Published by theiowan December 18th, 2009
in Uncategorized.
Here are some highlights from our outdoor excitement following the 18″ of snow we had last week.
Thomas was unfazed and immediately set to work brushing off and climbing up his swing set.
He got stuck in the snow about halfway down the slide. No matter. He repeated the process 20 or 30 more times.
Otto was not so pleased. He was desperate to be with us outside, but couldn’t walk in the thick, heavy snow that was taller than he. I finally brushed off this chair and set him on it, thinking he’d be happier on solider ground. He was, until just after I snapped this photo, when he saw someone walking by on the sidewalk and instinctively launched himself off the chair to charge and bark. He literally buried himself in a patch of snow and I had to rescue him from certain suffocation. But once he found a pre-made track, he was down by the fence and barking ferociously within seconds.
Rosy cheeks!
Thomas now believes that hot chocolate is obligatory after any time spent outside.
Must . . . get . . . all . . . marshmallows!
Published by theiowan December 17th, 2009
in Uncategorized.
wanna see what we’ve been up to in her room?
Now, at this point in Thomas’s pregnancy, we had spent (I am not kidding) probably close to 7 entire days stenciling yellow rubber duckies on the wall. Sorry, Maggie, no such luck this time. It’s the plight of the second child. But we (okay, Will’s mom) did repaint the room in a very lovely neutral shade, and here’s what we’ve added to it so far:
In July, I fell in love with the geometrical flower fabric at IKEA and bought several yards. I decided to stretch them on canvases to make wall hangings, and was originally planning only to make the two square pieces. Then I ran across this rug online, and couldn’t believe how well it went with the fabric.
I finally got around to actually stretching the fabric on the square canvases this past weekend, and I loved the result so much I decided I had to make something else as well, so I went and got another canvas, added some quilt batting and some ribbon, and made the memory board this afternoon during Thomas’s nap. I think the squares will hang on the wall they’re leaning on right now, and the memory board will hang (horizontally, not vertically as seen here) over the dresser/changing table. Then I’ll probably get some letters to spell Maggie’s name above the crib.
The color of the rug is slightly ambiguous in this photo. Here it looks kind of taupish, but the background is actually a very pretty light green. It’s a little easier to see in this close-up:
I have some more fabric, and I’m thinking I’ll make a throw pillow or two to put on the room’s Poang lounge chair. Or, let’s face it. Time is running short. I might have to beg Will’s mom to do it. 
Published by theiowan December 3rd, 2009
in Uncategorized.
Last night we decorated our tree. Here are some photos. (Apologies to those of you who already saw them on facebook.)
(These next two are so similar, and yet I love them both and could not choose one over the other.)
Here’s Thomas telling the baby all about decorating the tree. In his Pirate voice of course. Quick, look away if you’re liable to be terrified by my monstrous girth.
Otto was not amused when we put the Christmas hat on him. In fact, he sat motionless, slightly hunched over and looking straight ahead with an ice-cold, pained stare, for about 20 minutes. Even when Thomas accidentally stepped on him. I think he was trying to communicate telepathically: “Humans, is this really necessary? Bah humbug.”
Finally he moved ever so slightly to look over at me: “Seriously, food lady? Really? It’s so humiliating.” We ended the torture just after this photo was taken.
