Independence Day

We're not terribly patriotic around here.  It isn't one of my favorite holidays- patriotism seems a little imperialistic to me- but Kraig enjoys the cookouts and fireworks.  So, we enjoy the parts we like and we skip the parts we don't (parades? we'll pass.)  [<-- that article is legit but I linked to it partly in jest, just to be clear.]

This year, with it being our very first in Portland, we decided to enjoy it with the people we love the most.  We enjoyed a lovely afternoon complete with appetizers and a delicious dinner with our friends Joe and Greg.  Happily stuffed with mushroom risotto, we went back to our 'hood and kept the celebration going at a potluck with our neighbors.  

 We mingled and enjoyed the company before fireworks started in front of our house.  Owen was frightened by the noise so we enjoyed them from indoors.

 Do you see the beer hiding in this photo?  Apparently there is a small hole in our front yard from a 

"for rent" sign that makes a perfect beer holder.  Who knew!?

We went to bed super late once the fireworks died down.  We had to be ready to go early the next morning for our next adventure....

Father's Day

We had planned to go to one of Kraig's favorite breweries for dinner, but we forgot that the Rose Festival and Pride Parade were going on downtown (super long lines!) so we opted for one of our favorite vegan eateries instead.

I think this is the sweetest photo ever.  I hope we get lots more kisses before Owen decides that it's "weird" to kiss your parents.

I got the vegan club (oh my, it's so insanely delicious) and Kraig got a veggie burger.  Owen loves to order from the kids' menu here- the options are fantastic!  He got the tofu with rice and veggies.  He gobbled up his broccoli (!), red cabbage (!!), carrots, cauliflower (!!!!), and tofu.  What a good little veghead.  I was SO proud- I had never seen him eat broccoli before, despite multiple attempts here at home.  He called them trees and the cauliflower were "white trees".  Precious!

We were too stuffed for dessert, though they boast an impressive vegan cake display.  It was a wonderful meal to celebrate Kraig's THIRD (?!) Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day

To my loving husband,

What a life we have here, my dear.

One beautiful, charming, hilarious and super-sweet toddler with stunning blue eyes (from you, of course) and a laugh that can melt your heart.  

A precious baby on the way to complete our family.  

A sweet little house with a white picket fence in the most amazing city in the entire world (in our humble opinion).

A great job that you are not only awesome at doing, but you enjoy 100% of the time.  

Oh, and this cute dog that you lovingly refer to as "My Schnauzer" or "My little Professor" because schnauzers look so wise.

And I won't speak on your behalf, but your wife is pretty cool, too.

You may not have expected your life to be like this at age 26, but I hope it's everything you've ever wanted and more.

A walk down memory lane, from your first moment as a dad.

Your first meeting through teary eyes

Father's Day 2009.  Matching outfits for the win!

Cleveland Zoo for your 25th birthday

Quite possibly the best photo of you and Owen, ever.

Hike near Jenny Lake, Grand Teton National Park

Beautiful blue eyed boys

Teaching Owen new tricks

Handome boys

Making faces to cheer Owen up

Your both so stunning, even when you're not ready for a photo

Flying on Cannon Beach

I can't tell you how lucky Owen is to have such an amazing man for a father.  Let me try anyway.

When I think of words to describe your character, INTEGRITY is always, always, always the first to come to mind.  In my opinion, that's the most important trait for a person to possess.  Owen will grow up to know, as I know, that you can be trusted, you are unfailingly honest, and you live a life consistent with your values.

Next, I think of your COMMITMENT.  You are committed first to us.  We are always your priority, whether it's working to meet our needs or just making sure you have made enough time for us.  Because you want to provide for us and make sure that I can stay at home, you are committed also to your job.  You work full-time (and not an hour more, thank you for that!) and are committed to doing the very best job that you can while you are there.  When I ask if you ever feel like giving less than your best, like you're having an off-day or are feeling tired or unmotivated, you immediately answered firmly- No.  I can tell that you have an amazing work ethic because of all of your achievements, all of the accolades you receive from peers and higher-ups, and how hard they are all working to keep you in the company and happy.  Finally, you are committed to our marriage.  I know you only have eyes for me and I am eternally grateful for that.

I also think of your steadfast LOVE and COMPASSION.  You are a sweetheart in the truest sense of the word.  You are sensitive yet strong, sympathetic to suffering, merciful and tender.  You have a heart for those in unfortunate circumstances, and always want to do what you can to help.  I know that Owen will see the best of what it means to be a man of strength as well as intense love as he grows up.  If we are blessed with a girl, I will be honored to see how you will tenderly care for her and meet her emotional needs so that she doesn't have to have them met elsewhere.

No list of your attributes would be complete without mention of your HUMOR, LEADERSHIP, and INTELLIGENCE.  Those speak for themselves, and are no less important than any of your other traits.  I'm glad we can provide a home full of laughter for our children.

I appreciate every single part of who you are- you complement my personality so well- and I have been blessed to be your wife.  I know that when Owen is an adult he will be thankful for your strong character.  He doesn't yet know what makes a "good man" or a "good father" but as he goes out into the world he'll realize how unbelievably lucky he is.

I love daydreaming with you, laughing with you, exploring with you, and learning from you.  You are an outstanding husband and father, and we are so very grateful for all that you do.

All of our love-
J and Owen (and Baby Tiny)

Mother's Day 2011

We had a pretty laidback Mother's Day this year.  (Who am I kidding?  Relaxing is ALWAYS our goal on holidays... and pseudo-holidays). 

My boys let me sleep in, but wouldn't you know it I couldn't sleep.  So I got up in order to enable Kraig to cook breakfast (french toast- again, our holiday go-to breakfast).  

My sweet, sweet boy was eager to wish me a Happy Mother's Day and give me a hug and a kiss.  Best gift ever!

After a family nap, we got ready to go to Starbucks for a little afternoon coffee.

 This is not my espresso.  Oh no, I indulged in a soy frappuccino thank-you-very-much.

We headed to Elephants Deli (one of our favorite though less-frequented spots for fantastic a la carte dining) to pick up some things for a picnic.

However, the weather was not cooperating so instead we stopped at Powell's so I could pick up a copy of Ina May Gaskin's Guide to Childbirth.  With new book and delicious food in tow, we went back home for a picnic in our living room.  

Like I said- a very relaxing, wonderful Mother's Day.  

Easter Weekend

We got a special delivery on Friday night to start out our weekend.  

On Saturday afternoon we had a few planned activities.  Our next-door neighbors, Donna and Gordon, had the neighboring families over for an easter egg hunt/ egg-dying party for the kiddos.  This being Owen's first Easter where he was old enough to participate, I was curious if he'd understand the concepts.

Oh, he understood.

And he knew just what to do with the chocolate.

This is a bald eagle, no joke.

The sweet girl across the street is Owen's favorite.  She's almost 3, so they are sort of close in age.  Here he is bedazzling her with stickers.  True love.

On Sunday morning, we opted to attend Donna and Gordon's church service.  They had a breakfast and egg hunt before the service, so we got there early to participate.  Owen was thrilled!

 Owen was excited to show Papa Gordon his treats!

We were relieved that Owen was very well-behaved during the service.  He loves D & G, so he would move contentedly from our laps to theirs as Gordon drew pictures for him and Donna played peekaboo.

We took a long Easter's nap that afternoon (seriously, Owen napped for nearly 4 hours.  Ridic!) then we tore into our Easter treats.

Since our lunch was so late post-nap, we had a later dinner as well.  I prepared savory mushroom crepes and rosemary-roasted red potatoes, carrots, and fennel.  For dessert I had strawberry crepes- Owen and Kraig chose not to partake.  More for me!

They waited patiently for me to finish the last few crepes...

It was a relaxing, wonderful Easter weekend and we hope yours was, too!

Handmade Holidays

It was a very busy month of December for me.  I got a very late start on holiday crafting.  I blame a few different factors (the move (when can I stop using that as an excuse?), lack of needed supplies, unorganized crafting space, procrastination....) and next year I plan to do better.  

Yeah, that's what they all say.

Anyway.  I am so glad that I have a sewing machine.  I can only knit so many things, and sewing really opened up the options as far as what I could create.  Like this little number for my sister-in-law:

I liked it so much I wanted to keep it.  But really I'm not cool enough to pull it off so it's better off with Melissa.

I didn't use a tutorial for the headband.  I was just inspired by the fabric and Melissa's sense of style, so I made it up as I went.

However, I did use a tutorial (loosely, at least) for these beauties.

(alert!  Blurry camera phone photos....)

They are Anthropologie-inspired fabric bead necklaces, and I completely love them.  They are fairly easy to pull together, just a bit tedious.  

Don't think I didn't knit anything this year, though.  Boy did I ever knit....

This scarflette was for my mother-in-law:

And this one was for my cousin/friend/theKate:

No pattern for either, just inspired by some neck cozies/scarflettes and came up with a lovely knit pattern (Mistake Ribbing).  The buttons don't look like much, but are from my grandmother's collection.  I love chunky buttons!

The thing I love about the second neck warmer is that while it looks sort of plain in that photo, it is EXTREMELY versatile.  Don't believe me?  Check here and here.  You can wear it however you want!  (enjoy, Kate!)  How awesome is that?

Let's see, what else did I make?  Oh yes, I made a few coffee cozies for my brother-in-law, a coin purse for his girlfriend, and another scarflette for my mom.  Kraig was in charge of other "boy" gifts, and he came up with the fabulous idea of hand-roasted coffee.  Oh yes, he bought a roaster and some green coffee beans and cranked out some delicious, specialty, home-roasted blends for the men in our lives.  Thank goodness for that idea because homemade gifts ideas for men are so difficult to come up with.

In addition to the handmade goodies, I added a personal touch to the gift wrapping.  I made homemade gift bows out of magazine pages.  They turned out quite lovely and are much more aesthetically pleasing than those super-shiny $1/bag atrocities.  Don't you think?

 Kind of weird that this one has an eyeball on it from the M&M's character... Must be more careful next time!

We also attached some of our homemade ornaments on the outside of the gifts.  Sorry I forgot to snap a photo of that, but here is what some of them looked like.

I was also busy with other handmade projects around the house.  Stockings, pillows (not for Christmas but just general throw pillows), and baking, of course!

Om-nom-nom.

What did you make this holiday season?