we didn't get the house.

have you ever been a weird funk? like where things just totally didn't go your way, like, at all? that's kinda where i'm at. i'm ok with not getting the house. i know and fully trust that god has our perfect house out there somewhere. and i prayed and asked him to protect us. whether that meant getting outbid in the multiple offer "war" we were in, or allowing the house to meet our needs. he answered that, and i'm thankful. i'm still bummed, but thankful because i know he has something else for us. its still hard to wait even longer. we've been living with my parents for 9 months, 9 MONTHS!! but houses are popping up every day so i am hopeful, but......*sigh* it was a huge bummer today. can anybody relate? i'm just done living with my parents. i want my own space, i miss decorating and organzing and sewing. i really miss sewing. i feel like me with my legs and arms cut off. well that's kind of a weird analogy, but you get it right? ugh. "i will walk by faith, even when i cannot see. because this broken road prepares your will for me. " -Jeremy Camp, Walk by faith. this song spoke volumes to me at a time in my life when we were first married, living in another city and i was miserable but i knew we were supposed to be there at that time, but i trusted god had a plan even thought i couldn't see it. and now, 8 years later, that same song still speaks to me.
so here's to life's paths, journeys lost and journeys found, and a really good zinfandel! ;)

waiting....

on friday we put an offer in on a house, and today we are still waiting to hear back to see if they accepted our offer. we are patiently waiting, and excitedly dreaming, and fervently praying. this is not our forever home, by no means my dream home, but its our first home. it will fit our family of 5 perfectly. we have been praying for months that god would help us find the perfect home. he has been so faithful, even when i am not.
 its amazing to me how this entire process, moving in with my parents, adjusting, looking for houses and finding one we actually like has all been about my faith in god. its all about trusting him and letting go of my fears and my plans and trusting that he has it all planned out. i came across this verse last week and it pretty much sums it all up: "Jen-I know what I'm doing. I have it all planned out—plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for." Jeremiah 29:11 (msg). uh yeah? plans to give me the future i hope for......
a home my family will grow into, a place we can take evening walks with our dog, play soccer and baseball in the back yard, play chase down the hall, host thanksgiving and easter brunch, sleepovers and late night crafting with my craftymamas, morning cups of coffee on the back patio and glasses of wine in the evening, bbqs and beers with family and friends, bugs to be found and bones to buried. this is what i look for in a home. not granite counter tops or updated kitchen and bathrooms. but a place we can make our own, grow into, and make memories in.
i'm excited to see what god does. i know that if this is not the home he has for us, he will direct us there. the small quiet prayers of elliana and tucker are so precious, "jesus-lord, please help us find the perfect house for us, please give us this house. aMAN." he is faithful, even when i am not. and i'm working on that.
 "he won't give me more than i can take. he might let me bend, but he won't let me break". (i heard this song last week, i can't remember the name or artist, sorry, but i was in a place that was NOT full of hope, and this song came on the radio. i know it was just for me. ;)

I haven't disappeared....

not that i have a ton of followers on my little blog who actually care, but i haven't disappeared, my life just got really full really fast. when i started my blog 6 years ago, i meant for it to be an online diary to reflect upon as my life whizzed by. and here 10 months have gone by in the blink of an eye. crazy. well i still want to document what's been happening in my life, because i know someday i will look back and think, "how the heck did i get through that mess."
so the past 10 months in a nutshell:
god changed everything in our little world. last july our little family moved in my parents in hopes to save money, pay off debt, and buy a house. we were excited and scared and i was mostly sad to leave our lovely little house (and mostly my studio space and wonderful neighbors). each day we packed our entired life into boxes and piled them high into a storage unit, i cried. as we cleaned, i cried as if i was wiping away all of the memories we'd had in that house for the past 4 years. it was overwhelming, emotional, and exciting because we knew this was part of god's plan. and in the midst of it, toby started to crawl.
elliana started 2nd grade, tucker started his pre-k year of preschool and toby and i got to hangout and go shopping while the kids were in school. adjusting to living with my parents was more than difficult for everyone. many emotional breakdowns and crying sessions were followed by starbucks and retail therapy. my parents were gracious enough to let us move some of their furniture out, and our furniture in to make things more comfortable. all 3 kids staying in one room, me and justin in another, and the office became my "studio". but it was less than comfortable to create in, and super cramped. and everytime i would start a project i would say, "where is that one thing....oh yes, its in storage." so slowly my outlet of sewing and creating slipped away.
our best friends from nebraska came out to visit us and we took a trip without kids to sonoma to go wine tasting. we had the time of our lives. seriously best trip ever. great food, great wine, great friends, it couldn't get any better. and when they left, i felt another void. its so hard when your best friends live so far away. and there's no way around it.
elliana lost both her front teeth for christmas, toby started walking, tucker started tball, elliana started soccer and is on her 2nd season right now, i became a Thirty-One consultant AND a Mary kay consultant and not really sure how it all fits in. some days i feel like we are barely making it, and others i feel is a blessing. i think i'm having a "pre-mid-life-crisis" (i'm turning 35 in september). anyone relate?
i'm not really sure what has happened, but i don't feel anything like "me". i haven't done anything creative in so long, i've forgotten my creative self. i feel so behind in my memory keeping (photographs, scrapbooking, journaling) that i feel like i've failed. so many things i feel like i'm failing in, but i keep turning to jesus. he's brought me through this chapter, and i know he knows the outcome. sometimes its hard to trust, and i admit i totally am struggling with that right now. but i know its what i'm supposed to do.
so its nothing glamorous, we didn't move to barbados for a year, or travel through europe. we moved in with my parents. and we are still here. and there has been every hiccup you can imagine along the way to prevent us from buying our home. but still i'm choosing to trust, even when i feel like giving up. has anybody else had life storms like this? storms that pick you up from your safe little house and demolish everything that is familiar and comfortable? all of this has caused me to rethink my life, my dreams, my pursuits, my relationships. and maybe that's what this is for. maybe i was headed in the wrong direction. i don't know.
so there it is. i haven't disappeared. i'm here.and i'm on pinterest.

*sorry this was awfully depressing. did i mention i'm on day 4 of my personal worst head cold ever, and week 3 of taking care of every other sicky in our house. i was the last one to get it along with toby who has pinkeye and the same nasty virus. ugh.
i will bring the sunshine and unicorns next post k. ;)

WIWW

i can't believe i really am doing a WIWW post! holy cow! only 2 outfits this time, short & sweet.

this is what elliana and i wore to church on sunday.

on elliana:

top: penny's

skinny jeans: old navy

boots: target

on me:

top: lulu's

tank: old navy

belt: F21

skinny's: F21

flats: target

necklace: target

on toby:

long sleeve onesie: GAP

camo pants: sprockets by mervyn's (i miss mervyn's...*tear*)

shoes: robeez from when elliana was a baby. :)

another church outfit (read: i've been slacking every other day of the week)

top:

sweater: Kohl's

skirt: Old Navy

bow flats: target

necklace: Mommy Necklace
i'm linking up to Lindsey at the Pleated Poppy

so that's it. kinda boring. i started a new workout program this week and i am walking like Frankenstein today. i am going to reward myself with a mini shopping spree when its over in 8 weeks. yay! love a little retail motivation! plus the thought of wearing a bikini this summer after 3 kids? oh yeah! bring it!

toby is 7 months!

i know i'm a bad blogger, and i don't blame you if you stop following me. i would too. i just wanted to mention that mr. tobykins is 7 months old. can you believe it? i can't. and he is such a good stinking baby. he's been eating solids better. it took him some getting used it, but i kept persisting and now he eats a steady diet of homemade butternut squash, carrots, peas, pears, bananas and applesauce. he's still sort of getting the hang of it, but he loves eating lunch and dinner (sometimes both, sometimes just one meal a day). hasn't quite got the sippy cup down yet, but were working on it.

toby is also sitting up really well and loves being in his jumpy. he hasn't shown any signs he's wanting to crawl, and that is a-ok with mama. tucker crawled at 7 months and i'm perfectly fine with toby staying in one spot just a bit longer. :) he has started mimicking us when we shake our head to say "no", toby shakes his head too. its so cute. or when he's done eating, he shakes his head "no". or when tucker has been smothering him with kisses, he shakes his head "no." not sure he actually knows what it means, but it so darn cute. still no teeth. he's been sticking his tongue out and playing with his tongue a lot. we just figured out some sleep issues and now he only wakes up once during the night, instead of every 2 hours. when i got to bed at 12, i feed him and then he wakes up again around 4 and then again at 8. or something like that. nothing ever stays the same with babies, but for now, that's our routine. he loves being in the ergo carrier and everyday when i pick up elliana and tucker from school i put him in it. he wuvs his mama. ;) he is just so sweet. and mellow. i think he'll be like his daddy. wait, i said that about tucker too. and tucker is too. well, i can't wait to see what he's like, because i already love everything about him. including his toothless grin!!

we got a puppy!

here he is! our little puppy! we got him 2 weeks ago and boy has he put our family in a whirlwind. mostly he's thrown my sense of balance off. we got him during an entire week of rain and wind, making our backyard a sloppy wet mud pit. not so good when you are trying to house train a puppy. and tame a wild 3 year old, and nurse a thrushy 6 month old. *sigh* it was a crazy week.

but isn't he cute? yes, his paws are that giant. he's actually a very mellow puppy. i mean, he's a puppy. but he's not hyper and wired. he's nipped the kids a few times and of course wants to chew on everything he can get his teeth into, (including little toes, pant lets, and stuffed animals). tucker is a little scared of him and his "shark teeth" but we are trying to help him push the puppy's head away when he is in his playful mode.

we've had a bit of trouble naming him. it seems we can't all decide on a single name. so he's been quite a few different names. the only real way to find a good name is try it out right? like a pair of shoes. (sort of). so he's been jake (too common, but still cute), rocky or rocket( cute, but didn't quite fit), we liked buster (buster posey is the giants catcher, justing REALLY wanted this name) tucker voted for megatron, brucewayne (batman), and finally as we approached his 2 week homecoming anniversary (we didn't really celebrate it was just a mental deadline to find his name) we settled on lazer. i didn't want a common dog name. it had to be unique to fit our family.

we came up with lazer because my husband is a big softball junkie. he plays on 2 teams at a time, and is always playing tournaments and stuff. he's know for hitting homeruns and it quite the power hitter, i must say. i'm so proud of him. he's a rockstar 3rd baseman and short stop. one of his nicknames when he gets up to bat is "LAZER" because, well, he hits lazers. :) and since lazer will be a hunting dog in training, we thought this would be perfect. and plus, he's a little lazy. we have to pick up him to go anywhere, he's not leash trained yet so we end up dragging him. lazy lazer. ;)

he's a pretty smart pup so far. we've bell trained him. which means, when he wants to outside to go potty he hits his nose on a bell we have hanging from the door and we let him out. after one week he was doing this. we've still had a few accidents indoors but he's been doing really good outside.

i'll admit, i've enjoyed my late night puppy snuggles (like i used to do with chessa). he hasn't replaced her, but has been fun to have another set of paws to get to know. i thought i was going to go crazy the first week, the mud, the potty accidents. my whole world was in disarray. getting a puppy is NOT easy. but like children, i know if we put the hardwork in now, it will be worth it in the end.

happy 1/2 birthday toby!

seriously, where has the time gone? i cannot believe my little tobykins is 6 months old already! toby, you are such a precious gift from god. you exude joy without even trying. your happy smiles, big wide eyes, and content heart are noticed by everyone who meets you. you adore your mama, (i mean really, who wouldn't right? ;) and you love it when i set you on my hip and carry you around to see your world. sometimes mama needs her hands, ahem, so i must strap you in the ergo baby carrier and you are equally happy.

you love to jump! when i am sewing in my studio or getting ready in the bathroom, we put you in the jumparoo that hangs in the doorway and you jump like crazy! you even love a good cheer: "go toby! go toby! go, go, go toby! it's your (1/2) birthday, go toby!" and it makes you jump harder when we sing this to you.

you roll over all the time from back to tummy and back again. you haven't tried to crawl yet and i am absolutely fine with this. your brother was crawling right around now and i wouldn't mind you staying in one place for just a bit longer. you like to sit up and bang on your music drum. i prop the boppy up behind you just in case you fall backwards. you can sit with your hands holding you up, but sometimes you topple right over and we shout, "TIMBER!" its funny the things i said with elliana and tucker, and now they are saying with you.

 and speaking of your siblings, boy do they love you. you light up when they are in the room. you love it when we pick up elliana from school and she sits next to you in the car. your brother is constantly kissing you, and touching you, and playing with you. he's still learning about giving you space and being gentle. i have to remind him that you are not a toy, but a real live baby. silly bubba.

you are getting interested in sitting at the table when we eat, but you aren't enjoying eating solids yet. we've tried rice cereal, applesauce and squash and i usually end up with most of it sprayed out on me. you aren't quite sleeping through the night, although i'd love it if you did. we've been battling thrush for the past 4 months and it just won't stay away! sometimes the thrush makes you a little fussy and i don't blame you.

your bald spot is finally growing in. :) you love your binky and your camo blankie. it was actually your brother's blankie and he doesn't mind sharing at all. i know he can't wait until the day the two of you can play, wrestle, run and jump together. you are such a happy baby. i couldn't ask for a happier, peaceful, easy going baby. we were truly blessed when god gave us you. happy 1/2 birthday tobykins, tobes, toby roby, toby won kanobe, tobester, tobinator, chuppa chup. love mommy

WIWW (what i wore wednesdays)

this was what i wore on date night:

black shirt: old navy

gray sweater: old navy

date night purse: made by me

jeans: calvin klein

shoes: SO from Kohl's

and my little tobykins waiting to go to nana's house.

this is what i really wore during the week. it was cold and rainy.

sweatshirt: coast guard boot camp graduation sweatshirt

skinny jeans: F21

fuggs: old navy

and my little monster child with his mischievious little smile.

i wore this to a baby shower:

black sweater: kohl's

green top: old navy

damask skirt: kohl's

flower hair clip: made by me

bird necklace: lisa leonard designs

purple ruffle flats: target

i put my full length mirror i used to take my WIWW pics with up in my kids room, so i have no big mirror anymore. when my hubs was there i asked him to take my pic. otherwise i did the tripod. maybe i'll try to take some pics outside next time. how can you feel less cheesy posing for these? maybe i'll try and NOT pose, and stand like a manequin next round. ;)

i'm linking up to the pleated poppy.

the little people in my life

 sometimes i step back from my life and think, "do i really have 3 beautiful, healthy, amazing children? when did this happen?" i am so blessed by these 3 little people.

elliana is so smart, and silly and has a genuine heart. i see the girl she is growing into and i am so proud of her. tucker is my daily entertainment. he keeps everyone in stitches,he is the life of the party, and keeps me on my toes. his sweet heart and special tender moments with him melt my heart.

and my little tobykins. *sigh* i mean just look at those cheeks! i ADORE him. he brings so much joy and love and happiness, as only a tiny little *unspeaking, untempertantruming, unarguing* baby can do. he is SUCH a happy guy. he plays, he coos, he smiles at everyone. he is so content just being there. i love this. i needed this. he is god's gift to us, when we were broken. he was just what our family needed.

each of my children are so unique, so special, so important, they are chosen, and so loved.

"You’re enough for who your children are. You are exactly the mother God chose for them."

on those days when i don't feel like i'm enough, i remind myself about this quote.

and i am so blessed. :)

WIWW

so i decided to give WIWW a try again. but let me tell you, i feel MUCH cuter in my previous prego editions of WIWW than i do post partum. (can I still use the term post partum when my little guy is 4 1/2 months?) oh well, here it goes.....

i just picked one outfit this week. we went to church and this is what i wore:

jeans: calvin klein (costco special, but seriously my favs for my short legs)

top: target (lots of ruffles to hide the post partumness)

sweater: forever 21 clearance rack ($7 baby!)

ruffly purse: made by me (new purses i'm making and will be selling here so be on the lookout!)

scroll down to check out my post on the purses.

every girl needs a pair of sparkly purple shoes. i happen to have 3 pair of purple flats, one with ruffles, one with daisies, and my new sparkles. *these are NOT walking shoes. these are walk to your destination and sit, walk back to your car and go home. comfortable, not so much. cute? oh yeah.

these are my favorite nesty jewelry pieces. the nest ring is made by Starry Designs. i bought this like 3 years ago. she was great to work with and I asked for a custom color for my eggs and she was so nice. gorgeous stuff. recently i bought this nest necklace from MD Sparks. Again she was wonderful to work with. my favorite thing about buying from etsy is that you are supporting an artisan, someone who is supporting their family, maybe working at home, and supporting handmade. plus more times than not you can ask for something custom; a certain color, an added touch to make it uniquely yours.;) i love etsy!

trying to pose and not look lame or embarrased. fail.

here was another partial outfit.

top: target maternity (so embarassing. i need to go shopping)

sweater: wet seal clearance yeaaaarrrrs ago.

necklace: target.

i vow to try and post at least one outfit a week. i will not commit to a daily outfit log, but at least one outfit. and....i'm on day #2 of jillian's 30 day shred, and i can barely walk. but if i lose a few more inches i told myself i would buy a pair of designer jeans (i don't think costco counts does it?) and a new outfit. as soon as i get rid of my muffin top. or as my sister's friend likes it call it: her leftovers. :)

i'm linking up to Lindsey's WIWW!

what i've been up to....

i know i've sort of neglected my little bloggy for a while. well, basically since toby was born. i won't make any excuses. but i'll leave you with some new purses i've been working on. enjoy.

this ruffly goodness is my baby. i like to call her: *the hot mama* 5 layers of ruffles on both sides. metal o rings on the handles. so comfortable to wear.

2 large slip pockets and 1 pen slip pocket. magnetic snap closure. one of my biggest complaints about purses is that they are cute on the outside, and lame on the inside. black. or maybe shiny black? or black with a black pattern. bo-ring. so all my new purses have fun insides. because lets face it, were all fun on the inside right? even if we don't scream it, were fun.

measures: 13" wide x 12" tall. 26" long purse strap, and a 12" drop (from top of strap to top of bag). its really the perfect size. i will be listing these in one of my shops soon. ;)

 and this one is called *the date night* purse. lavish ruffles resemble a giant bow. centered with a removable flower pin. one single 2 1/2" strap measures 20" long and has a 10" drop. So it fits snug under your arm.

magnetic snap, measures 15" across the bottom and 8" tall at center.

i like that the flower is removable. i will be listing this one too. right now i'm working on orders i've gotten from facebook. navy, gray, mustard, red, some super yummy colors.

if you're interested in any these *right now* and want to pre-order one, shoot me an email thenestedpearl(at)hotmail(dot)com

so now i'm just trying to come up with the perfect business name for my purses. any ideas?

first (and 2nd) tooth

last month elliana lost her first tooth. she's the youngest in her class (november birthday) and ev.ry.body else in the entire 1st grade had lost a tooth. so THIS was a BIIG deal. it had been fairly loose for a while. she always had her fingers in her mouth, playing with that darn tooth! we kept teasing we'd just rip it out for her. until one day she pulled it and pushed it until it was super loose. i mean suuuuper loose where it makes your stomach woosy. i was almost afraid she was gonna swallow it at dinner or in her sleep.

one night we were eating dinner and she was messing with her tooth. i went to change toby's diaper and she came running back saying she'd pulled out her tooth! what? i didn't even get to see her do it! she was SO proud. it didn't bleed one bit, it was ready. so that night she put her first little tooth next to her pillow and the tooth fairy brought her a single gold coin, and some fairy dust for good measure. it was definitely bittersweet for me. her teeth were the last thing keeping her little.

a few weeks ago we lost #2 and now she's toothless in front. she loves it. this time she just ripped it out at bedtime. it bled a bit more, but now she's a pro at the whole loose tooth thing. and i need to stock up on some gold coins. ;)

Tobykins is 4 months old

 this has been the fastest 4 months ever! i am the luckiest mama in the world. this sweet little guy is magical. he's a magical little chuppa chup who loves his mama the most. (daddy doesn't read my blog so he can't argue)

lately toby has been full of squeals, giggles, coos and of course smiles for all. he is so easy going and mellow. i earned this guy, or deserved him. one or the other. he's so sweet and cuddly. days will go by without him even crying. (sorry to those of you who have a crier. i had a crier too, so i've been there. don't hate.) he falls asleep on his own and never fusses (tucker always cried himself to sleep) and he wakes up with smiles for mama. he melts my heart. *swoon*

he's almost rolling over now. he loves tummy time and being in the exersaucer. he even loves being in the jumpy (johnny jump up). i kinda wish we had a jumperoo that we could move anywhere like the exersaucer because the jumpy can only be mounted in doorways. but he still loves it.

he loves laying under his jungle gym and playing with the chimes and toys. even if big brother comes and smothers him with kisses, he's still a happy baby.

i truly am so blessed by this little guy. he's made having 3 kids a piece of cake. i still say it was hardest going from no kids to having a fussy, colicky, tempermental, anti-social baby. going from 1 to 2 was easier than expected because tucker was a "real baby" and only cried when he actually needed something.

and this guy is just so good. sometimes i forget he's there and i'll walk over to his crib and he's awoken himself up from his nap and is just happily playing. so thankful for his peacefulness, lord knows i need it around here. :)

see, he's magical i tell you.



3 months already?

its kinda hard to believe he's already 3 months old. because its flown by in the blink of an eye. i *LOVE* this age. the snuggles, the falling asleep on my chest, the smiles, the NOTTALKINGBACK part. i mean, just look at this guy! how can you not melt right?

he is SUCH a happy baby! definitely my chillaxed one. he loves to play under his jungle gym, or in his crib and watch his musical mobile. he loves the swing, even if tucker gives him an under doggy. *tuckerrrrr*

he is enjoying tummy time more (before he would just lay his head down) and is strengthening his neck and back. he's almost rolling over, he rolls to his side now. he discovered his voice and is cooing and singing like crazy! after his naps i'll go into my room (his crib is in there) and he's just talking away. and then gives me big smiles when he's sees me. *ilovehim*

he's sleeping 6-7 hour stretches at night like a good boy. he's just so easy. i'm not sure if its because he's #3, but i think he kind of has to be. and honestly, sometimes i forget he's there. is that awful? its kinda nice really. because let me tell you, i've paid my dues. i earned this baby. elliana was collicky and super fussy for like the first year of her life, although i don't tell her that. she always asks if she was a good baby like toby and i say, "of course, you were mama's firstborn, i loved you first."

tucker just adores his baby brother. he loves him loud and rough and fast, just like tucker. and crazy enough, toby loves it. he lights up when tucker is around. its adorable. i know these two are probably gonna give me a run for my money in a year or two. so i'm super enjoying the non-mobility (so far) and quietness of my little tobykins. toby roby. *lookatthosecheeks*

elliana was begging me to feed toby a bottle. she has been such a good helper. she'll come home from school and say, "can i hold toby? i haven't seen him ALL DAY!" both the kids come up to constantly and kiss him on the head. little toby is so very loved. and its so easy to love him. my easiest, mellowist, happiest baby by far. i've been reading my past journal and blog posts about when tucker was this age, and he was pretty happy too. i guess that's how it is, mellow happy babies=wild and crazy toddlers? hmmmm, i see how it is.

so i will enjoy this moment. even if the dishes are piled up, laundry is piled up, toys are piled up. because my heart is piled up with love for this little guy.

wuv you tobykins. <3

Hap---py New Year!

well THAT was a nice long bloggy break! i didn't think that adding a little munchkin to the bunch would slow down my blogging that much. i know i'm gonna look back and be sad i didn't blog more during toby's first 3 months. but he's so easy and so happy, there's not  a whole lot to blog about! lol. i'm going to try and catch up my life on here, for my own records.

its just so christmassy

lots of wonderful christmas festivities going on over here, just not a lot of blogging about it. i'll have to share my advent activity calendar, its been super fun for the kids to open up a present each day and read the activity and then do it. we went to watch the nutcracker ballet, visited santa and actually took our first picture with the big guy, and went up in the mountains and played in the snow.

we even opend our christmas jammies early! we all love this time of year. the kids are loving it, lighting up our tree each morning, decorating cookies and gingerbread houses, shopping for gifts for our angel tree children, and making lots of lists for santa. i've been a busy little beaver making christmas pillows and little christmas trees for my etsy shop, local friends and for 2 local boutiques. now my hands and fingers are cramping. and i still have a giant sewing to do list for my own gifts. lots of late nights ahead of me!

what's your favorite thing about christmastime?

oops

i'm not purposely ignoring my blog. i'm just busy snuggling, and nursing, and mommying over here. i'm happy to say i have the sweetest, calmest, most laid back little baby ever! tomorrow toby will be 6 weeks old. i can't believe how fast its gone by already. and i'm not a crazy sleep deprived mama, he's been a good boy. quick update:
1.toby is 1 month old and i've decided i always want a little baby in our house.
2. tucker is learning about "quiet" and "gentle" love.
3. in one week (two days actually) tucker cut up one of my handmade clutches found in my diaper bag with scissors and then took stamp ink pads and inked both hands and feet and stamped the carpet. (someone is still adjusting to baby brother)
4. we had to put down my sweet old dog of 15 years Chessa last week, 1 week after her 15th bday. it was the hardest thing we've had to do. my husband buried her in my parents backyard. i really miss her. like, a lot.
5. elliana turned 6 and we had a small party of girls only who's faces were painted by moi, nails and toes polished, bracelets made and tattoos adorned. it was fun, and mellow, and perfect.
6. i love being a mama. i love the newness of a baby, the small breathes and squeaks he makes. he doesn't really cry, he sort of meows like baby jaguar. it feels so natural to have a baby in the house. i don't want him to grow anymore. well, maybe just enough so he smiles all the time, were almost there.
7. i have a list of about a gazillion projects i want to make for christmas.
8. i'm putting up christmas decorations and bypassing fall. mostly since i never put up my fall stuff.
thats whats been happening over here.

Halloween

we celebrated halloween as the superhero family!

SuperDaddy, SpiderWomanMommy, Baby Batman, Wonder Woman and Superman!

my little baby batman. you can't really see his ears on his hat, but its super cute.

wonder woman and superman. they both got the stance down.

i was spiderwoman, or something like that. i had fun putting my face on though. had to throw in some sparkles. i was wearing some really cool sparkly eye lashes.

still recovering from the candy/cookies/treats hangovers.

probably will be for the next week at least.

2 weeks

toby roby. my little tobykins. you are so snuggly and squishy. you are such a good little baby. you love to snuggle with mama, you love sissy and brother. and you look so tiny snuggled in a little ball upon daddy's chest. when you breathe on my neck, my heart just melts. i love you so much. i've only known you for a short time and already i'm filled to the brim with love bubbles for you.

love,

mama

he's here!

Toby Alan arrived on Friday October 1st at 7:29 pm

he was 9 lbs 4 oz. and 21 1/2 in. long

we are so blessed.

:)

birth story and more pics to come soon.