I know this new house is not the place we’ll put down roots and grow old together, but I sure wish it was because I. hate. moving! I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone you actually enjoys it, but coming from someone who’s only moved four times in her life, all of which came after sophomore year in college, it’s simply dreadful. The packing isn’t the worst part, but the cleaning out stuff you haven’t seen since the last time you moved before you pack it away again. But yeah, the packing stinks too.

The kitchen was my Everest. Just the thought made me want to cry - so daunting and insurmountable. When you live in a small house with no storage, you make what you have work, so in my case it’s shoving as much stuff as possible into as little space as possible and hoping it stays put. So opening the cabinets was treacherous for my mother-in-law - she had to duck a few times as things fell from the top shelf, but she was a trooper! She didn’t complain once as we went through packages of expired Jello pudding, old vinegars, and only laughed once when she pulled out the bag of rotten potatoes that had fused themselves to the can of crushed tomatoes (to which I hung my head in shame, and remembered buying those potatoes three Thanksgivings ago. It’s amazing what gets lost in there…). But after a few short hours it was done and that was one huge item to check-off my list.

I do have to say what a great family I have. Everyone pitched in to help with packing, painting, hanging curtain rods, lining shelves, and watching Conner. We woke up Sunday, completely exhausted but it was humbling knowing what wouldn’t have gotten done if it hadn’t been for our parents. Thank you guys so much!

Conner has been such a trooper through all this. He’s had more than his share of playdates and I’m missing him so badly, but this will be a short season in our life and the end result will be very sweet. I still have to kick myself in the rear to finish packing everything before we move (while also being a wife and mother), but being at the house, working and preparing it really gave me the jump start I needed and just want to get to the finish line. So that thought alone will hopefully help me sail right through packing. We knocked out the living room last night and it killed me since it’s one of my favorite rooms in the house and now it’s practically stripped bare. But I needed to see progress in a room we spend 85% of our time in, let me think I’m doing a lot more than I am. Saturday is the big day, so please pray for my sanity!

On a different note, I had a dream last night that we had our baby boy. He was smaller than Conner was, and looked a lot like him. It was a really calming dream, especially amidst the chaos of packing and doing everything and then the after affects of not be able to sleep. And I can finally announce the new baby’s name since Tim gave the final stamp of approval. So at the end of June/first of July we will introduce our son Maxwell (Max) Timothy to the world. Conner and Max - goes together like ham and cheese, don’t ya think? I leave you with this picture of my oldest baby and his crazy bed-head that makes me giggle every morning.

Well, it took a week longer than we were originally told, but yesterday morning we FINALLY closed on our new house. Talk about a frustrating ordeal, esp. since it had nothing to do with us. We were at the mercy of our title company until they finally decided to do their job. *Huff, deep breath* But now we are homeowners once again and I can begin some important business: Nesting!

I have paint all picked out, curtains, rugs, accessories bought, now it’s just packing up the rest of our life, moving it, unpacking, and I can begin
enjoying this next phase of our domesticity. I’ve posted some pics on my flickr of the house as is, and will be posting pics of the rooms as they become painted and decorated (which I make no promises when that will be).

One thing that did help me keep my sanity amidst the constant phone calls back and forth between realtor, closing company, and everyone else who needed to be involved was crafting. I used to be so good at distracting myself when life got tough so I wouldn’t have to deal with anything. I’ve since learned that God gave us emotions so we can fully experience life, and no matter how ridiculous you feel at times it is how you feel in that situation, so really feel it, deal with it and then get on with your life. Once I shed a few frustrated tears about the house, I prayed about it and then began caring for my soul, and that was picking up a hook, some yarn, and crocheting.

I found a pattern for these cuties and thought, “That’s what my eggs have been missing!” I don’t know if you noticed, but it gets especially cold in the fridge, so why not give them some beanies to keep them…um…warm? I guess these are popular in the UK, and are for keeping your hard-boiled eggs toasty until you eat them. Even tho they seem kind of useless, I thought they were insanely adorable and had to give them a try. And only took about ten minutes to complete each one.

I’ve also been wanting to try making a pair of slippers, however I thought I would start small and try them for children’s feet first. It’s hard to find masculine things to crochet for your son, so until the good Lord gives me a girl of my own, I inflict these gifts on my friends with girls, like Chloe.

They actually turned out better than I thought - I had to make up the pattern as I went along since the one I had made boats instead of toddler shoes.

So that is all for now. And just as I suspected, letting the ink dry on the papers and having keys in hand has given me a renewed vigor for packing so that is what I shall be doing all weekend, with the help of my mother and father-in-law - we’re bringing in recruits! So you guys behave and we’ll be talking soon.

Can we take a deep breath together? Is everyone else moving at warp speed even after the holidays? Shew, I feel like I need to just inhale deeply and let my heart rate slow down for an indefinite amount of time. I shouldn’t complain - January normally creeeeeeeps by and this year it’s just whizzed right past me so that’s nice, but I’m ready to resume a fairly slow and boring life again. I don’t see that happening anytime soon so I guess I should just buckle up and enjoy it.

A few weeks ago my good friend Jen and I decided that since our boys were born only weeks a part and they have the same circle of friends that we would do a combined birthday party for them. It was so great and it worked out perfect - it was cheaper, easier on our friends, and just a fun time. I highly recommend this! We held it at an indoor play park that was FREE to rent (cha-ching!) so we got the kids all hopped up on sugar and then sent them in to play.

The play park has a water-theme to the decor, so we just extended that to the party and did everything in fish. A shot of the cuppies:

Last week we FINALLY got some snow and for once I wasn’t the only one who went nuts over it. Conner’s recently become obsessed with snow and snowballs, so as soon as he woke up I took him to the window and asked what it was and his eyes got as big as golf balls and this huge smile spread across his face as he exclaimed, “SNOW!!!” And that’s all we heard about all morning. This was Conner’s first official snow, so we bundled him up and took him out in it and holy smokes this kid had the time of his life.

He didn’t care that his cheeks were beet red and his gloves were getting packed with snow - when it was time to come inside he had a breakdown and boohoo’d for a good while. I’m so glad that Conner shares in my love of the snow.

As exciting as the snow was and celebrating my baby boy turning two (sniff, sniff), the big news around here is we bought a new house! I’ve been kind of mum about it, just because it is such a vulnerable process and once you put something “out there” you may have to do a lot of explaining if it doesn’t work out. And part of me just really wanted to protect this as much as I could. We sold our house by owner at the start of the month (totally a God-thing - we were approached by buyers and it just worked out beautifully!!) and were renting back from the buyer until we found something. We drug our poor realtor all over the map, both in house-style and price range, and finally decided on something we had looked at a few months ago and it just hung in the back of our minds. After a period of intense prayer and begging the Lord to guide us in what to do, we made our way back to this house, made an offer, it was accepted and in three weeks we will have a beautiful new home to grow our family. I would love to share pictures, but again in an effort to protect this I think I may hold off before I post any pictures. But as soon as we have keys in hand you can bet I will be showing off this gem. And I need to slap some paint on the walls to really show of it’s fabulousity.

Okay, I think we’re all caught up now! February is going to be a big month for us (closing, moving, and finding out if this baby is packing or not - pray for an exhibitionist! I want to know!) and I am just so excited. Now if I can just turn off this pregnancy insomnia and get the rest I desperately need I’ll be all set. I leave you with these pictures of our small family celebration of Conner’s second birthday.

Now that is how you should eat a cupcake.

I. am. so. tired. I knew this day was going to kick my butt when I woke up and winced that I even had to get out of bed. I haven’t been sleeping very well and b/c of that and raging hormones I had a wicked headache that lasted from Wednesday until Saturday, and then reared it’s ugly head again this morning. Thankfully it’s going to be beautiful and warm today so we can strip off the layers we piled on from last week and be outside for awhile. Conner is dying to play with his bubbles and whiffle ball, so today we shall set out to do that.

I’ve recently begun purging my craft stash and have so much fabric and yarn that it’s ridiculous. So after doing a little research I found a charity that has a local chapter in my area that donates handmade blankets (appropriately named Project Linus) to children who have been victims of trauma. Any children’s charity tugs at my heart strings, so couple that with the fact I can crank out some blankets pretty easily and I have begun.

I made a scalloped blanket that was really easy, but would’ve came out a little cleaner if I had read the directions first. It’s amazing what that one tip can save you in trouble. The pattern I used for it can be found in this book.

This blanket I thought I would have trouble giving it away when it was done since these are the colors I have picked out for Conner’s big boy room (and the nursery if our gummy bear is a boy, which we find out February 5th - AGH!!! SO EXCITED!!!), but I want to use a different kind of yarn so to the children’s hospital it goes.

Now I must drag myself upstairs and put clothes on to go walking - eating pizza and double stuffed oreos at 10 pm last night is just sitting in my stomach, waiting to be deposited onto my thighs.

I used to go into full-on countdown mode the week before Christmas. To me that was always the best part of the holiday, the week leading up to the big day and the anticipation of it all. Conner is still too small to understand this crazy side of mom (among many others), but next year he’ll have a better grasp of Christmas and why it makes me run circles in the living room.

Busy things going on here at the manor. Tim and I celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary this weekend. Woot woot! Five years - it seems like a long time and yet it doesn’t. We already know a handful of friends who didn’t make it that far in their wedded bliss, so we know that five years is a great milestone. We’ve been through a lot since we’ve been married, but I think this year was probably the most trying. We’ve both gotten to see each other at the most broken places of our lives so far, but from those places we picked each other up, grown in grace and wisdom, and seen awesome things come out of it. Some of the most amazing things I’ve ever accomplished I did so with Tim, or had him cheering me on from the sidelines. Tim, you’ve made this crazy life not only bearable, but I wouldn’t want it without you in it. I love you so stinkin’ much.

So how does one celebrate their fifth wedding anniversary? Send the man-child to the grandparents for the weekend and live it up pre-kiddo’s style! My mom and dad graciously offered to watch Conner for the weekend (read that: two! nights!), and Tim and I jetted away to a bed and breakfast at a charming nearby city, and had so much fun. First of all, a new requirement for our next house is a two-person jacuzzi. Never mind the romantic nature of such an invention, but you can submerge your whole body in this so easily and even swim a few laps - it’s huge! We wasted a lot of water in that thing. Charlottesville can be on the yuppy side, but it’s still super charming and tons of artsy stuff to do. Too bad it was in the 30’s and fuh-reeeee-zing, so enjoying anything outdoors wasn’t enjoying at all. But we did a little shopping, did a lot of eating, and did even more cuddling. I missed Conner like crazy, but it was so great to not have the distraction and to remember what it’s like to have a lot of time to just be together.

I keep saying I feel like this is my favorite Christmas so far, and while I do still feel that way, I’m feeling the crunch to get everything done. I usually go all-out with the baking but have really scaled it down this year, mainly b/c I want to keep enjoying the holiday. But my craft table is piling up with half-finished projects and sketches of projects that I have only a week to get done and I’m starting to get a little anxious. Some of them I would love to share pictures, but unfortunately I can not since many of the receivers read my blog. So now I must go be a busy elf, but first I kick my feet up and enjoy a nice chai latte because the boy is sleeping. I will surely miss nap time when he does away with them for good.

Don’t you think? It was hard getting a picture since they wouldn’t stop squirming, but the movement slowed just a bit so the doctor could snap this shot. Look - I even labeled the parts for you so you know just what the heck you’re looking at. I’m also farther along than the calendar says (which I knew since I got a positive prego test way early), so s/he is measuring 6 days ahead. So between that, and the fact that Conner came early, this kiddo may make an earlier appearance than expected (which as it stands is July 5th). It’s always so surreal to see them on the screen, whether it’s the first ultrasound or the last, but I couldn’t stop squealing. Waiting to see the doctor for 50 minutes, and having my peesh poked and prodded was made up for when he turned the u/s machine on and there was our lil’ baby. Besides the physical this pregnancy has brought, it was great to finally get a look at who was (happily) causing all of my grievances.

I do have to say that I am eating my words already about when I would start showing. I always thought moms were just using the second-time-around as an excuse to jump back into the incredibly comfortable maternity pants a.s.a.p., but I’m realize how wrong I really was. Up until two weeks ago I was still in my skinny jeans, and I don’t say this to have people throw trash at me, but I had a pretty flat stomach still. I just knew I’d make it to the 13th or 14th week before even I could tell I was pregnant. But then last week I started to notice a bit of a change…and then literally this weekend I swear I woke up Saturday and my belly was so firm, and was making itself known. Some of my friends have contested this, doing the ol’ “Oh, but you look so great!” (which, don’t get me wrong, I EAT IT UP), but you know your body and you know how your body looks and feels, and this my friend is the first evidence that my body is being taken over and I am just the host.

The only complaint that I really have about pregnancy this time around isn’t the exhaustion and it isn’t the unpredictability in nausea, but it’s the acne. Ohmygosh I feel like a 15-year-old again, that started with one little bugger who then invited all his friends and every morning a new one is added to the mix. And, ugh, this morning there was one of those super painful ones that feels like it’s rooted in the bone and you know it packed it’s winter and summer clothes b/c it’s going to hang around for. freaking. ever. So gross. I was going to take a picture of it, but c’mon - who really wants to see that?

Tim has taught Conner how to take his clothes off (mainly in preparation for a bath in the evenings), but as you can see, he does this any chance he gets.

I’m still trying to figure out how he did this one. And he’s so stinking fast at it. One minute you’re reaching for a can of corn at the grocery store, and you turn back around and your toddler has his arm poking out of the neck hole. Or you take your dishes to the kitchen and return to the living room to find your toddler standing with his pants in one hand, diaper in the other, and peeing on the hardwood floor.

That’s all for today, folks. We got our first sprinkling of snow and I got a smidge giddy watching it fall. I would love to have some snow before Christmas - it’s just so festive. But this is Virginia after all, and it doesn’t know what time of year it is half the time, so I just cross my fingers and enjoy what we do get. Hope your staying warm wherever you are!

If there was ever a time to pull out maternity pants early, it is the weekend after Thanksgiving. I think I ate myself into a coma on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. I jumped on the scale this morning and grimaced painfully until the numbers popped up and was relieved to find I only gained a pound. So technically I’m still under my previous pre-prego weight, which honestly is a huge relief. With Conner I gained 7 pounds in the first trimester, and I’m at week 9 with one pound gained as of yet. Now how my pants are fitting in the waist is a little different. I thought I could make it until the second trimester before I started breaking out the elastic, but instead I’m having to opt for my low-rise jeans. It’s fun tho - I can’t complain. So here’s a belly shot for you - the first of many.

Thanksgiving was so fun - it always is - and we got our fill of family and food. We started the day out watching Tim play a little football and poor Conner…wanting to be a big boy so badly, he bawled on the sidelines after the game started b/c he couldn’t play with them on the field. It’s hard to explain to an almost two year why he can’t play football with giants who will bowl him over - I don’t want him wearing helmets and licking windows the rest of his life.

This year our good friends Jerrod and Amanda joined us and it was just as much fun having friends among the chaos. The boys played the entire time and Conner slept like a rock. I always seem to forget just how much I love Thanksgiving, and leave thinking, “wow, that was so much fun!” We really are blessed to have so many friends and family nearby that we can all gather together at the same place and fellowship together.

Sunday I forced myself to decorate for the holidays. I really do go all out, but this year I just wasn’t feeling it. I don’t want to be a scrooge about it, but it just takes soooooo long. But Tim gently (and guiltily) reminded me that this will be our last Christmas in this house, so why not remember it the right way? So all the greenery is back up and fluffed and lit with twinkly lights and our world is right with itself. Conner helped us decorate the tree and is absolutely enamored by it. He pulls us into the living room at least twenty times over the course of the day to point at it and exclaim emphatically, “Sisma Tee!”

You can’t really tell in this picture, but Conner’s head about exploded when he saw all the Christmas balls. The boy is obsessed.

I’m also one of those people who does not shop until the last week of Christmas. I would love to say it’s b/c of all the deals you get when you wait, but it’s not - it’s sheer laziness. However this year is already different in that Conner is bought for, Tim’s stuff is ordered and I’ve already begun rounding up the gifts for everyone else. I really surprise myself. I know it sucks all of my Christmas spirit when the week before the big day I’m stressing that nothing has been bought, so I really do think those days are over, for I’m already nestled into the spirit of the Holidays and my shopping and buying and making is almost complete. I am hoping to do another giveaway very very soon, so check back for another crafty giveaway (that may or may not be a clutch - haven’t decided yet).

Ohmygosh, I didn’t think you could still experience homesickness as an adult, but you can even when it’s only been two days you’re away and you’re only 110 miles from home!

The wedding went fine - great, actually - but after the rehearsal dinner I was so tired and my morning (evening, actually) sickness was creeping in and even tho our hotel bed was big and comfy, I was longing for my own pillow in my own bed. I don’t think I was ever so happy to be home on Sunday, mainly b/c I was just so exhausted. Conner crashed and we didn’t hear a peep from him all night. He did fantastic tho, the whole weekend - my boy gets five gold stars! He was carried around, made to stay up late, take naps in the car, be around a lot of new people, not be around mom and dad, and he did fannnntastic. He did have a mini meltdown just before the bridesmaids went down the aisle - seeing me, dad and papa and not being able to get to any of us made him very anxious. But he pulled it together, did his ring-bearer trek down the aisle, got to the other papa and was whisked quickly and quietly out the side exit so he could play outside. Tim’s parents came to the wedding, too, and ohmygosh were they lifesavers! I don’t know how we would’ve done it without them. SO happy they were there.

So now we’re home and hopefully this week will be so incredibly boring that I can catch up on some crafting, emailing, girlfriend-time, and smothering my boys with kisses. And I do have to say Happy Birthday to my dad - he’s 50 today! 50! And the man doesn’t act a day older than 18 Happy Birthday, daddy - I love you!!

When my computer decided to go ape-crazy on me a few weeks ago, I immediately went into panic mode. I had just recently backed up all my files so that wasn’t a worry. I was more upset by the fact that I couldn’t check my email 100 times a day until it got fixed. I mean, how else will someone be able to contact me?

The first day was pretty hard - I got to check my email before Tim left for work, and then again when he got home. Twice. That’s it. It was awwwwwwful. When Conner went down for his nap, what was I supposed to do? Certainly not read - no, no, no, I don’t read. That was my ‘net surfing time. No more blog reading. No more emailing. No more watching random YouTube video’s and forwarding them to everyone to see if they thought it was as funny as I did (which they never do because let’s face it - I laugh at everything).

I hated not having my laptop handy. But as the days went on, I came to realize just how much stinking time I waste on that thing. And I mean waste. Don’t take offense to anyone who’s blog I read and comment on, or who I email regularly - it’s not you…it’s me. And it’s all the other junk I read.

So what have I been doing with all my newfound freetime? Well, for starters I got all my crafting done for the fair that is to be held tomorrow morning. That was such a relief to get it finished and not a moment too soon. I even finished in enough time to whip-up some yummy fall treats, which, are making me salivate worse than Pavlov’s dogs.

I also spent a few days visiting the in-laws in Georgia and it was so much fun! Conner did great on the flights (on the way down he was a little overtired and couldn’t just point to the pictures in his book, but point and squeal “Apple!” or “Ball!” - the lady in front of us actually moved to the back of the plane after a few rounds of “Mama! Cat! Mama! Cat!”) and was so compliant when he was lugged all over creation. Conner has never been a big talker - not tangible words, that is - and in the last few weeks he was just beginning to talk more. But getting him in a different environment must have inspired him because his vocabulary just exploded! He was saying things I’ve never heard before…and never remembered teaching him. It was pretty cool, but also a reminder to be careful what I say when I make a woopsy. Hearing your toddler say “Cap!” instead of “Crap!” will only be funny for so long.

My crafty cohort, Jen, and I were invited to be on a local news show to talk about the craft fair we’re participating in tomorrow, and to show off some of our goods. At first I was reluctant - TV? No way. I’ve got so much to do, not to mention the camera adds 10 pounds, so I had to lose 10 pounds pronto, ya know, balance it all out. But after much persuading, I decided to do it and it wasn’t as punishing as I thought it would be. I wish they would post the video so I could upload it - I straightened my hair for it, brushed my teeth and everything…it was a big deal - so if they do I most certainly will link to it.

I feel like we need to catch up on so much more. How are you? How has your fall been going so far? Seen any good movies? No? Me either. Except for the Princess Diaries 2 that I tivo’d a few weeks ago. I love Anne Hathaway, she’s so beautiful and classy. And Julie Andrews - she’s amazing. Ah, I digress.

It’s time for me to rest my weary bones. I leave you with these grubbin’ pictures of Conner. This first one, his hair reminds me of Harry from Dumb & Dumber (my favorite line after Lloyd had rigged the blind boy’s beloved dead bird - “Harry! I took care of it!”)

Conner, how do you feel about PB&J?

Who’s my happy boy?

*The clutches and tote bags above are for the craft fair and any leftovers will be put in my etsy shop next week.

That’s my mantra for the rest of the month. I seriously must’ve been hit with a stupid stick to agree to doing the craft show 3 weeks before and with very little inventory. I’m using up a lot of supplies that have been sitting around taking up space and that is very good, but I am running myself ragged. My fingers are slightly sore from all the crocheting, and I’m even doing stitches in my head as I fall asleep. I need an intervention!

I hate being so busy. I used to love it. I used to create business to make me feel like my day had a purpose, hence making me feel like I have a purpose. But thankfully the Lord showed me how much He wanted to be the center of my attention, and once I gave Him that, I realized I wanted Him to be that, too. Since then I have hated being busy. So the past few weeks have been really hard for me, feeling like I am going and doing constantly. Pulling out my journal and prayerfully writing is something I look forward to whenever I get the chance. And I really really hope I get that chance more often in the near future.

And now here’s some *whine* with my cheese - I have to have a retreat on a root canal that was done 4 years ago. Blech. Because there is no nerve there the only indication there was a problem was the swollen gum I woke up with last week and not a seering pain. Retreating the tooth is the better (and cheaper) option - option B was extracting the tooth, screwing a titanium bolt to my jaw, then screwing on a fake tooth. He had me at “titanium bolt into my jaw”. So I am really praising Jesus right now for that. And then my second glass of *whine* is that my laptop went Mariah Carey on me and would not cooperate at all. Then a few days later the monitor pooped out. Granted, she’s been a good girl and boy has she been through it - dropped numerous times, liquids being spilled on her, four keys ripped off by the hands of a toddler, and yet she still hung in there for me. But now she’s waving the white flag. So by the end of next week I will be the proud owner of a new computer, because while Tim shares everything with me, his laptop, sadly, is not one of them.

So to keep from boring you with more details, let’s go on a picture journey, shall we? I cleared off my CF cards and had many pictures I had forgotten that I had and I’m not sure when I’ll have the chance to load them to flickr, so until then, here is just a few.

Those of you who checked out my shop when it opened might have recognized a familiar face from another hilarious blog: My beautiful and oh so funny friend, Kelly. When needing a model who would look fabulous while also feeling comfortable in front of the camera, she was the first person I thought of and boy-oh-boy did she not disapoint!

Sell it, Kelly, sell it!

This is Conner’s favorite way to wind down in the evening. Between him and his dad, I bet you couldn’t guess who came up with this idea.

This next picture is something we see on a daily basis and is so hard to keep a straight face when we come into contact with it. It usually starts as follows: I (or Tim) tells Conner he can’t have, do, eat, jump on, harrass, or mutilate something or one of the pets. He grimaces painfully, runs out of the room, a thud is heard, and we round the corner in time to see this:

He’ll then look up for a split second to see if his dramatic performance will earn him an academy award (or any sympathy) and when we shake our head in disagreement, he mourns the moment even more. This age really is the funnest and most entertaining for all involved.

This last one is one I will look at and giggle infectiously from today until many years to come. This was the morning I was supposed to meet Kelly for a walk at 8 am (which normally wouldn’t have been an issue, but as Murphy’s Law and Toddlerhood would predict, Conner slept late on a morning we had to be somewhere). Since we were rushed to get out the door, and the recent dip in temperatures hadn’t motivated me to pull out his fall digs yet, I grabbed the first things I could find and…well…the look speaks for itself.

It’s very Larry the Cable Guy meets Elmer Fudd. I can not believe I took my child out in public like that, but I did and not only that, but I have proof of this. Poor kid. Socks AND sandals. He never had a chance.

There are more I would love to share, but editing the pictures isn’t an option at the moment so more to come when we’re up and running again.