Baby Ollie is Here!

Oliver Bradley arrived on Monday, March 21st at 7:17 a.m.  He was 6 lbs. 1 oz and is 18 1/2 inches long.

I was going to post from the hospital, but frankly, I was enjoying that wonderful, peaceful time too much!  There is nothing like a comfortable bed, kind nurses waiting on you hand and foot, Percocet and hours and hours to snuggle with the cutest little boy I've ever known! OH, he is so precious and has our hearts already!

Here are some of the first photos of him and of our new family of SIX!

Baby "Ollie"

He has all of his fingers and toes...I just love his toes! :)

Some of the most unflattering pictures of me...but I was willing to sacrifice my pride for a family photo :)

Laurel has been waiting for this moment for so long!  She was practicing holding baby Ollie for weeks before he came.  She was in heaven!

Maise loved holding him too.  It was so fun this time considering they were only 13 months old when Norah came to us...this was the first time they "got it".

Norah wasn't sure what she thought  but warmed up to Ollie after a little while.  Grandma Stevenson came a couple of times to the hospital to hold Ollie and help corral the girls :)

 Two of our favorite nurses: Risa and Bautta.  They cared for the twins in the NICU three years ago so it was a really fun reunion!

Today was the first day back home and packing is almost done.  Hard to believe we will be on the road to our new adventure in a week!  I'm still feeling like I just had a c-section but my Mom won't let me do too much and Jeff has been great as usual.  I am in good hands! We are in the midst of "crazy" but it feels OK so far. :)  I'll do my best to keep this updated ...until then, wish us luck!

Favorites on Friday...Japan Relief Edition

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I know I'm not alone in the feelings of concern and sadness for those suffering in Japan right now.  I have had a powerless feeling as we've watched the footage and imagined the overwhelming grief and fear so many families are experiencing right now.  This last Sunday we heard a report from a young man in our congregation who just returned from a mission in Japan.  Hearing him speak and seeing the love he had for the people there, made the tragedy even more real for me.  

So I've been thinking that there is something I can do...I will be donating 100% of all paper doll profits made today to The American Red Cross (I wish I could do it longer but Baby Ollie is coming on Monday so I won't be able to fill orders after Saturday).

If you are looking for a good excuse to get some paper dolls, or some new outfits for the dolls you already own, now is the time!  I'm sure many of you have already donated to your favorite charity and if so, that's great.  I'd love to hear who your favorite charities are. 

Something my friend and I were talking about today is the lack of looting and chaos happening with the people there.  Many of the news reports I've watched/heard say that the people there are organized and patient in waiting for much needed help/supplies.  I'm sure there is some chaos, but compared to what we are used to hearing, I think this is remarkable.

On a much lighter note, wanna know what else I think is remarkable? The fashion that comes from Japan....LOVE it.  Here's a sampling of some of my favorites:

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Do you have relatives who have a special connection to Japan? What are some of your thoughts on what is going on over there?

Guess Who Just Had a Birthday...

We call this her "Beauty School Dropout" look :)

She is our favorite little cherub.  Ooooohhh I could just eat those cheeks!

She brings so much joy and laughter into our home.  I can't imagine life without her!
Happy Birthday Norah Jane!

Favorites on Friday...Inspiring Illustrations

One of the best things about discovering Pinterest is discovering so many talented illustrators.  Here are just a few of my favorites.  Enjoy!

                                                                            Source: aroomsomewhere.net via Hannah on Pinterest

                                                                     Source: blog.theodesign.com via Hannah on Pinterest

                                                                             Source: sebastianfoster.com via Hannah on Pinterest

                                                                             Source: mymodernmet.com via Hannah on Pinterest

                                                                   Source: slowlanenotes.blogspot.com via Charlotte on Pinterest

                                                                                     Source: etsy.com via Hannah on Pinterest

                                                                      Source: writingupastorm.typepad.com via Hannah on Pinterest

So many different styles...which is your favorite?

Micah, Music and The Super Bowl

                                                                            Source: artsoulphoto.com via Hannah on Pinterest

I am a very lucky person in that I have been surrounded by beautiful music all of my life.  My parents always had something wonderful, fun, engaging playing in our home.  I remember as a young child listening to music in the car with my Dad and him encouraging me to identify what instruments were playing.  Unfortunately, I never really learned to do much but sing and play a little penny whistle.  My brothers on the other hand, can make magic out of music.

 Two of them are wedding singers on the side :)

The Gatsbys: Grant (not my brother by blood but in spirit), Cedric and Micah

Micah in particular has made music his living.  He was hired by our local PBS station, KBYU recently to do a whole bunch of music for their "Beehive Stories" segments and "The Generations Project".  He also does all of the "in-between" music on that channel.  It's so fun to be watching a show with the girls (we watch a lot of  PBS in the mornings) and then hear them exclaim "That's Micah's music!"   Most of his short "in-between" segments include him humming...I love his humming...it calms my soul.

Anyway, I thought I'd share some of his stuff with you.

One really cool thing that happened: He did a commercial for Big O tires and it actually aired during the Super Bowl!  I'm not a football fan but it's kind of a big deal...I've posted it here (if you take a moment to listen, you can hear him singing).


This is one of the many he did for the "Beehive Stories" airing on PBS right now:


Zion's National Park pt.2 from Micah Dahl Anderson on Vimeo.

Wanna hear more?  Check out his Blog and enjoy!

Pinterest and March OOM

I'm probably pretty late in the game on this one, but have you discovered the joy of Pinterest?
It's basically a place online to put all of the ideas, images, things you don't want to forget.  I am always bookmarking, saving files etc. of things that inspire me but now I can keep it all neatly online and in categories that make sense to me and are easy to reference!

And it's so easy, I see something I love and I click on a little button called "pin it" and it goes right to my board in whatever category I choose.  Pinterest also keeps track of the original location so I can give credit where credit is due.

I must make a disclaimer though, it is very addicting.  You can "repin" others' "pins", follow other peoples' boards, find friends who share your style etc.  Totally fun and totally inspiring.

It is in beta right now so you have to ask to be invited.  It took about a week for them to process my request and once it came the rest was a piece of cake.

Do you have a Pinterest board? Wanna follow mine?  You can see mine here and if you have one, I want to see!

Oh, and I just realized I never posted March's Outfit of the Month.  Kind of a fun one using the skirt from the Spring line just in variegated greens. :)  If you haven't signed up for the Outfit of the Month club, you can do it now.  Just go here.

Hope this finds you all having a lucky day!

Nesting and Big Changes for Our Family

Hello to all of you from Nesting Land.  At least that's where I hope I am (only 18 days to go...but who's counting)!  So many things going on over here...we've decided to move into my parents' basement a state away while we try and sell our house...two weeks after baby Ollie is born (don't worry we already know we're crazy)!

It has just been a little bit nerve racking trying to keep this too small for us space "show worthy" with our three little mess makers doing what they do best, not to mention packing everyone up and leaving every time someone wants to see the house (or decides not to show up).  Imagining doing it with a newborn was literally keeping me up at night.  My parent's "basement" is actually a nice walk out space with plenty of windows and light...in fact the ceilings are a couple of feet taller than ours! :)  We will have our own entrance and it is equipped with a kitchenette and laundry room.  It will be sad to say good-bye to this house and all of the wonderful people and memories here but, I am excited to have my mom (and grandma) just up the stairs and to be going back to where both Jeff and I grew up.

So, I am busy packing boxes, changing addresses, doing what you do before you move.  I really don't have time for all of the sewing I want to do...but I'm finding bits of time to sneak a few projects in.  Wanna see?

I'm loving the appliquéd onesie idea.  I've seen it all over the place in blogland but just kind of figured it out as I went.  Just basically found shapes I liked using Google images, put iron-on stuff on pieces of material and cut it out and then ironed it on to the onesies and sewed around it...easy and totally addicting....

...as you can see I may have gotten a little carried away!  Some of these are for baby Bradley too :)

I was so excited when I found this owl material by Alexander Henry!  I just love the subtle colors and all of the little owl characters.  I'm planning to make Ollie a little quilt with it but cut out a few of my favorite owls for onesies too.

 And both Ollie and Bradley should be fine in the Pod department.  I decided to use the new rounded bottom pattern that I added last year...just a bit more room for their little toes.  

 all bundled up and ready!

Just finished a stack of Better Burpies using this fabric:

Does it look familiar?  It's actually part of a king sized flannel sheet set I bought at Kohls two years ago for 5 dollars...yards and yards of fabric!  I love it for boys burpies and I've even made a quilt using it.  There is still plenty left for receiving blankets or whatever.  I love when I find a deal like that!

So anyway, that's what we're up to.  Wish us luck over here...It's gonna be a doozy of a month!