My First Commissioned Sewing Project

Boppy slipcover for a newborn named Benjamin:







Matching crayon pouch for his four-year-old sister:





Thanks for the order (and the love), Jen!

Neon Blue Facepaint

This weekend, we celebrated Eowyn's 1st birthday party. Here's the sweet birthday girl:



Here's happy Jacob with his happy Daddy:



Here's the happy family with the yummy homemade cake:



The sleepy, sweaty boy:



And oh my goodness, the cupcake face:




She was so happy to finally eat her cupcake, she plopped herself down and quietly stuffed her face until she was done and completely covered with blue goo - thank you, Angela, for cleaning her off ;)

Here's a link to the whole album:

Eowyn's 1st Birthday 7/25/09

Happy Very Belated 4th of July

Family photo



She smiles so nicely for photos now - I love it!



Enjoying the new grill



Walking to the fireworks



Enjoying some Italian ice while we wait for the fireworks to start



I can't get over how big she is, especially when I think about how little she was last year sitting in the same spot on the same field. And Jacob was just two months old!



Watching the fireworks

Out for a Walk to the Beach

Another Break-In

A few weeks ago, we got the news that the house of a neighbor down the street was broken into and jewelry was stolen, including the owner's wedding ring. She is a widow. Which means she has lost not only her husband, but now the earthly symbol of his love for her.

I'm full of sighs and heartache just writing this. Yes, I am a sentimental fool sometimes, but this just makes me SO MAD. You don't steal a widow's wedding band.

This morning, a neighbor came over to tell me another house, closer to home, was broken into yesterday. Again, the break-in happened through a back window (of which we have plenty) during the day and jewelry was the main target. This happened in a house I can see FROM MY HOUSE. It's that close. And it's next to a police officer's house. You'd think we'd feel a little safer with a cop living across the street, but I guess these robbers don't really care. Or are just really desperate.

Last time Ryan heard the news, he installed all new locks throughout the house. What will he do this time? I'm extremely thankful they stay away when the house is occupied, but it makes me hesitant to leave during the day now. What will I find missing when I come home? Will someone still be here trying to figure out where all the real jewelry is? (Only on my ring finger, people!)

Maybe I should post a sign on all the doors, saying, "Only costume jewelry here. Don't waste your time."

Forgot to Post This

Note: This post was started exactly one month ago and then forgotten. Oops. Feels like a lifetime ago.

Today's ultrasound was much different than two weeks ago. Empty uterus, tiny bit of blood left. I'm so glad everything is over and I'm healthy and my two kids are healthy and we can move on.

And I was totally right about the labor signs. Tina yelled, "Transition!" when I told her that Ryan and I were laughing at my sudden chills and chattering teeth. She also confirmed that I had dilated to allow the sack to slip out so easily.

If only my full-term babies would come out so effortlessly ;)

Maybe They're Related?

Funny how similar Jacob and Lily are in these photos. Even the angle of their head tilts. Perhaps they're related after all...

The Kids Meet Grams

Babies'R'Us Wish List

I'm awaiting a $10 Babies'R'Us gift card in the mail, so I've updated my Babies'R'Us registry that I've had since I was expecting Jacob. (I made sure to change his expected date to 2009 from 2008 before his birthday in May, so they wouldn't delete my registry when he turned 1!) I like to keep my wishlist on this registry mostly for my own benefit, so I don't forget the things that I've been wanting when birthdays and holidays come around.

Here's what's at the top of my wish list:

2-pack of Dr. Seuss Bumkins bibs - Bumkins makes my FAVORITE bibs, and with two new ones, I'll have two in the diaper bag and two at home at ALL TIMES.

Kushies Swim Diaper - This swim diaper is SO CUTE, and the idea of a re-usable swim diaper is MUCH more appealing than having to buy disposables all summer long.

Large Halo Sleepsack - For Jacob...much easier than wrestling the kid into PJs in the summer, and so nice over PJs as a blanket in the winter. Too bad they don't make these big enough for Lily! (And I kinda wish they weren't sleeveless.)

To view the whole registry, click here and enter our info under "Find a Registry."

Take Me Out to the Ball Game

Lily with a cracker jack smile.



Literally. See the Cracker Jacks?



Is it just me, or doesn't she look like SUCH A BIG GIRL in these pictures?



Special thanks to Jenny P for getting us these fantastic seats behind the third base line.



Ryan and Lily enjoying the 7th inning stretch.



The post-game fireworks scared Lily, and she whimpered a little after each explosion. Finally, she said, "Go home!" and we willingly obliged. The farther away we got, the more willing she was to watch. Here's a cell phone pic of the fireworks from the parking lot across the street.



Oooh. Aaaah.

Wordless Wednesday

A Random Reason I Love Ryan

I just used my wonderful Cuisinart food processor to puree a bunch of cooked cauliflower that I will sneak in the banana bread and mac-n-cheese I am making (sssh don't tell anyone it's in there). Ryan got me my food processor the year before last, at the height of my baby-food-making heyday, and I still love it.

And him.

Thanks, babe!

It's Been Too Long

I just finished downloading the 30-day free trial of Adobe InDesign. I love this program, and was using it just as much as Quark by the time I left the design world for my new career of baby birthing. Now the setup screen is open and, apparently, my mind is closed.

Um, picas? Gutter width? Facing pages? Bleed and slug? (Don't you bleed AFTER the slug?) Once upon a time I wouldn't bat an eye at these terms. Now my brain is struggling to put them all together. Has it really been that long? Would I feel so lost if i used Quark instead? (You never forget your first love, right?)

It's not like I'm working on some fancy, complicated print campaign for a high-paying client. I just need to design a simple bulletin insert for church. But that doesn't mean I don't want it to be the best it can be. And I can not achieve my best in Word. Or any other program on this PC.

Anybody know of any good, free page layout programs? Because 29 days from now when I have InDesign figured out again, I'm going to need a back-up...