Back Online! ... to pimp out the hubster!

I'mmmm baaack...

HEEeeyYY  YOOoOOooUU  GUYYYSS!!

Life took a bit of an adjustment when little A-man got to walking, and then just got crazier from there! Once back to work, it was much harder to find the time to sit down and post. We all know how that goes. Then you add another kid to the mix and Watch Out! Time.. personal time that is... is gone. gone. gone baby gone.  But I'm adjusting - with the 2 cuties I have, how could I not?! I'll post pics and updates momentairly.

Right now, I want to PIMP my HUBBY!! For all those still reading this feed (those.. two of you) I'm trying to connect with as many of our friends and family as I can to help Mike get as much face time as possible.  Mike as you all know, has started his own plaster company Michael Lauer Studios, LLC, and took a really big step (especially for him) and NOMINATED HIMSELF for the Martha Stewart American Made Audience Choice Awards!!!

Now all the contestants/artists have to nominate themselves, and you all know how uncomfortable that kind of think makes Mike. He heard about it, thought about it, decided not to do it, and then changed his mind and went for it! I'm really proud of him and want to support him as best I can.

So.  Drum-roll please!!!  Check out my amazing man's work (and he does make be-u-t-ful things - as you can see by the kiddo photos below) and vote for him on his American Made Profile Page. You can vote up to 6 times a day and the contest goes through Sept. 22nd 2013.



Now you know if I took the time to log back in and post and update here, we're excited!! And I hope you are too as you check out Mike's work. He really does make beautiful things, all by hand and with an intense amount of dedication and precision. 

Ok - on to the kiddos....

Little A-man is now Big A-man and his brother Leo is quickly catching up! As I do laundry, I find it increasingly difficult to figure out whose clothes are whose, as they can often wear the same thing!!

Not sure if A is a shrimp or L is huge - I think it's a combo of both. Here are a couple of pictures to make up for lost time:

Little Man chilling on the Beach - very Zen

Leo's version of chill

We took the boys to the Children's Museum, and on the pirate boat they had a jail cell. Aiden wouldn't go in, and I think Leo regretted the fact after he did so. 

After his first really big-boy haircut

And Aiden now loves to get his hair cut professionally - why? Because he get a dum-dum lollipop. Candy. It's what moves him.

They are both growing up really really fast, and yet - there are days when I wonder if they'll ever get out of *insert random stage here* phase. But I love it, and them.


I realize I need more pics of the boys - but they're so full of energy, it's hard to get them to sit still for long enough :)

I hope to post a bit more often, but please take a moment and go vote for Mike!

returning .... after a while

It's been a while, life sped up and now that the craziness has settled - at least for a little while, I am taking some time for a update!

Life here has been going well - Aiden is growing like a weed, and talking up a storm!  Mike has graduated and started his own business and it looks like we're staying here in Charleston, as we just put down roots and bought a house!

Aiden is entering into the terrible two's and we're just hoping it won't be too terrible! He's a very sweet boy who loves to talk (wonder who he gets that from!) and definitely has a mind of his own and can be a bit stubborn (like father like son!)

In the move, we had to switch daycares, and I must say - if you're in the Charleston area, anywhere near Daniel Island, I COMPLETELY recommend Children's Nook -they were wonderful.  We really miss it.

I will post pictures soon to show how much he's grown.


It amazes me how much he talks and understands. He is a curious fellow and always asking "What' that? or What'r you doin?" 15 times a minute!

As I mentioned Mike graduated from school!!! Yeah :) Here is a picture of his senior project, which is the type of work he'd like to do in the future. It took him all year, from the idea, to design, to creation to instillation. I couldn't be more proud:



He has started his own company Michael Lauer Studios and has already started working here in the community at some historic homes and new construction!  Check out the process at his school portfolio website MichaelPLauer.com

Part of the craziness (other than the adjustment of a mobile child) was Mike and I started house hunting and found a beautiful home here in Charleston! It needs some cosmetic updating but has wonderful potential - so I'm sure we've got some projects ahead of us, but that's what's great about having a skilled hubby.

Perhaps the next post will be before/after pictures!

with many firsts...

Originally, this was a post about some knitting, and a trip home, and then Aiden hitting 6 mo. then about mothers day, and a few other things in between all of that - but I'd start typing it out and never have the time to finish a post. So,  I finally realized, I just need to post something! So this is a kind of catch up on it all posting...

Over the past couple of months (yes, I realize it has been that long...) Aiden and I have had a couple of firsts that I'm very happy about/proud of or feel you may find interesting.

First things first on the post of first - the little man himself! I've posted pictures of him up to 2 months so we've got a bit of catching up to do... so here are a few pictures of Aiden as he's grown:

We'll start where we left off... 3 months:

These two are him at 3 months - I didn't get the puppy dog or sign shots during this time - there was too much going on - Mike was away in Italy and I did some traveling back home.. so these two will have to do instead ;) He still looks pretty darn cute to me! The picture on the right is one of his first real trips out in the BOB stroller - I love that thing!

4 months.... too doggone cute! Okay okay, I may have overdone it on the dog theme:

5 months:

Sporting the gangster look thanks to his Uncle Stefan... 

He bought track suits for all the nephews at Christmas - it just fits Aiden now - we had fun with this photo shoot!






 
A few more days and I'll post 6 months and the 7 months. I really can't believe he's grown so much.  He's really starting to look more like a little boy and less like an infant/baby. Everyone tells you, but it true, time does move pretty quick. *sigh*

Here is his first time in the ex-o-saucer, with true concentration:

Man, he just loves that thing!

He had also figured out how to flip back and forth and sit up on his own! Go Aiden!

We had our first trip on a plane together when we went up to KY to visit the grandparents and got to see lots of friends and family.

He attended his first pro-soccer game here in Charleston, where he was so excited, he stayed up 2 hours past his bedtime!

I have some picture of his first time at the beach (just this past weekend!) and of his first try at solids- he loved it! But if I want to get this posted, they'll have to wait, as they're not loaded on my computer.

I had a few firsts of my own - I experienced my first Mother's Day! I know, technically, I was a mother last year, being pregnant but in my mind - that really didn't count. It was a touch sad not being able to share with my own mother, but it was a really lovely day.  It started with a terrific breakfast in bed, and then all day with my two men - we went down to the water front and hung out on the grass in a park and played and enjoyed the sun.

I made salesperson of the month for the first time at work! yeah :) and while Mike is away at his internship this summer (8 weeks in VA) I'll be taking care of Aiden on my own for a while. I do have some friends and family who will be coming in and out, and Mike will be making frequent trips home, but day-to-day it'll be me and the little man!

I've knit my first shawl (a small one) - and was working on a toy, that I'm not sure is turning out as cute as all the other pictures. It's called Lutin, and was posted on a french knitting website (they've since taken it down). I'll post pictures of that when/if it gets done - it's been abandoned  put aside while I work on a few other things.

That's about it for right now. I'm making a mental effort to try and post more often. We'll see how the summer goes with Mike being away.

back at work

Which is my main excuse for not posting sooner!

Starting mid-Jan, I went back to work full time. It wasn't to much of an adjustment to going back - I felt like I settled back into the swing of things pretty smoothly. For me, the big thing was the catch up! I hate the feeling of being behind - even before I've started! So the first couple of weeks was just trying to dig-out from all that had piled up while I was out. I am very lucky, and have great support team at work, and that made it easier.

Then, the first week of Feb. the Little Man started Day care! :( So sad. That was an adjustment in and of itself, ironing out the details of pickup and drop off, what to bring, how much he'd eat, etc. etc. I feel like we're getting a good rhythm now with it too. I like the place, they're very sweet, and they work with me on the breastmilk/breastfeeding, which I was worried about. But I am able to drop off what I pump the night before when I pick him up, and they don't throw away the extra, but use it for the next feeding, I can stop by anytime... all that good stuff.

They say he's a great kiddo - always smiling, doesn't spit up (?? What! he does at home - hmmm... maybe I'm jostling him too much...) only cries when he's hungry. So it sounds like he likes it too! It's nice when you feel comfortable with where you're leaving him.

 Of course, it's been a while with pictures, so... here are a few of Aiden at 2 months. I can't believe he's now 3 months old already! Wave hello honey!

A good family friend came to visit Aiden a few weeks ago, and Mamma Maz and had a great time with Aiden:

I've been knitting, and Aiden's been my model - here's a hat I made for my new....what would they be called if they're your 1st cousin's kid? 1st cousin once removed? 2nd cousin....anyways.. Cooper's hat:

 

Of course, I had to make one for Aiden, which I did - with matching mittens!

This is the first shot, I changed the hat so it's now more of a watchman's cap, but I love this picture :)
And a couple more of my favorite Aiden shots:

He really is a good boy and just so wonderful to be around! It's amazing to see how Mike's face just lights up whenever he's with him - we both just laugh and laugh. I am truly truly blessed. He's started squawking too - I call it pterodactyling - it's just too cute!

Then the highlight of the month for living in Charleston - we actually got snow! Now that completes my experience here and it was the perfect type of snow - here one day, melted the next, still really pretty and not too cold:

And I'll leave you with that image...

relaxing from the holidays

Ahh Family. Gotta love em eh?


Over the Christmas Holidays, my 3 brothers, 2 SIL and 3 kids came to celebrate here in Charleston - it was a full house! Luckily they didn't stay with me, but rented a place nearby, which gave us a wonderful place to all be together, but also the ability to go home and have a bit of our own quite time as well.



Aiden did remarkably well meeting his new little cousins - although I shouldn't call them little - I hadn't seen Dominic since before Aiden was born, and at the time he was probably about the same size back then as Aiden is now, so I was amazed at how different it felt to hold him vs. Aiden! Then Max showed up and at 15lbs was the biggest of the bunch! Gabriella, being the oldest and the only girl, held her own of course and loved asking about all the different babies.

All the SIL bought matching outfits for the little ones, so we took some great pictures - of course getting them all to sit up together took some doing:


(Gabriella, Dominic, Aiden, Max)

there were a couple of meltdowns:


(Aiden, Max, Dominic)
some head-biting:


(Dominic, Aiden, Max)

But we got some cute shots too:

(Aiden, Max, Dominic)


(Gabriella, Dominic, Aiden, Max)


(Max, Aiden, Dominic)

My CA brother made us Christmas Eve dinner - it was fabulous!!! It's been a tradition to do 7 fishes on Christmas Eve with my family, but that dinner first evolved to a 7 seafood dinner, and now a clam-bake. So we had lobster, mussels, oysters, clams, crabs - it was really delicious!

Here's a shot of one of the main dish - even the presentation was amazing:


If you're in the California area and want a to have a great party with some great food cooked by a great guy - check out this site. (ask for Chef Alex!)

Knitting wise, I finished all the Christmas presents I was working on; a pair of legwarmers for Gabriella (that may have to be arm-warmers because she's grown so fast!), a hat for Dominic and my Grumpasarus for Max. I forgot to talk pictures, but I'm hoping they'll send me some.

The following week, Mike's brother and family came into town for a day, and I was able to give their littlest one her birthday present early - it's called the All Over Cables Hat - (ravelry link here) it turned out pretty well and I really liked the yarn - I used Berroco Geode, I loved the colors:



We went down to visit Mike's school and the kids checked out the jail:



It was great to see them all. I hope everyone else had as wonderful holiday and a Happy New Year!