Play-dough, A Blanket, Sewing and the Proper Use of a Couch

A couple days ago, as we all excitedly ran to the door as Papa was pulling into the driveway, I found a package from an old friend of ours on the doorstep. In it was a lovely quilt, handmade especially for none other than Princess Lydia! So far she has had a few brief 'tummy times' on her new blanket (she doesn't like to be on her tummy), extended times of just layin' around grinning at her siblings, and one incident of spitting up on her lovely gift. Fortunately, Martha (the quilter) chose a selection of colors that are in no way diminished or marred by the distinct splat of milk-revisited. Here is the little Lilly, pretty in pink on her new blanket:

Speaking of handmade, Abigail has completed her first sewing project! She made a pillow for her little cousin, Ezibelle (who is just 4 weeks younger than Lydia - my sister's baby). Abbi cut the pieces, ironed them, pinned them and helped guide the cloth through the sewing machine. Then, she ironed and pinned some more, and finally stuffed the pillow to soft perfection! She wanted to try the pillow out for a couple of naps before giving it to Ezi (for Christmas), but I convinced her that we should keep it set aside so it stays very nice. She wasn't hard to convince!

And, I couldn't resist taking the following pictures so that all may see how to properly use a couch. I wish you could have heard the cacophony of squeals and giggles that were bouncing off the ceiling; fortunately, the children didn't fly that high, and there were no collisions!

Finally, here are some pictures of the children thoroughly enjoying their play-dough.