my maternity photos

she kind of beat me to it, but here is my rendition...

Ring...Ring...

"Hi, Lorie, it's Davi. I have an idea for maternity photos. Why don't we just drag the blue couch out to my backyard or across the street...I think I have something to wear that might work. It's nothing new, but it's the only thing that will fit...and I have some sweaters for the boys that will match".

Sunday morning arrives and it is HOT HOT HOT.

There were not going to be any sweaters that day. What were my boys going to wear in this sweltering heat?

Lorie made this adorable tie onesie for baby Rowan...No, I shouldn't copy. 

But I did. I will confess that I was an idea thief. I just could not resist the cuteness. Can you blame me?

A few years ago, I bought some vintage ties for John which he rarely wears(Can you imagine? If I was a dude I would wear them all the time). They would be perfect to cut up. Calvin's tie was a scrap of random fabric, but Finn and Ollie are wearing authentic vintage ties.

I am so thrilled that we took pictures across the street where we live, laugh and play every day. I am usually pushing the envelope, trying to find some fun spot downtown, but there is something special about pictures that actually represent the homebody that I truly am.

Finn and his trademark dimple.

In heaven with my boys:)

Calvin was making craaaazy faces that day!

But then he flips a switch and melts my heart.

I really was happy that day. It was a glorious evening.

Calvin was having a bit of trouble keeping up, due to his refusal to nap that day.





Just the 2 of us.

 And now we are about to become a family of 6. Eeek!

In typical Ollie-fashion, he is outta here.

And just to show I still have my sense of humor...

I let Lorie fish-eye my belly. Yes I am a brave soul. But this photo represents how most of us actually feel in our 3rd trimester, right?

Just don't get too close to my face.

Battle of the bellies.

I WIN!

I am so uncomfortable lugging around this baby these days, but I am SO SAD that I don't get to be pregnant with Lorie(and the gang) in just a few more days:(

Lorie, you are the dearest soul and I thank you from the bottom of my heart for putting your heart and soul into these pictures for my family. We love them and WE LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

and special thanks to sweetie-pie Scott for helping move the couch and lending John his tee shirt. 

top of the mornin' to ya

This is the little sight I wake up to almost every morning.

Finn and Calvin hiding in the corner behind the yellow chair, playing with legos.

They are in seclusion so that Ollie does not find them and choke on all the legos. Which is funny, since they are up around 8 and Ollie doesn't rise and shine til 9:30. I guess you can never be too careful with these risky legos.

lovin' Calvin's bedhead and inside out shirt...

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My Dresser

I was chopping onions last night and a little piece fell on the kitchen floor.

Sigh.

I tried to bend over to pick it up...but halfway down decided it was not worth the effort. I told John "I can barely bend over anymore".

To which he replied, "And just think, in one week, you won't be able to bend over at all."

He's right. Just a heads up to you all, I am pretty much an invalid after a c-section. I can barely move for the first month. There is no bending. And the next few months I'm pretty rickety as well. Some people are lucky and heal very fast. Not me. 

Anyhow, all of this triggered a series of complex reactions in my brain, which ended in this urgent conclusion:

MUST PAINT BEDROOM DRESSER ASAP. 

Never mind the fact that it's been parked unnoticed in my closet for the past 5 years...

That is, until I drop a tiny piece of onion on the floor. And now the realization that I won't be able to bend for months on end makes the this project TOP PRIORITY on my list of things to do.

I said I was burnt out on decorating. I guess I am the lying liar that lies.

And because it is highly unrealistic that I can sand, prime and paint the entire dresser by myself, here is my short-cut plan.

I am just going to paint the outside of the drawers a fun color. Probably aqua.

And replace the knobs. I am missing quite a few of them. I will still want the knobs to be orange.

I am going to leave the body of the dresser alone. It's a totally different wood grain than the drawers and is actually not too hideous.

The dresser has a cute round shape and I think this may work. Kind of a two-tone deal.

If not, you have all learned a valuable lesson, at my expense. 

(You're welcome).

And worst case scenario, it will just have to go back in hiding in the closet til I am 100 years old.

randomness

Here is the randomness that makes up my life these days.

I was talking to my sister on the phone the other day, asking her "how on earth did little Ansley find the scissors to cut off her pigtails????", when Ollie was in the other room doing this:

He pretty much dismantled the keyboard. His brothers don't call him "trouby" for nothing. That's what I get for talking on the phone, I guess. John says it will take 3 minutes per key to fix. We thought it would be a funny joke to put all of the keys back in the wrong place when someone came over to use it.

Then the other night I was on the phone with my sister(again) when my neighbor's aggressive shar pei dog sauntered right through my bedroom door and started walking around my bedroom. It totally freaked me out. I am scared to death of dogs. 

I was chased as a child. They sense fear, you know.

This same dog has escaped on several occasions. He once lunged at John and tried to bite him in OUR garage. So there I was, panicking, standing up on my bed, and the dog starts to walk out into the living where my 3 darlings are watching a movie. 

Things could have been really bad. And ugly.

But thankfully, the dog turned around and walked back out the door. I was hollering at John, trying to warn him of the impending doom, but he did not hear me. He found the dog and escorted him back to our neighbors, who were very apologetic. They still have no idea that their dog was in OUR house. I am working up the nerve to tell them. Oh it's going to be so awkward.

And last night it was soooo hot, that I opened up my front door for some cool air. You would think I would have learned my lesson by now--Keep all doors closed. As I was locking up the house for the night, I heard some clanging in the front living room.

"Someone is in our living room trying to murder us", I told John, matter of factly.

A few minutes later, John was chasing down our latest intruder--a frog had snuck in the front door when I was not looking. It peed on our floor. So gross.

So between dogs and frogs, I am DEFINITELY keeping all doors closed from now on.

The other big excitement from last night was that I sold my old Petunia Pickle Bottom diaper bag on ebay last night! The last 20 seconds were absolutely thrilling. I frequently buy things on ebay, but rarely sell stuff. So I had no idea of the rush on the flip side of the table. I kept shouting to Finny every time the dollar amount rose. 

I actually just ordered a new Skip*Hop diaper bag yesterday. It may not be a fancy shmancy Petunia, but it was on sale for around $40. And I LOVE it. It's just me. It is burnt sienna, corduroy. 

The only thing that bothers me is the black color of the straps and accents. 

It absolutely BEFUDDLES me that these professional designers don't have a clue. They should have made the straps grey. But for the price, I am ok with it. 

I plan to embroider some mushrooms on one of the front pockets. If possible.

Have I mentioned my obsession with mushrooms?

Well, I love them. And I love to eat them too. Which is odd, since I scream bloody murder at the sight of mold...especially on food.

And I was delighted when new mommy Alisha permitted me to embroider some mushrooms on the blanky I was making for her little Zoe.



I'm so excited for Kurt and Alisha on their new bundle! 

And excited that my baby will have a little friend. Speaking of which, I am having lots of braxton hicks and tightening. Lots. But nothing overly consistent. I am just praying that I make it to my scheduled date. Thankfully, I squeezed in my maternity shots with Lorie on sunday evening. When her hubby Scott saw me, he asked "why are you sticking your stomach out?"

Um, thanks pal. 

So while Lorie is AMAZING, she definitely had her work cut out for her. And because I know her so well, I was obnoxiously interfering with her work. And I had no idea how to "rock the hip"(It's a pose). Do girls learn that in high school, along with curling hair and applying make-up? I was too busy with the geek squad, so I am at a disadvantage here.

And despite my inability to pose, or runaway Ollie or napless GeGe, I had lots of fun. I will post those when Lorie has time to deal with them. She is quite in demand and has lots of editing ahead of me. And she has given me veto powers and has promised not to post anything without me seeing them first, riii-iiight, Lor??? Ok. I feel better now. I am so not a control freak.

have mercy!

it's like the plague is going around or something. i am not sure who started this whacky meme, but it's a doozie!

Now right this second take a picture...no cheating, no makeup, no hair fixin'...just as you are.

those were the instructions from the adorable and talented suffering summer.

was i brave enough to play along?

yes!

did i cheat?

no!

i did not grab my lip gloss. believe me, i wanted to. that is the first thing i grab when i have to take my picture.

and just minutes earlier, i almost put some mousse in my hair because it was so flat.

so here i am, no lip gloss or mousse.

and while we are at it, i may as well take a belly shot. this post could have been called "i told you so". nobody can deny my girth at this point.

in just 14 days, we shall know the gender of this baby! we are scheduled to arrive by c-section April 30th! for those wondering why i'm having a c-section...long story. let's just say finn was just 6 lb 3 oz and 3 weeks early and i was still too narrow to fit him out, even with the vacuum. i am no hearty hebrew, that's for sure!

and to think, i just cleaned this bathroom LAST NIGHT. looks like i forgot to clean the mirrors. there are splotches in every shot. how shameful.

dare ye play along?

molly june

barbie

talia

megan

angela

custom tees

A friend asked me the other day if I had an official website where I post pictures of the embroidered tees that I sell.

I have always dreamed of making a cute little website, but in all honesty, I never had enough time to give it justice. And then I found out I was expecting another baby and had terrible morning sickness. And now I am on maternity leave because I can barely get up and down anymore.

All this to say, there is no website. It actually seems like a very fun project...even more fun than the actual work itself, LOL. I had plenty of ideas. But now everything is on hold. I have no idea what raising 4 children will be like. I suspect it's going to be harder than I think. I have no idea when I will sell tees and blankets again. 

My friend asked me to post pictures  and here are a few photos I found on my computer. Most of them were custom orders.

For the mommy-to-be who wore cowboy boots on her wedding day.

For a family with the last name of "Seals"(Seal drawings by the Ellie Grover).

For the principal's daughter(yellow jacket mascot)

For the wee descendant of General Sherman, I embroidered the Sherman tank. Or just 'the tank'.

For the son of a soccer player.

And for some whimsical little girls. Their artistic mama drew me these images to embroider.

And just because. A gift for a friend who I think is a rare bird. 

I was initially going to use some funky orange fabric, but Loriloo kept saying "this blanket isn't for you...". The swiss dot fabric is from a vintage tablecloth I had been saving for such an occasion as this! 



These birdies look familiar, no? Same ones on my pillows. I could not help but embroider them again, because I am hooked on their tail feathers. Plus, the 2 birds together as a set were just too convenient to pass up!

So thank you to all of my sweet and dear customers who made the last few months so much fun for me.