espen's dolly

i just finished the funnest conversation with my very unpredictable middle child. he informed me that his friend dolly is sick because her tummy hurts. the conversation went something like this:

"who is dolly?"
"she's my friend and she is sick because her tummy hurts."
"oh... where is she?"
"she's at my home in my room."
"oh.... how old is she?"
"she's two and a half. she's an old kid."

if my friends little girl lucy hadn't had a very present, very busy imaginary friend named ona when she was little, my reaction might have been quite different, but i was oddly thrilled. should espen begin breaking things and blaming it on dolly, my perspective might change. however, the prospect of having a "friend" at our house that espen can play with sounds too good to be true. no pushing, tackling, taking, arguing.... no fights to listen to or break up... or atleast they will be one sided. i am, after all, under the assumption that espen fully plans on being in total control of his new relationship. we will see... but i hope she wasn't just a fleeting thought.

if i had an imaginary friend i think i would name it Ophy.

.my wish list.

I typically have no problem thinking up things that i want all year long with the exception of October, November and December, when my wish list actually counts. Below is my list so I can be reminded of all the things I REALLY want and my answer to family and friends will be something other then,

"Oh, I'm not sure".

walkie-talkies

{nothing fancy. just want to keep track of ozzie in our neighborhood}

manicure set

{especially stuff for my cuticles}

reusable grocery bags

{rediculous that i haven't boughten any yet}

gps

{for anyone that knows me, this is self-explanatory}

magazine subscription{s}

{cookie, real simple, living, domino}

picture frames

{white + silver wall haning kind}

rainboots

{size 8}

i volunteered matilda to "model" for a photography class my friend stacy was teaching and somehow got pulled into the mix! i may not be comfortable getting my picture taken, but love having pictures with my child{ren}. so, i guess they didn't pull me in.... i jumped in and am glad i did! the bottom right pic is my fave.

if you live anywhere in the seattle area and want some beautiful pictures you should contact stacy. she also does super affordable mini sessions for the holidays!

ozzie left for 5 nights of summer camp this afternoon so as you would expect, i am thinking of him.

i have always wanted to avoid being one of those moms that can't wait for summer/spring/winter break to be over. moreover, i have tried to resisted the urge to completely fall apart at every milestone that my children reach. it is humbling privilege and a definite challenge to parent.

So while it makes me sad that my first baby is in all actuality no longer a baby and will continue on his path... gaining speed rapidly, i would be lying if i told you there wasn't a part of me that was looking forward to a little break {emphasis on "little"}. you see, while he is off singing, playing, eating and sleeping at camp, he is no longer doing those things at home [duh, right]. it makes sense to me that once you have one child, you might as well have 4, or more. as my moms says, one child takes 24 hours so two children can't possible take anymore of your time, [just more of your money]. more challenging then the work of being a parent is the requirement to live with another imperfect human being. but i find myself missing those aspects of ozzie's presence and personality that challenge me the most. he is sensitive, moody, loves to argue with his brother and sounds like a heard of elephants going down the stairs during nap time.

yet he has a role in our family and our household feels empty and incomplete with just four. it would be like trying to make cookies without sugar, an ingredient you don't want to leave out. i characteristics that i adore about him... he astounds me with his perception and compassion for others. he is honest and creative and thoughtful and i don't think his mind ever rests [unless the boob tube is on of course]. he is particular, but always willing to negotiate and i can go on about his ability to tell the truth and handle situations most adults would freak out about. he is thoughtful and as unselfish as an 8 year old can be and that is just scratching the surface .

while he is away i have been praying for his little spirit and thanking God that he made ozzie for "such a time as this". that he has a plan and a purpose and will use our child to minister, heal, and conquer despite his {and all of our} imperfections. and finally that God would lead us in teaching ozzie to have courage, faith, ambition that is NOT discouraged and how to BE a leader.

what an honor it is to be his mommy.

sewer's itch.

have you ever suddenly gotten the urge to sew just as you are heading to bed? if you don't have a sewing machine or a stash of fabric you may not know what i am talking about....

last saturday after prayers had been said, the little ones were snug in bed and things had been tidied up from the day, i decided that m.j. "needed" a new dress to wear to church the next morning. it was a sudden thought like deciding you "need" a blizard before going to bed or you "need" to paint your family room a new color before your guests arrive the next day.


so i made this simple little dress without a pattern, and because i {or my children} misplaced them, without fabric scissors. while it turned out looking lovely, looking closer would have given you a differing opinion. up until now, my sewing experience consisted of a few pillows, curtains, hemmed pants and stuffed nativity set that i made for ozzie when he was 1.

Soooo, the seams started to fray and the pockets began to fall off... however, it made it through sunday school and it looked darling on her and it was blue instead of pink.


the only other reasons why it is gracing this page on our blog is simply because it is the first dress i have made her and she's not old enough to tell me she doesn't like it.
{sorry mom}