jane: six months

this is from last week, even though now she is just a few days away from seven months. better late then never. i spy a tummy!

tgif

we've made it through the week, and my what a cold one it was! when highs are in the negatives i don't want to leave the house. i am grateful for the new down coat i just bought with a fancy faux-fur hood. because as much as i want to be a hermit, life still goes on during a frigid minnesota winter.

jane is sitting up. and eating some rice cereal. tasting rice cereal? i'm not quite sure how much actually gets to her tummy. but we're taking it slowly around here. she's growing well and we are grateful for that.



things are quietly busy. we play. a lot. and go to bsf and small group and church and the grocery store. oh! and i have a freelance writing project to keep me busy. ben's business is steadily growing (did i tell you he started a business?) and we have much to thank God for.






since it might hit twenty degrees tomorrow (hip hip hoorah!) we are planning to head to the zoo. do you have big plans for the weekend? stay warm and bundled, my friends! unless you happen to be on sanibel island like my parents-in-law. in that case, wiggle your toes in the sand for me!

handmade holiday: dolls for the girls!

along with the hot cocoa jars, i made some other gifts this Christmas. the project started back in september with an impromptu trip to the fabric store. after spotting a few great fabric combinations, i decided to sew dolls for jane and her girl cousins as Christmas gifts.



i used the black apple doll instructions via martha stewart crafts that i had saved a long time ago in evernote (another plug for evernote! i find i use it much more than pinterest). the pattern was pretty easy to follow, but the thin doll limbs were a little tricky to turn inside out and stuff.

i squeezed in a little work during naps and such.



and the dolls were finished in time for Christmas! i made a fourth but gave it away to one of my nieces before i got a chance to photograph all the dolls together. jane's is the one on the right. my dad says jane has a "mona lisa smile," so her dolly does, too.

woohoo for sewing projects!

happy six months, little girl!

it was just six months ago that i was walking like jack sparrow trying to get through my contractions. but they brought you, and we are so happy!





praising God for your life. love you, little one!

adorable hat made by my adorable sister-in-law, lauren.

fall photo shoot

this past fall, our small group friends brad and lorna beth asked if i would meet them at minnehaha falls to take some pictures. it was a lovely october day and the trees still had some beautiful colors left on them. these are some of my favorite shots from the day.






























brad and lorna beth have become very sweet friends of ours and i can't say enough good things about them. we are blessed to have them in our lives.