Good-bye Egg Junk; Hello gooey goodness

Growing up, my family's holiday breakfast tradition was infamous. It was my favorite part of EVERY holiday. We'd wake up, do whatever special thing there was to do(a.k.a. present opening) and then we'd all dive into my mom's egg junk that she served us on her good China.

Her egg junk was just your typical egg bake casserole made with whatever meat, veggie, cheese ingredients she had on hand. No matter how it was made it was always the best part of any holiday.

I just assumed that I would do the same things with my children. My husband loves egg junk, so he was all about making breakfast as big of a tradition for our family as it was for my family.

Then Maisie happened. You can't have egg junk with a daughter who is allergic to eggs.

In fact within hours of finding out she was allergic to eggs, I was talking to my husband and mom asking them what I am going to do now for the holidays if I can't make egg junk.

The beauty of egg junk is that it can be made the night before making the morning rush of holidays a little less stressful.

Well, I think I have found our holiday tradition. We make overnight sweet rolls.


I have now made these a lot, and every time, they are delicious and they are devoured. Are they healthy? Hmmmm. Not really. Are they egg-free? Yep. Are they delicious? Absolutely. 

Ding, ding, ding. We have a winner.

Of course, we don't just eat the sweet rolls. For Easter, I had a yogurt bar with mixed berries and granola as toppings. My husband whipped up some hash browns, sausage, and scrambled eggs. It was a feast and it felt just as special as my mom's egg junk.

Now to come up with a fun kid name for the rolls. Egg junk just had a great ring to it. Hmmmmm.

Little flower dress

Per usual, my little model was not so into modeling for me. Good thing she's so cute. 

Lucky for me, Maisie needed 2 cute dresses for Easter weekend. My husband and I decided that going to church Saturday evening instead of Sunday would be easier for our family and nap schedules. So, of course, Maisie needed another dress to be cute in.

I bought material to make a peasant dress, but realized that I basically would be making a dress that looked like her Easter dress - white bodice with a blue pattern skirt. I scrapped that idea and hit up Pinterest to figure something else out. 

I found an adorable version of a pillowcase dress from Shwinn & Shwinn, another amazing sewing blog that I follow, though a lot of her stuff I just dream of one day being able to sew. My skills are not quite there yet. 

However, her peek-a-boo pillowcase dress, was right up my alley, and would work perfectly with the fabric I had purchased.

The dress uses box pleats to gather the neckline. The tutorial does not go into specifics on how to do this or what spacing to do, so that took me a little while to figure out, but it was not impossible to do. Just take your time and measure and iron and pin till you think  you like what you have. I started with the front piece and got my finished neckline width and then figured out what my back box pleats needed to be to make that work out. 

If you need a couple of box pleat tutorials, this one worked for me and this one. 

I finished off the look with just a white t-shirt ($5) and white leggings ($5) from Old Navy and some silver glitter shoes ($9) from Payless. 

Pretty adorable, right? 

The main dress fabric is Keepsake Calico - Techno Tossed Flowers Blue.
On sale for $7 a yard. I used 2/3 yard for this project. 

Detail of the front.

Back view

Linking post to Trendy Little @ Sunny with a Chance of Sprinkles and Trendy Tot and Toddle Along Tuesday.

Right of Passage

Like I said Monday, it is a right of passage to wear matching Easter outfits. My sisters and I look absolutely thrilled, and now I am doing this to my children. I am a mother with no shame. I am guessing this picture is circa 1982.

The love, the hate, and the testing

Sibling relationships are definitely different than any other relationship in your life. I have 2 sisters and a brother and we all have different relationships with each other; some healthy, some not so much.

Because of my own issues, I have always worried about what kind of relationships my children will build or destroy between each other. It was one of my main concerns having 2 girls since girls are truly more drama than boys. My sisters and I are in our thirties and drama is probably the best way to describe our relationships.

Sibling relationships was one of my main reasons for wanting children close in age. Calan will never remember a time when he was without Maisie. They are together for better or for worse.

My children have finally gotten to the age where they can love each other one second, hit each other the next, and then love each other again. The roller coaster has started.

Some times it is so amazing to watch them together and watch how Calan as the older, protective brother takes care of his sister. He always makes sure that she has what she needs (as long as it isn't something he wants.) He definitely sees her as a playmate.

Maisie adores Calan. She usually wakes up before he does from nap time and gets pretty upset when we can't go get him. She'll keep going to his bedroom door till it is time to wake him up too. She follows him every where.

However, they have also gotten to the age where fighting has started. Maisie is not the "give up whatever Calan wants" type of girl anymore. If she is playing with something and Calan tries to take it, she clearly yells no. If he gets it, she tries to grab it back. If that doesn't work, she cries and gets me. Calan on the same note won't give up a toy for Maisie and if she grabs it from him, he bops her on the head.

Oh, the fun we are having right now.

Two of our family rules are 1) Speak nicely to each other and 2) Never hurt one another. So the fighting, usually ends in time outs and apologies. Pretty sure as their mother, the time outs and apologies are basically useless since they fight 2 seconds later, but it is the best thing I have right now. After each time out, they have to apologize to the other and give a nice touch whether that is a hug or a kiss. Both of them have no problem apologizing and they both love hugging each other, so no big deal there either. I love how Calan always runs to Maisie saying "Sorry Maisie Daisy."

It is hard to stay on top of their fighting since they really are over it 2 seconds later. They really never seriously hurt each other, but if I am not addressing it now, I feel like it will only get worse as they get older. My thought is that their sibling is their first friend and should be treated better than other friendships. So, if they aren't speaking nicely or acting nicely toward each other, they need to be corrected by me.

I know that I will never be able to stop sibling rivalry, but I also want them to know how important it is to treat each other with respect and kindness. If I can instill that in them, I hope that they will build a healthy relationship well into the future.

They decided to lay down in the kitchen and pretend to sleep. Calan made the "beds"
with their blankets.

Night time quiet time. Calan sharing his blue blanket with Maisie since hers was in
their room. 

Matchy, Matchy Easter Outfits

The kids' 2013 Easter outfits. 

When I decided to start sewing at the beginning of the year, I had no idea how much I would love it and how much I would be able to do in such a short amount of time. I am pretty famous for doing things for 3 weeks and then giving up, well it is now March and my list of sewing projects I want to do just keeps growing.

As a sewing mommy, I believe that it is right of passage to make matching Easter outfits for your kids. With Calan and Maisie so close in age, it just had to happen. I am positive when they are older they will complain that I made them wear them, but I can't help but think they will be pretty adorable all dressed up.

I first decided to make Maisie's dress and at the time I had no intentions of making anything for Calan, but as my skills have improved and my idea in my head of what I wanted him to wear was not matching anything at the store in our price range, I decided sewing was the only option.

The front and back of Maisie's
dress. I used Peek-a-Boo Pattern
Shop's The Natalie Dress.
The skirt fabric is
KeepsakeCalico Circle Daisy Navy.

A few weeks back, my favorite sewing blog and pattern shop had an adorable dress on sale. I knew that would be Maisie's dress. She posts discounts every Thursday. Then last week, she had a 25%-off pattern sale that included her new spring line, which included a cardigan that would be perfect for Calan's Easter outfit.

For Maisie's dress, I wanted something that looked spring-ish, but wasn't too pastel or flowery. I fell in love with the skirt fabric. I just choose white interlock knit for the top, and got to work. It was my first time sewing knit, so there are a lot of mistakes on the top, but it looks fine on her. I have gotten a lot better since I've sewn this dress. A part of me would love to re-do it, but I want to do more projects, so the top stays as is. I made the dress more empire wasted than the pattern calls for. I think it looks better on a toddler that way.

The pleats were pretty easy to do. I had a few seam-ripping situations, but overall the project fit well within my beginner-sewer status.

I used Peek-a-Boo Pattern Shop's
V-neck Cardigan and
Delia Creates' Lil' MisterBow-tie
for Calan's outfit. 

With Maisie looking adorable in her dress, I knew that I couldn't leave Calan out. I love how the cardigan and bow-tie turned out. I am matching it with a white dress shirt I bought at Kohl's and a pair of gray cordaroys he already had. I can tell by looking at the cardigan just how much better I have gotten at sewing knits. I am still not the best, but I can tell from my first time on Maisie's dress to my fourth knit project of Calan's cardigan, I have much better control. There are a lot of tips on sewing knits online. Using a walking foot and a double needle has made sewing them look like I have been doing it for years instead of just months.

The patterns I followed were The Natalie Dress and V-Neck Cardigan from Peek-a-Boo Pattern Shops. The patterns are great because they go from 3 months to 8 and 12 years, repectively, so I can use them for years to come.  For the bow-tie, I followed an easy tutorial from Delia Creates. (The tutorial was easy, but it did take me a while to figure out how to tie a bow-tie; those things are adorable, but tricky.)

Now to figure out what I am going to wear. Decisions, Decisions.

And my not so willing models showing off their outfits. Toddlers and pictures do not mix. 

Pregnancy and 2 Toddlers

Well, it is official. I have finally hit the point in my pregnancy where I am just plan tired. Bending over is difficult. I am winded most of the time. And my body aches.

I don't remember feeling this way during my other pregnancies. Either I am getting old (which is true) or chasing after two toddlers is finally taking its toll.

Compared to a lot of women, I have amazing pregnancies. They are pretty uneventful. I am pretty blessed that way. Let's be honest, I would not be having 3 under 3 if I had rough pregnancies. It would just be too much.

But I am tired. I feel like I have been pregnant for 3 years. I am definitely over the excitement and joy of pregnancy and I am just ready to move on to the next season of our lives.

These next 8 weeks are going to be long. Winter is not helping either. Having had 2 summer babies, I can say there are pros and cons of each. The biggest con this time is being stuck in the house. We get out often, but it is not easy to bundle 2 toddlers into their jackets and shoes with a big belly in the way. It is exhausting.

Sorry this post is full of complaining. It is just not easy right now and I still have a ways to go, which kind of depresses me. If I am struggling now, what will the next 2 months be like?

I look around my house and just see work that I am too tired to do. Finger prints are everywhere. Crumbs are everywhere. Laundry is piling up. My bed needs to be made. And the list goes on.

I am not sure why I feel so tired this time. I'm blaming it on a few things. Two toddlers top the list. I love them, but they are exhausting. And I think knowing this is my last pregnancy is making this last trimester drag on. Some women really want to savior their last pregnancy, I just want to meet our last family member. Our completer.

Maybe despite all the wet snow we just got, Spring will come a little early and the sunshine will lift my spirits.

I am so excited to meet our little girl. I am so excited to be done being pregnant and to (hopefully) never be pregnant again.

I'm too old for this stuff.

Toddler Transitions

Oh, Mr. Toddler. It was time for us as your parents to help you grow, but it wasn't easy.

Over the last month, we have really been watching Calan grow and watching him change even more from our little guy to a big boy.

A month ago we began our potty training journey. It was a stressful time for both him and I. As a mom you feel like you are banging your head against a wall over and over and over again. I am sure as a toddler you are just plain confused as to why anything needs to change at all.

For us, it took about 3 days for Calan just to start to grasp the idea of potty training. It took another 4 days for him to ask to go potty. And it took another 3 days for him to actually poop in the potty.

After about 10 days, Calan was fully potty trained. Except for a few nap-time accidents, he has been accident free. Every once in awhile like if we are at a play date, I have to make him go pee rather than waiting for him to ask me, but other than that, he is in control.

And then Saturday night, we said goodbye to the crib and hello to a normal bed. We are still transitioning, but it is going pretty well. The first night was the worst so far, so if every night is better, I figure we are getting somewhere.

To transition him, we did all the normal stuff of getting him excited about the bed. When I brought home construction truck sheets, all he kept saying was wow, so I figured I choose the right set. Then the big night came. We put him to bed telling him to stay and that it was time to sleep. We explained that sleeping in his big boy bed was a privilege and that if he did not go to sleep that he would have to sleep in his pack-and-play.

Well, warning after warning, we tried to hold off putting him in his pack-and-play because as his parents we wanted him to sleep in his bed. However, I wish we would have been more firm that first night. Around 9:30, we finally set up the pack-and-play and put him in there. He of course FREAKED OUT, and after he calmed down, I did give in and put him back in his big boy bed. And he went right to sleep around 10.

Nap times have been a little more difficult, and he has kind of chosen to sleep in the pack-and-play  instead of his bed the first few days, but yesterday he started off in the pack-and-play, but wanted to be in his bed about halfway through and he went right back to sleep.

Last night, he was asleep a little after 8:30 and I had to wake him around 7:45 this morning. So, I feel like we are getting somewhere. It is still early to say that we are transitioned, but we are getting there.

It isn't perfect. At night, it takes longer for him to settle down. He needs water or another toy or some other excuse that has Bob running back and forth from the kids' room for about 20 minutes. We also had to make his pack-and-play less desirable since he started wanting to sleep there instead of his bed. So, we told him that if he sleeps in his pack-and-play, he couldn't take any of his stuff animals with him. Just his blankets and a pillow. That helped make him want to sleep in his bed more.

So what have I learned through the last month of toddler transitions:

Remember who your kid is

We read a book and watched a video for potty training and while the information was great, I forgot to factor in who our kid is. He hated being forced to sit on the potty over and over and over again. Once I started to space the time out to every hour rather than 30 minutes, he (and I) were much happier. Also, even in his diaper, he never pooped in front of people. The kid likes his privacy and I needed to understand that. He was never going to poop on the potty under my watch.

For the bed, I have had to remind myself that it is all about transitioning and that it is OK not every night or day will be perfect. However, Calan is a kid who needs sleep, so if his pack-and-play is needed to make sure that happens, so be it. I just needed to figure out a way to make his bed the better option. It is still early with the whole bed transition, but overall it has been pretty painless and I think as long as we keep it relaxed for him, sleep won't be compromised.

As Calan's mommy, I have been pretty proud of my little guy. I have been happy that these transitions have worked and that he was ready for them. A part of me is pretty sad that he is growing up, but overall, I'm pretty darn proud of the little guy he is becoming. (OK, enough mommy pride).

His first night in his bed and raring to go. It would be another 2 1/2 hours
later before he actually fell asleep.

A little story time after a nap time. He does love playing and laying in his bed. 

A quiet moment after a nap. When he snuggles in his blanket, I get a
glimpse of my baby still. He is getting big, but a mom needs these
little moments too.  

The right words at the right time

The more I learn as an adult makes me realize how lost I was as a child.

I just finished two books that really made me stop and think about how different my past might have been had someone shared this knowledge with me with the right words at the the right time.

I definitely was a teen looking for love, confidence, companionship, self worth, beauty, etc. in all the wrong places. I, like many many many people, just wanted someone to fill a gap that I felt in my life.

I say all the time that I am truly blessed to have met my husband at the tender age of 18 (we married when we were 25) because I have no idea where my life would have ended up.

Please do not get me wrong, I was a good kid. I hung with a good crowd. I just felt lost and alone. Two feelings that I hope my children never feel.

The first book I just finished was "Preparing Him for the Other Woman." It was recommended to me by a parenting mentor of mine. It truly challenges each mom to pray for their sons and their future brides and puts into focus what kind of man you might truly want your son to become.

As I was reading the book though, it really had me thinking that I wish as a female someone had told me to actually be looking for this kind of husband. I just got lucky that he found me. I found a Godly servant husband without really looking and he changed my life. I wish I had been looking for the one versus looking for anyone to fill my weaknesses.

The other book that I just finished is actually written for pre-teens and teenagers. The "Secret Keeper: Delicate Power of Modesty" really puts into perspective the idea of a female power and control and how it can either build up God or tear down man.

I really wish someone would have really taught me the truth about beauty and it how it can be so deceiving. I am sure this is something that no matter what I tell my daughters, it will be a lesson that only experience can teach. The fact is women gain confidence and power by being desired, but is it real?

I struggle often as a parent on how to teach my children an eternal perspective when I myself struggle with all things worldly.

I am sure that this feeling is all 20/20 vision. I am not sure if my life would have been different even if someone had told me these things as a child. I don't know what I would have rebelled against or followed. I just wish I had a different perspective on it all and that someone would have told me.

Reading these books just left me in prayer having faith that God will help say the right things at the right time. That where I am completely weak He won't be.

Oh Winter Blahs ...

Why is it no matter how busy I seem to be, or my best laid plans, I still hit a major winter blah in the middle of February?

I completely understand why schools need a mid-winter break. We all need something to jump start our lives.

The kids have small colds, I have no energy, and this house has never felt smaller.

Welcome to winter in Michigan.

We have had unseasonably warm winters the past two years and many here wished for snow and cold over those times. I, however, was not one of them.

I love being warm. I love the sunshine heat. I love being able to just walk out the door on a whim.

Bundling up to squirmy toddlers is not fun AT ALL and then trying to get them in their car seats is even less fun.

I miss summer. I can't wait for summer. I can't wait for warmer times.

I already have visions of the 4 of us ( the 3 kids and I) walking down to the park. I have dreams of us just playing in the backyard. Maisie and Calan love to chase each other around. I can't wait for them to do that outside.

I can't wait to go to the zoo. I can't wait to play with friends and not worry about colds. I can't wait for this winter and pregnancy to be over.

I am done. I need a restart. I need to get my butt in gear.

The Most Random Post Ever

My silence is not because anything bad is happening or that I am feeling bad from this pregnancy. It has just been that - Silence.

I've been spending a lot of my free time sewing, which has left me not in the mood to blog. Sorry. I wish I had a better excuse, but I the fact is when I am not in the mood to blog, I'm just not in the mood.

But I know that many of my friends and family near and far read to know updates on our lives so here is a very random update on our lives:

• Calan is basically potty trained. YEAH. We have issues with the big No. 2, but he is getting there. We have not had him in a diaper since the day we started potty training. We have had good days and bad days, but I am happy to say the bad days do seem to be behind us. He knows when he has to go No.2, but unfortunately won't sit long enough to do his business, so we are back and forth to the potty a ton when he has to go and it literally is a game of rouilette if we make it or not. This morning was a success; 2 days ago, not so much. It is different having only one kid in diapers. I have to make myself do diaper laundry since I have so many diapers to choose from I never run out. 
• I am officially in my third trimester. I will be 29 weeks tomorrow and I am so done being pregnant. I wondered if I would feel done with this third pregnancy and feel like our family was complete. Well, let me tell you, I know that I am done. I am so over being pregnant and so ready for this little girl to get here. The days and weeks are ticking by so slowly. Winter is not helping either. This pregnancy is not any worse than my others, but being pregnant for basically 3 years is enough. I am done. I am ready to move on from this part of our lives. I am ready to just focus on our family and develop our family bond. (Now if something were to happen, we would be happy about it, but there will be no more planned Wilsons.)
• Maisie is talking and learning new words every day. My favorite is the way she says thank you. It comes out "dank ooo." She is really starting to come into her own. She is definitely a little momma's girl. I am sure that when her sister gets here that is going to be a little bit of an issue, but I love all the hugs and kisses I get from her now. She is seriously adorable. (I'm bias, I know). 
• We've been taking the kids to swim lessons on Saturdays at our local high school. We have all really enjoyed it as a family. Maisie is quite the little fish and took to everything really well. Calan takes a little while to open up in the water. Bob and I have both really enjoyed do this as a family. I guess these are the things that will be hard to give up once we are out numbered. I am so glad we did it while we could. 
• We are looking forward to transitioning Calan to a big boy bed. He is ready. His rocking is way better, but he still does it when he wakes up and it is usually accompanied by loud singing as he pounds into the rails of his crib. I am praying that transitioning to a big boy bed resolves the rest of the body rocking issue. We are moving our full-size bed that is currently in our spare bedroom since the spare bedroom will now be the nursery. Once the bed is moved, I'll be able to start setting up the nursery. Yeah. 
• I am so excited about this little one's nursery. I am basically making everything. I have been sewing up a storm and I am loving everything. I can't wait to share it with all of you. Everything that I am making should transition perfectly into a room that the girls will share in about a year or so. 
• Have I mentioned I've been sewing? If you follow me on Instagram, you've been bombarded with my sewing pics. I am completely obsessed. I have sewn bibs, burp cloths, clothes, nursery items, etc. I just can't seem to stop. Tonight I hope to make a pillow for the nursery. I am going to miss my craft space once it becomes the nursery. I am going to have to figure something out. It has been a great stress reliever and creative outlet for me. I don't think I will be able to give it up at this point.

Life is just moving along. We are all doing really well. I am counting down the days till winter is over with. Bring on the sunshine and warmth.

Calan got this helmet at the grocery store and kept calling it
his "football hat." Can you tell we are Spartan fans? Go Green. 

We took the kids down to the park one snowy day. They had fun, we froze.
I can't wait for spring. 

Here's Maisie just talking on the phone. She jabbers away. (P.S. I made
the shirt she is wearing and made a matching dress for her sister.)

Here's Calan waiting patiently to go golfing. It was a random 60 degree day
in January, so we had to take him to the range to test out his Christmas
present. He loved it. He kept cheering for himself, Bob, and everyone
around us. He doesn't quite understand that golf is a quiet sport.

Here's a sneak peek at one of my nursery projects. These will be fabric
bins that will hang above her changing area and hold things like wipes
and creams.