Thursday, December 31, 2015

Day 598 | Home Sweet Home

As sad as we were to say goodbye to Wisconsin and our lovely vacation, there's really nothing better than being home again, is there? I feel crazy lucky to feel that way.

The flight went perfectly. I even read a few pages while Robbe napped on me (a seriously unusual circumstance). The travel day could not have gone better. 

Thank you, family and friends, for the best holiday trip yet. So many things to be thankful for as we inch toward 2016. 

Wednesday, December 30, 2015

Day 597 | Wrapping It Up

We had a busy last day in WI: visit to the Children's Musuem, lunch at a new spot, quality time with the sister in-law, a evening visit to the farm, a pizza party with the whole fam, and reading time with Chase and the girls. Oh, and packing, lots of packing.

Whew. Tomorrow's travel day will feel like a relaxing break. Just kidding, of course, here's hoping it's just as uneventful as possible. Happy thoughts, please!

Tuesday, December 29, 2015

Monday, December 28, 2015

Day 595 | Christmas #3

Our third (and final!) Christmas celebration occurred tonight while we watched the snow fall. A perfect ending to a completely wonderful Christmas season.

Thank you, family, for spoiling us with time, conversation, and gifts.

Day 594 | Girl Talk

Sometimes, although not frequently, something blog-worthy happens after I've completed my post for the day. Hard to believe, I know.

Last night, my favorite pre-teen/teenage nieces and I enjoyed each others' company while playing a board game (Girl Talk), watching a movie (Home...it was cute), and playing cards (Kent...a middle school favorite of mine). Grandma Mary even got in on the action. It was the kind of evening that made me more convinced than ever of our need to move back to Wisconsin. I want to be a bigger part of their lives during this super-important, super-influence-able time for them. I miss these girls.

Oh, and the little cards we're holding in the photo are from the Girl Talk game. We all passed out cards that we think best describes each person and then each of us picked our favorite card we received. The selected cards?

Isabelle: Giggles a lot
Ann: Incredibly caring
Sara: Can be trusted with a secret
Grandma Mary: A good listener
Lane: Very confident

Saturday, December 26, 2015

Day 593 | Trains!

We found trains in Wisconsin! Whew. We were starting to go through withdrawals.

There was a nice little holiday exhibit of model trains at the Chippewa Valley Museum. And, to top it off, there was a whole room dedicated to a toy train track that Chase, in particular, loved. Robbe seemed more interested in exploring the nooks and crannies of the rest of the museum. He found a fishing pond, a downtown bus, and a cow...to name some of the highlights. 

That, in addition to Mancino's for lunch = a pretty fantastic morning. And thanks, Grandma and Uncle Matt for going along on the adventure. 

Friday, December 25, 2015

Day 592 | Merry Christmas!

Today was just about perfect. Ecstatic boys on Christmas morning, lots of family time, delicious food, sweet treats, and wonderful reminiscing.

Merry Christmas, friends and family!

Thursday, December 24, 2015

Day 591 | Happy Christmas Eve

For the fourth time ever, we celebrated Christmas Eve with my dad's whole family tonight. It was madness and totally wonderful at the same time. I'm not sure how it's possible to feed 55+ people in a smallish house all at the same time but my Grandma and aunts managed just that. And flawlessly. I'm beyond thankful to call this group of people my family.

Oh, and Santa even stopped by during his gift-giving tour. Can you believe it? Chase was enamored, Robbe was terrified. At least they're consistent!

Happy Christmas Eve!

Tuesday, December 22, 2015

Day 590 | Pizza Party

After another family-filled day (we're soaking it all in!), we decorated our Christmas cookies and had a pizza movie party tonight. My stomach is still way too full. As it should be.

Monday, December 21, 2015

Day 589 | Cookies

Another busy day of holiday prep around here. Lots of errands and planning...and lots of family time and fun, too. 

Chase and I made sugar cookies for our Christmas celebration on Wednesday. We've still got frosting to do tomorrow, so hopefully they last that long. 

Sunday, December 20, 2015

Day 588 | Meeting Santa

Whew. We can finally cross meeting Santa off the list. December 20th is a little too close for comfort. Thank goodness Grandma M saved the day and found the big man today. Both Santa letters were successfully delivered but both boys did not successfully sit on his lap. Poor Robbe was shaking at the thought of being handed off to the stranger's lap. We'll settle for a photo of the boys (and me) with Santa this year.

Oh, but don't worry! Chase gave the jolly elf Robbe's wish list, too. Hopefully that means both boys will be rewarded on Christmas morning. 

Saturday, December 19, 2015

Day 587 | Family Time

Another lovely day in central Wisconsin. We had a ton of quality time with the cousins...like a full day of quality time with the cousins. I don't think Chase has played that hard in his life. He spent almost every waking moment with a toy in his hand. Vacationing is serious business around here.

Oh, and we got to take Archer and Maria (pictured above) for our Christmas present outing! They love crafting at a sweet little pottery shop where you can paint your own project. We had a blast. Archer chose a lego bank, Maria selected a spunky Christmas tree, and I painted a fun and festive holiday bowl. Chris took on the role of assistant, his preferred crafting position. Yay for spending time together instead of just more money on a plain-old gift.

Friday, December 18, 2015

Day 586 | Settling In

We're settling into vacation living just fine. We did practically nothing today. The boys didn't leave grandma and grandpa's house. It was just about perfect. Oh, and it snowed! The boys were thrilled and even willing to help with some manual labor. 

Vacation is the best. 

Thursday, December 17, 2015

Day 585 | Christmas Vacation!

We made it! It was a long day but the boys were troopers and Chris did ok, too.

Vacation starts now!

Wednesday, December 16, 2015

Day 584 | Getting There

In case you're curious, here's what packing for a family of four looks like at our house.

We've got some work to do tomorrow but our mid-afternoon flight gives is ample prep time (I hope!) in the morning. 

Tuesday, December 15, 2015

Day 583 | Yoga at Home

No, the boys aren't "helping" me with my home practice. Chris keeps them happily entertained. They are just allowed to enter the "yoga room" when a photographer is needed. That's Robbe showing off his down dog, by the way. :)
As much as getting out for a yoga class is about the best thing ever, I've resigned myself to start a more active home practice. I just can't seem to carve out the 2+ hours needed to get to a studio class (including transit, parking, and practicing time). Sad, but true.

So, my new goal has been to squeeze in two 30 minute home practices per week right after Chris gets home from work. I can't say that I meet that goal every week, but I'm trying. And it's amazing how much better my back feels on a daily basis if I can just stick with it. Yoga=good. 

If you're interested in a yoga-at-home resource, check out YogaGlo. There are tons (and tons!) of classes of all levels, yoga styles, focuses, and duration. It's free for the first month then $18 after that (the cost of just one class here)...such a steal! My favorite teacher is Stephanie Snyder at the moment and I highly recommend the vinyasa style of yoga (it's a more active form of yoga that focuses on moving with the breath). Give it a try. Your body and mind will thank you. 

Namaste. 

Monday, December 14, 2015

Day 582 | American History Kids Area

The photo is from yesterday, but we got all four kids to look so it had to be shared!
There's a brand new kids attraction in the District! The American History Museum just added a super-fun children's area called the Wegman's Wonderplace. As much as we love this museum, it has been missing an area for the kiddos to run free...problem solved!

There's a market (with an egg drop, Chase's favorite), a kitchen, a climbing structure (Robbe's favorite), lots of building blocks, and a guarded baby area. My only complaint is that it could be a bit bigger, but I'll take it.

The new area is for kids from 0-6 and is open every day but Tuesdays (I'm including this information here in the hope I internalize it).

Sunday, December 13, 2015

Day 581 | Trains on the Ellipse

The whole gang loaded into the minivan for an excursion to The Mall to take in the American History Museum and the National Christmas Tree. The highlight? The trains around the tree. For sure. 

The bummer? Santa was a no show again. No setup or anything this year. I guess that's where our government has decided to cut back spending. :( 

Saturday, December 12, 2015

Day 580 | Visitors: Round 3

Look who showed up at our door last night? Our favorite Ouagadougans (not sure if that's the real word for people living in Ouagadougou or not, but it sounds right). Even with trying to manage some jet lag, we had a really nice day catching up with Chris's brother and his family. Chase is smitten with Elizabeth, again, (the older cousin) and Robbe was delighted to be reunited with his twin (he and Robin were born about a month apart).

For the record, our house *may* be a bit small for four kids. It's been a little chaotic but very enjoyable. 

Friday, December 11, 2015

Day 579 | Fishing Craft

I've made it a tradition to make a homemade present for the boys the last couple of years. Two years ago, I made Chase this cowl and last year I made both boys favorite things tees.

This year, I recruited a little help from my loving husband (yay, Chris!) and we went all in for a homemade toy: a fishing set with fishing rods that actually reel and magnetic fish. Adorable, right? The boys are really loving it and I think it'll be a hit for a long, long time (they haven't been able to figure out the reel yet...so that's something to look forward to!).

In case you're interested in attempting the same project, here's the step-by-step tutorial we used. This website went above and beyond explaining how to create everything with almost too many photos (is that possible?).

The breakdown of the project at our house? Chris made the fishing rods (he's so handy!) and I sewed the fish and little worms to slip on the end of the string. I think I got away with the easier project this time around. No complaints here!

In case it's not obvious, we're both pretty proud of the finished product. And no one in the whole world has another fishing set just like it. That's just icing on the cake.

Thursday, December 10, 2015

Day 578 | A Typewriter

I mentioned that I gave Chris a typewriter for Christmas. I figured all of you must be interested in some of the details. 

It's a 1936 Underwood typewriter. It's fully functioning and is really beautiful. Amazing how now we have all this plastic junk that doesn't hold up, right?

Chris requested this gift as he decided he'd like to start typing his correspondence (mostly to the boys and me so far). We both agree that the thing is much harder to use that we expected. Turns out we're pretty used to the backspace function on our trusty computers. It's super fun to use, though, and it's going to be a family treasure forever. :)

Wednesday, December 9, 2015

Day 577 | Playtime!

Robbe and I met a friend at a brand new play place this morning. It's called Magic Gathering (or something like that...I didn't keep my ticket) in Columbia Heights (same building that the Target is in) and it's so much fun! Robbe had a blast playing in the ball pit, climbing the play structure, hoarding the toy trucks, and coloring a couple of pictures for his big brother.

Yeah, we'll be back with Chase some day. 

Tuesday, December 8, 2015

Day 576 | Farewell...Or Not

Here's the farewell photo when we dropped Chase off at school this morning. Little did we know that these two would be reunited so soon!
We got a bonus night with Grandma Mary tonight! I'm not sure she was thrilled with the change of plans (stupid plane problems), but we aren't complaining. 

Think happy thoughts for a more successful day of travel for her tomorrow. 

Monday, December 7, 2015

Day 575 | Panic Attack

For the record, I took this photo after I parked at the gas station (and after I took my seatbelt off). Don't worry, I wasn't driving down the street taking photos of my dashboard without my seatbelt on. :)
In case you're not familiar with a minivan dashboard, the photo above is depicting my worst nightmare. By the time I dropped Chase off at school this morning, I had less than one mile of gas remaining in my tank. Did I mention that I also didn't have my wallet with me (which I rarely ever walk out of the house without)?

Yes, that's when my panic attack kicked in. You can relate, right?

Here's the scenario:
  • Chase and I jump in the car this morning (my mom stayed with Robbe, thank goodness) to find out that there are 10 miles of gas remaining. Terror strikes, but it's fine because there's a gas station about halfway between us and Chase's school (i.e. one mile away).
  • The range meter ticks quickly from 10 to 5 as I pull off into the gas station. Whew...we made it.
  • I reach for my wallet. It's not there. Oh crap. Chase senses the stress in my voice (even though I didn't swear...impressive, right?) and starts freaking out. He brainstorms ideas from having to push to asking if buses run down this road. It was adorable and so sad all at the same time.
  • After much consoling, Chase is convinced we're going to make it to the next gas station (right next to Chase's school). I am less than convinced.
  • I continue to watch the range meter tick from 5 to 4 to 3 to 2. We're so close! I hope this meter is correct.
  • Shortly after the meter ticks to one, I park at the gas station near Chases's school and sigh a huge (HUGE!) sigh of relief.
  • One teeny problem still remains...I don't have any money. Luckily, one of the sweet moms at Chase's school had cash and loaned me $10 to get me back home after drop off.
Can I just say that I've never been more relieved in my life to not have to push my giant minivan with a toddler inside down a busy DC street in rush hour. And my takeaway message for all you loyal readers? Stash a $20 bill in your car...just in case.

p.s. I never EVER let my gas tank go under a 1/4 tank. I still can't figure out how this morning's situation arose. I blame my mom for distracting me too much with enjoyable conversation while I've been driving over the past week.

Sunday, December 6, 2015

Day 574 | St Nick's + Family Christmas

It was quite a day. Quite a day.

We woke up to St. Nick filling our shoes with all kinds of goodies. Then we were off to our favorite breakfast spot for some delicious egg sammies. There was time for a quick haircut for Chris before I headed out for my own indulgent haircut (my second one this year...it's a new record).

My mom and I did some holiday shopping and then got home just in time to get the family Christmas celebration under way (we decided to open presents early for several reasons). We all had a splendidly spirited evening. Gift highlights? Chris and I made an awesome (really awesome) fishing set for the boys (I'll do a separate blog post on this soon). I got the perfect customized bracelet set (I love it!). And after meeting with a very interesting (to say the least) traveling typewriter salesman, I tracked down a 1936 fully-functioning typewriter for Chris (for all his important, but not time-sensitive correspondence).

It couldn't have been better! The perfect start to the holiday season.

Saturday, December 5, 2015

Day 573 | Date Night

My mom was sweet enough to hang out with the boys so Chris and I could sneak away for some quality kid-free time. Glorious! We even found a happy hour with $6 cocktails=Chris's dream come true.

Thanks, mom!

Friday, December 4, 2015

Day 572 | Botanic Garden Train Time

Our annual holiday tradition continues: we made it down to the Mall for the train exhibit at the Botanic Garden. It was a crowd pleaser once again and Robbe didn't even pick a leaf (our big fear leading up to the outing).

We all agreed, however, that this year was less impressive than years past. The theme (Pollination Station) and scale (seemed more understated) left a little something to be desired as compared to previous displays but still nothing to complain about. 

Thursday, December 3, 2015

Day 571 | Grandma Mary!

Our next visitor arrived today: Grandma Mary! We're beyond excited to be spending part of the magical holiday season with her.

Wednesday, December 2, 2015

Day 570 | Minnesota Tees

Check out the sweet new tees the boys got from Aunt Kelli! They might not be from Minnesota but the boys are happy to represent in their glow in the dark tees.

Tuesday, December 1, 2015

Day 569 | Baby Gordon

I'd like to introduce you to the newest member of our family: Baby Gordon. He's Robbe's new best friend that sleeps with him and goes pretty much everywhere with him. It's about the cutest thing ever.

This morning, Baby Gordon (named after Gordon the train, by the way) decided to take a quick bath in my bowl of cheerios before breakfast. He did leave a couple spoonfuls for me to eat (and so did Robbe in case it's not clear by the fistful of cheerios he's swiping). I have a feeling Baby Gordon will be making several future cameos on the blog. Stay tuned.

Monday, November 30, 2015

Day 568 | Looking Festive

I've been on a mission to explain to Chase what "festive" looks like. I think he's gotten the hang of it just in time for our favorite holiday season.

Since most of our friends and family won't be able to share our holiday decorations with us, here's a peek at a few of my favorite festive corners of our house.

And, in case you're keeping track, I did finish the knitted Christmas stockings that I started last January (but only in the nick of time). I ended up unraveling the first one I did due to some sizing issues, so I actually knit five of them. I think they look pretty happy hanging from our mantle. 

Sunday, November 29, 2015

Day 567 | Family Day

There's a chance we will only be without family for three days during the entire month of December! We have two rounds of visitors coming in the next couple of weeks (my mom for sure and *fingers crossed* for Chris's brother and his family) and then we head back to Wisconsin for the holidays. Whoa! We're over the moon excited about all the family time but we realized with so many visitors and trips planned, it means limited time with just the four of us from now until 2016 (again, we're not complaining!).

So, what does that mean? Today was officially family day. We had breakfast (and took selfies with the boys) at our favorite breakfast joint and then headed down to the Mall for some fun museum time. Chase chose the American History Museum and, as usual, it didn't disappoint. Both boys had a blast running from exhibit to exhibit. It was about as perfect as an outing can be.

Saturday, November 28, 2015

Day 566 | Thanks, Kelli!

We said goodbye to Chris's Aunt Kelli this morning. It was her first visit to DC and we loved having her. The boys became *slightly obsessed* with her over the course of her visit. Which is exactly how it should be!

You're welcome anytime, Kelli.

Friday, November 27, 2015

Day 565 | Favorite Day

I've been giving it a lot of thought and I'm ready to commit to today as my favorite day of the year. I just love getting into the Christmas spirit. Digging out all our holiday treasures, busting out the Christmas songs (Chris and I are pretty much connoisseurs), rediscovering our collection of Christmas books...what could be better?

Thursday, November 26, 2015

Day 564 | Feeling Thankful

Happy Thanksgiving, wonderful family and friends. I hope you were all surrounded by lots of laughter, reminiscing and delicious food on this turkey day.

I'm happy to report we checked all those boxes with the friends and family we shared our meal with today. I still can't come to terms with today being Thanksgiving (where did the fall go?!?), but if I can't be back in Wisconsin for all the festivities, today was just perfect.

Wednesday, November 25, 2015

Day 563 | Holiday Weekend

We had a lovely start to our holiday weekend. Robbe and I met Chase at school for a Thanksgiving feast. Robbe sat right at the table with the big kids (do you see him at the back of the table) and had a blast. It was adorable.

Then this afternoon we enjoyed some wonderful quality time with Aunt Kelli. Have I mentioned visitors are the best? And we're beyond ecstatic to be celebrating the holiday with family tomorrow. Yippee!

Tuesday, November 24, 2015

Day 562 | Cubbie Squeeze

This is a normal occurrence as we leave school after drop off: Robbe shoves himself into any available cubbie and grins from ear to ear. It's the perfect size for him and so darn cute.

Monday, November 23, 2015

Day 561 | Old Enough?

I'm back! It's been a lovely break from the constant chronicalling of our lives but I'm happy to be here sharing photos with you again. Hopefully you all didn't mind the break...too much!

I'm thrilled to report that everyone is healthy (except maybe Chris and his looming cough) and things have gotten back to normal around here. We've been talking a lot about Christmas and Christmas presents...a lot. Turns out 3.5 years old is a fun age for all things related to the holiday spirit. So, my question for you? Based on Robbe's new favorite hobby (see photo above), is 1.5 years old too young to ask Santa for a skateboard? Ha! Even though his skills are impressive, maybe we'll wait until his birthday.


Monday, November 16, 2015

Day 560 | Taking a Break

It's been a long stretch of blogging for me (I think I've only missed a handful of days out of 560) and I'm in need of a break. Sorry, loyal followers, but there will be no new posts until next Monday, November 23.

But don't worry! I'll be back rejuvenated and ready for documenting all our holiday hoopla after my little blog-free vacation. 

Sunday, November 15, 2015

Day 559 | Moms


Sometimes I don't understand why my boys like me so much. I'm not always as patient and understanding as I'd like to be. I'm the primary disciplinarian (mostly because I'm the one with them for the majority of the day). I'm not nearly as sympathetic when they're sick (especially when it draws on for six+ week) as they deserve. I'm constantly multitasking when we're together (of course I can clean, cook, play, and read all at the same time).

And yet...they have this never ending, never questioning love towards me. It's amazing, really. Where is this coming from? Two events from the past few days:
  1. At pickup from school on Friday, I found out that Chase didn't sleep at nap time. We've had a really good stretch lately so I thought maybe we were past this. He definitely needs the sleep and naptime lasts 1.5 hours. He can just lay there, quietly, for 1.5 hours. Crazy, right? Just close your eyes! Anyway, I was slightly disappointed and frustrated by this news and was grilling Chase about why he didn't sleep. After several minutes, he finally said, "I didn't want to sleep." When I dug deeper and asked why, he hesitated for a moment then looked me right in the eyes and said, "I just needed you, momma." Are you kidding me? Talk about going from frustrated to putty in his hands. I honestly teared up. Could you imagine hearing anything sweeter from your 3.5 year old?
  2. As I've mentioned, Chase is getting into writing and drawing. I'm really enjoying watching this evolution. It's fascinating to me. This weekend, he wrote his first word. And guess what it was? M-O-M. I'm sure it's just because it's a short, easy to write word, but he purposely wrote it, knew what it spelled, and was so proud of himself (as he should have been!). One again, just heart melting. 

You just want to bottle these little moments up and save them for when the boys want nothing to do with me as teenagers. Instead, I'll just try to absorb as much of this sweetness as possible for as long as it lasts.

Saturday, November 14, 2015

Day 558 | New Phone

Chris and I splurged on new phones today. And with a new phone comes a first family selfie. The first of many...

Friday, November 13, 2015

Day 557 | Noodle Necklaces

Today was the perfect day for creating some good, old-fashioned noodle necklaces. 

Chase stayed pretty into it the whole time, even making one for Chris. Robbe was more focused on figuring out the best way to eat the rock hard noodles (his string reminded me more of a traditional candy necklace that he was trying to bite the noodles off of...ha!). A good time was had by all. 

Thursday, November 12, 2015

Day 556 | Retail Therapy

After the toy aisle, these balloons were a close second place favorite spot during our shopping spree.
Retail therapy: it really works, doesn't it?

I'm not sure I've ever (in 3.5+ years) taken a baby shopping with me solo. Target? Sure. But never as a fun, optional activity. Although Robbe wasn't an ideal shopping companion, he hung in there better than expected. 

After the great clothes and decent deals, maybe Robbe and I will make this a weekly activity. Ok, definitely not, but as a reward for surviving six weeks of sickness (and hopefully not a day more!), yep. I'm in. 

Wednesday, November 11, 2015

Day 555 | Busting Out

Robbe went 24 hours without a fever today! He's far from 100% but to celebrate this important accomplishment,  the boys and I (unfortunately Chris is still down for the count) headed to a park for some much needed fresh air and vitamin D. This was our first real outing in five days. That's an eternity for me. The beautiful fall day sparked the life back into me, though. Ready for healthy babies around here!

Tuesday, November 10, 2015

Day 554 | Close Call

On the walk to our car after school today, a small tree cracked loose from its trunk and landed about four feet away from us on the sidewalk. Chase and I agreed that we've never had something like that happen to us before (slightly more impressive coming from me than a 3.5 year old).

Oh, and that's the minivan on the other side of the tree. This incident could have been slightly less humorous if we were a little quicker walkers or if the wind was blowing the other way. 

Feeling lucky. 

Monday, November 9, 2015

Day 553 | Board Books

How can you tell a 1.5 year old is sick (oh, did I forget to mention Robbe and Chris are sick...again)? He'll sit through all these books in one sitting. Yep. One sitting, all these books.

As I was making the stack of read books, I realized that most of these are our all time favorite board books. What a perfect opportunity to highlight some of them as recommendations for anyone in the market for some new reading material.
Happy reading!

Sunday, November 8, 2015

Day 552 | The Life

Cats have it all figured out, don't they? They sleep a ton, receive attention only when they need it, are independent, yet friendly, and are just so funny and entertaining. 

Yep. That's the life. 

Saturday, November 7, 2015

Day 551 | Drawing

Painting time with Mary Catherine today. The blue one is Chase's space ship and the red on is Mary Catherine's. Adorable, I know.
Chase's interest in writing and drawing has really exploded over the last few weeks. He went from never wanting to color or paint to being interested every time I ask him...and he even requests it sometimes. So interesting.

And he's practicing his letters now, too. It's about the cutest thing ever. He's really mastered the "M" and can write a bunch of other letters too (but "M" is his favorite). I'm sure this budding interest comes from activities he's doing at school, but they definitely don't push practicing letters or writing on them. The process to teach writing is quite fascinating, isn't it? 

Friday, November 6, 2015

Day 550 | Candle Making

It's too late for any elaboration but here's a quick peek at part of my day (with Mary Catherine!). Yippee for candle making!

Thursday, November 5, 2015

Day 549 | Becoming a Dalmatian

You didn't think I'd overlook a friendly DIY guide for our favorite Dalmatian, did you? Here goes:

What I used:

  • a gray sweat suit (separate hoodie and pants), inside out
  • black flannel for spots (the flannel glued to the sweatshirt easier than felt would have)
  • black felt for the ears and tail 
  • stuffing (for the tail)
  • black thread (for minimal hand sewing)
  • fabric glue
  • ribbon for collar
  • old pet tag (or make something that looks like one)
How I did it:
  • Cut out a bunch of different-shaped spots and lay them out on the sweatshirt in an appealing pattern. Maybe you noticed that I started out spacing the spots evenly (see photo above), but ended up clumping them a bit more. I was much happier with that layout.
  • Use the fabric glue to adhere the spots. Don't go too heavy with the glue application or it'll seep through the felt fabric.
  • Cut ear shapes out of the felt fabric and handstitch them in place (the glue isn't strong enough to handle this job).
  • Cut a skinny cone shape out of the felt for the tail and hand sew up the long edges. Then add stuffing (not too full) and hand stitch the tail to the bum of the sweatpants.
  • Finally, attach the ribbon to the neck of the sweatshirt to act as the collar. Instead of handstitching the ribbon all the way around, just tack it on there with one stitch at each opening and one in the middle (where you'll add the tag with one stitch, too).