Quilted fun!

About 4 years ago my friends and I threw a picnic bridal shower for one of our friends. When we got to the picnic spot my friend Samantha Sorbello whipped out this awesome quilt made out of jeans. The crafter in me went crazy! I knew that I was going to have to make one of these one day! Sam told us all that it was a wedding gift from her mother-in-law, that it was made from close to 20 pairs of jeans, and that she broke a lot sewing matching needles in the process.


I got the instructions from Samantha's mother-in-law not long after our picnic and haven'
t thrown out a pair of jeans since. It wasn't until the weather started to get nice that I decided that it was time to tackle this enormous project. Lori inspired me. She can't walk yet but she LOVES being outside so therefore I figured I'd make this HUGE (and I do mean HUGE) quilt so she can have a big enough space to crawl around on.

Well it took me 5 days, 14 pairs of jeans, 2 spools of yellow thread and 9 sewing machine needles but I DID IT!!



So far its been quite special. Lori took her first step while we were playing on it. She LOVES crawling and exploring the quilt, looking at all the seems and patches. (And trying to eat leaves...)





As usual Lori is all smiles! I can already tell that this summer is going to be really fun for us! She loves it so much I've decided to make it one of her birthday gifts... not that she'll really remember but it's the thought that counts right?

As much as she loves crawling around on the quilt, there is something about it that makes her want to try to walk. Like I said earlier, she took her first REAL step on the quilt and even though she's not walking yet she's getting closer and closer every day we play outside. Here's an action shot of Lori trying to stand up.

oh well... maybe next time!

COUSINS

On February 23d Lori and I flew out to California to meet my sister's baby!
Wyatt Browning Smith

He and I share a middle name which is super special... we're going to be good buddies!! I can tell!

Lori really didn't know what to think at first but after a while she really just couldn't get enough of him...

Here she is meeting Wyatt for the first time...

Cousins in the car, ready to go!

No trip to California would be complete with out a trip to In-N-Out Burger... Lori enjoyed the fries!

Me and the little guy...


Lori and Mommy

The progression of these next pictures makes me laugh...


Lori and her cousin...

poor Wyatt, in the right place at the WRONG time...
"
NO LORI, DON'T TOUCH!"

Notice she is a good distance farther away now... this is not on accident



Uncle Kent, Wyatt, Aunt Megan and Lori


There was one night that I was just SO beat from all the visiting that I got up after dinner and picked up Wyatt and we both fell asleep. When I woke up a few hours later this pi cture was on my camera... I'm really glad someone took it because it's such a special moment.


This is also one of my favorites...
When we were in CA we went to Trader Joe's and introduced Lori to "Buccaneer Joe's Unburied Treasure White Cheddar Corn Puffs... her new FAVORITE snack!! Megan, Lori and I ate half a bag in one sitting. :)
More of the little bubba...


this was a great day... but man, shopping with two strollers was ridiculous.


Grammy and "her" babies!

Another restaurant stop... our favorite Chicago pizza place, Patxi's

Lori got to try pizza for the first time... I think she enjoyed it! (That's my girl!)

These pictures I like to call "photo shoots should not be done before bedtime!"

but matching jammies are SO cute!!


Ok... I think that sums it all up... sorry for the long post!

Evil genius!

I told you she was up to no good!! Here is Lori's new favorite thing to do, reach the things on the coffee table that we've pushed out of reach by pulling out a basket of DVDs and using it as a step. Evil genius! Ok so maybe she's not EVIL but still... she's to busy for OUR own good!

Lori's dedication

This post is LONG over due, almost embarrassingly so but it's such an important thing that it feels wrong not to post it at all.

On November 22, 2008 we had Lori dedicated at Grace Presbyterian Church, our church here in Houston. My family was able to be here so that was really awesome. It was a first for Grace. They had never dedicated a baby before, they have always done baptisms. Jorge and I decided that we would like to give Lori the choice to be baptized someday when she is old enough to understand what she's doing and what it means. This was also a first for our pastor, Doug Ferguson. (Doug married us in Menlo Park four plus years ago, moved to Houston a few months later and then we came out a year or so after that...) In all the years that Doug has been marrying couples and dedicating/baptizing babies he's never dedicated/baptized a baby who's parenthe'd married the parents, until now. :) Lori was the first!



We were really excited that our very good friends Ben and Jenna Kuykendall also had there daughter Rachel dedicated that same weekend!! It was SO special to be able to share that experience with them. We love "doing life" with them out here.





Here are some shots of Doug dedicating the girls.

My mom filmed the actual dedication for us so we can share with our family and friends who weren't able to be there. (i.e: most of you.)

So with out further adieu, here's the dedication...

Up to NO GOOD!

Lori is becoming SO mobile that it's getting really hard to keep her out of "trouble" It's pretty ridiculous. I decided to start documenting her adventures in pictures! (maybe I'll be able to get some videos someday, I just can't figure out how to get them on to the computer... my tech support has been slackin'. Eh hem... Jorge!)

I've been accumulating pictures for a few months now so I'll start with the earliest and end with the most recent...
*for the record... I ALWAYS make sure she's safe before I take the pictures...


Is anything more fun than a cardboard box?


Doing the laundry...


bouncy chairs are NOT for climbing!


She wanted to play with this toy even though it was put away...


ready to go!


This is why she got a tunnel for Christmas!


Playing with the kitty's bowl!


"helping" put away Christmas decorations.


Lori will do what ever it takes to check email!


She went IN to my purse and got out my wallet and then OPENED it... I thought I was a few years away from that.