Growing out.

Meet the cradle.

It is almost done with....for now. And I don't think it's has ever had a proper introduction.

When I was pregnant with Addie, I was gifted this handmade cradle from a dear family from back home. It was built by a dear friend of mine, painted white by my mother with a hand sewn skirt, and shipped out to her first grand-daughter Addie. I painted a lion (Aslan to be precise) laying in a garden of flowers,  just days before my first child was born. The Narnia books have always meant a lot to my husband and I, and this we felt represented so much of what we hoped for our little girl.

Since her birth, each of my babies have spent their first few months here. They have all loved being swaddled, and so it has done just fine. Ella is now over 8 months old, and is growing out of it quite quickly, but since we are just days away from moving....she will have to wait a bit more for her big girl crib. In the mean time, this cradle has served us so well and so I'm saying "Good-bye old friend. I hope to see you again some time soon."

It's my bit of magic in the nursery.

My kinda irresistable.

Can you get any cuter than this?

Nope. Sorry. She's the top of my can't-handle-it-any-more-she's-so-cute meter. In fact, she broke the meter.

She is my happy baby, and I couldn't be more lucky to have a baby with such an easy temperment with all that is going on right now...she just kinda rolls with the punches.  Rolls being the key word.  I hear the 3rd baby is like that. She has no choice, I guess. Life is such right now that "crazy" becomes her "normal."

She's making it really hard for me to get off the floor/couch/bed and do something productive like....oh....housework or packing.  Smooching her is about all I do around here (Well...besides illustrating the book, mothering 3 kids and trying to move in a couple weeks).  Ella is a pretty good distraction.  And I don't really mind!

Happy Tuesday!

Oh, and thanks for all your congratulations on the house! This is really such a big deal for us since we have been living out of boxes it seems like for so long. We finally feel like we are "settling" here in Utah, not just temporary residents. It's a good feeling.

Our little house.

Oh gee...I'm still here. Yes, I am alive. Feeling like I fell off the internet planet for a bit...and for good reason:

We bought a house.

Ya, only a small purchase with minimal amount of stress. Oh boy...We have been house hunting for wow...over a year now?  I know this is confusing for some who follow this blog closely....we almost bought a house over Christmas, but it fell through when a higher bid came in unexpectedly at literally the very last second. But, we're relieved now because we have finally found a place to put our family! And we love it! We've actually been in total transition for over a year, and trying to move to a more permanent location for 3 years. I will still be pinching myself until it closes in 2 weeks...but it's basically a done deal.  It's a fixer-upper with a lot of work to be done, but we are up for the task.  We fell in love with location (up in the mountains) and the charm and potential of the home is so appealing to us.  We are firm believers in the "teach your kids to paint the fence" kind of upbringing, and this is definitely one of those homes! In this case, even the fence needs to be rebuilt...along with many other things....and I have visions of working on the house together as a family over the years. The mild amount of chaos that a fixer-upper brings only compliments the artistic lifestyle we crave, and I am just aching to get in there and paint and make it a magical place.

And no...we will not be keeping the avocado green. I love avocados with a passion...just not in my stairwell.

Who knows...this blog might start turning into a "before and after" blog.  You'll at least get to see the studio...which won't be presentable for a while I am sure.

So, is this a good enough excuse for being silent for 10 days? Wow. These are really big decisions, and frankly...it's been all consuming. In a good way. It's just a house, but it's going to be our home, which requires a lot of thought, prayer and patience!

I'll keep you posted! The idea of finally making a home the way I want it, and not waiting move again (this will be our 6th move in 9 years) is giving me such a sense of artistic freedom to make a real home for ourselves. I can't wait!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

Ok. It's official. I am currenly in holiday treat mode and snuggling on the couch with babies mode. I love the holidays, and I hope you enjoying this time too! I'll be back in 2010, but I want to wish you the Merriest of Christmases!

Much love,

sarah jane

Joy.

Hope you are enjoying the last week before Christmas. We're keeping things simple this year, and I am loving it. Especially because it means more time is spent with these chubby cheeks. Happy Holidays everyone!

PS: remember...2 more days to order in the shop for Holiday arrival. Enjoy!

*Photo filtered with Eye Candy actions.

Gerber Baby.

Ella started eating rice cereal (which is comedy at it's best) and on the box, I saw her twin. Little Baby Gerber. If I were a die-hard, I would have tried a bit harder to get Ella's mouth to open a bit more. But this is basically why I can't get enough of her cuteness. It's too much sometimes...we all go a little nuts over her. This morning it was her coos, yesterday it was her cheeks, and the day before, it was her awesome thighs. The loving never ends. And truthfully, I am just glad we already have a portrait of Ella...completely free of artist fees:) Ya, Ya. It's on a cardboard box, but we're on a budget these days.

My wild thing.

{pic from my sister's phone}

So I got to thinking: my posts have been rather gentle and warm and fuzzy lately. I haven't been getting you behind the scenes that much...which is probably a good thing. Life with 3 under 4 has been a rather big adjustment for us. Well for me, at least. Things really do have rough edges around these parts though....on many levels. Let's start with Ella's do: a good metaphor for my life at the moment...wild but fun.  I got my hair cut the other night, and my hair dresser insisted getting the flat iron onto her mohawk (Ella has naturally curly hair + mohawk. We love it.)  Ironically, my hairdresser was sporting a "messy" mohawk too. (Please don't bring that hairstyle back!) But oh...she looks so cool. Rad even.  She is a rather darling Rock Star, I must say.

I'm going to make this her official 5 month picture.

This morning's top 5 reasons why I love being a mom:

1. Waking up this morning to bed full of children who love snuggling me and the baby....and manage to make it a pleasure to get up for the day.

2. Listening to my 4 yr old sing "One short day in the Emerald City" from Wicked last night over and over again until she finally fell asleep.

3. Having the excuse to not do laundry yesterday because I visited a friend with just as much newborn sleep deprivation as I have.

4.  Watching my kids make what toys they don't have out of paper and scotch tape.

5. Eating Ella's cheeks all day yesterday, and waking up to see that she still has just as much cheekage today. Yummy.

I love my job. I love my kids. The little moments of beauty far out weigh the chaos, and I just love observing these little people learn about their world. And I love their world. I love to be in their world.

My goal for today: to crouch down a little lower, and view the universe with a bigger heart and bigger eyes. And maybe, if I'm lucky, trick all the kids into taking a nap!

Happy December everyone!