Leiden Sayings

We're in the parking lot at the grocery store, trying to find a parking spot. The conversation goes something like this (It's very indicative of many of our conversations!):

"Mommy, what is that thing?"
"Sweetheart, what thing?"
"That thing!"--and she's pointing out her window at who knows what.
"Honey, I don't know what you're talking about. Can you tell me more about it?"
(By now we're parked and getting out of the car.)
"That thing that keeps the monsters in?"
"Sweetie, I still don't know what you're talking about."
"THAT THING THAT KEEPS THE MONSTERS IN!"
"Leiden, I heard you, but I don't know what you're talking about!"
Again, as we're walking by all the cars: "THAT THING THAT KEEPS THE MONSTERS IN!"
Again: "Leiden, I heard you. Saying it louder does not help me understand."

Finally, at this point, we walk by a car that has the little 'fence' thing in the back that keeps dogs in the back of the car. She points to it and yells: "THAT!"
"Ohhhh, that keeps dogs from climbing all over the car. It's kind of like a fence in the car."
And then the best part--she says,
"Grrr. Why is it so hard to talk to you!?"

Well, goodness, I don't know.

Happy Birthday, Leiden!

Many days later, of course, Happy Birthday, Leiden! She had a great day. We had returned from camping the day before, so we were able to make it a bit more of a special day than it would have been otherwise. Brad started out the day by making 'special waffles', which she now requests almost every day. Yes, those are chocolate chips and real whipped cream.

The whole camping trip Leiden wanted to go fishing, and Brad had bought her a rod and everything, but we ended up not going. Brad decided to take her out for her birthday. Here she is with Luke.

Amazingly enough, she caught not one, but two fish! (They went to a stocked pond, but still!)

She actually touched the little fishie before it went back in the water.

She was a bit disappointed with the fish, as when she tried to pick it up, it started flopping everywhere and she said it was slippery.

Snack time. Brad swears her hands were clean. Hmmm.

Later on that day, the Barringers and Espins came over to eat the food that had been purchased and planned for that night (up camping). I baked Leiden a last minute cake from a box, using powdered eggs. Not my finest hour, but she didn't seem to mind too much.

I had to make a quick run to Target for presents. Somehow, with all the camping preparation, I forgot about that part, and knowing in my head we were going to do an actual party later on, I can see why! She got Rapunzel Barbie and some little butterflies that she could decorate to hang in her room.

I can't believe my little girl is 4 years old. Here is some nostalgia for you--birthday four years ago. She was tiny, at 6 lbs. 5 oz. and such a spindly little thing, but strong as could be.

We love you, Leiden! Here's to many more!

Memorial Weekend Camping

Days later, here we are with a massive post about our camping trip! We went up north to Tettegouche State Park, where it was a chilly 55-60 degrees during the day, and an even chillier 35-40 degrees at night!

Mac watching us set up the tent.


Mac trying to help


Mac in her 'seat' which she played in the vast majority of the time we were there. Not much else for her to do there.


Leiden had a great time--running around with Luke and refusing to put on her sweater, even with goosebumps everywhere.

There's that sweater.

Mac started out being afraid of Baloo (who is an enormous golden doodle), but pretty quickly got to liking him.

Mac

On a hike to a waterfall. Mac really wasn't the happiest little girl on the trip.

Leiden loved throwing rocks in the water.

All the guys and the little ones.

Brad bought Leiden a fishing pole, and Mac loved the little 'ball' on the end of it.

Mac on the second day after sunscreen was applied--in her hair as well as on her face.

We visited Split Rock Lighthouse on the way home, which was pretty cool. It's there on Lake Superior, and Leiden thought it was great. Mac slept in the car with Brad keeping watch while we wandered around.

Kids on the trail. This was pre-the 171 steps we had to go down to get to the shore.

Leiden is remarkably less timid around Luke, which allows her to do things I would not expect her to want to, including standing in the freezing lake.

And then wandering around on the rocks with bare feet. I was almost certain that one of the kids would fall in the water and have to be wet all the way home, but we were spared. This place was a little further south than where we camped, so we gained a few degrees--plus this day was the warmest of the days we were there.

Leiden posing at the waterfall in Gooseberry State Park on the way home. Shortly after this picture, she had her shoes and socks off again, and then promptly fell and smacked her shin--hard enough for a big bruise and scrape that even the doctor noticed at her 4 year check up today. Poor Leiden.

Mac was just happy to finally be warm, I think.

All in all it was a good trip. We ended up coming home a day earlier than planned, as we were all cold and no one was sleeping very well. Except Leiden, who just burrowed down in her bag between Brad and I and slept all night long.

Leiden's Prayers

Thank you for our food.

Please bless Mac to not get up and throw her binkies on my bedroom floor in the night.

New Shop

Hey, friends! Here's a ramble for you:

So, Etsy has been a little discouraging. I love Etsy, but there are SO many shops there, and more opening every day. There are literally hundreds of thousands of items there. Children's clothing is a very saturated market there, so stuff seriously just gets lost in the shuffle. I was kind of wondering what I should do, and how to market without spending money, and wasn't really coming up with a whole lot, but then I read about a new venue, called 1000 Markets. It just went live a few months ago, so it's very fledgling and still trying to build traffic, but that was appealing to me. So I did some more reading.

I liked what I read--their fee structure is performance based, so you only pay them if you get paid, they advertise the site for you--or will, when it gets a bit bigger.

Then I got a little self conscious, because unlike Etsy, it is a juried site, which means that you set up a shop there, and then basically ask them to let you sell on their site. They scrutinize your shop, and then say yes or no. I read that more than half the applicants are turned away the first time. So of course, I wasn't sure I wanted to--that's scary. For the last week or two I've been debating. Should I? Shouldn't I? And meanwhile, I created a banner, and set up shop, still trying to decide if I was going to submit it. Then, yesterday, I put a new listing up on Etsy, which used to be a surefire way to get people to my site--views and hearts would go up noticeably on the days I listed stuff--but nothing happened yesterday. Almost no increase at all. So, last night I clicked the "I'm ready" button at 1000 Markets, and went to bed. This morning, they've said yes, and I'm live!

Anyway, check out the new place. All my stuff is the same, and many of the sellers on 1000 Markets are also on Etsy, but it's still neat to look around at the different interface.
General site: www.1000markets.com
Me: www.spicedsugar.1000markets.com

If 1000 Markets makes it big like Etsy, I'll have a foot in the door early!

Some Girl Pics

Sorry, it's been a while! The girls have been sick, I've been sick--I'm still sick. But, I got some cute pictures yesterday, although not as many as I would have had on an automatic mode! Here they are!

Mac is becoming quite the climber. It's actually really scary. Leiden never did it, so this is new for me. Mac is all over everything. Including the slide while Leiden is trying to go down. Mac appears to be fearless.

Funny Leiden

Backsplash

Well, Brad worked like a machine last night and got virtually the entire backsplash done. Those little mosaic tiles go on really fast. I don't know why, but green is one of the hardest colors to catch correctly in photography--at least for me. It also doesn't help that the tile changes color a bit depending on light. The best approximation of color is probably the last one.

The little squares with white stuff and blue writing on them are the stainless steel tiles. They can't be uncovered until the grouting is done so they don't get scratched.

It's going to be a very modern looking kitchen--I don't think it will be the kind of kitchen people would expect to see in our little circa 1985 split level. That was kind of the point--people will remember the kitchen when it comes time to sell. Pictures of the finished product will hopefully be taken this weekend?

Declothing

This was a funny sequence of pictures taken a week or two ago. Mac has this funny habit of pulling at her shirt or her dress and trying to get it up over her head. She even tries to do it to me, except with my shirt, she pulls down--most embarrassing when at church and all of a sudden your dress or shirt is yanked down.

Anyway, here we are at the dinner table. The progression was luckily photographed at every step. Not all pictures are clear and crisp!

This one's my favorite. She's looking down at the floor like, "Where'd my shirt go?" Very practiced innocence. She's the master at it.