Another Project Done: A Dinosaur Pillowcase

In keeping with my "finish what I've started" theme for 2019, I FINALLY got myself into gear and finished another pillowcase.

I've had this fabric sitting there just waiting for me to take it from "fabric" to "pillowcase" for I don't even know how long. It was long enough ago for me to wash the fabric and lay it out flat so it didn't wrinkle and then stack up a bunch of other stuff on top of it ... causing it to wrinkle (oh Murphy and your darned law!)

After digging out the fabric from the pile of .... stuff (I'll choose polite language!), I ironed both pieces of fabric, reviewed my go-to pillowcase tutorial, and then got to work! (Unlike what is shown in the tutorial, I make my pillowcases with only 2 fabrics, foregoing the little one between the main fabric and the cuff.

This fabric makes me smile and Conor likes that one of the dinosaur phrases is "I'm fast" because, as he points out, he likes to run fast!  Other dinosaur phrases on the fabric are "I'm tall" (again, that fits Conor), "I'm hungry", "I'm spikey", "I'm big", and "Roarrrrrrrrr." The dinosaurs are just so stinkin' cute ... this project makes me happy through and through.

Another project moves to the "complete" category

Conor's 4th Birthday

It's official! Conor is a big 4-year-old!!

This year's birthday was quite an event and the celebrated wound up spanning a few days.

The day before his birthday, Conor's birthday was celebrated in his classroom. His teachers made him a crown, he got to walk around his class four times during circle time, and instead of bringing in treats, his teacher read a copy of one of his favorite books "Good Night, Good Night, Construction Site" that we donated to his class. He loved every moment of it!

On Conor's actual birthday, we packed up our gear and headed up to Whidbey Island for a weekend of celebrations galore. Not everyone knows this, but Conor was born on Eric's parents' anniversary, the day before Eric's birthday, and three days after Eric's dad's birthday. How cool is that?!?! This year, Conor's birthday fell on my in-law's 50th anniversary, which just about everyone on Earth would agree is a really big deal. Because of the next day's anniversary party, Eric's siblings and their families also came to Bestmor and Bestefar's house for the weekend of celebrations. It was the first time we've all been together at the house and it was such fun!!

On Friday after dinner, we had a little birthday celebration for the three birthday boys. Conor LOVED every moment of the evening ... especially when he was given the green light to open his presents. He received a stuffed dinosaur and a stomp rocket from Uncle John, Auntie Wendy, Erin, and Piper, a foam dinosaur kit and a stomp rocket from Auntie Kajsa and Uncle Jeff, AND roller skates from Bestemor and Bestefar. We have a very generous family and a family who knows the definition of fun presents!

As soon as Conor's skates were unwrapped, he and Annika were outside skating up and down the driveway. That is ... until Annika switched Conor's skates from "locked" to "free skate." Mama swooped in and re-locked them so Conor could actually stand up on them! Annika wanted Conor to learn how to skate like her, and knew having locked wheels wouldn't allow him to do that "just like her." Learning curve? What's a learning curve?

The stomp rockets (so glad he received two, so both kids were able to play outside with them) were a HIT! Of course, we had to wait until a break in the weather so the kids could actually go outside, but the opportunity did (eventually) arise. Whoever designed that toy really had kids in mind. They had a blast setting up the rocket stands (thank God we have engineers in the family ... Eric and John were instrumental in that part of the project), jumping onto the launch pads, and then watching the nerf rockets fly into the air.

Good thing Conor has a card helper!

Dinosaur kit

Woo hoo! Stomp rocket!

"What's inside? What could it be?"

"Here, Conor. Let me help you!"

"It's a dinosaur!!!"

"Roar! My dinosaur is eating Bestefar's birthday card!"

Thank you hug for Bestemor

Thank you hug for Bestefar

Thank you hug for Auntie Kaj

Thank you hug for Uncle Jeff

"WHOA! Another stomp rocket!!"

Eric opening his birthday cards

John and Jack playing with Jack's magnet "toy"

Auntie Kaj reading a card to Conor

Stomp rockets are the best thing EVER!!!!

Family Outing to the Burke Museum

Just like most other kids, our kids are fascinated with dinosaurs. Eric had the brilliant idea of taking to the Burke Museum so they could see some dinosaur fossils in person.

I really like the Burke because it isn't overwhelming large and really focuses on local history/science. We saw plenty of fossils and a number of reconstructed dinosaur skeletons, a mastodon skeleton (very cool!), plant fossils, and the kids even had the opportunity to climb into a replica of a cave that was created when a rhino carcass was enveloped by lava many, many years ago. The kids even got to measure themselves against a dinosaur leg bone to get a better perspective of the creature's size.

Both kids had a great time and were enthusiastic about what they were looking at. They asked questions about the animals and cultural exhibits and were happy to participate in the hands-on activities that were sprinkled around the museum. I think the plastic dinosaurs were probably the favorite item! 

Heading to the museum

Looking at some fossils
(our apologies to the museum staff for the amount of
hand prints our children left of the glass display cases!)

Say cheese!

That's one big mastodon

Conor inspecting some fossils

The hands-on area had a periscope for kids to "find" dinosaurs; Annika and Conor LOVED it

Annika giving Conor a boost so he could find dinosaurs

Eric explaining about the dinosaur's leg bone

Annika measuring herself against the leg bone

A piece of Native America artwork

Annika checking out a Native American sculpture

Annika counting the eyes on the totem pole

Of course, our kids were drawn to the computer and professed they had "lots of work to do"

More "work" was done on this computer, too

 After we exhausted the museum, we took a bit of a detour on the way home and stopped for a treat at a local Ben & Jerry's ice cream shop. We walked in a little hungry; we walked out full and sticky!

Conor says "YUM"

Like Annika's face paint? Eric did that for her during Conor's nap

Happy, chocolatey girl!

Conor's ice cream technique includes only licking in the middle
so he winds up with two mountains and canyon on a cone

Eric expertly reapplying the escaped caramel to his ice cream