bunny buds

Yep. More of the little cousins together. Baby James Bowen and his family were here for Easter and it was so fun to see them start to interact and enjoy being around each other.

I love this next one. James is getting bored and Ethan looks really skeptical of the situation.

Like sons....

...like fathers.

There's nothing better than family time. Hope you had a wonderful Easter!

mission accomplished

Most expecting parents probably have their baby's nursery ready when they're about 8 months pregnant or so - Ethan's is finally complete at almost 8 months old. In my defense, most of his stuff was half way across the world up until a couple months ago. Despite the tardiness, it's been really fun putting it all together at last and I'm sure Ethan appreciates no longer sleeping in a pack-n-play. We didn't have control of the wall paint color, which isn't horrible, but not what I would have picked. Other than that, I'm pleased with the way it came together, especially because a lot of the items in it are either homemade (like the bedding) or tweaked with paint or whatever to make it our own. And let's not forget Ikea. Blessed, blessed Ikea. I've posted a few photos if you're interested, but I'm sure this is more for myself than anything. Not having a full-time job anymore, I've missed having lots of projects to work on and be proud of when they're finished (other than child-rearing of course). So thanks for humoring me....

The room kind of revolves around the fabrics I picked out when I was expecting, which my amazing sister turned into this adorable quilt (she also made a pennant banner with the leftover fabric). It has a wild animal motif and a really great shade of orange, so we used those two things as themes throughout the room.

One of my favorite things in the room is this mobile. It was one of those items I kept coming back to the store to look at and finally jumped on when it went on sale. I bought it fully aware that I was more excited about it than a color/pattern-loving baby would be, but turns out he actually loves it, too!



Another one of my favorite things is this print of a boy encountering a giraffe by local illustrator extraordinaire, Sarah Jane. I've been coveting it ever since I found out I was having a boy and finally got it a couple weeks ago at Bijou Market. Love it.

Remember our little elephant friend? He made it back from South America, too.

So there you go, hope you enjoyed it. And if you didn't, well, we don't want to hear about it.

best of the worst

The other day Bret and I were chatting on our bed and I noticed a terrible picture of us was sitting on our dresser propped up next to a frame of our engagement photo. As we laughed at the juxtaposition, Bret made a comment about what three years of marriage can do. All the same, he claims it's one of the best pictures of us. Bret and I don't agree on everything, believe it or not, and this is one of those things. I think it's possibly the worst ever.

First, some background. You may recall that I was hugely pregnant last summer. You may also remember that two + months of that summer we spent apart while Bret was working in Brazil, during which time he lost nearly 30 pounds and grew a mustache. He was scheduled to come home the end of August (on the day Ethan was born, funny enough) but at the beginning of August he told me he was coming home a week earlier. I was thrilled of course but he did one better and surprised me by actually returning two weeks early. This is the moment he walked in the door. I had just done a yoga workout (hence the tank top, sweats and no make-up look) and was sitting in the kitchen chatting with my sister and mom when in walks this man I hardly recognized. It was the WEIRDEST feeling; having the one you love be so far away for so long to suddenly be standing before you without any warning. It was crazy. Obviously I burst into tears and fell into his arms. There we were: me all tear-faced, gross and sweaty (not to mention, enormous) and Bret next to me as skinny as he's ever been, jet-lagged and sporting a Tom Selleck. Picture time!!!! At least that was my mom's thought process.

You must be wondering, "if she hates that picture so much then why is she showing everyone?". Good question. For one, it's often said how blogs tend to show only the best sides of the people who write them and can therefore be misleading at times. It's understandable though. I'm not sure myself if I am thinking clearly right now. But it's liberating, too. Most of you are already aware of how far from perfect I am but I'd like to make it a known fact so as to avoid any high expectations for me or this blog. Besides, how great would it be if everyone put up a terrible picture of themselves on their blog? I dare you (and please send me a link). Also, I feel like this picture is haunting me. My mom printed it out the day it was taken and no matter how many times I try to tuck it away and out of sight, it always manages to find its way into the spotlight again, showing up on my desk or posted on my mom's fridge, etc. Perhaps I am hoping that by publishing the picture it will somehow relinquish its power.

Bret claims it is the best picture because it captures a special moment in our lives, one we'll never forget. I argue that it's the stache he wishes to remember fondly. Joking aside, I agree that it was a moment worth remembering...I just wish I could have been less whale-ish at the time. And I'm a little scared to see what another three years does to us :)