Vintage goodies

Several years ago, I bought a Holga – a cheap, toy camera that takes terrible photos – and I absolutely loved it. The photos the Holga takes come out blurry, vignetted, or with light leaks... You never know what you're going to get. Some of my favorite photos have come out of that camera:

Sacré Coeur, Paris, 2005

But once I got my digital camera, I stopped going to the trouble of buying film and processing it. It was too much of a hassle. So the Holga went into a drawer, never to be seen again. I've been settling for high quality for years. But no more! Nate got me a Diana (a plastic lens for my digital camera) for Christmas. The blur is back!

I love the soft focus and the vintage look. It's not quite Holga quality, but it's a good film-free replacement. And what better lens to use when photographing this adorable, vintage sweater! This sweater was hand-knit by Auntie (Nate's great aunt) for Nate when he was about Walter's age. I'm so envious of her knitting. The patterns are so intricate and there's not a flaw to be found. Auntie put so much time and effort into the sweaters she made for Nate and I'm so excited that Walter can wear them too.

Merry Christmas!

Rain and ice kept us home this year, but we made the most of it. We had some cozy days just lounging around the house. Walter got to be home on Christmas morning to see what Santa brought him, and we got to see lots of local friends and relatives. It was a very merry Christmas. We hope yours was too!

Tired puppy

Cold weather means less playtime and less walks, which leads to more digging and more chewing. So, Molly gets one day a week to play with her pals at doggie daycare. And, one night a week, we get an exhausted dog. She will not move from this chair until bedtime, when we practically have to drag her up the stairs to her bed. Doggie daycare – worth every penny.

Saturday

I still love Saturdays...

Even in winter...

How could I not?

18 months and a few days

Oh my, this boy is getting big! Has it really been a year and half already? Walter is such a good kid. I'm not saying he doesn't occasionally throw himself on the floor in a full-on tantrum, but those times are few and far between. And they are usually about something incredibly important. I mean, really, why can't he play in the dog food? We can be so unreasonable at times.

He really is a very happy kid. He's curious and loves to pretend. His vocabulary is pretty limited and we're still communicating largely with "yes" and "no," but it seems like hundreds of words are on the tip of his tongue. His babbling is more varied each day and he strings together all combinations of sounds. And Walter is starting to recognize letters. He knows a "B" when he sees one. "U" is another favorite. I think he's learning this love of typography from me.

He is the greatest little snuggler I know. The bedtime hugs are the best – his head on my shoulder and a nice tight squeeze. My favorite time of day. I'm going to soak this up while I can. I know it won't last forever.

A trip to the doctor today confirmed that he is doing great and he is still a beanpole. Here are the 18 month stats:

Height: 34" – 90%

Weight: 23 lbs, 7oz – 18%

Click on any photo to see more on Flickr.

Cars

A few weeks ago, I stumbled upon this blog – "So You Think You're Crafty". It's a reality TV-style, craft challenge blog. The contestants submit their entries, and each week someone gets voted off the blog. There have been several great ideas submitted and in week three, the Cozy Car Caddy was entered (craft #4). I loved it – so cute and a great thing to toss in the diaper bag for those times when a kid needs a little entertainment. We could have used this yesterday at the Christmas pageant our nieces were in. Nate and I loved watching the girls perform (they were so cute!), but Walter ran out of patience about half-way through. We only had a pack of tissues and some wipes to keep him busy. Next time we'll be more prepared. Here's my version of the Car Caddy. I'm not sure if I'm going to save it for Christmas or put it straight into the diaper bag.

It's nice to use my sewing machine for something other than taking in the waists of Walter's pants...

Snow Day

We got somewhere around 15 inches of snow – my office is closed for the day!

The snow isn't slowing Molly down.

And being stuck inside isn't slowing Walter down.

Now, naptime. I love an unexpected day off...

Brought to you by the letter "W"

ow. I'm sort of a typeface junkie and I was recently led to this fabulous site – Daily Drop Cap. Jessica Hische is a typeface designer/illustrator in Brooklyn. She draws these fabulous letters each day and generously allows them to be used by bloggers everywhere to help brighten up their pages. Check out her blog and her new website. It's a great source for inspiration on those days when I'm stuck in a rut. To quote Jessica, "Envy can be a big motivator."

I had a hard time deciding which letter to use today, so I went with the house favorite.

Decking the halls

We spent the afternoon putting up the Christmas tree. Walter LOVES it and spent lots of time examining the the whole thing. I mean, there's a tree inside the house! And it has all sorts of cool things hanging from it. Santas and angels and birds and even a giraffe! I admit I'm about as excited as Walter is. I like getting all the ornaments out. They each have a story. Most of my favorites are the ones that Walter overlooks.

This one is from our trip to London in 2005 – inspired by Jean Tijou's decorative ironwork in St. Paul's Cathedral.

Pretend play

This boy loves to watch us cook. He insists on being held so he can see what's happening in the pots on the stove – I'm getting really good at one-handed cooking. He takes what he learns back to his play kitchen. He puts his toy colander into the sink, drains his imaginary noodles, then dumps them back into the pot. He pours a little imaginary seasoning into the pot, stirs it up and tastes it. I taste it. Nate tastes it. It's pretty fun play for all of us. But when he's done, he puts me to work, washing his dishes. Hmmm...

Story dice

I am so excited about this very cool game! I originally found it here, but then saw it again here and here, and I just had to make a set for us (and a couple more sets for Christmas gifting). The rules are simple: roll the dice – as many as you like – and make up a story based on the pictures. It's easy, creative, and you can take it anywhere and play with anyone. Walter can't make up stories yet, but he's been having fun playing with the dice. I like the sort of game that he can grow into.