New sewing project - My first owl

Here it is... my first hand-sewn owl on a baby onesie!

I got the idea/pattern of the owl from something that I had seen in a store. I took a picture of it on my phone and then tried to re-create it on paper later that day. Okay, no laughing! :-)

I then used parchment paper (not wax paper!) to trace out the owl's different parts/sections. I also had to then decide on which fabric to use from a bundle that I had purchased:
I had to make some slight adjustments to the owl's arms/wings and feet - making it simpler to cut and sew (which I'm glad I did!). And then, I laid it all out:
Here's the final product close-up! I used the blanket-stitch for the most part and the chain-stitch for the initials.

Not too bad for a first attempt! The stitching survived the washer and hopefully it will hold up in the dryer!

I also saw this other baby outfit with the tie in a gift store. And after finding out how expensive it was, I decided to make one of my own!

Maybe I should start my own line of baby clothes on the side! :-D

New wagon!

After sitting in our neighbor's wagon and also in the wagon while we were up in Memphis, we decided to get Graham his own. Gosh, we sure spoil him, don't we!?!

Graham did try and help put it together:

"Hmm... which one should I use? Definitely the screwdrivers!"

"Can't forget to tighten up this bolt over here..."

"Okay Daddy, make sure you get it right!"


"Yay, we did it! My own John Deere wagon!"


"I hope Mommy doesn't break it!"

Graham can't wait to show it off at the zoo this weekend!

Graham's new trick - Smack the bug!

Recently, Graham has been watching me smack a couple of flies that had managed to come into the house and also a few mosquitoes out in the yard. Well... he sure learned fast!

I'm guessing they are just imaginary bugs for now :-)

And a week since Graham debuted his new walking skills, he is now doing much better at it!

I guess it's just a matter of time before he starts running!

Long weekend in Memphis

Bobby was invited for a golf member-guest event by a good friend of his in Memphis last weekend and since there is also a new member in their family, we decided to pack everyone up in the car for a road-trip!
It was a 7-hour drive to Memphis and Graham enjoyed stopping at Subway for his turkey sandwich. CHOMP!
He just wouldn't eat his tomatoes though! And during the trip, we also discovered that Graham loves drinking juice. I suppose anyone would love that sweet stuff!
While in Memphis, Graham enjoyed being pushed/pulled along in the wagon by his new friends:
Graham was also very busy driving the little car. I think we need to add this one to his Christmas list!
We also had a good time at the Memphis Zoo. What a huge zoo! Graham got to see a panda bear for the first time. This one looked so tired!
Although Daddy didn't play very well in his golf matches, everyone had a great time!

Graham helping Mommy bake

I wanted to bake banana bread today and in order to keep Graham occupied during that time, I decided to pull his high-chair closer to the kitchen counter. And with some goldfish snacks on hand and a bowl, some measuring spoons and cups, Graham was preoccupied for all that time needed to bake the bread... and some more!
And Graham found a new way to drink from his sippy cup:
And... lift! The bowl that is!
And after pounding his goldfish snack to pieces with the measuring cups, Graham decides to eat up all the crumbs:
And he really wanted to get every bit of it!
He's starting to be quite a cheeky little fella!
Oh! Graham got his first scab on his left elbow from falling this past Monday. I'm sure it will be one of many as he continues to learn how to walk!

Graham is finally walking!

Graham finally decided to take his first few steps today!


He actually took his first steps at the Broken Arrow library this morning. We were there for the first time to listen to story-time. Graham was having such a good time that we decided to stay for the second session of story-time for the older toddlers. It was during the break that Graham decided to stand all on his own. When I realized he was standing, I said "walk" to him a couple of time and once a couple of the other moms started encouraging Graham as well, he took about 10 good steps towards us! I guess he just wanted an audience for his walking debut!

Graham is also getting taller:
Tall enough to reach the door knobs now!
Ahhh... never a dull moment, especially now that Graham has learned to walk. Maybe that's why they say "Be careful what you wish for"!

Graham's new diaper bag

After making a set of summer family shorts, there was a lot of fabric left and so I thought ~ why not try and make a diaper bag. So here it is!
Not too bad I suppose for my first attempt of making any type of bag. I sewed on a few pockets here and there and also put a little strap in the middle with Velcro thinking it would be a good spot to roll up and keep this blankie together. But I think it works better for his shoes! (or shoe at this time. I later found out that Graham had put his other shoe on the seat of his high chair!)
And of course, I can't forget to put his name on it:
And... it's reversible too!
I bet all his friends in his class will be so jealous when he shows up with the bag along with his matching shorts :-)
The weather has finally turned and we are down into the 80s. Graham loves spending time in the yard and loves to go for walks or "wa" as he puts it.
He sure loves that walker!And as you can see, we are still working on the slide :-)

Lesson learnt

I know it was very silly of me... but to have it happen TWICE is even sillier! About a month ago, I had left my purse on the top of the car and after putting Graham in his carseat, I drove off with the purse still on the roof of the car! Less than 1/4 of a mile later, I heard something and then saw something in the back-window on my rear-view mirror. I then realized that it was my purse! So, I turned around and sure enough, there was my purse in the middle of the road!

Well, yesterday... when I put my purse on top of the car, I made a mental note to myself about it. I strapped Graham in and of course, unknowingly drove off again with my purse on the roof top! This time, I did not hear or see anything and proceeded to send Graham to daycare. When I got home, I was planning out my day and that was when I realized that I had lost my purse! I got back into the car and traced my drive, which unfortunately was a longer one that day because Graham started his first day at his new daycare. When I didn't find my purse, I decided to take a walk along the streets. Half a mile later up and down the main street - nothing!

Feeling devastated and even more depressed after finding out that it was going to cost me $450 to replace my Permanent Residence card (yikes!!!), I went to the police station to report the incident. Thankfully Bobby was very supportive and helped me cancel all the credit/debit cards although he was momentarily upset when I did mention the price of the replacement greencard :-s

Anyhow, after dinner we all decided to go out for a walk and just as I got back into the house to get Graham's sippy cup, the phone rang. "Is this Cindy Pridgen?"... "Yes"... "I have your purse". You wouldn't believe how happy I was to hear those words!!! I immediately hopped in the car and drove over to this nice stranger's house. The purse did fall off along the street that I had walked on that morning but his wife had actually picked it up earlier when she found it by their mailbox. They found our name in the white pages (thank goodness people still use phone books!) and the address matched the one to my driver's license.

So, phew!!! Can't believe I was lucky the second time around! So yes, of course, I have learned my lesson. Don't ever and I mean, EVER put anything on the top of your car! And as much as I need to be carrying my greencard around, I think I'd rather know that it's safe at the bank!

LPGA Monday Qualifier

The LPGA now holds "open" Monday Qualifiers for their LPGA events which meant that I was finally able to play in one! We decided to try out in the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship because Rogers, AR is only 2 hours away by car from here.

It was a windy day and temperature was a lot cooler than the 105F that we've been having! I ended up shooting a 5-over 76 (Par 71) at the Pinnacle Country Club. The 2 spots went to two 73s that day and I guess bogeying the first 2 holes and having 2 three putts really cost me my spot! Oh well... it was still a good experience though and I'm glad I was able to play well on the back-nine. It made me a little more confident of my game and know that I can still go out and play this silly game. Ha ha!

If anyone benefited from this trip, it would be Graham. No, he and Daddy did not tag along since it would have been quite a long day with the drive there and back on the same day. But I did get Graham a little slide from one of those stores that sell nick-knacks along the way to Rogers.
He tried to climb up the slide but after a couple of times, he figured out the steps:
Or sort of... Graham gets distracted so easily!
Mommy help!
It's nice to be so flexible:
Still stuck!
Yay! He made it!
Looks like we'll need lots of practice! :-)

Graham loves to eat

I think Graham is on another growth spurt. He has been eating a lot lately, although not always so healthy! He has figured out where Mommy keeps the cookies and helped himself to them:
I was wondering why he was so quiet in the kitchen!
He also tried to eat his finger-paint the other day. Thankfully they are non-toxic!
Graham started the habit of putting his foot up on his table recently. He hasn't done that since he was a baby! Ha! Look at this one picture that I found ~ taken back in Sept of last year:
And look at him now...
And tonight was his first attempt at a cob of corn. I actually cut up the corn for him but once he saw us gnawing on the cob, he wanted to do it too!
CHOMP!
He did finally get his way and ended up with the rest of the cob before the end of the night!
And finally, here's a video of Graham. After weeks/months of watching Mommy blow on his food to cool it down, he has learned to do the same. Too cute!