One year ago today....

One year ago today, my husband and I set out with our brand new little baby on our first day trip. He was only 12 days old.  My husband had the month off from work and I was determined to enjoy that time, not just as new parents, but as a family.   Exhausted from sleeplessness, swollen and sore from birthing, trying to ignore the mess of a house, but feeling happier than I ever had in our life. We packed up the car with a picnic and mounds of baby gear (did we really need that much stuff for a day?!) and headed north.  No real plans, but off we went.  We were a family.  We were parents.  We had a son.  Who was perfect, oh so perfect.  We ended up at Portland Headlight.  We parked.  We wandered.  Breathed the sea air.  Listened to the waves.  Watched sailboats. Had a picnic. Admired our son, who snuggled close to mama, relaxed in daddy's arms.  As we were rounding the corner of the lighthouse, my wonderful husband looked at me. We each had a tear in our eye.  No words were needed. A tiny moment that was so very special and unforgettable. We smiled, he took my hand.  And off we walked.  I know each of us were thanking God for the insurmountable blessings bestowed upon us.  Happy and humbled.  What a perfect combination.

Naptime Bag

When I was a little girl, I had many ideas.  I'm sure some overwhelmed my parents, but that was me.  It was time for kindergarten and I really wanted to make something to bring.  So, my grandmother helped me sew this nap bag.  It contained my blanket, mat and pillow and stayed in my cubby throughout the week.  She helped me sew two pieces up like a pillow case, fold over and stitch the top for the drawstring (leaving an opening for the drawstring), loop the drawstring through the top and tie the ends.  Voila!  She even let me pick a button treasure to use as an embellishment (oh the joy!).  I found it, still with the naptime contents and still with my name, clearly printed by my mom.

While right now, my little one doesn't need a tote-able nap bag for kindergarten, I thought of a way I can use this handy little nap bag now.  I'm going to create softies or stuffed animals representing various nursery rhymes.  Before nap, he can choose a softie from the bag. We'll sing the song/read the book and then he can take corresponding softie for a nap with him.

I'm going to keep track of the softies I make and share them with you.  I have hopes of creating patterns, but we shall see how organized I am when I create.

I'm going to use this Puppy Crinkle Toy that I made before as the first one.  It will correspond with the song "How Much is that Doggie in the Window".  

Quilt 22

Quilt 22-2000-Twin Size

Five Bucks and a Thrift Shop

Wooden paddle ball set, three wooden bloxes (which I collect for storage), a sundress for me, three books, a yard of navy blue material and brand new modeling clay. Cost: $5.65.

Apple Harvest Fun

A picture perfect orchard,


Some apples, 

 A half bushel picked,


A first taste (or two), 
 

Snuggled close,

A festival,

Carnival games (that look confusing),

But really are quite silly,

And tasty too,

Music (oh how we love music),

A huge corn house,

That looks fun (but watching may be safer),

Silly pictures,

(With a daddy who can make anything fun)

Tractors and hay rides,

A few cows to excitedly wave at,

All that together is fun.  But this sequence of events with the two boys in my life who I love the most, well, life doesn't get any better. My heart smiles with love.

Have you had a family fun apple picking day yet this year?

Chicken Nesting Boxes

We are going to get chickens!  Wahoo!  I'm super excited.  I created these nesting boxes out of scraps from the garage we just built.  I had no plan, no agenda, just grabbed a hammer, nails and a saw and got to town building.  It's quite large.  One site said the dimensions for my nesting boxes would suffice for up to 35 chickens.  Yikes!  I'm very excited...but a bit nervous about the possibility of something in the wild coming to eat them for a snack.  

My little one was very excited.

He cruised back and forth for quite some time.

Thank you for building me drums, mama.

And thank you for building me a fort, mama. 

One year ago, our first two weeks...

Now that we have a one year old, I find myself dreaming of the newborn days (which makes my husband nervous).  Instead of scaring him, I thought that instead, maybe I'd share with you photos of my memories from the first two weeks of my little one's live.  Although in the moment, everything seemed hazy from the experience of giving birth and the sleep deprivation that followed, I tried my very hardest to soak in every minute of having a newborn.  And you know what, I did.  I embraced those moments together, cherished the time with just the two of us in the middle of the night, spent time just looking at him and not worrying about the house, garden or the menu for dinner.  I played with toes, nuzzled his neck and snuggled him in tight.  I chose each outfit carefully, fully appreciating each handmade sweater and hat.  I kissed him, all over, and breathed that newborn sent in deeply.  I took his picture just about every opportunity possible.  I feel in love.  Head over heels.  And I'm so thankful for that special time we had, just getting to know each other.