it out herself. We captured it on the camera doing what she does best: being a couch potato while watching Dora!!



We took her to the beach for the first time! She really enjoyed the feel of the sand. She also got to visit the Hatfield Marine Science Center where she saw and touched sea creatures and other rocks. She also got a book, A Good Catch, signed by the author, Taylor Morrison! Here are a few pictures of our weekend in Newport, OR:

Carlie looking at an octopus.Carlie having a blast feeling some petrified wood.Carlie and Dada in front of a submarine.Carlie sitting in the sand. The pacifier didn't stay in long, she had to make room for sand.

Carlie has decided that she wants to start crawling. She has not perfected the art of army crawling, because she gets too frustrated and just decides to roll. She has figured out how to maneuver her way around the living room through rolling. I have a video of Carlie "crawling" around the room. Notice a few times she attempts to get into the correct crawling position but gives up. It is a 4 minute video but well worth watching. Enjoy!!

Big girl Carlie!!!

Carlie finally took a big girl bath! (that's what I am calling it) She sat up in the bathtub all by herself. Of course I couldn't let go of her for 1 second because I was too nervous that she would fall back. She did so wonderfully! Plus she enjoyed playing with her toys. Here are a few pictures for your enjoyment:

Looking at the toy in anticipation!