Back At It!

Well, I nearly gave up. Do you know how many times I've written this post (well tried loading the pictures)? Sparing you an invitation you to my pity party, let me say that I have risen from the online photo storage ashes, and I think I've gotten my technical difficulties under control. For now. That behind us, I think we should press on...well, actually take a trip down (recent) memory lane.

As you may know, Sadie turned one November 4th. It was super exciting to celebrate my child's birthday. It actually pushed me into a lot of retro and intro -spection. I am now the mother of a one year old, a toddler...no longer the mother of a little babe. It all went VERY quickly. Each phase has been so unique and in all honesty, rewarding. She's really pushed me to be more and give more than I ever thought I could. Stephen and I are both SO grateful for our Sadie Girl, and can't believe God chose to bless us with someone so wonderful.

We celebrated simply. Small soap box, mothers of America, don't be afraid to have a good old fashioned birthday party- homemade treats, paper plates, Funfetti cake mix and icing. Pretend you've never heard of Martha Stewart. Anyway. Here is Sadie's personal cake and the hat I made her out of a frozen waffle box and some fabric. And no. She would not wear it. Maybe one day...

Here is the during...
Sadie, if one day you read this blog, know how deeply loved you are. Already, at your first birthday. We cannot wait to see your life unfold, and I'm so thankful to have you here tagging along with me each day. You grow funnier and more friendly by the week, and you LOVE being around people and out and about. Thanks for making me smile a million times a day. Your Dad feels the same way :)

Sadie's First Birthday- check.

Now for Christmas. We spent a hearty week in Kentucky with my family, and despite a wicked stomach bug, we really enjoyed our time with them and friends. Sadie definitely enjoyed Christmas more this morning. Last year she was 6 weeks old. She pulled paper and jumped into playing with new toys with her cousins.
Speaking of cousins, here they are. Why can't 4 kids smile at the same time?


Gracie was really sweet to show Sadie how to have a proper tea party.

And a nice picture from Christmas Eve with my parents...
Next post- New Years (even though you're all over it)

Where you at?

Are you SO happy to pull up my blog and not see red lip stain anymore?! I apologize for the lack of posts, but we've had a lot of birthdays, a lot of work, a trip to Colorado, and now I can't remember what else. I'm going to do a special post to commemorate Sadie's first birthday, but I thought I'd at least put up one picture in the meantime.

This all reminds me that I want to have a mini-soap box for a second. I'm sick of people responding to "How are you?" with "Busy." Followed by an exhausted hmphf and an eye roll. We're all busy (at least as much as we think we are), and I can't really think of anyone that I know that is bored. Let me also interject that I am sick of myself answering with "busy, hmphf, eye roll." Don't I have more to tell people? Am I answering this way because I think it makes me look important and not so stay-at-home-momish? I am personally challenging myself to be more than a busy person, to have things of value to discuss with those around me. This also harkens back to another, and frankly more serious, soap box that I have with myself and with people in general. Why is it so easy to be negative? Why do conversations flourish when the topic is negative? Why does misery love company? Now I know I'll lose your blog reading attention if I don't move on to another picture soon, but just think about this...I know I am.

Pressing on, here's your Sadie birthday snippet! She was very sweet and LOVED her cake. Again, more to follow, but here's your teaser.

Stephen also celebrated a birthday- the big 2-9. I'm so thankful that he's been in my life for the last 7+ years, and I love when this day comes around each year to celebrate the wonderful guy that he is.
Yes. That is a homemade cookie cake- due to the unfortunate closing of the Toll House cookie store at our mall. Moment of silence, please.

Here are a few pictures from our time in Colorado Springs over Thanksgiving. Other than the cold we all passed around, we had a really nice time...we always love going out there, and Stephen's parents definitely spoiled us this go around by taking the night and morning shifts with Sadie. It was a wonderful gift, and I'm thankful for my thoughtful in-law's!
Everytime we go out there we walk around the Garden of the Gods since it is so close to Rick and Lucy's house. It's always so beautiful and the colors are so different than what we see here in NC.
Here's sweet Lucy and Sadie having a little playtime.

We also went to a wonderful Christmas concert at our church last week...

If it comes to your area, please see Behold the Lamb of God. Andrew Peterson is very talented and very humble. It was such a treat to celebrate the season, and most of all Jesus, in this way.

Anyway, let me tell you a funny story about last Thursday night. We bought our tickets for the concert more than a month ago, and a few weeks later, I invited my mentee to come along (who's awesome, by the way, and I'm so thankful for her). Tickets were sold out, but between the two of us, we found one through her roommate. This is relevant later in the story. Actually, I'm going to type this in a timeline so we don't all get bored in a sea of paragraphs...

4:30- Playgroup with fun friends I haven't seen for months

5:30- Leave playgroup, already running late to dinner with mentee Emily

5:40- Stuck in traffic, more late for dinner

5:50-Make it to dinner, 20 minutes late, Emily's gracious

6:15-Stephen calls to say he's leaving work. Confirms that I printed our tickets. I reply, "What tickets? Print them?"

6:15-Doors open at the concert

6:45- Emily and I arrive at church. They won't let me in because I don't have my ticket. Sweet Emily has to go in and save us seats. I'm an awesome mentor.

6:55- Usher asks me if 20 year old Emily is my daughter. Devastated. Do I look like I'm 45?

7:00- Concert starts

7:10- Stephen arrives

7:15- Sadie starts giggling and squirming and unfornately for us, this is an acoustic event for the first half

7:17- I'm out in the hallway with Sadie. Just what I wanted to do.

7:45- Stephen swaps me

8:30- Intermission. We thought this was going to be over by now, hence the company of our one year old.

9:00- Stephen gives up and takes Sadie, who's just exhausted beyond belief, home :(

9:45- Awesome concert finally ends. It really was great, we just should've gotten a sitter. Whoops. Live and learn

9:50- Meet Emily's roommate, who I'm supposed to reimburse for the ticket, and realize I've sent my wallet home with Stephen in the diaper bag. Again, up for mentor of the year.

Also, missed my dear friend's birthday party. I planned to go after the concert since I thought I could be there by 9.

Lessons to learn from this experience:

1. Whether it's one night or my whole life, don't plan too much. Stuff just happens. Go with it and laugh while you do.

2. Thank God for my wonderful husband who really sucked it up and took one for the team...both with the non-printed ticket situation and the missing half of the concert situation. He managed to be really gracious and patient about all of it. We could have had a major blow up over all of that, but because he kept his head, everything was fine.

3. Doing your best goes a long way, but don't forget to look out for yourself along the way.

4. Ignore random men when they put their foot in their mouth...I don't look like I'm 45, I don't look like I'm 45, I don't look like...

5. This sounds hokie, but don't get wound so tight that you can't laugh at yourselves and the times you fail. Hug your kids and love them even when your plans go awry. Be thankful for what you get along the way.

Now I have to go because I just turned on White Christmas. If you remember my post from last year, it's my all time favorite. Thanks for putting up with my absence, oh and the small pictures. I'm having a technical difficulty, but I'm trying to just roll with it :) Trying...

Be back soon with lots more- Sadie's birthday, pictures of some of my work, and more!

Happy December!!

Showing our colors

It's pretty dorky, but I like to dress for the holidays. Our family (well Sadie and I because Stephen is cooler than us) sported patriotic colors at church on the 4th. Then we came home and had a little photo shoot...

Not to toot my own horn (toot toot), but I sewed Sadie's dress. I'd never sewn clothes, but that little pattern was pretty easy. It made it a ton easier that I used gingham seersucker because it didn't have a right or wrong side or direction. It turned out okay. I need to work on sewing straighter and how to adjust the pattern to fit better. This was the smallest size I could find, and it is still too big for her. It needs to be nearly 4" shorter. Next time.

Our house is also looking a little patriotic these days. Sadie wanted to show you that she matched the house.
We finally took down our builder grade, mismatched exterior light fixtures. Hooray! We purchased these simple and inexpensive fixtures at Lowes and then spray painted them red. This was my first spray painting experience. It's a little tricky, but pretty awesome. So fast. So gratifying. So didn't have to clean any paint brushes. My technique needs improvement, so I will definitely try out some additional projects. For now, I'm loving my quirky red lights. (Insert red light district joke here)
Let's also give a shout out to all of the wonderful men and women that are serving our country! I am so thankful for your sacrifices, bravery, and perspective. We obviously couldn't be who we are without you. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Happy New Year & a New Year's Day Tale

We rang in 2010 with a thrilling evening.

No fancy party clothes and funny hats for us this year. We laid low at home with this one.

It's a good thing we think she is hilarious. We did manage a little festivity with a toast to welcome in the new year.
2010. I'm nearly 30- deep breath. Stephen and I had some great conversation, reflecting and looking forward. It's so exciting to think about all of life's potential- places to visit, places to live, jobs to aim for, family to foster, love to grow, so much joy mingled with so much unknown. I've been realizing that I think my life should be like a vacation. I think, " Oh, I like Charleston." And I picture us living there eating fabulous food, boating, and owning an incredible house near the Battery. There is a very strong chance that it would not be like that. I think, "Oh, I love Colorado." And I picture us riding horses, skiing, and getting super cool outdoor gear. Probably wouldn't spend most of our time that way. As I go into 2010, I really want to work on (or rather let God work on) my heart. I desperately need to work on my contentment. I daydream constantly about how to improve everything around me, mostly for my selfish benefit. I am praying that I will be open and pliable. I have decided to give up dessert for the next year- yikes! I have the worst sweet tooth ever. I am letting myself have a little one once each month. I am hoping that I not only gain some self control, but that it reminds me to shoot for total contentment- and to stop hoping my life will be like one big vacation. I don't normally do New Year's Resolutions, but here I go.

Thanks for hearing my chatter (all four of you).

Pressing on.

New Year's Day has been great. Ross and Amy Free came for a visit. It was so nice to just be with friends all day. Amy (who photographed Sadie previously) helped me get my act together and order some Birth Announcements. She custom designed some since I couldn't find what I wanted online (I also didn't want to pay like $2 per card online- am I cheap?). While Ross and Stephen immersed themselves in football, Amy and I headed out to take a few pictures.

First stop: this old church down the road from our house.

Sorry that that is the only picture. We ran into some trouble. Actually, some trouble ran after us. We walked around the back of the church to take a few pictures (the light was gorgeous), and we heard some stirring in the woods. To our surprise, we were being stalked by a troop of Guinea Hens. I got nervous. I HATE birds. Don't even think about feeding the seagulls if you're ever with me at the beach. It would potentially end our friendship. So, Amy and I decided to trot back toward the front. After a glance back over our shoulders, we realized a full out run was necessary. These psycho birds were sprinting after us! So scary and so funny- funniest thing that has happened to me in a long time. We made it back to the car just in time to miss out on having our shins pecked to death. The Guinea Hens surrounded my car with no fear. I tried to roll down the window to take their picture, but they yelled at me, and I was afraid they would jump up and peck my eyes out. So here's a picture through the front window (I love that old farmhouse across the street- don't you?):
They look like they were retreating, but you can't see the other eight that were still intensely focused on hurting us. This picture doesn't show how scary they were. I googled, and this is the only picture I could find to show you their size. So funny and so random. Thanks Lori O'Toole. I have no idea who you are.
I swear ours were bigger, and they definitely were not walking away from us. On a lighter note, their feathers were really beautiful.

Moral of the story- Happy New Year, seek out some adventure this year (even if it is down the street), and never cross a Guinea Hen.

Merry (Belated) Christmas: Part II

We absolutely love when we get to go to Colorado to visit Stephen's family. First because we love them and second because of this:

Oh, and this (Garden of the Gods -with my favorite Kissing Camels at center- with Pike's Peak in the background):

It's so beautiful there, and just so different than here in North Carolina. Every time we go out there we talk about living there...but I just love the South so much. I love that we only have a two hour drive to the beach from our house, and I like being able to get shrimp and grits at most restaurants nearby. Where would I get things monogrammed (just kidding)? And I would honestly miss hot pink azaleas come springtime. However, as much as North Carolina thinks they offer skiing, they don't offer this:
Stephen, Rick, and Kyle had a great time at Copper Mountain with about 4" of fresh powder. Not the most powder, but plenty to enjoy.
I don't really have anything to say about this picture, other than that I like it.
We had to creatively bundle Sadie for her first cold Colorado winter. Here she is ready to hit the car seat in some vintage wool mittens (don't mistake them for oven mits) and fleece shoes (no, her feet aren't that big). Hysterical.
Also, a few semi-serious notes: Sadie has been in this brace for the last six weeks. It is to help correct her hip dysplasia. Hopefully she will get it off this coming Tuesday. Thanks so much for praying for her hip to heal! The Doctor is very positive, so we feel hopeful that her harness days are coming to a close. We also want to thank everyone who prayed for our flights. I was quite anxious to fly with a little one. My imagination took me to every nightmare situation- like crying for an entire 4 hour flight and an overnight-stuck-in-the-Chicago-airport-without-enough-diapers delay. God blessed us with smooth flights, minimal delays, very little crying, and a sleepy little traveler. Thanks very much for all of your prayers- they worked!

Merry (Belated) Christmas: Part I

We had a wonderful Christmas in Colorado Springs, complete with some snow for a white Christmas. We hung out, chatted, the guys went skiing, and we shopped.

Sadie stole the show in her Christmas Eve outfit (thanks Jake and Leah!). The Rachel Zoe inspired furry vest is my favorite.

She was loved on by all of the family!

Rick & Lucy (aka: Papa & Nanna)
Sweet Aunt Jenny:
Stacey & Kyle (aka: The Beard)
One more of Sadie in her Christmas Day dress from Gram: