Home | Visitors at my window

Cody and Sebastian wandered around outside for a while yesterday afternoon so they could enjoy the perfect weather and give me some time to exercise. Imagine my delight when they decided to visit my window, even though Sebastian tried to skewer me with his stick. Okay, he wasn't after me, exactly, but it was close. I just love my men.

Today starts two weeks of craziness in which Sebastian and I will be going into some form of hibernation, trying to make it through while Daddy finishes up the semester. This time of year is always the hardest, but I'm excited to press through and try to be as helpful and supportive as I can. It's so hard being not only a husband, but a dad, while in school. I'm so thankful to have a husband who does it as well as he.

Happy Monday, friends!

Home | Sunday morning with Dad

Shenanigans with daddy before church. I nixed Seb's choice in shoes... you know, exercising my power to choose my child's wardrobe while I can. 

Those days are coming to an end, and quickly.

North Carolina | The Durham Life and Science Museum

This morning Sebastian and I made our first visit to the Life and Science Museum. I had been wanting to take Seb for a while, and our friends who have passes were kind enough to invite us to come along! It was a beautiful day to do some exploring outside, and Seb certainly enjoyed every moment pounding on drums, getting dirty in a giant sandbox full of bulldozers and dumptrucks, checking out the farm animals, and observing the butterflies. Also, it didn't escape my attention that Seb likes to read all of the signs in front of the exhibits... just like his daddy.

We had so much fun and are hoping that your Saturday has been just as lovely. Thanks, LeAnn & Jonah!

Little One | Wooden Baby Gyms

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With the arrival of this little baby boy just 10 weeks away, I've been thinking a lot about all the baby stuff we'll be pulling out of storage and using again. Which makes me think that I would love an update  on our play gym. Well, not an update, just one that's more my style. We got one as a hand-me-down for Seb, and it worked well, so I'm sure it's what we'll be using again. But that doesn't mean we can't appreciate the lovely wooden play gyms out there that effortlessly blend in with the surroundings! So charming, aren't they? Tell me, did any of you snag the $25 IKEA version while it was available?

Home | A taste of the boys' room

Cody giddily repeats "the boys..." any time I say it in reference to what our lives are going to be like in about 10 weeks. It's pretty darn cute. So naturally, we talk about "the boys'" room a lot. When my mom was here she worked tirelessly to dream up and make a gorgeous curtain for the nursery, and helped me put up a couple shelves. The curtain is made out of striped fabric she found on the cheap-o at an auction last Fall and an old set of black out curtains from Cody's parents. The shelves are made of simple brackets from Home Depot and a couple old steps from my parents house before they updated the staircase. I wonder how many times I fell down those steps...? She also took some of our towels that didn't absorb very well, along with some fabric that I had, and made 2 perfect changing pads that fit on top of the dresser and can also be rolled up to take for traveling. The woman practically begged me for more projects. It's been so lovely in that room ever since. I've still got a few things in the works, so I plan to give you a better tour once I can manage to finish it and get a few nice pictures. Seb is really into sneaking up towards me when I'm taking pictures and jamming his finger right onto the lens, so if you notice a smudge, you can thank him.

It's amazing what you (or in this case, my mom) can do with little money and a lot of ingenuity! Thanks, Mom!

Seb | Exploring the world of books

This morning Sebastian and I spent nearly an hour reading books. It was wonderful, and so fun to help him interact with the pages, and watch and hear his excited reactions to the pictures as he recognized things like airplanes, boats, trains, cars, balls, cows and flowers. His attention span has grown enormously over the months and we can finally read full storybooks. Today we read the entirety of The Little Engine That Could, Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel, and Curious George and The Toy Store.

Thank you, Gina, Jenny and the Scholls for such lovely books. And Amber, Alice and Megan, for the lovely idea and splendid execution of my book shower nearly two years ago! You're helping my little man's imagination grow.

Seb | Shapes & Strings

My mom left us Easter treats to find, and these blocks and strings were among the things for Sebastian. It was perfect timing because earlier that same day I had been thinking that I wanted to get something exactly like them! He is very interested in details, organizing and arranging. I can't wait until he starts to separate them by color. Thanks, Mom!