Another Handmade Christmas

Who doesn't love a handmade gift? Or, perhaps a better question, who doesn't love making homemade gifts? Ok, maybe not all of us, but with Pinterest we can at least imagine right??
I for one have really come to love both. They are personal and sentimental and I get to be creative and artsy-fartsy.
I have wanted to re-do/DIY a play kitchen for Charles for a while now but lack of time or finances or 'that-perfect-entertainment-center-to-turn-into-a-little-kitchen-that-fits-my-imagination-and-small-apartment' have forced me to put it off. Until about four days ago. A good friend of ours found this at a thrift store and being the nice woman she is, thought of us. Thus, the beginning of my last minute DIY project to get done before Christmas morning!

In need of a little work but with not much time to do it in, I decided to simply paint it and change out the knobs for now. So on Christmas Eve I headed to Home Depot, bought some paint and hardware and got to work.

I wont get into the details of the struggle it was at the beginning to get this thing painted but let's just say that my mom came home to see me trying to rock a screaming Lawrence in his car seat with one hand and paint with the other. Needless to say she came home at the right time! 

Here is Charles' face on Christmas morning when he saw his new kitchen. 

Worth it.

Nana and Papa got some pots, pans and dishes too

I am so happy I was finally able to get this for Charles and I know he will have lots of fun with it. Big thanks again to our friend who found it for us, you know who you are :)

Speaking of handmade gifts, here is the quilt my Grandma Betty made for Lawrence. We picked out the fabric together while she was home for Thanksgiving. I love it, it's perfect!

And for the grandparent's gift this year I made shadow profiles of the boys. I love how they turned out!

Snowed In

I have to admit, the snow is pretty, but it sure puts a damper in any plans one might have. We didn't leave the house at all on Sunday. I was supposed to have an interpreting job that night but had to cancel  and yesterday me and the boys were stuck at home too.
But we made the most of our time inside. Chris and Charles went out in the snow and made a snowman and snow angels. We drank hot chocolate, stayed in our sweat pants, colored, and baked. Who can complain??
I took these pictures of the boys from the warmth of our apartment. Lucky thing we live on the first floor.
  
Behold, Pioneer Woman's French Breakfast Puffs. If you haven't tried them, please don't waste any time and go make them now.

Family of Four

WARNING: this is a long one!

Lawrence is a month old- while that doesn't seem like a long time it feels like he has always been with us and yet I can't believe it's been a month already. Life as a family of four (and an at-home mom with two) has been going well so far. Yes, we are sleep deprived. Yes, I don't always get to shower. Yes, we feel so blessed and are thankful for our two beautiful boys!
What have we been up to since Lawrence came? Let me show you..

 We went on our first outing to the  lake


With the weather getting colder and the days getting shorter we have again started going to the playland at Ridgedale. It's a perfect place to take Charles in the evenings to get some energy out before bedtime. (Or anytime of the day as it gets too cold to go to the park!)


Charles has been getting to know his baby brother and helps me out at home with him- reading books, singing songs, and watching me change his diaper. ha! He has even on occasion shared his very special bear with Lawrence.
   

I love seeing my two boys together- my heart is full.

Of course we have been taking tons of pictures of our new little boy- they change so fast and I want to remember every second!

    

Charles turned THREE last week. I can't believe I have a three year old. He is such a big boy- so smart and sweet and funny. I love him to pieces. To celebrate we started off the day with a birthday donut just mommy and Charles. Chris took a half day so later in the afternoon we headed to the Minnesota Children's Museum.
   
Charles LOVED it. He especially liked the water/bubbles area and the little town with the shops and market and city bus. I foresee many more trips to the museum in our future- thank goodness for free admission once a month!

Great Grandma Betty visited over Charles' birthday too and met Lawrence for the first time.

Charles wanted a dinosaur birthday cake so after seeing some ideas on pinterest I gave it a go.. he was pretty excited!
 

Of course, Fall isn't complete without a trip to an apple orchard.
   

And that's what we've been up to.

Lawrence Theodore

We would like to introduce you to the newest member of our family..

Lawrence Theodore Weaver.

Lawrence: "Crowned with Laurel" (The laurel leaf/wreath was a symbol of high status in ancient Greece. It also symbolizes the resurrection of Christ)
Theodore: "Gift of God"

Born Friday, the 7th of September at 2:36pm. 

8lbs 4oz and 20 inches long

We were able to come home the next day and have been thoroughly enjoying every minute as a family of four.




Charles is doing well in his new role as Big Brother. He likes to hold Baby Lawrence and sings to him if he is crying.

 


I loved this baby from the moment I knew of him but the love I feel for him now that he is here in my arms is indescribable. I am constantly reminded how blessed I am to have both my boys, my heart is just overflowing.

The Countdown

I can't believe it's September already! In May the end of the summer seemed so far away but something told me it would go by fast and boy did it ever! Now the countdown to Baby's arrival has officially begun. I have 17 days to go till my due date (which I know doesn't really mean anything, they should give you a due 'range' or something.. but still, September 22 has been a date burned into my mind for months and months) and I am so very ready for this baby to be born! I am feeling BIG and swollen and just plain ready to go.
Speaking of 'ready to go', I recently completed sewing my first blanket (ever) for our baby.



with matching burp cloth





and a few other burp cloths as well



I have fabric for another blanket that I will post once it's done too :)
I haven't been able to make any onesies for this baby yet, my hands are so swollen and tingly most of the day that stitching by hand is out of the question, but after he is born and I lose all this water I have been retaining, I sill surely be making some onesies.

Not working this summer has been a bit stressful, but as my mom has reminded me, this is the last time I will have with just me and Charles. I have been trying to really cherish the time home with him before Baby Brother gets here. I know that Charles will be a great big brother but I am sure it will be an adjustment too. Soon our family will grow from three to four!

39=Lace

I love the idea of giving a traditional gift for an anniversary. For example, first anniversary is paper, second is cotton, third is leather...and so on. There is a 'traditional' list as well as a 'modern' list. The modern list has something for every year while the traditional goes to year fifteen and then is only every five years.
Well, today is my parent's 39th anniversary and the modern list says the gift is lace. Lucky me, because next year is Ruby and last year was beryl. What would I have done with beryl??





We joined them for a nice dinner last night to celebrate their anniversary. It was nice to go out as couples, thanks Mom and Dad, Happy Anniversary!