bleu gingham

Louis had his first encounter with Santa this past weekend. He was more suspicious of Mrs. Claus than Santa. He even gave Santa a little hug before we left. Hopefully this means only good things for Santa visits in the years to come.

For the last couple of years, Taylor and I have loved dressing in our couple costumes for Halloween. Two years ago we were Sheldon Cooper and Amy Farrah Fowler. Last year we were Belle and Gaston from Beauty and the Beast. This year we had another family member to add to our now group costume (plus Abby joined on the fun too). And of course Louis's first halloween costume had to be Wizard of Oz related.. I literally finished his costume 2 hours before we left to visit family members. And I still can't get over it. After getting in and out of the carseat so many times, Lou was over halloween by the time we got to my dad's house (our last stop, thankfully). The wings wouldn't fit in the seat and he got too hot if we kept the hat on, so we kept having to take those off. But he was the cutest damn flying monkey I ever did see.

Louis turned 6 months on Sunday, the 18th. It's crazy to think that this little man has been in our lives for half of a year. Even crazier to think that this time last year we were announcing to the world that he was on his way. At 6 months, Louis loves to roll. He likes to just lay on a blanket on the floor and as soon as I put him down, he's moving to his belly. That's also how he tends to sleep, and we've all been getting more zzz's because of it. He also loves the dog. A lot of times when he's playing on the floor on his belly, I'll get down there and play with Luna in front of him. He cracks up watching her pounce on her toys and drag them everywhere. He loves to pet her, but after a few hair grabbing situations, I've put a halt to that for a bit. We've started to transition to more solid foods here in the recent weeks. Started out with some rice cereal and have since also tried some bananas. He has to be in the mood for it, otherwise he ...

I closed down the etsy shop in March while we prepared for the arrival of Louis. Since then I've been trying to decide when to reopen and what products I want to sell, and I think I want to take a little (big) switch on what items Bleu Gingham has to offer. Back in March, I was asked to show some of my artwork in the local art gallery. It had been a while since I had created any kind of artwork and I was really excited I was asked to show. That event spurred my interest in creating artwork again. It was something I missed and would love to get back into. Therefore, I think Bleu Gingham will officially start to house some of my original artwork. I posted some of the pieces I showed in the gallery in March and I've been brainstorming new ideas to try. I'm hoping to find some time soon to sketch up some ideas. We found some of my old sketchbooks the other day, and I really miss drawing. It may just become my new nap time activity. I'm really excited about this new v...

I'm changing things up a bit here on Bleu Gingham. In an effort to actually post things, I'm going to try using this space as a diary of sorts. Louis will be 6 months next week and I would love to have this little thing to look back on as he grows. I started taking guitar lessons on Saturday. It's something I've always wanted to do, I've just never had the chance. And then my mom suggested I go with her to the lady she takes banjo lessons from. It's been a while since I've had to read music, and a guitar is definitely different than a saxophone, so it's going to take some practice but I'm excited to finally take some lessons.  After I was finished there, Taylor, Lou, and I went with his brother and family to the pumpkin patch. It was such a beautiful day and the kids had a lot of fun. WHYYYY ARE YOU BLURRY! Going on the hayride and seeing the kids climb on the hay bales reminded me of weekends spent out at my grandpare...

Recently, my dad and I took Lou to meet his great-great grandpa. As they sat there looking into each other's eyes I couldn't help but smile. Here was my great-grandpa, who had seen and experienced countless events in his lifetime, looking into the eyes of my son, who has his whole life ahead of him. Who knows what he will live through in his life here on Earth. Who he will meet, what he will see or do, who he will become. But I am so excited to watch him grow and experience life.

Louis James was baptized on May 24, 2015.  My sister, Abby, and Taylor's brother, Landon, so kindly agreed to be godparents. I'm sure they will be the best.  Lou was swimming in his baptism gown, but I was adamant that he wore it. This gown was first worn by my great grandmother at her baptism in 1910. Since then, it has been worn by several people in the following generations. Louis is the fifth generation in our line to wear it, following my grandma, my mom, and then me. It was also worn by my uncle, sister, and cousin. After Louis's baptism, my grandma and her sister decided to place it in a local county museum. Very special. Louis, I hope and pray that you grow to appreciate your faith and that you always turn to God for guidance and thankfulness.