Colorful Possibilities

I pulled out my sewing machine today to hem a pair of pants.  I picked up a pair of fleece pants just after Christmas, predicting that I would live in them this winter.  They fill a hole in my mom-drobe.  They are every bit as stylish as my yoga pants, just loads warmer.  Win!  Now that they are hemmed and ready to go, I am quite sure I will begin living in them.  I'm wearing them now, in fact.

The hemming chore took less than five minutes.  I had the machine out and a sleeping baby and I wasn't quite ready to put it away.  Instead, I got out my fabric bins and went through them, pulling out anything that spoke to me.  What colorful possibilities!  I'm not entirely sure what I'll do with this fabric, but I'm looking forward to piddling around with bright fabrics during the cold (tax busy season) evenings ahead.  I'll be sure to keep you posted on whatever I come up with!

I hope that you are finding some happy colors during these cold, cold days.

A Few Shots From Our Weekend

Eli's first snow!

The day after our "snow day" we were outside on the porch, catching rays...

...and playing ball!  What a lovely weekend!  Hoping your weekend was every bit as lovely!

A Little Snowy Magic

We ate a good dinner: fish and a warm salad and crispy potatoes.  We bathed our smiling, tired baby and I nursed him to sleep.  Ben and I shared an hour or so together before falling asleep, laughing and talking, sharing our hearts with one another.

Around 11:30, Eli needed me.  I gathered his warm, soft little body into me, wrapping us both in a quilt that my mother made for me and rocked him back to sleep.  Nighttime wakings are hard and draining, but there is something beyond wonderful about snuggling under a quilt, in the dark and quiet of the night with one of the ones you love best.  Pushing back the curtain over his window I saw the first snow of the season - Eli's first snow! - falling quietly around us.  Snow!  Snow is always so magical and in that moment, holding my sleeping boy, my heart did a double back flip of gratitude.  And then again when I slid back in bed, beneath another couple of quilts, beside Ben.  Safe and warm and cuddled close to my boys while the world was quietly whitened (very scantly whitened, mind you) outside our doors - pure magic and a feeling that I want to hold onto for just a little while longer.

A Respite

Last week was a quiet week.  Ben spent the week working in Chicago.  He, in all his brilliance, booked his flights to and from the teeny, tiny Asheville airport where, I am convinced, the same fella who passes you through security, checks you in for your flight, loads your luggage onto the plane, and finally flags your plane down the runway.  It's that small.  Flying out of Asheville allowed him to drive Eli and me to my parents house for the entire week.  Lovely.  Home is always so very lovely.  There was a great deal of walking and talking and bakery visiting.  Without my usual assortment of chores and projects and play dates and activities, we found ourselves with a bit of found time.  Eli and I took long morning naps together (to make up for the lack of night time shut eye) and took ourselves out for lattes and muffins.  Mmm.  It was a quiet, slow respite.

Latte with a side of crab

We're home now.  We've returned with a bang.  Eli continues to eschew sleeping at night.  At all.  We are tired parents.  Ben brought home a bad cold that he is threatening to share.  Our house is stuck in that everything-is-out-of-place-and-dirty-or-both stage.  And lo, what a week we have ahead of us.  Play dates and Bible studies and busy season.  Oh my!

In some ways this week feels like our first post-holiday week.  I'm thankful for the handful of days spent in my parents' cozy home, in front of the fire, readying myself to jump back into this life.

This beautiful, glorious life.  Here we go!

{this moment}

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

{this moment}

{First run in the jogging stroller!}

{I'm not great at this "no words" thing, apparently.}

A Friday ritual started by SouleMama. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

6 Months

Dear Eli,

Today you are six months old.  It seems impossible that you are already six months old and equally impossible that you've only been on this earth, in this family, in my arms for six months.  What a beautiful, hard, crazy fun six months it has been.

You have two teeth, my dear one.  Your first tooth broke through on December 15th.  The second one broke through on Christmas morning.  You really did get your two front teeth for Christmas (as well as dozens and dozens of other gifts from all those who love you).

Christmas morning

Teething is not an easy business, for anyone involved.  These suckers have messed with your sleeping, but otherwise you are handling it like a champ.  If only your mom and dad were handling the lack of sleep as well.

You are such a happy baby, my sweet boy.  You love to be around people, something that makes my heart so happy.  You had such a big time over the Christmas holiday, surrounded by your family.  You were passed back and forth (and back and forth and back and forth) and you were all smiles all the time.  You have no idea what a gift you were to so many, many people this season.  

You are flipping back and forth and rolling around all over the place.  You're doing your best to crawl, but you're having trouble getting that belly off the ground.  I bet you'll figure it out soon and there will be no keeping up with you then!  You can sit up on your own, but only for a few seconds.  You aren't content to sit for long; you're off on your belly stretching for toys before I know it.  

Elijah, my boy, you love your toes.  You love to pull off your socks and suck on those toesies of yours.  This has become a favorite changing table activity which makes the actual changing of your diaper quite a challenge!

You continue to love taking baths.  You've loved your bath since the very beginning.  Just in the last couple of weeks you've started really playing in the bath.  We've added a few bath toys and this time really is some of your favorite time of the day.  Actually, and this might be a touch embarrassing, your true favorite time of the day is the 20 or 30 minutes before your bath when we strip you down and let you play sans-clothes.  You absolutely love it.  We can usually stretch you another half hour just by letting you play in only your diaper.  This cracks us up each and every night.

You are especially fond of Carl the caterpillar right now.  Sophie continues to hold a sweet spot in your heart as well as your colorful rings.  You have several favorite spots you like to hang out in during any given day.  I'm thankful that you continue to be content in your blue chair for a few minutes at the time.  This gives mama time to shower!  You love to drive you car.  I can't wait till your toes touch and you can Fred Flinstone yourself around this home of ours.  We pulled out your swing this week, but I'm not sure you are really a fan.  We'll keep trying, bud.

We took you swimming for the first time this weekend and you loved it!  I think you are going to be a water baby, just like your mama.  You splashed and splashed and tried very hard to move yourself forward in the water.  I can't wait to start swim lessons with you in a couple of weeks.  

We play a lot of music in this house and you are such a fan of dancing.  You love to dance in my arms but you also love to lay on your back on the rug and try out moves of your own.  The day after Christmas you started clapping.  Watching you clap along to a song is one of the best things ever.  At six months you already have way more rhythm than mama.  You also love to bang on the piano, both the white and the black keys.  Those genes all came from your daddy.  You especially like it when he plays the piano for you.

You are blowing raspberries like it is your job.  We went on a long walk in the cold today and you blew raspberries nearly the entire way.  Your brand of raspberry is particularly slobbery.  And wonderful.  You also love to give completely open mouth kisses.

Your personality shines through just a touch more each day.  You are my smily, happy, stubborn, fierce baby boy.  You have changed my life in nearly every way.  You are making me a stronger, happier, more selfless woman each day.  I'm so thankful for that, Elijah Benjamin.  God is growing me through you, sweet happy you.  

I love you to the moon and back and twice around Mars, little one.

xo,

Mama