Let's Sew Birds

Jessi spotted this book at the library the other day and loved the felt birds on the cover:

Sewing and crafting is right up my alley so we borrowed the book, gathered our supplies, and got to work! Jessi learned about using patterns, threading a needle, sewing on a button, and following instructions to create her masterpiece.

Sewing her first button

Threading the needle

Sewing the body

Adding some stuffing

Voilà!

Jessi enjoyed the craft so much that she made a list of all the birds she wanted to make (one for each colour of the rainbow, plus pink, black, and white), including names and colour combinations.

It was a team effort -- Jessi and I each sewed a wing per bird, and shared a lot of the cutting/threading tasks. Jessi's favourite part was sewing and stuffing the body, so she did that for every bird!

We didn't like the look of a googly eye, so we simply cut the eye open and used the inner black piece:

We finished her last two birds today (green and yellow). What a fun project! Hoping for many more in the future.

Her favourite part ♥

What a collection!

Sandbanks!

We missed going to Sandbanks last summer, but luckily this year we were all up for it and made the 1.5-hour drive (including a ferry ride!) to get there.

The classic walk-up-the-sandy-hill to get to the beach

Perfection!

Our setup -- good to have a shady spot!

Getting coated in super-soft-and-warm sand is the best!

Quadruple sun protection:

Hat, sunglasses, sunscreen, and shade

We spent about 4 hours at the beach, which included a picnic lunch, 2-3 swims, collecting shells, throwing a frisbee around, and lots of playing in the sand.

What did you think of the beach?

Traditional post-beach stop at McDonald's

The girls enjoyed the ferry ride so much that they wanted to take it on the way home too (rather than taking the highway, which would have been faster). So sweet!

A Weekend Without Daddy

Goodbye Daddy!

We survived 2.5 days without Daddy while he was away at a frisbee tournament. Steve and I realized that this was the first time he was away overnight since Jessica was born!

At this age, taking care of the girls on my own was a breeze. We didn't have much planned; we just spent our days doing the usual snacks/TV, playing around the house, and building lots of lego sets. A little more planning was needed for mealtimes, since I missed my cooking partner, but it was all manageable.

On Saturday the girls had a ball running through our neighbour's sprinkler. It's the little things!

Happily soaked

The hardest part of the solo-parenting weekend was sleep: I stayed up way too late reading a good book, then both girls woke up during both nights when Daddy was away.

We were all just a bit tired by the end! It was a nice surprise to see Daddy at home when we got back from dinner at my parents' on Sunday. Welcome home, Daddy! xo

Charleston Lake 2018

We joined my sister and her family for a day at Charleston Lake, just like we did last year. Although Steve and I (and the girls) have no desire to go camping, we do enjoy a little day trip.

The weather was much nicer this year, minus some strong winds. It kept the bugs away (yay!), but it shortened our time at the beach (boo!).

Too cold and windy

Luckily we packed some pants and long sleeves to keep us warm. We spent the rest of the day playing at the park, having a picnic lunch, walking along the boardwalk trail, and stopping at the Nature Activity centre.

Can you spot it?

We made it to the look-out point!

(We can see the beach across the way)

Fun Nature Activity Centre

When we camped at Charleston Lake as kids, we always stopped at this tiny convenience store (we called it Séraphin's) at the end of our trip for ice cream. The tradition continues!

Thanks for the visit, Becky and Albert! I'm glad my girls get to experience this part of my youth, even if it doesn't mean campfires and sleeping in a tent ;).