yellow + green shower

Just wanted to share a peek at this adorable surprise-gender baby shower thrown by the lovely Nicole. She contacted me several weeks ago via my etsy, and I had the privilege of crafting this set of fabric flags for her. The party turned out so cute, I couldn't resist sharing! {See more pics on Nicole's flickr page.} This is completely motivating me to get back to crafting...But considering that we're still stuck in transition with all of my supplies packed up in boxes, it might be a few months before the shop is back in action. Sigh, as they say, this too shall pass. Stay tuned!

3 months

Lookie Lookie who's 3 months old today...Isn't he such a hunk in this picture? I feel like it deserves a caption that reads something like, "Single white male, 24" tall 14 lbs, chubby build, enjoys long walks in the front pack." No...I'm not that cheesy.

But seriously, I think he gets a little more yummy every day. We can't stop the smiles and coos. And he's so very busy. He's become quite a fan of his play Gymini and wiggly toys. He's been following things around with those bright blue eyes, kicking uncontrollably, batting with those warm little hands, and almost reaching. Lately, he's even been a bit more tolerant of tummy time. He'll get a good 3-4 minutes in before the squirming and squawking set in. We're so proud of the fact that he consistently sleeps between the hours of 11p-5a. However the naps are a different story. He's quite the cat napper...but we'll figure him out eventually.

Yes, he's become one fine piece of baby boy.

independence day recap

Happy {belated} 4th! Hoping you had a very fun and safe weekend. How is it possible that summer is half over already? The same way, I suppose that this week got away from me. Our happy 4th was packed with cookouts, family time, fireworks, and melt-on-your-tongue angel food cake and berries. And lately, we've even been gussying Graham up in his Twins gear and introducing him to the great American pastime during lazy evenings with the uncles. Now that we are beginning to settle in after the big move, it seems like the sunshine and lemonade sipping have only just begun...

In other BIG news, last night Jeff & I went out on a date to start looking at houses! Very exciting, yet very intimidating. Somehow, experiences like scoring real jobs and birthing babies have not felt nearly as grown-up and committal as this. Home owning feels like the culmination of adulthood. I am just beginning to appreciate how much dreaming and fretting go into playing the real estate game! But--we're just in the preliminary phases...will keep you posted!

graham the gnome

On our last night in San Francisco, Jeff & I dragged Graham all over the city to be sure he visited all of our favorite sites before we left. One day, we want to be able to flip open an album and show him what a cool birthplace he had, since he's too little to remember any of it now. So remember those classic Travelocity commercials? With the garden gnome all over the world? That's where we drew our inspiration--only this time we popped on Graham's gnomey hat {made by Becca}, and hit the S.F. highlights. {Isn't that hat crazy, perfect? You wouldn't believe the compliments we received as we toured the town!}And an update on the move: The dust has settled. We made it to Minnesota, safe and sound, but it's been one wild week. Graham slept through our red-eye flight last Saturday, settled in at Grandma's house, and promptly came down with his first ear infection, fever, and dirty cold. :( Poor fella. Thankfully, he's feeling and eating much better now! Jeff and his little bro braved the monotonous journey in the Budget rental truck + car trailer across the country and finally made it here. Don't even get me started on the perils of renting a moving truck...The boys got stranded twice, once with a flat tire, and once with a car dolly that had completely snapped in half. Thankfully, no one was hurt (except for the underbelly of our car!). I'm disgusted that they let those rusty pieces of junk out on the open road. Seriously friends, resist the tantalizing deals, never rent from Budget.

happy {first} father's day

To my sweet husband,

Mr. Graham & I are so blessed to have you. The other day I was watching the two of you together; watching G stare up at you inquisitively as you told him silly stories. Such a wonderful little moment. I could not stop thinking that I hope G grows up to be as great a guy as you are. I have loved watching you become a father and marvel at how much love there is to go around in our little trio.

You are a cute dad. I love watching the two of you nap together; a curled up little G on your chest. I love that you've perfected the diaper change and I'm so appreciative of how you're always so eager to help out. Even at 5 a.m. I'll never forget the day you turned and said to me, "People who never want to have kids don't know what they're missing."

So to the man who plays "baby elevator," proudly carries his son in a paisley-printed sling at the mall, and reads Goodnight Moon, Happy First Father's Day. You are the best.

guess who?

...just slept through the night last night?
and the night before last?
that's right,
that's my sweet boy.
10p-5a.
that's 7 hours.
that's amazing.

i love my sleeping bug.
and he just figured out how to {consistently} stick his thumb/hand/fingers in his mouth to self-soothe.

i took this pic of him on the sly this a.m., my little sleepy head, watching him wake up.

on the beach

Last weekend, we had the chance to do a fun photo shoot for the Horrillo family--Jeff's aunt+uncle, and cousins. They have been so amazing to us while we've lived here. They helped us move in and get settled, invited us over for super delicious meals (introduced us to calamari and a million other things), and even threw a big party for Graham after his baptism. So a little family photo shoot felt like the least we could do for them in return.

Anyway, back to the beach. Jeff took all of the photos, of course, while G and I helped with styling, posing, hair fixing, and wave watching. :) These pics were all taken after a beautiful hike down to the remote Northeast corner of Baker Beach--super close to the bridge. But before the photoshoot, we met them at Ocean Beach for a picnic+fire, complete with brats, gourmet salads, a bottle of wine, and yes, s'mores. The entire time we've lived here, I've always wanted to have a beach bonfire, but just never got around to it. I'm pretty sure that was the last major activity I hoped to do before leaving S.F. So beach bonfire, Check! Something about grimey combination of sand, smoke and sticky s'mores just screams summer to me. It was bliss. I love these cute pics that Leslie took of us in action during the session:

just in time for summer.

A brand new computer arrived at my doorstep today. That's right--a pretty little laptop and she's all mine! Since the lappy-love of my college days died a year and a half ago, I've been patiently sharing Jeff's computer with him...Not always easy, especially when he's hard-core editing photos and such. Two weeks ago we randomly found a great deal on this steal of a laptop, and the rest is history! Initially I wasn't sure that this was the best time and place to spend a bit cash, but now I'm so thankful to have something more portable, just in time for our big move. So hip, hip and to celebrate the lovely new screen in front of me, I just downloaded this awesome wallpaper by Sarah Ahearn via Kindred.

the prettiest peonies

...are gracing my kitchen table today.

melting my heart on a sunday a.m.

Isn't he the most kissable thing you've ever seen?

And now for my beef with the Carter's baby clothing company. I bought him this little sweater vest for him to wear to one of our big family weddings this summer. The tag said 3mo--so I assumed that meant 3-6 mo. and tucked it away with all of his "clothes to grow into." Right? Wrong. Apparently their idea of 3 months stops at 12.5 lbs. Which is exactly what G weighs. So drink him up--this may be his first and last week in the sweater vest outfit. Drag! :(