In His Heart

This is Levi "modelling" a pair of shorts I made for him. Yeah. Doesn't sitting show them off well? Ha!

Yesterday Levi insisted on sitting at my feet as I nursed Sophia to sleep for a nap. I explained to him how he needed to be super quiet. He agreed. He sat at my feet for a few minutes looking at one of his trains. I could see the wheels turning in that head of his and knew it wouldn't be long before something came out of his mouth. Then, suddenly, he popped his head up and (in a not so quiet 'whisper') said:

"Mama! I think about BawBaw. I think about him because he's in my heart. I'm in his heart too."

Later on. When Sophia woke up from her nap. Levi said, "I love Sophia. She's in my heart." He has since declared all of those most dear to him as being in his heart "ever and ever"....which I think translates to forever.

There are certainly times when I'd like to string the kid up by his toenails, but then there are these moments. The ones that make my heart ache they're so good.

On The Craft Front

Lately I've tried to shift my focus to practical crafting. It's been hard to stick with, but there's a pretty long list that I've put off in lieu of more fun stuff. The soakers were the start of that list. I swear, though, that there is no end to the number of soakers one needs....especially if you take into account that they require a couple of days of drying time when you wash them....and, ahem, a certain very kind husband of mine might have an uncanny knack for shrinking them. Sigh. I've knitted soakers for Sophia until I'm about tired of them. But, I keep trudging along. I should probably try some new patterns out before I get bored to tears. At least the finished products look cute on her bum.

Then there are the curtains for the kitchen, living, and dining rooms. We've been making do with broken blinds and shades since we moved in. Something needed to be done about that, so curtain making is currently on the front burner. Does anyone else find curtains to be simply maddening? They aren't exactly complicated, but I still thoroughly dislike them. Thankfully, my mom is tackling that project with me. However, it's possible that she hates curtain making more than I do. It's also possible that we end up chatting about our mutual dislike a little more than we end up sewing.

Now, just because I'm sewing practical doesn't mean I have to dream practical, so here are a few sewing pretties that have been in my thoughts lately:

                                                   Source: flickr.com via Madeline on Pinterest

                                      Source: pamgarrison.typepad.com via Madeline on Pinterest

                                              Source: blogcatalog.com via Madeline on Pinterest

Got any good crafts up your sleeves or any inspiration I should know about? :-)

And The Climbing Begins

She officially climbs now...

It's worse than just up foam wedges, but I generally try to remove her from dangerous places rather than take photos.

She's our little beeventure girl. And I am very afraid.

Yet Another Sweet Reunion

Stephan was at work Friday evening when Levi came home, so they didn't get to see each other until the next day. When Levi woke up, he was thrilled to find Stephan asleep in the bed with all of us. So thrilled that he promptly woke him up to say, "I love you." I think Levi might have set a record for "I love you's". He must have said so to Stephan at least 500 times. Totally heart melting.

In honor of Levi's return home Stephan took off part of Saturday. We ate at Chick-fil-a and even let Levi play on the playground. Shameful, I know, but that doesn't happen too often around here.

After stuffing ourselves with "health" food we headed for the park to feed geese and hang out. Note the hugging...that's been happening non stop around here. No one's complaining though.

 

Before heading out for the day, we gave Levi a train set. He had a one loop track already, but we wanted to get him something a little more versatile. As he and Stephan were putting it together, Stephan declared that more train tracks were absolutely necessary. So our outing ended with a special trip to Target for another train set which ended up including more tracks, more trains, and a crane. That afternoon the two fellas spent at least an hour setting it up and playing with it. I'm not sure who was having more fun...Stephan or Levi.

I keep imagining that some day those two are going to collect enough train tracks to run rails through the whole house. Oh. my. As long as they clean up after themselves.

On My Mind

"You should clothe yourselves instead with the beauty that comes from within, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is so precious to God."

~1 Peter 3:4

This past week I've found myself dwelling a good bit on this verse as I've sorted through priorities, to do's, and such. It just seems like a good one to keep in mind as I go about the daily tasks of motherhood. It's likely one I should have been dwelling on well before motherhood. Oh,well. Would it be too overtly cheesy to embroider it on a pillow for Sophia's room? Seriously considering that.
 

Sweet Reunion

Levi is home. Sigh. Of. Relief. And. Joy.

He also brought a stick bug with him....in a mason jar.

Thankfully, he was convinced to release the stick critter back into the "wild". Poor guy was pretty cramped in a jar. Fun to get a close up peek at him though...

Possibly the very best part of having my little bear back was getting to watch him and Sophia together again. Oh. The sweetness. My heart is still trying to repair itself after the extreme bursting. Sophia kept kissing Levi and trying to hug him. And, he kept kissing and hugging her and saying, "I love you." I don't have a single picture from those moments, but they are forever etched in my heart.

The above pics are from our dinner out with my parents. 

It took a while to settle these two down from the evening's excitement, but once Sophia was asleep Levi curled up in my arms as he drifted off. Sigh. Beautiful end to a wonderful evening.

Piles and Stories

Levi is coming home today!

So, please excuse me while I do a happy dance and show you some photos that I'd forgotten about. Nothing spectacular...just moments from the day he left.

Pile on Baw-Baw time. It's sweet how much these two adore him. Who can blame them?

Months ago we checked out The Story Blanket from our library. Levi still at random asks if we want to sit on the (imaginary) story blanket while he reads. I should probably order that book for him, huh?

Sigh. I'm getting a little teary looking at his beautiful face. Can't wait to see it again!

Hope y'all have a happy weekend!

Growing, Growing, Growing

In a little more than a week she'll be ten months old.
That means the one year mark is right  around the corner.

The other day Stephan said, "Don't you just want her to stay this tiny forever?"
My answer was a surprising, "No."

With Levi I would have said "YES!!!!!" But that has nothing to do with playing favorites. It's just that now I know what's coming (at least some of it). I know that there is this beautiful period of time when they just get exponentially cuter with every passing day. For Sophia it's only just beginning.

And, even beyond that period of unbearable adorableness, there's an uncharted world awaiting us. One where we get to watch these two incredible little ones come into their own. I'm kind of excited about that.

When Levi's first birthday was approaching It felt a little more bitter than sweet. I was excited to see him grow...of course...but I really just wanted to hold on to his tiny little self forever.

This time around though, I'm actually excited. Not that I want these next couple of months to speed up or anything. I'm all for time slowing itself down just a bit, but a complete halt? Nah.

It's Almost Over

Every time I look on this week's calendar page I see "LEVI IS COMING HOME!!!!!!!!" written on Friday. It makes me smile. Soon this will become the regular evening sight again...at least for a little while...

A bit of randomness to finish off this post:

: : Sophia misses her brother. Her sleep routine has gotten totally out of whack since he left.

: : I haven't gotten much done these two weeks...mostly due to the above.

: : I did attempt to make curtains. That didn't go so well. I made one. It's really awful. My mom is coming over Friday to, hopefully, remedy that.

: : I still haven't taken my camera in to get it fixed. You'd think I could have at least managed that one. Oh. Well.

: : I have, however, cooked some really yummy meals lately...which I totally count as a major accomplishment.

: : Oooo...and Sophia has been saying "Ma ma ma ma" lately in a "Hey, lady, I'm talking to you!" way. Heart in a puddle.

How's your week going?

Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day to the two best daddies I know....

My wonderful husband...

And, my own sweet dad...

Thanks for being the world's best. ;) Lots of love to you both.

Oh. Hello, Blog.

It's been awhile.

Levi went to his dad's a little over a week ago, and to be honest I just haven't felt like blogging. Things are going fine, though. I've talked to him, and he's having fun. So, yay.
I'm not near the emotional wreck I was last summer when he left. So, double yay.

Stephan's been working a ton. It's mostly been just me and Fia. At first she was incredibly bored. Levi spends nearly his whole day trying to make her laugh, and I think she really missed that. But, we're finding our own little rhythm now....maybe not as entertaining a rhythm, but at least it's something.

Oh, and Fi has two teeth now! They broke through the day before Levi left. Their upwards journey is slow going, so no photos yet. They're still just barely above the surface.

Weekend With Nanno and BawBaw

We spent most of the weekend with Nanno and BawBaw. Despite the intensely hot weather we've had (100+ degrees) we spent a large portion of our time outside. What can I say? We're nuts. We are also in denial that it's this hot in June. I hope it isn't a sneak peak at the summer weather to come.

Either way, fun was had by all...especially the littles.

Marshmallows were roasted.

And, enjoyed.

Heck, if it's already hot why not start a fire? Right?

So, how was your weekend?

Weekend Loves

A few good links...

: : First, read 'Drowning Doesn't Look Like Drowning.' I had no idea, but I'm glad I know now. (via Marvelous Kiddo). 

: : Onto lighter subjects. Have you ever tried making your own pop rocks? I'm probably a little too excited about this one.

: : I have a gorgeous skein of hand dyed linen. I think it's going to turn into this. Pretty, huh?

: : Toddler Sophia will be needing this dress. Can't you just see her in it?!!

: : I love this tent.

: : Last but not least, this dress is calling to me.

Hope y'all are having a wonderful weekend!!

Yesterday

To unwind from a busy morning, we set out for an afternoon picnic.

We laid our blanket in a breezy spot under some trees...essential on a 101 degree day.

It was nice.

. . . .

A new and very kind friend emailed me regarding my last post. Her words have been going through my head a lot, but most especially this verse:

"All your children shall be taught by the Lord, and great shall be the
peace of your children." ~Isaiah 54:13

Just a good reminder of who is really in charge whether our children are with us or in the care of someone else.