{ Getting Ready for Baby }

Today I completed a gift I'm sending off to a far-away friend who is expecting her first baby. It was so much fun to put my creativity to work and to sew for a girl! I admit they were a little difficult to part with, because they turned out so cute. I guarantee I'll be making another giraffe! Wanna see?

{the tutorial is over here}

{ready to go}

{all wrapped up}

This has gotten me thinking of all the projects I'd like to do for our January baby. It's sad but true that I have yet to start anything. Life is a lot busier this time around, granted, but my mothering instinct wants to welcome this little bundle of joy with some special items just for him or her.

I have visions for the nursery, too. Some that Oliver will appreciate most and of course I need to create of nest for the new one. I'll keep you posted as these projects, hopefully, develop.

{ Notes on the Breeze }

Across our neighborhood this afternoon, through an open window, I heard the oh so familiar sounds of someone practicing a violin. Obviously a beginner. My mind flashed back to those many hours I spent as a young girl in my bedroom, literally scratching out my lessons and dreaming of sounding good. I remembered my admonition to parents when I was giving lessons, not to judge anything for a year. Violins are one of those instruments that require extreme patience and a very diligent training of the ear. They say it's the hardest instrument to learn. I don't know. Every instrument seems intimidating!

I think I was supposed to hear that student this afternoon, because for the first time in over three years I was motivated to get my violin out and look at it. Confession: Tim has still never heard me play. It's sad, but I stopped playing when I no longer had a piano in the house to tune it to. It's a little embarrassing to admit, but I can't just pull the notes out of the air and tune it that way. That ability is sorely lacking in my violin related gifts. However, tonight that dilemma was solved with a complete "aha" moment... find an online tuner. Everything is available online. Sure enough!

Now I'm so excited to get back to playing. There are lots of cobwebs to dust off, but that's okay. It will be interesting to see what Oliver thinks of it all. He loves music and has been fascinated by the instruments he's watched being played, but will he like it when it's me? Our family cat used to run terrified from the room or stand outside the closed door to my room and yowl. We'll see what happens, but I'm looking forward to inviting music back into my days.

{ A Sweet Weekend }

September 26, two years ago, I married my best friend.

We spent a sweet weekend celebrating. Saturday we went out for dinner. It was just heavenly to spend a whole evening together alone, with Oliver happily playing with Grandma and Grandpa.

{ Dinner on our Honeymoon }

{ Two Years Later }

{ Breakfast Sunday Morning ~ My mom surprised us with overnight french toast when we came to pick Oliver up Saturday night! ... yummm.... no cooking for two meals, thanks Mom! }

{ Presents from my man. *Sigh* So spoiled I am }

After two years of marriage, I am so happy to know that we know each other better, we are better people and life has only improved since our journey began!

{ 10 Years Later: Remembering 9/11 }

That morning was beautiful. I woke up excited to celebrate my sister's 16th birthday. What should have been sweet 16 quickly became bittersweet. I was the first one up and I remember turning on the radio and hearing things I couldn't understand. What was happening? Words like attack and terror. I went and woke up my parents and my family gathered around the tv just in time to see the second plane hit. I just remember we were all very quiet, like we couldn't tell if what we were seeing was real. As the next few hours went by and we were able to put together what was happening, I remember feeling like life had changed for good somehow. We finally remembered to wish my sister a happy birthday and we tried to go on and make her day special. I still remember feeling angry that she would always share her special day, her sweet 16 with those horrible memories.

Over the next several days we watched the news almost constantly. It felt like we couldn't miss a thing. I remember the eerie silence of no planes overhead and the fear I'd never known of wondering if we'd be attacked again and where.

Little did I know in those following days that the man I would marry in 8 years was volunteering to join the war or that watching the efforts of our soldiers in the following months was a little of what he was experiencing. I didn't know that today, 10 years later I would bear a part in the healing from wounds of one kind or another that every soldier who faces war comes home with.

~One of Tim's pictures taken in Afghanistan~

On the anniversary yesterday, I felt like I had healed up so much from that day 10 years ago. I felt like being 10 years out really had made a difference, but then I also acknowledged I couldn't watch the commemoration ceremonies. I realized those emotions, the wounds from 10 years ago are still under the surface and in reality life just never will be the same again.

That day a lot of innocence was lost. Evil took on a very real face. But good triumphing over evil and the assurance that God is in control of this world no matter how bad things get, that protection and security comes from Him ultimately are lessons I have learned much better since that day. I am proud to be an American, but I'm so much more thankful to serve the God who has already won the victory!

{ First Art Project }

I found this project today and proceeded to carry it out when Oliver got up from his morning nap.

I'm not sure who had more fun, me watching him or him playing in the goo!

I was so excited to find this project because I feel bad sometimes that I don't know what to do "crafty" with Oliver since he's still so little. This was perfect.


Our first picture for the refrigerator. Yeah!

{ Ramblings and Laughter }

I don't know what's come over me. I've been on a blogging steak, but I promise I won't clutter up the interweb everyday, just maybe this week. Ha Ha! I think it just feels good right now to have this outlet as I process so many thoughts.

When Tim came home from work the other night, we were both feeling overwhelmed and just in a slump. He told me, just after coming through the door, he realized he couldn't laugh driving home. He was admiring a friend of his who typically reacts to adverse circumstances by laughing. The more things that are going wrong the more he laughs, he sees the irony in it. It's just so ridiculous, what is there to do but laugh. We both wished right then we were more like that. I little later, as I was finishing up dinner he came in and he mentioned that again and finished by telling me a joke he'd heard that day. Determined to make us laugh. As he started I was in one of those attitudes, maybe you've been there, where you are determined you won't be made to laugh. I was just going to stay a little miserable. What do you know, I laughed at the punch line in spite of myself, before I even realized I had. Tim felt pretty pleased with himself and it broke the spell. The rest of the night we were silly, we just enjoyed the company of the other and drew from the strength each of us had. There is a reason why the Bible says that laughter is good medicine. It just is!

When I was sitting across the table from Tim at dinner last night, I realized I am falling hard in love all over again for this man I married. I saw just how much I appreciate and admire him and how much I love doing life with him. Then there's this adorable little man who is both of us in so many ways sitting there with us, a part of our family, who just cracks us up everyday, and the little baby moving inside me. I don't know how I can get discouraged when life is this wonderful. It's really only the people in my life that make it worth the living. Oh to remember that always!

One of Oliver's favorite things to do these days is go for stroller rides. He has gotten to the developmental stage that he gets excited and makes noises and gestures toward things he wants. Lately it is dogs and fire hydrants! We will be strolling along and all of a sudden he reaches his arms out and squeals. Sure enough, there is a fire hydrant somewhere in view, it doesn't even have to be close. He loves them, so we stop and touch it and it just makes his day. We pet the dogs as much as possible, just not as often. It cracks us up! Dogs and fire hydrants do go together!

I have been reading the "Anne of Green Gables" series this summer and am so excited to say I am almost finished with the final book, "Rilla of Ingelside". This is my first time to make it all the way through the series and it feels to good that I have read this much in a summer in spite of busy-ness. "Rilla" takes place during WWI, which has been fascinating to me since I know next to nothing about that war, other than the dates it took place. I am a history lover and I relate so well to Rilla. She is young woman coming of age, falling in love for the first time, finding her place in life, and growing into womanhood. L.M. Montgomery paints that time of transition in a woman's life so masterfully. The series takes place in Canada so not only are the details of WWI new to me, having them told from the Canadian perspective, is a new twist as well. I am eager to do a little more reading up on this time in history now.

I'm not sure there is any sort of congruent flow of thought to this post, and if you made it this far I commend you! But laundry is calling my name, which reminds me of this picture I pinned to my Pinterest yesterday. I actually like doing laundry, but it is difficult to keep up with! Just to end with a laugh!

{ via }

{ 10 Months Old }

Today Oliver is 10 months old. He's a growly, prowling, busy little guy. He's determined to climb and find his way into any spot he sets his mind on, no matter how tight. The other day, I turned around to find this!

I know, I know, it breaks every rule in the book, but that's what happens when Grandma and Grandpa are visiting :)

He has the most adorable growl going on right now. He does it quietly, but it's unmistakable. Everyone told me boys growl, well sure enough! Tim is spending lots of time crawling around on the floor with him, trying to hear it. It cracks me up! He's such a fun dad.

Tim and I both want to go get him when he wakes up now. He has the most melt-your-heart smile waiting and those darling chubby little arms stretched out. He's also saying "Ma-Ma". Ohhh! Precious!

Happy 10 months old little man. You are one precious boy.