Living, Loving, Learning

So, we had a HUGE ice storm rage through our sleepy little town. We have had to evacuate and arrived in E. Lansing at the Moms' house at 4 am this morning. I want to post our story, but in all honesty, I am a little bit in shock about the whole thing. Bruce has to leave Sunday to get back down there to work in the hospital which is running on generators and desperately needed by the community. Griffin, Lucy and I are going to be staying here until the power, water, and communication lines are restored. I am going to spend the next few days warming my bones and enjoying my husband before he leaves. I will blog our full story the begining of the week. We appreciate all your thoughts, prayers and positive energy tremendously.

She LOVES this ball!

A little something to brighten up this dreary Monday morning.

We had a BIG week here! Lucy stood up in her crib for the first time (and I was lucky to have a camera close by to catch it!) This was the first time she had pulled herself up at all. It was on 1/20/09...she was doing her part for change! Who is that gorgeous girl looking at me? This week she also started crawling in the "traditional" way. Up until now she has been just doing the army crawl. Now that she is mobile, she is gone the minute you set her down. (Yeah, I realize this picture shows the world we have yet to do something about the hideous bedroom wallpaper...what can I say? We have been busy.) If I leave her unattended for even a minute I am never sure what I'll come back to. She is really enjoying exploring. For old times sake: This was taken the first time Griffin ever pulled himself up. Definitely siblings!

What a beautiful day, an amazing moment in time, a turning point in this country's direction. Since I first mentioned President Obama in this blog, back in January 2006, I have hoped, wished and worked for this day to come. How amazing is it that we live in a country where our voices are heard, our opinions asked for, our decisions respected!?!? How amazing are the results when Americans unite together to become BETTER together! I am ready to be led into our future by this amazing family. Today I wish for peace, joy and celebration for everyone. ***Update*** I just have to say how moving it was for me to see the President and First Lady dancing to "At Last" last night, as that was the song first song Bruce and I danced to at our wedding. Feeling the Love.

My favorite website these days is http://www.pandora.com/ . Maybe I am the last person to check it out, but if not, I don't want you to be the last. It is commercial free internet radio. You can pick your station by genre, band or song and it will tailor the music to that description. It is a little hard for me to explain, but I encourage you to go and check it out. I enjoy cleaning to "Jump Around" radio, cooking to "Ladysmith Black Mambazo" radio and hanging out to "Amy Winehouse" radio. I have been turned on to quite a few new artists this way. Let me know if you design a station that you think I might like. Enjoy!

Quilting is becoming such an outlet for me. I love fabric; the colors, the textures, the moods they inspire and quilting is a natural extension of that. I love the peaceful feeling I get when creating, the satisfied feeling watching something useful start to come together. I have joined a block of the month club at our local quilting store. The instructor will be choosing the fabric and block patterns each month (the theme being 1930's reproduction fabrics - so pretty!) I figure it will be a great chance to learn proper techniques as I have just been figuring it out as I go along up until now. Our first meeting was a long one, but so good. We were talking about what type of thread to use and the instructor was talking in terms of a 100 years...like, which will hold up and look the best in a hundred years. I thought that was such an interesting perspective. In has made me think about what I am doing/leaving that will be here in a hundred years: my gene pool and legacy through my chi...

Lucy and her first "baby". Custom made doll from My Little Etsy Shop . Very adorable and high quality, the personalization makes it extra special.

One day I walked into Lucy's room to see her and Griffin sitting with a blanket over their heads. I had to stifle a giggle as Griffin, frustratedly, told me he was trying to make a tent. Since he has a bunk bed, I was able to turn it into a tent using 3 sheets in no time. Now this is one of his favorite things to do. He always brings books and his guitar into the tent with him. He can play in there for hours. His imagination is amazing and if anyone would appreciate that, it is Granny and MorMor. In the picture you can see his new book " Griffin and the Minor Canon ." We bought him this for Christmas and it is a fast favorite. It is long, it actually takes us 3 nights to read it to him. It is exciting to watch him delve into his first "chapter" book. There are a ton of big words in the book, but now, after the third reading, it seems he really has a grasp on the story. Lucy loved drinking out of Granny's glass (decaf herbal iced tea). It was a big treat for...

On Saturday, we all went bowling. This is something Griffin has been asking to do for at least a year now so we finally caved and hit the lanes. We had hoped to go to the zoo but the weather was terrible, much better suited for an indoor activity. There is one bowling alley in town and they were able to put bumpers on our lane for us. That helped us all have a good time (no one did too poorly.) AND, I actually won! How ya' like them apples! Griffin had a great time and even performed a little "I knocked some down!" jig. Besides bowling, he loved watching how the computer kept score. Lucy enjoyed all the people and noise. The best part for her was that she was snuggled the whole time - no way would we put her down on that floor! We were a little nervous that she would not let anyone hold her but she warmed right up to my Mom and then to Dikke. It was so nice for us to see her like that. Here is photo evidence for you who can't believe Dikke bowled (S...

Another cool outfit on loan from the Amors, thanks guys!! This is the first time Lucy has worn jeans...any kind of denim, I believe. I guess I am pretty into the girlie girl thing with her. She ate her first complete "real" meal this week. I had some leftover acorn squash and she LOVED it, some shredded chicken and cut up peaches. I will be happy to leave baby food in the past! I think she would be willing to give up nursing now but, you know what, I am not ready to give it up. She almost fell asleep last night in Bruce's arms and I almost panicked - I want a few more months of cuddles and quiet time with her. I hope she will hang in there with me until her first birthday. She also started to pull up on things this week. I have to watch her like a hawk now so she doesn't land head first on the floor. Fun times! The Moms will be here this weekend...we are all looking forward to it. I have a few more cute sibling pics that I will put up over the weekend. Hope...

This makes Griffin and I have roll around on the floor, side aching, uncontrollable laughter. Those who know me well, know that I can certainly "get my laugh on" from time to time! It is so good and fun and funny. So, we got Griffin's spring school activities calender today. They are starting a monthly show and tell. They mention that it is fine to bring your HORSE on that day, just let the teacher's know ahead of time. What the heck can Griffin bring that is as cool as a horse?????? We better start teaching Sunshine some tricks!

I saw an adorable sibling pose in a magazine that I thought I could replicate. It was tough to do alone and Lucy wasn't in the mood so I did not end up getting the shot. I did get a few interesting ones though. In this picture you can clearly see "The Finger". Lucy has picky fingers! She will pick at anything; namely your eyes, lips and nose but also buttons, jewelry, clothes. She doesn't just pick but she also pinches with her tiny little nails. I try to keep them trimmed as low as I can but she can still hurt you - I have the marks to prove it. Not sure how to break this annoying habit... Bruce suggests teaching her how to finger strum the guitar and if that doesn't work, try mittens. She is so sensitive, a loud "NO" sends her into full meltdown mode, as does any loud noise I make as a substitute. Hoping this is a phase of tactile exploration that she grows out of! I love to see the bond building between them. One of my main focuses is helping t...

One of the days that Alexis was here we went to the Children's Museum of Evansville. It was so fantastic, I can't believe we had not been there before. It was totally perfect for Griffin's age and interests. They had this rad exhibit aimed at letting children get a sense of what it would be like to live with a disability. Griffin's favorite thing was riding the bike without use of his legs. There was also an obstacle course of sorts, to be done in a wheelchair. Griffin hopped right in and after a moment of getting the feel for it, was able to get right up the ramp and get the door open. As I was watching him, I totally got a little light-headed. For a moment I glimpsed my son as if he was confined to a wheelchair, as if it was reality. I got tears in my eyes and momentarily felt overwhelmed. It was really moving. I have whispered many thanks for his strong legs, strong body, ever since. The next room focused on science and Griffin's favorite was excavating dino bon...

How could we resist that shirt?? These are the birds I made her for her room. They are made entirely from the fabric scraps that Jessica had leftover from her quilt. The smallest one was in the top of her Christmas stocking.

'08 was an AMAZING year for me... definitely the best yet. In honor of all the wonderful moments of '08 I have picked my favorite picture (taken by me) from each month. Wising you and yours a wonderful, magical, peaceful, successful, loving, dreams coming true New Year! January February March April May June July August September October November December Thanks for keeping up with us this year!!! BIG LOVE, Christi