Costumes and playing Dress-up

My kids love to dress up! I mean they really love it. Matthew especially, there are weeks at a time that the child goes everywhere in costume, and not just in late October, but all year long! So when they announced in our homeschool co-op that this past Tuesday was going to be costume day the boys asked for new costumes to wear.

Matthew's costume started last Christmas. My mom made him and Ethan these really cool crocheted chain-mail helmets.

 

 Matthew asked then and there if we could make him a knight costume to match. His Grandma obliged his request by making him this cool outfit. The tunic has a medieval lion embroidered on the front. The sword was one of his Christmas gifts that Rodrigo and I made for him last year. And he also requested a leather sheath for his sword... I had no good idea how to make one, until I remembered the old leather bomber jacket that I had saved to upcycle into something else. I was worried about sewing it with my machine, because I've never sewn leather with it before... so I simply cut a sleeve off of the coat and hemmed the bottom. I wasn't totally happy with how it looked, but he was thrilled with it, and that is what's important. He also designed his own crown. 

Ethan asked me for a cape. He picked out the colors and I used the pattern for the reversible hooded play cape from the book "Growing Up Sew Liberated" (Side note, I am loving this book! I borrowed it from the library, but I might just need to get it for my self!) 

 If you click on the picture you can zoom in and see the button we used to close the cape. I made them from one of the sticks Ethan is constantly dragging home from the woods! 

He went as a forest elf.

 Claire found the wig that we were getting ready to cut and shape for Logan's costume. I turned around and she was standing in the middle of the table with this giant red wig on. Little Miss H was standing on the floor behind her watching the show.

Sadly, I don't have any really good pictures of Logan's costume. And it was really my pièce de résistance, I worked for weeks getting every detail just so...

 He asked me to make him a Mad Hatter Costume! He went with me to the fabric store and picked out the fabric for his coat. We discussed at length every single detail of his entire outfit. His hat was also entirely handmade. He helped me make the costume, he strung the thread spool bandoleer, and helped decorate his hat. I'll try to get him dressed back up in it in a few days sans the makeup so I can get some better pictures of it. It was a lot of fun making this outfit, it really seems a shame that he will probably only wear it once... But Matthew already has his eyes on it! So all of my hard work wont have gone to waste!

Posing as a truly mad Mad Hatter! 

 It was very dark in the room where I took his picture, but he looked awesome! He won first prize in the costume contest! 

 My sweet little Claire and Little Miss H dressed up as Ballerina Fairies. I made both of their tutus. Rodrigo snapped some pictures of them in front of the house before we left. Claire was a red fairy.

Check out these dimples!!

Little Miss H was a white fairy. Their wings were store bought. 

They were adorable! And they felt so pretty, both little girls kept twirling around in circle singing and giggling when I let them try on their new tutus. Claire kept saying "Pretty dress!" and "Pretty H!" and patting her foster sister's head. H just smiled and smiled. 

Trying to fly...

I love making things for my kids, they really enjoy getting mama-mades. Those tend to be some of their very favorite things to play with and wear! 

Little Miss H's second birthday

Our own sweet foster daughter Little Miss H turned two years old yesterday! I loaded up all of the children Friday morning and took them to H's birthday party. Her whole extended family showed up, Mom, Grandmother, Great-grandmother, Aunts, Uncles, and cousins... they had planned a big party for her, she was one celebrated and loved little girl!

Opening presents with her Mommy!

Claire really enjoyed herself as well... new baby dolls to play with!  Everyone was so sweet to her, making sure she had something to play with and even letting her help open one of Little Miss H's presents, so she wouldn't feel left out. 

Emmett slept on me, in the sling or on my lap most of the time, the noise of screaming playing children didn't phase him a bit.

Little Miss H had a wonderful time! She is truly one happy, well loved little girl. We are going to miss her very much one day when she goes home. She and Claire have played Mommies and Babies non stop since her birthday party!

*(I asked her mother and her social worker for permission to post pictures of her on my blog, and they both said it would be fine with them... so yippee! Now I can include pictures of H here since she has become such a huge part of our family these past few months!)

one month

Emmett at One Month.

He spends more time awake now every day, quietly watching me and the rest of this boisterous family. He rarely cries, and is such a peaceful and happy baby. Since he nurses pretty much constantly and he's now  developed the beginnings of a very respectable double chin :-). We are all enjoying this tiny new life who is such a blessing to our family.