Doggie DIY

So when I was browsing the web for ideas for the nursery, I came across the following framed picture from Green Frog Art, and I LOVED the aesthetic- especially because we are using a lot of pops of that kelly green around the nursery (well, and I love dogs- have I ever mentioned that?)

...and then I saw the price tag- $160. Whoops. Not going to work. So I started browsing some other items on their site and saw the following pic, which was in a series of four: nap, tickle, sing, and I can't remember the last one. I thought the idea of a little verb above a dog was cute, because it could easily translate to things babies would also do.

But, each picture was listed at $100, so the series was $400 total. Neither of these paintings was reasonable for our budget. So I had to get crafty! I decided that I could try and blend what I loved about each picture and create something on my own at a fraction of the cost. Here's how they turned out:

I paid a few bucks for the three doggie stencils (the bone I had to freehand) and I already had the painting supplies, so the only real cost was the frames. It was really hard to get a pic of all four without getting the glare from the glass, but you get the idea:

For obvious reasons, my favorite is the beagle!

Here's one of my two muses:

And no, we're not doing a doggie-themed room- we're not doing any theme. Instead, we're doing more of a color story. I'm really excited to post pics of the crafts my mom has been working on, but I think I'll wait until the room is a little more finished. Don't come too early, Baby Boy Mitchell, we've got a lot left to do!

Growing, growing, growing!

Here are the three prego ladies from TCC's CH division at around 18 weeks, 21 or 22 weeks, and Hilary is obviously about to pop! I think she is at 35 or 36 weeks, so she'll be meeting the little one very soon! This was taken last week at Hilary's baby shower.

And although I like to blame the stretchy dress for making me look like I'm further along than the lovely Shelly next to me (when I'm actually 3 weeks behind)- there is no denying that Baby Mitchell is growing!

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I've been noticing the baby kicks for a couple weeks now, although it took me awhile to figure out what they were! Now I can predict when the kicks will come- when I sit down at a computer after breakfast or lunch and when I'm falling asleep at night or just waking up in the morning. I just really want Andrew to be able to feel them on the outside and I know we're still a few weeks away from that.

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Hopefully we will have some big news at the end of this week!

...and baby makes three

I haven't had a chance to breathe- let alone blog- since the onset of the Spring semester of my 2nd full year of teaching college. Okay, I am being a little dramatic, but this was certainly the most challenging semester I've ever been faced with. And that was due in part to our wonderful (albeit surprising) news that we can expect a little one this October! Unfortunately my first trimester was pretty miserable (morning sickness), but now that I am in the second trimester, I am feeling MUCH better. I've only taken a couple profile shots to track the bump growth, but here is a picture from my birthday when I was about 15 weeks along:

And here I am at almost 17 weeks:

This is the month when the little one starts to grow like a weed! So in another two weeks I should expect an even bigger bump- right around the time we learn if the nugget is a boy or a girl.

Oh, and all the Indians gear was a surprise from Drew for our tentative trip to Tampa to see Jason play (he may not be playing for the Indians due to an injury) but we're Donald fans no matter what! Although the boys' size jersey probably won't fit much longer because as Andrew says to me "You're growing by the day!"

The Adorable Stillwell Family

So when I got my camera, I told Hilary that I would learn more about it and once I got better at taking photos, I would snap some shots of their super-cute family. Well, it's been over 3 months since I made that promise, and have I learned anything about photography in that time? No. Haven't even cracked the Canon booklet...sigh. But the Stillwells are such a fun and lovely family, I really didn't need any talent to capture their beauty.

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We had a lot of fun at Dorothy B. Oven Park today. Here are some of my favorites:

Some kisses!

For Daddy

And Mommy, too

I can't get over how beautiful this kid is!

Whoops the dress got a little wet. Time for a wardrobe change!

"I'm not sure how I feel about this baby..."

Sierra is a nature girl already!

And a few shots of Mom & Dad

And we even had time for a little treat afterward:

Thanks for being patient with me, folks!

They gave her a camera?!

So I've been waiting 3/4 of 2010 for my new DSLR camera and on Christmas, I got it! Now, let me preface this post by saying I know nothing about photography. I hope to take a class sometime to learn all about the crazy features on this camera in hopes of getting better...

...but for now, I just sort play with the dials and buttons and snap snap away and hope for the best! Can anyone give me any photography tips?

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Here are some pics from Christmas day- and yes, there are a lot of dog pics, but let's face it- they are more tolerant of me snapping away in their faces than humans are.

This is Elgar- he's very sophisticated

Bailey is my parents' beagle. She is 8.

Love when these two play together

After photographing Lady, I am even more convinced she should be a doggie model- she really does seem to pose

These next pics aren't particularly good in quality, but they are too cute to pass up posting.

And a little Sawyer series

A sleeping puppy is a good puppy.