Pre-baby Projects

This week, I realized how close I am getting to having another baby. Only two more months! It seems like this pregnancy is just flying by. While I am super excited to meet our new little boy and see him and Asher interact together, I will miss being pregnant (I love it!) and I'm scared to death of having two busy boys. (It seems that our new baby will probably be even more active than his older brother given how much he wiggles around in my belly.)
So with this fear of never having any time to myself and a sudden spurt of energy, I have launched into working on as many projects as I can. I made a list earlier in the week and have already finished a couple. This weeks projects have included a onesie for our new niece Amanda, a spelling game for our boys when they get old enough to need it, the beginnings of a new tote bag, and the very very beginnings of a few quiet books.

The onesie was inspired by one that I saw at my favorite Fort Collins store- a combination of a kids' clothing and toy store. It cost $34 and Austin was sure that I could make it myself- I did for only about $7. Its a little different than the original one, but I like it better.

 The spelling game was inspired by a blog I saw recently. I know its really early to be making such things, but I was talking to my sister-in-law about it and she suggested that I should start making things like that now so that they will already be there when the boys want me to play with them. Its just a game that allows them to see how words are spelled and use their fine motor skills to open the clothes pin and put the right letter on. I used simple three-letter words as well as words that I thought they would be interested in, like their names and things like truck, train, and boat. It didn't turn out quite like I was imagining, but it works.

I have the tote bag about half way done and imagine that I will be able to finish it in the next couple of days (if Asher naps long enough to let me :). The quiet books will probably take quite awhile to finish, but I have had a lot of fun working on the few pages I have started so far. I want to make one that is for a younger age (1-2 years) and one for an older age (3-6 years) and I have found tons of ideas to keep me busy. I'm feeling pretty ambitious and would also like to make an older one for Austin's sister's kids, but we'll see if that happens.
The other projects that I want to finish (or at least get started) in the next few months are Christmas stockings for our new niece and for our new baby, more learning games for our boys when they get older, the Christmas ornaments I am already working on for all the nieces and nephews, bean bags for our boys to play with, a weather board to help them learn about the weather, an "Our Family" book with pictures of all the family members in it so the boys will know even the family members that we don't live near, an advent calendar to count down the days until Christmas, and two twin-sized quilts with a world map/ship/viking theme to match the way I am envisioning decorating their room someday. (This theme is loosely based on our new baby's name, Leif, which is also the name of the viking explorer who is credited with discovering America way before Columbus did. Our baby isn't named after Leif Ericson, but he is the most famous person with the name Leif and a viking theme is just way too cool for little boys :) Anyway, a few of these projects are really big, especially the quilts and may not even get started for another year or two, but they are on my list just in case.
I'll post pictures of projects in the future as I finish them.

14 Month Addendum

The other day while I was at a prenatal appointment, I dropped Asher off at his Aunt Renee's house to play for a little while. He didn't give me a second look when I brought him into the room with his cousins and didn't want to go home when I came back. They had lots of fun having a picnic and playing in the backyard. Luckily, Renee is a very good photographer and got a lot of good photos.

14 Months

Asher is fourteen months old! He is getting so big and learning lots of new things. He still hasn't wanted to walk, but he is finally getting interested in standing up by himself without holding on to something. I sure hope he decides he wants to walk before the new baby comes because there is no way I can carry two babies around while we are out and about.

End of Summer Picnic

Last Saturday we went to a park up the canyon with Austin's sister and her family. We had lots of fun having a picnic, hanging out on a blanket, and running around in the grass. Asher tried to wander off a few times and join in with other kids, but we were able to keep him with us most of the time.
 
 Asher was very interested in getting into the cooler where all the drinks and food were.

 Asher is always very interested in his new cousin Amanda. This is the best picture I could get with the weird angle I had to use.

 Asher's older cousins, Paul and Ben, were all over the place-- and of course Asher had to try to keep up with them.

T-R-O-U-B-L-E

 Asher loves to get into everything and has recently discovered that not only can he get into all the unlocked cupboards, he can also help himself to any treat that he finds there. 

The other day Grandpa Brent made a chocolate cake. I was excited for Asher to have a little bit since he loves sweets as much as his mama, but Austin had a different idea. Instead of just giving him a little off of our plates, Austin cut a huge piece and just plopped it down in front of Asher. He had a great time eating it and since he was getting tired and started rubbing his eyes, it got all over his face.