We visisted Mount Vernon (George Washington's estate) recently and I absolutely loved it. The gardens were so amazing. If you come stay with us this summer, prepare to go there!
That last photo is just about my favorite thing ever. Our little family has had lots and lots of outside time lately. This warm spring weather is so great and we are taking advantage of it before it gets too hot and humid to be comfortable!
I participated in Ali Edwards' Day in the Life project this month, although I forgot and did it a day late. I tried this once last year and wasn't too happy with the results, but this time I loved it. I took all the photos with my phone, edited with PicTapGo, and posted everything on Instagram as I went. This will go into my Project Life book, though I'm not sure yet exactly how I'll fit it in.
7:13 am: wake up. Joey was sleeping through the night but last week went back to waking up three times a night, so I'm struggling a little.
8:16 am: doing the morning garden inspection with battlecat
9:14 am: drinking chai, straightening my sewing room. enjoying nap time.
0:04 am: THIS FACE. I can't even. Happily hanging out on my bed while I get dressed.
10:28 am: we went to the park but all the swings were were full so we're headed on to Starbucks :)
11:47 am: bed made. ish.
12:03 pm: hanging out in the yard while Chris whacks some weeds.
12:51 pm: trimmed my overgrown mint plant last night, drinking mint water today.
2:43 pm: late lunch
3:47 pm: family photo at Alexandria city hall
4:31 pm: browsing shops in old town with our out-of-town guests
5:04 pm: on the waterfront
5:26 pm: browsing my favorite fancy spice shop
6:02 pm: grateful for clear skies and warm weather
6:34 pm: jotting down some notes in my garden journal
7:46 pm: bedtime
8:09 pm: squeezing some garden time out of my last few minutes of daylight
9:16 pm: night.
Chris went out of town last weekend and it was just me and Joey. I have to be honest: I was really nervous. I thought it would be the world's longest weekend and I would be half-crazy by the end of it, without Chris to share the parenting load with me. To my very pleasant surprise, we actually had a great time!
I think the biggest reason for this is that we had a car. We're a one-car family, so when Chris is at work, Joey and I are limited to places within walking distance, which is not too much. (Oh, how I miss living three feet from a Metro station!) It can start to make a girl go a little stir-crazy sometimes. But we went all over this weekend.
On Saturday, Joey and I went to his first baseball game! It was so fun. My hometown Braves were in town playing (stomping on) the Nationals and any time they're here, I try to go. Joey did so great and I was thrilled that I was able to enjoy the game without having to worry about him. Plus he looked adorable in his Braves onesie (a perfect gift from some thoughtful friends). A man sitting near us was there with his 18-year-old son. When he saw Joey's onesie, he pointed to his son and said, "This is what you'll have in 18 years!" I loved that.
It was a perfect baseball day, sunny and breezy. I'm so grateful for gorgeous spring weather! It was a relatively mild winter, so I expected spring to be early and warm, but actually we got off to a slow start, with lots of snowy, cloudy, and rainy days in March. I thought these 70 and sunny days would never get here, and now that they are I'm so happy. Molly and I celebrated by picnicking with our kids by the Potomac on Sunday. Joey is game for anything as long as he can sleep, and that's just what he did. We were at the park for 3 hours and he was asleep for two and a half! It was fine with me—I was able to stretch out on a quilt in the sun and relax while he napped. Perfect. Day.
We missed Chris a lot (FaceTime is awesome!), but I'm so glad Joey and I were able to have such a fun time together. My little buddy!
Every year at the end of January The United States Army Band puts on a workshop for tuba and euphonium players. Anyone who wants can come attend masterclasses, try out instruments, watch recitals, and take mock auditions. Since Chris joined TUSAB he has helped put this workshop together, and this year he got to solo with the Army Orchestra on Saturday night.
The weekend happened to coincide with an AirTran sale, so my sister flew into town to help me out. Chris is at work from dawn to midnight for 4 days straight during the workshop, so I was really grateful to have Abby with me to help me with Joey. Without her I wouldn't have been able to watch Chris's performance! She stood outside and held him while I ran in to see him perform.
He sounded amazing and I was so proud of him. After hearing him practice downstairs for weeks and weeks, it was cool to hear the piece with its accompaniment. The orchestra sounded wonderful as well. Chris has never performed with an orchestra before, and I loved the way it sounded. I hope he gets more opportunities to play with an orchestra!
(Thanks to my friend Lauren for the pictures of Chris! She has a detailed post about the workshop, if anyone out there is interested in that!)
I can't believe it's been four weeks already. When I was 36 weeks pregnant, four weeks seemed like an eternity, and now it seems like it happened in a blink.
I'm not sure who's learned more over the last four weeks, him or us. I didn't know this would be so hard, but I also didn't know it would be so fun. As little bits of personality begin to poke through the newborn fog (see photos above), we get glimpses of just how fun it's going to be down the road.
Can't wait.
Welp, we're parents now. Our sweet little baby was born December 24 at 10:41 am. He is big (8 pounds, 12 ounces!) and healthy. And loud. His name is Joseph Elmer, after both of our fathers, and we call him Joey.
I had started to think he would never come, but I woke up Christmas Eve morning to strong contractions. Off to the hospital we went, and after an amazingly fast labor, I was suddenly holding a screaming baby on my chest, saying, "oh my gosh, we have a baby!" Somehow the end result of those nine long months hadn't ever quite sunk in, until he was there in my arms. And really, still not even then.
My family came into town for Christmas, and it was so great having them come to the hospital a few hours later to meet him. I love the picture above of my parents meeting him. And later that evening, Santa and Mrs. Claus came by to visit! That was a fun way to make up for being in the hospital instead of at home by the tree with our family.
A few weeks ago, in a moment of optimism, we ordered him a first Christmas ornament—with the year stamped on it. As the days ticked by and still there was no baby, I began to wonder what we would do with a first Christmas ornament dated 2012 when he was clearly not going to be here in time for us to use it. Luckily, he snuck in just under the wire. I was thrilled to pull it out of the drawer we'd placed it in and hang it on the front of the tree.
We were able to take him home the next day, which felt like a small miracle, and we've spent the last week fitting him into our routine. My sisters have gone home now, and my parents leave early tomorrow, so the real fitting-in will begin now.
We're both still in awe of this tiny little bundle that snorts a lot and makes funny faces. Can't believe he's ours. Like, forever.
Happy Election Day!
Some glad morning when this life is over, I'll fly away;
To a home on God's celestial shore, I'll fly awayI'll fly away, Oh Glory, I'll fly away, in the morning;
When I die, Hallelujah, by and by, I'll fly away.When the shadows of this life have gone, I'll fly away;
Like a bird from prison bars has flown, I'll fly awayI'll fly away, Oh Glory, I'll fly away, in the morning;
When I die, Hallelujah, by and by, I'll fly awayJust a few more weary days and then, I'll fly away;
To a land where joy shall never end, I'll fly awayI'll fly away, Oh Glory, I'll fly away, in the morning;
When I die, Hallelujah, by and by, I'll fly away
My grandfather flew away this morning, and now he is welcomed with open arms to a land where joy will never end.
His obituary is here if you'd like to read it.
Chris has been out of town a lot over the last couple weeks, so I've been rattling around this house keeping myself busy. Lots and lots of time at the sewing machine!
I have finished up a few quilts that I am looking forward to sharing on the blog as soon as I take some pictures. A few more are still waiting in the wings.
I've been making lots of things for the baby, which is fun and exciting. I bought Lotta Jansdotter's Simple Sewing for Baby and have made three or four projects from it already. They are definitely simple! Some of the reviews complained that they were too simple, and that an experienced sewer could easily figure them out without the book. I'm comfortable sewing a lot of things, but I'm not comfortable drafting my own patterns and winging it, so I was perfectly happy with the projects.
I also spent a little time embroidering a personal message on a quilt I made almost a year ago, before the recipient had a name—or a birthday. Now the baby is my godson, and he is walking around and being adorable all the time, and he has a name, and I thought it should go on his quilt.
Once Chris finally came home, he put together the crib! That was pretty exciting. As you can see, there's still lots of work to be done in that room in the next three months, but now it looks a little like a baby room and I'm ready to get going. I can't wait to see the finished product! :)
I'm Leah. I love making pretty things with fabric, paper, and sometimes, pixels and fonts. These days, though, it's mostly fabric. I also love tv on dvd and sometimes I talk about my cats too much. I live in Alexandria, VA, with my husband Chris and our son Joey, who was born on Christmas Eve last year. Chris is a musician in The US Army Band "Pershing's Own", and I make quilts and sell them in a little shop.
