New things are great!

I got a new toy, and this is what I made...


A view of the bottom, the bowl doesn't have any finish on it yet but you get the idea. It will probably make the wood a little darker.


An obligatory shot of Mara, cute eh?

Movement and Projects

I'm not sure what made everything click today, but Mara has now entered a new stage in life; a point of no return. She can move forward.


She's also working on "cruising." Standing by the couch (or anything else for that matter) is much more exciting than sitting or laying on the floor.


Ian went to get his hair cut today, and the girl said she would cut Mara's hair for free- so we took her in. She no longer has a femme-mullet! Yay! After her hair cut, Ian went to work and we came home. I pulled out my scrapbook stuff so I could attach the pictures I had arranged a few days ago.

Mara and I were both on the front room floor- me with my scrapbooking and her with her toys. This has never been an issue before since she only moved backwards and in a circle. Then it happened. She saw the page I was working on, and suddenly she wanted it for herself. She wanted to hold the pretty colors! So she pushed, pulled, wiggled and lurched forward! She's been able to inch forward before, but this was different- she was going places! She wanted that scrapbook page!

I'm not sure if she just needed the right motivation, or maybe she's like a reverse Sampson- once we cut her hair, she suddenly had more strength. Whatever the reason, she now army crawls, and she loves it!


Unfortunately, she can now make messes. Today, and only today, I find a sick sort of excitement with her mess. After she sprinted for my page, I scooted her back to her toys, and focused as hard as I could at finishing the page quickly before Mara could take another shot at it. I don't know how many minutes passed, but when I looked up I saw this:


I laughed, grabbed the camera, and then called Ian to tell him about Mara's "first mess" and how cool it was that she has learned to move forward. Then I laughed at myself. Seriously?! I'm excited about a mess?! Wow. So, I decided to call it a "project." I had my project, and Mara had hers.


And as for my project, I've gotten 10 more pages done. Some are better than others, but overall I'm pleased. Mostly, I'm just glad to be making progress! I saved all of our wedding cards, and I'm using them in the Wedding album to give it character and variety. Take a gander...

Snowballs!

Playing at the park

Friends and sisters

Bohman Family

Pierce Family

Cool!

I was quoted :)

Suburbia Exhibit

Sweet.

The Wedding Album (and a note about Mara)

Everyone knows that it takes me a long time to decide anything. Tonight was no exception. I sat down after Mara went to bed to do some scrapbooking with the supplies I got from Patience 2 years ago. After 2 hours, I finally "decided" how to arrange things...on one page. This wedding album is going to take FOREVER.


In other news- Mara scoots backwards and rotates in a circle. She cannot, however, move forwards. Sometimes, this can cause difficulties.

Oh, that smile- I just can't get enough!!