A couple new (finished!) projects

I've been looking for a large piece of artwork to hang above the bookshelves in Lachlan's room for awhile now. It seemed like an alphabet print would be a good choice and there are so many adorable ones out there!
But before you give me any creative credit at all - I took this idea 100% from this great tutorial on the Studio Calico blog. Isn't it cute? Came together very quickly and easily. I just added a few buttons and stickers to the alpha cards for embellishments. I love how it turned out and Lachlan likes it too. He's really into singing the alphabet right now and can recognize all the letters pretty reliably.

And for Kenley - she's been needing a new hat to keep her cute ears warm. I wanted to crochet one for her, and when I found this owl hat pattern in Inner Hooker's Etsy shop, I knew it was the one. Her instructions were clear and it came together pretty quickly. Isn't it cute? I want to make more!

Lachlan's hospital stay

Well, we've now added another (rather unpleasant) milestone to our parenting list - first time checking a child into the hospital. One week ago at this time, I had left the doctor's office with Kenley and Lachlan and we were headed to the hospital. He had a cold over the weekend and woke up in the middle of the night crying and complaining over and over that he didn't feel good. We had noticed that he was wheezing some, but I didn't realize how much trouble he was having breathing until we got to the doctor's office. The doctor said L had Bronchiolitis and wanted us to go straight to the hospital so that he could be treated and observed overnight.

At the hospital, he was treated with a nebulizer every hour and showed steady improvement through the afternoon and evening. He was also on a steriod for a few days and we definitely saw some side effects (irritability and hyperactivity, yuck!). Kenley stayed overnight with me in the hospital since she's still breastfeeding often, so it was quite the ordeal. Luckily, both kids were troopers and we only had to stay one night.

Lachlan is much better, although a week later he still has a yucky cough and we're still doing nebulizer treatments before bed and in the morning when he wakes up.

The hospital stay made me so thankful for our normally healthy children. I can't imagine having to visit the hopsital regularly or have extended stays with young kids. We are very lucky.

Kenley at 7 months

7 months old! Time is flying by! We continue to be delighted by your sunny disposition and sometimes frustrated by your resistance to sleeping. Life is too interesting to sleep through, right? You nap at least 3 times a day, but it still takes much bouncing and coaxing to get you to sleep. Bedtime varies depending on how your naps went during the day. Hopefully next month will bring some more regular sleeping routines and good health, since you've also had your first cold this past week. It is so hard to see you coughing and uncomfortable, but you have been a trooper!

You light up with a big smile whenever one of your favorite people come into view, and you're just starting to be a little wary of "strangers" holding you. You are also very interested in Sadie, our Labrador. You always keep an eye on her when she's in the room, and don't seem to mind the occasional lick across the face. You practice new sounds every day - we're sure you say "hi". We're using some sign language with you: eat, more, puppy, kitty, all done, and diaper change, but you haven't used any signs yet.

You're getting more particular about what toys you want, and you're very interested in what mom and dad and Lachlan are holding. Some favorite things right now are an old tv remote, a metal spoon, and a noisy cow teether that was Aunt Bethany's when she was a baby. You need some support for sitting because you tip over as soon as you get distracted. You are very good a reaching out and grabbing whatever is within arms reach. You are also eating more solid foods. I've been making purees at home, and so far you've had applesauce (your favorite), bananas, peas, sweet potatoes, and pears.

This month held your first Christmas, and for you, it was all about the people. You got to be passed from person to person all through the holiday and all three aunties rocked you to sleep at one time or another. You were interested in the tissue paper and your new teething toys on Christmas morning.

Here's a link to the Flickr set of all 7 months of photos

Santa layout

This was Lachlan's first year to really think anything about Santa, so I wanted to make sure and record some of the details. The journaling reads:

This was the first year that Lachlan understood a little bit about Santa and anticipated the sleigh pulled by reindeer making a nighttime stop at our home. He didn’t want to talk to Santa’s helpers at the mall (“that Santa not real”) but he did dictate a letter to Santa asking for “a new sketchbook, gum, and something to wear”.

On Christmas Eve, Lachlan got a special video message from Santa, what a treat! Sure enough, Christmas morning we woke to find that Mr. Claus had been down our chimney. Lachlan noticed that “Santa bit off the head!” of the gingerbread boy we left out. We also found that the reindeer had left some carrot “crumbs” outside in the snow.

Santa filled everyone’s stockings with treats, toys, and art supplies, and brought Kenley and Lachlan three gifts each. They each got “something to wear” (shoes), “something to read” (Curious George and Animal Fables), and “something to play with” (a fire station and a spinner toy).

The layout was made with the Story Matters December kit. I'm so loving that kit club. It's pretty much all I use now (besides my extensive stash) when I do get some time to scrapbook. December's kit was extra lovely.

Also, I made some reusable fabric tags to help Santa out with labeling gifts. The tag and Santa image are from Pink Trike Designs and I made them in Photoshop elements, then printed on printable fabric, and sewed them to a red fabric backing. I also added eyelets to the holes and stamped names onto each tag. Yeah, I was doing that on Christmas Eve after the kids went to bed, but now they're done and I can use them every year!

I have a chalkboard wall!

I have been wanting to paint a chalkboard wall somewhere in our house for so long! I finally got the guts to do it last week and I am so happy! This wall is right off of our kitchen/dining area and is a very high traffic area. I know that a big black wall is a pretty bold statement, but I think it adds some modern flair to our house, and it is totally useable. I'm already enjoying the little bits of 2 year old artwork, and having a calendar that I can add to and change at my whim.


Here are a few of my inspiration photos:

(via HouseObsession)

(via Elsiecake)

(via ali edwards) I chickened out on using the magnetic primer, but that would be very cool.

(via ohdeeoh)

(via Martha)


(via Poppytalk)

I'm linking up to a Blog Party! Well fun! Check it out -

December Daily album

First of all - Happy New Year!

I wanted to share the December Daily album (inspired by ali edwards) that I made this year. It may seem like just one more thing to add to a busy holiday season, but I really enjoyed working on it. The trick is to keep up with it and add photos and stories every day or every other day. I found that it inspired me to do something a little festive every day, especially now that Lachlan is old enough to anticipate Christmas. Of course, I fell behind around the 15th and spent the last couple days adding photos and memories from our days. I am so glad that I took the time to finish it.

I made it easier on myself by purchasing a book from Elise Blaha. The 4x6" size was very manageable and of course it helps that I have the capability to print photos at home. I added a December calendar page, a Christmas card we received and an "eat" page to the pages Elise put together. I also picked up a few numbers and tags from the living room floor etsy shop for embellishments.

There were 4 envelopes in the kit. I put L's letter to Santa (he dictated and I wrote) in one and a printout of my blog post about the advent calendar in another. In the other two I plan to put letters from me to L & K about my memories of their Christmas' this year. Must get those written this week!

Here are a few of my favorite spreads (the rest are in the Flickr set):