December Daily 2009

The beginning of a season. And the end of a year. A time for shopping, decorating, wrapping, parties, traditions, and more. But most of all it’s a time for hope. Examining those areas of our lives where we need to focus more attention. Our families. Our children. Ourselves. Our faith. This December I dedicate a little bit of time each day to document in words + photos how we are preparing our hearts and our home for the coming of Our Lord. It is my hope that we enter this season with grace, and slow down to enjoy the time together. A time of joy and wonder.

December Daily 2009 is here! Last year I watched wistfully from the sidelines of all the scappers who partook in this project inspired by the blog of Ali Edwards. I hoped this year I would be brave enough to jump in with both feet. And here I am! I've already gone ahead and designed all of the pages for each day of the month. Quite a feat! Hopefully they easily fall into place once the day comes -- we have no idea what we'll be doing on what day! I've promised myself not to be a perfectionist and simply document. It's the moments that matter, and worth capturing.

My goal is to snap pictures & journal each day, and then quickly grab a JPEG of the page to share with you. No promises! So no complaining if I miss a day or two.

Following are the credits for all of my pages to come:

Papers:
Krafty Christmas by Katie Pertiet
Santa Baby by Katie Pertiet

Elements:
Holiday Magic, Christmas Trees by Shabby Princess
December Daily Frames by Ali Edwards
December Daily Templates by Ali Edwards
Holiday Words by Ali Edwards
Christmas Memories Circles by Danelle Johnson
Ribbon Strips by Jesse Edwards
Between the Lines Journaling by Katie Pertiet
Christmas Word Art No2 by Katie Pertiet
Count Me In Photo Frames by Katie Pertiet
Holiday Dots No1 by Katie Pertiet
Mixed Stamped Titles No2 by Katie Pertiet
Red Punched Chipboard Alpha by Katie Pertiet
31 Days Circle Accents by Ali Edwards

A giant among little people

It's such a joy to watch a toddler explore and immerse himself into the world of imaginative play.

Project Big Boy Bed

One morning this past week I was up early to get myself showered and ready for the day before Sean woke up. When I stepped out of the bathroom, Jeff said, "It sounds like Sean is playing with his humidifier. We'll have to move it out of his reach." In my head I was thinking, that's strange, it's already out of his reach. Lo and behold, it was definitely in his reach. When I opened his bedroom door I found him squealing with delight running around his room with the humidifier canister in his hand. Yep. You guessed it. He scaled his own crib unbeknownst to his parents and without a scratch or bruise.

That evening Jeff proceeded to convert his crib into a toddler bed. Then right before dinner we had Sean check it out and explore his room. He was giddy and kept climbing in and out of his bed. His tiny world is expanding quickly.

Meanwhile, daddy and I watched with admiration. And a watchful eye to see what he would get into on his own. We had never baby-proofed his room. Crazy, I know. We dug up some outlet plugs, strapped the tall furniture to the wall, and installed a door lock thingy so he wouldn't escape in the middle of the night.

Bedtime was the real indicator of how easily this transition would be. Normal routine: books, brush teeth, prayers, kisses & hugs, snuggle into bed with blankies and friends. Before I even closed the door he was climbing out of bed with glee & laughing. Then I heard "dark, dark", followed by a scared crying. I went back in and laid down next to the crib, but then it was all play. Let him cry it out. Next I heard rustling in a drawer and sent Jeff in to find him in the drawer with the medicine, etc. in his changing table. Oops, we forgot about that potential hazard. Then Daddy tried laying down next to the crib, but again, all play. Let him cry it out. Followed by silence and I think we're golden... *thump* followed by I'm hurt cry. Daddy finds him crying hysterically by the door and thinks he ran into the door. Daddy decides to rock him in the chair where he falls asleep promptly. All is quiet now. Fingers crossed.

Since then, naptime and bedtime has been a cinch. No issues. Crisis averted, and transition completed without lack of sleep. Whew!

Mmmmm... Halloween Candy!

Pinch me. Heck, slap me. I need to be reminded not to take this all for granted. Sean's second Halloween season proved to be a memory-maker. First, he was sick. Runny nose and the works. It goes with the territory, so we went with the flow. He napped well, and then dressed in his lion costume. We decided to do trick-or-treating lite, only four neighbor houses. He doesn't "get it" so this was a good introduction. He LOVED it, and hated to leave each house... crying until he got to the next. He didn't quite understand why we weren't going in and playing with the kids.

But the most memorable part of the season was his instant affection for all things candy. Every morning after breakfast he would seek out his halloween bag, and say "candy? peas?" (please for all you non-toddler speaking humans). Then he'd spend a good 3-5 minutes investigating all the candy he had, and handing it to me to open. Lollipops and M&Ms were about all he can handle right now. Mommy ate everything else. A tough job, but someone's gotta do it.

A successful childhood tradition accomplished. Runny nose and all.

First Jack-O'-Lantern

This goofy ole' grin is Sean's very first Jack-O'-Lantern. You might be thinking, "hey, isn't this kid going to be 2 soon?"... yep! Not only didn't we carve a pumpkin last year, I don't think we even bought one. Hence, no visit to the pumpkin patch either. We kept talking about it, and the next thing you know it was Halloween. Oops. This year we didn't make that mistake, and interrupted the nap schedule (oh my!) to head over to a local pumpkin patch for a few hours. The day was gorgeous, and perfect for walking through corn mazes, climbing huge haystacks, checking out pigs & chickens, and picking out pumpkins. OK, it wasn't exactly 'oh my God' perfect since there was a ton. of. mud. everywhere from the gazillion inches of rain we've had (I'm still banging the dirt off Sean's shoes out the back door). But eh, beggars can't be choosers.

This lucky pumpkin was picked to come to our house. And Sean and I had at it! I was anticipating a much messier affair, but I've come to appreciate my son's dislike of all things slimy and messy on his hands. He much preferred banging a spoon around inside and whipping out pumpkin guts on the fresh, clean floor. After about 5 minutes of that fun, he quickly bored with the whole activity and climbed down to go play with his cars and trucks. I LOVED doing it all by myself. A rush of childhood memories came back to me, carving pumpkins with my siblings and dad (mom couldn't stand the mess!). I'm blessed. And it looks like Sean likes the family tradition already.

Personalized Photo Board Books { Hello You Books }

Now you can create a personalized picture book durable enough for your baby or toddler! Hello You personalized photo board books engage little ones with familiar faces. Each story line gives you many opportunities to feature photographs of family, friends and his/her favorite things and places. Your child will turn to these books over and over again! All stories are simple, original and feature imaginative designs. And the books themselves are durable, waterproof and professionally printed. Each story is available in multiple sizes for a perfect fit!

Browse the story lines below, and check back often for new stories & designs. We're just getting started on this new product line! Feel free to email me if you have a story idea not featured and I'll be happy to create it for you. We can even print up your own original designs, contact me for the specifications.

Prices:
– 5x5" Size = $24.99 + S/H
– 8x8" Size = $34.99 + S/H
– 6 x 8.375” Size = $29.99 + S/H
– 8 x 11” Size = $39.99 + S/H



My Very Own Alphabet Book


hello, baby - The story of your birth

~ Boy version also available ~



11 reasons to smile - The story of your birth

Love Captured. Newborn Book (Twins) .... { Hello You Books }

My niece and nephew were born 8 weeks early, and stayed in the NICU for about one month. I created this book as a birthday gift for my sister-in-law. They are truly little miracles, and we are blessed by their arrival in this world.

Some of the pictures were their hospital pics taken by bella baby photography (they use freelance photographers). A far cry from the "slap your baby on a table and we'll take a picture with a camera that looks like an xray machine"!! I'm hoping my hospital contracts them when/if I have another baby!!

The design of this book was inspired by Paislee Press (http://www.paisleepress.com/). It's simple, clean and captures the moments perfectly with just words and photos. Email me if you're interested in creating a book like this for your newborn or twins!!

Front Cover

Title Page

Pages 2 & 3

Pages 4 & 5

Pages 6 & 7

Pages 8 & 9

Pages 10 & 11

Page 12 & 13

Pages 14 & 15

Pages 16 & 17

Pages 18 & 19

Page 20