More New Prints

I have REALLY been enjoying making these prints... but the problem is that I keep staying up so late. It is a time consuming project and since the only quiet time I get is after the kids have gone to bed... I end up getting to bed really late. Oh well... at least I'm still young... or that's what I'm telling myself for a few more days. I am just one year short of the big 3-0 on Friday. Maybe I should make myself a celebratory print. Just one short year left of being in my 20's (breathe, just breathe). Not that 30 is old... if you're someone else...

Baby Jack

My friend, Susanna, had a baby boy last Monday... and the baby passed away on Saturday. I can't imagine the grief of losing your firstborn child after six days. It was kind of a miracle that he lasted that long, really. And his death, as tragic as it is, has had an incredible impact on so many people. Their FB page for baby Jack currently has over 1700 members. An anonymous donor paid for baby Jack's funeral in full this morning before the family had a chance to pay. With all of the hospital bills, it was a tremendous blessing to them.

The funeral was this morning... I just keep thinking about that tiny baby coffin that was so small that only two men carried it. You know, it normally takes 8 pall bearers to carry an adult coffin. There couldn't have been a dry eye in the room during the funeral ceremony when we watched a video about baby Jack and his family. That baby was precious. The thing that really strikes me is the way the family is handling this situation with such grace and peace. Susanna was talking about the lonely people with babies in the NCCU that didn't have family and friends surrounding them and asking other people about themselves. I know that the reality of the situation hasn't really sunk in for the family, but the consideration of others in a severely traumatic situation is inspirational. My family has been friends with Susanna's family for years and Susanna was my nurse at my OB/GYN office with my first baby. She was amazing... and still is! With love for the family and especially for Susanna, I created this print (above) and gave it to her at the reception after the funeral today.

Beginnings

Here are a couple of new prints I've been working on. I'm sure I'm driving my family nuts with the time I've been putting in on this... but I'm getting better with Gimp (a free image manipulation software application) and I've found something I really enjoy doing. Yay for me! (Can you tell that I like the color yellow?)

I'm working on another one... should be able to post it tomorrow if I'm not too busy with everything else.

A Tree of Inspiration

So I got some inspiration from one of the blogs I've been reading and decided to try my hand at creating prints. Check out these:

David Turns 3!!!

This year, I decided to do a birthday week with David. We did all kinds of fun stuff. On Tuesday, we went to Pump it Up for Preschool Pop-In Time. (Monday and Tuesday mornings from 10am-11:30am. Cost: $7.65 per child. Adults are free.) Berakkah and Hosanna went with us (some of David's favorite people). Unfortunately, neither Berakkah or Hosanna knew you were supposed to wear socks, so we all took turns wearing my socks... EWWW! I know! But what are you gonna do? Good thing I wear clean socks!

David had a blast going down the big slide!

Okay, so get this... he spent an hour and fifteen minutes bouncing and going down the slide without incident. Then, I decided it was time for him to go potty. As we were getting his pants down, he falls forward. Since he couldn't catch himself with his feet, he fell forward, hitting his lip on the toilet. EWWWW! I know, right! He made a big deal about it for 20+ minutes, but I'm sure it won't be the last busted lip my big boy has.

Then, on David's actual birthday, we went to Chick-fil-a where they were having Superhero night. (Wear your superhero costume, get a free chicken sandwich or kids meal.) PERFECT for David!

Web shooters!

Pictures with the cow (who, apparently, doesn't have a name).

There were lots of super heroes to hang out with, but in the absence of super villains, the heroes started fighting each other... and the ones that weren't in on the fight... shouted, "FIGHT, FIGHT, FIGHT" in the kids' play area! LOL!

At David's birthday party, the kids were invited to dress up like super heroes or princesses. This is Batman (Josh) and Spiderman (David) riding around in their... umm... Batmobile? Spidey-car?

They had a blast with the little ball pit balls. They batted them and threw them at each other.

Keeley even got all dressed up as a princess for the party! Isn't she the cutest ladybug princess you ever saw?

We had silly string for web shooters. Silly string war? Let me tell you how much fun THAT is to clean up!

Oh, but my dad figured out a great way to do the clean up!

Batman and Super Levi share lunch and a wagon.

David and his cake. My dad (aka Boom) and I spent 5 or 6 hours building this cake the night before. I got in bed around 4am. Yuck! But I think it was totally worth it! David had a blast at his party and was a good little guy!!! Yay! Happy 3rd Birthday to my David Russell!

Cherry Trees & Photo Editing

My sister, Berakkah, is gorgeous. Unfortunately (or perhaps, fortunately), she can't see it... she just sees the flaws. The cool thing is, she isn't just gorgeous on the outside, she's also one of the most genuinely caring people I've ever met. Animals and children love her in a way that is extraordinary. I guess you could almost call her a baby whisperer. Sometimes, because she's so giving, she gets run over a little bit. She'll do just about anything for the people she cares about... but don't take her for a spineless sissy. She's got guts! She knows what she believes and will stand up for it. Plus, she has a quirky sense of humor that giggles at boogers and farts. I like hanging out with B (that's what we nicknamed her), especially when we sing together. Her specialty is the high harmony in songs. We also have fun doing art and craft stuff together. I'm often afraid of taking advantage of her because she gives so willingly. Being a mother of two small children, I'm inclined to accept any help available and Berakkah certainly makes herself available in an inordinate way. She's turned into an incredible woman... and I'm super proud!

In Memphis, the cherry trees bloom at the beginning of spring for a max of maybe two weeks. It's a sure sign of spring and many Memphians have a long standing tradition of taking family photos each year when the cherry trees bloom. So far, that hasn't really been a Stablein family tradition, but we've always enjoyed the blooming trees. This year, when my Aunt Carol came into town, we went out and had some fun taking photos under the cherry trees. Then tonight, I had fun using Picasa to edit the photos. I think the photos of B are stunning!

Gutsy

At the moment, I'd describe myself as guarded and overly cautious... not something I'm proud of. Someday, I think it would be amazing for someone to describe me as gutsy (and not just because they read this blog). Gutsy is such a great adjective. It comes directly from "guts" as a description for someone who has them (guts, that is). I admire gutsy people. Like my friend, Emily, for instance, who has a one year old and moved to another city to go to law school. This, after she's already been out of school for a while and had a pretty established life. The problem is, I don't know how to become a gutsy person and there's not exactly an instruction book for people who want to become gutsy... at least not that I know of. So what should I do? How can I become one of those people who GO for it? There are so many things that feel impossible, but I'd like to do them. SO many people fail... but there have to be some who succeed. Maybe one could be me??? I suppose that some people just have more gutsy personalities, but maybe one of the main ingredients for gutsy-ness (is that a word?) is confidence that what you have to offer is valuable and other people will want it.

I still haven't figured out how to even start being gutsy, but I would like to pay tribute to all those who went for it and failed... you're more gutsy than I.