Photo Shoot

Yesterday, we went to San Francisco to have family pictures taken by Kelli. We went to rivaling high schools in Danville (we were a year apart), & she was always SO nice. She is very talented, & I'm so glad that we could have her take our family photos. Here's a preview from her website:

Off to Washington

Thursday, Scott, Will, & I flew up to Washington to visit my brother, Rich, & his family for a few days.

Arrived in Portland airport (Rich lives on the border of Washington & Oregon):Sitting in a shopping cart like a big boy for the first time - he did great!Meeting Spencer and Daisy: every time Daisy walked in the room, Will would start squealing & panting out of excitement - I don't know what it is, but Will LOVES dogs:A very unattractive picture of my child that I couldn't help sharing - he looks like Sloth from "Goonies":

Will has finally traded in his army crawl for a big boy crawl:

Brandon & Spencer:

Rich w/ Will: Rich has always been a softy for babies:

Friday afternoon, we drove down to Portland where they have this BEAUTIFUL place with 50 miles worth of trails - there were tons of runners & bikers there enjoying the great outdoors
Look how green everything is:Rich & Becky with their kids (oldest to youngest): Brandon, Spencer, Chase, & Kailee

I was amazed that Will stayed awake as long as he did on our little hike - he should have been asleep an hour before this, but managed to stay awake until about 3 minutes before we got back to the car:

He was startled awake, but quickly dozed off again:

Waiting for the food:Playing with his cousins - all of Rich & Becky's kids absolutely love children - they are all so good with them:

Getting ready to head out for the day:

Downtown Portland - on our way to Saturday Market:

Making music at one of the vendor's stations:

Hitting daddy's head:

In a little park outside the Art Museum:

We had such a wonderful time visiting Rich & his family - we can't wait to go back again.

Cool Cottons

Scott & I travelled up to Vancouver, WA to visit my brother & his family. While there, we went down to Portland to hang out. One place that I really wanted to go to was a fabric store called Cool Cottons. It was absolutely AMAZING - it had all of the fabrics that I love & can never find in any stores (except online ones). I seriously wanted to buy the entire store, or move to Oregon or Washington, so I could be closer to it:

The store was in an old house - so charming:

Look at all the beautiful fabrics - they had different color schemes in different rooms of the house:

The fabrics I got away with - (it's not the greatest picture since it was taken with my phone)

Now I just need to settle on a quilt pattern (& finish my other quilts before I can start this one, a rule set down by Scott, which I quite agree with)

Fabrics by: Amy Butler, Alexander Henry, Heather Ross, Heather Bailey, Lizzy House, & more

I really wish a quilting store here would start carrying these awesome fabrics - if not, I may have to open my own quilt store - the ladies who own Cool Cottons even gave me their business card & told me they would help me get one started & get hooked up with fabric distributors:

Side Effects of Said Kick in the Rear

This is a glimpse of a quilt I've been "working on" for about two years now. After having a project day & reading a bunch of quilting blogs, I'm finally re-motivated to work on my Christmas quilt. Hopefully I'll actually have it completed by this Holiday season.

And here's a glimpse of a bulletin board I started working on at the project day. I'm really excited to see how it will turn out - I'm pretty proud of my idea for it, but you'll just have to wait & see what what all that entails (which means I need to finish it).

Sunday Nap

Scott got home from work to find this: Will woke up early yesterday morning, & after sleepily singing "Two Little Blackbirds" to him for 30 minutes, he finally fell asleep again. I love this sweet little guy. (the picture quality is terrible - it was taken on a phone in poor lighting, but I love it so much. I have pictures of me with my mom like this.)

Another Day at the Library

Carson getting ready for singing time - he's SO excited! ;)

Will eating the bells (don't worry, they clean them):Gettin' jiggy wit it (wow, that sounds dated):Tiffani & Carson:Me w/ my thrilled baby boy - it was past Will's nap time, but he still did remarkably well:

9 months old

William is 9-months-old today! He is such a happy boy - he loves to play with balls & blocks, splash in the water, go for walks, go to the library for singing time, read books, army crawl, pull himself up to kneeling & standing positions, so he can reach anything & everything that he's not supposed to play with, sing "Itsy Bitsy Spider" & "Two Little Black Birds," laugh, gnaw on my knee with his ever-protruding teeth, try to sit up while getting his diaper changed, babble, attempt to feed himself, cuddle, take naps with mama & dada (come on Will, say "dada" - he's not quite getting that one yet, it's all about "mama"), hug his BlaBla - Oscar, kick & stick his tongue out in excitement when he sees a dog - even when it's barking at him, make either fishy or kissing sounds(?) by smacking his lips together, play peek-a-boo through the slats in his crib, blow raspberries . . . he just loves life & enjoys every day.
I love my sweet baby boy & can't believe how much he's growing!

excited to see the camera:trying to grab the camera:showing off his teeth:

A Kick in the Rear if Nothing Else

Today, I had some girls over for a project/crafting day. We ate muffins & quiche & attempted to work on projects while the kids "played." (If anything else, it was fun to chat & was a kick in the rear to get projects going that would otherwise still be sitting on the shelf.)
Some of the gals (I know, I should have asked everyone to look at the camera, but didn't want to interrupt their conversation.) - Kelli, Lisa, Crystal (& McKay), & TammySome of the little girls: Maddie, Haylee, & Kailee

Will & his new buddy, StewartTiffani & Catherine reading to Carson & Jaxon

All the kids playing nicely - they really did a great job together, but next time, I think I'll schedule a day or time when husbands can watch the kids. That way, the ladies can get even more done.

Dylan, Haylee, Kailee, Jaxon, Maddie, Stewart, Will

It was great getting together with some girlfriends to chat, get to know each other better, & break up the normal routine that involves just Will & me (when Scott's working, that is). I can't wait for the next project day (if anyone's interested in coming, I'd love to have you, just let me know).

Nectarines and a Bath

William has been such a joy in my life. I love watching him experience new things (eating nectarines), as well as enjoy old things like he'll never grow tired of them (splashing in the bath). I wish I'd had a video camera handy when feeding William his lunch today. I gave him a bite of nectarine that even made me pucker a little. He looked so worried & concentrated while chewing the fruit - it was so tart that he'd shiver & shake his head to cope. I then put the nectarine in one of those mesh things for babies to chew food through, & his face practically turned inside out when he started sucking the juice out. He just kept shaking & puckering & caving his chest in while raising his shoulders & squinting his eyes then would open his mouth ready to try some more.
After his nectarine sampling, I thought it would be a grand idea to put him in the kitchen sink for a bath. This kid has been in the water so much already, but acts as though he's discovering it for the first time every time he gets in it again. He just sits there with his mouth wide open & makes monotone Ahhh, Ahhh, Ahhh sounds while splashing away - soaking everything in a three foot radius. I was soaked, the cabinets were soaked, the floor was soaked. I looked like I'd just gotten off a water ride at Disneyland. And he just sits there enjoying every second. Even the water splashing him hard in his eyes doesn't slow him down. He just keeps that mouth wide open with a goofy grin on his face & keeps splashing.
I love this boy - he makes me so proud to be his mama with how sweet & happy he is. I love watching his innocent joy in the simple things in life - it reminds me to step back, take a look at all the things I have to be grateful for, & enjoy.

Video of William Crawling

My mom is in the midwest for the summer & misses her grandson so much - she keeps telling me to put a video of him crawling on the blog, so she can see her baby, so here it is. It starts with William the first day that he crawled (June 18) & then ends with a clip from earlier today (he's still army crawling, but is much more proficient at it).

Mother Goose

Today, I went to "Mother Goose on the Loose" with my friend Tiffani & her son Carson. For those who don't know, it's an interactive singing/story-telling specTACular at the public library - intended for children, but I enjoyed it just as much as the most enthusiastic child in there. (Pictures taken w/ phone, so not so good at catching action shots)
I love these two boys in their coordinating stripes & name tags on their backs (so they didn't take the stickers off). Even though I'd woken Will up from his 10 minute nap in the car, he was still so happy & full of energy. He didn't whine once from being tired - he was just loving all the fun things to do w/ the big kids.Shaking the maracas while saying "Ahhh, Ahhh" in his monotone voice (it's my favorite when he does that). Trying to decipher what the volunteer older ladies at the library are telling him to do next - I love how he's curling his toes up while holding the maraca upside down & paying such close attention to what's going on.

I can't wait to take William back again - I had a blast watching him experience & enjoy something so fun & new .

And on a side note, William went from a lying down position to a sitting one all by himself for the first time yesterday. It sure does make chasing after & playing with those toys a whole lot easier.