As much as we enjoyed playing in the 1/4" of snow in Madison... it's nice to be home.
Every month or so, a giant, Dr.Seuss-looking tractor contraption has to come by and remove most of our snowbanks so our street is more than 6 feet wide.
We got to watch yesterday!
5 makes excellent machinery noises.
For some additional perspective: the fence behind the snowbank is for a tennis court, like 14 feet high.
We've had a pretty light snow year...

A certain someone has really been enjoying having two extra people to lavish him with attention and adoration.
Enjoying it so much, in fact, that he has gone back to two daily naps for the last few days.
Whew!

Just a very few highlights (for now) from our long, family-filled, Madison weekend! 5 did surprisingly well accepting love and adoration from 17 family members for 4 days, but boy was he ever ready for some solo Mama time this morning!
Among the sweetest moments was a fishing lesson from Dad in my parents' dining room.

Baby and Daddy practiced casting and reeling in together until 5 decided it was more fun to be a fish and he chased the crumpled up paper bait around and around and around. He was having so much fun he didn't even notice Mama with the camera!

My sweet sister managed a weekend off and flew out from Raleigh for the weekend. I caught her having a Mother/Daughter moment with our Mom while they candled her ears out in the driveway... we had such beautiful weather this weekend it was hard to be anywhere out of the sun.

Amidst the hustle and bustle of the last two weeks, what with the socializing and trying to do regular things when Winter is only half over and all I want to do is read in bed with hot chocolate and all, I have hoarded a few precious productive moments here and there for me and me alone! I have this incurable desire to make myself dresses, all the time. Which is more than a little crazy because I can't even wear dresses most of the time when someone (ahem, 5) will desperately need to nurse at any minute. So. Dresses.

I really wanted to take another crack at this Lola pattern (see my first attempt here)- mess with the sizing, the sleeves, and the fabric weight. I made this version out of two T-shirts and am just pleased as punch with it. It's kinda short, so I have to wear pants under it, but that's okay because then I am always nurse-able. You may have noticed that the stripes don't line up at one of the seams. I did try to line them up (which is unusual for me) and I know that some of you would be driven crazy by this kind of thing, but it just doesn't get to me. It's one of those very special powers that I have, like ignoring dirty dishes, or stepping over things that I put in front of the door to remind myself to take somewhere...

I also squeezed in a pillowcase top for myself! It's actually made from a pillowcase. A lovely, thrifted, fifty cent pillowcase.
Fred was mystified when I bought said pillowcase months ago. First, we don't need any more pillowcases at home, and second, he could not imagine me wearing anything so girly.

I love it. It reminds me of grandmothers and teacups and houses where all the beds have handmade quilts on them.

5 and I are leaving tomorrow for a rather long visit with my parents, so I will be posting from beautiful Madison, WI!

One of the most important things that my husband and I have in common is that we are both complete and unapologetic dorks. We are not terribly romantic nor are we cool enough to reject such notions altogether. It's clear that we are not alone.

I love the NPR valentines (find them here), I sent some last year, but this one kind of embodies everything I love about my marriage. We occasionally listen to the news on NPR during the week, but mostly, it's our Sunday.
We drop everything to do the puzzle with Will Shortz at 10:40.
I sing along with the guest musicians and Fred laughs at the stupid jokes on Prairie Home Companion.
I get most of my current events knowledge from Wait Wait Don't Tell Me .
Etc etc.
But the best part is the sponsors. Guessing which shows were sponsored in part by Lumber Liquidators and what completely random sounding things each foundation supports (preventing homelessness, tooth decay, child abuse, and nuclear weapons..?) Worthy causes all, I'm super not trash talking, we are just fascinated by what these philanthropists hold nearest and dearest.

I also made Fred one of these super cool pixelated popup heart cards, but on macho granite-y looking paper. And instead of writing a deep and meaningful message, I let 5 color on it.

Keeping with the spirit of dork love, we sent each other Declarations of Romantic Intent from the Bureau of Communication. They have all kinds of fun forms you can fill out and send.

Most years we try pretty hard to have a nice V-Day without spending very much. We have found we enjoy it more if we just make each other a little something and spend an evening together.

I know it's such a cliche, but since we became parents, the moments we share with each other as a couple tend to become few and far between. It makes this holiday a lovely excuse to drop everything, even if only for a few hours, to obsess over this man with whom I plan to spend the rest of my life.

5 and I went to a dance party today. Yeah, we're pretty cool. We were at the hip-happenest lunchtime potluck family dance party in the world. It was awesome. 5 danced. I danced. We ate lunch. 5 ate markers with another little dude. He gave high-fives to big kids. I talked to grownups (!). In fact, it was so awesome that 5 fell asleep 2 blocks away from our friend's house. And slept. for. four. hours. Woah.
So instead of doing anything else of note today, we are going to enjoy the big big batch of vegetarian pho I made yesterday. I got the recipe here. Her photography is better. The pho is delicious. I can't compare it to anything though because I've never had pho before. The broth is definitely the most complicated flavor I have ever created.
It's a lovely thing to eat in this grey and gloomy not-quite-homestretch of winter time- it's comforting because it's soup, but it's also fresh and vegetable-y and green. Yum!

My boys let me sleep in and made me pancakes last weekend. Yum and yum.
(I did have to cook the pancakes, but who's splitting hairs?)

A super tough outtake from the legwarmer shoot.

I finally managed to document nearly the full extent of 5's helpfullness during diaper folding time.

My favorite picture though, is this one, when it's time to STOP helping.
Not happy.
Such a sweet, helpy boy.

Somebody has a birthday coming up.
I won't tell you who, because I want it to be a surprise.
And really, who wouldn't want to be surprised by a pair of bird wings for their birthday?

These were really fun to make, and even more fun trying to get 5 to help me figure out the ergonomics.
The best part?
I happened to have a ton of these feather shapes already! I hardly had to cut any new ones at all!

They were inspired by these. Great tutorial too. I didn't really use it, but, that's just how I roll.

Then I saw that the wings that inspired my wings were in turn inspired by these wings!
For grownups!
So go make yourself some wings!
The main difference between mine and these other two is that instead of ribbon around the neck, I used elastic shoulder straps to hold them on. No choking. Yay!

Last night, the boys went out to play in the snow and watch the moon come out. In the dark. Not ideal conditions for little boys who fall down walking on the carpet...
Fascinated by his amazing shadow cast by the bright bright moonlight, he bent over and over and over until he fell. Face first. Onto the ice-covered driveway. Boo.

This is his first injury that didn't disappear with some nursing and a good night's sleep. I cringe internally every time I look at his poor nose. There's a bit of road rash on his forehead too.

Clearly, it bothers me a lot more than it does him.
Me and my silly mama ego, wanting to be able to protect him from every bump and bruise and then comfort him through all the ones he ends up with anyway.
I'm sure I'll have plenty more chances to get over it.