the "run the driveway" game

We officially have a confident walker here. He is verging on running actually. Definitely fast-walking. Anyway, his favorite game outside right now is to walk down the driveway with someone following/"chasing" him.
He loves to carry something along. And checks every now and then to make sure you are still looking.
Sometimes he needs to stop and investigate something interesting.
Usually he keeps going and going until he reaches the end of our (very long) driveway, and then tries to keep going across the street until we pick him up and carry him back home.
Tonight was the first time he turned around voluntarily and came back the other direction. Exciting for me because I was off the hook for carrying duty!
He had a blast last weekend in Des Moines, because my parents live on a circle, so he could walk and walk on the sidewalks without having to turn around!

Helen's banner

As promised, here are a few photos of the banner I made for my friend Helen. She picked the fabric, and I think the prints and colors look adorable together. The fabric & yummy felt is from Home Ec, of course.
I also decided to make a little storage bag for it. I have been wanting to make something to keep my banner safe and clean and all together, so I thought Helen would appreciate it as well. The bag is just a simple rectangle with a drawstring. I added a few strips of the matching prints just for fun.
That's all for tonight, I'm tired after a busy weekend visiting in Des Moines and working much of the afternoon/evening on getting the garden back under control!

Be back soon

We're on an adventure in Des Moines. Looking forward to visiting the
Art Festival and hanging out with family. Have a great weekend!

right now...

reading to a sleepy boy who had to be woken up from his afternoon nap so he would be able to sleep tonight.

making spaghetti and meatballs for dinner + green beans & strawberries

putting away sewing supplies after working on a project during naptime

a la Ali Edwards

weekend roundup

Well, we've been quite busy around here. Bill has been away on a fishing trip with the guys in his family and we had a visit from my mom for the weekend. The garage sale went pretty well - the highlight was watching Lachlan greet and follow around the shoppers. It's always good to clear some stuff out, and in my case it motivated me to clean up and organize our garage, which was a much needed chore.

We ate out on the patio at Atlas on Saturday night, had Wig and Pen pizza Sunday night, and gobbled up cupcakes with homemade raspberry buttercream frosting all weekend. Mom and I watch Baby Mama and Waitress, both of which we highly recommend. I finished sewing Helen's birthday banner (photos to come soon) and even made a little bag for it to live in when her family is not using it.

Also, I upgraded to the new iPhone 3GS! Oh so exciting to be able to take little video snippets and the camera quality is excellent. It ended up being great timing because... I dropped my original iPhone in the baby pool last week while L and I were there. Technically, he pulled it in, along with my shirt that it was lying on. OOPs! Fancy phones + water is never a good thing.

We've been spending lots of time outside. Although it is TOO hot to be out this afternoon, L just loves to be out wandering and digging. I used part of my garage sale earnings to buy a little water table for him, so I think that will be a big hit this summer!

I'm excited that Wendy is blogging again. Check out the beautiful photos her sister-in-law took of Wendy and her husband, Jeremy!

Ok, off to accomplish a few things before naptime is over.

It's Saturday

and that means Farmer's Market day. I loaded up Lachlan in the Ergo carrier and we headed downtown. The rain was no problem, since the market is covered. We wandered and listened to Joe Price. We said hi to the kitties and puppies that were there from the animal shelter. We saw a couple friends. Came home with a fresh loaf of bread, asparagus, and a couple catnip plants.
Yesterday was a big day. Lachlan's first haircut! We decided to do it because he gets mistaken for a girl alot - not a big deal, he's just so pretty ;) But his hair was getting long in the front and the wings on the side were getting a little crazy. Kiley just gave him a little trim. He sat so well. I thought I would have to hold him, but he sat right up on the booster and did great! I think it helped he got to hold his cup and an extra comb.
Here are a few random weekend links for you:

The Itty Bitty Kitty Committee is having a fundraiser - go check out the cute new kitties!

Trying to decide whether to make a DIY play kitchen from IKEA stuff or wait until August when their real play kitchen comes to the US

Wearing the same dress for a whole year? Great accessorizing! The Uniform Project

This wedding looks like it was serious fun. Love those photos, especially the backdrop for the portraits - and the kissing booth - and the big balloons. Reminds me of Up (have you seen it yet? Go see it!!)

new scraps

Decided to really be on vacation today and made some time to scrap & sew. Feels good to get these photos and memories down on paper. I can see Ali's influence on all these pages. Love her simple style and that she uses multiple photos on her pages.
Worked on another birthday garland that my friend Helen commissioned for her family. I'd like to make a couple to put up in our Etsy shop, but I'm not sure if I could make the price worth the time I spend to make them.
Have a good weekend!