Month 7

Week 31

Week 32

Week 33

Week 34

Month 7 was an up and down month for us. Lots of mood swings. One second Ollie is happy and laughing and the next he is sobbing. Who knows. He is certainly moving all over the place, and these weekly pictures are getting harder and harder to take. 

But, all in all, he has become the best kid. Our lives are starting to feel like they are finally coming back to normal. Date nights have resumed and we are actually attempting to try new things. 

He loves his swim classes and learned to pull himself up this month. 

Now it is all he wants to do. That and eat!

Such a ham. 

Saying Goodbye

This weekend we lost our beloved dog Norman. The grief in the house is palpable. I know some may be confused as to why we would mourn a pet so much but he was far more than just a pet. He was our little man.

 Norman filled our home with love and laughter and snuggles. Oh so many snuggles. When Daniel and I adopted him from the Seattle Pug Rescue five years ago I couldn't have imagined how much he would become the center of our house. With him gone it feels so empty here.

Everything reminds me of him from the pillows he loved to smash down until they were just right, to the yard we made sure to find just for him when we bought this house.

I was looking forward to Oliver and him growing up together. Being playmates and nap mates and for Oliver to see the joy of caring for someone other than himself just as we did.

I'll end with this PSA before I dissolve even more heavily in to tears. Xylitol, a common sugar substitute in things like sugar free gum and candy is EXTREMELY toxic to pets. Even one stick of gum can cause death if eaten by a dog.  For a pug who loved to eat, the cake I made and unthinkingly left on the table was too much to pass up. So please, if you have dogs, just keep the sugar free cakes and candies out of your house. I wouldn't want anyone else to go through this.

We buried Norman outside Oliver's window so we can say goodnight. Oliver probably won't remember him but we definitely won't forget.

Not So Much of a Honeymoon

Every year, Daniel and I go on a self described "honeymoon" to celebrate our wedding anniversary. We pick a new island in the Caribbean and enjoy a week together. This year, we had a baby, which resulted in a very different kind of vacation.

My parent's graciously offered to come along for the ride so, this past June, the five of us rented a house down in the Florida Keys.

There was some fun, some swimming, and some celebrating; but mostly there was lots of baby.

I'm glad we went but I am already looking forward to next year's honeymoon, just Daniel and me.

Oliver's Weekly Photos

I loved Young House Love's weekly photo with their first daughter (and now their son) and thought it would be a fun project to do with Oliver. I've been taking a picture each week with Ollie laying on one of the quilts I made before he was born.

Week 1:

Week 21:

How fast they grow... I still need to get them all edited and in the right order but I thought I'd share the project as it is now. If you follow me on Instagram (under englishgrams) I post one every week.

Cheers!

Emily 

The Past Seven Months

Ok, so I didn't mean to take quite such a long blogging hiatus but sometimes life happens. Most specifically this happened

Oliver Rex was born at noon on 4/4/14 (an auspicious date) and it's been crazy ever since. A few house things have happened as well as trips and crafts but things that don't involve nursing or changing diapers have dramatically declined. 

Hopefully I won't fall off the bandwagon again but I may be slow. I've missed you blog land!

Cheers!

Emily 

DIY Advent Calendar

Christmas is upon us! This year things are a little tight but I managed to get our Advent Calendar up and ready before the first.

I went with a simple, colorful design this year.

Each Advent is a scrap of 3" scrapbooking paper that I had, with a blank back for writing our sentimental sentiments on them. I decided against our usual advent to make things a little easier on us. Just a simple note each day. These are they types of advents I cherish the most.

Aren't the little clothespins the best?

The name of the game this Christmas is easy and fun and I think this meets those requirements. I'm still coming down from a delicious Thanksgiving with family but I'm looking forward to getting more Christmas up and out this week.

Cheers!

It's A….

Boy oh boy! We had a great ultrasound early Thursday morning and am happy to report out little BOY is doing great! Now the name debate begins…

Thank you for all of your well wishes and congratulations. This is a very exciting ride to be on!

Cheers!

Settling Back In

We are finally home again after a whirl-wind month of travel. Every time I leave, I always come home with more ideas and more love for my home.

There is so much inspiration out there that it can be overwhelming but I love the steady flow of ideas I have when I'm in a new environment.

Warning- This post is picture heavy, so prepare for a virtual slide show. If only I had a dark, wood paneled den to invite you all in to...

This year, for our third honeymoon, we went to the Bahamas.  We relaxed in the sand, took in some cultural sights and played with the local wildlife.

We didn't stay there, but we had to make the trip out to see Atlantis. (Have you seen the commercials? Insane)

It was as over the top and expensive as advertised. We went through their aquariums which were probably the least interesting to most but I loved them. They had a HUGE manta ray.

This doesn't even do it justice, this thing was like 10ft across.

Seeing the cruise ships was pretty neat. They are massive!

Downtown was cute and well maintained.

My favorite trip was to the zoo. It wasn't really an animal zoo but more of a bird zoo. Including a flock of wild flamingos roaming the grounds.

They had some neat reptiles and things too.

But the best was the Capybara.

Don't you just want one?

It looks like we were really busy but that was really the only day we left the comfort of the hotel. The rest of the time was filled with sun, sand, and cocktails. Which to me, is the best type of vacation.

Now that we are home, it is time to settle back in to life. We have some progress to make on the bathroom still but I'm taking my time.

Cheers!

Gold Mining and Family

Last weekend we took off to La Paz Mexico for a family reunion. Daniel's family has a pretty strange (and fun) past. Way back, Daniel's grandfather bought a gold mine in Baja California (near La Paz) . Daniel's father, aunt and uncle grew up at the mine living in a house out in the desert.

When Daniel was young his parents took him and his sister there for months on end.

They would pitch a tent in the old building and camp out under the stars.

You can even still see the wall where they marked their heights going back to when Daniel's father was young.

It had been 20 years since Daniel was last at the mine but this year everyone came together and made a vacation out of it. We spent one whole day their checking out the house, the mine, and playing in the arroyo (which of course included posing with some surprisingly shaped flora).

The best thing was getting to spend time with Daniel's cousins and aunts and uncles reminiscing about their youth. 

The mine never really produced any gold but it did produce quite a few fond memories from every generation. 

Now my height is up on the wall officially adding me to the legacy. Who knows, maybe we will bring our children out here some day to experience the fun.

Cheers!