art projects

isa and her "art projects" are keeping us busy these days. we do one most afternoons, and some mornings well. sometimes we do several of them between getting up from nap time and going to bed. what can i say, the girl likes her art. today it was painting watercolors at the table, though it quickly morphed into face painting. isa wanted two butterflies, one on each cheek. and there would be no peace until that was achieved!

speaking of butterflies... goose has an imaginary friend! she told me about him the other day. according to isa, his name is "zachy" and he's a pink and white butterfly. when i asked her if he talked, she said "no. but he stands up." and when i asked her what she liked to do with her special friend, she told me that "we play games. like exercise!" i never had an imaginery friend growing up, and while i hear that many kids do, i was still amused and surprised to hear about this special butterfly! she seems to have butterflies on the brain these days, so i am guessing we will hear more about zachy in the future.

making my job easy!

i had forgotten how nice it is to have a beautiful, sweet, and non-mobile baby around for taking shop pictures! ok, that's not the only reason i love taking photographs of little roo-- but it sure doesn't hurt! these were from a little sushi blanket shoot we did yesterday. that last photo is going to be added to the list of all time favorites. sweet beyond words.

photoshoot pictures!

the pictures are in! these are a few of the shots taken by kristy cardinal during the Mountain Aven Baby dress shoot a few weeks ago. they are gorgeous! it was really, really hard to choose only a few pictures from each dress. check out of the rest of them in the shop!

Sylvi at Eight Months

please no one tell me that baby sylvi is 3/4 of a year old. i just might smack you or start crying. or both! hard to believe, but she is eight months old today!

so what is she like at eight months? a whole lot of fun and sweetness, as usual. she is really starting to liven up and her personality is coming out in full force! as she learns new skills and interacts more with the world around her, we are starting to see more and more of what she likes and dislikes, things that get her excited and calm her down. she is getting close to crawling but doesn't seem to be in any particular rush. she gets up on all fours and rocks, occasionally scooting backwards before flopping on her belly and being content with whatever is in arm's reach! she is also starting to stand up while holding on to things, and while the new vantage point is nice, she doesn't seem the least bit frustrated when she plops down on her bottom. she is just as content sitting down and observing as she is trying to be on the move.

as we mentioned before, she is quite the talker and has started saying "mama" and "dada" on a more regular basis. the jury is still out as to whether she is really directing them at us, but i am going to venture to guess that she DOES know what she's saying! she's also added some new squeals to her vocabulary that send the cat running and make isa respond with, "Sylvi roo! You're a squeally squeally!"

happy eight months rooster, we love you!

the quick rundown...

the first annual Riverfest was a success! i had no idea how it would go, seeing as it was a little last minute and this was the first year. but there was a good crowd and people seemed to be enjoying themselves, which usually translates into good sales. it was certainly nice to be outside with more space and fresh air, though i was really glad to have splurged (ok, it was pretty cheap) on renting a tent, as the few times that the sun did peak through the trees it got really, really hot.

as i have seen in the past, trying to guess what people will want most and what will go unsold is really hard! people are so unpredictable! things that sold like hot cakes in december (bibs) didn't sell nearly as much, just as the things that sat on the racks then (dresses) sold really well today. go figure. and even though it's a ton of work, shows are always enjoyable. it's nice to actually have local customers, since 99% of my business is online, and to get out and socialize and enjoy the change of pace.

the girls did great with daddy all day and enjoyed getting to take several trips to the park to hang out and play (or eat in sylvi's case!). phil was a good sport and not only covered child care but was very helpful in setting up and taking down as well. the pictures here are at the end of the evening, right before i packed everything away, so it looks rather bare compared to when it was fully stocked this morning!

and now... bedtime! zzzzzzzzzzzzz...

for sale in the park

The Lander Art Center has organized an "art" fair that runs all day today. Mommy worked very hard to get clothes ready for this event - around the already more-than-full-time job of raising two little kiddos - good luck Mama! Here are some shots from set up this morning, hopefully they will be a good crowd! Pictures of the finished booth to come later. Daddy and the girls are hanging out today - we'll go see Mommy again in a bit.

pictures of summer

roo supervising the backyard activity from the window.

isa waters the garden.

and then says hello to the garden frog before heading inside.

the daddy and his trusty grill. on his trusty new (and soon to be finished) back deck.

petite chef

isa decided what she wanted for her lunch today-- macaroni and cheese with peas, salt and vinegar chips, and black pepper. all mixed together. yum, huh? i constantly get a kick out of what isa likes to eat. she is not afraid of strong flavors-- raw onions and garlic, among others. a few weeks ago, i went out to dinner with some friends and brought back some left over Tsunami Rice (a super spicy fried rice dish with lots of peppers and other veggies). of course isa wanted to taste it and though i warned her it was very hot, she didn't let up. so i gave her a small spoonful (with a glass of water too!) and waited for her to spit it back out. but nope... she wanted more and then continued to eat the rest of it! what can i say, the girl likes her spice!

happy baby

just a little photo update of sylvi. she is still as cheery and happy as ever! honestly. she is this happy almost all the time. it's incredible! she isn't sleeping as well these days though, and that makes mommy a little less cheery and happy. but she is getting up on her knees and learning all kinds of new skills, and it's exciting enough to keep her up at odd hours. but it's hard to be too upset about it when she wakes up smiling just the same! don't know if you can tell from these photos, but her hair is starting to fill in quite well and her eyes keep getting lighter. you may notice that they are a little puffy and red too-- looks like someone inherited their daddy's allergies along with his hairline! she's still smiling though, so we won't complain!

kathleen and steve's wedding

the main motivation for the recent roadtrip was to attend the wedding of our dear friends kathleen and steve! it was such a fun and sweet event and i am so glad we were there to celebrate. the wedding was at kath's parents' house in stevensville, which was really gorgeous. part of the festivities included several hours of "socializing and yard games" before the ceremony-- complete with kiddie pool, dunk tank, and horseshoes! to those who know these two, this was no surprise and quite fitting. and i have to say, it was a great way to spend the afternoon in such heat! after all that fun, plus the ceremony and food, we were all pretty exhausted by the time night rolled around. unfortunately we left before the band got going, which isa would have loved, but with all the excitement and travel and general exhaustion, the girls just couldn't hold out much longer. but it was a blast and we were honored to take part... congratulations again to kathleen and steve!

roadtrippin'

well, we made it home! it was a long trip crammed into four days, but we did it! in retrospect, we wished we would've planned to stay longer. i should've known that there was WAY too much to do and see in missoula (not to mention a wedding and visiting friends along the way) in such a short amount of time. as usual, missoula never fails to impress. it really is hard to beat that place in the summer. while we could've done without the heat (uhm, 100F), it was awesome to be back. we hit up (three!) farmer's markets on saturday, a children's festival in Caras Park, and a whole lot more.

the drive was definitely long, but we split it up into two days coming and going. this made it much more enjoyable and we were able to stop and stay with friends, as well as get out and stretch our legs more often. luckily sylvi didn't mind taking good naps while traveling and isa practically had her own toy store in the backseat: colors, paper, scissors, glue, stickers, playdoh, plastic animals, puzzles, books, dvds, a kid computer, and more. to anyone without children, the backseat probably looked insane, but i sure glad to have the extra entertainment after a while!

we rolled into lander this afternoon feeling relieved to be back but glad we went. and we were pleased with the temperature at home too-- 75F with afternoon rain as opposed to baking in the triple digits!

the best GIVEAWAY yet!

we interrupt vacation-ville for a shop announcement: free stuff! more free stuff!

mountain aven baby is part of a huge giveaway over at Or So She Says! there are lots of awesome shops participating and multiple winners will be chosen. there is even a discount code for the 'losers' ;)

vaaaaaaaaaacation!

ah, vacation. good stuff. we had a long day on the road yesterday, with a few unintended scenic tours and a little route finding, but overall it was a great day. the girls did awesome, despite being hot and tired and ready to be out of their carseats. we had several pit stops (playgrounds and sand dunes!) and that helped alot. by the time we finally rolled into Dillon last night, we were SO glad to be done driving for the day and ready to see Alex and Sarah! we were spoiled with an awesome dinner and lots of toddler entertainment and general good times! isa and sylvi stayed up way past their bedtimes but were happy as clams to hang out, eat, and play before passing out. this morning has been more of the same-- good food, good coffee, hanging out, happy children, etc. soon we'll be back in the car for the rest of the drive to missoula, and while we are looking forward to it, it's a little hard to leave this place! many thanks to alex and sarah (avid blog readers!) for their hospitality, it was so great to see you both :)

one for the road...

slow pokin'

yes, we know. the blog has been rather slow this week, but rest assured there will be more fun to come. we leave thursday morning for a little montana roadtrip, but there will be a few posts (video, perhaps?) to tide you over until we get back.

summing it up:

craziness! lot of craziness around these parts! it is the weekend of the deck! luckily our friend keith came all the way up from denver to help hammer it all out (pun fully intended) and good progress is being made. we are all really excited about the prospect of actually hanging out on it! technically speaking, it's pretty awesome... schneiderpants has never been one to cut corners, so it is being really well-built, in true schneiderpants style.

speaking of hanging out though, there doesn't seem to be much of it in the near future. summer is in full swing, which in our world entails lots of work, lots of travel, lots of play, and not much lounging around. (i suppose we're lucky to have such a long winter, so we can make up for that right?). there are wholesale orders to finish, a full plate of "office" work for the daddy, a deck, a fence, an art show to get ready for, and traveling to missoula next weekend for a dear friend's wedding. and that's just the schedule for the rest of july. august? more of the same. so in the meantime, i leave you with pictures of the workers ants, doing their worker thing, swinging hammers and pounding nails, while sweet babies play in the grass and bossy toddlers help weed the garden. happy weekend :)

atleast the kids are cute.

there are several parts of the ole computer that haven't bounced back so well from the virus overhaul. picasa and skype, primarily. i haven't been able to post pictures for some reason, although it will let me do a slideshow. so slideshow it is then!

some days are not so good for blogging. there is little to say or not enough time or not enough neurons firing in the brain. but atleast the kids are cute, which is always a good fallback. as i was (trying) to get this posted, i did overhear a very funny sisterly interaction (ok, atleast i heard isa). it went something like this, in a very sweet and sing songy voice:

isa: Oh no, that's so sad! I'm sorry but you need a time out (closing the door to her room, while sylvi lays on the sheepskin rug).
me: Who needs a timeout? Sylvi? Why?
isa: 'Cause she not have a very nice attitude.
me: Oh i see. Well, can she come out now?
isa: Oh, nope. Guess you're not ready to listen yet, are you? (opening the door and asking sylvi, then shutting the door again).
me: Can you open the door for her please?
isa: Oh, ok then.

hoot hoot

now available in the shop (the tee, not the incredibly cute baby).

ooh and ahh...

we will soon be unveiling some new shop photographs by the fabulous Kristy Cardinal! we had a dress photo shoot this morning and from the few images i saw... wow... they are going to be absolutely beautiful. as can be expected, trying to get five girls under the age of three to actually change clothes, cooperate with being photographed and not go slap crazy in the meantime... well, that was interesting. but they all did really well and i am very, very grateful to have some beautiful babies wearing those dresses! thanks again to kristy for sharing her talent and to the mamas and girls who participated. stay tuned for a sneak peak!

get your bounce on...

progress

several people have asked for house/yard pictures so we thought it was time to oblige. you can see the progress of the fence (now we're waiting on more wood) and some landscaping here and there. and of course the garden, for which we can take little credit this year! there is an action shot of sam (who has put in the most effort) too! we still have alot of landscaping to do, mostly for the front Birch bed that will be planted in the fall, as well as more schrubs to go around the side of the house-- which you can see in the first picture. next weekend is the big deck party, so hopefully there will be even more pictures then, complete with an actual deck! in the meantime, here are some progress shots...

marching band boogie and a holiday wrap-up:

well, the fourth of july has mostly come and gone here in landiego. and just in case anyone is wondering, the nickname of "little beirut" is fitting this year as well. even though bottle rockets have been banned within city limits and a strict curfew will soon be in affect... the pyrotechnics are not lacking one bit! and while that may be really annoying at 3am tonight, it's not too bad at the moment-- and actually quite pretty. there are two very exhausted children sleeping soundly in their beds, so as long as that is the case, i can handle it ;)

we actually had a really nice fourth of july this year. camping would have been fun too, but just as we suspected, a big thunderstorm came through late this evening and from the looks of it, the mountains may have gotten hammered with hail and wind and lightening. quite happy to have missed that part! so we enjoyed a massive dinner spread with sam, lee, and lee's parents (visiting from ohio)... bison burgers, bison sausage, corn, asparagus, greens from the garden, shish kabobs, baked beans, potato salad, watermelon, and some brewskies too. not bad. not bad at all!

edited to add: now that it's really dark... WOW. it really is a sight to see around here. i would be willing to bet that lander would be in the running for some sort of fireworks record. BIG ones are going on off in every direction and will continue to do so past midnight. it's impressive! just wish we could've kept isa up long enough to see the big ones! but what can you say when the toddler is begging for bed? there's always next year!

fourth of july (round one)

here is the parade slideshow, complete with flag waving, horses, marching bands, and isa and sylvi. they both enjoyed themselves, though isa was one overtired, overstimulated, and underfed toddler by the time it was all over. for her part, sylvi was content to look around and chew on the flag.

camping plans for the weekend have been thwarted by weather. we've been having crazy thunderstorms with heavy rains lately (this is very unusual for these parts!) and the forecast calls for even more of the same this weekend. so we're hanging here in town instead and will cook out with the neighbors and help them shoot off their insanely large load of fireworks tonight!

stay tuned for more fourth of july fun, as there is a video of isa shaking her thang to the tunes of the marching band to come!

outtakes

... from the new Duck, Duck, Goose lounge set. i thought this lounge set was quite fitting to you know who.

regularly scheduled programming

that's right, we're back to regularly scheduled blogging. the computer has been resurrected, rebuilt, and is mostly in working order. we did lose some pictures in the mess, unfortunately, but luckily we had all but the last few months backed up. and of course we still have anything that was blogged or made into a slideshow, etc.

so here are some "welcome back" photos of two cute little girls. these were taken a few days back, on the way to the new ice cream stand on main street. you'll notice that sylvi is riding big girl style now and seems to enjoy being in a real seat, especially with isa there to hold her hand (not kidding-- they actually hold hands. it's beyond cute).