My Friend’s Etsy Shop

I’ve been having a LOT of computer problems recently.  We’re in the process of getting a new computer, but haven’t figured out what to get yet. I have my ‘buyer’ looking for good deals for me. (Thanks, Aaron!) 

While my laptop is deciding to work, I thought I’d get out this post about my friend’s Etsy shop.  She has started making bibs, and they are amazing!    I got the chance to see one of her creations in person, and that bib was the sturdiest bib I’ve ever felt!!  It has a strong snap on the back that is very secure – no kid is going to pull that thing off!  It has thick terry cloth on the underside and an adorable print on the topside.  I would totally give her bibs as a baby shower gift or to a mom of a little one.   They really are amazing quality.  I loved it!

Here’s an image I yanked off of her Etsy shop.  So cute!! 

If you’re in the market for a baby bib, check her out. 

Growth Chart Moments

Jack turned 18 months last week.  A year and a half!  Time flies when you’re having fun!

Here are some cute things he’s doing or saying that I’m sure to forget if I don’t write them down.

• He says “BESS YOU” to anyone who sneezes, coughs, hiccups, or burps. 
• He calls all animals by the noise they make. 
• Dogs = FUFF FUFF!
• Sheep = BA!
• Cows = MMMMMMMOO! ( sometimes Mmmmmeee)
• Mokey’s = OOO OOO EEEE EEE EEEEE!
• He counts to two.  Sometimes he counts to three, but his three sounds like one, so we’re not really sure about that one.
• He yells “CHASE!” and “RUN RUN!” when he he wants you to chase after him.  His chase turns into chrase after a few times.
• He loves putting blankets around him while walking around.  He loves all blankets and hats, and he loves to wrap them around his shoulders or waist and see how far he can walk around the house before it falls off.
• He is in love with CHOO CHOOs!  The boy turns his food into choo-choos, and everything looks like a choo choo track to him evidently.  He can sit on Daddy’s lap and watch choo-choo videos online all day long!
• He still loves to read books.  He knows what he likes and doesn’t like each night for bedtime, and it changes every night!  His nursery floor is covered with books that he fishes through to find just the right ones for that night.
• He can identify most animals, but that doesn’t mean he wants to touch them or get to close.  He’ll enjoy looking from afar for now.

OH, and he’s sleeping through the night now!  It only took 17 or so months, but he’s not getting up much at all now.  YAY!!!!!

This is his favorite blanket to wrap around himself.  And he can’t go to sleep without it on top of him…even if his room is 82 degrees!!!

Our little Darth Vader Boy.

 

He likes to wear hats!

I Go Out Walkin’…

But it’s not after midnight, and I’m not searchin’, hoping you will be somewhere out walkin’ after midnight searchin’ for meeeeee. 

Oh Lordy, my life is one big song.  I had a choir director in college who would randomly break out into song whenever he was in a conversation.  Everything reminded him of a song.  It didn’t make for short conversations, but it did make for interesting ones!

Anyway!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I thought I’d share with the masses (or maybe just my mom) what I’ve been doing since my 30 day fitness challenge ended.  I took some time off, but after about a week, I got back into a walking groove again.  Now, I’m up to walking 4 miles almost every weekday morning!  I think I’m doing about a 17 minute mile, which isn’t that bad, but I’m sure could be better. 

I thought I’d share with you what it is that makes me get up and walk, and what makes my walk manageable – dare I say enjoyable?!

I found on iTunes a podcast called Podrunner.  (You don’t have to have iTunes to use their podcasts – just an mp3 player of some sort)  DJ Steveboy (whoever that is) has created hour long mixes of techno music that stay at a steady beat per minute (BPM).  I started walking to 135 BPM for 3 miles and realized that I liked walking if I had a steady beat pumping in my ears.  I keep my volume low enough so that I can still hear and talk to Jack while I push him along.   I’ve steadily increased my speed to 140BPM and 4 miles.  

I even got my hubby to use them on his Blackberry while he runs now.  He’s using around a 148 BPM.  I tried running, but my knees swelled, and I couldn’t walk for a day or two. After I lose some weight, maybe I’ll try running again.

Another thing that keeps me moving is an awesome, borrowed jogging stroller.   My friend Andrea let me borrow her Schwinn, swivel wheel jogging stroller, and I never want to give it back!  As far as Jack’s comfort goes, it’s great!  It has a tray, which so few seem to have.  He keeps his water and toy with him and it doesn’t fall out (much) since it sits in the tray.  It also has a swivel wheel.  I LOVE that.  I think a lot of joggers think it’s unsafe to have a swivel wheel when you’re jogging, but I’m not jogging, so it’s wonderful for me. 

Next, my husband bought me this wonderful Camelpak for my birthday this year.  I was totally shocked when he bought it for me, but I love it so much now.  It holds 3 liters of ice and water,  my iPod, and anything else I want to throw in the pack.  (It’s made for cyclists, so it has compartments with their needs in mind)  I used a regular sports bottle one day last week, and hated how my water didn’t stay cold, and how I ran out of water before my walk was done.  This backpack is great! (Jack loves drinking from it too!)

 

And finally, I couldn’t walk for an hour and 8 minutes if I didn’t have a snack for Jack.  About half way through the walk, he starts to get cranky.  If his toy (usually a truck or Little People) isn’t keeping him occupied anymore, I’ll throw him a snack trap with crackers, raisins, or apple pieces in it.  That usually keeps him happy for the rest of the trip.  If not, there’s always my keys.

Now, if only the pounds would start melting off!  My diet is average to good, so I’m pretty frustrated that 4 months of walking hasn’t taken any weight off.  I’ve been in to see the Dr. for my thyroid, and we did find my numbers to be off, so that may be the culprit. I just can’t win!

Like Mother, Like Daughter

Every so often, the reality that I’m turning into my mother hits me.  I saw it in the way I managed my 6th graders, I see it in the way I raise my son, and I even see it in the mirror sometimes.  There isn’t a week that goes by that my husband doesn’t say (or want to say), “Okay, DONNA!”  It doesn’t always have a negative connotation of course.   We say the same quirky words or phrases, and we respond to situations similarly.  I have always looked like my mother.  One time, at my grandparents’ 50th anniversary celebration, some of their ‘older’ friends came up to me at the guest book and said, “Oh, Donna, it’s been so long!"  Ummmm, I was 12 and my mother was NOT 12 at the time.  I guess I REALLY looked like her! 

My mother has always been an avid reader.  She LOVES to read.  She loves romance, mystery, and who-done-its especially.  She loves big name authors like Nora Roberts and John Grisham.  As far back as I can remember, she has always had numerous books on her nightstand.  I remember as a young girl going in and kissing her goodnight - she was always sitting up in her bed against her headboard reading a book.  I’d go in, sit on her bed and wait for her to finish the sentence or paragraph she was on.  We’d talk for a little bit, I’d kiss her goodnight, and she’d go back to reading.

I have found that I am becoming an avid reader as well. My favorites are Christian romance and mysteries.  When Jack was just a few weeks old, I started reading books while I nursed him.  Since I nursed him a lot, I read through books very quickly.  I still read when I put him down for a nap or bedtime, which sometimes takes more than an hour.  I then go to bed and read while Rick watches TV.  During Jack’s nap, sometimes I’ll pick up a book I’m in the middle of and just sit and read for the two hours.  (yes, my house is a  bit neglected).   Just last night I stayed up past midnight finishing my latest book.  Sometimes, I just can’t put the books down!  I will have two or three books going at once now, too.  One in Jack’s room, one in my room, and then maybe another one downstairs.  It’s crazy!

 

This stack of books was read in three weeks!  (Plus there are two upstairs that I’m in the middle of right now.)  I’m in the middle of four series.  I love it!  I can’t get enough of these stories and characters. 

If you’re interested, here are some authors I’m enjoying right now:

Robin Jones Gunn, Lori Wick , Debra White Smith, James Scott Bell.

Well, I’m off to read!  Just call me Donna!

655

If you’re not a Google Reader user, this post probably won’t matter to you.

As you know, I’ve been a little absent in the blogging scene.  It’s not just one sided.  Not only have I been absent in writing blogs, but I’ve also been absent in reading blogs. 

I have a couple (to put it very mildly) blogs that I regularly like to read.  I started using Google Reader to keep it all organized.  I like that they have a “next” feature – I can hit the button and it takes me to the blog site to read the most recent post.  I love seeing all the different blogs that people create, and when you get into a Google Reader habit, you miss all the pages.  (you read them like an email loader with only the text and pictures – no backgrounds or headers).  But the Next button takes you to the actual blog page (and all the hard work the author has put into it).

While I was busy raising my son and spending time with my husband (did I feel guilty for all the time I was spending on the computer??), I let my reader fill up with unread blog posts.  When I checked it this weekend, I had 655 posts that I had not read yet.  WOW!!! 

So, this weekend, I decided to catch up. It took me 5 days, but I’m all caught up! I didn’t read every single post, but I did read most of them.   I didn’t use the next button, so I didn’t give anyone page views.  Sorry.  But, hopefully, now I’m back, and I’ll actually count for your page views and be a kinda regular commenter again. 

I get a lot of out reading blogs.  Sewing ides, recipes, parenting tips, wife tips, ideas for saving money, activities for Jack, and craft ideas.  Not to mention all the cute stories and pictures of babies out there!

Speaking of cute babies….mine just turned A YEAR AND A HALF today!!  He has done so much growing and in so little time. 

*trying to find recent pictures to post has made me realize that I’ve been in a picture slump.  I don’t have a lot of cute pictures of him right now.  I’ll have to work on that!

A Quick Project

I found some flannel fabric at the store this weekend and decided to make some ‘company napkins.’  Our cloth napkins are well used and stained because of it.  We both still love using the cloth napkins, and whatever fabric I used was a great choice.  They mop up spills pretty well and they hold up to many washings and face smears.  (wish I could remember what kind of fabric it is!)

I’ve recently started thinking about having ‘fancy’ cloth napkins for when company comes over.  That doesn’t happen often, but when it does, I’d like to offer them something a little nicer than a spaghetti stained cloth.  I found some beautiful striped flannel and thought I’d use this for my fancy napkins.

Did you know that flannel isn’t very absorbent?  These napkins aren’t going to be the go-to napkins for a drink spill, but they sure do feel nice smooshed on your face!  I picked it purely on what looked nice, not what was practical.  I do that more times than I’d care to admit.

I cut the pieces smaller than I should have, but I didn’t measure anything, so what do you expect?  I sewed two pieces back to back (or front to front to put the seams on the inside), so that both sides would show the pattern.  Although one of them is front to back because of not paying attention and being too rushed to rip the stitches to do it over. 

I’m hoping the stripes hide stains well.  I’m also hoping the colors match every holiday and season.  It has a bit of every color in it.  The girls liked them the other night during our Girls Night, so I s’pose that’s all I can ask for!

 

Banana Clips, Friends, and Aprons

Remember these?

 

I wore them all the time in the 80’s!  I even had the big, permed hair to go with it.  They rocked!

Evidently, they still exist.  I bought some at Meijer the other day, thinking I would bring back the beautiful, ‘Mohawk-esque’ hairstyle. 

Evidently, I don’t have big enough hair for it anymore.  It slides right out of my hair every time I try to wear it.  So, alas, I will not be the one to bring back the banana clip anytime soon. 

But that doesn’t stop me from having some fun with them!

Last night was a Girls Night Out for me and my two high school friends.  Only, this time, we had a girls-night-out-at-home-with-the-husbands.  I hosted a cookout that ended up as a cook-in, since the rain kept us inside.  When my friends got here, I forced them to wear banana clips.  I’m such a great hostess! 

Aren’t they beautiful!? We had a good laugh over these, and wore them most of the night.

Because I’m not always mean to my guests, I gave them each a gift to make up for the forced banana clip wearing. 

I made them each an apron with fabric that fits their personalities and kitchens!  They loved them.

You can tell that I made mine from REALLY old, worn out jeans, and theirs from jeans from my mother that were so much nicer looking. 

Every few months, Heather, Beth and I get together to catch up on our lives and eat yummy food (mostly Chipotle).  This time it was nice that our husbands could join us.  It’s been 15 years since we graduated from high school, and we’re all three in different stages of our lives (one has two married daughters, I’ve just started my family, and one is still enjoying the single life).  When we get together, even without the banana clips, it’s like we’re transported back in time to the hallways of our school, sharing lockers and going to football games. 

I love my girlfriends!!!

It Was All Going So Smoothly…

I did another sewing project!  This time, my mom had given me some of her old pants that she could no longer fit into (again, we won’t say WHY).  I will make aprons out of a few, but I thought I might try making a pair of cute Capri's with one of them.  As you can see here, my mom is slightly shorter than me…   and all of her pants are PETITS!

So, I got busy making more fabric strips just like the ones I used for the apron and cutting off the ends of the pant legs.  I attached fabric strips to the pant legs and sewed them on.  Easy!!!  As I was pinning the fabric to the pants, I thought, “This is going too smoothly.”  Then, when I sewed both cuffs without having to rip out any stitches, I thought , “This is going too smoothly!” When I held up the final product, I giggled with delight and thought, “that went so smoothly!!!”

Then I tried them on.

It turns out that even though I tried on one pair of the many jeans she gave me, and they were the same brand, style, and size as the ones I just worked on, they didn’t actually fit the same.  So, now I have a pair of ADROABLE pants that I love but can’t wear.  I was so sad!

So I did what I had to do…I cut up another pair of pants and did the same thing over again with a pair of pants. I made sure to try them on immediately before sewing. 

Of course, the second time around was not as smooth sailing.  I had to re-pin both cuffs, and there were one or two seam ripping moments, but nothing too drastic.

If you are a proficient sewer, you can get this project done in a half hour I bet.  It was super fast, super easy (both times), and super cute!

(I’m not sure why my head is chopped off, but I don’t have the time to tinker with it right now)

View Full Album

I really love them!  I love my fabric (remnant from JoAnn’s), and I love that I have a dozen or so (that may be a slight exaggeration) teal tops that will match the pants perfectly!

My First Project

I’ve been absent from the blogosphere.  Sorry ‘bout that.  No excuses.  I’m just stating the obvious.

While I was gone, I attempted my first ‘real’ sewing project.  I say “real” because, in my opinion, cloth napkins should be considered practice and not a real project.

I found this project over at A Girl and a Glue Gun.  I’m not sure how I found it, but it looked like it was easy enough for a beginner to try, and I’ve been looking for an easy apron pattern.  Thanks to my friend Beth, I now have an actual pattern for 6 different styles of aprons.  I’ve not attempted those yet.  Baby steps to sewing projects!

Here is my first real project…..

I had some old jeans that I can’t wear anymore.  We won’t discuss WHY I can’t wear them!!  And I picked out some cute fabric from the store.

Cut off a pant leg, NOT like this, and then cut it up the middle so you can open it up.

Cut a crescent-like shape out of the pants (not sure which end works best here). 

 

Now you have something that looks like it could become an apron very easily!

Next, pin the strips of fabric along all the edges, using SAFETY PINS, since you may not own any straight pins. 

    

Spend 2-3 hours sewing, removing stitches, sewing, untangling the bobbin, sewing, removing stitches, and sewing until you the strips of fabric don’t fall off the denim. I watched some Hulu TV while I sewed into the night.

This is what my final product looks like from afar. 

Not bad….

Let’s take a closer look, shall we?

This is what I’m most proud of.  The square 'reinforcements’.  My sewing savvy friend Beth told me about this, and I think it looks great.

At first glance, that pocket looks good.  But at closer inspection, you see that I sewed so far inside the pocket, that the edges all stick up.  I didn’t know if my machine would sew through the edge of the pocket or not.  I didn’t want to mess with the ‘oops, I broke the needle’ scenario at midnight last night.

Now for my edges and corners.  HUH???  How do you finish these things???  This is the part I have to learn about yet.  I’m not sure how to make my edges and corners look finished. 

This was my first one.  Oh, it’s so bad!

I would say, overall this project was fun, and I like the end result.  I have a lot of learning to do, but at least now I know what questions to ask.  I’ll be having sewing parties* at my place this summer – bring your machine and let’s make something!!

    

*ok, so I’m not REALLY scheduling any sewing parties, but if you’re close by and like to help struggling beginners learn how to sew, come on over! I’ll provide the entertainment (my 1 year old) and you provide the knowledge.

Homestead Blessings Giveaway

For a long time now, my husband and I have been talking about selling our home and moving into the country.  Not just to get away from the city, but to start living a self-sustaining life.  Rick would like to grow his own food, raise livestock, and make everything he needs to survive.

For the past year and a half (since Jack was born), I have been learning how to cook from scratch.  I rarely buy a box mix or use anything that is a ready-made product.  I love the sense of pride I feel when I serve my family food that I made. 

Just recently, I’ve started s-l-o-w-l-y entering into the world of sewing.  I’d love to make actual clothing someday, but for now, I’m sticking with cloth napkins and patches for my jeans.  

I saw this giveaway on a blog I was just recently introduced to, and I thought I’d share it with my readers who may be interested in homestead living.  It’s a set of 10 DVDs called Homestead Blessings, and it is a curriculum for teaching women how to keep a home.  To borrow words from their website, they encourage the building and strengthening of God-honoring family life.

Go on over to this website and enter for your chance to win these DVDs.  If you win, invite me over to watch them with you!!!

30 Days!

Well folks, I made it to 30 days!!!  If you have no clue what I’m talking about, let me share with you.  I accepted a Challenge from my friend to exercise for 30 days.  We were to exercise for 5 days straight, take two days off, and continue that for a total of 30 days of exercise.  That took us about a month and a half (6 weeks). 

During the challenge, I mostly walked.  I walked around our neighborhood, I walked at the park, and I Walked Away the Pounds on days I couldn’t get out of the house.  Rick and Jack joined me for two weeks walking in the park.  I loved that!  Rick would push the stroller, while I got busy walking.  We are up to walking 3 miles a day!

 (this isn’t me!)

Last week, I noticed a change in my walking.  I walk pretty fast to keep my heart rate up, and after a while, I was having trouble keeping up with Rick – he always pushed me to walk a little bit faster.  All of a sudden, I started to speed walk.  My stride changed, my hips swayed differently, and my arms were bent like a runner’s.  I found that I could not only keep up with Rick, but I could go even faster with no extra effort.  It was amazing!  I felt like I could walk more than 3 miles.

This week it rained every day! So, I stayed in every evening to Walk Away the Pounds.  Rick tried to watch Jack while I walked in my living room, but sometimes Jack just wanted me to hold him.  At one point, I did a knee raise right into his little cheek!  It was then that I decided to put him in the baby carrier and walk with him on my back.  That lasted for a little while, but thankfully, he asked to get down not too long into the walk.  That did add a little more intensity to my workout though.

(This is me!)

I’m pretty proud of myself for sticking with this challenge for 6 weeks.  I don’t see any difference in my body or the way my clothes fit right now, but I’m planning to give it another 4 months to really evaluate how it’s working for me.  I figure that after 20 or so weeks, I should see some difference in the way my clothes fit!  I can tell a difference in my stamina though.  I don’t get winded as easily, and I feel like I can walk farther than I did when I first started.  I don’t get winded walking up the stairs either!

I’m not sure what the next 30 day challenge will be, though, I’m pretty sure it’s going to be about food. Heather said something about giving up sugar.  I stopped reading her blog right after I read that.  No, just kidding.  I don’t think I’m going to go so extreme yet.  For now, I’m going to add more plants to my diet.  I need to eat more fruits and veggies.  I’m not sure how that will translate into a 30 day challenge, but we’ll figure something out. 

I can’t wait to report back in 4 months on my weight loss and how my clothes will be fitting better. I better stick with this!

Some Growth Chart Moments

I haven’t stopped to mention all the new things Jack has been up to in a while.  He’s growing SO FAST!  It seems that he’s getting smarter by the day. 

Some of the words he has now include (but are not limited to):

Hi!: Which started out as “Hi-ya!” and has now become just “Hi!”

Bye: He will say “Bu-Bye!” constantly around the house or in the van. I think he likes how it sounds

Bus: This was one of his first words. But until this weekend, it was just “buu”. Now he has added the s at the end.

Shoe: It sounds like “tschoo” And he can also match up his shoes.  I ask him to go get his shoes, he’ll bring me one shoe.  When I ask him to get the other one, he picks out the matching shoe every time.  This is only impressive because all of his shoes are just thrown in a pile, so he really has to dig to find the other one.

Woof: this was another first word, but it still sounds like “fuff Fuff!”

Free: Just yesterday I pulled him out of his high chair and said “You’re Free!” Now he’s saying “Fee!” all over the place.

Amen:  At dinner time each night, we hold each other’s hands and say grace.  Jack will grab my hand and sit patiently until Daddy’s done saying his prayer.  Rick always ends the same way, so Jack figured out when to shout “AY-MEEEE!”  It’s so adorable.

Choo-Choo: he loves everything that has to do with Choo-Choo trains.  He says “Choo Choooooo” and something like “chgga chgga”

Animal noises: Baaaa, Meeeeee (which is really Moooo), Cuck cuck for Cluck cluck, and a weird oink sound that I can’t type into words. It sounds like he’s clearing his throat.

He LOVES books.  I mean LOOOOOVES books!  I think he’d let me read to him every minute of every day.  He has definite favorites, and he’s learned how to ask for them.  Two books that I love the way he asks for are Goodnight Moon and Clickety Clack.  He’ll say “Hushhhh” for Goodnight Moon or a sound like he’s clearing his throat for Clickety Clack.  (he must not get the K sound yet)

He has become a very stubborn boy.  (Though, I guess I saw that back when he was stubborn about not going to sleep all those times!)  He is mostly obedient, but he does like to test the limits with most things.  When I say “Don’t do that,” it’s must sound like an invitation to “see how far you can go before Mom says NO again". 

(Like here, where I told him NOT to get into the bag of charcoal. You can see that he just heard the invitation)

And he is a MY-BYSELF kind of kid.  When my sister was little, she would say, “No! I do my-byself!”  That has stuck with our family to this day.  Jack definitely doesn’t want anyone’s help when he’s determined to do something on his own. 

I can’t believe he’s already 16 months old.  Even though this second year isn’t nearly as fast as the first year, it’s still going by so quickly.  He seems to know more or do something new every day.  He is  a total blessing to our family, and I can’t wait to see what he does next!  (maybe it will go to sleep without a fight – a mom can hope!)

*oh, and by the way, for anyone who is interested, we’re no longer breastfeeding.  He was completely weaned after my Mommy Retreat.  All went well!

My Personal Trainer

The other day, while we were driving home from church, Jack was in the back saying “Up! Down! Up! Down!”  I caught him once even lifting his leg up and down as he was saying it.  We thought that was cute, and encouraged him to continue doing it by repeating him every time he said it.  We had no clue why he was saying “Up! Down!”

Then, last night, while I was doing my Walk Away the Pounds video, Jack started saying “Up! Down!” while Leslie Sanson was saying it on the video.  She only says it for one segment that I recall, and it’s while we’re lifting our weights doing bicep curls.  I was walking in front of my computer, doing bicep curls, and Jack was playing with his toy truck saying “Up! Down!”  It was the funniest thing!!

Now I have proof that I’ve been working out. Most days we go to the park, but we’ve been having a very rainy couple of days here, so I’ve been stuck inside doing my videos instead.  Evidently, Jack has been watching me.

I love how Jack is a little window into what I do and how I act.  I’m sure it will come back to bite me in the butt, but for now, it’s cute to see what he’s picking up on.  I remember a time when he picked up my broom and dustpan (he loves to play with the dustpan) and started sweeping the kitchen like I do.  I had to share that photo with my family to prove that I actually DO clean my house!

Story Time at the Library

Every Wednesday at 11:00 am, Boozle and I go to our local library and enjoy Baby Lap Time.  It’s a story time for 0-1 year olds.  Jack used to take a nap right through that hour, so for the longest time, we were always missing it.  At around 10 months, he decided to drop his morning nap, so we were able to wiggle in a trip to the library on Wednesdays. 

It’s usually a very small turnout.  For a long time, there were only about 5 babies (all of them boys) that came regularly.  We got to know the boys very well, and looked forward to seeing them and their mamas each week.  Then, all of a sudden, a few weeks ago, the population of our story time tripled!  There are so many babies now, which makes it SO FUN!

 

Today was our last Wednesday for story time for three weeks.  We are going to miss Miss Chrissy, the babies and their mamas (and a few daddies)!  I couldn’t leave without bringing a treat, so I made my banana nut bread into mini muffins to share with the crowd.  (They were a hit)

 

One of the favorite things all the boys like to do is play with the door stops.  They can’t open the doors, but they love putting the door stops up and down.  Jack had to wait his turn this time.

 

Jack loves books.  He especially loves books with Choo-Choo Trains in them.  We are always reading books around our house.  I had to capture this picture on our way home from story time today (sorry for the poor quality – it was with my cell phone) of Jack reading his new library book. 

 

I can’t wait for the first week in June when story time will start up again.  It will be fun to see how much all the babies have grown!!

Happy Mother’s Day

I hope you had a wonderful day today.  I spent today with my mother and sister and her family.  It was a beautiful, sunny, chilly day.  We went to the park to get some family photos.

Last year on Mother’s Day, we dedicated Jack at our church.  He was 4 months old at the time.

This year, we tried to get another family shot.  Jack was not going for it at all!  He wanted to run around, not be held captive for a picture.

 

This was the best we ended up with today.  It’s not horrible, but you can see the frustration in Jack’s face.