J Cooper Photography

It all started with a simple request from A. Over spring break we will be heading to the Windy City for one last “all girl shop til you drop spoil-a-thon” before we add a boy to our family. My sister (the writer) and her three girls are coming too. I heart Chicago. And the girls are besides themselves preparing their babies for the pilgrimage to the American Girl Store on Michigan Ave. We have 8 baby dolls at our house. The girls have justly split their care in half in order to fairly share in the parenting duties. A’s dolls are “Riley” (she is a Bitty Baby and will make the trip with us), “Shawna”, “Samuel” (although he often wears dresses?!?), and “Clap your hands little Baby”…don’t ask. And yes…I’m serious. J has 4 babies in her care as well. Her favorite is “Rebecca” (soon to be replaced in the baby hierarchy when she picks out her own Bitty Baby), “Big Baby”, “Sam”, and “Cool look guy”…again…yes…I’m serious. So A insisted that I sew matching outfits for the “big girls” AND their respective babies. Like I said…it started as a simple request. Now two full days later I am nearing completion of my doll clothes obsession. I didn’t know it was so fun. I never played with dolls and truly have never understood how one can find hours of entertainment dressing dollies in outfits, cleaning up their spits, and making them french fry soup. But SEWING for dolls is a completely different story. And seeing the look on the girls’ faces when I emerged with perfectly coordinating ensembles made it all worthwhile! I’d love to be able to say I just whipped them up in an afternoon. But once I started I couldn’t stop….I top stitched…added ric rac and cute flower buttons…added another ruffle tier. And when the dresses were complete…I decided the babies would be cold…and I made knit shrugs to keep their shoulders toasty. So if you haven’t heard from me in a few days…this is why I think I am back under control now….as soon as I finish the matching hoodies for the big girls…I’ll stop for sure…I think.

Well I’m fairly certain I’m not going to be able to stand up from the computer when this is all over….but I’m done for this week! I’ve listed 45+ auctions…Take a bow samples, a few fantastic boutique resells, and a boatload of designer summer girls clothing! Get a serious jump start on your little girl’s wardrobe!! Click HERE to see all my latest listings!

We have had SUNSHINE 2 days in a row…it seems like we have won the lottery or something. The serious high I receive from being out in the sun tempts me to walk around the rest of the winter with one of those light lamps on my head until the sun stays out for good! So with the gorgeous weather today we decided to head out for some bike riding lessons….down to the cul-de-sac….around the trail and back to our house. A is starting to get the hang of it although when she gets scared she throws all caution to the wind and lunges with arms flailing for her Daddy! J just likes to peddle like a man woman…in no particular direction with no real plan of action….but at least she is going FAST! So of course I was chasing after them…with my pregnant belly…and my Nikon dangling around my neck trying to capture a few good photos of them having a blast. Here are a few of my favorites from the day!

Today A had her 2nd solo violin recital. Talk about proud parents…we sat right in the front row and were generally completely annoying and obnoxious about how thrilled we were with our little violinist! A started taking lessons when she was just turning 4 through the Suzuki Method. She has come so far in a year and half! She played “Allegro” from Suzuki book 1 which is darn good for a 5 year old and I just have to brag J dressed up in a “fancy” dress too…just because she could. She brought baby “Rebecca” to the concert (this week’s favorite baby doll) and together in the church pew they danced and twirled and bobbed their little heads to the music. And after we were done we met some friends at McDonald’s for a greasy high-fat hamburger…kid paradise!

And a cute pic of J all dolled up for the concert too!