Gnomes

I'm quite certain that my current favorite to-do list project is gnome-making.

On a whim, and with inspiration from Salt & Chocolate, I started making these little cuties the other day. Camden loves them, and lights up with each new friend he receives.

The tiny family of three is growing, so I'm sure you'll see them again soon.

Sweet Slumber

I started this post earlier this morning. I wrote, thoughtfully, about Camden and the fact that he's been co-sleeping for nearly two years now. Two years--where has the time gone??

But I deleted what I had written. Because really? I felt as though my words were turning out to sound more like an argument for co-sleeping. And that wasn't the plan.

No--the plan was to share these phots from the other day. I took them with the intention of having several of them printed onto canvas. They'll hang above our bed when they arrive.

Inspired by another photographer, I set this 'scene' in our bedroom before putting Camden to sleep at nap time the other day. I love the simple white and cream combination, and I love that I was able to capture such a busy, active little boy in his most peaceful state.

I'll save the co-sleeping arguments for another day, and just cherish the little boy I wake up smiling at every morning.

Play!

I've got a little play corner set up for Camden in the living room. It has been rearranged a couple of times as I watch how he uses the space... and I think we've settled on our final arrangement. That means it was safe to hang something on the wall!

Nothing in my stash seemed right for the spot above his table, so I decided I'd let him do the decorating. I think the photos say it all, so take a look:

He's pretty darned proud of himself for this one. I put it on the wall after he went to bed last night, and he was sure to point it out to me this morning.

Finding new uses...

...for old things! Maybe that sounds cliche by now, but that's ok. Because really, that's exactly what I did when this idea came to mind.

Camden really loves to color. He won't let me *call* it coloring anymore, because he's apparently too big to color. Nope--this little guy draws. But whatever.

Enter the big, left-over package of wrapping paper from our move. I bought a second box of paper when the first one had been used up, but didn't wind up using the entire second box.

When I happened upon Camden's crayons the other day, but wasn't able to find his drawing pad, I remembed the box of wrapping paper I'd stashed into the U-Haul just in case.

Whaddya know?! It's perfect for coloring! I mean... drawing.

I taped the edges to the table because it's a bit on the thin side and I knew he'd wind up frustrated if it were to move around too much. He loved it! When dinner time rolled around, and the paper was still on the table, I served his meal right on top. AND! I was pretty darned proud of myself when I rounded the corner after dinner and spotted Ryan folding the paper--and the dinner mess--into a little bundle to toss into the trash.

Even if you were to stop by your local U-Haul spot just for a big package of paper, at $10 for 140 BIG sheets, you can't go wrong.

Mama's Little Bumble Bee

I love this photo. It's rare that I am spotted in a photo, and they often don't happen unless I shove my camera into Ryan's (capable) hands and say, "here! take a picture!"

He probably does an internal eye roll every time, but that doesn't stop me.

This one was taken by yours truly. Lurking around, trying to catch my little bumble bee in action. Such a perfect costume for a little boy who never, ever sits still.

I sure do love him, busy (buzzy?! yes--pun intended) boy that he is!

Growing...

...by leaps and bounds.

Yup--my little guy. He's growing again.

I can't believe he's already 18 months old. Can you? Where does the time go?

Physically, he is:

34 inches, and 26 pounds.
A walking, running, jumping, dancing machine.
Fair-skinned, with the most beautiful, sparkling blue eyes.
A good eater.

Intellectually, he is:

Capable of identifying a whole herd of animals, colors, objects, and a few letters.
Learning new words and signs every day.
Learning to be polite by saying please and thank you.




...and he's obsessed with Wi-Wo's.

Also known as, The Wiggles.

One of these days...

...I hope to be back in this space, writing and sharing. Because I like it here. I really, really do. Right now, there are some things holding me back. What, exactly, is not important enough to warrant mention right now. But I hope you'll all be here when I return.

In the mean-time (that's one of those phrases that looks funny written down, isn't it?), can I ask for your help?

We're cloth diapering full-time these days, and the budget for our diaper stash is pretty limited. As a result, I'm washing every day and trying to get by with what we have. I'm also trying some other methods to fill our need. My most recent attempt? A photo contest!

One of our favorite brands, FuzziBunz, is hosting a Facebook photo contest. The winner will bring home TWELVE (wow!) new, one-size diapers. I cannot imagine adding twelve new diapers to our little stash. Imaging the possibilities! No more daily laundry! I could go two whole days, maybe three!

Anyway. I'm asking for your help. Camden's photo made it into the top ten. Those photos are currently posted on the FuzziBunz Facebook Page, where fans are voting for their favorite by clicking 'like' on the photo they most adore.

Voting is as simple as:

Logging into Facebook.
Visiting the FuzziBunz Fan Page and becoming a fan.
Visiting the photo of Camden and clicking 'like' under his photo.

Yes--you must be a fan of FuzziBunz in order to vote. Not a cloth diaper fan? That's ok! Just un-like the fan page when the contest is done.

We're currently in third place, and to be honest, I'm starting to wonder if we'll ever pull ahead of those other two photos. But a mama can try, right??

So go on--vote! Please?? :) ...and thank you!

We're on the Move!

I'm here.

We moved. Did you know? No, no. You didn't. Because I didn't tell you. I know, I know, I've kept pretty quiet about our change of surroundings. Don't worry though, I'll give you some peeks around our new space as it begins to come together.

Boxes abound, as do missed bed times and precarious situations for the curious little toddler who now calls this (big!) apartment home.

The apartment? It's on the edge of town in a small non-complex. There are two (two!) bedrooms (bedrooms!) for us to spread ourselves out in... a space for our table... a separate kitchen. Ah, yes, this is going to be good.

We're still moving and settling, but that hasn't kept me from other, more interesting activities.

I photographed two birthday parties almost two weeks ago now, and promise to share some of my favorites here.

Ok--fine. One now, more later:

This little cutie has some of the most amazing eyes I think I've ever seen. She was exhausted when this picture was taken, but her eyes were still twinkling.

And look! My logo as a watermark! Do you love it? Because I do.

...and I've been satisfying Camden's new-found love for coloring with some homemade, chunky, hold-able crayons.

More on those in the days to come. They're so quick to make, and so much easier for Camden to hold in his hands.

I've missed this place. Seriously. And I want to come back and be more of a regular. Perhaps once we're a bit more settled? I've sure got a lot to talk about...

It's the little things...

...that make life so happy.

Right?
Do you remember licking the beaters from mama's mixer when you were little?
I do.

Ok, fine.
I still lick the beaters. But that's not the point.

Quite possibly...

...the most random post you'll ever see me write.

I'm still here. Just... busy. Let's call it busy.

More on that later. I promise to let you in on my secret eventually.

Every time I log in to my blog lately, there are 'anonymous' comments advertising dirty websites, preparation for the year 2012, or... other junk. What is UP with that? Please ignore them. I do my best to delete that stuff, but don't always find them right away.

This post has absolutely nothing to do with these two photos, but I like them. And if I didn't post the photos, it might be a little difficult to brag about my new lens. It was my birthday gift, along with a new external flash.

New camera goodies make me swoon.

I've got an engagement session coming up on Saturday... check back later next week for some photos!

Take that, you old groundhog!

It is a most delightful shade of sunny here today. I honestly can't remember a time when I was so happy to see Spring making its way out of hibernation. Perhaps it's the little boy who rules our days? His curiosity, his love of the outdoors, and--let's face it--his need to get outside and run.

The orchid is happy...

...and so are the little kitty feet being warmed by the sun.

I know Spring hasn't yet made its appearance in other parts of the country, and oh, how I wish it were possible to bottle some of ours and send it your way. Because it is wonderful.

This morning:

Why play with your own toys?? They're not nearly as exciting as mama's little kiwi-bird-turned-car, you know...

I love his colorful imagination.

It's all fun and games...

...until your husband winds up with a raging case of Shingles!

The bulk of our days were spent at home while Ryan recuperated--and, if we're being honest, he was a little too, ehem, medicated for much else--and tried not to scratch.

The good news is that Shingles aren't contagious. The bad news is that it is an incredibly painful condition.

But it was so nice to have daddy home with us more than usual! Mind you, I wouldn't wish Shingles on anyone. But it was still nice to be in his company. Camden was purely delighted to wake, every morning, and see that daddy hadn't already left for work.

Things are returning back to normal, though... and hopefully that means I'll be blogging a bit more too. Hopefully. Because there are some exciting things on the horizon, and I'm excited to share them with you!

Why Ryan Makes Me Laugh, Reason #296

Three nights ago, somewhere in the wee hours of the morning, I woke up out of a dead sleep to a crash!, *thump* and a splash. Even in my stupor, I knew it was something cat-related.

Camden shot straight up in bed. "Stheee! Sthee!!" He pointed.

Ryan snored.

I poked at him.

He hadn't heard the noise, but surprisingly followed my directions to "...find the spill and clean it up while I get Camden back to sleep."

As he walked away, I cuddled Camden in my arms and quieted him back down. And then Ryan came back to get into bed. Not even a full 60 seconds after leaving.

When I asked him if he'd gotten all of the water sopped up, he said, "...some of it..." and proceeded to climb back into bed.

When I explained to him that he'd need to clean up the entire spill, he looked at me like I'd just sawed off his right arm and handed it back to him. Horrified, he slumped out of bed, stomped to the spill location and proceeded to SLAM things around, grumbling and griping the entire time.

No--I'm not kidding.

Why am I telling you this?

You'll see.

Still griping, he stomped back over to the bed and huffed the weight of his body back into the sheets.

(Camden is completely awake at this point and still exclaiming, "Stheee!" and now "dada!! dada!!")

"What is your problem??" I shrieked. (Being nice is not my forte at three o'clock in the morning.)

His reply?

This is good.

"We'll discuss that LATER." and he huffed and puffed again, rolled in the opposite direction and started to snore.

Me? Well. Once Camden finally went back to sleep, I was left to lay there and ponder exactly what it was I had 'done' and why he was so darned crabby with me. I was not a happy camper.

The next morning, because he'd gone to work before we got up, I sent Ryan a text.

"Soooo... do I get to find out why you were so mad last night?"

His reply?

This is also good.

"huh?"

We exchanged a couple of messages after that one, where it was decided he'd been asleep for the entire duration of our 'fight' and had no recollection of the incident. He didn't even remember cleaning up a spilled glass of water.

I still don't believe these exchanges could possibly be normal... could they??

Show me your...

...pineapple face? Ten bucks says it isn't as cute as Camden's...

You know you're a mom when...

...this happens. I couldn't help but smile when I found a little surprise waiting for me in my morning coffee.

Books

This is a scene that repeats itself every night now. Camden is head-over-heels in love with books. He looks through them all day long, touches the pictures, points at things he spots on the pages... and every couple of hours, he brings me something to read. At night, before bed, it isn't uncommon to spend an hour flipping through a big stack of books together.

Happy to oblige, I turn through the pages with him while we snuggle on the couch together.

Because I'm so thrilled over his love of books, I want to encourage him however I can. This means we've been doing a ton of book browsing when we're out and about. They're all so fun to look at! Bright, pretty pictures... rhymes and silly riddles...

...but how do I choose?

Will you help? I'm curious to learn the titles of your favorite books, and those of your kiddos.

My current favorite is near the bottom of the stack in the photo. It's called I Love You Through and Through.

'Twas the Night Before Christmas...

...and we've already opened some gifts! Camden was a pro, having just learned the art of paper-ripping and bow-plucking at his Birthday party.

I can't get over how big he looked in his Christmas outfit. He's losing the 'baby' and growing into such a darling little boy.

...and those eyes. Oh, those eyes.

Merry Christmas, everyone!

Signing with Baby

Camden is getting a new (to us) set of chairs for Christmas.

Yes--I know. Christmas isn't happening for another nine days. But he'll never know the difference, right? ...and besides, where in the heck was I going to stash chairs?

Anyway.

These little cuties came from Etsy. I love them.

I couldn't *wait* to have Camden try them on for size. They're a bit tall for him yet, so a little assistance was required.

He seemed baffled as to why he was being required to sit on a chair as opposed to the floor. But never mind that.

A toy to nom on is enough to keep him seated.

But wait! Where'd the toy go?

This isn't good.

Wait. What's that he's trying to tell me?

Ah, yep! There it is again!

Do you know what he's saying?

"All done!!"

The decision to teach him to sign was such a good one. Do you sign with your munchkins?

Smartie Pants in the Making...

I'm not a big fan of the TV. Sure, there are a couple of shows I thoroughly enjoy watching every week... but we watch them on Hulu when it's convenient for us.

I won't pass judgment on you if you ARE a TV nut, but I just don't care to listen to the constant drone of a turned-on, forgotten-about television.

But in a desperate attempt to get dinner in the crock pot and the dishes washed the other day, I flipped the channel to Nick Jr. for Camden. He was almost instantly engrossed in another riveting episode of Max and Ruby, and I was free to scrub and chop to my hearts content.

When I realized, a few minutes later, that he had become mysteriously quiet (mamas, you all know that feeling, right? baby is quiet... he must be up.to.no.good.) I turned toward the TV. I didn't see him and turned back around the other direction.

You know what I saw?

He makes me a proud mama, that little boy!! His back was to the TV and there were books, well, everywhere!