Story here: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,484326,00.html
That’s right, zombies. 2012 is only a few years away…
Cross My Heart Crafts
Siena has been very lucky to have such a varied (and stylish!) wardrobe, thanks to many generous gifts and hand-me-downs. Some of her most special clothes, however, have been custom made just for her! My friend Michelle has given me bridal and baby shower gifts that her mom, Theresa, made for me. (Theresa also shortened and bustled my wedding dress for me. Michelle was my Maid of Honor, and you won’t believe what her mom did with her dress after the wedding! Go here and scroll all the way down.)
I love the full sized hooded towels she makes (cuz hoods are a great idea, but don’t they always seem to be on teensy towels?) and now that HiW has dubbed Siena our “little spit-up fountain”, we’re loving our giant bib, too.
Anyway, back when I was pregnant, I didn’t spend much time eating (unless saltines and flat Sprite count) but I did spend dinnertime online researching baby gear for my shower registry. I came across plenty of cute little onesies that would have cost over $20 with shipping and handling figured in, but I knew HiW would get a kick out of many of them with their technology puns and sayings. So I collected the various sayings and asked Theresa if she could embroider some onesies in a variety of sizes for HiW’s birthday gift. They cost WAY less that way, and he loved them! Go check out Theresa’s site for some of her great crafts, or ask her to custom make something for somebody you love, too.
Not So Jumbo Jack
Please pray for little Jack, born prematurely to a college friend of mine, at just 27.6 weeks gestation. You can learn his story and follow his progress here.
As a Special Education Preschool Teacher, I have been honored to know some pretty impressive little kiddos who have been fighting for life since the day they were conceived. They tend to bring people together, remind us all to count our blessings and appreciate the simple joys in life, call us to our own personal growth, and inspire us with their strength and determination. Little Jack already seems to be doing all of the above.
Keep it up, kiddo!
(Oh, and watch out parents – it seems like the kids I meet with these struggles in their past are some of the most stubborn strong willed preschoolers ever. But remembering it’s a character trait that helped them through the first few months of their lives does make it easier to be the patient teacher I strive to be!)
Siena’s First Christmas
Siena had a memorable first Christmas! At least, it will be memorable for us. We spent our first married Christmas with HiW’s family last year, so this year it was my family’s turn. This was HiW’s first experience of my family’s Christmas traditions.
My mom called us a few days before we’d planned to drive into town, worried we wouldn’t make it if we tried to come after that night’s snowstorm. So we packed in a hurry and hit the icy highway before it got worse. The rest of our story is in the captions of the following pictures.
Our Christmas was fantastic, and we hope yours was as well!
A Hawk in Winter
LRH’s uncle is an incredibly talented Montana photographer. Today he captured this image of a hawk sitting on a fence in the snow. Take a look at his online gallery for more great shots: http://bconnor.smugmug.com
January Game Night, Take Two
Because Hawk in Winter didn’t really get to join in on our New Year’s Eve Game Night, we had another one last night. We had a “progressive dinner” of sorts – dinner at Matt and Jillian’s, then dessert at our house. After delicious fajitas, HiW had a special request to check out Super Mario Brothers on their Wii. We all watched and reminisced about 80’s video games. When I say “we all watched” that includes Siena! We tried her in a little seat to help her sit up. Check her out!
Her head kept turning, with fascinated eyes, from the TV screen to her Daddy. Siena’s hands still spend most of their time balled up in clenched fists, tucked tightly to her chest, but a couple times they did touch the sunshine toy! She watched her hands intently, as if starting to realize those things are attached to her. [Read more…]