Calvin and Hobbes

A while back Michael took an interest in my old Calvin and Hobbes comic books. It made me so happy that he liked them! I'm not really a comic-book kind of girl, but ever since I was 10 years old something about these guys, their humor and sincerity, the story of a child whose best friend is an imaginary animal, has always felt so personal to me. Michael even reminds me of Calvin (some days more than others), so it seemed like the perfect Halloween costume - personal, easy, and inexpensive. All we needed was a red and black striped t-shirt and a Hobbes. 

The t-shirt was simple ($3.88 at Walmart!), the tiger was not. I originally planned to buy one (I assumed the market would be loaded with great Hobbes options - who wouldn't want a life-size stuffed Hobbes?) but found that there weren't any that lived up to the Hobbes of my imagination, and the few that I did find on etsy were expensive. So I was thrilled when I found this (free!) tutorial and pattern. I can't say enough good things about it. I'm about as novice as a sewer can get and I was able to easily understand the pattern and all of the steps. The only information I would add to the tutorial is a list of materials. I bought too much material and batting - 1 yard of orange fleece, 1/2 yard of white, and 1/2 yard of black, and one bag of batting is plenty.  It was a lot of work (I put in around 10 hours and I still have some hand-sewing to do on the stripes) but so worth it. Michael carried Hobbes proudly on Saturday, and a few days later he's still hugging his "Hobb". 

I figure if he ever loses interest, I'll be happy to keep Hobbes for myself ;)

Good morning, friends! I hope your weekend was refreshing!

We're back from a quick trip to my parents' in Austin. We had  such a fun weekend. Lots of relaxing, visiting, football-watching, and loving on the babies. We celebrated my Mom's birthday and we also dressed the little ones up and took them to Trunk or Treat at church. Michael (dressed as Calvin and Hobbes) had a blast spending time with Tim, and eating corndogs and popcorn. The best part of the weekend, though, was watching him with his cousin June (the adorable little Raggedy Ann, above). He loves her so much and kissed and hugged her whenever he could. 

What a blessing for all of us to be with our loved ones! We love you guys! xoxo 

~ linking up with lowercase letters ~

{holiday} Faves

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I've just been going along, thinking it's still the end of summer (you see, until yesterday it was in the high 80s, buggy, and humid here), so imagine my surprise when I picked up some milk at the store yesterday and the expiration date on the bottle said November 20th. Unbelievable! But this morning a wonderful thing happened. We woke to a cool, cloudy, blustery day. The kind that happens when fall is here to stay. It's got me all excited. I'm wearing cords and boots, burning a pumpkin candle, and grinning like an idiot. There's something so exhilarating about a brisk fall day, don't you think?
Seems like the perfect time to share some of the holiday faves I've been storing up. 

I'm going to do my best to make our Thanksgiving table look just like this.

And I'm dreaming up all kinds of ideas for a garland like this to hang above the table .

A pretty little personalized calendar. This one's going on the gift list.

Mmmm. Pie.

A hot chocolate party. So cute! (Free printables included.)

There are so many fun holiday lights at IKEA! This one is my favorite.

Snuggly Christmas pjs for Michael. (These too.)

Happy weekend, friends! xoxo

Life {in Instagram}

three-day-weekend in Austin / rain on the pool / dinner on the road

she really wanted some pumpkin bread / autumn flowers / listening to the rain

a candle for Maggie / playtime in the tub / it got quiet, I followed the trail of toys and found him reading

happy little artist / his Halloween costume, in progress / reading, reading, reading

Rooms I love

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If this crisp, white bathroom is wrong, I don't want to be right.

Sunrise in the playroom

We get up early around here (Michael's idea, not mine) and we're usually finished with breakfast and in the playroom right around the time the sun comes up. If I'm going to be up at the crack of dawn, I can think of no better way to enjoy it.

Rooms I love

I'm totally inspired by this room by Emily Henderson. It's so good.

We've been in our house for a month and a half now, and every day it feels more and more like home. There are so many things I love about living here but one of my favorites is the light. Michael and I have started a little tradition of taking photos every afternoon. He plays and hams it up for the camera and I do my best to capture him. 

I still have so much to learn about photography, but I'm enjoying picking it up as I go.

Here are a few of our afternoon shots from the last week. Michael will be 18 months old this week, and for me these photos are so telling. We're in a new phase with him. He understands everything and I'm continually amazed at his quick mind. He's started smiling a new smile lately. It's still sweet, but it's mischevious and a little bit fierce. Like he's in on the joke and we had better watch out. The last traces of baby boy are fading quickly and there's a little wild man left in his place.

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"...He will come to us as surely as the dawn comes.

He will come to us like rain...."

Hosea 6:3

Life {in Instagram}

reading / fall colors in Houston (we thought they were limes but they're lemons!) / tickle fight

waiting room fun / self portrait / a crafty afternoon (making this)

rainy, rainy morning / smoosh face / playtime

my water baby / checking out our new park / my new favorite toy

Some days with a toddler are hard. Like, you wonder if you're doing anything right at all. 

Thankfully, other days are magic. Like today. 

He jabbered away all day long, telling stories and (I'm pretty sure) telling me what to do. 

He went around the house naming things with a serious expression, as if he was giving me an important lesson.
"Door!" "Ball!" "Puppy!" "Ice!" "Pumpkin!" "Football!" "Moon!" "Apple!"

He pointed at Ella's wagging nub of a tail and broke down laughing. He grabbed my face with his two little hands and kissed me on the mouth with those sweet puckered lips. At dinner he counted the lightbulbs in a lamp, "two, two, two, two".
He played a game of hide and chase with Tim after dinner,
running with a huge grin on his face and his arms wrapped around his favorite football.

We had a last-minute appointment this afternoon and while I got ready he played in the tub beside me, happy as could be.
If I had let him, he would've played right there in the tub for the rest of the day. He loves the water.

And I love him to bits.

~ linking up with lowercase letters ~