a first prayer by luke heard around our dinner table recently:

"[something sounding like "Dear God"],

"Mommy, mommy, mommy, mmmm, mommy!"

"Amen!"

music to a mommy's ears :)

a note to luke

Dear Luke,

In less than a week you will be 18 months old -- the months are just flying by!  

This summer has been a big one for you.  Somewhere around 16 months you morphed into a little boy, and are no longer my baby.  You walk, run, tickle, wrestle, laugh, chitter-chat, and say lots of words and -- your favorite -- imitate all kinds of sounds.  Your favorites are truck siren noises, ruff-ruff when you see a dog, and pointing out cows wherever you see them.  It was particularly handy that this was one of your first and only words in June when we visited an Amish farm in Wisconsin -- you seemed like a talking-toddler star! :)  

In July you turned to a nomadic lifestyle as we spent time with your Harris cousins in South Carolina and then headed to the Adirondacks to see your Johnson cousins.  You found your time with these big kids truly inspiring and promptly decided to do your final weaning and dropped a nap all with two weeks!  Your cousin Tyler was excited to have another fun Harris boy to hang out with and he carried you all around the beach and beach house, while you loved every minute of it.  From your perspective, every adult was there for your amusement and comfort and you had all your aunts, uncles, Pops, Gogo and Gram wrapped around your finger as, one by one, you asked each of them to hold you.

S Carolina was also where you developed a passion for donuts.  They were our secret weapon for helping you stay quiet as the rest of the family slept a bit later than 6... but soon they were expected and you were not a happy man when no donuts were to be found.  You knew exactly where they were kept and you made sure to strongly encourage us to send them your way! :) 

In the Adirondacks, you and Sophie became fast friends.  She woke up in the morning and from

 every nap with "Luuu-kieee?" on the tip of her tongue and by the end of our time there you had even figured out how to say "So-phieee".  You held hands in your carseats and were partners-in-crime wherever you could sniff out trouble! Grandad's playset was a big hit and you LOVED to sit in his speedboat and pretend to drive.  In fact, at times it proved quite difficult to take you on boat rides because you could not understand why Daddy had to drive rather than you!! :)

After NY, we were headed to staff training in Atlanta.  I was worried you'd be frustrated with me for heading to training while you spent some time with babysitters but you were a champ.  You entertained everyone in the hotel lobby with floor acrobatics and charmed your sitters who took you swimming and out for cheeseburgers.

Heading home without Daddy, who had to go on a work trip, we decided we weren't quite ready for our travels to be done, so we hopped in the car with Grandma and headed to Michigan!  Your passion for Grandma is truly adorable and when she's around, Mommy is completely unnecessary!  You are peas in a pod and it warms both of our hearts.

Since we've been home, you've explored all sorts of things with your new big-boy confidence:

 water slides at the public pool, climbing up tall slides at the park, and poaching trucks and sand toys at the park.  Your passion for cars and trucks and "things that go" increases daily and we spend lots of time simply watching road construction when we're out and about.  You are also quite passionate about saying "Mommy" and use it at every convenience, much to my delight.  You have even developed its close relative, "Ommy", which indicates any other adult nearby for whom you have an affinity and who can help you reach your milk, have a wrestling contest, or some other activity that crosses your mind.

Your Daddy and I are so proud of all the ways you are becoming "You" and are fascinated by all you do!  We love you so much and are so glad you are ours :)  And we LOVE those kisses and silly, "aren't I so cute" grins -- keep them coming!

love,

Mommy, a.k.a., "Ommy", Mama, Ma, etc.

keri's quilt

my friend keri just turned 31 and so i decided to make her a birthday quilt. 

i love the look of the super quick + easy quilt in joelle hoverson's last minute patchwork and quilted gifts, so i decided to give it a try.  i made the dimensions a bit bigger -- more like 42" x 52"ish -- and used the "zigzag option" for the sewn ties since my machine is pretty basic and doesn't make those lovely satin-stitch ovals.

i was working with a few parameters, and overall i think i found a fun way to incorporate them. her apartment colors are sage, gold and some purple and since i was hoping this quilt throw would work well for her living room, i wanted to find a fun fabric that matched.  

i also wanted to find something that seemed to really capture a bit of who this fabulous keri is :)  she is one of my closest friends and a constant inspiration to me, so this was no small task. but i am really excited to give her the quilt and see what she thinks...  i went with an alexander henry aviary fabric in gold -- it is bright and cheery, pretty, and filled with a classic symbol of peace, the dove.  so, if you knew keri, you would agree that it captures her quite well :)

i was a little nervous that the reddish color outlining the doves might not be quite perfect for her place, but i loved the fabric and couldn't find anything else that matched her so well...  so i went with it. i hope she likes it! 

i'm excited about how it turned out -- very springy and refreshing.  i wonder if i should have used the washable wool batting for more loft, but thought the cotton would be better for spring/summer.  i'll definitely use this pattern again soon.

refreshing

last week was a refreshing one.

luke got his first taste of sand...
and some pool time.

and mom and dad treasured a certain 1-year-old's wrinkled-nosed grins and enjoyed some much-needed r&r. i actually read an entire book just for fun and relished every minute of it.

We’re both growing.

Well, my baby is turning 1 this weekend and for a variety of reasons, but one particular medical one, we’ve decided it’s time to wean. I am sad and have been really struggling with this decision, but in the last day I have become more confident and excited about what lies ahead for me and Luke.

He is growing up into such an amazing and fun little boy. He has *finally* started to tolerate a few sips of (sweetened!) milk from his sippy cup and officially drank some of my smoothie from a straw yesterday. We got him an organic chocolate milk this morning at Starbucks to celebrate. He is standing more and more on his own and learning to stack things and put them away in baskets and boxes. I love to see how satisfied and confident he feels when he has displayed one of his new-found talents! (Yesterday, he gathered all of his peas and corn onto a plate – and then added his sippy cup to the mix for good measure. What a grin!)

At the same time, he has begun to really develop opinions. Strong ones. I love and am terrified of this strong will all at the same time! Engaged in something he loves, he delights and charms you with his smile, laughter and chatter. But denied something he wants… watch out, here comes the tantrum!

We have taken two exciting steps in the past 24 hours. We are seeking to drink like a big boy, in addition to all of our other new big boy traits. And for those many things we are allowed to have, we are learning to lovingly ask like a big boy too! “Please” (or some form thereof, haha) will be elucidated in order to get an object, rather than mommy reinforcing this demanding behavior.

I have been sad to have to guide him into this new stage of toddlerhood, with having to say no and having to discipline. But as I’ve thought more about it I have warmed to it. Weaning and discipline do not mean that he will experience less love from his parents. It will be love in a new and more mature, multi-faceted form. It will be love that not only embraces him, but also molds him and forms him in new, more grown-up ways. I look forward to developing new ways of showing him that I love him – more cuddles, giggles, creative play – new ways of providing him with security and confidence. And, most difficult, but maybe most exciting – I am excited for Luke to grow big and strong, and, as he does, to know how to love others with his words and actions.

I’ve realized that as hard as these transitions might be for him, I am really struggling with the difficulty for me. I love when we’ve found a comfortable routine, when we can settle in and relax. But with kids, I’ve realized, they are always growing, always changing! They make us move forward, challenge ourselves, find new ways to grow and love. These transitions are hard but so good for me – I’ll need to be creative in love, creative in distraction, and very, very patient. And, probably most difficult, I will need to be consistent and on my toes, rather than simply reactive. Above all, I’ll need to trust God that He will use my imperfect actions and decisions to grow this boy into one who knows His love.

lukie modeling his rocket t!

3 - 2 - 1 blast-off

here's a pic of a birthday t i'm in the process of making for lukie. love the boy-ness of it :) can't wait to see it on his little 1-year-old self!

ahh, completion.

she's complete. my quilt had been looking at me for two weeks asking me to just sew her together already. i'd been debating buying some narrower double fold bias tape for the binding but figured i'd never get it done if i waited to get to joann's. :) so, the last couple of days i have been putting the finishing touches on my quilt, and it turns out i really like it! the top started to appeal to much more after a good ironing and once i'd quilted and binded it.
and, can i confess that i have... fallen in love with... quilting? not just the whole process (which i also enjoy) but that actual part of machine quilting it all together. so weird and unexpected. i mean, i hear that a lot of people don't even bother -- just outsource it to have someone else quilt and bind. but as i was stitching this baby together on my husky, i was **loving** it. the piece finally became so substantial and seeing and feeling the soft cotton fabrics come together with batting, the whole thing started to remind me of the feel of a winter kimono. can't wait to snuggle up!

glad i pushed through with it despite the mid-project doldrums and am looking forward to putting together my next one for a friend's upcoming birthday...!

casting on!

picked up my yarn for "knitting ::for:: the least of these" today at CloseKnit. i think the yarn is going to work out really well -- it is nice and soft, easy to work with, and the color is... well, it's delicious.

i placed an order for the rest of the knitters' yarn as well, so we'll be ready to kick things off soon.
what did people do, by the way, to learn to knit before youtube??? seriously, the tutorials are money.

we are the most party.

so, a mama has to have a night out once in a while to get silly and dance. and Split Infinitive lived up to their self-proclaimed status: "we are the most party." finally feel like i'm doing justice to my blog name. (yes, that's me on the right.)

peace.

it's happening :)

i floated the "knitting" idea to a bunch of women this past week and they are excited! we are primarily going to do it as an RUF service project, but i'm going to invite some other friends to participate as well. initially i'd created a separate blog to keep track of things, but i think a facebook group makes more sense, so if you'd like to participate, check it out! i'm ordering the yarn on monday and can't wait to set up our first "knit knight" -- hot chocolate, knitting and good conversation.... is there a better way to spend a cold february night?

...and a link to some fun knitting images i'm using for inspiration!

it all started with seeing this blanket.

well, actually, it started about a year ago when i was pregnant with my first. i really wanted to knit something for my little guy, but had never knitted before. i enlisted the help of my (very patient!!) mom, who is an accomplished knitter. i rented a "how to knit" video from the local library. i checked out knitting books. but to no avail. i had, in my pregnant state, absolutely no patience for what i was finding to be an elusive skill. the things that were coming out of my mouth were not pretty. so i set down my knitting needles for a time.

but i decided it was time to pick them up again the other day when i saw the aforementioned blanket. quite literally, i love this pattern so much that i have considered trying for our 2nd child simply to be able to make this blanket (alright, i'm exaggerating, but it is a significant incentive!!). but, after starting to read the book from which this pattern was taken, i was inspired.

lately, i cannot get babies off of my mind. or the moms who bear them. having a son has given me a whole new, deeper respect for our gender and all its associated callings. being a woman is an incredible, daunting, humbling task. labor, sleep-deprivation, and mothering have all challenged me in greater ways than i have experienced prior to this year -- and the most humbling thing about it was to realize that literally millions -- billions? -- of women embark on this journey each year, not to mention the billions who are on the mothering path at any moment.

but the women i have come to respect the most are the ones who are doing it, for all intents and purposes, without help. without the support system that i have so dearly appreciated this year -- my husband who coached me through the delivery and gets up every morning with our son to give me some more sleep, my mom who shared countless overnight shifts in the early days and is always eager to babysit, my sister and cousin who are both always just a phone call away to give nursing, sleeping, or (more recently, ack!) discipline advice. i cannot imagine having lived the past year without them.

and yet countless women do it everyday. women who choose to bear their children despite imperfect circumstances -- knowing that life with them or life with an adoptive family, however different from their hopes and dreams for their child, is still precious, amazing, beautiful life.
these women and their children have been on my mind night and day lately, but i haven't really known what to do to love them other than to pray. but last night, at 5 am (rather than falling back to sleep after nursing my son!) i couldn't get off my mind the idea of perhaps knitting for them. it sounds fairly simple, even paltry, to write it here, and i know it isn't doing much. but i also know how much warm, soft and special things mean for your new little one. and i know that knitting takes time and when you have time, you can think and you can pray for the little one who will receive the blanket and for their mother. and hopefully receiving such a blanket would convey some of the respect and care i have been wanting to express to women who are taking the road less travelled. i am so glad the pattern i hunted down was in a book as interesting and inspiring as "Knitting for Peace."

so, if you, like me, are increasingly impressed with all that women around the world do and want to support the greatest of them all in a small, creative way, please join me as i embark on my first knitting project: knitting ::for:: 'the least of these'.

details on how you can get involved in the next few days...

'inaugural' quilt

i started working on my first quilt last week. i was so excited because quilts are something that i LOVE and i've always wanted to make my own. i had bought the fabrics for it before christmas at quiltology and, with christmas and birthday sewing projects complete, was able to begin. i decided to start with amy karol's "easy lap quilt" since my sister had so much luck with it in making her daughter's baby quilt. so, i had a great pattern and great fabrics -- where did i go wrong?? well, i decided to adjust things a bit. normally i think this is an excellent thing to do -- but perhaps i should have waited until i was a bit more... experienced. anyways, i wanted the quilt to be a bit bigger so i could really cuddle up in it with my hubby on the sofa. so i increased the length and width -- fine -- but then decided to play around with the patterned pieces. i should have left them all one (perhaps longer?) length, but made two lengths instead and interspersed them on my quilt. et voila, my overly busy, but still not terrible, first quilt top.

i LOVE the back though. probably because it is just simple. i used quiltology's tutorial to put that part together.

so, it isn't terrible, just not my 'dream quilt'. just have to sandwich and quilt it and then i can move on to the next one :)

sofie's dress

I love having my machine out! It is so easy to get a little sewing done here and there. My adorable niece, Hannah Sofia, turned 1 last week. She is the only girl of all the kids on that side of our family, so my mom, sister and I have been having a lot of fun buying her pink, giving her dolls, seeing her in dresses, etc. I decided to try doing some applique on a dress for her birthday gift, having seen a bunch of fun examples on etsy and elsewhere. I ordered this adorable "farmer's daughter" dress made by a co-op in Bolivia and used some leftover fabric from a few projects. Michael Miller Fabrics has a great tutorial which was really easy to follow. Can't wait to see Sofie model her new threads! :) (This isn't actually a picture of the complete dress, but I forgot to take one before wrapping it up!)

getting set up...

Given all the projects in my head these days, I decided I better have my sewing machine out all the time or none of them were going to get done. Getting out all my stuff while my son attempts to sleep in our small-ish apartment is always a noisy mess. Sooo, my machine has a new home on my bedside table and I decided to make a "cozy" for it to avoid making our bedroom look like a sewing room... and just because they are cute! I found this tutorial from Spool Sewing, adjusted it to fit my machine, and here she is...

here goes...

I've been getting back into sewing lately, inspired by my son, Luke, and craving a fun, creative outlet. I love the sense of accomplishment that comes with completing a project and the challenge of getting one done. I'm a "lurker" on several mommy crafting blogs and love hearing what others are up to. I thought I'd join in and contribute a little, although I am very much a beginner! Here goes...