Holiday Photos

It's that time of year again, where I loose my mind and think, "Hey, I should do some cute pictures of the kids for a holiday card this year.  How hard could it be?"  I'm a bad photographer with mostly unwilling subjects; what am I thinking?  I won't put in the good ones that will show up on the card, but here are a few of our outtakes. 

Things started out a little rough with neither kid wanting to cooperate. 

If I had not cut off the top of Malcolm's head, this one would have been really cute.

This one was nice, but we ended up not using it since we had others that were better.  I like the pose, but their expressions could be better.

To liven things up, I brought out some candy canes.

And there was much rejoicing.

Letting them eat the candy canes resulted in some strange expressions.

I told Malcolm to put his arm around Dorothy, and he immediately put her in a choke hold.  This was taken after I loosened his grip a bit.

Once the candy canes were gone, things got silly quickly.

Here is my super professional set up.  Luckily, we had nice weather today, so I was able to take advantage of no coats outside and a cloudy day.  Perfect for taking pictures.  The snowflake background is some cheap wrapping paper I found at Target.

After doing a bunch at home, we drove over to a shopping center that had a tree already up and that was not fenced off, so we could use it as a backdrop.

The problem was that it was windy...

...and they were silly.

I did manage a few decent enough shots, so I'm happy, but mostly I'm happy that they are done and I don't have to worry about it anymore.  I think the card turned out really cute and hopefully, so will all the people we send it to.

My Bathroom Door is Magic

Let me set the scene.  The children are playing nicely, all is well, I step into the bathroom and close the door, and immediately the screaming starts.  This happens multiple times per week, and the only logical conclusion is that my bathroom door is magic.  It makes my children completely loose their minds.  Maybe they think I have been sucked into another dimension, or maybe they think that I can't hear them through the door.  Either way, it is maddening.  Recently, I was so struck with the absurdity of the moment that I went and grabbed the camera.

The picture wasn't really capturing the hilarity of the moment, so I switched to video.  In case you don't speak sobbing toddler, my son started to ride on the bumble and my daughter decided that she also wanted a turn.  She was sad that she couldn't do it right now!  And he was upset because, well, I'm still a little unclear on it.  I think he is just upset because she is upset and wants a turn and he doesn't want to give up his turn.  Why he didn't just keep riding is beyond me.  It was much like a couple of days later where he hunted me down (in the bathroom naturally) to sob at me that she was lying to him about having been to Legoland (yes, that was all, no I don't know why he was so personally insulted by it). 

Please ignore how crazy I sound. 

Hallow-Palooza

Our park district hosts a "Hallow-Palooza" event for kids the Friday before Halloween.  I took Malcolm last year and he had a blast, so this year I signed up both kids.  They have games where the kids win candy or prizes, story time, and crafts.  There is also a "Spooky Walk" (haunted house), which we skipped.  I tried it with Malcolm last year during the "lights on" version and we had to bale out part way through.  He remembered it, and said he didn't want to do it this year.

Dorothy was a little nervous when she had to walk by an inflatable decoration that was the Grim Reaper, driving a pumpkin carriage.  I convinced her that it was OK, and the fun was just the other side of it.  We headed for the gym where the games were and on the way in I saw a guy dressed as the Culver's frozen custard cone.  She loves Culver's, so I thought she would think it was great.  I was wrong.  She was terrified, practically climbed me, and clung on for her life.  I could not convince her to get anywhere close to him, even when I pointed out that the lady with him was handing out tickets for free ice cream.  She was not fooled in the least and wanted nothing to do with the giant, moving ice cream cone, so we moved on to a more quiet activity.

She really liked the craft area.  I was much more quiet, and the craft was using stickers to make a face on their pumpkin.  Right up her alley.

She concentrated very hard and was very serious about her pumpkin face.  Once she was done, she was ready to head back to the gym and meet up with Malcolm and Kevin and play some games.

Malcolm plays the ping pong ball game.  It is very similar to a board Kevin made for the kids to do with coins.  They love watching them bounce their way to the bottom.

Dorothy also had a turn.  They were supposed to guess the number at the bottom they thought the ball would land in.  If they were right, they got to choose their prize, if they were wrong the helper running the game chose for them.  All of the games were set up so that they always won a prize.

Dorothy takes her prize.  When given the option, she chose lollipops or Starbursts, while Malcolm went for the little crappy toys.

For this game, they tossed little plastic skulls into the pumpkins.  She has quite an arm on her and was slamming them in as hard as she could.

She takes her game play very seriously.  I don't think they were paying the helpers enough.  Dorothy managed to beam one of them in the head during the ring toss.

Both kids waiting to do the lollipop tower.  This one was Dorothy's choice, but Malcolm wasn't willing to wait and not play.

Waiting in line near the giant inflatable slide.  I tried to get a photo of both of them, but they were not very cooperative and there was too much going on around us.

This was Malcolm's favorite game last year and he was so excited to do it again this year.  The kid knocks on the coffin, and a hand reaches up and gives them a prize.  Sometimes the hand reaches up without a prize and waves, or touches the kids' hand if they have it resting on the coffin.

I'm glad she didn't jump off of the stool.  The hand reached out and touched her hand and thought she was going to run away.  She felt better once it handed her the candy.

It was a little intense for Dorothy a few times, but overall I think both kids had a good time. 

Fall Consignment Sale

Last weekend was the fall consignment sale that I go to and once again, I sold more than I spent.  Now if I could just figure out how to sell a higher percentage of the stuff I take.  I would have blogged this sooner, but the hard drive on my computer died.  My fantastic husband got it replaced and recovered just about everything, so I am off and running again.  Here is my haul from the most recent sale.

Two polka dot dresses for Dorothy.  Right now, she fits in a 2T very nicely and a 3T is ridiculously big on her, but I'm afraid that she is going to switch sizes half way through the winter.  I ended up buying a few things in a 2 and a few in a 3, and hopefully that will get us through the winter.  The grey dress is a sweater knit by Camilla ($5) and super cute with her plain black tights.  The other is a play dress from Boden ($5), size 3.  The top is a brown knit and the bottom is corduroy.  I'm hoping this one will fit late winter, into spring.

How cute are these?  The black sweater is from Hanna Andersson ($7) and the cream corduroy pants are from Crew Cuts ($4), both are a 2T.  They were not paired together, but look really great as a set.  The red plaid jumper is from Hartstrings ($7) and I found a plain black turtleneck from Gymboree (not pictured) to go with it on half price day for $1.

Usually the boy section is pretty slim pickings, but this year I found tons or pants for Malcolm and a few other things.  The grey pants from Okaidi ($8) have very subtle pin striping and are really cute.  The black cords are new with tags from Gymboree ( $6.50) and I have paired them with a red sweater pictured below from half price day and a black turtleneck from last year that still fits.

The outfit on the left is actually three separate pieces I found that work together;  white Gap turtleneck ($4), blue snowflake sweater by Frost ($6), and tan cords without wale by Tom Sawyer ($5).  The triceratops sweater and black cords are a set from Mulberribush ($8).

I was absolutely giddy to find this brother/sister set from Hanna Andersson with all of the pieces in like new condition.  All three pieces were from different consignors.  Sweater dress ($12 - my big splurge), sweater vest ($8), and cords ($5).  I'm thinking about having them wear this when I try to take some photos for out holiday card this year.  

Not pictured from my first day of shopping is; a pair of snow boots for each of the kids, Sporto for Malcolm ($7) and Crater Ridge for Dorothy ($5), a package of three pairs of Gap tights for Dorothy in ivory, tan, and dark brown ($6 - each color goes with the sweater dress above), and a darling brown sweater dress with pink scroll trim at the hem and cuffs from Jillian's Closet ($3).  I didn't get a picture of the dress, because she has already worn it twice and it is in the laundry again.

Then I went back on half price day and found some more goodies.

Red sweater from Hanna Andersson ($7.50) to go with the black cords above and gingerbread man pjs from Gymboree ($6).

Shirts for layering.  A light blue oxford from Gymboree ($5) to pair with a sweater and pants we already have.  A dark green polo from Hanna Andersson ($3) that matches a sweater we already own.  A dark blue oxford from Pine Peak ($2.50).

Malcolm was in desperate need of jeans and I found three pairs for him.  The two on the left are exactly the same and were from the same consignor; Crazy 8 ($3.50 each).  Gap ($4) flannel lined jeans.  If you look close, you can just make out the blue and green plaid on the cuffs.  I have always wanted to try a pair of these with him because they seem like they would be very cozy.

 I went a little pants crazy since there were actually pants in decent, like new condition. I had looked at the dark brown cords from Land's End ($4) the first time I was there, but put them back at the last minute.  Since they were still there on half price day, I had to buy them.  The olive green cords are from Gymboree ($3).

Not pictured are a pair of black patent Mary Janes from Gap ($2.50) that are now Dorothy's favorite shoes and a compilation book of several easy reader books ($1.50).  Dorothy also ended up with a pair of dark brown (fake) suede boots from Target.  When I was helping set up, I had to go get the boots from the floor to send back with their owner because this sale does not accept that brand.  I made a comment about it being too bad since they were cute and would fit my daughter and the consignor told me to just take them!  I was pretty surprised and it was really nice of her.  Dorothy has already worn them several times and they look darling with her little dresses.

Willing vs Unwilling

On my other blog about all the stuff I make, I talk a lot about my Etsy shop, Attack Rabbit.  The shop is still very new and I have been spending most of my creative energies lately working on items to sell.  The focus of the shop is children's clothing in sizes 2t-5, and since I happen to have both a boy and a girl in those sizes, I make them model items for me.  The clothes just look better on a child than on a hanger, and I know as a buyer, I like to see how the clothes fit and lay on a real person.

Sometimes, the kids are willing to be my guinea pigs and other times they run away.  Last week, was a great example of how different a quick picture taking session can go.  I had a willing five year old who was very excited to model a new sweatshirt for me and a very uncooperative two year old who wanted nothing to with me or the dress she was wearing.

Here are a few examples:

Exhibit A

See this nice photo?  I had about 10 others very similar to it.  He took direction, looked at the camera, smiled, and was very pleasant to work with.  He even followed my directions when I was trying to figure out the best way to keep the ketchup and mustard from being covered by his arm.  (Here's a hint:  putting his hand in his back pocket was the only one that looked remotely natural.  Putting his hand on his hip/back was awkward and behind his head it looked like he was posing for a pin-up calendar.)  He was patient when things were not working on my end and happily moved to a new location when I wanted different lighting.  I'm not a great photographer, so I can can be difficult to work with.  This was a very positive experience for both of us and he really wants me to make him a sweatshirt just like this for him.


Then there was Dorothy.  Have you ever tried to just push through with a two year old who has no interest in doing what you want them to do?  When will I learn?

We started off OK.  I don't know what she is doing with her arms, but she is attempting to smile for me.  Too bad it is that weird toddler smile that is strained and she never looks at the camera.

The overly dramatic.  I did end up using this one since you can see the dress and her facial expression isn't too terrible.

She is starting to question my sanity, or perhaps my commitment to Sparkle Motion.

Cute, but it makes the dress look a little funky.

Now, we are into goofy mode and she is no longer even pretending to listen to me.

I took her off of the chair to show how the dress hangs, but it was too late, she was D.O.N.E.  I did end up using this one too, but only because I couldn't stand the thought of trying to do this again to get more pictures.

Giving me the side-eye and announcing that this photo session is OVER!

I'm not posting any of the millions of other shots I took because most of them include her holding the dress up over her head or being upside-down.  We could have been done with pictures in about 5-6 minutes if she would cooperate, but that is just not in the cards when tying to get pictures of an uncooperative two year old.

Hoist the Sail!

Yesterday, we took the kids over to Chicago for a ride on the tall ship Windy for their pirate adventure sail.  A friend I used to work with works on the ship, but we were not able to make any of the shows he does due to nap, dinner, and bedtime issues.  I heard about this from him and we probably would never have known about it otherwise.  It was a lot of fun, and Kevin and I are already talking about trying to do one of the sails for just us; maybe a music performance one or watching the fireworks from the ship.

After driving in, we went and got our tickets, but still had some time to kill, so we walked to the end of the pier.

 

Malcolm is pointing out a lighthouse and Dorothy is complaining about hunger.   We walked back the length of the pier, and had a nice long lunch where both kid ate, and ate, and ate.  I guess they really were hungry.  After lunch, it was time to board the ship.

On the ship and ready to hear some pirate stories.

 There were three pirates who took turns telling stories and the history of pirating on the Great Lakes.  They did a great job and were lots of fun, but we didn't get to hear everything.  The kids got restless off and on, so we would head up above to look around.  We also ran Dorothy to the bathroom about 5 times during the hour and a half trip.  She had not gone before getting on board, and we were sure she was going to have an accident any second.  She didn't, but I have no idea how she held her bladder all day.

Malcolm is ready to help hoist the sail.

He decided he wasn't quite ready to help with the hoisting, so he got a new, very important job; holding the pirate's hat.

Dorothy also wanted to help hoist the sail, but she wasn't much help.  She did get her hands on the rope though. 

 

The view of the front mast, over the bow.

Looking back at Navy Pier.

Kevin and Dorothy sit above deck (Malcolm's head is just over Kevin's shoulder).

The kids look down into the ship.

One of the pirates, getting ready to tell some stories.

Malcolm and Kevin check out some fancy knot work on the deck.

Dorothy makes friends with the pirate "Blue Lagoon."

Uh, oh.  I think we might have a wee pirate on our hands.