Crafting Adventures: Butterfly Dress

 

Last weekend was the Father/Daughter Dance at school, so I took the opportunity to whip up a pretty new dress for Miss Chief that would look lovely on the dance floor.  The theme was "Boots and Bows", a country music vibe, so she decided to wear what she now lovingly calls her "Anne boots" which we bought for her Anne of Green Gables photoshoot.

She picked out the butterfly fabric at JoAnn ages ago- I was originally planning to do the Simple Life Pattern Co. Blaire ruffled maxi skirt, but the season passed and then I ended up using that pattern for her Christmas look instead.  I have a bunch of summery dress patterns I've been itching to make, and these beautiful butterflies were just begging to become a sundress, so I landed on the SLP Co Mya dress.  I originally bought this pattern with the intention of making the peplum top version first, but then the dance was approaching and I needed to decide on a dress so I went for the longer length instead.

This was a very easy sew and I didn't run into any major problems.  I ended up not top stitching around the neckline/the top of the bodice but I don't think it suffers for it.  The bodice is lined and as long as you take care when clipping the curves and press it when you turn it out, it's very crisp and clean even without the top stitching.

Of course the real star of this dress is the back.  The straps are 4 separate pieces that you tie together to tighten as needed, and you can either tie them straight up-and-down or in an X pattern like I've done.  I figured criss-crossing the straps would lend added stability for her while she was jumping around on the dance floor.  The back can be made either a solid rectangle with channels for elastic which mimic shirring, or the three straps as I've chosen to do.  I made this in a size 8 which fits her like a glove, but I did end up needing to take in the elastic straps, about an inch off the top one and a half inch off the middle.  There are no traditional side seams on this bodice- the front is one piece that wraps around about a third of the way on each side of the back and connects to the elastic straps.  If I had done a fitting before putting it together, I would have just cut the elastic shorter; my solution is a little less elegant, but it's on the inside of the dress so I don't really care.  I did the gathered skirt option due to the amount of fabric I had to work with, but this would have had even more twirl factor with the circle skirt option.

I hope she gets a lot of wear out of this gorgeous dress this summer!  I can't wait to make a bunch more light and airy summer dresses.  Let's see what I've got in my stash...

Much love,

The Geeks

Spring 2023 Wrap-Up

 

Yet again, the past few months have been a whirlwind, and I haven't been posting life updates to the blog the way I typically do.  Here's a little rundown of what the past few months have brought to the Geek family:

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We celebrated Easter with my parents, sisters, and their families.  I made the dresses that the girls wore, and the tie that Peanut wore. The cousins had a blast playing together.

Little Bean turned 2 years old!  She loved eating her Happy Birthday Cake at her Happy Birthday Party while everyone sang Happy Birthday to her.  Her favorite gift was her "puter", a little LeapFrog "laptop" that she likes to "work" on while Mommy works.

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Miss Chief was in a couple of performances of Cinderella with her ballet studio.  She played several roles, but her favorite part was her feature as the court jester, the Prince's little assistant during and after the ball.  She got a chance to show off the cartwheel she has worked so hard to perfect, along with her pantomime and comedy skills.

We're quickly approaching the last day of school!  No snow days this year means we actually get out a few days early, and yet it still feels as though the productive part of the year has ended.  It really makes me wonder why we're sending them in for two weeks of parties and field days, but I guess it's good for them to have time to spend with their friends without the pressure of doing actual work.

How has your spring been?

Much love,

The Geeks

 

Crafting Adventures: Floral Finery

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Happy Easter!  If your family celebrates Easter, I hope it was a joy-filled day with lots of "alleluias" and a little bit too much candy.

I finally have a moment to share a look at the outfits I made for my kids to wear to Easter morning Mass.  If you follow me on Instagram, you may have been watching my nightly progress on my Stories.

When creating holiday outfits for my crew, I typically choose one fabric to feature and then some accent fabric depending on the garments I'm making, and each kid typically gets their own unique garment made in that same fabric.  This time, however, I took my oldest to JoAnn- our favorite place to shop together- with only the vague idea that I wanted something floral.  We found these quilting cottons in various colors and just could not decide on a single color, so this time each kid got their own fabric- Miss Chief in blue, Peanut in green and blue, and Bean in the pink and purple.  To keep the outfits looking cohesive, I used the same pattern for the girls' dresses, but the little one got short sleeves and the oldest was sleeveless.  I also chose a lace ribbon to use as trim on both dresses and to tie off the back, and used the same buttons on each dress.  While it's certainly a departure from our usual single color palette, I think they look great together!  Mr. Geek and I shopped our closets for our looks- I wore a blue floral dress and he wore a bright pink tie.

The dress pattern I used was the Elouise from Simple Life Pattern Company.  For my 9-year-old, I did the sleeveless option with the dress length gathered skirt.  For my almost-2-year-old, I did the short sleeved version with the vintage length gathered skirt.  I used a lovely lace ribbon for the long ties in the back and to trim the hemline of the skirt on both dresses.  The back of the dress is really the star on this pattern.

For my son, I made the Classic Necktie pattern from Peek-a-boo Pattern Shop.  Unlike the many ties and bowties I've made for him in the past, this pattern is for a real tie.  I was sort of in a hurry when whipping this one up and ended up not using the woven sew-in interfacing, which would have given it a sturdy, crisp feel- I will have to make sure to do that next time.  The pattern also features adult sizing, so I'll have to make one of these for Mr. Geek next time, too!  Peanut looked like such a handsome gentleman and received so many compliments on his dapper look.

We're lucky to be spending the Easter Octave with family.  All of the cousins have really enjoyed this time together!  And we look pretty great together, too.

Happy Easter!

Much love,

The Geeks

Fall 2022 Wrap-Up

 So, turns out a lot of stuff happened around here between Halloween and Christmas- stuff which I usually document here, but we were just way too busy.  So rather than giving each a dedicated post, I'll just give you a little taste all in one.  (If you follow me on Instagram, however, you did indeed see some of these life updates!)

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Little Bean turned 18 months old, and in her aged wisdom she decided to leave behind her high chair and sit only in a booster seat in a regular chair, using utensils and eating from her own plate just like everybody else.

In November, Mr. Geek and I celebrated our tenth wedding anniversary.  I had planned to write up this sweet list of marriage advice learned over ten years, but instead I'll leave you with this- we had our parents come and stay with the kids for the weekend and we spent two night in a sweet little historic inn half an hour up the road.  That's it, that's the secret to ten happy years of marriage.

 

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Miss Chief celebrated her 9th birthday on the same day as our wedding anniversary.  The day after we got back from our little getaway, we had a big birthday party for her.   She wore a dress that she designed and I made, and she invited all the girls in her class.  It was the first big party we've had since the pandemic started and we all had a blast.

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In December, Mr. Geek and I joined Miss Chief for 3 performances of The Nutcracker with her ballet school.  Every year, they ask for parent volunteers to dance as the parents in the party scene, and since Miss Chief was cast as a child in the party scene, we decided to go for it and join her on stage.  It was a LOT of work but honestly we haven't had that much fun in a long time!

So yeah, that was our fall!  Hopefully I can get back into posting here on a semi-regular basis.  I sewed a lot of awesome things in 2022 and I'd like to share them with you!

What did the end of the year look like for you?

Much love,

The Geeks 

Nine.

 Yesterday was our eldest daughter's 8th birthday, which means we've been married 9 whole years now.

Halloween 2021

I ship us.

There are two kids who meet at summer camp for nerds.  They live in different states, he's about to head off to college, she's going into her senior year of high school.  They instantly fall for each other, their first kiss is incredibly awkward but incredibly adorable.  Their time together is brief and then they go their separate ways, make new friends, pair off with new romantic interests.  But they keep talking- he calls and talks to her for hours, something her actual boyfriend can't bring himself to do, a detail that savvier members of the audience surely pick up on as the writers' hint that these two are destined for each other.  They even start writing letters to each other, and maybe at that point some viewers turn it off, finding the whole concept ridiculous.  

Their plot lines don't really intertwine again for a couple of seasons, and then when it does, they're still in separate cities, and I'm sure there are viewers who wish this storyline would end already, but it doesn't.

In season 6, they finally live in the same city.  Then he proposes.  The big wedding comes in season 7.

They've got a spin-off show now about raising three kids in a house that's too small.  The storyline is sort of repetitive- the punchline of each episode involves the zany antics of the four-year-old son or the disastrous effects of sleep deprivation (the audience is really tired of hearing about how the new baby won't sleep).  The camera no longer lingers on their kisses, and the most romantic episodes revolve around him volunteering to cook supper.  The only source of suspense is wondering if they'll get the eldest daughter to ballet class on time and with both of her shoes.

But you know what?  I still ship them.  They're definitely my OTP.

Much love,

The Geeks

Currently, Chief is...{8 years}

 This has been simultaneously the longest and the shortest year ever.  The pandemic continues to drag on seemingly to no end, since nobody wants to make the minimum amount of effort to end it, and yet also it seems like I just blinked and Miss Chief aged an entire year.  She has only gotten more amazing as she's grown- check out just how amazing.

Thanksgiving 2020

Currently, Chief is in second grade.  She did the entirety of first grade online, and while it was the right choice for our family, it was a pretty crummy school year, academically.  Thankfully, Chief is self-motivated and seeks out further knowledge on topics she's interested in, so through games, educational shows, and books from our local public library, we've been able to sustain the momentum started with her pandemic-induced independent study in Kindergarten to make up for the absolute boredom that was first grade.  Second grade started out rather boring as well, but she's finally being challenged in Latin, religion, and spelling, if not math or science.  Hopefully she doesn't lose this love of learning and is always able to overcome the limitations of a classroom environment.

Christmas 2020

This year has really defined her role as a big sister.  Her brother is finally old enough to play with and otherwise interact with her as a peer, which means he's old enough to annoy the heck out of her.  It's also become exceedingly obvious that he wants to be just like her, and she's equal parts flattered and irritated by that.  Her baby sister was also born this year, and Chief is old enough to be actually helpful, which she absolutely relishes.  She can make her own sandwiches and fetch the baby's pacifier and fill up Mommy's water bottle and even- her favorite- hold the baby and entertain her if necessary.  

'20-'21 Dance Photo // Sterling Ballet Academy

I'm continuously amazed by how mature, how intelligent, how graceful she is- and I'm continuously fooled into thinking she's much older than she is.  She's 8 now, not 18, and I am constantly reminding myself to give her space to indulge in some nonsense every now and then.  I want her to wear princess dresses, and make up silly songs, and cook imaginary food in a pretend kitchen for as long as she wants.

Halloween 2021

Eight years of love, joy, sweetness, and sass; I can't wait to see what her future holds.

Much love, 

The Geeks

He is Risen Indeed

 

Alleluia!

After a Lent that felt like it lasted literally a year, it was so nice to go to Mass to celebrate the Resurrection.  In an effort to make up for last year's live stream couch experience, we did something crazy- we took the kids to the Easter Vigil.  It didn't even start until an hour and a half after bedtime, and it ended just before 11pm.  But the kids thought the whole thing was so cool, with the candles, and the lights progressively getting brighter, and four brand-new Christians were received into the Church, opening up a great conversation about baptism and how their  baby sister's baptism is going to look different when we celebrate it, God willing, next month.  

We expected the insanely late night (everyone stayed awake through the whole thing!) would lead to a nice late morning...but alas, the prospect of presents is enough to rouse any kid from the deepest slumber.  So, we all lumbered down the stairs a mere 45 minutes past a regular school-day wake up to see our new dress-up outfits, movies, and a brand new video game- along with plenty of candy.

I made the pinafore on little Miss Chief and the matching bowtie on Peanut; I'll give them a separate post soon.  The kids were thrilled with brand new, homemade garments; I've been spending a lot of time and energy sewing for the pending arrival, and although they both enjoy picking out fabrics from my stash for the latest baby project, they really appreciated things that were made just for them (from brand new yardage purchased specifically for this).

Even if you're not yet able to return to worship in person, I hope you had a joyful day.

Much love,

The Geeks

It's a...

 

...girl!

We're so excited to be welcoming a new baby girl this April.

Well, most of us are excited.

Peanut is not excited, which he will state forlornly if you ask him.  It's okay for the baby to be a girl- like, she has his permission to exist- but he doesn't have to be thrilled about it.

I think he's softening a little, though.  He loves to talk to her and kiss her goodnight, and now calls her by her name instead of just Baby or Little Bean.  And he still gets excited talking about the duties of a big brother and how much she's going to love him.  Just don't ask him point blank how he feels about the concept of a sister.

Not gonna lie, I'm pretty pumped.  I know a mom is not supposed to care either way, but baby girl clothes are just so much more fun... We finally had a slow weekend on our hands, so I cranked out a few sewing projects, whipping up some simple little dresses.  And since Bean will have a girl cousin born probably the same week, I took the opportunity to make what will probably be only the first of many matching outfit sets for the two of them!  (I'll share a look at the outfits on Instagram once my sister has had a chance to unwrap hers!)

Alright, be honest- which is more fun, baby boys or baby girls?

Much love,

The Geeks

Eight.

 

Photo by Emile Frey Photography

It's obviously an understatement to say 2020 has been a difficult year.  Our marriage has not been immune from the difficulties facing our country and the whole world this year; together, we've faced challenges we've never had to face before.  But we've been successful in every battle we've fought this year (and truly, they have felt like battles) and our marriage is all the stronger for our resolve to face things together, as a team.  We've learned a lot about ourselves and each other this year, and changed a lot about our family life and parenting; in many ways, we hope to never return to "normal".  

These have certainly been an exciting eight years; here's to more excitement in the future.  (Although, perhaps different excitement next year...)

Doing Some Homework

 

It's time for Peanut to hit the books- he's got some studying to do!  Luckily, Chief is a star student and is willing to tutor him.

That's right- Peanut is becoming a big brother!  

He's so excited- both kids are so ready to have a baby in the house after meeting their new cousin a few months ago.  And what's even more exciting is that my other sister is also pregnant right now, and we are due within days of each other!  Two little cousins are coming that will be practically twins!

So Peanut has until mid-April 2021 to learn everything he needs to know about being a big brother.

Of course, he's hoping for (well, demanding) a baby brother, and Chief is really praying for the sister she's always wanted.  Me, I'm just ready for morning sickness to go away.

Much love,

The Geeks

Hallelujah is Our Song

Happy Easter from The Geeks!

So, it was a very Lent-y Lent, and a very quiet Easter, but we made it work.  Miss Chief was very upset that we couldn't go to church for Easter- she thought surely the virus would put itself on pause for us to all gather for an hour or so in the Lord's presence on this holiest of days, but of course that's not how it works.  So we processed through the house with a homemade, paper Easter candle, we sang as best as we could, we renewed our Baptismal promises, and we sprinkled each other with holy water.  And we did it in our fancy Easter outfits, with our hair done nice.  We squealed over Easter baskets full of toys and princess dresses and movies and books and books and books, and we're looking forward to some homemade chocolate peanut butter eggs this afternoon. 

So in the midst of all this weirdness, there's still hope and joy.  We are an Easter people, and hallelujah is our song.

Did you get dressed up for Easter-at-home?

Much love,
The Geeks

Lent for Pre-Schoolers: Prayer

I don't know how many prayers a 3-year-old is supposed to know, but ours knows The Lord's Prayer and Grace Before Meals and if she's in the mood, she can follow along with some parts of the Mass.  (She likes when the sung bits are in Latin because they're more fun than regular English words.)  She's heard the rosary being prayed, and the last time was our bus ride to the March for Life, when she prayed along with The Lord's Prayer and counted the beads the rest of the time.  But those are pretty much the only types of prayer she's been exposed to thus far.

For the past few years, I've forgone attending Friday night Stations of the Cross because they start at what should be her bedtime and I've felt it was unfair to everyone to drag a baby or a toddler along who would rather be sleeping.  (Well maybe she wouldn't rather be sleeping, but her little body would.)  We've made Friday night into Movie Night in our house lately, though, meaning she's up past her bedtime anyway, so I figured if we're not going to honor bedtime on Fridays, we may as well squeeze in some holiness.  (And we can watch movies on Saturday night.)

Maybe I overestimated how good of an idea this was.

A different group hosts a meatless meal right before Stations every week, and so far, that's been her favorite part.  "Is it Friday today?  Are we going to have supper at church?"  But if we're going to have supper at church, we're going to stay for "special prayers" and that is apparently less exciting.

The first week, Mr Geek had to work night shift, so she and I went on our own.  She didn't want to sit still or look at the pictures in the booklet, but she didn't make any noise and she stayed in our pew so it was okay.

The second week, it was once again just us girls, and she had much more energy.  This time she wasn't content to stay in our pew and went further and further away, all the while grinning at me with a look that said "I know I'm breaking the rules, and I know you won't get loud about it because this is church."  She eventually came back and threw a stuffed animal at me, so I put it in my bag and whispered that we were going to go home.  As I started to gather our things she panicked and began yelling, "No!  I don't want to leave!  No!  I don't want to go home!"  And I mean yelling.  So I scooped her up and quite literally ran out of there- coats dragging on the floor, screaming child in my arms.  She definitely knew she was in trouble and leaving church was a punishment that had impact, but I felt so defeated.  There were plenty of other children there, many her own age or younger, who had been sitting quietly and even trying to follow along.  What was I doing wrong?

The third week, Mr Geek was on day shift and therefore available to attend with us.  Having both parents definitely helped- we could physically bound her movement, and the not-currently-pregnant parent could hold the 35 pound wiggle worm more securely, letting her turn the pages of his booklet and eventually encouraging her to participate in the kneeling and standing and kneeling again.  She still wasn't quite paying attention- until the end, when she started asking me about the figures in the pictures- but it was the best Friday yet.

The fourth week, everyone had a head cold.  We stayed home, ate scrambled eggs and Eggo waffles for dinner (because #pregnancy), and went to bed early.

This week, the Youth Group is putting on Living Stations.  I've spent all week preparing Miss Chief for what we're going to see- I explained that it's kind of like a show (a word she currently associates with a performance on stage at a theater) where people will be dressed up in costume, and one of them will pretend to be Jesus carrying his heavy cross.  She's been asking lots of questions about it and is looking forward to eating supper at church AND seeing a show there.  I'm hoping this will keep her engaged enough to want to pay attention.

Wish us luck.

When did you start taking your little one to Stations of the Cross?  How do you observe Lent with small children?

Much love,
The Geeks

Lent for Pre-schoolers: Almsgiving

Our three-year-old is at the age where she's paying attention to everything, learns just by watching and listening, and wants to feel like she's contributing.  So this is the perfect time for family Lenten activities that she can be involved in!

I signed us up for Ginny's weekly writing prompts over at Not So Formulaic, and for the first week's prompt she was able to draw a picture for us and then I wrote down her description on the back.  We're going to keep our family letters in a nice little binder and look back on them when she's older as a fun way of remembering how much she's grown.

But I'm also trying to get her more involved in the three tenets of the Lenten season: prayer, fasting, and almsgiving.  These are pretty big concepts for a pre-schooler- she only knows two prayers, she's exempt from the regular fast, and she doesn't own anything she could give away.

Still, we've come up with some ways to make this season more meaningful for her.

Every parent is familiar with the ritual post-Christmas purging of the old toys.  Every January finds our house stuffed to the brim with things she just doesn't need- it all seems to come in a rush since her birthday is in November and then Christmas comes right after.  I don't necessarily save this purging for January, either- pretty much after every gift-giving occasion I'm culling our inventory of unnecessary plastic objects.  (And since, on my side of the family, Chief is The First Grandbaby, any given Tuesday could be a gift-giving occasion.)  I've always been able to go through her things and decide what can be kept for future babies, what needs to be thrown out, and what could be given away while she's distracted by the Shiny New Thing (let's be honest- Things).

This year, though, I want things to be a little different.

For Christmas, Chief received a big, beautiful doll castle with a few dolls, and it just so happens to be a good size for a collection of little princess dolls she already had, too.  She's played with it probably every day since she opened it; it's definitely one of her favorite new toys.  For a couple of weeks, it sat on the floor next to the doll castle she'd gotten for her birthday last year.  At first, the little princesses held parties in both castles and visited each other and their new friends.  Pretty quickly, though, the princesses set up a permanent residence in the new castle.  As the old castle was kind of in the way, it was moved up on top of the toy box, where it remained, untouched and unnoticed, for about a month.

At the beginning of February, I asked Chief if she still played with her old castle.

"No, I like my new one."

I suggested that maybe, since she has a new castle for her princesses, she didn't need the old one anymore.  Maybe there were other little girls who might like to play with it.  She was initially pretty horrified at the thought and didn't want it taken away from her, so I dropped the subject.  She didn't return to playing with it, but we didn't talk about it, either.

I could have donated the castle without asking her, but she would have noticed- even though she doesn't play with it, it's huge, and had been a fixture in the playroom for just over a year.  I didn't want her to think she was being punished, or that it was being taken away from her, though.  I wanted her to come to the conclusion that she didn't need it anymore and that it could make someone else happy.  For a few weeks, I would periodically talk to her about it, probing to see if she was comfortable with the idea yet.

Finally, the day after Ash Wednesday, she told Mr Geek that she thought maybe some other little girls might like to play with that old castle.  So they gathered up its accessories and put it in his car, and drove it to the local charity thrift shop to donate.  She was really hoping to be able to see the castle's new owners immediately, but Mr Geek explained that they didn't know who was going to have it next.

She really is pretty selfless, and loves to share.  When she's playing with any of her massive collection of stuffed animals, she'll pause and say, "When the baby gets here, I'll let him play with this one."  (And it's often her most cherished toy that she's willing to share, not just the forgotten or neglected ones.)  Giving away an old dollhouse may not be the same as the old woman donating her last two coins, but it's a step towards a detachment from material goods, towards charity, towards the type of sacrifices Lent is all about.

I'm really proud of her.

What sorts of activities do you do with your little ones during Lent?

Much love,
The Geeks

Mini Babymoon Getaway

Although Mr Geek and I have taken trips away from Miss Chief individually (me for business, him for a funeral), we've never gone away together and left her with someone else.  Now that my sister lives so close- about an hour away- and now that our baby girl is three years old (and therefore not a baby anymore), we thought maybe we would risk a night away to relax and enjoy some grown up time before Peanut (my unofficial nickname for Baby Boy) arrives and all thoughts of relaxation go out the window.

Of course, we spent literally the entire time talking about our big girl, wondering if she was enjoying her "spend-the-night" (not a sleepover, a spend-the-night) with her aunt and uncle, hoping she wasn't giving them too much grief about bedtime, planning what we would spend the rest of the weekend doing with her...but still, it was nice to have some time away during which we could have theoretically discussed things other than Elmo.  (Somehow, while waiting for our fancy grownup entrees to arrive at dinner, we found ourselves discussing our favorite Sesame Street  episodes.  I think maybe we need therapy.)

I did not receive a single panicked phone call or desperate text from my amazing sister, and everyone enjoyed the special Friday night.  We were back by 10 am the next morning- turns out there is literally nothing to do in Fredericksburg on a Saturday morning- so we were only apart for just over 12 hours, but still, this was a big step for us.

We stayed at Kenmore Inn on Princess Anne St in Fredericksburg.  I had always considered staying at a bed and breakfast to be something that fancy grownups did, so I figured the weekend after St. Valentine's Day was the perfect time to pretend to be fancy grownups.  Although the Inn is but a mere 15 miles from my sister's house in Stafford, it took nearly 45 minutes to drive there on a Friday night.  We arrived after 7, giving us just enough time to check in and make ourselves look nice before our 8:00 dinner reservations at the on-site restaurant.  The food was delicious, the wine sure smelled good (I'm not gonna lie, I really miss wine, but I don't force Mr Geek to be a tea-totaler while I'm pregnant), and the ambiance was cozy- the perfect place to discuss the logistics of taking the Metro to see Disney on Ice later that weekend.  (Yes, that was another topic of conversation at our fancy grownup dinner.)  Because the restaurant is in the cellar of the b&b, guests can use the back staircase to get back to their rooms- meaning dinner was just far enough away from our room for me to regret trying to balance my big ol' preggo belly in heels.  There was a full-service breakfast the next morning in a quaint little dining room that would be perfect for hosting a small rehearsal dinner for a wedding, and then checkout was simply dropping off the key with the front desk.  (There's something so charming about actual keys, rather than key cards.)  We had planned to walk around and take in the sights, but the only things open that morning were antique stores (which Mr Geek kind of hates) and coffee shops (but we'd already had breakfast), plus we really did miss our little girl, so we made our way back to pick her up.

The Kenmore Inn sits on property originally owned by George Washington's sister's father-in-law.  (How's that for history!)  It sustained damage during the Battle of Fredericksburg in 1862 but stood strong.  Throughout the years it's been a family home, a tavern, a boarding house, a coffee shop, and finally the bed and breakfast it is today.  It's really quite a charming house, and is decorated with period antiques.  We stayed in the Regal Kenmore room, with a king-sized bed and wood burning fireplace (though we opted not to have it lit as it wasn't really that cold that night).  The Inn also has a family-sized suite, so it could be a lovely alternative to a regular hotel if you find yourself needing a place to stay in Fredericksburg- it's not just for romantic getaways!

So tell me- when you're away from your kids, do you spend the whole time talking about them?  How old were your little ones before you left them with someone else overnight?  Have you ever stayed in a bed and breakfast (and did you feel like a fancy grownup)?

Much love,
The Geeks

Oh, Internet... {92}

So obviously I've been away from blogging for a few months and, I'm sad to say, I've been away from reading blogs, too.  (Pregnant-Me mostly just wants to watch The Grand Tour on Amazon, shop online for baby clothes, and sleep.)  But this week I opened up my good ol' RSS feed again (how old school!) and followed my favorite bloggers this week and boy did I find some good stuff!

If you read nothing else from this list, definitely read this post from A Gentle Mother.  "...[T]here’s a big problem, for me, when it comes to balance. Namely, that’s it unachievable."  I needed this post.

Alison at Reconciled to You makes a very good point as she urges us, "Please Don't Give Up Social Media this Lent."  If digital witnesses to Christ all abandon ship during the most important season of the year, could we be missing out on opportunities to evangelize?

Katie at The Catholic Wife provided a wonderful reflection on the Fifty Shades trilogy- what are women really seeking when they read and watch these stories?

What awesome things happened on your internet this week?

Much love,
The Geeks

And the baby is a...

BOY!

We're having a boy!  Our little princess is getting herself a baby brother and she couldn't be happier.  She came with us to watch the ultrasound and was blown away by the idea that the weird little wand rolling through the yucky gel on Mommy's belly could actually look inside and see her baby brother.  And my was he active!  He kept rolling from side to side, making it hard for the tech to capture a picture of his head that was good enough to measure his big ol' brain.  And his little profile looks just like Chief's did, with the same little button nose.

Mr Geek and I are beyond excited about our healthy, beautiful, BIG baby boy- he's measuring a week farther a long than our due date estimation, which is not enough to actually adjust the due date but leads me to believe that he's going to be larger than his sister was.

So, moms of boys- any advice?  Moms of both- how are baby boys and baby girls different?  (Or is it more that babies are people and therefore they're all different?)  Any advice for preparing the big sister for life with a little brother?

Much love,
The Geeks

Currently, Chief is... {3 Years}

Our marriage turned 4 on Thursday, and our daughter turned 3.  We spent all weekend with her opening presents, watching her favorite movies, Skyping with grandparents, and celebrating at Chuck E Cheese.  Here's a look at how she's grown over the past year.

baking cookies in January

Growing in sass every day ;)  She's been wearing size 4T since spring, and doesn't appear to be getting any bigger any time soon- at least I hope not, because she's got a full year-round wardrobe in this size now!

Looking fancy for Easter

Eating...like a toddler.  That whole being-open-to-new-foods phase was fun, but it's over now.  They say breastfed babies and babies who learn to eat through baby-led weaning won't be picky eaters...but "they" are mostly just trying to sell the parenting methods.  (Don't get me wrong, we did both of those things, and they have lots of benefits.)  My point is: kids will be kids, and this one definitely is.  If she had her way, we'd eat "burgers with cheese" for dinner every night, and eat candy every time we watched a movie.  While Mr Geek had been hopeful that she'd be a fan of spicy food, she's not nearly as adventurous anymore- and uses the word "spicy" to describe any food she doesn't particularly like.  Our biggest struggle right now is that when she does get a say in what she eats, she waffles back and forth- she'll change her mind a few times, appear to settle on something, and then once the meal is almost ready, change her mind back again.  (Which leads to frustration, and sometimes tears, but eventually she eats what's on her plate.)

surveying her new backyard this summer

Talking all the time.  Always.  Non-stop.  Except when I ask a question that she doesn't want to answer, then she's quiet as a mouse!  They are teaching her Spanish at school, so she can count to 10 and tell you most of the colors- at first that was mostly a party trick, but now she's peppering her conversations with Spanish and it's actually pretty cool.  Her favorite part of every Elmo episode is "the word on the street" vocabulary word, which she'll try to incorporate into her speech throughout the day.  And she's learning to spell!  Right now she can spell her own name, as well as Mom and Dad.  She love to recognize her name wherever it's written (her cubby at school, the artwork on her wall, even the box for a certain Disney movie for which she was named.

Meeting her idol

Making facial expressions that define the term "threenager".  I swear that girl has mastered the look- you know, the one I give Mr Geek when he's trying to make a joke to talk himself out of the hole he's dug and it ain't working- and she throws it my way if I suggests an outfit or activity that just doesn't cut it.

carving a jack-o-lantern for Halloween

Listening to music on the radio and singing along!  She actually requests the alternative rock station by name when I pick her up from school.  There are a few songs she knows the lyrics to and we'll sing it together (but mostly she tells me not to sing, only her).  It's pretty awesome that our music is cool- at least for now.  (We're even considering taking her to a Red Hot Chili Peppers concert in the spring, but we're worried she won't want to wear ear protection.)

dressed as her favorite fairy for trick-or-treat

Sleeping...Oh sleep.  How I miss you.  She has officially abandoned naptime, except for maybe a day or two a week at school.  But at home, she's just much too busy to nap.  This usually means that, on weekends anyway, mornings are the best time of day.  Nighttime is a battle of wills.  We have a general routine, and she'll keep suggesting things she needs to do to delay the inevitable- relevant things like brushing her teeth, and not-as-relevant things like drinking more water or finding that neglected stuffed animal that she suddenly requires.  But she always seems to wake up well-rested, so I guess our long, meandering bedtime "routine" is okay.

celebrating at Chuck E Cheese

Loving Elmo; living so near to her Aunt Helen; puppies that lick her face; getting frosting on her nose; Elsa (excuse me- Queen Elsa of Arendelle); Friday night movie night; breakfast at "the coffee store" (Starbucks); grocery shopping, but only at Giant, where they have the shopping carts with the ride-in cars attached; choosing her own outfit; reading; coloring; singing; pretending to be a puppy or a monster or a cat or a frog; playing Pokemon Go.

Hating not having a say in a decision; the apparently irrational rule that shorts are not allowed when it's cold outside; for that matter, sleeves; bedtime.

And now she's 3.  My goodness, where has the time gone?

How is your little one doing lately?

Much love,
The Geeks