Pants, Bribery and Seam Allowances

i have not been sewing much...or, rather, not much more than zoodies...and there are a cajillion things that i had been meaning to make - for birthdays and new babies and my babies and the stack just kept piling and piling...well that whole designating time thing has actually been working for me. it has both helped me actually start crossing stuff off my list (and removing from my pile) and it has helped me not feel depressed i am not getting it done...because i know it will...when it is the right time. i can't really explain why this whole "aha" moment i had has completely changed things around for me, but it has...and i am such a better wife/mom/person because of it. dont get me wrong....it is still HARD...i would be lying if i tried to make it sound simple...but when your outlook is good, things are easier to handle...or people, rather...or these little people - our terrible roommates as bryan and i like to joke.

my husband plays in a golf league thing on monday nights, so i designated that time to sewing/crafting. i have also been making use of the littler boys' nap times and got to sewing. well...in true carlee form...i sat down to do the stuff on my pile...you know that stuff i had been complaining all about...and then saw this fabric i ordered a while ago for who what and they were just screaming at me to make some pants. I used the Quick Change Trouser pattern from Handmade Beginnings. i love these pants. they take a lot of fabric, but they are reversible and darling and i love how Anne Marie put this pattern together - the pants appear like magic - they were quite fun to make...so fun i made 2 pairs...one for bobby and one for bodie. i was super duper proud of myself too while sewing these - its been a while since i sewed from a new pattern and i actually followed the directions all the way through and even followed the seam allowances...i usually never do...which maybe i shouldnt admit, but seriously i am like a walking billboard for someone who thinks they cant sew - do it - you couldnt be much worse than me...but this time i did follow them and everything came together so perfectly i do believe i want to sew like this more often!

they are quite darling, no? only the 24 month pattern doesnt really fit this 30 month old...and also he HATES them.

no seriously...HATES them...i showed them to him after i made them so excited and he fell to the floor screaming...like a cartoon character...he doesnt want to wear the pants he tells me...i said okay and put them away and tried a couple days later...same reaction...then just to snap a picture of them i bribed him with a gummy vitamin...bwah hahaha...(that is my evil mom laugh i reserve for tricking my children into something good for them). so these may just become a birthday present instead...at least i have one that doesnt have an opinion yet...or lacks the ability to state his opinion at least.

This is bodie...i gotta go pee mom...still working on the whole going into the bathroom before you get your equipment ready thing...

Bikes on the brain...

during Easter weekend we were a part of an awesome bike-hunt birthday party around Santa Barbara...that is where this picture was taken...bodie found a way to sleep comfortably on th Wee-Ride Kangaroo seat. I still love this seat, but think it would be better for me to get a trailer, so i can take the littles and bryson can ride beside me...right now i need a biking partner. Anyone have any recommendations for trailers??

I am itching to go on a bike ride! we had a string of beautiful days and now the gloomy weather is looking to stay for a while, but it is not hindering my desire to get out and ride with the boys!

Sports Crafting

now that bodie is getting a bit older...he is also getting opinions...and man do 2 year olds have opinions! but what is fun is that he is getting excited about certain things and i love it when i can make something that any of them get excited about!

i found these striped shirts at target for $4.50...i asked bodie if he wanted mommy to make him a shirt...da! (that is his "yes"). i asked him if he wanted a baseball shirt...DAAAA! score.

it is so sweet to watch him watch bryson. he always asks for a river cat (bryson's t-ball team) shirt and river cat hat. so i made him this little shirt - right before practice tonight...took me all of 15 minutes (if you can tell...surely) but he was so excited he wanted to sleep in it tonight. which cracked me up because he has never asked for any clothes up to this point (i realize this will change!)

i also needed to personalize bryson's baseball bag since a lot of the players have the same one. i tried to embroider directly on it, but my hoop was not having it, so i did it on fabric and sewed it on instead. looking back...white was NOT the best option...ooops...live and learn.

i have started labeling things B. Barnes...because it will easily transition :) and i am glad to have had the brain power to do this to his bag. #22 is a family number...its bryson's # now in t-ball...bryan's dad had it in football and bryan sported it, and his cousin matt also sported it on a number of teams he played on. anyway...its a thing...so i figured it may be around a while :)

it has been a little funny to me sewing sport-y things. i think i always envisioned myself sewing appliques on dance uniforms or little girl dresses, and yet - here i am a mom of 3 boys sewing baseballs on shirts and patches on t-ball outfits. it gives me such satisfaction that my boys ask me to make stuff - that just because you have boys it doesn't mean they don't appreciate home-made.

i have a feeling this isn't the last baseball shirt i make and that is just fine with this mama!

my last post got to his head...

sheesh...what a golf diva!

just when we get another high chair...

this boy refuses...absolutely refuses...a high chair...either one...he demands to sit like brother...in the chair, thank you very much. and lets just see you try to stop him!

brothers

these two are cracking me up lately. we had some friends over for dinner and the boys were in the back just chasing each other and wrestling and provided us free entertainment for the evening. bodie just adores his big brother and bryson loves to crack him up. yesterday forward rolls were doing the trick. i never really got along with my siblings, so i was not expecting this. and although i know baby #3 and age will change things, right now i am so content watching these two interact and love each other (most of the time :) )

here we are walking bryson to preschool yesterday. bodie wanted to be on his scooter too...he pretty much scooted the entire way...the entire way being about 2 blocks over and 1 block down.

bryson enjoyed preschool very much by the way...he said his favorite part was seeing the tadpoles and his least favorite part was having to kick the soccer ball softly (he wanted to kick it hard)

when i picked him up the teacher said, "he did good" but the good had an inflection that expressed to me, "i see i am gunna have to work with this one". bryson exclaimed to me on the way out, "I had NO time outs mom! NONE!!" wuuuu! success! i am relieved...i know they will figure him out and provide him the very set boundaries that he needs :)

First Sentence

i was so concerned about leaving Bodie...i hadn't left him overnight before...i think i said that already...but thats hard for a mama! i found out on the way home that in the morning on the last morning instead of calling for "mama" he was calling for "papa" which made me both very extremely relieved and extremely sad at the same time.

but today our little Bodie said his first sentence! our cat, BBQ was laying down on the chaise outside and Bodie was resting his head on him. Bryson came over and did the same and Bodie pushed him off and said, "No nigh-nigh on da kitty!" he is growing so big...i can't believe he is already 18 months! BTW check out his little bodybuilder baby body...this kid is no joke strong!

The Beach and Bodie at 17 months

we spent memorial day at the beach...if you know me...i am not a beach person, which is funny since i live so close to the beach...but i dont like to go and "lay out" i hate sand everywhere - i dont like swimming in the ocean. in fact, the only reason i go there by myself is to shore fish occasionally....like once a year...

but my boys LOVE the beach. in fact, i do not believe i have ever seen Bodie happier...he usually has a pretty serious face on...but at the beach he is all giggles and goofy grins and running around on the sand and throwing sand into the ocean.

by the way, when did i get a BLONDE boy? how did this happen? bryan had a dream a long time ago...i might have been pregnant with Bodie...or perhaps it was with Bryson...they are all blending together at this point...but anyway, he had a dream that we had a son with a blonde afro and it was super vivid. we thought it was funny at the time...now those Swedish genes are pushing through...ja sure...

bodie cracks us up on a regular basis. now that he is starting to say more words his little personality is really coming through and it is just so much fun to watch him emerge.

he remains a mama's boy, but boy does he love his dada...he is very cuddly, but his cuddles inevitably turn into something hurtful (biting, hitting, pinching...oh the pinching...its his favorite thing to do) he is an amazing climber - he loves golf already - every type of ball is a "gall-ball" - he can move around on his little push bike like no ones business and he can now successfully ride the 3 wheeled scooter....which i find amazing...he has a fascination with "baby" i.e. my BIG belly...and shoes...and kitty...and goats as we learned...and he is such a goofball. he tries to make you laugh out of nowhere and believe me...the kid has timing...

his temperament reminds me so much of Bryan. very easy going, but not a push-over. very shy but a total clown with those he knows. very adventurous and also very athletic and able...it also doesn't hurt that both of my boys got their daddy's *very* handsome looks...i have a feeling he is going to break a few hearts...

Madrona Marsh

I need to start this off with a little shout out. The author of Fun and Educational Places to go with Kids came and spoke at our MOPs and I happened to win the book as a door prize. I was super excited because i rarely win something i actually like or use. Because of various organizations i have belonged to i have been a constant raffle participant and won my fair share of things, i am not gunna lie, but crest tooth whitening strips are not nearly as exciting believe me. it is fun to win though...regardless. i digress...so anyway...i had to run to Torrance (secret secret, which deserves its own post entirely, believe me) and i HATE driving to Torrance...there is no easy way to get there, so i figured if i was going to drag my boys over there, i may as well take them somewhere fun also. so i just looked up the City of Torrance in her Index by City and found several things, but this place was just around the corner from where i was going and sounded right up my boys-who-like-to-run-and-explore-and-get-as-dirty-as-possible's alley...

we went to the Madrona Marsh in Torrance. a natural wetland. i have been to the Bolsa Chica Wetlands and also the one by Murrieta...i forget the name at the moment...but both of the other ones i have run at, and not taken the kidlets.

we stopped in first at the Nature Center. Very new, very clean - lots of hands-on things for the kiddos - bryson got to feel snake skin (very cool) and see the turtles and frogs and snakes and other critters. there was also a coloring table (boring, mom...okay whatever!) and there are also classes there i am told. i asked the lady if the terrain would be okay for my stroller and she said it would...which, yeah, okay i was able to kinda push my stroller, but a jogging stroller or none at all would have been better. i had thought my ergo was in the car, and it wasnt, so better for my back, but not so much fun pushing a stroller around there. i wouldnt recommend it. 

we then walked across the street to the actual marsh. we took the long route all the way around and i would say it took us about 45 minutes or so to do...we took our sweet time.

the most fun part was when we were away from the wet parts i let Bodie out....actually i should back up and say that i made the mistake of letting Bodie out around the wet part and he was off like a dart into the bog...which i got all over me and him and promptly strapped him back in the stroller and he was screaming for a good 5 minutes...so after i learned my lesson and we were away from the nasty swampy water...i let Bodie out. he did such a good job of staying on the trail i was so blown away! i think i expect him to act like his big brother a lot of the times (bryson would have NEVER...i repeat in case you didnt hear, NEVER have stayed on a trail at his age). Bodie did awesome and followed his big brother and i and discovered ants and thorns and plants and it brought so much joy to watch both of them discover this little piece of land in the middle of  a very busy city.

it was a pretty overcast chilly day, which i think made it all the more beautiful there. it was fun to explore this natural wetland, however, i would say that i wouldnt personally drive out of my way to Torrance to visit only the Madrona Marsh. sorry...the time it takes to drive there and back is longer than you would spend there, which is my rule of thumb for driving somewhere.

(PS - i just am in love with that first pic. bryson is becoming such a tender and sweet older brother - most of the time - it is so fun to watch him show Bodie how to explore)

crafting shirts

the boys and i took a nice long walk this morning and afternoon- stopping at the beach to play - along our local main street to shop and sight see and at the nearby park to run around and have a picnic - even big B joined us at the park for lunch. the weather was amazing and Bodie even waited till we got back to nap...which meant i could even rest - not nap, but rest...i rarely get to sit for longer than 10 minutes, so this is excitement. this was a pretty close to perfect morning for us.

i realize that bryson needs to be active early and focused on something, or else our day sees more chaos and fights and bad attitudes than is warranted. but if i get him out of the house and active and on a mission, we can have a seamless day. i think i have known this about him since he was 18 months and we started going to the park every day...every day...at 9:30...every day....or else. it hasnt changed.

anyway - i was also thinking to myself how easy it was with just one...how much we could do in one day and still enjoy the day...how i used to have a regular craft time with him every afternoon. now it is more like once a week. granted, i am working in the office more, but with 2 - there is rarely a day like today. and soon there will be 3...and schedules will be adjusted again...and less will get done in a day....and i am still trying to mentally prep myself for that. i switch between anxiety and excitement approximately 346 times each day. but given it all, my day is filled with more love and excitement with my 2 boys. i am so so blessed to have each of them and wouldnt change it for the world and i know this little soul will change our lives, but it will ultimately be for the better and i do look forward to that.

so today was a pretty amazing day - i got to clear my head and mind and also create with BOTH my boys. how fun! Bryson was experimenting with mixing colors and creating his own names for them and Bodie experimented with tasting paint and getting marker everywhere. fun times.

the bike shirt is Bodie's and the ant shirt is Bryson's. this is Bryson saying..."i think the ants are looking for dirt. they like to eat dirt." i told him they like sweet things, "no, i think they like dirt" whatever!

these are my favorite tees at the moment - American Apparel's tri-blend tee (polyester, cotton & rayon) - it is so super soft...like a thrifted tee...love them...

i guess he is saluting here? not sure...but at least you can see the little strawberry on the sleeve the ants are going for? i thought this shirt would be so BOY, but it kinda looks girly to me too? its transgender...

Bodie O a hunting he goes

hey! where all the eggs at?

too cute not to....

i mean come on...

Sweet 16

this is what 16 looks like

isnt the cake adorable? katie's aunt tawny made it...she learned how on youtube...so cute!










this is 16 and her mama...

whom i expect looked probably identical to her at 16 as well! maybe with poofier bangs...and acid wash jeans...that were Bongo...















and this is 16 with her friend and boyfriend who i suppose get together and practice eye rolling techniques...

and this solves the mystery of where my boys get it...its clearly a johnson thing...

and this nose-picking boy was much more interested in trying to dive in the pool than anything else going on...for the entire party someone was doing this...

which caused this...

toddlers are just so precious :)

bodie and the hybrid

it starts early in the morning. if he gets a chance to escape outside he pounces. he hunts all over for his special club...the hybrid. only this club will do folks...only this club. none other keep his attention ALL day. literally ALL day he would hold that thing if i let him.

he knows how to put the ball on the tee and he swings as best he can...and makes contact about 85% of the time...which is a better stat than i could probably say for myself.

i never knew having a backyard would mean the beginning of an obsession for both my boys. Bodie will not put this club down for anyone or anything. i had to get Bryson a new one just to stop the constant fighting...bad parenting? i dont care...it was worth it!

he even bounces with it. i am very excited for bryson, however (bodie will have to wait a couple years) bryan is signing him up for a golf class through parks and rec to learn the fundamentals of the game. i think he is at about the skill level where bryan can take him on the course...i believe they will evaluate him at the class...so an afternoon of Bodie and i will be nice and an afternoon of father and son will be much appreciated i am sure!

My lil' zebra

thanks jena!

thanks for the cool shirt auntie jena...it goes awesome with my viking hat and chicks dig it when i roll past.

family resemblance...

its confirmed. he is a Barnes. here is little B.O.B. and big Bob...

hey ladies...i just need to put some pants on and then i'll be ready to roll...let me just shoot my boys a text real quick!

the squid and the whale

those are my boys...i still need to make Bryson's squid shirt...we got sidetracked by making a robot shirt that i will have to show you later...why? because there are about 12 different substances on it right now - including dirt, syrup, ice cream, snot all sorts of wonderful things!

I didnt use my typical pants pattern and wanted something with a bigger bum for his cloth diapers, so i used Heater Ross' Huck Finn Pants Pattern, also from her book Weekend Sewing. I was attracted to it because there is a hidden button in the waist that you can adjust...but i think it is a tad unnecessary...personally...

also, i had this leftover mattress ticking from an old pirate costume i made for Bryson and it happens to fray nicely, so instead of hemming the bottom i just zig-zagged stitched and cuffed the pant - i think it is also a good idea for getting an extra size out of it! which is nice for my 13 month old who happens to be wearing 2T! geesh!

apologies for the worst pictures ever - Bodie is the worst model right now! he would much rather be in the street...

lets go fly a kite..

i cant believe i never posted this! i love having my sister only a mile away! her and pete watched the boys one afternoon and took them adventuring...pete put together this little video and i thought it was so darling!