Anthro Inspired: Bottled Garden Stakes

Hello!  I am linking up with From Mrs. To Mama for her March DIY link up today.

From time to time I torture myself and peruse Anthropologie's website.  Yesterday I saw these adorable garden stakes and immediately was INSPIRED.  They looked simple, sweet, and perfectly SPRING so I set out to DIY them in my own way. 

STEP ONE: I cleaned up an old wine bottle.

STEP TWO: Sullivan and I scoured our yard for a long branch.  Yay for neighbors with large trees!

STEP THREE:  I found some floral wire that I had never found a use for and twisted them around the bottle, securing them to the branch.

STEP FOUR:  I used a little hand shovel to dig a small hole in the grass and wedged the stick in the ground.

STEP FIVE:  Plucked some pretty stems in the yard to display in the vase.

That's it!


Here is what my version looks like.

Pretty cute, right?

I want to get some jute twine to cover the wires but this works for now.  The whole project took me a few minutes and cost next to nothing.  I can't wait to make a few more!  It instantly added a touch of Spring to our little patio.

~Megan

Just Pictures. Friday

Recent happenings

A little story about our visit to the park today.

  

This park is near a daycare and sometimes when the weather is nice the kids walk over to the park for some play time.  Anyway, there were probably twenty little four and five year olds running around.  Sullivan was  in awe of these 'older' kids and eventually got right in the middle of the pack.  One kid in particular asked me if Sullivan was "like a baby", I said he was kind of in the middle of being a baby and a big boy.  This little boy who told me he was four, took Sully under his wing and ran on this ramp with him over and over again.  Sully was laughing so hard and doing jumps and things I have never seen him do before.  There were a couple steps at one end of the play area and I took Sully's hand to help him and the other little boy grabbed his other hand and helped.  Then when the two of them were standing in the mulch I saw Sully reach for this little boy and what happened next completely made my day.  The little boy bent over and picked Sully up and his legs wrapped around this little boy like the little koala bear that he is.  He only held him for a couple seconds and made a comment about him being heavy,  but it was the first time another kid picked up my kid and it felt like a huge moment to me for some reason.  When the little boy had to go he gave Sully a hug and Sully said "bye bye" to him.  They were friends that met at the park.  And now I'm seeing it.  My baby boy is not such a baby anymore.  I'm going to have to let that thought soak in for a little while.

~Megan

Just Pictures. Splish Splash

 

Happy Birthday Amor.

Happy Birthday amor!  

I love you so much and I fall deeper in love with you as each year passes.  I am so proud of all you have accomplished and am inspired by how hard you work.  You are a great dad and watching you with Sully is one of my favorite things in the whole wide world.   You guys have the sweetest bond.

I'll love you forever.

~Megan

ps. we need to get recent pictures of YOU sweetheart :)

Saying Goodbye

I found out last night that the doctor who delivered Sullivan passed away suddenly at 39 years old.  My sweet Dr. Shannon Moorehead, I am completely stunned.  

At my eight week appointment she did all of the normal things and gave me an ultrasound herself.  At my twelve week appointment she listened to me talk about having just lost my job and our uncertainty about insurance, sensing emotion in my voice she gave me an ultrasound to "peek" at the baby.  She loved looking at the ultrasound with me and I remember just smiling so much as we watched our little peanut bouncing around.  Then again at my sixteen week appointment she asked me if we wanted to find out what we were having and we definitely did, so she gave me an ultrasound.  It was then that we found out we were having a boy.

Three of the four ultrasounds I had were given by her.   I was 28 weeks pregnant when August came around and it was time for Arty to start dental school on the other side of the country.  She knew my fears and anxiety over the possibility that he could miss the birth of our sweet boy.  I looked forward to every doctor appointment and it was agreed that at 39 weeks I would be induced so that my husband could buy a plane ticket and be with me in the delivery room to witness what was nothing short of a miracle.

 (Don't mind the position)

I think her face says EVERYTHING about who she was to me.

  I am honored that her hands were the first to touch my sweet baby's skin.  Her's were the first arms to reach for him and hold him and look in his eyes and witness his first breath of air.  My labor and delivery was truly amazing and she was a HUGE part of that experience.

 October 23, 2010

I remember that it was important for me to give her something so I got her a black stretchy elastic headband with a silver sequined bow on it because she sometimes wore cute headbands.

 

A week after delivery I had some bleeding and Dr. Moorehead checked me and gave me her cell phone number to call if I needed.  She encouraged me with breastfeeding (because I had to pump for over a week before I nursed Sully for the first time) and said that she had a rough start with one of her three babies and he ended up doing great with nursing.  She was right, Sullivan loves breastfeeding(even now but that's another story).  When I went in for my follow up appointment she was wearing the headband I got her.  It was the day before my dad, Sully, and I headed on our drive from Phoenix to West Virginia, my voice was shaky and I told her that I hoped she would deliver more of my babies.  She gave me a long, tight hug that day.  

I got to see her this past summer when she delivered my cousin's baby boy, Aden on July 18th.  She was wonderful and talked of her anniversary that had just passed.   Dr. Moorehead was the best doctor I could have ever imagined.  I won't find another like her.  My heart is aching for her husband and three little boys, who she talked so much about.

One last thing.  Sullivan has been known to call people from my phone.  On February 28th he called her cell phone.  I am not sure if he left a message or not but he loves to say "hello."  Anyway, I saw later in the day that she called back.  I wish I would have heard my phone ring so I could have talked to her.  

As always, words fall short to properly convey how she touched my life and my family's life.  She will be so deeply missed.  

~Megan

A boy and his shoes

When we found out we were having a baby boy, one of the things I knew I wanted for him was some Rainbow flip-flops.  I bought these before he was born.

I think they are a size 9-10 and way too big for his size 4-5 foot.  He could care less.  

When we lived in Arizona and visited California there would often be a mandatory pit stop at the outlet store in San Clemente to pick up a few pairs of flip flops.  We all have them and love them.

He loves trying them on.

I think he was saying, "come on momma...put my flip flops back on."  :)

~Megan

Toilet time

I'm pretty sure that Sully will be potty trained before he sleeps through the night.  In fact I have a bet with the husband to that affect.  He'll be 17 months old on the 23rd and has started to do some funny things when he is preparing to go number two.  I know now that when he goes into his closet and shuts the door, it means he is trying to poop.  The little guy wants his privacy!  The other sure sign is when he sprints from point A to point B.  If I see him randomly start to run as fast as he can(sometimes in circles) I'll check his diaper and sure enough he's taken care of business.  He totally communicates.

 This is him in his closet doing things.  I really should get it more organized and functional.

I think it's time to get some potty training supplies.

~Megan

In his element

From day one I have loved watching Sullivan.  I couldn't get enough of him as a newborn.  I poured over every inch of him just trying to burn him at his smallest into my memory.  As he is more toddler than baby now, I find myself completely stunned by the things I see him do.  I love to watch him use his imagination and figure new things out.   

I like to think that we find excitement in the simple things now.  I ask him to help me all the time with things that I could do much faster by myself, but making things go by faster is not my goal.  Sullivan is teaching me to slow down, and so we do.  

He is included in everything (ie: cleaning, cooking, laundry).  

I'll give him a little task like pulling the leaves off of the kale stems and putting them into a bowl, or putting the wet clothes into the dryer with me.  It makes things so much more fun.  

My perspective has changed and I try to fill our days with some excitement.  Yesterday, we went hunting for acorns at 8 o'clock in the morning.  It was cold and we only stayed for a few minutes but he was so happy.  Today we used the "car" cart at the grocery store instead of the regular one.  He hummed and waved the whole time and when I peaked in I saw that he was lifting his shirt up to show everyone his belly.  I laughed with him right there in the freezer section.  

He's been wanting to play in his crib lately.

 First Finger Painting.

Is there anything more beautiful than a child's creativity in action? I don't think so.

The container's for toys have become the toy. :)

Sofie is in jail...haha.

He is just so full of smiles.

I love him.  I love everything about him.

~Megan