It is going to be a hot summer

I bought one of those baby splash pools to put in the backyard. I figure it would be a good thing to play in and cool off this summer in the evenings after dinner. The other night, the kids got into their swimsuits for the first time and we tried it out.

 

This was Ashton's reaction. Think he liked it?

It was such as sad reaction. Sad and funny at the same time. I am not sure if this was in reaction to the cold water or the spraying or all of the above. Don't worry, we pulled him out immediately and did not force him to stay in. Regardless, I still think this picture is priceless.

 

He better get over this fear or it is going to be a long hot summer for this little man.

Stuff

I am cutting it short tonight because tonight is TV night for hubby and I. Electronics are to be turned off shortly.

Anyways, I started the Opposites photo class today. Here is my shot. The theme was "old". My cat is the oldest member of our family. I have had him since my husband and I were dating. If you want to join the class, you totally still can. Go here to check it out. Remember that it is FREE!

I have a huge weight lifted today. I finally have an outfit picked out for a function I am going to on Monday night. I have been seriously stressing over this for several weeks now. I love clothes but not on a postpartum body. Anyways, I found something that "works" and is pretty cute too. Hallelujah.

Don't forget about my destash sale. Check out what is left and please help me clean it out. Oh, and don't forget that 20% off your destash purchase goes to help disaster relief in Japan.

One last thing...my baby is 7 months old! I cannot believe it. You can read about what he is up to on our family blog here.

Work in Progress

I am going to be honest, I have felt prompted to work on my marriage lately. Don't get me wrong, my husband is fabulous and I am so lucky to have married such a wonderful man but we just aren't in that great of a place right now. Nothing is "wrong" per se we are just in the oh-so-common funk that couples get into when they have a house full of young children. We are just co-existing.

Luckily we make great roommates, but I miss my husband. We are both to blame. We can also put blame on exhaustion, our kids, our jobs, and so many other things but the honest truth is that it is our responsibility to prioritize and get out of the funk.

I am a huge believer that God should be first your priority then your spouse and then your children followed by everything else. I know so many people put their children first before spouses but I believe God calls us to raise our children to send them out onto their own. When we married our spouses we became one body in Christ. Just think about it, once your kids are out of the house...what's left? That's right, just you and your spouse. Ideally, you are still in love when life comes full circle.

I don't want to open a huge debate about this, I just bring it up because it is so easy to get wrapped up in kids activities and conversations about the children's lives. Before you know it neither one of you can remember the last moment you spent with each other where the kids were not on the mind. This is where the challenge comes in. Prioritizing your spouse and your relationship with them. Commiting to finding time to spend alone together. Having adult conversation. Investing in the things that make each other happy and putting your spouse above your children.

I brought up my feelings to my hubby last night. He listened and agreed. We have not put pen-to-paper yet (which I think is so important) and gotten specifics on the calendar yet but we did brainstorm ways to find time for each other. After our discussion yesterday evening, we sat outside together and watched our daughter play. Yes, we were focusing on our child but our conversation was adult and focused on one another.

When my husband came home today he suggested we load the kids up and take them for a walk through the neighborhood. It was great because while the kids were technically there, we still got to have time to focus on one another.

I got the name and number of a trusted babysitter today and plan on calling her this week to get some dates scheduled. We also decided that one or two nights a week, after the kids are asleep we are going to turn off computers and cell phones and sit on the couch watching TV together.

The steps might seem little but I believe that it is the awareness that is the most important thing. I love my husband so much and I want to continue to build our marriage and make it even stronger than it already is.

(While I love these two to pieces, when they are out of the house I want to make sure that

my hubby and I are happier than ever)

Does anyone else struggle with this? Am I the only one? If you have any tips on finding time for one another amidst the chaos of kids, I would love to hear them.

Highs and Lows

Both of my kids took good naps today. However, when they were not asleep things felt intense most of the day. It wasn't all bad, definitely more a mix of highs and lows.

The highs included:

Enjoying a morning with my little man while sister was at school.

Running in and out of Target in under 20 minutes and sticking to my list.

Laughing with my daughter on the way home from school while I listened to her use the word "fancy" at least 5 times in a minute. It must have been the word of the day.

Laughing again when she informs me that our car is not "fancy".

Getting a phone call this afternoon with some good news.

Getting to play with my new baby while photographing my adorable baby.

 

The lows included:

The 3 hours from naptime to bedtime where mentally and physically exhausting.

I felt like I yelled a lot. I hope my daughter will remember me for something positive and not the yelling.

Coming to a difficult conclusion about our cat. We need to schedule a trip to the vet. That is all I will say about that.

Something I was expecting in the mail did not come today.

Having a heavy heart for several friends who are in great need of prayer right now.

 

Having to go to bed with only one thing checked off my to-do list.

  

Photo of the Week

I thought it might be fun to post my favorite photo from the week here on Fridays. They might be personal or professional, who knows. My favorite from this week is most definitely this picture of my son, Ashton.

 

Taken with my prime 50mm 2.8 lens4.0, 1/125, ISO 200   

Back in the saddle and a winner

This weekend was a whirlwind of social activity. It was seriously the busiest I have been in months. The highlights included hosting my best friends baby shower and having girls night out with 5 of my closest friends from high school.

My best friend is having a baby boy and her shower gave me a reason to get back to sewing again. While it was really hard finding the time to make anything, it was so refreshing to be back at my machine. I really do miss it! A lot.

I am refreshed and inspired to make a bunch of things for Christmas. Now, I just need to find the time to actually do them.

 Here is the boppy cover that I made for sweet Parker

This is the monogrammed lovie for him to snuggle

Anyways, enough about my weekend...The winner of the Lillianna Marie giveaway is....

Heather

from Pieces of Me

who said...

I love the ponytail holders!

November 1, 2010 6:56 PM

Congratulations to Heather and thank you to all who participated.

Heather- shoot me an email at ssgebhardt at gmail dot com so I can get you hooked up with your prize!

Letter to an old friend

Dear friend,

I owe you an apology. I know you have been neglected lately and I am truly sorry. This new baby is taking so much time that what little I have to spare is needed to sleep. or shower.

I see you everyday and think longingly about all the fun we could be having if only I did not have another diaper to change. I have so many fun ideas for things we could be doing together when only I have the time to spare. I truly hope we get to do some of those things together soon.

Sweet friend, I promise I will be back. I promise that we will have good times and maybe a few all-nighters again someday. I have not abandoned you or replaced you. Nothing could replace you! I just wanted to write you this note so that you know I think of you often and I miss you.

Until we meet again...

Baby Update

Finding time to blog with a newborn and a toddler is hard (even with all the help I have)! Anyways, here is a quick post to share some tidbits for those interested and pictures for those of you who have been patiently waiting... And, because I am so tired, these are in no particular order:)

Our family in our TCU purple for the tailgate today

And, for those interested, some random notes about the past week:
•Emerson is absolutely in love with Ashton. All she wants to do is be near him and hold him. All I hear is "Mommy, he is smiling at me", "Mommy, I love him so much", "Mommy, he is so cute", etc. It is absolutely precious.

•When Emerson first came to the hospital to meet Ashton, she was holding him and looked up at me with the sweetest face and said, "Mommy, I LOVE his hair". It was something I will never forget.

•Ashton went home from the hospital on Wednesday weighing 8lbs 5oz. At his weight check on Friday he was up to 8lbs 10oz...He is such a good eater!

•Ashton is a great baby. He sleeps, eats and has contented awake time. The only time he fusses is if he has a gassy tummy or is hungry. I think his favorite thing to do (other than eat) is to watch his sister.

•Having a boy is just joyful. I am so much more in love with him than I thought I could be. I knew I wanted a boy one day but I mainly thought that it was just because I didn't want all girls. When we found out it was a boy, I was genuinely excited but also nervous. I love our princess-y girly girl so much that I was afraid I would not know how to love or appreciate a boy. He totally has me wrapped around his finger already.

That is all I can remember right now. Time to get to bed!

Fair Warning

For those of you who don't know, I am very pregnant.
As in, hopingtohaveababyinthenext7days pregnant. That being said, when baby comes, I will understandably be a little slow to repsond to emails and comments (Although, not too slow because I am, in fact, addicted to the computer and my email!).

In preparation, I have set several yummy blog posts up to auto post over the next few weeks so that you do not get bored and abandon me and the N&M blog.  Blog posts will be on the light side, but there will still be activity. Eventhough this is a craft blog, maybe I can fill in holes with baby pictures?!?!

Of course, when the big day arrives, I will happily share the news. Until then, we wait and wait and wait and try not to melt in this Texas heatwave of 100+ degree days with heat indexes from 105-118!

  

Who says you can't sew for a little boy?

My friends and family know that my daughter, Emerson, is a huge inspiration in my sewing and pattern designs. When we found out that we were having a boy this time, so many people responded with something along the lines of, "sewing for him will not be nearly as fun as for Emy".

Everyone knows that clothing for boys is much more "standard" than for little girls. Boys run around in rompers, shorts and tshirts while little girls can get away with all kinds of ruffle-y goodness. That being said, when we found out we were expecting a boy, I could not help but gravitate toward beautiful blue fabrics. I decided that instead of completely giving up on sewing for our son, I would try to make some baby items for him.

  

A nursing pillow cover using this pattern.

  

Throw pillows for the bed in his room. You can easily do this with this tutorial.

Plenty of burp cloths

Nursing covers using this pattern.

A diaper and wipes case using this pattern.

A lovie blanket with his monogram. You can learn to applique like this here.

A baby sling using this pattern.

A changing pad cover using this tutorial.

A personalized sleep sack.

So, if you know someone or are yourself expecting a boy, don't lose inspiration. There are plenty of sweet things that you can make to welcome him into the world.

Do you have any great sewing projects for boys? If so, please share!

  

I spy: etsy goodies!

As many of you know, we are expecting a little boy in just a few weeks. We just finished the nursery (you can see it here) and I thought it would be fun to show you some of my favorite etsy finds that can be found inside.

 

Cotton Cupcake Shoppe: Oh my word! This is so adorable in person. This is definitely coming to the hospital with us!

A Simple Impression: I think this is a fun way to include the name without the traditional letters hanging over a crib.

Stitches and Smiles: I can't wait to see our little guy in this!

Fancy Prints: This ABC print is hanging above the cib. I absolutely love it. The shop owner can customize the color combination to match anything that you want. She also has a matching numbers print.

So, if you are looking for a baby gift, I can personally vouch for each of these shops. They do great work and produce quality products. Enjoy!