P is for permanent

Things permanent marker will come off of:

• walls
• the couch
• the floor
• the crib
• end-tables and TV stand
• Hailey's toes
  

Things that give "permanent" marker its name:

• our kitchen chairs
• our couch pillows
• crib bumpers
• carpet
• the dishwasher
• plastic cups
  

Thanks for the lesson Nora. I feel enlightened.

Our "garden"

On Memorial Day Hailey planted her 3rd Annual Milwaukee "garden:" a two-foot planter box outside her bedroom window. Nora got to get in on the action this year, too. Since we live right next to a greenhouse, it was a fun morning activity to walk over, chose the flowers and plant them. The last picture is the clouds that cooled off the weather about 20 degrees in the evening with crazy wind.2nd Annual Milwaukee garden. Nora helped by eating the dirt.
1st annual Milwaukee garden. Hailey asked for a garden, and this is the best we could come up with in our tiny space. I'm still pregnant with Nora, so no need to worry about the dirt eating.

Something Hailey will wear

Hailey is hard to dress, especially on Sunday. She likes to be "decorated." This last winter, I bought her a pretty black sweater dress, and when I showed it to her she made a face (one that would involve raising one eyebrow if she could do that) and asked, "Well, can we decorate it?" I bought some cute leggings with pink and red hearts on them and a matching headband I totally thought I had made some pretty excellent "decorating " choices. I once again came home and showed Hailey what I had got. Her response was, "no. I mean decorate the dress! I want bows and flowers and kitties all over it and ribbons on the arms and a big giraffe on the back." Needless to say I took the dress back. I did keep the leggings and headband because those were deemed suitable by her for every-day attire.

A few months later, I decided maybe I could sew her a dress that wouldn't be a battle for her to decide to wear to church. I think it would have worked, except while I was working on drawings for the pattern, Hailey came and sat right next to me and looked at my drawings a few versions back, and asked if we could decorate the dress just for fun. She asked me to draw kitties all over the dress. And I did. Just when I was about to cut out the fabric for the dress, Hailey took a look at the fabric I had chosen and asked (very loudly) "Where are the KITTIES?" and began to cry. Really, that's not why I didn't finish the dress; I ran out of steam and time. (p.s. If anyone finds and cute fabric with kitties on it, I would like to buy 1.5 yards of it. I've looked and I'm pretty sure it's not out there.) But that episode really took the wind out of my sewing sails. . .

Until I found this pattern. A tiered skirt that can be decorated and trimmed to Hailey's heart's every desire and whim. She got to help choose the fabric and all the decorations (although we had a battle over the ball fringe. She choose fringe that had puffs the size of golf balls and I vetoed that.) And domestic beauty and happiness reign once again in the Gilbreth household.

almost. John is really not thrilled with this skirt for one reason. The boys. For some reason, all the boys at church are mesmerized by the ball fringe on Hailey's skirt. There is some magnetic draw for them to come and touch them and play with them. And John's not down with any boy touching any daughters' skirt for any reason whatsoever.

Well, the girls are happy at least.

Girls' Day

The product of three girls together all day long: 60 painted nails. Hailey requested it, I agreed to it, and Nora endured it.

CHI-CA-GO!

I've taken my sweet time with posting these photos, but they're here now, so good for me. A few weeks ago I went down to Chicago with some girlfriends- without children, with husband. It was the first night away from my kids in over THREE YEARS. It was well overdue, and we had so much fun. Thing I won't forget from this trip:

• Having cramps in my hands from carrying around heavy shopping bags all day.
• Our crazy drive to our hotel late at night involving too many wrong turns and close calls.
• Being shushed by the hotel manager for being laughing too loud in our hotel room.
• Getting caught in the rain shopping the magnificent mile.
• Devouring my first REAL deep dish Chicago pizza.
• Childishly laughing at our warped body shapes in fun house mirrors.
• Sitting on the floor of the dressing room at the end of the second day critiquing graduation dresses for Pam, Mandie and Abby.
• Making plans for the reunion trip! (Remember that!)

Thanks, girls for being such great friends and examples. Next time, New York?

The kids out back

Together but not especially happy about it.Most commonly viewed side of Nora: the back side as she's running away. Oh well, at least I refrained from posting the photos of her eating pine cones out of a muddy puddle in the road. (FYI , I photographed, then disciplined.)Hailey with ever-so-slightly-less-wild hair.
Nora the explorer.

Lots and lots and lots of quilts

Our stake had a goal to make 200 crib quilts for the LDS humanitarian center. I spent a few full days cutting and ironing and sewing. This is my little contribution of four. I have previously wondered about the efficiency of the church's humanitarian program and why the choose to have members hand make quilts, toys, and clothes when they could easily employ workers to run machinery and and whip out this stuff for half the price and one tenth the trouble. Why don't they buy 200,000 notebooks and pens and put them in plastic bags instead of asking individual wards to make school kits with hand-sewn bags?

I didn't get it until this project. Humanitarian services is not only for those who are helped. It changes the hearts of those who help. You can't spend hours and hours on a quilt without thinking who that quilt is going to.Hailey and Nora enjoying the masterpieces.The bulk of the quilts from our ward.Hailey requested I put this picture in because we were both working on "projects." She was building a castle throne room (the throne is in red) and I was working on my quilts.

Here are most of the quilts being displayed at our stake center for women's conference. Both of the side pews are filled as well as a few more back rows.

Nora and Connor Sharing a Plastic Storage Container

They had fun.

Primary Talent Show

Hailey's dream came true. She got to perform in front of the whole ward for the Primary talent show. She had a hard time deciding what she wanted her talent to be- at first she wanted to hop on one foot. Then she wanted to do karate which she thinks she knows and is pretty good at. (Complete with sound effects: kr-ah! kr-AH!) Finally we compromised, and she told her story that she made for her cousins for Christmas and showed the pictures. She loved the whole idea of speaking in the microphone and spoke clearly and did a great job. Click here if you want to read her story online.Oh, and Hailey's got some new letters for her family too. Check those out here.