Operation Baby Brother

We're counting down the days until baby arrives. Up to this point, I have to admit I have just sailed through the pregnancy without much thought of the after-birth. It has not consumed my every conversation, thought, action...like it did the first time around. Quite the opposite, in fact. I have to keep reminding myself we ARE having another baby. We are, we are, we are. And so with the due date only a few short weeks away, I feel a need to set the tone. Make preparations! It is time to get serious! This week our days are being filled with things like:

1. Reading "big brother" books we checked out at the library
2. Making the switch to a big boy bed
3. Pulling out and organizing baby clothes and toys
4. Taking a tour of the hospital
5. Talking to baby in my belly; giving him high-fives and kisses
6. Picking out a name...or at least establishing a solid list of choices

Oh brother, I'm totally not ready for this.

Getting All Crafty

As if we didn't have enough going on with all our travels and renovations this past month, I managed to squeeze in a little craftiness on the side. The first couple weeks in May found me participating in a local craft boutique and organizing another Enrichment Night for church. While I normally enjoy doing both, it was a bit stressful to get it all together this time around. Thankfully it is over with and I can start relaxing for the next 7 or 8 weeks until baby comes. Wait, I only have 7 or 8 weeks? Maybe relaxing isn't quite the right word.

Anyhow, here's a little peek at what I made and sold at the boutique.

I sold sets of decorative wooden blocks, magnetic message boards, and scrabble tile pendant necklaces.


The necklaces turned out so cute. They deserve a close up.


And my mom convinced me to sell some last-minute baked goods as well. She really did all the work...and I took all the credit. We prepared two kinds of cookies--sugar cookies decorated with summer flip-flops and painted toenails AND monster cookies handsomely packaged in CD envelopes. The cookies were both adorable and delicious!


And finally our May Enrichment Night. The theme of the evening was "Simple Abundance". The tables were decorated with pots of wheat grass that I grew from seed and took care of for the past few weeks. I also made butterflies out of coordinating napkins to hang on the walls; and used the same patterned napkins to create signs for our display tables. The decorations were simple and cheery. Paired with our uplifting message and informative displays, I'd say it all came together quite nicely.

One Busy Month

April, where did you go? You were just here a second ago. It's hard to believe you were around for a whole 30 days. We were so busy visiting and being visited that we hardly noticed you. One busy month, that's for sure.
Part 1: The beginning of the month brought a visit from my dear friend Marissa and baby J. It is always good to see her. But it was especially fun to spend time with her little one as well. We had been waiting to meet him for months. And he was just as cute as promised. Plus he offered good practice for Owen's coursework on "how to be a big brother". Oh how I wish they lived closer!

Here are the little buddies after a dip in the pool. Baby Wy at 5 months, Owen at 2 years and 9 months, and baby J at 8 months. [Photo via Kim's blog]


Part 2: Not even a day after Marissa's visit, Owen and I headed out to Utah to visit family. We had a great time staying with the grandparents. Again, I wish we lived closer so we could hang out more often. I have no good pictures of our trip because I did not take the camera. So instead, I will entice you with a list of Owen's highlights.
1. Spending time with older cousins - watching their lacrosse games, visiting them at school, unleashing some wildness, idolizing everything they do
2. Taking a personal tour of the fire station with uncle Dan (it's great to have a firefighter in the family)
3. Dropping by the local library storytime about dinosaurs (quite possibly the coolest storytime we've ever been to)
4. Visiting the zoo with Grandma and the pet store with Grandpa (yielding two small goldfish)
5. Getting to play with Trenton (a favorite San Jose buddy who now lives in Utah)
Here are O and T hanging with T's twin sisters. It was just so fun to see them and catch up for an afternoon. [Photo via Jami's blog]


Part 3: Not even a day after returning home from Utah, we found ourselves hosting another set of visitors. My parents flew down to visit [work for] us. My dad spent the week renovating our master bathroom with Mark. And my mom spent the week helping me craft and prepare for the new baby. Owen spent the week hunting pirates with grandma and fixing things with grandpa. We owe them BIG TIME! (Pictures of the renovation are in the works).