cool idea! and the man of the hour...

I subscribe to the Decor8 blog on my google reader and love seeing the rooms they feature. Anyway, today they did a feature on Jan Eleni and she put together this awesome print of kid's artwork. I think this is such a cool idea. So, for anyone who doesn't want to chuck their kiddos' drawings (or YOUR own artwork) because of space issues, consider this idea. So cool.

image via

Anyway, let's talk about life lately.
Cal is STILL perfect. Truly. Perfect baby. We don't know what we did in our former life to deserve him. We can't wait for our families to meet him very soon.

Tillie is STILL in LOVE with her rain boots (maybe I haven't talked about this yet with you). I love that she can put them on all by herself. But, I don't love how she puts them on withOUT socks. Sick.
Those wellies don't breathe very well = sweaty feet.
But, it IS pretty cute to see how much she loves them. Luckily, they are pretty darling too (and 100% washable).

Reminds me of the story my mom tells about my brother, Jesse, who used to be obsessed with BATMAN. He had a Batman biker hat (yes, with the flip up bill), Batman shorts, and a black Batman t-shirt. I've got to find the pictures... there are lots of them. In order to get the ensemble washed and clean, my mom would sneak into his bedroom and take his clothes off, and wash them in the cloak of night. My sister's first word was "Batman" because of this love. Nice.

You're welcome, Jesse. :)

We'll see how long this phase of pink-giraffe-rain-boots lasts.

Now, because I do like to take a TON of pictures of this Calvin, I thought we'd better show and tell a little more. Did I mention he is PERFECT? right, right...

the classic calvin look. gotta love those eyebrows.


**first smile caught on film. good work, calvin!**

**this is how he spends the majority of his life... when he's not smiling and singing or just being content (you DID see the above photos, right?). best. baby. ever.

my sis-in-law, kirstin, loaned me these darling shoes. she got them after her baby couldn't fit in them anymore. how do they look, kirstin? we're taking good care of them for you!

**Did I mention that Cal is a BIG BOY? Get this, 6 MONTH clothing at 6 WEEKS! Yes, I kid you not. Amazing.
I chose the photo below to illustrate those chunky monkey cheeks.

and, yes, in case anyone was curious, he IS Aaron's son. TRUE red hair and all.

wait for it...wait for it...
there we go! CHEESE!

once he starts, he can't stop. and i LOVE it.

i think he's pretty glad that we think he's perfect.
i told him to keep it a secret from his big sister.


this is what he did to show me he understood.

tillie 22 months with tongue

So, we have a lot of fun on our computer. The MAC application, Photo Booth, gives us our fair share of entertainment. This is a new game Tillie and I play. Sometimes I worry she's going to bite her tongue. We've been lucky so far...

The last phrase she is saying is "One more?" And it's pretty funny to me.

Anyway, Grandparents especially, enjoy.

the alligator and some FABRIC news!

Well, these photos of Mr. Alligator, I mean Mr. Cal---are long over due! This little outfit is from our sweet Aunt Kathy (ok, she's not really our aunt, but we love her just the same!). I think it is probably the cutest thing I've ever seen. And, Calvin's darling face really completes the ensemble.

(his facial expressions kill me!)

if you thought the hat was too much... get a load of these sockies!! ha!

Okay, one more photo for good measure. I just happened to wrap him up in a blanket that my mom sent down (I wasn't thinking about which side was in front) and then he had his little alligator cap AND his green binkie. Too funny. I love my little gator. I had to take a picture.

Okay, thank you for humoring me. Now, let's go onto more news...

Our "Rainy Days and Mondays" fabric line is ALMOST HERE! We got an email last week that said the bolts were en route to the U.S. of A.!! We can't wait to see the finished fabric in person!

In honor of the occasion, we were asked to design a little header for the Riley Blake Designs BLOG and then they did a little spotlight on Becca and I. We feel so special! What an awesome thing!

Anyway, if you want to read our spotlight and see some killer photos of Becca and I when we were young and crazy, feel free to go here. hA!

"Th-th-th-th-that's all folks!"

livin' the lucky life.

Our dear friend, miss jen wildey, was able to take some precious photos of this baby of ours. It was so nice to have her come into our home and take them HERE, where we are 98% of our lives, instead of a studio somewhere.








gotta love that Cal has Aaron's feet.


yes, so does she!









La-la-love these shots. She has even more darling ones on her website. You should definitely check out her skills.

Thank you, Jen, for capturing many of the crazy sweet expressions this little one makes. And, getting Tillie still enough to get them together? Awesome.

Two great kiddos who are healthy and happy. Doesn't get much better than this.

proof that i'm an adult.

yes, here is proof that I'm an adult:

((in case you were curious, having TWO children doesn't automatically put you in the "adult" category.
this is us this morning on our computer's photo booth, pretending like it is valentine's day with our red threads--
even though it is monday, president's day. work with me, people.)

1. I can now grab into my Costco bag of Trail Mix (includes raisins, m&ms, cashews, almonds, and peanuts) and eat my entire handful. No longer do I have to separate them into piles and eat them separately. This is huge for me.

2. I do the dishes, clean my room (and the whole house sometimes) without being asked. Again. Big deal. My mom and my husband are proud.

3. In the candy aisle at the grocery store, I chose a sophisticated candy for my special Valentine treat. Dove chocolate. I know. Fancy. I get it.

4. I just made myself a gourmet salad for lunch. It had craisins, apples, walnuts, lettuce (duh), and a strawberry vinaigrette. Oh! and STINKY feta cheese. And I loved it. If anyone knew me in my previous life, I only would do salad with buttermilk ranch. This is a very big deal for me.

Wow! Look mom, I can wear my big girl pants now.
I'm an adult. Pretty cool. Just thought you should know.

mr. cal's room

At one point, we were thinking that we'd just stick Calvin's little pack n' play (his little crib situation) in the "office" and then rethink things later. Well, after a lot of thought, we decided to switch up the house a little bit to make a "proper" room for the boy.


Well, when you have random yards of fabric that you didn't know about (honestly, I have so many craft/fabric items that are unaccounted for. unhealthy? maybe.) + and a talented mom = fun curtains. We decided to go with a "cowboy" type room. After all, we DO live in Texas. And, we NOW have a boy. Well, heck yeah.


So, here are some pictures from his room. Yes, I still have one whole wall dedicated to my paper delights and craft bins (sorry kiddo, I can only spare a PORTION of the room, not all of it). But, you've seen pictures of that part before. So, here's the part no one has really seen. Well, besides me, Aaron, Tillie, my mom, and Aaron's parents. Oh, and Calvin, of course. But, he's too little to even care.
Take special note of the little boy with glasses on the horse. do you LOVE that? Me too. For the life of me, I can not find the artist. In high school, I requested an information packet from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. And, this was on the cover. I loved it as a sophomore in high school... I love it even more now. So, if anyone knows WHO the artist is, hollah at me.

My mom found this great book at an antique store in Austin. I love SO many of the pages. I'd like to think the two kids in these pictures are a future Calvin and Matilda. With their friend's horse. I don't think I ever want to have a horse, b/c frankly, farm animals smell. Pretty animals, but they don't smell lovely.

So, there you have it. There's his room.

p.s. we got the globe over Christmas in Austin as well. Same antique store my mom found the book in. SCORE. Both Aaron and I are in L-O-V-E with that globe. I think we need to start a globe collection. Who's with me?

double trouble.

"double trouble"?
ok, not really. but kind of. and then, kind of not.

In case you were curious, I have officially lost my mind. See above line.

So, we are alive.
Even though I have a literal MOUNTAIN of clean unfolded laundry on the couch; even though I haven't seen the wood on the kitchen table for over a week; and my bed hasn't been made for a while (ask my siblings and old roommates if that is a new thing? no, but it sounded good in this list); toys and books are permanent fixtures on the floor------it's just like Aaron told me as he was driving home from school (yes, he wasn't able to get home 'till 8:40 p.m. (and yes, I was watching the clock)), our children are clean, they have clean clothes to wear, full tummies, and a mom who loves her family.

Good points. I knew I liked him.

It has definitely been a transition. I knew it would be. But, I didn't realize how hard it would be to accomplish REGULAR BASIC HUMAN NEEDS---like that of showering. I vowed that I would never be that woman in the grocery store line with the mega greasy hair and pj pants and a sweatshirt---wow, I can now see how it happens. Next time I see someone like that, I'll have to buy them a candy bar, give them a hug, and tell them I'm praying for them---or something. I know I could go for a candy bar right about now. TIME OUT. Oh, don't you worry. I just found one in the pantry. All is well.

is it me? or do their heads look like they are almost the same size? hA!

Luckily, I haven't ventured out of these four walls often, and when I have, just to let you know, I HAVE been showered, kids are dressed, and we "look" pretty pulled together.

I told my mom the other day that I'd be fine never leaving my house again. Sure, one day I'll probably change my mind on the matter, but for now, honestly, it just takes so much effort.

Case in point? I was on my way out to grab ONE thing at a store (which I had called ahead, they pulled my ream of paper from their stock, I gave them my credit card over the phone, and my favorite & nicest employee friend volunteered to run it out to the car for me = good service!). Anyway, I had both kids ready to be put in the car when all of a sudden I smell a poopy diaper from Miss Tillie. Then, as I'm washing my hands afterward, Mr. Cal decides he wanted to "clear his system" as well. I couldn't very well allow him to sit in a full diaper, so I unbuckle him out of his car seat and proceed to change his diaper.

Poopy pants happen.
And, that's okay.

But, it's when they happen within minutes of each other that it gets a little tricky. On the bright side, my hands have never been more washed and cleaned as they are now in life. Also, my sweet friend, Ashley, gave me some schnazzy Mary Kay peach soap, so the whole "washing my hand" experience is what I imagine a spa treatment would be like.

Tillie is doing pretty well, given the circumstances. She is SO sweet with "Baby Cal" and whenever he cries, she rushes to him as she's yelling, "Uh Oh, Mama!" We're trying to teach her when it is "appropriate" to help him with his binky (she tries to give it to him, gently, but ends up poking out his eyes, putting it up his nose, etc.) and then sometimes she decides that he DOESN'T need the binky anymore and yanks it from his little mouth. No one is happy when this happens. So, we're working towards a happier future.

see? she is pretty sweet with him.

Matilda is also realizing a new freedom she has when I am stationary and feeding Calvin for 45+ minute intervals. Yeah, that's a lot of freedom for a wee toddler, my friends. The only REAL scary event was during another feeding, when I realized Matilda had been FAR too quiet. I get up and see that she had scooted her high chair over to the counter, climbed up, and was in the process of unplugging the toaster. Oh, did I mention the KNIFE drawer was wide open too? Nice. That was a finer parenting moment in my life. Since that day, I have made the necessary changes in hopes that they won't happen again.

Oh, and while we were at the dr.'s office last week, Matilda was able to escape from my grasp not once, not twice, but THREE times (a lady. couldn't resist). One time was in the parking lot, another was as we were getting onto the elevator. Let's talk about me freaking out, shall we? Not fun. Again, we're now working towards a brighter, happier, and SAFER future.

So, we're here. We've been taking lots of pictures of Cal, playing blocks, watching movies (maybe too often), sleeping, eating, trying to convince Tillie that she can't, in fact, get away with EVERYthing, and, of course, changing lots of diapers. :)


Calvin is a CHAMPION eater (he's already in 3 month clothing at 3 weeks of life... whaaaat?!) and weighed in at 11 pounds for a 3 week appointment. And, that darling child sleeps so well that sometimes I am worried he might have narcolepsy (and I'm not on Lortab anymore). Did I mention he's so laid back? Matilda can be singing and/or screaming right next to him and he doesn't care at all. He's just hanging out, almost like he's just glad to be here. Blessed child.

Truly, I don't think he could be any more perfect. Here are some more "sunbathing" shots where he and I were just hanging out on my bed. Love that little face.

caught him during a sneeze. cute. cute.

another reason why we named him after his father. get a load of those feet! and again, the toe span. Amazing.

He is so darling. Yes, we'll definitely be keeping him forever.
the end. for now.