Greta is obsessed with the swings. She loves them! And I love her wild hair. 

PS: Holly wore this same outfit. You can see a post of her at 11 months here. Just for reference, Greta is 17 months in these photos.

At our last trip to the craft store, Holly choose these animal beads over a pack of mixed pink pony beads. She really liked these beads! She was more interested in talking about the colors and what animals they were than actually stringing them up on a necklace. Totally great! She's a natural little sorter that's for sure! It was a happy surprise to learn the beads were made in the USA too! Hip hip hooray! Holly did end up making two necklaces, one for her and one for sister. Necklace making is a favorite around here that's for sure.

Oh Henry, you gave me a run for my money! He stayed wide awake and fussy the whole entire time. He didn't want to sleep, he just wanted his Momma to hold him and feed him. Which was okay, because I learned that potraits aren't really my style. Some would describe my style as "lifestyle." I like to photograph the little moments, the interactions, the relationships. Still, I'm hoping he'll be fast asleep for me one of these days!

We've been doing a lots of crafts and activities around here, or at least more than we've ever done. Honestly, I have so many things to post about. It's awesome! I've enjoyed doing these things with Holly. Sometimes things can get a little out of hand and the activity is cut short, but overall it's been good and fun. It's nice to blog about it too since there's no one to give me a Momma raise or a pat on the back. Heck, somedays I'd happily take a gold star.

This activity is based on Montessori. I want to do more Montessori learning with my girls. There's stuff out there on the internet, books and a huge bonus to me, my sister-in-law, Allison, is a Montessori preschool teacher. She's given me a ton of tips and ideas. Our first activity was simple and when I first put it out for Holly I honestly questioned whether she'd like it or not because to me it seemed so simple. I'm happy to report that it was a huge hit! Holly played for 45 minutes straight and would've played longer, but we had to go someplace. The activity is moving beans from one bowl (left to right in prep for reading), with a spoon. That's it. I bet you have the supplies at home right now. Holly added her own little twist by getting a ladle. And Greta got in on the fun too. The girls have "played beans" a few times since and it definitely has not lost its sizzle. Repetition, repetition is key for toddlers. As always, let me know if you try any of these activities that I post about.

In our new apartment, there's no washer or dryer. But at the bottom of the stairs there's a small laundry room. And while I prefer having those appliances in my home, it's not been nearly as inconvenient as I thought it would be. In fact, it's not really inconvenient at all. And perhaps one perk is that because they're coin operated, I needed a coin purse. So I made one. And I love it.

You can find the tutorial for this self-zipping Tetrahedron coin purse here.