Brothers | "Next Bruno."

These two.

Anytime Bruno is on the floor for a diaper change, or because I'm working on something or other, Sebastian sidles right up next to him, gets down on the floor, and says, "Next Bruno."

P.S. More brotherly love.

Home | Of a Wednesday morning

This just about sums it up.

Bruno can't stand to be out of sight of people, and gives me the most pathetic puppy dog eyes and quivering lip when I try to put him down. Today we tried the Kangaroo hold so he can be held and see everything at the same time. Oh, balm for an extrovert baby's soul! Sebastian, on the other hand, is performing his usual acrobatics, and coming up with ingenious new ways to drink water from The Common Sippy Cup, amidst incessant requests to read "Dog, go! Dog, go!"And of course by that he means, Go, Dog. Go! by P.D. Eastman.

Oh, and Sesame Street. It's been a long week already.

Seb | Bean station

Sometimes, as a mom, I feel like I'm drowning. Sometimes I feel like my baby turned into a "real kid" overnight, and... suddenly I'm supposed to come up with activities for him? When did he get so clever? When did his mind morph into something that needed fresh activities, and things to spark his imagination? I don't know when it happened, but there is no doubt, as I watch Seb hobbling around the room pretending that a slotted spoon and a whisk are two canes, that it has happened.

But sometimes, I feel like I've hit my stride, and it's usually completely random and the results are brilliantly simple. During Seb's nap today I got some dry beans, various bowls, a lidded container, and some scooping tools, (side note: now he's walking around shirtless, with a backpack, saying, "I'm a schoolbus.") and laid them out by our sliding door. It was the first thing he saw when he stumbled out of his room, delirious, and calmly excited that he could hear the lawn mowers outside ("Mow-ning-ning-ning"). He quickly got to work exploring, playing for a full 30 minutes by himself until he asked me to play, too.

We had a jolly good time putting beans in our belly buttons.

Style | Because sometimes it's nice to make something pretty...

... and because it's late (and I've clearly lost the ability to realize how sleepy I am)... and because it's the weekend... and because I'm feeling a bit like I can wear normal clothes again (wahoo!)... and because my boys are just too darn cute... and because I'm insanely over the moon excited for our first ever family photos coming up in October.

Clearly I like the down-on-the-farm look. I like to stay close to my roots.

Cody: Shirt, jeans
Mary: Shirt, jeans, shoes
Sebastian: Sweater, Cords
Bruno: Sweater, pants

Virtual Book Club | Color Farm by Lois Ehlert

I mentioned the Virtual Book Club and our intention to take part, but honestly, I find it to be quite miraculous that we're actually making this happen! Today we read Color Farm by Lois Ehlert. This book is pretty brilliant, and almost makes me dizzy thinking of how on earth she was able to plan and execute it's design. If you've never read this book, it's basically page after page of colorful shapes, shapes as holes, and then animals made out of those shapes. It was also fun to see Seb able to identify the different animals, even though they are very abstract.

I've been trying to figure out what kind of activity we would do for quite some time, but nothing struck me. Finally I decided to just cut out a bunch of shapes, with plans to make a dog and a baby chick. I wasn't sure how Seb would interact with the materials or if the activity would actually work, but as always, he surprises me with how much he knows and his ability to follow directions and learn new things quickly. He definitely had a lot of fun with the glue stick.

We made the dog first, and then when I announced that we were going to make a baby chick, he said, "Duck, first!" So... that's why our duck looks a bit odd. I had to cut apart all my intended-for-a-baby-chick pieces and at the same time try to figure out how on earth to make a duck... so don't judge. Really, I completely love that he was interested enough in the activity to have an opinion about what we were going to make!

After we finished the duck, or rather, during our assembling, Seb turned his full attention to "drawing." Thank the good Lord for washable markers.

In the end, we had a lovely little Color Farm of our very own.

P.S. See how Lois Ehlert is inspiring others!

Brothers | "Hold you, baby?"

Seb kills me daily. His skills at the english language are blossoming all over the place, and his affection for his baby brother is sweeter than syrup. Bruno says the feeling is quite mutual. I hope and pray they stay best friends for all time. Also... do you like how Bruno is totally maxing out those 0-3 mo. pants? Yes, I've got some new, much larger ones, in the works, but I'm first learning how to not accidentally sew the legs into a merman costume, and second—and much less embarrassing—perfecting my pattern.

Wish me luck!

P.S. More brotherly love.

Home | Here are some pictures, Mom

Handsome love + Seb's/Cody's new running shoes. 

Just a day in the life of a musical genius/aspiring runner/world's best big brother

"Hey look, ma! It's my hand!"

"Betcha didn't know I could just pop up off the pillow like that, did ya? Bruno is my name, shock & awe is my game."

"Woah! I even surprised myself that time!"

A little project in the works.

Bruno | 3 months yesterday

We like to chill.

Decor | Pantone tea service

I our home is sorely lacking tea things, so I was pretty excited to discover this Pantone inspired teapot, sugar bowl, and milk jug. They create a nice Mondrian effect, don't you think? Not sure if it's quite my style, but they are pretty amazing, nonetheless.

Sugar Bowl

Teapot

Milk Jug

Mugs, too.

Create | Felt Booties for Bruno

Inspired by my stellar neighbor M, I made some of these Purl Bee Felt Booties for Bruno. We should get a matchy pic of Mr. F and Bruno, no? What stylish babes they be.

My only complaint about this tutorial is, gosh, the elastic is so hard to put on. I hope to make improvements with the next pair. Oh yes, there will be a next pair. This is such a great pattern—perfect for someone who doesn't have a sewing machine—and they actually stay on, unlike many baby shoes. I also think they would be great made out of leather, or another fabric that doesn't unravel at the edges. For the bottom of this pair I used some old fabric that has a faux suede giraffe print on one side and is fleecy on the other side (the same fabric I used for Seb's booties).

Oooohh the cuteness!

Home | Around the house

Well, I took an unintentional, BUT AWESOME, break from the internets (mostly). Why did it happen? Mostly because I was reading this book, and couldn't put it down. Plus I did some crafting—super cute booties coming up—and have been savoring what feels a bit like the first taste of Fall. Our church small group started up again this week, and on the very same day my beloved women's Bible Study started up again. I can't say it enough... we missed you, Elisabeth! We are studying Food & Faith (or something like that) in our small group, and the Psalms in my women's study. I can't get enough of the Psalms, guys. I just can't. Before getting lost in Persuasion, I read C.S. Lewis' Reflections on the Psalms, which was incredible. If you're curious, this is the book we're doing in our study.

And now, what the big guy's been up to... I promise I don't let him do this, but I had to get pictures just once.

Okay, I've had enough for one day, but wanted to give you an update. Plus, I think our families are feeling the effects of the photo drought.

Food | Lemon cookies

Fact:

French music

+

Baking

=

Feeling like Audrey Hepburn in Sabrina (Or Ratatouille, if that's more your style)

You should try it sometime.

P.S. Lemon Cookies

Mama | Long days

I can't really tell you how tired I've been. Every day I wonder how I'm going to make it to the end with my brain still intact. Sure, I'm probably just a ninny, but regardless, days are hard for this ninny. Seb's nap went from 3 hours to 0 hours, and I'm feeling it. Fortunately, and by the grace of God, Bruno is napping in his crib for solid chunks of time, and with not too much fuss. This afternoon the three of us went on what I'm officially going to call a "survival walk"—the first of many, I'm sure. You should have seen me... 16 lbs. of baby strapped to my front, and 30 lbs. of baby in the stroller. Did I mention it feels like the rainforest in N.C. right now? Well, I'm not complaining. I do far too much of that. I really came on here to share with you the way this long day ended:

Two sleeping babies

+

Husband home safely

+

Eggplant Gratin

+

Grandaddy's homemade red plum wine

+

Lit candle and fresh sunflowers on the table

+

Tired bodies and full hearts

Thanking God for these long, hard days. He is the one who sees us through.

Psalm 143: 5 & 10-11

"... I meditate on all your doings; I muse on the work of your hands.

Let your good spirit lead me on level ground. For the sake of your name, Oh Lord, revive me."

Brothers | What Bruno (at 2.5 mo.) Wore, Vol. I

You may be a little confused by the title of this post. I intended to snap a few pics of Bruno looking cute in his outfit yesterday, but Seb jumped in, too. I didn't mind because it's so adorable when he wants to be in pictures with Bruno, or pays any kind of attention to him (there have been lots of kisses around here!). Plus, it resulted in some seriously adorable shots of my dynamic duo.

About the outfit... shoes are Teva, found at a consignment sale; pants are from Walmart; Gap onesie was from my mom. In thinking about this outfit, and why I loved it so much, I thought of a great tip when buying children's clothing. I've had a terrible time trying to match outfits for Bruno, even though we have quite an array of items to choose from. It seems that the colors just don't work together unless it's a set, and quite honestly, I'm not so into sets, unless they have mixing and matching potential. The blues, though all baby blue, are in various shades that just look silly when they're paired together, so the things I find myself using most often in Bruno's outfits are usually more simple, earth-toned colors. They are so much easier to mix and match, and far less of a headache. So if you're like me, and hate seeing a onesie or pair of pants worn only once, use the same principle you would use for your own wardrobe, when you're shopping for baby clothes. Buy things that have lots of mixing and matching potential. Of course, there is always the exception to that rule, because sometimes babies just need a little something crazy and cute to wear. (Oh, and so do you.)

See what Seb wears.

Food | Biscotti

I love this Small Batch Butterscotch Biscotti recipe. It makes a lovely, small portion, but can easily be doubled, tripled, whatever, to make more. (I doubled this batch in the photo). I also love it because it calls for whole wheat and tastes great, or you can use a combination of all-purpose and ww flours... I've found it makes no difference. I've also enjoyed making any number of substitutions. This batch was made with semi-sweet chocolate chips. I almost threw some instant coffee in there, but I wanted Seb and Cody to be able to enjoy it this time. (I know, how selfless of me, right?).

I'm thinking of next trying to make a more tea-drinker friendly biscotti. Specifically something that will better accompany fruit teas. Cody's favorite is Tazo's Orange Blossom tea, and I think an Orange Almond Biscotti would taste fantastic.

P.S. Don't be afraid to try this if you've never made biscotti. It's so easy.