made in the 216

we made our way to the gordon square district yesterday to check out made in the 216, an event put together by danielle of room service. i mentioned this cute little store a while back, when we found some great animal stamps for emma.

the event featured works by artists all in the local area along with some local live music. i even ran into modern pixie who i met during the vanitylab event. she had some great jewelry on sale during the event.

we had a great time taking a look at all the wonderful work. there are so many talented people out there, and you don't have to go far to find them.

here are some highlights from our outing...















hand dyed t-shirt. notice the 6 fingers?















the ceiling.









aaron and kelsey in action.




snake eyes!












emma thought this owl was a hoot!

simply adorable for my any child's room!

we'll be sure to keep our eyes and ears open for the next made in the 216 event.

duct tape fixes everything

a fun (and interesting) celebration of duct tape at the duct tape festival!




















































parade floats out of duct tape, duct tape dresses, duct tape shoes, duct tape van...it's amazing what you can create with duct tape.

caught!

one of my pet peeves is a dog owner who doesn't pick up his/her dog's poop during a walk and instead leaves those stinky surprises in the middle of the sidewalk, the grass at the park, or in someone's front yard. i mean, i love surprises...just not those kind.

lately, there has been a young looking husky being walked on our street. the walkers vary...from a man, an older teen/young twenty-something girl, or a tween girl.

i saw the twenty-something girl walking the dog a while back. as she was busy texting, the dog left a number of surprises on our neighbors' lawns. i didn't realize it at the time. my naive mind assumed that the dog was going number 1 since she didn't make an attempt to pick up any of the "goodies." how wrong was i!

this afternoon i happened to be at the right place at the right time. the tween girl was walking the young husky while we were outside. the dog stopped at our neighbor's lawn and proceeded to do her business. i waited to see if the girl would pick up after her dog, but she was ready to continue the walk, leaving the mess behind.

"would you like a plastic bag to pick up your dog's poop?" i asked.

"oh...yes please," she responded with a slightly startled look on her face which was quickly replaced by a sweet smile.

in hindsight, i should have given her an extra one for the road. or even told her to knock on my door if she ever needed one during her walk. i don't mind if a dog poops on our lawn. just pick it up.

now the cat poop dotting our front yard is a different story...

save ohio libraries

ohio libraries are in danger. the governor has proposed to cut funding for all ohio public libraries by 50% beginning the new fiscal year.

as a family, we take full advantage and appreciate all of the services the libraries around us has to offer. from borrowing books and movies to participating in the family, youth and toddler programs, we absolutely love all the things the libraries have to offer.

cutting state funding for public libraries could mean limited library hours, staff lay-offs, and program cuts (most often free to the public) to name a few.

please take the time to check out the following links (library links are for those close to my home) for more information, and on how you can contact governor strickland and your local legislator.

save ohio libraries

cuyahoga public library

cleveland public library

lakewood public library

rocky river public library

westlake public library

the state budget must be approved by june 30th, so the best way to voice your concern is by phone or e-mail.

time is of the essence. spread the word.

eyes open

our bald, little man taking it all in.

fathers matter

you are a role model to your children.

your sons will look to you as an example of how to be a loving husband and daddy.

your daughter will look to you as an example of how she should be treated by her own husband.

i could not be the mother i am without your love and support for me and our children.

thank you for the love, the service, the compassion, and the commitment you've shown to our family.

we would not be complete without you.

happy father's day!

wordless wednesday::da boyz

gibson looks more like rolled up burrito :)

more wordless wednesday here and here.

1,096 days

to my sweet girl...

every year, i think i say the same thing.

"i can't believe how much you've changed and how fast the year went."

look at you now. 3 years old. and a big sister.

you're sweet, sensitive, happy, stubborn, vibrant, kind, sassy and bossy all rolled into one. as i'm typing this, you've just awakened from your nap and singing happy birthday happily to yourself. you make me laugh, girlie.

most days you want to do EVERYTHING yourself. but some days you demand to be picked up (daddy mostly takes care of you in this department), or ask to have things done for you. i love your excitement in learning about the things around you. but best of all, i love your desire to learn more about the Lord.

you continue to bring joy and laughter to our family. what a blessing you are my sweet child.

happy birthday!

16 days

i look at you, my sweet boy, and i'm in love.

i fell in love with you before i even met you. and every day since the day you were born, i fall in love with you more and more (i won't hold the fact that you keep me up in the wee hours of the morning against you. or the fact that you've peed on me more than i care to imagine).

when i see you, when i touch you, when i smell you, i am reminded of how faithful God has been to me (to us as a family) and how perfect his timing is in everything.

you, my handsome son, represent his unending love and mercy. you represent the trials and patience we endured as we lost our 2nd baby, and faithfully waited for the Lord to bring us another.

a perfect gift. a perfect miracle.

16 days you've been in this world. welcome to our family. you have a doting big brother and big sister. they love you so much. and your mommy and daddy love you too, little one.

wordless wednesday::artistic display

the display

the artist and his work

observing, examining, pondering, analyzing

more wordless wednesday here and here.

too long

ooh. it's been a while since the last post. just starting to get back into the swing of things. i'm hoping to post more regularly now...even if i have to type with one hand and hold the baby with the other.

speaking of baby. since the previous update, we were finally discharged from the hospital on memorial day since his billiruben was down from 15 to 12. i was glad to be out.

thanks everyone for the well wishes and kind words!