Experimenting

I had another random free find a few weekends ago....a sweet chair, just the size for MJ to curl up and read in. In fact, as soon as we brought it in the door, Meredith promptly brought her dollie and had her own reading session there for the next half hour.

So...since the chair was already so well-loved by the wee one in this home, we decided it needed a facelift in order to stay around. :) Erik went to work pulling it apart this weekend to see if we could experiment with recovering it on our own. I had some IKEA fabric I'd had for a few years now...waiting for the right project. We had just enough fabric, so on Saturday evening Erik and I had a date-in evening and worked on the chair together.

And now...we have a jazzy "new" chair for MJ to read in! :)

Little Tree House

This month we had our first experience at the Little Tree House an indoor playplace in Chestnut Hill. Wow - what a fun place! Meredith played with her friend, "Ju-Dah" (her favorite name to say!).

The hand-washing station was a huge hit! :)

Two Peas in a Pod

Meredith and Lila had a blast together this weekend. We packed a lot of fun and activity into a 24 time frame - it was great! These two cousins lived it up playing all sorts of games together.

bedtime stories with Daddy/Uncle Erik

Then...romp and roll time before bedtime!

(sorry for all the blurry shots - these girls are fast movers!)

um...yes, Meredith is pretending the large magnet in her hand is a touch screen phone... :-/
Still giggly at breakfast! :)

Art Projects

This week we experimented with painting and printing with bubble wrap. So much fun!

Art exploration is one of Meredith's favorite activities. :)

It's been fun to teach Meredith some basic drawing skills - long lines, circles, dots and short lines have been the recent focus. :)

Good times

Last Friday we got to meet wee Micah Joshua McKamy for the first time.

What a sweet little peanut he is with his proud parents!

Meredith loved baby Micah...and she loved acting like a little Mama herself with her babydoll.

Last Saturday and Sunday we had dear friends visit from Rochester. It was a wonderful weekend of relaxing together and sharing our lives with one another. Here are some photos from that sweet time.

Sunday evening we gathered around the fire, ate a variety of snacks and listened to beautiful violin duets. :)

Meredith loved the music! Most of the time she sat snuggled with Roman listening intently to the performance.

Just like old times a the conserve! Heather and Erik were in the same violin studio at Wheaton - playing together brought back many fond memories.

Weekend Away

Erik and I spent 2 days in beautiful Asheville, NC this past weekend. It was our first time away from MJ for an overnight and two full days. She did great without us (woohoo!)...and we were able to have time to reconnect, rest, have uninterrupted conversations (!!), and to enjoy the luxury of sleeping in (!!!!!).

It was a wintery weekend in Asheville - more like Chicago weather than the usual North Carolina weather...but, Asheville is in the mountains. :)

We had a lovely lunch at this cool cafe (thanks for the tip, Jamie!) Take a look at my incredible salad - they even had wheat-free bread as a side option! :)

We walked around the city some, but ended up spending most of the afternoon at a sweet coffee/tea shop to stay out of the crazy blowing snow.

On our drive up to our cabin, we stopped by the famous Penland School of Crafts. We weren't able to go into the shop (closed for the winter), but we soaked in the beautiful and rural setting of the school and enjoyed the magically snowy drive.

Our tiny and oh-so-cozy cabin!

Flying again :)

Meredith had another flying experience (her favorite kind of traveling) this past weekend. At this point she's flown over a dozen times...all as a free traveler sitting on her Mama's or Daddy's lap. :) Soon though, that lovely flexibility (and cheap option!) will be over since her 2 year mark is just a few weeks away!

Meredith loves looking out the window during take off and landing.

inflight drawing time with Daddy

While at Granna's house, Meredith played with a little neighborhood friend, Zach who is about a year older than her. They were fast friends.

I was happy to finish my first knitting project over the weekend: a washcloth for my Mom!

28th Birthday

The Dieffenbach's graciously hosted us for my birthday celebration on Sunday. They made a fantastic meal and a cozy fire crackling away all afternoon warming our fellowship.

Erik sweetened the day with a beautiful cake from Sweet Freedom Bakery

Jenny and I made melted crayon crafts and cut out hearts to sew together hang in our windows for February.

A fuzzy shot of MJ's "nap-head." We couldn't get her to stand still - she loves to roam Adam and Jenny's home searching for any of their 4 cats. :)

Weekend Festivities: Saturday

Many friends and family helped celebrate my birthday this year. Since Feb. 5th landed on a Sunday this year, the festivities were spread over the whole weekend - woot!

Saturday morning, Madeleine and I headed downtown to Sweet Freedom Bakery for some "chat and chew" (so southerners say). :) Sweet Freedom Bakery makes delicious goodies all with ingredients that are allergen free and organic - so, I could eat anything!! What a treat. :)

Madeleine and I showing Erik and MJ our purchases from Spool and Loop!

While Madeleine and I were downtown, Erik and MJ made a special birthday card for me. :)

And...Erik whipped up a scrumptious kale and potato gratin for lunch!

more photos to come with Sunday's festivities and the special cake. :)

MJ's expanding language :)

Late one evening a few weeks ago, Erik got into a very interesting conversation with Meredith. After setting up the camera to capture the event, a story unfolded that was quite engaging - even if he couldn't understand it.

(Disclaimer: MJ is not aware of the camera. You are watching 100%, all-natural toddler, living in the moment!)