hope and honey: 12/1/09

a beautiful word

benign.

isn't it just fantastic?

rebecca is home recovering from surgery. thanks for joining me in prayer.

as we approach the new year, i have been thinking about the purpose of this blog. for the most part, i have limited the content to anecdotes and photos of our beautiful family, lovely home, and evolving artistic endeavors. it has been so much fun to share our lives with those near and far, our family, friends, and even strangers. the plan is to continue to share these snapshots into casita hart.

but blogs evolve. i have made some obvious layout changes, am going through the archives to label past posts and doing other general clean-up. but more importantly, i would like to expand the content. the plan is still taking shape and as it does, i would like to introduce you, dear reader, to the changes.
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one topic i have not addressed often or thoroughly on this blog is my ongoing struggle with fibromyalgia. one day i will tell my story with more detail. but, to be brief, i was diagnosed in march of '99 after spending a year with unexplained widespread pain and extreme fatigue. since that time, i have been learning to cope with the limitations of my illness.

note: this has been an uphill battle fought kicking and screaming. in no way let my sometimes clinical discussion (such as above) fool you. at times i like to remove myself from the ridiculously complicated emotions tangled up in this decade long struggle.

this year, i plan on including more regular posts on how fibro effects my life as a wife, mama, homemaker, friend, artist and most importantly follower of jesus. i admit that this is a bit self-serving - i consider it a type of therapy to compose my thoughts here - i am a verbal processor - rambling about in blogland. (jesse is an excellent sounding board, but our time together is limited and precious. my blog has all the time in the world.)

i think that sharing my stories - letting you in on the blood, sweat and tears - could be encouraging. don't you have something that holds you back from who you want to be? i would guess that all of us could relate to that - whether a physical illness, a spiritual crisis, emotional baggage - we can learn from each other.

not that i am an ultimate authority, but i can share with you our personal journey - the costs (and, surprisingly, the rewards) of living with fibro.

team edward or team jacob?

TEAM ENZO!!!

we are 2 for 2. last monday we took enzo with us to avatar in 3-D. last night it was new moon. (hey, we are making up for several months of no date nights - don't judge.)

not a peep from him either time. our baby rocks. just call us the monday movie trio. . . or monday movie warriors. . . maybe two wild and crazy kids (with a baby)?

(and yeah, i know there is a giant talking pig on the screen. but you didn't think we were going to take a photo during the movie? the previews are fair game, but you don't mess with twilight.)

how to make a baby burrito

disclaimer: no babies harmed in the making of these blankets. although yummy enough to eat, we do not endorse consuming these burritos. only snuggling.

(the sun and my happy baby left moments before this photoshoot. result: sad and slightly blurry photos)

i have had several requests for more info on the no sew swaddling blankets i made and have been using for enzo. sorry for the delay - here is the 411.

i was inspired by rachel's flickr photo. she blogged about it here. the only difference in mine is that i cut a 36" square. i would even go up to 1 and quarter yards square, depending on baby size. it seems, especially at 3am when my eye hand coordination is not spot on, that i need a bit more fabric to make this bundle of yumminess without much effort. but enzo is a tiny guy (in hart sizes), so my one yarders work great.

the array of colors available in double knit jersey is fantastic - saturated brights and soothing neutrals. what's also great, is there will be enough leftover jersey after making your cuts to sew a few hats for the little one.

thanks rachel for the inspiration! i recommend checking out her blog, smile and wave. she is one crafty mama with a great sense of style (and she has some adorable kiddos).

the state of affairs

and i shall call this "christmas explosion"

needs to be remedied asap. that is what coffee is for i guess. especially when one only has 5 hours of patched together sleep.

funny that a year ago, you would not have seen me with coffee mug in hand.

i did get the three bedrooms picked up and laundry started, so progress is being made.

oh and please pray for my good friend rebecca. she is having surgery today. love you hon!

snow! (finally)

snow! (finally), originally uploaded by annaleahart.

they have been waiting all month for this.

it seemed like we were the only city without it in the state of illinois.

enzo and i made it to front porch for a few minutes. he was mesmerized by the feel of the flakes falling on his cheeks and eyelashes. then he decided it was not so fun. and cried.

then we headed inside for mama-baby time. he wooed me with his ever more frequent coos and smiles.

luca and papi built a super cool fort in the backyard. complete with a stick and straw roof.

gia was so ready to come in after 15 minutes and have hot cocoa. so we did.

(and added candy canes to our mugs of course.)

christmas at casa hart

waiting, originally uploaded by annaleahart.

we have been spending a day at home, super chill in our pjs, watching the littles play with new toys, walking a fussy baby around the house for hours, putting together legos and serving pb&j for dinner. seriously. jesse is out picking up a pizza for the two of us and we are going to cuddle up on the couch for the night in front of the tv.

our first christmas as a party of five. i love it.

(but i miss seeing our family and friends this time of year - kisses and hugs to all of you!)

(and see more of our christmas photos on flickr.)

our greatest gift

Raise, raise the song on high,

The Virgin sings her lullaby:

Joy, joy, for Christ is born,

The Babe, the Son of Mary!

joyeux noel

joyeux noel, originally uploaded by annaleahart.

wishing you a christmas full of peace, joy, and love.

love, annalea, jesse, luca, gia, and enzo

family photo shoot 2009

we had a photo shoot two weekends ago with our good friend tracy. she drove out from bloomington-normal and spent the afternoon with us trying to coax the kids to at least be in the frame for the photos. thanks hon!

here is a preview:

month one

we can honestly say we have survived the first month as a party of five. wahoo! (gia is rubbing off on me)

it has been a very full 4+ weeks. i am truly exhausted and would love a full night's sleep. who am i kidding? i would love to just sleep more than 3 hours at a time. it doesn't help that this is typically the busiest time of year and right now i am a walking zombie half of the time.

last week i took an unplanned blogging hiatus. i could not find the time. my spare moments were spent prepping gia's party, working on her birthday present (photos to come), shopping for and wrapping christmas gifts, and zoning out in front of the tv. my grandma came on wednesday to provide some much needed support. it was so great having the company and help. i was able to get out of the house a bit by myself! she also whipped up some yummy food to stock our freezer, so we are set for the next few weeks.

i had hoped to post a "here is enzo at one month" photo with a little update, but it is ultra gloomy here today and i have not been motivated to pull out the camera. maybe tomorrow? the top photo is my fave from last week. isn't it adorable? we went for a well baby check this morning. he now tips the scale at 9 lbs 11 oz, which is only the 55th percentile. i say "only" because i don't think luca and gia ever make it less than the 95th. my concern for a possible thrush infection was confirmed, but i was actually a bit relieved. the pain while nursing has been horrible (for me) over the last few days and i am glad to be able to do something about it. otherwise, he is very healthy boy. yay! he is beginning to coo and we have a couple social smiles from him this past weekend. makes my heart so full. i could just stare at him for hours!

she turned three

and we celebrated with her "favowite things evah" - shoes and the color pink!

reused the birthday banner from last year, but updated it a bit.

there was a request for "lots and lots of pink sparkly cupcakes."

pin the shoes on the gia.
gia poster courtesy of the amazing uncle cameron

waiting patiently for her cupcake.
isn't this the sweetest little expression of contentment?

we collected shoes to donate.

the top of our favor boxes filled with (fruit by the) feet for wearing your favorite shoes, (candy) necklaces to dress-up, and (hershey's) kisses from the birthday girl.

the tutu and sparkle shoes worn daily at casa hart were paired with a mama made shoe shirt. (special request from the birthday girl)

considering we had a baby turn four weeks old the day of the party, i am pretty amazed we even pulled off this party. the key was keeping it simple. as long as we maintain healthy boundaries, i think it is important to keep on living life. too much has been missed in the past due to the limitation of living with fibro. i have learned to change my standards rather than just let the events pass by. so, yes, i sent an evite for this party instead of making super cute pink and sparkly paper invites. and we served simple veggie, cheese, and meat trays, bread, pita, and crackers, and juice boxes instead of coming up with a shoe themed menu with cute finger foods and frothy fruity punch. and my fun idea of decorating shoe boxes for the party favors was forfeited to using candy boxes i had leftover from christmas gifts 5 years back with the kiddos names simply written on top.

i used circle punches (2 and 1 inch sizes), scrapbook paper, and a fine tip sharpie to make most of the decorations. i attached them to toothpicks for the cupcakes and added them to the birthday banner, favor boxes and donation bin to coordinate. we printed out coloring sheets found on-line for a simple craft activity (designing shoes with markers, glitter, pom poms, stickers, and construction paper) and played a simple game (pin the shoes on the gia) easy for the 2 and 3 year old population. the shoe shirt was a small final touch that cost me 5 dollars (shirt from meijer) and 15 minuted to cut and sew the applique from fabric in the stash.

how have the last three years gone by so fast? i spent this morning rewatching the videos taken on her second birthday - too precious. jesse and i have been very sentimental as we realize our baby is now fully in girlhood. can we just slow things down and keep all three of these children in our care from growing up? we are so thankful for being given the opportunity to raise them. but i too often take it all for granted. sooner than later i will have to push them (be it ever so gently) out of the nest. (sigh) i think i need to go have a good cry now.

(and happy 3rd birthday to our niece sofia! love you!)

someone forgot. . .

someone forgot. . ., originally uploaded by annaleahart.

to tell my little bay plant that it is time to go dormant.

actually as such a novice gardener, i am not sure if dormancy is a must, but i did not expect my herbs to grow so much once brought indoors.

guess it likes this window.

where's enzo?

where's enzo?, originally uploaded by annaleahart.

i'll give you a hint: he is much cuter than waldo.

there he is.

fabulousness in the making

can't wait to show you the finished product! honestly, these are knocking my socks off.

oh and here is the result of this morning's haircut. bangs again! i know, i know. didn't i say i was so over them? well, it has been three years. and i needed some style and flippiness while i wait for these locks to grow again. lovin' the look and, as you can see, not taking myself too seriously. :)

meeting the boy

if i keep posting three times a day maybe i will actually "catch up" on all of the happenings of the hart clan. here is another flashback from a couple weeks back. wow. has it really been that long?

the hospital room and our living room, 11.22.09 & 11.23.09

viejo (grandpa hart)

scrunchies (grandma hart)

grandpa cashew (jimmo)

cece (grandma jimmo)

tia becky

jesse's parents and sister had a trip planned to illinois (all the way from houston) the same weekend the cashew arrived. they drove into town less than 24 hours after he was born and came straight to the hospital to meet the little guy. my parents spent the weekend spoiling their older two grandchildren, but stole away for an hour to visit us (letting the other set of grandparents take over for a bit).

of special note: enzo's middle names come from both of his grandpas. david from my dad and jacinto from jesse's. it was so neat to announce his name with both of them in the room the day we came home from the hospital.

the birthday girl

we have a string of december birthdays for the ladies in my family and my grandma kicks it off today.

happy birthday great-grandma lee!
love and kisses, luca, gia, and enzo

you are such an amazing woman. i am so thankful to have you as my grandmother. you have been a figurehead in our family - loving us with your fantastic cooking, advising us with that great eye for design and decor, and impressing us with your superb skills at all things crafty. we are blessed to have you in our lives.

first project a.e.

as gia would say, "tada!"

my first completed project since i joined the ranks of sleep deprived mamas of three children (a.e. = after enzo). yes it was easy and small, but i had to start somewhere. maybe a simple tutorial will be coming. definitely a post on the amazing box of goodies i received earlier this fall making this (and some other works in progress) possible to come.

it's beginning to look a lot like christmas. . .

to the rescue

"the baby's crying! the baby's crying!"

i hear a stampede of little feet running from their closet fort. out come the princess and the power ranger. down the short hallway and into the nursery they run.

"mama, he needs you!"

my guess is that he can wait until after i take these photos. :)

right i am. he sees the looming faces staring down at him and suddenly is more than happy to lay swaddled in that crib. thanks kiddos for coming to the rescue.

same boy

photo credit: john brankin

both of the following statements were made by luca within an hour of each other last night.

"mama, papa, guess how much i love him (enzo)? from his heart to the moon. that's a big love."

okay, lets stop there. maybe the sweetest thing my ears have ever heard. you too? i thought so. this was completely unprovoked and unexpected. he just loves his brother that much.

but no, my biggest little boy also is just that - a boy. and he talks about boy things. at places like the dinner table. also unprovoked and unexpected.

". . . i shook my naked buttcheeks like a mutt in the air."

yes, you read right. the kid was explaining how he mooned me earlier in the day, but the description was extremely . . . unique. (we have since discussed the appropriateness of such behavior. we'll see if it sticks.)

i love this boy.

after a fortnight. . .

. . . i am flexing the creative muscles once again.

made another little knit cap for a soon to be arriving baby boy this past weekend and gifted them with some easy no-sew knit swaddling blankets. (no photos because getting our family of five ready and out the door to make it to the baby shower on time was a major undertaking and a feat to take pride in.)

yesterday, i pulled out some yummy silk scraps to craft some holiday goodness. i finished the project, but do not have a finished product photo to share just yet. probably not too hard to guess what it will be from the above work-in-progress shots.

here is my trusty helper keeping an eye out on my work. i love having him to sneak peeks at while sewing. and when i talk to myself out loud, it seems more appropriate with an audience.