"Love is missing someone whenever you're apart, but somehow feeling warm inside because you're close in heart"

My intent while Mark was gone was to try and do little blog posts here and there for more daily updates but that hasn't happened :) we really haven't been up to too much though so it is hard to come up with even a small post. So by now hopefully I can come up with something! :) (and now that I'm done I realize I definitely cane up with something...this is a long one!)

So after my last post our week was spent spending time with Mark before he left, getting stuff done around the house, and I got some projects done since Mark as keeping the kids busy and I had extra time on my hands! 

The things I've been working on the most are things for our new baby girl! I got some adorable fabric to make a new bag, which I LOVE, already using it :) it matches the blanket I made her with the same fabric as well as the car seat cover! Even after those three big projects, I had fabric left over so I made a diaper clutch, redid my wipe case, made binky clips and a camera strap! And I still have some left! Mostly scraps but I'm gonna see how far I can get it to go :) its so super cute! I'm loving the coral/salmon and gray combination right now. I also made a car seat blanket with some other fabric I had in my closet...sometimes I think it's ridiculous how much fabric I have in there but then it comes in handy for projects I want to do but don't want to buy new fabric :) There are pros and cons of fabric hoarding! :)

Car Seat cover

Baby blanket (that color is more of a salmon pink, not orange...the filter is making it more orangey :)

my diaper bag! LOVE IT!

diaper clutch and wipe case. 

forgot about this one...I made Evelyn a "church bag"...mostly to make some room in my bag on Sundays!!! 

forgot about the rest of these projects too :) This is a play blanket of sorts...mainly something to lay on the floor for the baby instead of using her main blanket.....couldn't help but make it, it's sooo cute! 

countdown chalkboard! 

Growth Chart! Looove this project too!

they love to stand and be measured :)

a quick little project....but VERY needed! This is for all the scraps/threads/trash I have when sewing, I made one for the car too....super useful!

 I've also done a few projects for little miss Evelyn here...she is completely obsessed with  the Disney movie "Frozen"...so I made her an Anna dress and cape and an Elsa dress and cape. She's had a lot of fun running around the house in them, singing and acting out the songs :) its very cute :)

Another project I did for the kiddos is a canopy tent. I've seen some cute teepee tents around online but didn't want something that big and that required me to put it together every time they wanted to play in it. So I found this canopy tent instead and it as much more simple to do so winner! I hung it up and they liked it...Evelyn even took a nap in it which was amazing! But I'm gonna have to have Mark put it up better cuz Andrew pulled it down...I tugged at it pretty hard after I hung it to make sure that wouldn't happen but I guess I misjudged my little boy!

Elsa dress and cape...she wanted it loooong so she got loooong :)

canopy tent!

fast asleep :)

Anna dress!

and cape :)

The other projects I've worked on have mostly been for other people or photography related. My bestest best friend Sarah had her baby girl in January so I made her some cute goodies. And I have quite a few other friends having babies this year so I've been getting a head start on little gifts for them too.

diaper clutch, wipe case, and binky clip! love to match them! 

an ADORABLE pleated skirt for my bestie Sarah's baby! I'm totally making one for my girls :)

Then after that, I made my new camera straps and business card holder, my friend/mentor Kelly asked me to make some for her and her fiance so I did that. I've also made a camera "coat" for my camera, which was a bit of an ambitious project for me cuz I didn't have any tutorial or pattern for it...just  the idea somewhere and of course I'd rather make it myself than pay for one :) plus this way I made it to match my camera strap! Anyway...it was simple, this k goodness...I don't know how people make up harder/more detailed patterns! There's so much to think of. Anyway- it might not be as refined or smooth as the one I was looking at online but it fit perfect and overall wasn't too far off from the original!

Then not long after she asks me if I could make her these CD covers/cases that she uses for her photography clients and I just finished those up this week. They are super cute and easy and such a fun way to package cds for clients so I'm thinking I'm gonna have to do some for myself :) 

My other photography related project was to make a newborn posing bag and positioners, which turned out pretty good! I'm super excited to try them out after baby girl here arrives! 

My camera straps!

business card holder...

and camera cover! I love making my own stuff so they match :) 

baby positioners and poser bag!

my friend's camera straps and business card holder 

and her CD covers! inside is a CD sleeve and pocket for whatever else she wants to give to her clients. I did put a flower on it too but didn't take a pic

And now onto the kiddos! We haven't done anything too out of the ordinary with Mark gone. We did take them bowling before he left which was fun and Evelyn and I went on a mommy/daughter date to see Frozen. But after...well Evelyn's had school and dance and Andrew is being, for the most part, his usual adventurous, adorable, toddler self!

me and evelyn at the movies! 

Andrew is seriously the sweetest, cutest little guy! And for the past while he's been extra sweet...probably evening out for his increase in being a mischievous, sometimes naughty little toddler :) he has been having a bit of a hard time since Mark left and has been a bit clingy to me and also more clingy to his blanket and binky...he freaked out when we went to my baby shower, even though it was somewhere we'd been before  and he knew all the people and I was there the whole time. He also is refusing to go to nursery now at church even though before he didn't care/notice when I left. So that's a bit frustrating.

Although it was kinda funny last week we went to an activity at church so I left him in the nursery with Evelyn but he wouldn't stop crying so they brought him to me and I just held him. So he calmed down and after a bit got down, went over to my friend and gave her a big hug and then came back to me. :) how adorable is that? He's been extra lovey/huggy lately, mostly to my female friends...so cute! Such a little ladies man :)

I also love how helpful he is! I know I've said it before but he really loves helping me! He HAS to help when I unload the dishes and he looooves helping put away laundry and is so cute doing it. I love this boy!

He is a total boy though and everything that goes with...he's definitely gonna be a fun one to watch growing up! Lately one funny thing is Evelyn has been playing "dog" and part of it is eating "dog food" out of a bowl set on the floor. So Andrew took it a bit further and takes the food out of the bowl, puts it on the floor and gets down on his tummy and eats it. So gross but so funny at the same time! Boys....

dancing with the Wii

he is such a big boy now! or wants to be! He loves to sit at the big table and is using a fork and spoon fairly successfully! :( and :) at the same time!

total boy though...he loves trains and cars and trucks and planes....he gets so excited when he sees the helicopters and such flying over 

having a moment of calm! :) He sure does love his sister though!!!

and he LOVES his blanket and binky! :) 

this was a fun day...I got them shakes and his had the open dome lid and a ton of whipped topping on top so he WENT for it! he was so cute and happy though!!!

my cute little lunch date! (Evelyn was at a friends house) 

eating off the floor like a dog :) 

throwing a little tantrum!

this is him helping with laundry...he would run to my room, pick up one item, run to his room and put it on his nightstand and do it all over again!

he's been enjoying some dress up time with his sister...I think I might need to get some boy dress up soon...tutus and fairy wings are his current fav! haha! 

Evelyn is definitely my girl! Right now she is totally and completely obsessed with the movie Frozen, like I mentioned before. She loves it and listens to the music everyday and knows EVERY WORD! She even inputs movie dialogue...in the right spots...her memory is ridiculously good! I love watching her sing the songs and dance around to them...she's so expressive and funny and cute! She is doing a great job in dance class still....last week was observation week and she definitely was one of the more outgoing ones! Her review said she participated in class very well but was very silly :)

She is a pretty silly thing and I love listening to her play, her imagination is so great! She is so funny and so smart! We've been working on her reading right now, using the Bob books, and she's doing pretty good with them! The only problem is she memorizes them so fast! Like seriously her memory skills are really so crazy....we got a new book a couple weeks ago, kind of long but has a good rhyming rhythm to it that makes it fun to read. But anyway- we have read it to her 3 or 4 times and one night she said, I can "read" this and proceeded to "read" the first two pages to me....of course it was just her memorizing it and she didn't get it exact word for word but it was.surprisingly close! It was crazy....

singing karaoke at a friends :)

playing "Elsa" in her new dress

all tuckered out after a fun afternoon baby shower! 

This is one thing Evelyn and I have been doing together...puzzles! Total mini-me :)

in dance class! She's SO CUTE and SO funny!

fast asleep with her daddy doll! 

A couple of things else have happened this past month...the weather here has been crazy....one day it'll be near 70° and the next it's record lows! Seriously crazy and soooooo ridiculous! So a couple weeks ago we got a pretty decent winter storm...ice/snow, the whole shebang! Luckily it wasn't  a ton but it did put the whole area at a standstill cuz they hardly ever get weather like this. We were stuck at home for four whole days which wasn't terrible but it definitely wasn't the funnest when it's just you and two kids! :( so it's been mostly cold since then and then a couple days ago we got some more ice/snow but luckily it didn't last as long.

Anyway- Evelyn enjoyed playing in the snow with that first storm but Andrew did not. I bundled him up and we went outside but he wouldn't keep his gloves on and his hands got super cold and he didn't want to be outside anymore.

so sweet :)

first moment out in the snow...and then quickly changed to dislike and go inside please!

she loved it!

he much preferred playing it in after it melted :)

and the ice storm from this week!

This past week we have been enjoying watching the Olympics...mostly the figure skating but the kids love it and both have been dancing and "skating" around the house. It's very cute :)

Lastly a quick baby update! Not much to say really...I'm 37 weeks now and ready to go still! This girl has been making me nervous lately cuz she goes such looooong periods of calm/inactivity and being this far along I'd expect more and know I'm supposed to keep track more now. I'm just gonna be so glad to have this over and have her here already!!! Mark comes home tomorrow so I'm happy to have her anytime after that! :)

this is 36 weeks..haven't taken one today but not really too much different! seriously don't know where this kid is hanging out! I only ever feel her on the right side though so sometimes I feel a smidge lopsided ;) haha!

Well that is the end! Maybe next time I'll do better and have more frequent smaller posts instead of a massive long one :) don't know when I'll post again but hopefully in the next couple it'll be to introduce miss Elizabeth! oh and Happy Valentine's Day of course! :)