She's Two

Helen turned two on Friday! 

Here are a few facts about Helen at two years of age:

Favorite Foods: Bacon (additive free), blueberries and cream, olives, most fruits, peas, cod liver oil (yes, she actually likes it!), yogurt, butter, just about any meat, dried figs...and more! She loves food.
Favorite Books: The Knight and the Dragon, her Brambley Hedge books, I Am A Bunny, and anything to do with animals.
Favorite Television Shows: Peppa Pig and Winnie the Pooh are her all-time favorites. She also likes any YouTube videos about babies or monkeys, or (better yet) baby monkeys. Or babies swimming.
Favorite Toys: She LOVES teddy bears. If she finds one in someone else's house, she wants it. I bought a little plastic tea set for her recently, and she has gotten a lot of use out of it. She also likes her wooden blocks (for building towers to knock over) and her duplos. We bought her a baby doll with a little stroller for her birthday and she adores it.
Chores: She's pretty good about picking up her toys when I ask her. She likes to unload the plastic dishes from the dishwasher. I also have her help me put the clean clothes in the dryer and push the button (her favorite part).
Learning: She can sing most of her ABCs and counts to 11. She's pretty good at picking up the words to songs. She's starting to try to sing on tune. For some reason, she can't get her colors. I guess I just need to work with her more. She has started to get into imaginary play, which is really fun.
Social: If Helen is eating and another kid is around, she wants them to share her food. But when it comes to toys, it's a different story. She is very territorial. We need to work on that. If another little kid is (in her estimation) getting too much attention, she'll make random loud noised to divert the attention to herself. She also does this if Reuben and I hug too long.
Potty Training: I'm pretty sure Helen is capable of being potty trained, it's just a matter of buckling down and doing it. We tried it for half a day and she did very well.
Sleep: Helen still takes one nap in the middle of the day. I have her take a nap 4 hours after she wakes in the morning, and she goes to bed 5 hours after her nap. Her nap is usually 1.5 - 2 hours long, and she usually sleeps about 12 hours at night.
Nursing: Helen is all done nursing now! It was a very gradual process without drama. I might have to do a separate post about it.

[Dress and Cardigan: Carter's]

Funny/Cute Moments:

• My pet name for Helen is Helen-Bear. When I ask her what her name is she says, "Helen-Bear Adelaide."
• One morning I had my hair in a very ugly ponytail that I had slept on. Helen ran her fingers through the ends of it and said, "Pretty hair, Mommy!" Melted my heart.
• After I finished frosting Helen's birthday cake she said, "Where'd the cake go?!"
• When I asked her what her (homemade) birthday ice cream tasted like she replied, "Birthday Party."
• The other day she was talking about Reuben's beard. Then she said, "Mommy's beard!" Reuben asked, "Does Mommy have a beard?" Helen replied, "Mommy has chin!"

It's been grand watching this little stinker growing up. I can't wait to see what new thing she learns and what funny thing she says next.


NOTE: Some links are affiliate. All words and opinions are my own.

Best Face Photo of 2014

It's always difficult, when I'm browsing through my photos from the past year, to settle on one as my favorite. There are so many moments that I love. 

But little Sue's face just melts my heart in this photo.

Make sure you stop by I Heart Faces to see more of the entries for Best Face Photo of 2014.

DIY Chalkboard and Origami Wrapping Paper

Hello all. I know it's been a while (over a month - *gulp*) since I last wrote a blog post. I have been busy buying up the whole world (AKA shopping for Christmas).

Ever since I saw chalkboard wrapping paper on Pinterest I knew I needed some for myself. So when Terrain had an awesome Black Friday sale, or course I had to buy some of their black kraft wrapping paper. I believe they're sold out now, but you can still find it on Etsy HERE.

I used a white charcoal pencil to draw my designs. Here are a few of my favorites. Please don't make fun of my (horrid) wrapping skills.

I think I'm the most proud of this one. I used this chalkboard sign from Etsy as inspiration.

A tiny bow for out little niece Susan. Inspiration from this post by Going Home to Roost.

I made an origami box (more on that below) and used this free wreath printable as inspiration.

This is another one that I'm quite happy with. I used this photo from Pinterest as inspiration.

I couldn't find a box the proper size for a gift for my older sister, so I made an origami one. HERE is the tutorial I used. I used some wrapping paper that I had leftover from last year as the lid, and chalkboard paper as the bottom. It's a tiny bit lopsided, but I'm happy with the end result.

To sum up:

Buy the wrapping paper HERE.

Find the origami box tutorial HERE.

Use a charcoal pencil for drawing.

Search on Pinterest for design inspiration.

What are YOU doing for gift wrap this year?

Little Frog in the Snow

Helen's Coat: Gymboree via thredUP | Same on ebay HERE, HERE, HERE
Helen's Boots: Janie and Jack via thredUP | Similar
Helen's Cowl: Made by me | Free Pattern

A couple weeks ago we had a lovely snowfall. I bundled Helen up and sent her outside to experience it.

It was funny how perplexed she seemed. She held out her little hand to feel the flakes.

That first batch of snow melted, but we had another this week. When Helen saw it out the window, she said, "Fall." I think she knows that snow falls from the sky because of a little bunny book that we've been reading since her first birthday.

And now I wonder if the snow is here to stay. The forecast shows no sign of temperatures above freezing any time soon. I'm happy that we have the snow - better that it's cold and pretty than cold and ugly brown. But the extra wetness makes it harder to keep our floor clean. I think I need a bigger rug.

Note: some links are affiliate. All opinions are my own.

Fall is Here

I am so happy that the cooler weather is here. Sadly it's still not quite cold enough to need to wear all of my awesome jackets. First world problems.

Warm drinks are one of my favorite parts of fall. Mocha, hot cocoa, breves, pumpkin breves...it's all good. What's your favorite hot drink?

The first and second to last photo were taken with my iPhone 5S. They're kind of my favorite of the bunch...

Stocking Up for Fall

Helen has been growing so much lately. Pants that used to drag on the floor fit just right; shirts that used to fit don't cover her tummy. I realized that she won't have enough warm clothes this fall. I had some credit on thredUP, so of course I couldn't resist stocking up on some adorable pieces.

Here's what I got: Printed leggings. These are oh-so-cute - love them! A chunky red sweater. I love knits on kids. And a frilly little plaid skirt.

Here she is wear the sweater and skirt. The leggings don't fit her quite yet. The shoes were also a purchase from thredUP. I can't believe she fits them already!

I'm pretty sure I'll need to buy more warm clothes eventually - this is just a mini haul. I can't wait! I love shopping for Helen.

By the way, if you use any of my links in this post to sign up for thredUP, you'll receive a $20 credit to spend as you please, and I'll get a $10 credit. But hurry: this offer is only good until September 15. After then, you'll only get a $10 credit (which is still an awesome deal).

Have you started shopping for fall yet?

Recent Helen Cuteness

Helen's first time on the beach this year. She was terrified of the waves at first, but she eventually became bold enough to sit right down in the water. I hope she enjoys swimming!

Gus Gus. She even tripped on the beads.

I can finally put Helen's hair in pigtails - when she'll hold still long enough.

Mud + Baby = Happy Baby.




Helen had (additive free) bacon and (sprouted) pancakes for the first time! She loved them.

I really wish she wouldn't pick her little barrettes out of her hair - they're so fetching.


xoxo
Erica