labor of love / June 1, 2012 by jen geigley

Wow. I got a package in the mail yesterday from my dear friend Jamaica. And inside it was this quilt for Bowie. That she made. I was so surprised that I started to cry. If you've read here awhile, you'll remember Jamaica from our various travel adventures (from L.A. to N.Y.C.) She's a Dares girl. A talented paper crafter. Graphic designer. And she sews like no one I've ever seen sew before. She's also a good friend, because this was obviously a lot of work.

The colors are crazy good, but that quilting?! I could look at it all day and I just might. Even the binding and backing is perfection. (It's like graph paper ... something that both J and I would totally dork out over. Graph paper fabric? Gah!)

She also sent us this adorable little fox onesie, which has a funny story behind it. It's from Gnome Enterprises, hand-printed in Brooklyn, which is where my friend Leslie works. Leslie moved from Iowa to NYC last year (about the same time that Jamaica and I went to Brooklyn for a visit.) So without knowing it, my California friend bought this t-shirt made by my Iowa friend in NYC and sent it to me. In Iowa. It's a small world, friends.

Anyway ... Dear Jamaica: Please know that every perfectly stitched square inch of this quilt will be put to good use. It will be a permanent fixture in this little room. It's where Bowie will kick up his legs and practice rolling over. It will be used to make forts and tents and hideouts. It's where he'll stay warm when he's running a fever and watching cartoons on a sick day. It will be the go-to quilt when both of my kids snuggle up to watch a movie.

It will be a source of comfort. (It already is.) And I can't wait to tell Bowie the story of this quilt someday; where it came from and how special it is. I'll tell him about the trip we took to NYC together when I was pregnant with him, and how we spent the whole weekend trying to think of baby names and taking pictures of me standing next to buildings with cobras painted on them.

Thank you so very much, my friend. Blankets wrap you in warmth ... but quilts wrap you in love.

flashback: that orange crayon / May 30, 2012 by jen geigley

Lo and I were outside coloring today when she picked up an orange crayon. I said 'Dude! Hold that up for a second!'

I was instantly reminded of this, from old-school Sesame Street days. This little video was so captivating, wasn't it? I remember becoming totally entranced with the music and the whole crayon-making process.

Fantastic.

my little graduate / May 25, 2012 by jen geigley

Today was Lo's very last day of preschool – my little grad! I say it over and over again, but I cannot believe how much she's growing up. We've loved our days at SCI preschool where she's been attending ever since she was three years old. She was so little on that very first day!

Man, how time flies. It was kind of a special day: it was my dad's birthday, Bowie laughed for the very first time, and Lo graduated from preschool. I cannot believe she'll be in Kindergarten in the fall. But for now, bring on summer break. :)

3 months / May 24, 2012 by jen geigley

Oh, my little baby. Bowen is already three months old. I can't believe this could be true, but I checked the calendar, and yes, it really has been three whole months.

He's super strong and likes to kick his legs up in the air. He loves to go outside and look up at the trees. He tries to roll over. He loves to watch his sister. He studies our faces as we talk and smiles all of the time. He is a joy.

little ballerina / May 22, 2012 by jen geigley

Spring brings so many spring-y things. Everything's blooming and the sun is shining. We're already dreaming of days at the pool and summertime finally feels like it's almost here. At our house, spring brings special events like preschool graduation and a ballet recital for little Lo. These are fun times.

Lo performed onstage over the weekend at a beautiful local historical theater with her little ballerina friends. It was so sweet to watch them dance together one last time, and they did a fantastic job. Her ballet school teaches all levels and it was so exciting to watch the older girls dance en pointe.

This past week or so, it all started to hit me. She's five. And she'll only be five once. All of these little milestones are adding up. This has been her first year of ballet, and I as I sat there watching her in her last class of the season, I took note. I wanted to remember her tiny little feet in those tiny pink shoes.

I'm a proud momma these days, and although I'm definitely keeping busy with a certain baby brother and all of his milestones, I want to be sure to remember hers, too. I recently stumbled upon Darcy Miller's scrapboxes (which are kind of like photos + shadowboxes) and I'm in love with the idea of putting one of my favorite recital photos of Lo together with her ballet shoes, once she outgrows them. I just feel like I have to document the sweetness of this little girl.

the finals! / May 20, 2012 by jen geigley

Woah! My design made it to the final round of Ravelry's project bag design contest! I can't believe it and I never expected to make it this far. A huge thank-you to everyone who voted! There are some fantastic finalists in this last round, so be sure to check them out. Voting ends on Monday, May 21st. Pick your fave and cast your vote here, one last time!

mom's day / May 13, 2012 by jen geigley

How was your Mother's Day weekend? Mine was busy ... but I have to say, the best ever. This is the year that I became a mom of two. I'm feeling pretty happy and pretty grateful.

We spent Mother's Day celebrating Bowen's baptism. (That's where the busy part comes in.)

His little baptism gown and slip has been in Bo's family for 65 years, and I feel so lucky that both of my kids have had the chance to wear this sweet little hand-embroidered heirloom. It's still in such fantastic shape!

Bo's grandma dressed all eight of her children in this gown, including Bo's mom. Bo and his sisters (and cousins) have worn it, and now our two kids as well.

At first, this little guy wasn't exactly thrilled with wearing a dress, but I explained that his dad wore it, too. And then he was cool.

I knitted Bowie this little sweater in white cotton with gray buttons. And my mom crocheted a white blanket that we used for both kids' baptisms. So the day was full of handmade love.

We celebrated after the service with a quick brunch and spent a lot of time outside in the gorgeous sunny weather.

My friend Beth made these adorable cookies for the party. They were pretty much too cute to eat. But we ate them anyway. Because they were delicious.

And we had to have Jones soda. I'm a sucker for the packaging and I love the berry lemonade.

After the festivities, I put Bowie in something a little bit more comfortable and had to try on his new pair of Tiny Toms that Bo's sister and her family gave us. They are so insanely itty-bitty. Too. Cute. We took a nice little walk to the 'Bux for the last day of Frappuccino Happy Hour.

It was a good day spent appreciating my little family of four. It's still surreal at times to realize that I have two kids. Like when Bo or I say 'the kids.' That's still weird. But the mom life is good. I feel loved. I hope my little fam does, too. :)

what mom said / May 13, 2012 by jen geigley

I've talked about this before, but I am fortunate enough to be part of a fantastically cool mom's group. We do some of the normal mom-group things, like meet for coffee and schedule playdates. Many of our kids have grown up together since they were wee babies, so when they play we kind of let them do their own thing. Sometimes they put on elaborate talent shows. Sometimes they all end up in a closet with flashlights. (See above.) And while our kids are priority number one 99% of the time, we support each other in not completely giving up on our own lives and interests for the sake of being super-moms. We understand the importance of taking care of ourselves. And taking time for ourselves. We know we're better moms because of it. Us moms have become as close as sisters, and when our kids play, they watch out for each other. We're family. My 'mom friends' brought us dinner for three weeks straight after I had Bowen. We have had each others' backs through all kinds of family emergencies and major life events, good and bad. We take care of one another and it's a beautiful thing. We try not to take it for granted; we know what we have is quite special.

This past week after dishing some particularly solid parenting advice, these girls started compiling a list of things their moms taught them. Things they hated at the time but were thankful for later. I've learned time and time again what a great resource these women are. I trust them; I trust their advice. And when we compile everyone's wisdom together, it's golden. Some of us looked at that list and said, 'Wow, I need to print this out and put it on my fridge.' So here it is. Click on it, download it, print it, cut it out.

This weekend, I'm celebrating the Moms. Sisters. Daughters. Friends. Celebrate yourself. Do whatever makes you happy, whether that means spending time with your kids or taking the day off with girlfriends for brunch, pedicures and margaritas. Word to the mommas.

it's a celebration, stitches! / May 10, 2012 by jen geigley

Ravelry is having a celebration. And a design contest. It's Ravelry’s 5 year anniversary (and it has been 7 years since the idea of Ravelry was shared with the world.) Pretty fantastic, huh? I started knitting in 2008 and my friends made me join Ravelry right away, so it has been a huge part of my knitting journey.

To celebrate their anniversary, Ravelry is having a competition for a design that will be screen-printed on project bags, and there are a ton of great entries. If you happen to like mine (above), I'd love your vote. If not, that's cool too! Just vote for somebody. :)

The entries are shown in a random order, and every voter sees a different order so I can't link you up to a specific page, but here's the link to the contest. Voting is only open to Ravelry members, and it's one vote per person. Thank you, knitting friends!