A Shower and a Loss

I've been trying to get all of my pictures printed out and organized.  I found these pictures and they evoked a lot of memories.

 

Let me share.

 

My family and I planned a shower for my sister-in-law Nicole who was expecting her first little babe.  The date for the shower was set for April 28, 2012. 

 

 

Me and my angelic cousin Stacey. 

 

 

Well, that little guy Sawyer decided to make an early entrance and was born April 21st, 2012.  ( The same birth date as Esme who was born just a year prior.)  We continued with our plans for the shower and Sean came in Nicole's stead.  Obviously having Sean at the shower instead of a pregnant Nicole changed things.

 

 We could no longer play measure the belly game or guess the babies weight game as that would have been difficult with a non-pregnant brother.  However, it was fun watching my brother open the gifts and be the only guy at the shower.

 

 

The picture below brought on a wave of thoughts and emotions.  You see this is my cousin-in-law Caryn in white and my cousin Melanie in teal.  Melanie and I are very close in age and while growing up in Ephraim we spent a great deal of time playing and getting into mischief with one another. 

 

If only time could be stopped I would stop it right when that picture was taken and tell Mel don't go get family pictures that night.  Little did anyone know how the next 24 hours would completely alter Melanie's life as well as her families.

 

Mel told me as she was leaving the shower how she was going to get family photos down by the Ogden river later that evening.  As I watched the 10 o'clock news that night there was a report of a family who had been at the river getting family photos taken when their 3 year old fell into the river and could not be found.  My heart immediately sank, could that be Mel?  No I thought, her Corbin was 4 years old, not 3 and the news said a 3 year old fell in. I'm sure other families were getting photos taken by the river, it could not be her. 

 

The next morning I received news it was indeed my Mel.  Her little boy had fallen in the river and despite the best efforts of herself and her husband jumping in after him and nearly drowning themselves, he could not be found.  After a couple of harrowing weeks of searching for his little body he was found on Mother's Day.  My cousin Mel experienced one of the worst things a parent can ever go through. 

 

I look at this picture and I see the before.  Only hours before the heartache and grief and constant pain.  Before her baby was stolen from her and it just makes my heart hurt. 

 

 

My mom with her older sisters, Shauna and Sally.

 



I don't know what is going on in this picture but check out those Dyreng noses.

 



 

The shower was fun to be able to chat and visit with family despite the fact that the mom-to-be was already enjoying her baby.  I enjoyed having my brother there because it's not often you get to throw a shower for your brother.

 

If only things could have been different for my dear cousin Mel.  I'm sure she has a lot of "if-only's" and I can't even imagine the pain she carries with her now.

Enjoying Two Littles

I love babies.  This baby is 18 months old now and I could just eat her up. 

 

She managed to stealthily sneak off with the box of Honeycomb one morning and I found her enjoying her after breakfast snack in my bedroom.

 

She weighs 21 pounds and is only in the 5-10%tile for her weight and in the 50-75%tile for her height at 32 inches.

 

She is talking a lot more saying: all done, night-night, shoe, Eason ( Easton), ball, ginget (which means blanket), more, nose, eyes, bye-bye, baby and lots more- I just can't think of right now.

 



 

I am really enjoying the time I get to have with just these two little juices during the day while the big ones are away at school.  Turns out Marielle is having a fabulous time at all day Kindergarten and so I have learned to enjoy it as well.  She comes home tired but happy.  She loves to learn.

We found this treasure on the side of the road -waiting for a new home.  The girls enjoy playing in it daily, although you can't tell by the look on Esme's face.  She was sad about some purses she wanted at that moment.

 



 

Ana had found all of these purses and Esme, of course, wanted ever single one of them and tried to take them from her just like she does everything on a daily basis.  Whatever Ana has, suddenly it's the eighth wonder of the world and Esme must have it at that very second.  Notice the look of contempt she is giving Ana.

 



But Ana shared her purses and made everything better.

 

 

I'm enjoying the opportunity I get to spend each day with these cuties.  They make me happy.

Craft Loft

Welcome to our craft loft.  When we first looked at our house I knew exactly what I wanted to do with this space - create a craft loft. 

 

 

I found these Thonet style "x" back chairs on craiglist for $25 a piece.  They are from Pottery Barn and although they were in perfect condition I did not care for the shiny black finish.  I had seen similar chairs at Ballard Design, with a different finish, for over a hundred dollars each and figured with a fresh coat of paint I could get a similar look.

I used Annie Sloan Grey Linen chalk paint.  The paint is very forgiving so when the girls asked if they could help I gladly agreed.  Plus the paint is fabulous because you don't need to sand.

The chairs are not perfectly painted by any means- there are definitely some drips- but I enjoyed the time I was able to spend painting with my girls.  They really enjoyed helping mom as well.  After the Grey Linen was applied I took a little bit of Annie Sloan Old White chalk paint and did a white wash.

 

I was very happy with the finished product.  I was hoping for a weathered  look and felt like we achieved it- drips and all.

 

This gem was also a Craigslist find.  A nearby linen store was going out of business and selling all of their shelving.  As soon as I saw this I called knowing it would go fast at the fantastic price of $400. 

 

It was not the easiest thing to move, taking Clint and I about an hour to take it apart and load it up in our van and truck.

 

I love it- it's perfect for the space.

 

I used spray adhesive to apply wrapping paper to the back of the shelves.

                                This parsons table was also a Craigslist find for $100.

The kids love creating masterpieces in their workspace.

 

 

 Adriana forgoes using many of the supplies on hand and creates masterpieces on her forehead instead.

 

 I love how Esme draws people.

 

The drawers are all filled with craft supplies.

 

 

Over the summer we did several craft projects, including these Fourth of July t-shirts.

 

 

 

Here is Easton modeling the finished product.