Pioneer Daughters

So Bella's historically-ignorant history teacher* asked the children to come dressed for a pioneer-era skit on Wednesday. I was already in a sewing mood, so I took off for the Wal-Marche and happily bought 3,000 yards of fabric. Click the pics to have your mind seriously blown.



ehhh

Miss Isabella is resplendent in a lovely, "Hurry, my daughter's leaving for Pioneer Trek in 30 minutes and she can't go on Trek without a skirt" skirt and "Why yes, it IS almost St. Patrick's Day" sunbonnet. The skirt goes like this: you buy one or two yards of fabric; unfold it, then match up the long sides; then you sew one side seam, a casing for elastic at the top and a hem at the bottom. This takes almost no time at all. The fabric is super cute, with little pink rosebuds. (Can I also just say, I'm really glad we don't have to wear these clothes all the time... hardly flattering.)



bonnet, dahn it

The sunbonnet came from this pattern and was also quick to sew. It took about three hours (with interruptions).

facey face face

The brim can be folded back for more face exposage.

My eyes!!!

Miss Rosalind wanted a picture of herself, but was not participating fully here. She seems to have some kind of weird Northwest-baby light aversion thing and was quite unhappy about my pulling her into the dining room to take this picture.

That is IT I can't work like this

I asked her to smile, but she got mad and ran away instead... the little rodent.

*Mr. Teacher called the handcart pioneers "stupid" for using handcarts instead of covered wagons and for leaving right before winter, as some of them did. "Stupid"? Try "poor and threatened with death if they didn't hurry up and leave the state of Illinois," you big silly man.

I've half a mind to write him a strongly-worded letter but Bella has begged me not to embarrass her. So I won't. I'll just stick pins in his voodoo doll instead. Whaaaaat?

Teeth and Trixie

I so rarely post pictures that when I do, the posts are loooooong and possibly less-than-enthralling. But they're pictures.

pssshhhhhhh

Brennan went snow-caving with the ward Young Men, and like any good camper, took along his air mattress. Before he packed the air mattress pump, he decided to give himself a little refill.

Cute little teefies

My darling four-year-old. Look at that face. Would you look at that face? Is that a face you could die for?

OUCH

Not for the recently-ate-something: Brennan had EMERGENCY tooth surgery last month. It was LIFE or DEATH! Those teeth had to come out IMMEDIATELY! They wheeled him into the TOOTH O.R. on a TOOTH GURNEY! OK, not really, but the orthodontist was pretty adamant that these two baby teeth come out, and come out that day. Brennan was less than happy with my taking this picture but I figured it needed to be documented for future errant-baby-tooth-sufferers.

Speaking of Brennan being less than happy, the orthodontist tells us Brennan needs braces. We were all, "Huh? That kid's teeth are straight as an arrow," but we are assured that Brennan's permanent canine tooth never made its appearance because it's stuck somewhere in his skull, possibly near his optic nerve or next to his medulla oblongata, or maybe back in Detroit. The doc wants to put braces on his teeth, complete with a cute little tiny chain that attaches from one tooth, to the canine tooth up in his nasal cavity, back down to the next tooth, so it can be pulled down like a stump with huge roots stuck in eight feet of asphalt. Does this sound fun? Oh no. It does not.

Yo Trixie!!

In other, less-gorier news, Carrot Jello's dear sister, Trixie, came to visit me last Friday. Actually she was on her way to Costa Rica, every Mormon mom's vacation hot spot. Do I hear you scoffing? Well, scoff you should. So far it sounds like Costa Rica reaaaaaally needs to work on its hotel hospitality skills. Trixie spent Friday night with me, and I took her to the airport Saturday morning. Friday afternoon was spent enjoying her mad balloon-twisting skills.

The chick is amazing

Look at her go! Just so you know, the balloon-twisting thing is so easy. Good grief, I am a complete and total craft klutz and even *I* made awesome balloon stuff. Brennan and Carter, the two art-o's of the family, ate this stuff up. Pretty soon our house looked like a twisted balloon explosion.

Ten seconds later...

Trixie is a great teacher, very calm and supportive and motivating and funny. Brennan had a great time learning from her.

Happy Miss Goose

Just a few of Trixie's offerings: Flower, butterfly wand, bug crown with antennae... they go perfectly with a big blue boofy Cinderella dress and a huge happy grin.

Swords and helmets, hooray!!

Harrison and Carter, eating up everything Miss Awesome Balloon Lady made. Helmets, swords, bows and arrows... they had no idea this lady coming to stay with us would be so darn cool. They were so happy when they came home from school and found all this neat stuff.

Crowned!

Brennan really got into it. Before too long he had finished this braided crown for Roz, who of course hated it. Not.

Um

I bet YOUR arrows don't stick to the wall.