Our Sunday afternoon project

Gingerbread house!

Here's what Sadie~Rose thought of this whole business.

One happy girl!

3 weeks

So hard to believe that Sadie~Rose has been with us for three weeks now. She has become such an integral part of our lives and I'm not sure how we got along without her before she made her arrival. Never have we had so much joy and love in our household. It's amazing what one little child can do. Not wanting to forget anything, I wanted to write down some of our {her}
highlights from the past three weeks.

~by the grand old age of three days, Sadie~Rose's 1st tooth was already thru and shining. {No, I'm not kidding and I have a picture to prove it!}
~had our 1st bath when she was three days old. She loved it.

~Marmee and Aunt Violet came on day four to take care of us.

~Our 1st outing was when she was 10 days old. We went to the library book sale. And then Christmas shopping at Tuesday Morning. She did wonderful.

~ Also at 10 days old, we put up our Christmas tree and mommy put all the lights on by herself {which put her back in bed for most of the next day.}

~ When our midwife came over on day 10 {yes, Sadie~Rose's 10th day of life was extremely busy!} to do her PKU test, she weighed 8 lbs and 4 oz. She had gained 1 lb and 4 oz in 10 days! I was so proud of her. :)

~Around this time, we started getting to sleep for 4 straight hours at night. Praise God!

~Aunt Violet could get Sadie~Rose to sleep any time, anywhere while she was here. It was amazing.

~Marmee and Aunt Violet went home when she was two weeks old. Leaving Mommy in charge of two little girl's all by herself. {we've all survived!}

~Sadie~Rose had a terrible bout with gas the night that she was 14 days old. Non-stop crying and screaming from 7 pm until midnight. Never was I so glad to hear someone pass gas.

~Meme and Grandpa came to visit us when she was 15 days old.

~We took our first trip to Mount Pleasant and Whole Foods grocery store when she was 16 days old. The child is a born shopper. Just like her sister, her mom, her aunts, her grandmother, and her great grandmother. :)

~We took her to "The Singing Christmas Tree" that night and she behaved wonderfully. Her big sister on the other hand....

~Our 1st time back to church and Sadie~Rose was 17 days old. She slept through the intro, the Praise and Worship, the announcements, and the drama but woke up when Pastor Mike started talking and decided she was hungry. We spent the rest of the service in the nursery, catching up with friends {and feeding the baby of course.} We had a blast showing her off to all of our friends.

~Ate out at Panera Bread and went shopping at Sam's after church. She did great and we even ran into some friends and got to show her off even more.

~We celebrated Christmas with Meme and Grandpa when she was17 days old.

~On day 19 she decided it was time to start smiling. So, now we get smiles, if we talk to her just right. Oh, and she;s starting to "talk" to us as well. So much sweetness in such a little body.

~At 19 days old, we took her out shopping again, yes, again. Earth Fare and World Market. She decided to eat while at World Market. Mommy got to sit in the van. :)

~Her favorite time of the day is early morning, around 7 am. It's usually just her, mommy, and daddy. She'll lay in bed between us and look around with her big wide eyes and wave her hands and "talk" to us. Taking everything in. Smiling. Makes my heart want to burst.

~Three weeks old to the day, we had Meme take our picture for our Christmas cards. Sadie~Rose did not want to cooperate. Neither did Olivia. There are some rough pictures in the bunch, but a few good ones too. {funny little side note: both of my girls wore outfits that Chelle got for them. How cute is that?}

~Three weeks old and one day-Meme and Grandpa headed back to Oklahoma and Daddy went back to work. Mommy is left alone with two little girls...again. {We're doing good!}

Things I love about this little Rose:

~the soft baby fuzz on her ears, her back, and her shoulders

~the way she'll give you a half cocked grin when you kiss her on the cheek

~how she follows her sister around the room with her eyes, you can already tell that she adores her~the way she snuggles with her daddy and cries when he goes out of her line of sight

~watching her "peck" for her dinner {or breakfast, or lunch, or anytime snack} when she's really hungry

~how her chin and bottom lip quiver when she's upset

~her "startle" reflex

~how she likes to rub her tongue on her tooth when she's not finding anything interesting to look at

~how she scrunches up in a ball to sleep on my lap

~the sound of her "purring" while she nurses, the sweetest sound on earth

~her sweet little nose

~how she always gives a little kick at the end of a big big yawn

~how she sighs in her sleep

~the way she looks around, so bright eyed and inquisitive

~when she forms her mouth into a perfect little "o" and you can just hear the thoughts in her brain. Oh! she says.

~her fingers, so sweet and delicate. I love to kiss them

~how she likes to dance to music and bounce on the birthing ball when she has the hiccups

~her looking right up at my eyes while she's eating

~the sight of her little mouth, all milky after she falls asleep and let's go. Once in awhile, you'll catch her with a big grin. So satisfied.

lovely day ahead...

in-laws arrived last night

had a lovely dinner together

lots of baby holding

watched an old movie until we were all falling asleep

{except the two little girls of course}

today is winter-y

at least from looking out the window it is :)

hot chocolate and good company for breakfast

this evening we are going to see

"The Singing Christmas Tree"

at a local church

we're meeting some dear friends

and taking Mike's parents

can't wait

haven't been to one since I was 10

dinner out afterwards

yummy food and family {again}

lots of kisses

lots of snuggles

lots of pictures {hopefully}

good to bed happy

Learning curve...

mom left this morning
kind of lonely
kind of scared
what am I going to do with two little ones
all on my own?
never done this before
it's been ok so far
baby ate and slept for three hours
while big sister played on the computer
and I ate breakfast
cleaned the bathroom
did a load of laundry
picked up rooms
made beds
and then got to work on Christmas presents
Baby woke up
wanted to eat
and now we start all over again :)
thank goodness Daddy comes home for lunch
I think we might make it through the day

Funny to think that I could be scared of these two sweet faces












but truly, moments of sheer fear
every once in awhile. :)
God, what a learning curve this will be

She's Arrived

Sadie~Rose Joy

November 21st

10:21 pm

7 lbs.

19 3/4" long

After a long day of baking pies, crescent rolls, making cranberry fluff, and putting up Christmas decorations, a quick trip to the chiropractic, and a run to the grocery store, Sadie~Rose decided to make her appearance!
On her due date, no less. :)
After 3 1/2 hours of labor, she was born

safely and beautifully at home.
It couldn't have been more simple or lovely.
We are so thankful that she is here,
safe and sound
and healthy as can be.
Thank you to everyone for the prayers and congratulations!
It means so much.

Plans or the lack thereof...

This baby hasn't come yet,

obviously. :)

Around Wednesday (or was it Thursday?)

I got terribly bored with all this sitting around doing nothing.

So I signed up for a sewing class at our local quilt shop.

It was an apron making class based on the book

The Apron Book: Making, Wearing, and Sharing

a Bit of Cloth and Comfort

by EllynAnne Geisel

It was a lot of fun.

I've been sewing for 15 years now

and I've never taken a sewing class before.

I am working on finishing up the details of my new apron today.

Pockets and such.

Will post a picture as soon as I get it finished.

(It's finished! Love the way it turned out!)

And other news...

we still have no new baby.

I'm really tired of waiting,

day in and day out.

Not making plans,

not cooking dinner,

not going anywhere,

not doing anything,

not having new projects to work on and complete,

can't even make Christmas plans.

I've changed all of that.

I've been completely inspired.

I now have my list of Christmas gifts made out (two of them actually)

and have decided that all the women~folk in the family are getting

one store bought item and one handmade item,

all friends are getting handmade or hand-baked items.

and the guys are all just getting gift cards,

(with the exception of a select few)

because they are all way to hard to buy for and

I just don't have the extra time this year to agonize over

each

and

every

purchase.

Catch my drift?

I'm very pleased with my new course of action

and have marked pages in magazines for ideas,

blogs marked for inspiration,

the Christmas music playing,

(shhhhh...don't tell Mike!)

and I'm so excited to be moving forwards.

I even,

believe it or not,

have a small list of projects

that I want to whip up for my Etsy store.

So I'm going to be one busy pregnant lady for this week.

I'm even planning on getting all the boxes of decorations out of the closet,

and drag them downstairs (tree included!)

to await the day after Thanksgiving.

I'm crazy, I know.

So be it.

I'll be the crazy pregnant lady...

But only for a week or two.

Then I want to go back to being just

~ Fairlight ~

Then one of you guys can take over on the crazy part.

Deal?

A little book love

One of the things Olivia and I have been doing to pass the time waiting for Baby Rose's arrival is reading books. We have found several new favorites and revisited a few old ones. I thought I would share our most recent book list in hopes that you and your little ones will enjoy them as much as we have.

New favorites:

Pizza for the Queen by Nancy F. Castaldo

A very cute, based on historical fact, book about how pizza became Italy's favorite food. Lots of fun for us, because we make our own homemade pizza weekly.

Country Mouse Cottage: How We Lived 100 Years Ago by Nigel Brooks

The pages of this book are filled to the brim with the sweetest details of a country mouse and his family's daily life in the summer of 1900. Lots of fun to just look at the illustrations done by Abigail Horner.

The Artful Alphabet by Martina Jirankova-Limbrick

I love this book and Olivia looks at it for hours on end. It is full of fascinating text and lovely pen and ink drawings. It is long (80 pages) and reminiscent of the "I spy" and "Where's Waldo" books. Olivia and I enjoy reading alphabet books, have read quite a few in fact, and I must say that this one is really really good.

Little One Step by Simon James

This sweet story is about a little duck who gets lost (along with his two older duck siblings) and is terribly afraid. So, his brothers come up with a game, take one little step at a time. And before he knows it, they've found their mommy duck and all is well with the world again. It's been a great reminder to me and a good lesson to Olivia to take any overwhelming situation "one step" at a time.

Cookies: Bit-Size Life Lessons by Amy Krouse Rosenthal and illustrated by my all time favorite illustrator Jane Dyer

This book has been added to our "must own forever" book list. I was, at first, drawn to Jane Dyer's illustrations (boy do I wish she would design a children's clothing line!) but Olivia and I were quickly caught in the enchanting-ness of this book. It is a simple book, simple enough for all ages to understand, and Amy uses some words that we use every day (like patient, content, respect, wisdom, and modest) but also newer words that are more difficult to understand (like pessimistic, loyal, and trustworthy) but definitely something we need to learn and know about. Each pages has one word and it's definition with a corresponding illustration. "Cooperate means How about you add the chips while I stir?" We read this book over and over in the three week period that we had it from the library and it will most likely be one of Olivia Christmas presents next month.

Old Favorites:

Blueberries for Sal and One morning in Maine by Robert McCloskey

Olivia loves these two books. Something about a little girl her own age, doing things that she herself does, being with family, having a little sister, playing on the seashore, and asking the same questions that she does. But also the elements of unfamiliarity, like living on an island and having to take a boat to the store, picking blueberries and seeing a real live bear, and most of all she adores the illustrations. She always says, "I love this book, but it has no colors. That's ok though. I really like the story." That pretty much sums it up, don't you think?

Poppy's babies by Jill Barklem, part of the Brambly Hedge Series

I love Jill Barklem's books. She author's and illustrates all her own books and the details are to-die-for. I had The Secret Staircase as a child and I knew the story by heart, but I just loved to sit and stare at the pictures for hours and hours. There is so much minute detail on each page that is baffles the mind. These are tradition English country homes, in mouse form and scale, and so are totally bewitching. Poppy's babies has become one of Olivia's favorites of the series because of the baby mice, one of which is named "Rose." Do yourself a favor and check out any of this extremely talented lady's books.

A Kiss for Little Bear, Little Bear's Visit, and Little Bear Treasury by Else Holmelund Minarik and Maurice Sendak

Giggles always ensue when we read these books. All the ensuing lip smacking sounds are a dead give-away as to what book we are reading for a bedtime story and we are thoroughly kissed, over and over, by the end of A Kiss of Little Bear. In Little Bear's Visit, Olivia loves to hear the "goblin story" that Grampa Bear tells Little Bear after his nap and she loves pretending that she is sleeping, just like Little Bear when his parents come to pick him up at the end of his visit. Little Bear Treasury is a book of short stories that at first seem to be unrelated, but by the time you finish, you see the grand story that was told. These are old but enchanting books. Very easy to tell why they have been perennial favorites for so many years.

George and Martha, George and Martha One Fine Day , George and Martha Round and Round, and George and Martha Back in Town by James Marshall

Can I just say that these are the most hilarious books you will ever read to or with your kids? I remember my mom reading me these books when I was young and both of us laughing over George and Martha's antics, and now I read them to Olivia and we both laugh over split pea soup in George's loafers, Martha scaring the living daylights out of George in the Tunnel of Love at the Carnival, and George's plan to stop Martha from looking at herself so much in the mirror. I adore getting to read these childhood favorites to my own daughter. They are a fond family memory and will be read many more times in the years to come. Please note that there are several other George and Martha books, but we have not read them...yet. :)

It's a giveaway day...

Don't you just love giveaways? I mean, you leave a comment, and that's it! Your entered to win and you go on your merry way. Now granted, I've never won any of these giveaways but it's still fun! Here are a few that I've signed up for.

Carrie at ~ Carrie's Crafty Cottage ~ is having a Christmas music giveaway. Who couldn't use more Christmas music? I know that I never stop buying it, but I would also love to win it.



The Apronista is giving away the most amazing Christmas Hostess Apron. It is so adorable! Who wouldn't love to wear this on Christmas as they serve a delicious meal to their family and friends?

Mamanista is giving away a Rockin' Baby sling. These look awesome! I'm thrilled to be able to enter this one, because I would adore having this sling. Make sure you go to Mamanista to sign up!

New Momma's Nest has a giveaway for a Nest baby sling. Who doesn't love wearing their babies?



And Design Mom always has some of the best giveaways in the blog 'o sphere. Check her out!

A welcome to Autumn

A happy Sunday morning,

hearing the brisk wind

whistling around the corners of our cozy home.

Hot coffee (for Mike) and hot tea (for me)

with warm bagels for breakfast

as we dashed out the door to church.

Olivia in a black velor jumper with red roses on it

and her new red tights.

(She's had this dress picked out for 2 months now.)

Me, in my fabulous cords

without feeling like I was going to die from heat stroke.

And Mike fine in a short sleeve hawaiian shirt (go figure.)

A trip to the fruit stand so I could take pictures,

Just the right sort of day.

And here are the results.

Afterwards, home.

Delicious piping hot taco soup.

Then, cleaning.

Cleaning, cleaning, cleaning.

Everything ready for baby.

A few tears along the way, but we're ok.

Clean bathrooms.

Clean bedrooms.

Clean FROG.

Cleaned off desk and cleaned out filing cabinet.

Even clean fans!

Bed for baby,

tucked in beside Mommy and Daddy's bed.

Diapers washed and stacked on the dresser.

Clothes all ready,

blankets and toy (picked out by big sister) at the ready.

God is so good.

We are so blessed.

Fell into bed at 10:30