Growing Up Sharp

Four Sharps in a bathroom...

2011-05-20T21:31:00.000-05:00

Hello, Friday! We welcomed the weekend - and celebrated Susannah's half birthday - with a gluten-free pizza dinner, then hit the streets for a family bike ride. In between the two, all four of us crammed into the upstairs bathroom to brush our teeth (can't ride a bike with pizza breath, now can we?).

And the minute I saw us in the mirror, my mind went straight to this photo, taken just about a year ago:

My, what a difference a year makes.

Where did my babies go?

Sigh.

I think this vintage photo means I'm genetically flawed... (iNSD 2011blog train, too!)

2011-05-07T10:01:00.005-05:00

Hello, friends! Mostly this little blog of mine is about family stuff, but every now and then, I get to share part of my other life as a creative team member for ScrapMatters. Today is you're lucky day, gentle reader, as I have both something family AND something digi scrapping related. Are you excited??? I'm guessing about three of you might be - and the rest have absolutely no idea what digi scrapping is. Read on...

Here's the family stuff: in honor of Mother's Day, I dug out this vintage photo for your viewing pleasure. Please try not to giggle too loudly...

Fun, right? You know what I notice first about this photo? Our super-spiffy matching outfits. It's clear that coordinating family duds for photos is something I'm genetically predisposed to. Case in point? My family's recent matching Easter outfits. My mother taught me well.

Now for the digi scrapping hoopla (and welcome to all you ScrapMatters blog train riders!) Today is (inter)National Scrapbooking Day! In honor of the celebration, let me show you a little something the ScrapMatters Design Team whipped up:

There's a huge party happening over at ScrapMatters today with challenges, chat, games and prizes (not to mention a monster of a sale.) With any $20 purchase in the store during their sale (May 6-12), you'll get the collab for FREE.

I used the kit to make this little card...

...and now you can, too. Here's a free printable version. Sorry, this download link has expired.

To visit the next stop on the blog train, head over to Cara's blog.

Lost? Don't fret! The ScrapMatters blog will help you find your way.

Oh, the shame!

2011-04-14T12:32:00.001-05:00

Do you see my head hanging in shame over not blogging for an ungodly amount of time? Trust me, it is. It's not that stuff isn't happening around here, it's just that... well, stuff is happening around here.

We've been enjoying the longer daylight hours and being able to open the windows and doors to get some fresh air. The winter was long, and we're embracing spring wholeheartedly. A few days ago, the sun was shining through the front door in just the perfect way, so I grabbed my camera and snapped a few of the kids.

(you can't really see it too well, but she has a HUGE bruise and scab on the right side of her head from taking a nasty tumble on the neighbor's deck. That's what happens, I guess, when you're outside enjoying so much fresh air.)

And then, of course, because he's becoming a photo geek like his mom, Aaron had to have his turn behind the lens. Most of them looked like this, and were fired off at about 142 frames per second...

But every now and then he captures something really wonderful, and it makes me so proud.

The boy loves his camera, and it's fun to see what the world looks like through his three-year-old eyes. Of course, we had to do a self portrait, too.

And there you have it. A blog post from me! Nothing earth-shattering to report from our little corner of the world (except maybe that my hair is really starting to go gray - do you see it in that last photo? Oy!), but sure glad I popped in to say "hi!"

Hope you have a great weekend!

Happy Birthday, Susannah!

2010-11-20T10:22:00.001-06:00

To my Gorgeous Girl, on her first birthday-

I CANNOT believe how quickly this year has gone! It’s been a wonderful adventure, Susannah, and I’m so thankful for the 365 days we’ve had together. You have been such a gift to our family - in more ways than you can imagine.

You are a gift in and of yourself. Your sweet disposition, laid-back attitude, and unique sense of humor have added light and life to our family. Everything is more fun because you are here. You’ve made Aaron a big brother (and continue to teach him some important lessons about sharing and being kind). You’ve given dad a little girl to spoil endlessly (he’s been wrapped around your little finger from those first moments).

You’ve been an extra special gift to me, dear daughter, and one I didn’t expect. As I awaited your arrival last year, and even in the first few months of your being, I felt a lot of apprehension about having a daughter. After all, my experiences in the mother-daughter relationship have been rocky at best. I feared I might be doomed to repeat the mistakes of the past, or that I would be inadequate to be your guide into womanhood, but this year has put my mind at ease. Your birth was the most empowering experience of my life, and it birthed in me a new kind of faith in myself. In becoming your mother, I have become more confident, more assured of myself, more attuned to the still, small voice within me, and more certain that, with God’s help, I can be the mom that you deserve. It has been profoundly healing to be part of such a positive mother-daughter duo.

There has been precious little time that you and I have been apart during this year. “I love it,” said one man at our church, “that wherever you go, that kid is right there with you!” It’s true. You’ve been in my arms or riding in a sling in almost every place imaginable, from singing in the church choir to swimming in the pool and everything in between. We might get some funny looks as I walk the aisles of the grocery store wearing you on my back, but I love every minute of having you close, knowing you’re safe and comfortable.

Here are a few things that are “so Susannah,” and make you our one-of-a-kind girl:

Your “scrunchie face” - you wrinkle your nose and breathe in and out loudly. This face means your happy or feeling humorous. It always get a laugh!
Trucks and cars are your favorite toys. You’ll zoom them along the top of the train table and make a little motor sound. Only a girl with a big brother would master this kind of play.
When you sleep, you need it to be really, really, really dark. You’re so used to sleeping in my closet that you have a hard time in a new setting.
Your ivory blanket with satin edging is a must when it’s time for bed. I’ll lay it over my shoulder, and you reflexively lay your head down and start sucking your thumb. This is one of my favorite times of the day, when it’s quiet and just the two of us.
You can sign “more” and “all done” at the dinner table. You certainly aren’t shy at telling us either of those things!
Though you know how to crawl on all fours, you still prefer your crazy belly scoot to get somewhere really fast.
You’re a mama’s girl through and through. When you’re fussy and sqirmy, one hug from mama usually settles you down. I love that!

Thank you, Susannah, for all the ways you’ve blessed our family this year. We’re so thankful that God made you a part of our family, and we’re looking forward to all the adventures ahead of us.

Lots of love,
Mama

Here's a look back at Susannah's one wonderful year:

Better Late Than Never!

2010-11-17T14:18:00.000-06:00

I finally got my act together last week and snapped a few frames of our girl before the big birthday. I know we're way closer to the 12-month mark than 11, but better late than never, right?

She's now a crawling and cruising machine and, as usual, had no interest in sitting still for my camera.

(made with Be Inspired: Heidi v2 by WM[squared] and All Fall Down and Early Bird by Erica Zane)

What a gift this precious girl is to our family. It's shaping up to be a wonderful week of celebrating Susannah and all the ways she's blessed our lives.

Happy Digital Scrapbooking Day!

2010-11-06T08:00:00.004-05:00

Hello, friends! Some of you regular readers know I'm a little bit of a scrapbooking nut. And today there are lots of you visiting here for the first time (you're my fellow scrapbooking nuts!!) as you ride the ScrapMatters blog train. Welcome, all!

The month of November and the Thanksgiving holiday took on a new meaning for me last year. On November 20th, our family welcomed our daughter, Susannah. That meant I ate last year's turkey dinner with a teeny little babe in my lap. Here's a page I created about that day:

I'm so thankful for the gift this girl has been to our family - and totally shocked at how quickly her first year has gone by. In just a few days, we'll be having her first birthday party. Oh, my!!! Here's a look at my big girl and me as we trick-or-treated last weekend. Isn't she the cutest little cow ever?

Why all the talk about Thanksgiving and being thankful? Because of this kit!

The ScrapMatters Design Team whipped this up to celebrate today's holiday, and you can get it free with a $20 purchase in the store. There's a huge party happening today with challenges, chat, games and prizes (not to mention a monster of a sale.) To keep the festivities rockin', I made you a little something...

Sorry, bottle of wine not included. ;-) Download link is no longer valid.

Your next stop on the blog train is Becky (Hoo-Rah). Are you lost? Don't worry, the ScrapMatters blog will help you find your way.

Happy Scrapping!

SHE'S CRAWLING!!!

2010-10-27T19:08:00.000-05:00

If there was any shred of doubt that our commitment to family chiropractic care was paying off, this morning's appointment erased all doubt.

I'd been feeling concerned that Susannah wasn't sitting up independently or crawling, so we started seeing Dr. Tony once or twice a week to go after the problem. There had been good progress before today: Zannah was pulling herself into a sitting position and - as our last update told you- pulling up on the furniture. But the crawling wasn't happening yet.

Dr. T put our baby girl on the table, wiggled here her and pushed on her there. "Hmmm, that's interesting," he mumbled under his breath. One more small adjustment. Then he put on on the floor and...

SHE CRAWLED AWAY.

The entire office heard me squeal with delight.

Here's a quick sample of her new mobility:

Did I say she wasn't standing yet?

2010-10-22T09:52:00.000-05:00

I had just posted the last entry when I looked over and saw this. I think she's trying to make a liar out of me.

Her smile in that second photo is so undeniably Susannah. More of a smirk, really. You can just tell how pleased she is with herself. I love this girl!

The birthday countdown begins!

2010-10-20T09:20:00.033-05:00

It's totally impossible that we're just a month away from the big birthday. I still think of her as a little baby, but she's clearly speeding towards toddlerhood. Check out the new skill she learned today:

She's climbing up on everything now - the couch, the train table, the dishwasher... She doesn't pull up onto her feet yet, but as long as she can reach whatever object she's after, she's a happy camper. Poor Aaron is having to find a new spot for his treasures. He used to be able to put things on the train table a know they were safe from Susannah's reach, but that's no longer the case. I think we're in for some lessons on sharing. :-)

And just for my own memory, we weighed her at Dr. Tony's this morning: 17 pounds, 10 ounces. For being such a chub in her first few months, she's really turning into a skinny-mini! By comparison, Aaron weighed 19lbs on his 1st bithday. Tony commented this morning that he thinks she'll be tall, too. Her legs are getting loooong. We've made quite a few trips to his office in the last two weeks, trying to get her left hip working well. She's still not crawling on hands and knees, and I was beginning to worry. But she's making good progress, and will now sit up to play with a toy as well as bend her left leg more while she scoots across the floor. Won't be long now and she'll take off!

30 days to go! I'd better start planning a party.

Chef Aaron

2010-10-08T11:39:00.000-05:00

Aaron's third birthday has come and gone, and he was gifted with some REALLY wonderful presents. One of my favorites was an apron and chef hat made by Auntie Rebo. I just LOVE the fabrics she chose. Isn't it cute?

I emailed this photo to her so she could see her handiwork in action, and, of course, she made a scrapbook page about it. Wanna see it? And wanna see the one I made? Head over to Rebo's blog today to see what happens when two scrappers use the same photo and the same supplies to make two very different (cute!) pages.

Susannah's official ten-month portraits

2010-10-05T21:23:00.000-05:00

Happy 3rd Birthday, Aaron!

2010-09-23T14:38:00.000-05:00

Dear Aaron,

When Dad and I welcomed you into our family three years ago, we had absolutely no idea what we were in for. No idea that the sweet little baby face we stared into that night would grow into a bouncing ball of energy that could not be contained. No idea that you would so quickly learn the art of temper tantrums and parental manipulation. No clue that it would be such a battle to train you to listen and obey what we asked of you. We also had no idea how wonderful it would be to hear you call us Mama and Daddy, and to watch you grow into such a spectacular little boy.

I asked you a few questions after dinner last night in an attempt to capture Aaron at three. Here's what you said:

My best friend is: James and Eli and Jakey and Tyler and Myles and Molly and Sam...
My favorite food is: Mastacolli and mapyle syrup and pancakes.
My favorite color is: blue
For fun, I like to: cook and play guitar
My favorite song is: Get Back Up (by Toby Mac)

And as I though more about the things that make you you, here's the list I made:

You love diggers and dump trucks and anything else that's big and has wheels.
Your sense of humor is second to none. Your giggle alone can make me laugh, but when you're doing silly dances or making up your own funny words, you can get the whole room rolling with laughter.
Spicey Cat is your sleepy time friend, and you're still "borrowing" your sister's pink blanket, plus a white one of your own.
You're a super fast runner, and athletics, like most everything else, seems to come easily to you.
You have more energy than we know what to do with.
You love his sister like crazy. It's been a big transition for you this year, going from only to oldest, but you have surprised us all with your genuine affection for Susannah and the way you care for her. You're an AWESOME big brother!

There are so many special things about your three-year-old self that I would like to bottle up and keep forever, but I know that I can't simply describe you with a laundry list of your likes and habits. You have a spark, Aaron, and I see it every time you smile and your eyes light up. There is something deep inside you that's just beginning to take shape, and I'm so very excited to have a front row seat to watch you grow.

You are loved, little Bear, more that you can ever imagine. Being a super sentimental mom, I know I'd better stop now before I get all weepy over this birthday. I am so thankful for the privilege of being your mama, and excited to see the adventures that await us in the year ahead. Happy Birthday, Aaron!!!

Susannah update: ten months

2010-09-20T08:21:00.001-05:00

You'll have to forgive my "just-the-facts" post here. I'm trying to get some of this down before I forget, but there's no time today to be witty. If you can hang with my stream-of-consciousness, I'll reward you with a cute photo of the sweet girl. :-)

It's been a big month for our Princess Peach. She cut her first tooth on Labor Day, and a second quickly followed. She's getting up on her hands and knees, and I know any day now I'll look down and watch her crawl away. Her vocabulary is now up to two words: mama and baby (what a wonderful pair to start with!!) And it became painfully obvious she'd outgrown her co-sleeper last week when she climbed right out of it. She's now graduated to a bigger bed, but still sleeps in my closet. We're joking that we've turned our 3 bedroom into a 4. Ha!

I weighed her yesterday and found she's still trimming down: 17 pounds on the nose (down about 1/2 a pound from last month). This is no cause for concern, as she came into the world with some - ahem - extra, shall we say? As she gets more mobile and is better able to regulate her body systems, she's shedding the superfluous poundage. The upside is that she isn't flying through clothing sizes quite as quickly. It's been nice to have her wear some outfits more than twice before outgrowing them!

"She's just a beacon," our friend Dr. Tony said when he saw her earlier this week, and that's a perfect way to describe our gorgeous girl. She has a sparkle all her own, and it's a lot of fun to see her personality unfold. She's playful and opinionated and so easy going. She's a lovely girl, inside and out.

She's playing with her baby and I'm playing with mine!

Daddy sure loves his girl. She's soooo kissable.

Today was...

2010-08-28T22:10:00.000-05:00

A boat ride in a box...

A family dance party with our little rock star...

Some scooting around on the floor...

A run through the sprinkler...

And a snack on the deck...

Finished off with a bonfire and s'mores with the neighbors.

In other words, a wonderfully ordinary day. Hope you're having a great weekend, too!

He said something funny, and I remembered it long enough to write it down!

2010-08-17T22:03:00.000-05:00

credits:

Say No To Piracy by Pretty in Green, MandyMade, and Wyld Web Designs

"I'm a pirate cooker!" you loudly proclaimed, pulling a chair up to the stove to help me stir the morning oatmeal. I love your imagination, Aaron!

Two Beautiful Faces

2010-08-14T12:17:00.002-05:00

I had a photo session here at the house this week, so of course had to have my two favorite faces test out my backdrop and lights to be sure everything was just right. I love these beautiful little people!

A Day at Navy Pier

2010-08-06T06:19:00.005-05:00

Office life can get a little stressful, so Mike decided to take last Friday off and get some R&R. We had a long wish-list of all the family outings we wanted to cram into a few short days - days lounging at the pool or a trip to the beach at Lake Geneva - but when we woke up on Friday morning, it was overcast and slightly chilly. Definitely NOT swimming weather. Instead, we headed downtown to Navy Pier, to meet up with a few of Mike's family members in from out-of-town. When we told Aaron we were going to ride on a big ferris wheel, his immediate reply was "I'm probably going to be scared!" But he wasn't at all! In fact, Mama was the only one who's slight fear of heights was triggered (don't ask me about the sleepless night I had, thanks to nightmares about falling from high places). But all in all, it was a spectacular day of family togetherness. Hooray for taking the day off, Daddy!

credits:

P365 Cluster Frames and Capture Words by Scrapmuss Designs

Boys of Summer by Britt-ish Designs

date tab by Katie Pertiet

journaling:

A day at Navy Pier! It had been years (decades!) since either Mike or I had visited this Chicago landmark, so when Mike’s Aunt Stephanie, cousin Nick, and Grandma Maz said they were headed to the lakefront, we jumped at the chance to join them.The highlight of our day was riding the gigantic ferris wheel and taking in the gorgeous views of downtown. A walk to the end of the pier and dinner at the Billy Goat Tavern (where Aaron had a great view of the tall ship coming in and out of the dock) rounded out this fun-filled day.

It's been one of those days...

2010-08-04T20:09:00.000-05:00

Apparently there's sassy juice in our town's water supply. Everyone's acting up around here! My dear friend, Rose, posted this on her blog today, and it's an appropriate sentiment:

Thank goodness Daddy is putting our little monster to bed. Here's hoping tomorrow is a better day!

[overheard] no. 4

2010-07-25T20:38:00.000-05:00

I must start writing things down more. I know there have been three or four moments this week when I collapsed in giggles at what came out of Aaron's mouth, but darned if I can remember most of it now that I'm sitting at my computer to get it recorded. Here's a little taste of his hilarity.

Before lunch, the prayer went like this:
Aaron:"Dear God,
Thank you for food,
and our bodies,
and Rosie,and Anderson,and James and Eli
and all our blessings.
Amen."
Mom: "Is James a blessing in your life?"
Aaron: "Yes, he's a gentleman!"

A new favorite expression: Holy Moly Cow!!!

And from the pool this afternoon: "Susannah is getting baptized again!"

Happy Birthday, America!

2010-07-04T05:08:00.000-05:00

Our town's July 4th parade is becoming an annual tradition for our family, and it's fun to look back at photos of years gone by and see how small the kids were. Look at these pics of Aaron and Jacob on their very first Fourth...

It's so unbelievable that Susannah is now this age, celebrating her first Fourth. Time is flying!!

This year we joined a few other families from our church and hiked to the parade route together. We found a great (shady!) spot, and the kiddos collected tons of candy. I'll probably post a few photos later on, but will share this one with you today:

Our weekend is full of cookouts and fireworks and celebrations with friends. Hope yours is, too. Happy Independence Day!

Summer's half over already???

2010-07-03T16:17:00.001-05:00

Hello, July! The holiday weekend has always seemed like the unofficial half-way point of the summer, and I just can't believe it's here already. I kind of feel like our summer is just getting started! Every summer, I talk about making a list of things I want to do before the warm weather disappears, and a day at the beach is always near the top of that list. Whether it's the shore of Lake Michigan, the beach at Crystal Lake, or one of our long treks north to Cedar Campus, there's something about spending some time on the sand that makes it really feel like summer.

Here's a look at two of our beachy moments from the past:

credits:

Drift Away by Graham Like The Cracker and By Becca

Gold Rimmed Alpha by Trixie Scraps

credits:

Drift Away by Graham Like The Cracker and By Becca

Stash Staples Solids paper pack 1 by Britt-ish Designs

And just so I stop talking about it and actually write it down somewhere, here's my summer activity wish-list:

a day trip to Lake Geneva (we found a really fantastic beach last year - can't wait to go back!)
a few trips to the zoo (must make good use of the membership we purchased)
a day on the Lake Michigan shore. We wanted to do this last summer and never got around to it, so it's a carryover from last year's wish-list.
a trip to Portage Park pool (Mike's old neighborhood pool)
a neighborhood fest or two, complete with ice-cream cones and pony rides.

What makes it feel like summer for your family? I'd love to hear about some of the fun things you have planned for the second half of the season.

Just a peek into our lives...

2010-07-02T06:43:00.002-05:00

Two short videos that capture so well what's happening at our house right now. First, a moment from the dinner table:

This just makes me melt! Aaron is the best big brother I could have hoped for, and he has such a genuine love for his sister. I love that he's so excited by her success - and I'm praying that this kind of enthusiastic mutual encouragement gets woven into the fabric of their friendship for a lifetime. (I also love that he wears a firefighter hat at the dinner table. What fun to be two!)

And here's a little clip I caught of Susannah's new mobility. Again, starring the red hat. :-)

Lookout world, she's on the move!

Goodnight, Sleep Tight

2010-07-01T22:13:00.002-05:00

Getting up in the middle of the night is just a way of life these days. Whether it's for a midnight feeding or to soothe a toddler after a bad dream, someone is always waking me up. So it was a bit of a shock when I woke up yesterday morning and realized I hadn't heard from either child since bedtime the night before. Even more shocking was that it was 9am! (update: the shock continues... today's wake-up time was 10:15, when I went in to get both kids up. They would probably have kept right on sleeping without the mommy wake-up. CRAZY!!)

Ironically, I had just finished a scrapbook page about Susannah's sleep habits.

credits:
Ticket To Dreamland by Wyld Web Designs
template by Emily Powers

So maybe there's hope that I'll make inroads on my sleep deficit. Goodnight, all!

From the archives: Happy Birthday Emma!

2010-06-25T14:01:00.006-05:00

Emma has always had a special place in my heart. Remember this blog post about her sixth birthday?

She and her family joined us this past weekend at Susannah's baptism, and it was fun to watch this little girl turn into a lady. Amidst all the business of the afternoon, I did get a few moments to chat with her, and it's clear that she's moving full speed ahead into a more grown up version of herself. It made me feel kind of old, to be honest! With images of baby Emma floating fuzzily through my head, I decided to reminisce a bit and dig up some old photos of her. Of course, then I had to make a scrapbook page!

credits:

All For One templates by Britt-ish Designs

Another Candle on the Cake by Graham Like The Cracker and Michelle Batton

It won't be long before my own little girl is smashing birthday cake in her face, which means that she'll turn into a big girl like Emma before I even know it. Thanks, Emma, for being a special girl, and for being a special part of our family. :-)

From generation to generation...

2010-06-23T13:16:00.003-05:00

June 18, Father's Day 1978 - My baptism day.

and June 20, Father's Day 2010 - Susannah's day to be marked with baptismal water.

What a special moment to see God's faithfulness from generation to generation. My mom, dad, and sister (who are pictured above circa 1978) plus many other family and friends sat in the front rows of our church, joining our covenant church family, and promising with Mike and I to raise Susannah in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.

Taking our baptismal vows.

Aaron and Mike pour water into the baptismal font. This pitcher was a wedding gift to Mike and me.

Pastor Dave marks her with the water of our identity,

and prays that God would use all things in her life to bring her to know and love him.

The choir sang a special hymn while Rose walked Susannah through the congregation. So many commented after the service about how well she handled all of this - not a single tear or whimper.

The Porter family.

And the Sharps.

Grandpa Lloyd looks happy, but not so sure about Susannah. It was way past nap time!

Then we headed home, praying the rain would hold off so we could enjoy lunch on our new deck.

Aaron and one of his best buddies, Jacob.

No party is complete without a cake from Costco. :-)

We made a lot of special keepsakes to remember the day. This photo has the words "We do, God helping us," which was our answer to the baptismal questions, around the border. As a way of affirming their promise to partner with us in raising Susannah, each person present at her baptism was encouraged to sign this photo. It's hanging in our dining room now, and is a wonderful reminder that we're not on this parenting journey alone.

There were so many special details that went into this event, and it all came together even better than I could have imagined. The banner that stood behind the baptismal font was a special project I created as a gift to the church, and I'm excited to see it again and again with each baby welcomed into our covenant family. It couldn't have come to life without the help of Rebecca (my sewing tech support) and LeAnn, who came to my rescue on Friday night when I needed help with the finishing details. And Susannah's dress was expertly crafted by "Oma" Ligtenberg - Rebecca's mom. Because they live in California, they weren't able to join us, but each time I received a compliment on that beautiful gown, I felt a little hug from them. And without a lot of help from my sister, mom and two nieces, who did everything from dusting and vacuuming the house to preparing sandwiches and assembling name tags, I could have never gotten it all done. I love that it was such a community event!

Finally, I wanted to share the video of Sunday's service. It runs about 10 minutes, and you may have to turn the volume up to hear everything that is said. But I know Susannah is loved by many, and lots of you don't live nearby. So consider this your front row seat. :-)

Father's Day cards

2010-06-22T11:19:00.000-05:00

Every time I stand in the card aisle of the grocery store, I think to myself, "Next time, I'll just make something!" But then life gets busy and the next special event rolls around and I'm again staring at a rack of cards at the store. But no more! I'd seen handmade cards pop up in the galleries of several scrapbooking sites, and finally decided to take the plunge into hybrid (that's the "technical" name for projects that mix digital design tools and paper products). There are some really great templates out there to help make these lovely cards, and I was feeling inspired. Here are two cards I made for Father's Day:

This one was for my dad, and was made to be a replica of his pilot's uniform.

And this one went to Mike's dad. These papers and elements are from Junior by Graham Like the Craker (follow the link to visit her store).

UNDER CONSTRUTION!

2010-06-16T08:34:00.002-05:00

Please pardon the mess while I figure out how to configure the new blogger templates. A brand new look is coming soon! :-)

My sewing machine is just warming up!

2010-06-06T20:21:00.009-05:00

Do you have a list of things you thought you'd never pull off, but now have proudly mastered? I do! Driving a stick shift, French cooking, and getting to the top of the climbing rope in my elementary school PE class are all on my list. And today I added one more: sewing.

Isn't it adorable! This little frock is for Baby G., due to arrive in early August. I had so much fun thinking about that new little person as I cut and stitched. "If you can follow a recipe, you can sew," my friend Rosie told me today, and I have to admit she's right. The pattern for this Itty Bitty dress is super simple, but the results were simply amazing! As I completed each step, I'd holler for Mike to come over and look at my progress. "Can you believe I'm doing this?!?" I asked him so many times. And I knew I had done well when the gift was unwrapped at the baby shower and no one knew I had made it myself (at least not until Rosie mentioned it to the group - she's got my back!).

Now it's on to sewing a banner for Susannah's baptism, happening on the 20th. When I showed my inspiration drawing to the lady behind the fabric store counter, she just gasped. "You're making that?" she stuttered, amazed that I'd take on such a big task. We agreed it was an inspired project, and I'm counting on a little divine intervention to help me get it finished in time. This little dress gave my sewing confidence a major boost, and my machine is all warmed up, so here's hoping it all goes smoothly. I'll keep you posted!

I'm crawling out of my scrapbooking cave now

2010-06-04T09:48:00.002-05:00

Oh, my! I've never been so relieved to watch the calendar page turn to a new month. May turned into a super-intense scrapbooking month, thanks to the Queen of Scrap competition over at ScrapMatters.com. The contest ended just before the stroke of midnight on June 1st, and I used almost every last second of time to design pages. It was a wonderful, crazy time to get a lot of work done, but I also made a lot of new friends via the chat thread that accompanied the competition. It was fun, but I'm so glad it's over! Winners are going to be announced tomorrow, but the fact that I completed 120 pages during the competition is the real prize. Here's the very last 2-page layout I put together for the contest:

left side:

right side:

These are just some of the new pages I created! I also put together a 48-page album of Susannah's birth. To see my complete gallery, you can go here.

A few of you have asked how to get started in digital scrapbooking, and my best piece of advice is to go hang out at ScrapMatters.com. There are tons of helpful threads in their forums, and the contests and community will really give you a jump-start in your creativity. I've never met a happier, more supportive group of scrap addicts!

So now I'm taking a short break from designing. It's onto the next big project, this one involving my sewing machine. I'm creating a banner to celebrate Susannah's baptism (happening June 20th). Pics and updates will begin next week, so come back soon!

I HEART Stolen Moments Designs

2010-06-03T11:58:00.026-05:00

Spending lots of time over at ScrapMatters.com means I've gotten to know a lot of new people in the digi scrapping world. One of my new favorites is Amber of Stolen Moments Designs. Not only is she crazy talented, but she's a really sweet gal, to boot!

One product I have on my wish list is her custom blogwear design and installation. It took me a lot of time to bling up my blog, and true to my right-brained leanings, I'm itching for another makeover already. I don't have the time right now, so I might just let Amber do the work for me. :-)

I'm hoping to post here more often about digital scrapbooking, so if you have particular questions, please let me know. I want to get you hooked on this hobby, too! :-)

Hooray for Summer!

2010-05-25T12:00:00.000-05:00

There is nothing like feeling the grass tickle your feet or taking a bicycle around the block to remind you of the good reasons you live in the Midwest. After a long and snowy winter, we're lovin' our outdoor time!

She wasn't too excited to lay naked in the grass, but we did manage to get one smile out of her.

And as we finished up taking sister's photos, brother decided to hop on the two-wheeler recently outgrown by our next-door neighbor, and he's now mastered riding with training wheels. It was absolutely unbelievable to watch him practice, practice, practice all those times up and down the sidewalk. Once he got the hang of it, he was hollering things like, "Move away, people! Coming through!" and "Look out, I'm going fast!". So hilarious!

Neither Mike nor I can believe our little baby boy is getting so big, and as Aaron and Daddy went on their very first bike ride together last night, I couldn't help but feel a big mix of pride and sadness. He's growing up, almost as fast as he can ride that bike. :-)

She really can't be this old, can she?

2010-05-21T09:40:00.001-05:00

Six months already? Seems impossible to me. As Mike and I crawled into bed last night, we looked at the clock and realized that exactly six months before we were laying there in the exact same spot with a newborn baby girl cuddled between us, just minutes old. I cannot believe how fast the time has gone. Sweet and sad and joyous all at the same time.

And again, I've neglected to post photos of her from last month. We're taking more today, and I'll try to be a little more prompt in showing them off. :-)

And just so I don't forget them myself, a few milestones from this past month:

She's turned into a great sleeper! We moved her from my bedside into my walk-in closet, and the darkness and quiet have helped her to go the stretch. She's still waking once to eat, but since she goes to bed at 7pm and sleeps until 9 or 10am, I'm totally fine with that. I never thought I'd have a baby with such a talent for sleep! Hooray!
She's found her voice. The babbles and chatter is so utterly adorable! My choir-mate, Ruth, was holding her after church this past Sunday and heard her squeaks and squawks. She wondered if she was crying but couldn't see her face since Susannah was up on her shoulder. Ruth asked a nearby lady to check, and was so tickled to hear that Susannah was "singing."
With good support, she'll sit up for a short time. Mike discovered this skill of hers, and it made him quite proud that he knew something about her that I didn't. :-)
Crawling can't be too far away. When I put her on the floor to play, she's rolling and scooting and reaching to get to whatever toy has her interest. She's never in the same spot for very long!

And just when you think she can't get any cuter and you can't love her any more, another month passes and both those things grow just a bit more. <3

Week in the life :: Sunday's finished pages

2010-05-04T16:00:00.000-05:00

Week in the life :: Saturday's finished pages

2010-05-03T06:40:00.000-05:00

Week in the life :: Friday's finished pages

2010-05-01T10:14:00.000-05:00

Week in the life :: Thursday's finished pages

2010-04-29T20:47:00.000-05:00

Week in the life :: Wednesday's finished pages

2010-04-28T06:51:00.000-05:00

Week in the life :: Tuesday's finished pages

2010-04-27T13:14:00.000-05:00

Week in the life :: Monday's finished pages

2010-04-26T11:08:00.000-05:00

Week in the life :: Sunday

2010-04-26T10:06:00.001-05:00

Last day! I know my family is thrilled that the week is coming to an end, as they're a little sick of having a lens constantly in their faces. "I can't wait for today to be over," Mike grumped at the breakfast table. He ended up taking quite a few photos as the day went on, but his motivation was likely revenge. I'll admit taking a photo of him in the shower might have been a little over the top. :-)

Mike was up and out of bed already when Susannah woke up at 6:30, so he took her for a bit so I could catch a few wore winks. I didn't hear Aaron wake up about a half hour later, but the story goes like this: Mike scoops Aaron out of his crib, grabs a diaper and change of clothes plus a jacket, and throws both kids in the back of the van, where they get dressed. Then Mike leaves the kids in the car ("look out for your sister," he instructed Aaron) and sneaks back inside to grab breakfast snacks. I woke up at 7:45 to an empty house and a note saying they all went for a morning walk. "I went for a walk and saw bird poop!" Aaron shouted as he darted in the door. What an adventure!

8:12 Still not quite awake.

Breakfast. "I made them yummy for you," proclaimed Aaron. He LOVES helping Daddy in the kitchen.

8:43 A little guitar playing before getting ready for church.

9:19 Bath

9:38 Brushing teeth. So glad there aren't photos of the adults running around like crazies to get out the door. Sunday mornings are challenging!

10:52 On morning when Mike is ushering, Susannah gets to sing in the choir with me. Look closely for the green ring sling (I'm fourth in from the right).

12:25 On the way home

12:36 After asking three times at church to take his shirt off, he finally gets permission at home. The gun show begins.

12:48 The monthly measure. "I'm as tall as an elephant," he says. :-)

1:19 Lovin' each other.

4:51 Post-nap cuddles with dad. The kids slept a LONG time today. Hooray for sleepy Sundays!!!

5:07 With both awake, it's picture time! Susannah's 5 month portraits are a bit overdue, as usual. These pics will be a blog post for another day.

5:57 Dinner prep.

6:16 Grilling burgers in the rain.

and afternoon calls to my BFF.

6:47 "It's bird seed. I'm a pretend bird. I'm eating seeds," little man kept saying. Really, it was Quinoa. But he did kinda eat like a bird.

7:23 Bath time for missy miss.

7:26 Could she be any cuter?

7:52 Story time. Goodnight!

After more laundry and kitchen cleanup, grownups were going to be, too. I woke up to a crying baby at 11:50 (and she cried for a solid hour, no matter how I tried to help her), so I saw the clock tick across midnight, ending my week in the life. I'm so glad I took on this project. And now comes the fun part: putting my book together. Finished pages coming soon!

Week in the life :: Saturday

2010-04-25T15:46:00.000-05:00

7:20 The day begins with the boys in the kitchen

Fueling up with food (some for the body, some for the soul)

8:25 Saturday morning chores: bill paying, inbox emptying

10:02 While Mike and Aaron are at the dentist, I take Susannah's 5 month portraits. After the shoot, she showed me her new trick - rolling over in the bouncer. Note to self: start buckling her in!

11:58 off to have lunch with the Anderson's, but must first get through a HUGE meltdown from Aaron. He wanted to wear short, then pants, then shorts again. Notice the lack of any clothing on his lower half - we just threw him in the car and sorted it all out later.

12:40 The farewell feast! Our dear friends are heading west for the entire month of May. {frown}

1:58 James performed a recital for us. My favorite was "Song of the Wind."

2:50 Other kid's toys are always more interesting.

3:01 Cartoon watching.

3:25 All four of us!

4:13 The drive home takes about seven minutes, but that was long enough for the start of a good snooze.

4:50 Packing the camera bag for a session. I left the kiddos home with Mike. How strange to be out in public without a baby!

7:17 I arrive home to find neighbor Tyler in for a playdate. Looks like everything is under control in my absence.

7:25 Aaron loves him some Daddy.

7:41 and so does Susannah. Time for a diaper change and jammies.

7:45 A creative self-portrait

8:00 Tired baby, tired Mama.

Saturday is probably Aaron's favorite day of the week, because Daddy doesn't have to go to work. For 48 hours, he's a real daddy's boy (and I don't mind that one bit!). Today was busier than the pictures may show: dentist appointment, lunch with friends, a late afternoon work appointment... but I love the way we all work together to pull it off.

One more day to go in this week of our life...

Week in the life :: Friday

2010-04-24T09:22:00.000-05:00

Hello, Friday!

6:40 Awake and smiling.

7:01 "Meow, meow," I hear from his crib as he plays with Spice the cat.

7:52 "I wanna take picture YOU" he cried. I think he's getting tired of this project.

7:30 Breakfast of champions (mine). I eat while checking email.

8:04 Susannah goes down for her morning nap.

8:53 First timeout of the day (but not the last!)

9:56 Morning snack: banana phone

10:47 Package arrives on the doorstep. "What do you think it is?" I ask Aaron. "A package of TOYS!" he shouts. Almost as good, it's a box of Yummy Earth organic lollipops (a super sale at Amazon!). These are the new potty learning bribe.

He gets the first one for free, but he'll have to earn the rest. I feel a little like a drug pusher. Get 'em hooked and keep 'em coming back. :-)

11:30 ready for nap #2

11:49 The lollipops work, and he asks to poop on the potty about a dozen times. This means about a dozen hand washes, too.

2:15 Hanging out in the swing. She loves the little toys.

4:12 Story time

5:04 Cooking dinner.

5:28 Firefighter Aaron rolled up the kitchen rug and used it as a hose. He's spraying Susannah to save her from the fire. "Good Job, firefighter Aaron," he congratulated himself.

5:32 Another potty attempt. He REALLY wants one of those lollypops.

5:44 Daddy's home!!!

5:45 Playing together

7:07 Friday calls for a family dance party!

7:46 Trying to put Aaron's new train set together. Zannah wants to help with the instructions.

So cute!

8:58 Mike tackles the dishes, I'm on the laundry.

9:32 Chores are done, so we chill on the couch. Caught the end of National Treasure 2.

Thanks to all of you who left sweet comments yesterday about my cluttered house. I know I'm not alone in this messy lifestyle. Most days it doesn't bother me, but on occasion I long for a super clean house where everything is put away (and stays that way!). Until then, I'm embracing the chaos.

I've already started putting pages together for this Week In the Life album, and I can't wait to share them with you! This is going to be an amazing time capsule of life in the Sharp household.

Week in the life :: Thursday

2010-04-23T09:17:00.000-05:00

I felt myself loosing a little steam on this project today. I had to keep reminding myself to pick up the camera, and I always had the "didn't I already photograph this?" feeling. Surprisingly, it the highest photo count so far: 223 (with a little help from Aaron, who is catching on to the constant picture taking and wants to do his share).

6:13 Susannah decides it's a good time to be awake. Mike hasn't left for work yet, so I take her downstairs to hang with him while I try to go back to sleep. Without success. Good morning!

6:33 Aaron is awake, and we hear him talking to his stuffed kitty cat. "Happy see me?" he asks Spice. Daddy and Zannah head up to say hello. The kids were THRILLED to have a little daddy time this morning. It's a rare treat.

9:38 Aaron gets dressed. "This is a pirate t-shirt!" he says about the navy tee that says IRISH and has a orange and green crest on the front. Look at him checkin' himself out.

10:22 Cuddles on the couch. So sweet!

10:55 What Daddy does all day.

11:21 Aaron eats a brown crayon. I have no photos of this because I was too angry, and it's really hard to convince a child that his behavior is unacceptable when you're snapping photos of it and putting it in the family scrapbook

11:40 He must be hungry, so we make some lunch.

2:40 Hanging diapers out to dry. So thankful for the warmer weather that allows outdoor drying!

3:30 Playtime with a naked baby.

4:17 Nursing, which makes me sit quietly for a few minutes every now and then. Also, really hard to take a pic of yourself doing this!

4:59 Cooking dinner. Aaron takes his play food and heads to the crock pot (which needs to be put away in the closet, but is, for now, sitting on the dining room floor). "Be careful, Mama, cooking," he calls. "Don't be messy!"

5:15 Ready for the oven.

5:20 While dinner is cooking and Susannah is napping, Aaron and I head out to the backyard. Our neighbor's tree is in it's full glory.

5:52 Neighbor comes out on his deck to grill, and Aaron calls up to him "My mom is making broccoli!"

His favorite sport: hill running.

6:10 Mike puts on his play clothes and takes Aaron for a spin.

6:18 "Dear God, thank you for family and for food and for broccoli and for mama and for mama's chicken and for my drink..."

6:27 Susannah wakes from a super long nap. She cries until Aaron smiles at her.

6:30 A little toe nail clipping at the dinner table

6:34 And it's all downhill from here. Aaron had a meltdown over eating the chicken, requiring three time-outs and several swats. I headed out to choir rehearsal at church, and Mike took the kids outside before bed. "This photo," he said later, showing me the few he took, "represents the evening perfectly." I guess everything was a struggle with the little guy. When I called at 8:33 to say I was on my way home, Mike had just gotten him in bed and sounded SO relieved. On a positive note, Susannah was a perfect angel. This was the first Thursday evening that I haven't taken her to choir with me. And I came home to find the family room vaccummed. Lovely!

Thoughts on today:

After all the running around we did yesterday, it was really nice to stay home all day. One thing that really stands out to me as I look at my photos from today is all the CLUTTER. It's everywhere!!! Being the creative, laid back type that I am, I honestly don't see it on a daily basis. But there's something about pictures that brings things into new focus. So while the rest of this week is a little too busy for any serious de-cluttering, it might be my project for next week. The quote on page seven of this month's Scrapbooks Etc. magazine was just for me: "Life is too short to spend it making the bed. Leave the mess and make a memory instead."

Week in the life :: Wednesday

2010-04-22T08:26:00.001-05:00

Photo count for the day: 166

7:15 Aaron is out of bed and GRUMPY!

9:53 Snack #3 - Cheese!

...followed by a bananna. This kid really packs it away in the mornings.

11:09 Coloring. "It a picture for my grandma," he said. And only a little marker ended up on his sister. Do you see it there on her left cheek? :-)

1:20 Aaron is napping and mama is working, so Susannah hangs out in the swing for a bit.

4:10 Finally in the car, headed to Crystal Lake. I assure you, this was taken at a stoplight.

4:42 First stop in CL is the chiropractor for our weekly adjustments. Aaron loves the toys.

4:54 Dr. Derek checks Susannah out...

4:58 Aaron's turn...

5:01 finally mama's turn. "This is the best you've looked in several weeks," said Dr. D.

5:20 Stop #2 was to help the Hoon family move out of their CL home and into a temporary condo while they build a house in Elgin. The camera didn't come out too much (I was distracted by the chaos of all these kids running around!). But I did manage to snap one of these four little boys before we left. Kicking myself that I didn't snap a few of all of them in the cab of the moving truck. Horn honking, turn signals clicking, wipers swishing... the whole shebang.

8:30 finally back home, getting ready for bed.

8:42 Story time

9:02 Still work to do. Mike started a load of laundry without me even knowing it, then tackled the dishes. He's a keeper. :-)

Thoughts for today:

I'm beginning to see a pattern to our days, where before this project I thought there was none. We basically have one outing per day. Sometimes it's the mornings that were home, sometimes the afternoons, but hardly ever both. Home time means mama is working, and today was no exception - there was a lot of blogging, emailing, photo editing, tech-support calling to be done. I'm so thankful that my children are good at entertaining themselves (with occasional help from the Disney channel!), and that I'm able to get my work done from home. There's no where else I'd rather be!!

Week in the life :: Tuesday

2010-04-21T10:32:00.000-05:00

Day 2. 177 photos. And my birthday!! (not telling how old I am!)

7:15 kiddos awake! everybody is poopy. :-(

7:20 poop requires a bath!

9:00 Tuesday mornings are a crazy rush to get out the door to my bible study group. Kay C. takes care of kiddos while we ladies study. I love how much she loves our kids!

Bible study books

12:30 LeAnn comes by for a birthday lunch. What a great surprise!

1:30 finally getting Aaron down for a nap

1:40 and little missy needs another diaper change.

5:45 Daddy is home for some playtime! And he shows me how Susannah can sit by herself for a really short time. I had NO IDEA she could do this!!!

6:00 the boys disappeared upstairs for birthday gift wrapping, and Aaron makes a special project for me. Yes, it's wrapping paper with random cuts and bits of tape. But he's so proud to give it to me. I LOVE IT!

6:15 singing happy birthday to mama, and trying to keep Aaron from blowing out the candles

6:30 Chipoltle for dinner.

7:30 a post-dinner family walk. Aaron ran most of the time.

7:37 My absolute favorite picture of the day. :-)

8:15 home for present opening. I had a "helper."

8:18 Aaron took this one of us.

8:30 Getting ready for bed, and none too happy about it.

Grateful, blessed, loved.... all good words for today. Birthdays have a way of making me take stock, and when I look around, I just want to scream "I LOVE MY LIFE!" I love all it's messiness, the wonderful friends at church, the kid cuddles, the goofy little presents Aaron gives to me, the family time together, ALL OF IT! My heart is full after a wonderfully ordinary day.

Week in the life :: Monday

2010-04-20T09:39:00.001-05:00

I'm participating in the Week In The Life documentary project over at Ali Edward's. It's an attempt to capture the ordinary, everydayness of life, with a cool time capsule of a book as the finished product. I'll be posting some of my raw data this week, then some of the finished book pages next week (or as I get them done).

184. The number of photos I took on Monday. Sheesh. These are straight out of my camera, so there's a lot of cropping, color correcting, and choosing to do. That'll come next week...

7:30 Indoor baseball. Wearing his baseball jammies and Cubs hat, of course.

11:20 Susannah wakes up from her nap. "I'll get her" Aaron says. And he does.

11:45 "Can we play with ABC?" He means ET. And that firehat is getting a lot of wear these days.

12:00 Lunch. With lots of funny scrunchy faces.

2:30pm While Aaron naps and mama works, Susannah entertains herself.

4:00pm Trying to get ready to go to the store. "Where are your socks, Aaron?"

"These are my GLOVES!"

4:10 Finally in the car. Here we come, Aldi!

5:20 Home from shopping. Aaron helps bring in the garbage cans.

6:50 Checking email with baby.

7:30 How else am I going to be in any of these photos? This was an outfit that I actally felt pretty good in. A welcome occurance.

7:45 Dad had stopped in for dinner between trips to Florida. So great to have him here!

8:00 past bedtime, but helping mama make muffins for tomorrow's bible study.

A very good day, all in all! Though I'm trying to capture the routine of our life, I can already see that today was anything but. And when I think about it, lots of days are like this. We fudge nap and bed times, we have unexpected visitors, and make last-minute trips to the store. We're not organized at all, but somehow it all works.

Susannah update :: 4 months

2010-04-19T11:29:00.001-05:00

Must hurry up and post this, since tomorrow she turns 5 months! Better late than never, right?

This fourth month brought such big changes in this little girl: she rolled over for the first time (and is now a champ at it), she started to giggle (mainly at Aaron's antics), and she's so much more interactive (with people, toys, etc.). She's really becoming a little person now, and it's fun to watch this baby become.

Here are the official portraits:

journaling:
Four months old! It’s been a month of firsts for you: first giggles (music to my ears), first roll over from back to front (where you then get stuck and cry for help). You’re so perfectly round, so perfectly smiley, and just the best little thing to cuddle. {hug}

credits:
A Happy Heart by Cheeky Monkey

photography by Sharp Images (of course!)

Happy Easter (a week late!!)

2010-04-09T09:38:00.000-05:00

Ugh. My computer had a meltdown last week. I should have known it wouldn't be a quick fix when the repair guy said "it should be a quick fix." It's been almost two weeks, and I'm still without my beloved laptop. The Photoshop withdrawal was getting pretty serious, so I broke down and downloaded PS onto Mike's little laptop. That and a speed scrap made everything better! hehe. :-)

So FINALLY, I have some photos of our Easter to share with you. Have you ever seen Aaron look cuter? He was so excited to dress up like Daddy. All morning he was shouting, "He is Risen" complete with a celebratory fist pump, as well as "Jesus is alive again!" It's so wonderful to hear your little ones proclaim the truth, isn't it?

journaling:

Little boys in collars and ties? Must be Easter! We sang and celebrated at Westminster Presbyterian Church in the morning, then joined the Anderson family at Claim Jumper restaurant for a delicious dinner (where someone else did the cooking and cleaning!).

credits:
template by Kellie Mize
paper from "For the Birds" by One Little Bird
fonts are Century Gothic and Elephant

journaling:

We don’t always plan ahead very well. It’s usually a mad dash out the door to church on Sunday mornings, family members in varying degrees of undress. We always manage to pull it togehter, but always at the very last minute. For Easter, I didn’t want things to be so haphazard, so I made a trip to the store, picked out new clothes for everyone, and even ironed the night before. When I saw this beautiful turqouise color, I just knew Aaron and Daddy would look wonderful in it, and that the two of you would get a kick out of your matching shirts.

credits:

template by the ever fabulous WM [squared]

papers and elements from "For the Birds" by One Little Bird

brown stitching from "Harvest Spice" by Shabby Princess

postmark by Katie Pertiet

fonts are CK Mini, CK Magnificent, and Trojan Pro

Thank you, BFF, for making me laugh today.

2010-04-01T22:16:00.001-05:00

It's April Fool's! I had absolutely no intention of pulling any pranks today, but when one sprung to mind, I just couldn't resist. Here's how it went down:

This i the email I sent to my DH today:

subject: wanted to tell you this earlier, but didn't know how..
i'm just in shock right now...

On a whim, I BCC'd my friend Rebo, thinking she'd get a kick out of it. I sent her a second email moments later, letting her know that what I'd just sent was a joke. But she didn't read that second one right away, since she was too busy picking her jaw up off the floor and emailing me back this message:

HOLY SH*T!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I can't call you right this minute, but I will SOON!!!!!!

Of course, she soon realized she had been pranked. But by then we were both laughing.

Mike didn't fall for it for a second. But I'm glad someone did! :-)

Six years ago today...

2010-03-19T14:26:00.000-05:00

...it was another beautiful, sunny, Friday. Despite the fact that it had snowed Monday through Thursday, I awoke that morning to blue skies and 65 degree temperatures.

...I wore the most beautiful dress ever, for a very special date with a very handsome man.

...we rode down Rt. 53 in a 1947 Mercedes, on our way to the biggest party we'd ever thrown.

...we promised God and one another that we'd stick together for life, come what may.

It seems impossible that it's been six years already since that magic day, but I know we're only getting started. Some days are better than others, but, as one friend has said about us, we're climbing mountains together.

Thank you, Mike, for being the friend of my life. Happy Anniversary!

Our visit to the Shedd

2010-03-18T14:00:00.000-05:00

Oh, our good friends, the Andersons! They have memberships to all kinds of wonderful places, and they always get the upgraded kind where you can bring friends. So lucky for us!!

Last Thursday 3/4 of our family piled into their van (sorry, Daddy, someone has to go to work!), and chugged downtown to see the "big fish." It's been more than 10 years since my last visit to the Aquarium, and so many great changes have taken place. We saw old favorites like the giant Carribean Reef tank, complete with live diver, plus a lot of new things: the Beluga wales and their brand new baby calf; the multimedia show Fantasea, which featured dolphins, penguins, wales, and a flying boat; and the Polar play are, where Aaron dressed up like a little penguin and had a blast climbing up and sliding down the "rocks."

I actually remembered to pull my camera out of the bag and snap a few frames. Here's the page that's going into our family scrapbook:

We'll definitely be making another visit sometime soon, and we all agree that next time we should bring our own "big fish" (aka Daddy :-)

Does this mean I take too many pictures of him?

2010-02-27T21:39:00.003-06:00

Teeth are brushed, jammies are on, and Mama, Susannah and Aaron are cuddled together on the twin bed reading stories. Book is finished and put down. Mama pulls kiddos close for a hug. She closes her eyes for a moment, drinking in the sweetness of a family cuddle.

Aaron: Where's the camera mom? Is it downstairs?

Happy 3 month Birthday, Susannah!

2010-02-20T13:20:00.003-06:00

Aaron and Daddy headed to the grocery store this morning, leaving Zannah and I time for some picture fun. :-)

"She is so perfectly round," one friend said about her last week. So true.

"well mama i think you and i are officially over the hump of new motherhood-of-two! yahoo!" wrote another friend, whose baby is just four weeks older than Susannah. Thank goodness.

"I wuv my cute wittle sisser,'" says Aaron. Melt.

Forty weeks after Valentines day is....

2010-02-14T13:34:00.001-06:00

...Susannah's birthday. {giggle}

I guess V-day 2009 was a good one for us. :-)

Wishing you lots of love this Valentine's.

[overheard] no. 3 - the marriage edition

2010-02-11T10:14:00.003-06:00

I recently hung one of our wedding photos up in our bedroom, and Aaron has loved talking about how Mama and Daddy are married. He asked Mike the other night, "Daddy married?"
"Yes, Daddy is married," Mike answered. "Who am I married to?" Aaron's answer didn't take long, and a big grin spread across his face. "MAMA!"

This morning, as I brushed my teeth and got ready for the day, Aaron was jumping on our bed and admiring the wedding photo. "Mama and Daddy married!" he shouted, over and over.
"Will you get married someday, Aaron," I asked, curious where this conversation would go.
"Yeah!" he smiled.
"Who will you marry?"
pause. pause.
"Auntie Rebo!"

How Babywearing Saved My Sunday

2010-02-01T09:13:00.006-06:00

Last week was a tough one for me. Whether it's the reality of two small children in my home or the piles of snow and sub-freezing temps that got me down, I'm not really sure. I do know there was a little more crying than usual (from me, not the kids!) and I caught my husband eyeballing me in an unusual way more than once.
"What are you looking at," I'd ask.
"You just don't look like yourself," he'd answer.
These kinds of exchanges made my heart sag almost as much as other parts of my post-baby body.

We struggled through the rest of the week. It took me two full days to plan meals and make it to the grocery store with kids in tow - I'm going dairy-free, and it means an overhaul of my current recipe repertoire. Friday was jam-packed, with a lunch appointment, a second trip to the store for a forgotten item, and new church friends over for dinner. With an extra set of adult hands at home on Saturday, we tackled mountains of laundry and began our newest long-term project: a whole-house purge of the extra stuff that makes our not terribly small house feel teeny tiny too small for us. While it felt good to have some forward momentum and accomplish a few things, I still felt a little like I was spinning my wheels.

And then came Sunday. Sundays are my favorite day of the week because we go to church. I get dressed in something other that sweats, get to talk to people other than my toddler, and generally feel like a grown up. But as our minivan raced towards Randall Road (we were late, as usual) and we tried to make a plan for the logistics of the worship service, I began to feel overwhelmed. I was singing in the choir, Mike was ushering, and both kids had sniffles and wouldn't be going into childcare. How on earth would we pull this one off?

One big part of the solution came from inside my diaper bag: my new ring sling! As Mike disappeared to perform his ushering duties, Aaron and I took a seat with Susannah sleeping in her carseat. When she woke up a few minutes later (darn!) I tucked her into my little green sling, and she went right back to sleep (yay!). I made arrangements with the kind Mrs. C, sitting next to us, to keep an eye on Aaron for the time I would sing with the choir, and off I went, a sleeping Susannah snuggled on my chest.

I didn't think much of it, taking my baby up with me to sing with the choir (she slept through the whole thing, by the way.) If anything, I worried that others would frown at the potential distraction. So the reaction I received after the service surprised me a bit. "That was the coolest thing I've ever seen!" one woman gushed at me. I got more than one hug with thanks for "being such a good example for other young mothers." And an awful lot of gray-haired ladies made their way over to me to smile at my baby and touch her fluffy head. You would think I'd done something truly extraordinary from all the attention.

And maybe I did.

Trusting my mommy instincts in a world full of "advice" on how to raise children.... extraordinary. Choosing to parent in a way that's comfortable for me and my baby, regardless of what others think... extraordinary. Doing life in a faith community that affirms these choices, embraces my children, and allows me to participate fully... very extraordinary.

Getting a shot of self-confidence that I can succeed as the mama of two... very, very extraordinary.

[overheard] no. 2

2010-01-28T08:20:00.003-06:00

Two-year-olds say the funniest things!

holding his toy cell phone
A: Can we call Jesus?
Mama: Of course we can, he loves to talk to you!
A: Where is Jesus?
M: Jesus is in heaven, with his Daddy.
A: Where's my daddy?
M: Daddy's at work.
A: I miss my daddy!

Aaron and Mama are downstairs eating breakfast. Baby Susannah is upstairs sleeping in mama's bed. Baby sister wakes up and begins crying, so big brother runs up the stairs to comfort her. He climbs up onto the bed next to her...
A: Susannah's crying, Mama?
M: Yes, she's a little sad.
turning to his sister and stroking her hair
A: I know, I know... you miss Daddy, too!

Mama is sitting on the couch nursing Susannah. Aaron climbs up next to her and puts his hand on her "milk."
A: Look, mama! I'm feeding her!!

Susannah update :: two months

2010-01-20T12:08:00.003-06:00

I'll probably say this every month, but I cannot believe how quickly the time is going. Our little tiny girl has now lost her newborn look, and, as Grandpa Lloyd said, is "becoming a baby."

Topping her list of milestones this month has to be some serious smiling. Her first little grin peeked out on December 26th, and while they do take a little work to coax out, once she gets going they really fly. In my very biased opinion, they are the most beautiful little girl smiles I've ever seen. :-) Sleeping has also been a skill greatly improved in the past month, with several 6-hour stretches during the night. She's consistently going 4 hours at a time, and I'm crossing my fingers that the trend continues.

Aaron continues to fall more and more in love with his baby sister. She is greeted with a myriad of phrases: "Hi, little girl!" being the most popular, followed by "Hi, cutie" or "Oh, precious!" Wonder where he hears those? Mama and Daddy are enjoying watching him grow into the best big brother ever. I don't know if there is anything more heart-warming than watching your children love each other.

Susannah, sorry to say, is not the supermodel her brother is. Not that she's any less beautiful... she just has no love for the camera. Photo sessions are short and sweet! So here are a few from her 2-month session...

Of course, my trusty assistant was there every step of the way to help (and yes, by "help" I do mean "get in the way"). Check out his creative technique!

She is one beautiful girl, wouldn't you say?

This is what life with two little ones is like...

2010-01-12T15:43:00.002-06:00

at Sears...

when one needs to nurse...

and the other one is two...

Aaron Overheard...

2010-01-05T10:57:00.000-06:00

While shopping...
"Can we go in the evalator?"

At the dinner table...
A: "Gimme more bread!"
Mama: You mean, "May I please have..."
A: "Gimme more bread. Please."
Mama: No, it's "May I have more, please."
A: "Gimme May I..."

Throughout the holidays...
"Merry Mismas!"
"Happy New You!"

First he was a midwife, now he's a chiropractor...

2010-01-04T19:16:00.003-06:00

Aaron helps Dr. Tony adjust his baby sister. He's so helpful! :-)

Sharing rocks!

2010-01-02T22:12:00.003-06:00

Aaron's favorite Christmas gift by far has been his brand new guitar. If it isn't being "played" or dragged around, he's asking "Where my 'tar go?" He's totally infatuated. So it was really something when he laid his prized possession across his sister's lap and asked, "Wanna play 'tar wittle girl?"

Aaron, you are one rockin' big brother!

Happy New Year!

2010-01-01T00:01:00.002-06:00

We didn't make it to midnight this year, but had a fun celebration in the early evening. Goodnight, bloggy friends, and a happy start to 2010 to you all!

Susannah update: six weeks

2009-12-31T17:23:00.006-06:00

Has it been six weeks already since sweet Susannah joined us? So hard to believe! The weeks are flying past, and my tiny girl is already losing her newborn look and growing by the day. She is much more alert now and will sometimes cry just because she can't see me nearby. We're also seeing her first tiny smiles. Daddy has coined a few nicknames for her because of her unique communication style, my favorites being Susannahsorus (because she sounds like a little dinosaur) or Susannah Grunt (rather than Susannah Grant).

Aaron continues to make the adjustment to being a big brother, and is learning to share. Yesterday he brought his guitar - the prized Christmas gift - to his baby sister, laid it across her in the bouncer seat, and said "wanna play guitar, little girl?" He also pays special attention to her when she's sitting in her swing. He'll get very close and ask if she's feeling okay, push her seat, or pat her feet. There are times when he struggles with having to share his mama, and he'll ask if we can put her to bed, but after a few extra cuddles he's back to playing with his toys and being a crazy two year old.

We're late for everything these days, so it's no surprise that her one month portraits didn't get taken until six weeks. Even then, her photo session was squeezed between my morning shower, brother's nap time, and a load of laundry. It's all part of life with little ones, this running in a million different directions at once. Enjoy these photos of our precious babe (and hopefully month two will be more timely!).

Our family Christmas card 2009

2009-12-26T21:31:00.000-06:00

I had good intentions of writing a letter to go along with our cards this year, but two little kiddos have kept me from spending any quality time with my computer lately. The year isn't over yet, so I may get to it still. Stay tuned!

Finding Peace at Christmas

2009-12-26T20:46:00.003-06:00

To say that Christmas isn't my favorite time of year would be an understatement. With a long history of December drama among extended family members and the stresses of overly busy schedules, endless shopping lists, and a good dose of seasonal affective disorder, it just gets worse and worse every year. Last year, I made it my goal to find ways to calm the craziness and craft a more peaceful Christmas celebration for our family. So what did I do? I went and had a baby 5 weeks before the holiday. Hmm.... maybe not the best way to introduce calm into our lives.

I'm learning that, for me, Christmas has absolutely nothing to do with December 25. I think that date on the calendar may have been corrupted beyond redemption by our cultural insistence to consume, consume, consume. So I'm giving it all up. I realize how much expectation I've put on that day, and I'm just letting it go. December 25 is going to be a stressful, emotionally charged day for the foreseeable future, and I'm not going to fight it anymore. What I'd like to do is find ways to spread out the celebrating. Make Christmas a whole month of special things. It will be my way of keeping Christmas in a way that extended family drama and long to-do lists can't touch. Perhaps finding joy and peace will come more easily this way.

There were a few moments this Christmas that were bursting with joy and peace, so I'm holding on tight to those tiny beacons:

Having my dearest friend, Rebecca, come from California for a week to help us recover from the chaos that our second child has introduced. She left us much better than she found us, with all our clothes and dishes washed, our Christmas shopping finished, and a menu and shopping list written out for Christmas dinner. She put love into action and served us better that we deserved - exactly what the Christmas story is all about.
Our first Christmas eve service with our family at Westminster Presbyterian Church, raising our voices together in verses of "Silent Night" as the soft glow of candles illuminated the faces of families we love doing life with.
Dancing with my son by the Christmas tree, hearing his little voice wish me a "Merry Mismas."
Singing carols to our children at bedtime. It didn't matter that we'd often stumble over the words once we got past the first verses of our favorites. It mattered that we were together, making joyful noise.
Rocking my baby daughter to sleep and thinking about that other baby of long ago. It's been a special blessing to have a newborn at Christmas time, as it makes more concrete the shocking reality that Jesus, creator of the universe, became so tiny, so vulnerable, all for my sake.

I'm so thankful for these simple gifts - a wonderful husband and beautiful, healthy children; a place to worship freely, and a church family who knows and loves us; most importantly, a God who loves me with reckless abandonment and who gave it all that I might find peace at Christmas and always.

Pictures!

2009-12-16T19:47:00.004-06:00

I feel awful that I haven't had my camera out more... but my hands are usually full of other things when Kodak moments happen. I guess it really is true that younger siblings get the short end of the stick when it comes to documentation.

But here are a few:

Our growing girl...

2009-12-15T20:54:00.002-06:00

Miss Susannah is growing like a weed. At the 2 week mark, she weighed in at 10 pounds. By three weeks, she was up to 10.5. In an effort to avoid unnecessary trips to the pediatrician, I've been weighing her myself on our postage scale. It's quite a sight to see my baby laying in a pyrex dish atop the scale. Buy, hey, whatever works, right?

I saw this little cartoon on another friend's blog, and can't stop laughing. Here's our life in stick figures...

So funny!

Susannah's Story : the very beginning

2009-11-30T13:10:00.001-06:00

DISCLAIMER: the following is a pretty detailed account of Susannah's birth. If you're uncomfortable with risking TMI, you might want to stop reading now. I won't be offended, I promise. :-)

It's been more than a week now since our sweet Susannah made our little trio into a quartet, and there's so much I've wanted to get down on paper (or blog, as the case may be) before it starts getting fuzzy around the edges. Her birth was both the most difficult and most beautiful experience of my life, the pain and the love all tangled together now.

Susannah's birth story begins on Thursday night, the 19th. After nearly two weeks of false labor and a lot of discomfort, I was really ready to have this baby. Aaron and I took a long walk around the nearby mall, then met Mike for dinner at Ol*ve Garden. As I got ready for bed later that evening, I pulled out a clean t-shirt to put on - my old Calvin Streetfest tee from my freshman year of college. It was the shirt I wore during my labor with Aaron, and I sort of chuckled to myself as I fished it from the back of the drawer... "Wouldn't it be funny if after all the long walks and visits to the chiropractor, all it takes is this shirt to get my labor going?"

My sleep that night was amazingly peaceful. My bladder only woke me twice, and my two year old, who'd been waking from bad dreams with some regularity, didn't make a peep. With most recent nights full of tossing and turning and hours spent on the downstairs couch, this was a welcome break.

My restful sleep was disturbed at about 6:30am. "Did I just wet the bed," I wondered in a sleepy haze? As I waddled into the bathroom, it began to dawn on me what was happening. My water had broken, the slow trickle announcing the imminent arrival of my baby. My t-shirt had done the trick! I called downstairs for Mike, who was just about to leave for work, and together we managed to mop up my leakage and call Hillary, our midwife.
"Good morning, Hillary, my water just broke." Her reply made my smile: "Oh, thank goodness!" I wasn't the only one getting impatient. With no contractions yet, I asked her if I should send Mike to work, but she insisted he stay put, and she would come right over.

The party slowly grew as the morning wore on. Hillary arrived and checked my progress: 3cm, 80% effaced. Contractions had started, but were light. Tera, Hillary's wonderful assistant, arrived soon, too. Aaron helped Mike inflate the birthing tub, and he really wanted to go for a swim as Mike began to fill it with warm water. He eventually stopped trying to take his shirt off and settled for letting his rubber ducky float around in his stead. Before long, he headed to the Anderson's house for the day to play with James and Eli. Photographer Eileen finished a session and hurried over. LeAnn got to work to find her database way behind schedule, and when all the work she could accomplish for the day was done, her boss graciously let her go for the day. My birth team was fully assembled! Mike and I took a walk through the neighborhood (it was an unusually bright and warm day for mid-November), pizza was ordered for lunch, and the girl talk was interrupted only every 7-8 minutes by my contractions, during which the room got very, very quiet . I was having too much fun for my body to be very productive, so Hillary sent me upstairs where it was quiet.

By 2pm, things had taken a more serious turn. Contractions were stronger and required more of my concentration. I tried reading, but had to put the book down before long. The tub was ready for me to sink into, but I wanted to save it for when things got harder, so I sat on the floor, moved to the bed, got into the shower, then finally turned to the tub for some relief. If my body got too comfortable in any one place, things would slow down a little, and Hillary would encourage me to change positions again.

Mike put on his swim trunks in the early evening and helped me into a second shower. I'm so glad he was there for support, since Transition happened, and I was hit by some of the most intense contractions of the night. It was wonderful to have him there to rub my back and stroke my hair, assuring me that I'd get through these hard moments. LeAnn stood in the bathroom with us, encouraging words at the ready. This shower is where I also started to sing during contractions, and I was amazed at how much that helped distract me from the pain. As a contraction grew, I'd life my voice as best as I could: "The Lord is my shepherd / He makes me lie in pastures green / He leads me beside quiet waters that wash over me..."

Now back in the tub, sitting on the birthing stool, I had just a lip of cervix that wouldn't give way. As I worked through contractions, about 2 minutes apart now, Hillary would try to help move it out of the way. Yes, this hurt a lot. I started to "sound pushy," Hillary said, so at 8pm, I got off the birthing stool and began to push. This was the hardest work yet, but it was amazing that I could actually feel my baby moving down with each good push. I'll always remember the feel of Mike holding my left hand and LeAnn on my right, giving me support and encouragement and letting me squeeze against them when I needed to. "I wish we could each take a little bit of the pain," LeAnn had said earlier in the afternoon, and this was the moment she was able to. Having such loving friends around me did help ease the pain, and I am so thankful to have had them there. They each were God's grace for the moment.

Susannah finally slid into Daddy's hands ("9:17, folks," LeAnn called out with much excitement), and he lifted her out of the water and onto my chest. The relief was immediate, and Mike and LeAnn joined me in singing the Doxology over her. Our beautiful girl was here, pink and healthy. As I got out of the tub and into bed, I watched Mike cradle this tiny new person in his arms. I watched my husband fall in love with another girl, and I enjoyed every moment of it.

Susannah brought a few wonderful surprises with her. First was the fact that she weighed nine pounds! When Mike first slid her up into my arms, I thought "Oh, good! She is tiny!" None of us could believe what the scale read just an hour later. I was also surprised by how well she nursed right from the start. With Aaron, we'd had so much trouble with feeding, and I was mentally prepared for the same battle with this little one. But she latched right on as soon as I was out of the tub and warming up in bed. What a happy discovery that was! Finally, I think I was expecting her to look a lot like Aaron, but she looks totally different. It's a good reminder that she's her own person with her own story.

This was a difficult birth - much harder than birthing Aaron. Being at home, in my own clothes, my own space, my own bed, on my own terms, really gave me the extra strength I needed. I loved looking at photos of my family hanging on my bedroom walls. Loved listening to my birth mix on my iPod (and discovering that Hillary, too, loves Over the Rhine, almost as much as I do). Loved being able to invite anyone I wished to be part of the experience, then watching God orchestrate all the details just perfectly for us. As hard as it was, I could not have wished for a better birth experience.

This week together has brought a lot of laughter and tears. The tears have mostly been mine, thanks to the hormonal roller coaster I'm now riding. But the laughter surely outweighs any sad feelings. It strikes us with much humor that one of my internal organs (placenta) is double bagged in our freezer. We've learned to duck and dodge Susannah's poop squirts, which happen regularly as soon as her diaper comes off. The first incident took four hands and 30 minutes to recover from, but now we've learned to take cover. Aaron has attached himself to one of the fuzzy pink blankets Susannah received as a gift, and he now sleeps with it and carries it everywhere. It's pretty hilarious to watch our two year old boy parade around with his pink blankie, but if it helps him to feel more connected to his new baby sister, we're all for it. And our Wednesday evening trip to Me*jer ended with the van pulled to the side of the road so I could nurse Susannah while Mike fed newly purchased cottage cheese to Aaron. Both kids had a total hunger meltdown, and it was tempting to berate ourselves for being so adventurous. Instead, we chose to laugh about it. "This is just how we do things, right" Mike joked at the height of the stress. "We do things together."

Susannah Grant, we're so glad you're here. So glad we're all together.

Eileen of EM Photography captured Susannah's birth in the most beautiful way. To see the slideshow, click here. I've edited the images included, so there's nothing too graphic.

Thanksgiving Foursome

2009-11-27T20:49:00.003-06:00

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving feast with the Anderson family. So much to be thankful for this year!

Thankful Thursday (except it's Wednesday :-)

2009-11-18T14:41:00.003-06:00

Have you seen the Gratitude challenge that's making its way around Facebook? Many of my friends have chosen to post one thing daily they are thankful for. While I'm not officially joining the challenge, I'm making a one-day exception. Today is my due date, and there is much to be thankful for.

I'm thankful that my body has been up to the task of carrying this sweet little person for the past 40 weeks. All indicators say she's healthy and active. Praise God for this miracle!
I'm thankful for the freedom to plan my birth according to my own wishes. Most women around the world don't have this luxury, so I'm not taking for granted that I've been able to weigh my options and make informed decisions about my own health care and that of my children.
I'm thankful for the wonderful care givers who have looked after us. Hillary, our midwife, has provided the most personal, gentle care, and I cannot wait to have her attend our birth. Dr. Tony has made sure my body is in tip-top shape for birthing, and his encouragement and extra care in these past few weeks has been such a source of comfort. He's as anxious as we are to welcome our little one into the world (and start her chiropractic care!). There are unnamed lab technicians, ultrasound techs, nurses and insurance company employees who have each contributed to the success of my care. I'm grateful that God has gifted each one of them with specialized knowledge and the passion to share it with us.
I'm so very thankful for the wonderful friends who have supported our family during this pregnancy. Our freezer has meals waiting in it already, thanks to the ladies in my bible study group. I was blessed by a small but mighty group of friends at my Mother's Blessing a few weeks back, and having them pray over me was very moving. There have been emails and facebook comments of encouragement. Some have even taken Aaron for a play date so I could rest when needed. I have an amazing support network!
Our church family has diligently covered us in prayer. Since announcing our pregnancy just after Easter, our names and due date have been listed among the prayer needs in our weekly bulletin, and these needs are also prayed for during our worship service. What a blessing to have church family who takes seriously the privilege of prayer! To be a part of a covenant community, where we are truly invested in doing life together, is such a special gift. Thank you, Lord, for Westminster Presbyterian Church, and for leading our family to join their flock.

I'm looking forward to the gratitude that will come after labor and birth. It's so easy to get caught up today in the discomfort of pregnancy and the anxiety of waiting, but I'm choosing instead to let my heart sing... "Praise God from whom all blessings flow..."

A family of 3 (for now)

2009-11-15T00:48:00.004-06:00

We're all on pins and needles waiting for baby girl to join our little party, so while I wait, thought I'd post a last picture of our family of 3. We've been soaking up the time together - today's adventure was a long family walk to the neighborhood pond where Aaron could chase the geese and run around for a bit.

I remember this waiting just before Aaron was born, and it feels so very different this time around. With Aaron, I was clinging to pregnancy, partly frightened by the huge changes that lay in store for Mike and I, partly intimidated by the prospect of labor, and partly because I just loved having Aaron all to myself and birthing him meant I'd have to share him. :-) In general, this has been a much more difficult pregnancy, so I'm 100% ready to be done. Ready to face labor and it's temporary discomforts; ready for the change that's coming to our family trio. We've seen first-hand that children are, indeed, a blessing from the Lord, and we're so anxious to add one more to the mix.

A Midwife for Mama

2009-10-06T15:50:00.003-05:00

"Aren't you nervous," someone recently asked me, "about not going to a hospital to have your baby?"

I'm not nervous one little bit because...

I'll have Aaron here to midwife for me. Just after these pictures he told me to "Lay down and rest!" I think he's got it all under control. :-)

Aaron's 2-year portraits: behind the scenes

2009-09-28T10:34:00.004-05:00

I know another photographer who says she's rather pull out her own teeth than photograph her children. I'm beginning to understand what she means. It seems like all the location details, outfit planning, and kid cooperation comes unraveled as soon as I pull out the camera.

Mike gave Aaron a bath just before heading out for our session, and Aaron begged for some "lotion" in his hair (gel). A little couldn't hurt, right? But it meant re-wetting his hair to get rid of the greasy, slicked look it gave our little guy. Not off to a great start.

I had agonized over wardrobe choices for these pictures, wanting him to look nicely put together, but not too nice. I still wanted him to look like himself. So we'd settled on jeans and a few t-shirts, all of which had been washed and ironed and hung up so as to look perfect. Who would have guessed that the snack in the car would have left big wet spots all down Aaron's front? Now we had a wet shirt as well as hair that was still wet from the last-minute washing. Ugh!

I was beginning to flip out a little at this point, and I hadn't even started photographing. Thankfully, my trusty assistant (Daddy) came to the rescue and dried the shirt over the car's air conditioning vent. I worked on Aaron's hair and got it looking good. We were in business! What we didn't know was that it was homecoming at many of the area high schools and dozens of dressed-up adolescent couples had flocked to the park for pictures at the same time as we did. Seriously?!?

But all's well that ends well. In the end, I think these hurdles forced us to sharpen our problem-solving skills and creativity, and made for even better pictures than I had hoped for. The images I'm loving the most aren't the ones I'd planned for, but just unfolded naturally. Stopping at the playground wasn't in my agenda, but Aaron's smile as he swings and slides is exactly what I was hoping to document in this session. Sometimes, it's about letting go, isn't it?

My super assistant, shirt-dryer, and laugh-maker... Daddy!

A quick outfit change in the parking lot...

One of my favorites:

To see his entire session, check out my post on our other blog. Or watch this slideshow.

From D-Land

2009-09-26T20:25:00.002-05:00

So here's a short letter to Aaron.
(thanks for the encouragement Auntie Rebo)

Aaron,
Your mom is an excellent writer and has done an amazing job at documenting your life. I am about one hundred blog posts (updates from Daddyland) behind and I apologize.

God has really blessed our family and allows Momma to work from home and take care of you. Daddy sometimes feels disconnected as I leave for work early in the morning, before you wake up and return later that evening. Please know that it brings me great joy when I call momma several times a day from work and check-in on the two (three) of you. Momma always provides updates on all your silly (and sometimes not-so-silly) behavior. We discuss the new words you have started to say and how many time-outs you have.

I recognized a few weeks ago, the significant amount of time you spend with your mom. When you and I were out for a walk, you turned to me and said something like,"c'mon momma." I did not have the heart to correct you. I just let the moment sink-in and smile with true joy.

My sweet boy, I must tell you, your playfulness makes me laugh...a deep, rich hearty laugh. I really enjoy making you laugh hysterically usually by spinning you around and then tickling you.
I love going for walks in the neighborhood with you and going to our special place - "yucky water",to look for "froggies" that jump in the water as we approach them and watching you pick up little rocks and throw them in the water. You wind-up like you are going to throw the rock across the pond but it usually goes about 12 inches away.

I love raising you and I am grateful to God for you. More posts to come (from Daddyland).

Love Always,
Daddy

Thankful Thursday: Aaron Michael

2009-09-24T14:17:00.003-05:00

Yesterday's post was a difficult one to write. There's just too much about my Aaron that I want to share with him about what life is like these days, and there's no way I could accurately express how much he is loved and cherished. So today, after all the birthday hoopla is finally coming to a close, I want simply to say how thankful I am for this wonderful boy. I figured a few photos might be able to tell the story better than my words ever could...

Turning Two

2009-09-23T09:43:00.005-05:00

Dear Aaron,

Where has the year gone? I feel like it was just weeks ago that I was baking carrot cake cupcakes and hanging the birthday banner to celebrate turning one. And now you're already two?!? From what I hear, the years fly by faster and faster from here, so I'd better get used to it.

Just like I did a year ago, I feel a little sad today. My baby boy is another step closer to being all grown up. There have been so many times this year that I've wished I could bottle you up and keep you this age forever. Your energy and enthusiasm for life just astound me (wish I could bottle that up, too!), and the speed at which you're learning new concepts is mind-boggling. You have brought joy unimaginable to our lives, Aaron, and that joy seems to be growing right along with you.

A quick look at my big boy...

Your imagination is blossoming. One minute, Aaron the boy is playing with his Duplo blocks and building towers or houses, and the next minute I have Aaron the doggie scooting around on all fours, barking wildly. I love watching you use your creativity during playtime!
Coloring is a new favorite activity, too. Your favorite things to draw are circles (you call them "mickeys," since they look like Mickey Mouse) and you are always picking up crayons, pens, and markers to scribble here and there.
You've finally settled on Spicey Cat and your white blankie as bedtime buddies. I had to buy a second blankie that is identical so we could keep one in the wash rotation and always have a clean one on hand. Of course, your binkie is still your best friend, too.
Baseball, baseball, baseball is all you talk about some days! Daddy picked out a t-ball set for your birthday, and you headed outside with Dad and Grandpa Lloyd last night to play a few innings. When the sun finally disappeared and you had to come in, there were a lot of big tears, and the first toy you asked for when you woke up this morning was your baseball bat.
You're vocabulary and language skills are unbelievable. We call you our little copycat because you so frequently repeat whatever we say.
Broccoli is one of your favorite foods. Sometimes I wonder if you're really my kid. :-)
You're a dancing and singing machine! Current favorite tunes include "Sing, Sing, Sing" and "You Lifted Me Out" (you call it the woh woh song) by Chris Tomlin, and anything Wiggleworms. We sing a lot in the car, and I love hearing your little voice belt out a melody.

There are a million little details I wish I could record about who you are right now, but that would make this one very long letter. Instead, I'll just say again how much you are loved, how special you are to us, and how our family wouldn't be the same without you. Life is changing fast, little guy, and in just a few weeks you'll be a big brother, so I'm soaking in these final days of just the three of us.

Today I'm praising God for letting me be your mama, for bringing such a special boy into my life, and for giving me the tools I need to help grow you in the knowledge and grace of Jesus Christ. As Daddy said to you at dinner earlier this week, "You're the most wonderful boy I know!" I couldn't agree more!!!

Hugs and kisses to my favorite two-year-old,
Mama

I Heart Purple Cavaliers

2009-08-19T12:27:00.010-05:00

When people ask me how Mike and I met, I often joke that it was in my backyard. That's true, since we met at a backyard BBQ my roommate and I were hosting. But to be more accurate, I should probably tell people I met him at my front door. I remember that summer night, six years ago, when I watched through the kitchen window as a purple Chevy Cavalier pulled up in front of our house and parked on the curb. A very cute guy got out of the car, and I hurried to fix my hair in the reflection of the microwave door as I silently cursed my roommate for not telling me any attractive, single men were on the guest list. I opened the door, our eyes met, and the rest is history.

Then came our wedding day. When our plans for transportation didn't work within our schedule quite the way we'd laid it all out, we just rolled with it and hopped into that same purple Cavalier. Mike insisted he spend a few minutes cleaning it out before letting his bride in, and I discovered that pounding dust out of the floor mats can, indeed, be a romantic gesture of the highest sort.

Most recently, Aaron and I begin watching carefully as the 5 o'clock hour approaches. We sometimes press our noses to the living room window, and other times take a little walk down the street. From inside or out, we're straining for that first glimpse of the purple Cavalier as it rounds the corner and heads for our driveway, announcing that daddy is home for the evening. What a welcome sight that rusty old car is!

So last night was bittersweet when we traded that purple Cavalier in for a newer family van. We were a little sad to see it go, to say goodbye to all those memories. "I've driven every one of those 155,000 miles," Mike said proudly. He was just 21 when he bought it new, and it was hard to let go of a car that has been a faithful friend and carried us through these early years of our marriage journey. But the road winds on ahead, and we'll be navigating it in our Toyota Sienna, with a couple of kids squawking from the back seats. Here's to the next 155,000 miles...

I'm a copycat

2009-08-17T18:43:00.002-05:00

At the dinner table...

Daddy: Mama, these meatballs are yummy. What's in them?
Mama: Turkey, cranberries...
Aaron: Cranberries! Cranberries!
Mama: ...cheese...
Aaron: Cheese! Cheese!
Mama: ...and two apples...
Aaron: Two apples!

Mama and Daddy laugh at the little copycat who repeats everything, then Mama decides to play a little trick.

Mama: I'm a copycat
Aaron: meow!

:-)

Tiny Talk Tuesday

2009-08-04T19:11:00.002-05:00

There's a lot of talking happening at our house lately, but today, one word did the trick...

I met with our midwife, Hillary, this afternoon, and took Aaron with me to the appointment. He loves to help her take my blood pressure and listen to baby's heartbeat, although his interest in my belly is usually interrupted by the big box of toys in her office. But today, as the cold gel was squirted onto my bump and the Doppler began to draw circles, broadcasting that family whooshing of a heartbeat, he whispered only one word: WOW!

Couldn't have said it better myself.

And because a blog post is naked without a photo, here's a fun one:

Do you get excited by mail? We do!

2009-07-27T13:38:00.007-05:00

Mail is a very exciting part of our day. Aaron gets quite upset if I make a trip to the mailbox without him, and he's a great helper, carrying all the junk mail back into the house for me. Today's mail was particularly exciting, since three packages arrived on our doorstep.

What could be in there? Lots of good stuff:

Aren't these cute? I won a contest on Glimpse last week, and got to choose my favorite pair of Jack and Lily shoes. I didn't expect them to arrive so quickly, or to be such great quality. Thanks, Glimpse!

Second package opened was this:

I've been researching diapers for a long time now, checking out all the deals on eBay and DiaperSwappers.com. These are Fuzzi Bunz Perfect Sized Diapers, for those who are wondering, and I bought 6 mediums. I am a big fan of one-size diapers, and did order 12 FB one-size, which should arrive next week. But this print isn't available in the OS, and I just couldn't pass up the deal. Hello, pink!

At this point in the mail opening, Aaron thought I was going too slow, so he grabbed the scissors and tried opening box #3 himself. Here's what we found inside:

More diapers! This is our stash of newborn prefolds, which I picked up on Diaperswappers.com for about $1 each. One size diapers are usually too big for newborns, so these will be our supply until baby girl packs on a few pounds. Who knew diapers were so exciting, right?

Of course, playing with the boxes was Aaron's favorite part of the whole process. He promptly made a boat out of the biggest one, and made "Toot, toot" boat noises while I examined my treasures.

You have to admit, this does make mail pretty exciting. :-)

Vote for Aaron's messy face!

2009-07-14T09:04:00.004-05:00

We usually don't enter cute baby photo contests, but the prize for this one caught my attention. $1000 gift card to one of my favorite photo equipment suppliers always comes in handy, right? :-) So I searched my photo archives and entered Aaron's messy face in the Messy Baby Faces Contest. Now we need your help. Would you take a minute to vote for us? His entry is here and you can vote once per day until the end of the month. Thanks!

Aaron's "Mowmower"

2009-07-10T13:56:00.007-05:00

This is what it looked like the last time Aaron helped Daddy cut the grass.

A lot has changed since then, but A's enthusiasm for helping with chores has not. Any time he hears a lawnmower engine whirring somewhere in the neighborhood, he'll look at me quizzically and ask, "Dada... mowmower?" So when Dad pulled the lawnmower out of the garage yesterday, Aaron was just too excited - and Dad thought it was too cute to say no when Aaron wouldn't stop being helpful. They cut the whole front yard together...

First Look: baby girl Sharp

2009-06-30T16:24:00.001-05:00

Todday's the day...

2009-06-29T08:32:00.003-05:00

we find out if baby #2 is pink or blue. :-)

I've had pretty strong girl feelings about this one from the beginning, but I'm fully prepared to be wrong. I'm really looking forward to seeing our baby, getting a good report that (s)he is healthy, and beginning to really plan for this little one's arrival. Now to go drink a whole bunch of water before my appointment...

Back-blogging: Mothers Day

2009-06-17T10:51:00.007-05:00

"What do you want for Mother's Day," Mike kept asking. I honestly couldn't think of anything I really wanted. I gave it a good bit of thought, and finally decided I'd just like some nice photos of Aaron and I together. The little man wasn't exactly cooperative (there was a lot of excitement at Grandma and Grandpa's house that afternoon, and sitting still for pictures wasn't high on his priority list). But Mike did manage to capture a few great shots. Thought I'd share them...

Back-blogging: What Aaron does while Daddy grills dinner...

2009-06-17T09:50:00.003-05:00

Back-blogging: Happy Birthday, Mama!

2009-06-17T09:03:00.003-05:00

The end of April brought another birthday for me, and this one was pretty low key (especially compared to last year's blow-out). But the mention of ice cream was enough to lure me out of the house, so we headed to the mall for some special birthday Cold Stone. It turned out to be a surprisingly nice afternoon, given that it was a trip to the mall. We hardly ever go there as a family, so there was a certain novelty to it. And, of course, the ice cream was yummy. Aaron even got a special treat - a triple berry smoothie. He loved it!

Back-blogging: Easter 2009

2009-06-17T08:24:00.007-05:00

I did a terrible job of documenting our Easter celebration this year. I realized that I never even got a good picture of Aaron in his Easter outfit (which was super cute!), and he's now outgrown the pants, so there's no hope of a recreating. We also missed out on egg decorating and hunting, a result of poor planning on our part. With my mom in town for the weekend, it was a hang-onto-your-hat kind of time, and none of my grand plans really came to fruition. Thank goodness for the message of grace that Easter brings!

One of the best parts of the day was worshipping with our church family. It's the first time in a long time we've felt so deeply connected to a church, and it made for a wonderful start to this joyous day.

We did have a wonderful Easter dinner with good friends the Andersons. For Rosie's version of the story, check out her blog.

The table is set, including fresh flowers from the garden. This was a sure sign of spring amidst our chilly April weather.

James wanted a picture of us together. Harder to accomplish than one might think.
Eli is ready to eat!The girls hang out in the kitchen. I've love the growing friendship between our two families.

This is quite possibly the best picture of Aaron's outfit that exists, and I didn't even take it! Add a linen blazer and matching hat, and it's almost the whole ensemble.

Back-blogging: St. Patrick's Day

2009-06-17T07:51:00.000-05:00

Yes, I'm way behind in updating our blog. Though this post is dated in March, I'm writing it in June. :-) I'll try to get caught up on what we've been up to, so forgive me for some archival material. Hopefully the cute pics of the A-man will make it worth it.

Here's our family at the Elmhurst St. Patrick's Day parade. When we lived in Elmhurst, this parade made it's way right past our front door, so it was a lot of fun to take Aaron back to our old stompin' grounds. It was a beautiful spring day, and we really enjoyed being together. Blah, blah, blah... you know you just want to see pictures :-)

More catch-up coming soon! Stay tuned...

Have you missed me?

2009-04-17T15:40:00.001-05:00

I'll admit I haven't been as bloggy as usual lately. But there's a good reason, I promise. Want to know why? Watch this video to find out...

Thoughts on Easter...

2009-04-08T09:54:00.003-05:00

I'm thinking a lot about how we'll celebrate Easter this weekend, and wishing I'd given it more thought before it snuck up on me. Since I only have a few minutes before Aaron's nap comes to an end, I'll quickly get to my point: I'm worried that all the fun with Easter eggs and candy and stuffed animals is going to get confused with the reality of the day. Easter is a celebration of Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection - he paid for each of our sins with his own life. So how do I keep Jesus from becoming a fictional character amidst the egg hunts and photos with the Easter bunny? Can I keep Jesus the focus of our celebrations and still partake in all the cultural trappings that come with the day? I know a lot of you out there have young children, too, and are perhaps struggling with this same question. So what's your game plan? How will you make Jesus the star of your Easter celebration?

The Bread Art Challenge

2009-04-03T11:25:00.002-05:00

My friend Rebecca has a great challenge on her blog today, and I took her up on it. :-)

A friend of mine posted about the Bread Art Project this week, and I thought it was super cool, so I participated, and I hope you'll think about it too!

Simply visit the website for the Bread Art Project, create a piece of artwork using a photo that you upload, and $1 will be donated to Feeding America. Feeding America works to help feed the hungry in all 50 states, DC and Puerto Rico, and their website says that a $1 donation helps them provide 10 pounds of food to people who are hungry.

So here's my very own bread art, made from our new Sharp Images logo:

Now it's your turn! Go to the Bread Art Project for yourself, make some fun art, and help those who are hungry. And send me the link to your art when you're done. I want to see how creative some of you can be. :-)

1 1/2!

2009-03-23T19:20:00.004-05:00

Today is Aaron's half birthday! Yippee!!!

We didn't do much to celebrate (in fact, I just realized I haven't even taken a picture of him today, so I'm running up to the tub right now to catch one...) but there were a few sweet moments that make me want to bottle this kid up and keep him for a while. We just finished a family dance party to his favorite Wiggleworms CD, and I love seeing him bop his little body to the beat.

It's absolutely impossible to catalog all the ways he's grown in this past month. His vocabulary has just exploded! The past few days alone have brought new words like purple and bike to the long list. Ice, apple, blankie, shoes, and water all new additions this month, too. I can't even think of all the words he knows, there's just so many. He's also acquired a good many new teeth. All four molars made their appearance this month, as well as his two upper I-teeth. There are a few following close behind, so I'm hoping the worst of teething is getting behind us. He's weathered the discomfort fairly well. To top it all off, he's growing like a weed. We bought a new pair of shoes for him, and I was shocked to have to purchase a size 7 already. The sandals I tucked away for this summer are 71/2. He's going to be a tall one if his feet are any indication!

I love his giggles when Daddy comes come from work and gives a good tickle.

I love that everything can become a hat with enough imagination. Plastic lids, shoes, blankets, and books have all been recent props. It's the beginning of his sense of humor, and he knows it. The smile as he says "hat" lights up the room.

I do not love that he wakes up 2-3 times in the middle of the night, but it is mildly amusing that he'll now call out for me, then ask for "Dada" once I go in to hug him. And if Mike goes in, he wants "Mama." The manipulation attempts have begun. :-)

His innocence and affection are astounding. To watch him discover something new is to discover it again for yourself.

Today I asked him to say "I love you," and he blew me a kiss. Be.still.my.heart.

Aaron, you're our sweet little big boy, and it's such a joy to watch you grow and learn. We love you so much!

(wow, lot's of bath pictures this month, too. :-)

Aaron the Supermodel!

2009-03-22T14:17:00.003-05:00

Many of you know that I signed Aaron with a talent agency over a year ago. After submitting photos, taking him downtown for an audition, etc, etc... we never heard from them again. I had written the whole thing off until recently, when the phone rang and they wondered if Aaron was available. Yipee, his first shoot!!!

Wanna see the results?

Boo!

2009-03-15T16:20:00.001-05:00

A recent conversation

Aaron (looking at a scab on Mike's thumb): What is that?
Daddy: An ouchie. Can you say ouchie?
Aaron: What is that?
Daddy: Ouchie.
Aaron: What is that?
Mama: Let's try something different... it's a boo-boo. Can you say boo-boo?
Aaron (covers his eyes with his hands, then quickly pulls them away): Boo!

Happy Birthday Emma!

2009-02-28T21:21:00.001-06:00

Emma was just six weeks old when I met her. It was my birthday, and her mom and dad brought her for a visit, spreading her out on a blanket in front of the fireplace and watching her kick her little legs and stick out her tongue. She was so tiny... so sweet... and now she's six. How did that happen???

We spent the evening with Emma and her family, celebrating this special, special girl. We ate pizza and birthday cake, danced to Hannah Montana songs, and oohed and aahed over her gifts. As we were packing up to head home, Emma told Uncle Mike, "I don't want today to be over. I'm having so much fun!" It was a lot of fun, indeed, especially to see Emma smile in a way I had not seen in some time.

The birthday girl showing off one of her new outfits.

Toot! Toot! Let's Party!

Making her birthday wish.

Edie was very excited for cake, too. :-)

The ever-silly Uncle Mike.

I just love watching the girls play with Aaron. He sure loves them - he's going in for a kiss in this one...

Birthday loot.

It was definitely a Hannah Montana kind of birthday. Dolls. Cards. Costumes. Wigs. All HM. The wig was very.... entertaining.

Uncle Ricky.

We love you, Emma!!!

He's not a baby anymore

2009-02-23T13:30:00.000-06:00

Every day brings a fresh reminder that our sweet, tiny baby has grown into an energetic, talkative toddler. Experienced parents are always commenting on how fast they grow up, but until you live it yourself, it sounds like an overused cliche. Take it from me, it's all too true.

Today marks Aaron's 17th month. He's a boy who loves to dance, with or without music; he's learned new signs (music, light, elephant, bath) as well as new words (mama - finally! - cheese, read, please, "Jakey"); he's still napping twice a day, which I hear is not normal for a boy this age, but for which I'm very thankful; his love of swimming long outlasts his ability to regulate his own body temperature; and Spice the cat is his new best friend and the lovey I think he's finally settled on for good. In a word, he's AMAZING. And I'm so glad he's mine. :-)

Happy Valentine's Day!

2009-02-14T12:04:00.001-06:00

Hugs and kisses from our little love bug.