life with david.

i was reflecting this morning on how life with david is different than it would be if he was a 'typical' five-and-a-half year old. day to day i can honestly say he is a joy and pretty darn easy-going. besides being very small, he needs help eating, dressing, bathing and with most other activities, but he plays happily and loves to explore every room in the house. he is not a picky eater and has made great strides with beginning to feed himself. i change his clothes at lease twice a day because he's drooling a lot. he never used to drool, so i attribute it to teething. he loves his bathes again (yay!) and is very good at splashing me and matty. he doesn't mind car rides and enjoys his teachers at school.

two the most difficult things we are facing are reflux and gas pains. he has struggled with reflux since birth and recently seems more gassy. we often give him maalox and spend a lot of time helping him burp. he takes prevacid for the reflux and his esophagus isn't damaged. i suspect his reflux will be something we deal his entire life.

i notice a lot of people looking at david when we are out and about. most days it doesn't bother me. he's a tiny guy with two fingers on his left hand, so of course they are curious. i feel honored that he is my son. i think he's pretty great and if they got to know him a little, they'd think the same thing.

i guess, i'll never know what it would be like if david were a typical 5 year old. it's okay to think about what might have been--but i don't want to live there. he smiles easily, is fascinated with the world around him, loves to snuggle and makes messes much faster than i can clean them up. all i have is right now, this moment, and i want let it be imperfect and beautiful.

quality family time?

we're all sick. all four of us, sniffling, achy, coughing, watching movies and ordering in. it would be perfect, if only we didn't feel so yucky!

inspired.

I created this necklace for the Inspired Conference. {Which sounds like sooo much fun!} If you can get away for the weekend, it promises to be a time of refreshment and idea overload!!

There is a lot going on with the business. Some really exciting things (like designing a necklace for this conference). It's a little too soon to tell you all about it...but I'll share as I can! Thanks for all your encouragement--I seriously appreciate you guys.

fun and funky.

I've been getting some requests for a chunkier piece and something that uses multiple charms--so here's what I came up with...

This piece is made with mother's day in mind. BTW Sarah and I are working together to create a really fun mother's day necklace--so keep watching for that. Anyway...this piece has five words stamped on three hammered charms--nurture, grow, home, love and mother. It is made with some AWESOME new chain that I am totally loving! It also has a glass heart charm and a faceted crystal. Overall, it has a slightly more dressed-up feel and it's gorgeous!
Here's a close-up...
And another close-up of the reverse side of the charms...
And a pic of me wearing it to give you the overall feel for the necklace.Mama's Love Necklace. $92

What do you think??

all stuffed up.

so david woke up with a major boogie nose this morning. my heart sunk, not because i was worried about him, but because i am so selfish! a sick kiddo means my schedule is out the window (i am a TOTAL planner, so this is difficult for me). it means lots of breathing treatments and decongestant. time spent snuggling when i might rather be more productive (i know, it's time well spent, but sometimes it doesn't feel productive...). this morning he had some medicine and breathing treatments (and a bath to get him all nice and clean) and he perked up and wanted to play. but we still need to take it easy and let him get lots of rest. these colds are much harder for him to kick than for most kids. so i need to get into slow-down-and-stay-home mode. i'll put on my big, comfy sweatshirt and get ready to take it easy. i'll make lots of his favorite vanilla pudding and push him less for the next few days. okay, let's snuggle!

tour of california.

the tour of california came into san luis obispo on thursday, so we met steve downtown to greet the riders. it was very wet and cold.
the kids went from deliriously happy to seriously grumpy in the span of an hour and a half. we headed home early and didn't get to see the riders finish their race. oh well!
then yesterday we drove over to solvang to see the time trials. here are chris horner (foreground) and levi leipheimer (background) warming up. we were standing about a foot away from them--so cool.
when chris horner was done warming up he handed his hat to our little david!! what a thoughtful gesture. we were so touched, and david was honored, too.
on the menu yesterday...hot dogs, soda, huge cookies--you get the idea.we had so much fun!

versatile.

I strung my rings on a 24" sterling chain the other day-just for fun! Now I can wear them on my finger or next to my heart. Perfect! The chains alone are
16 or 18"...$15
24"...$20

Feeling much better today. Must be those three bowls of lucky charms I ate. Yum. And no, Penny, I'm not pregnant! That could be fun, though...

don't be fooled...

behind that sweet smile is a troublemaker. and i love it!
i am down a cold or flu or something. i don't feel too awful except i have zero energy. there is lots of movie watching, pajama wearing and cereal eating going on. and, of course, lots of snuggling.

jump in.

It's Tuesday after a long, wonderful weekend. We got to play a lot this weekend which means lots of work to catch up on and a messy house. Oh, but it was so, so worth it! Okay Tuesday...here we come!

sweet and petite.

I love this necklace *sigh*. These pea-size charms are stamped with an initial and hammered a bit. Each necklace comes with two charms, a freshwater pearl and is strung on 18"sterling ball chain. Additional charms $10. Love. $44

sunday, sunday.

wake up. make pancakes (with chocolate chips, please.) go to church. eat lunch. fly kites. read go, dog, go. get the kids down for a nap. make a fresh pot of coffee. work.

soak it up.

Chrissie and the girls are visiting and we had a sweet morning at the beach. The air was cool but the sun felt so good. The kids are having a blast together and I am soaking up every minute with my sis.

Pure Joy.

this evening I was sitting on the floor working on my laptop and david came up behind me, put his arm over my shoulder and leaned in to give me a few wet kisses. It was the MOST precious and INTENTIONAL show of affection i have ever seen him display. and it made my heart overflow with happiness and love.

wouldn't it be fun?

happy valentine's day.

watercolors and winners.

the master at work.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Winners for the "you melt my heart' necklaces are...

Judy who loves a pink afghan

Gen who loes a little girl's tutu

and Sara Gibson who loves 'double bubble' bubble gum


Email me your mailing addresses ladies! Thanks everyone for your fun, inspiring comments!

too beautiful...

to stay inside.

the weather has been unseasonable warm. we took advantage and had mcdonald's for luch and rode bikes at the park.
this picture was taken before i tried to put david in the swing and he got VERY upset with me. oops!

i am trying to take a fresh look at my parenting. i want to think of new, creative activities to do with the boys (cooking, art projects, outside play) and tighten up in some areas (sweets, being consistent with following directions). any creative parenting ideas to share??

valentine's gathering

My college girls are coming over for a valentine exchange this evening after the boys are tucked into bed.

I used construction paper hearts, double-sided tape and fishing line to decorate the table. simple and sweet. Thanks for the inspiration, Lindsey!

Matty helped me 'cook' pretzels drizzled with white choclate and sprinkles. (just microwave the white chocolate in a freezer bag, snip the corner and drizzle over pretzels. They take about 2-3 hours to re-harden. Thanks for the recipe Ashlynn! And we'll watch 'Be my Valentine, Charlie Brown'. You might wonder if we are going to decorate brown paper bags to put our valentines in...we just might!

our weekend...

this weekend steve had a retreat with the college group so the boys and i tagged along. we drove up to lake lopez (only about half an hour from our home) and felt like we were far away. it was great to...
-take a break from my computer
-build a fort with the boys
-read chicka chicka 123, thomas, and does a kangaroo have a mother?
-build block towers and demolish them
-give the boys long baths and then snuggle
-not cook (ha! because i usually cook such elaborate meals...)
-read mr. darcy's diary (so fun! next is mr. knightly's diary)
-go to bed at 10 and wake up at 7, nice!
-drink lots of camp coffee, with flavored cream
-get to know some new students and hang out with some very sweet girls

We had our own bedroom, bathroom and living area so we weren't roughing it at all. Both boys had so much fun and loved all the attention. My camera died the first day, but I managed to get a couple pics of David. I think the second pic looks like a men's perfume ad. just casually lounging in an adirondack chair...

i think i like pink.

Lately I am all about pink! Must be Valentine's Day... So in honor of love and the color pink, I am giving away THREE, yes three of these sweet necklaces. Leave a comment and tell us what you favorite pink thing is. Tiny disc on pink cotton cord with handmade heart charm. So cute, I can't stand it!! $40

I got a little break!!!

Yesterday, while David was in school, a sweet friend offered to let Matty and Max have a playdate at her house so Jen and I could have coffee and hang out together. It was so nice to have an uninterrupted conversation!
Gosh, I wonder if the boys had fun??

you are teaching me...

to be myself. not worry about what others think. to find joy in the little things. to soak up life.
...i love you, david.

catching up.

photo by staddonfamily.com

I am behind on my emails, but I'm making progress! The house is clean *yay!* but I won't tell you about the state of our laundry...

brothers.

the boys have really been enjoying each other lately. especially when they're not driving each other nuts!

taking time to...

since david was born i've had a babysitter come for an afternoon or two each week, so i could get out have some 'me' time. i am totally the kind of mom who needs time to myself. to get a pedicure, read a magazine, have coffee with a friend, watch a jane austin, shoe shop or eat a slice of chocolate chip cheesecake. the last couple of months i haven't had a babysitter except for the occasional weekend date night (which i also love and it's so WONDERFUL to connect but that's 'us' time not 'me' time.

this morning trying to get two raincoat clad kids to church in the wind and rain with david's reflux acting up, i was screaming inside my head 'i need a break!'. i felt fragile, like i might cry. so this week i've got to make time for me. i need to unwind a little, let myself think and process life and come back a fresher more energetic mom.

how do you take time for you?

12 days until...

valentine's day!
i saw a tee shirt in morro bay that inspired this necklace. the key letters/symbols are antiqued while the rest of the alphabet is left silver. *can you tell i have preschoolers??* it's strung on pink cotton cord and it's so, so sweet!! they are $44.

also, the spoons are on sale this month...

today.

1. Wake up and get ready.

2. Take David to school.

3. Hang out downtown while David is at school. Make sure to eat breakfast at Big Sky.
4. Get big hugs from mommy and daddy, but especially daddy.

5. Pick up David.

6. Browse around the bike shop.

7. Then over to Costco. Eat hot dogs and pizza, yum!

8. Head home for naps!