Holiday Season Photos

Snow!

Believe it or not, we've had our first winter storm of the year! On Saturday we were saddled with about a foot of wet, big flake, get your hot cocoa mug out snow. We weren't exactly prepared for it, as we hadn't yet put away all of our outdoor toys- the sandbox toys are still in the sandbox, and poor Samson's blankets that he usually sleeps on when basking in the sun outside are now swamped in a sparkly white layer of snow. Even though we'll have to dig through the snow to finally put away all of our fall stuff, we enjoyed the snow as it came down, as it finally put me in the mood for the holiday and began to feel like winter here. In fact, the snow as actually kind of fantastic, as we hunkered down, grabbed our warmest, coziest pairs clothes, and settled in for a day of warm food, cuddling and slow, lazy naps.


After Collin woke up from his nap we decided to bundle him up for his first real experience in the snow. Last year he was about 6 months old, so not quite old enough to understand the whole snow thing, and not quite old enough to appreciate all the fun to be had with snow balls, sleds and stomping around in boots. We took Collin out, fully dressed from head to toe in winter gear: snow pants, boots, a big poofy layered winter jacket, fuzzy fleece hat, mittens for making snowballs, and a big smile on his face. Once we got outside and we plopped Collin down in the snow he stood there a bit unstable. Since it was his first time trying to traverse in his boots he was a bit ambivalent and had a hard time walking around. He fell down, sort of in slow motion form, like watching a tiny little little bobble-head down topple over. Once he recovered from his fall, Drew showed him how Samson likes to chase and tries to eat snowballs, which Collin found hilarious. Soon after he was anxious to see what the snow was all about and asked to go down the slide, so we moved the snow from the slide and let Collin take a ride, which was much faster than normal because of the slippery snow.

The snow didn't stop until Sunday, leaving us with over a foot of the white fluffy stuff, which still seems to be sticking around. I can't say that I'm upset about it sticking though, it sure puts me in a warm and cozy mood, ready to celebrate all of the good things in life, as well as the new and exciting things that are just around the corner for us.

Soft and Cuddly

As we anticipate the new baby I've been trying to find ways to prepare for him so that the pieces of his room mean something and eventually wind up as keepsakes from his childhood. I've decided both to make an afghan and a quilt, with the afghan taking priority, so as one of the many many projects I've been working on, here's what I've been up to. You can get a sense of the colors in Baby Hollman's room by the squares. There are a total of 156 small squares and there will be 25 larger squares, each larger square being the equivalent of four smaller squares.

I didn't learn to crochet until last Christmas, but I'm so glad I did, as I like it much more than knitting and I feel like I can create about a million different stitches. Granny squares are one of the easiest and most well recognized crochet patterns, and I just love their sentimental feel. Although, I didn't want a granny square afghan that was what most people envision, the traditional black centered squares put together in a boring box pattern, instead I used this afghan as my inspiration and picked vibrant colors that will compliment the baby's room.

I can't wait until it comes together, I'm about half way there, and just beginning the larger squares. Before we know it we'll be able to wrap baby Hollman up in the warm, soft cuddly creation and welcome him home to the brisk cool air of Minnesota :)