Baby's First Breckenridge Brewfest

Yep, we took our three month old baby to a brew fest.  Thankfully we didn't get too many "what are you thinking, you terribly embarrassing excuses for parents?!" looks... and there were several other kids there.  I had forgotten how beautiful Breckenridge is and it was really fun to see where Nate had lived and worked as he'd spent a year in Breckenridge about 10 years ago.

We also got to try out our new baby carrier:

  After Breckenridge we headed up to Estes to my parents' cabin for my Dad's 60th birthday.  My bro, sis-in-law and their babe Zephyr (almost two months old!) were there too. 

Instead of gifts for my Dad's birthday we rented a pontoon boat on Lake Estes for a of couple hours.  They even had the babies wear life jackets!

On the boat we put baby Mo on the floor to change his diaper and he showed us his new moves...

Jazz Hands!

Opera Hands!

Symphony Conductor Hands!

Freestyle Hands!

He's now 14 weeks old and probably 10.5 pounds, pretty ding dang amazing!   Every single day I'm amazed at how beautiful he is and very blessed we are.  I couldn't ask for a better life.

Five Minute Video of Mo's Facial Expressions... aaawwww....

Bread and Blessings

I recently found a spare few minutes (Mo took a long nap in his swing!) and made this delicious Blueberry Zucchini Bread and wanted to share the recipe.
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Blueberry Zucchini Bread

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar

1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt

1/2 tsp. baking powder

3 eggs

3/4 cup canola oil

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

2 cups shredded zucchini

1 cup blueberries

2 Tbs. turbinado sugar (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degree F. Lightly coat the bottoms of 4 5-inch loaf pans with cooking spray; set aside.

In a large bowl combine flours, sugars, soda, cinnamon, salt, and baking powder; set aside. In a separate bowl combine eggs, oil, and vanilla and mix well. Add to flour mixture and stir until combined. Gently stir in the zucchini and then the blueberries. Spoon batter into prepared pans and sprinkle with turbinado sugar, if desired. Bake about 40 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center of each comes out clean. Allow to cool in pan 10 minutes before removing. Serve warm or cool completely before slicing.

(Recipe courtesy of Parents Magazine)

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I think I had the extra energy to make the bread (after doing the laundry, feeding Mo, changing Mo, cleaning the bathroom, feeding Mo, changing Mo, sweeping and mopping the floor, feeding Mo, changing Mo...)  BECAUSE I got to spend a few days at my parents' cabin outside of Estes Park.  Their home recharges your soul and the mountain air invigorates your very being.  Here's a pic of their "backyard":

Here's "Meemaw" holding the wee babe:

And here's sweet baby Mo after having a bath at the cabin because he had an epic blow-out while Meemaw was holding him!  Even the grossest poops aren't that bad when you look at that sweet face! 

SOOOO BIG!!!!!

Mo can now smile, laugh, stick out his tongue, grab for toys and raise his arms up for "SOOOO BIG!!"  Ooh!  and I'd forgotten to mention that he's already attended his first concert:

He hung out in a sling the whole time and loved it!  What an easy baby he is!  He's definitely a music fan already!!



Baby, baby, BABY OH!!!

Well well well, it's been a lllllloooooonnnnnngggggg time since I've been on this blog because I've been busy being MADLY IN LOVE WITH OUR WEE BABY BOY!! 

Morrison Christopher Hugo Tuck

He was born April 18, 2011 weighing 6 pounds and 7 ounces and measuring 19.5 inches.  We had an exciting delivery as he came earlier than our scheduled c-section -- lucky for me I got to experience several hours of labor and my water breaking, it was the full deal! 

As you can imagine I haven't been especially crafty lately but others HAVE been crafty in honor of Baby Mo.  This quilt my sister ("Auntie Em") made for him:

This handmade lovely features bold, vintage-inspired and tribal prints, animals (including owls, elephants and the cuddly sock monkey!) and is bordered by sky-blue satin.  I'm actually jealous of my son.  :)

And this quilt was made for Mo by my friend Lara ("Auntie Lala") in Seattle:

I am adoring the color scheme and the Asian-inspired prints!  I'm wondering if Mo actually needs two quilts... maybe he'll share with me...  :)

Mo is now seven weeks old and I'm nearing the end of my maternity leave -- except that we got REAL CRAZY and moved to Colorado during my leave and I had to give my notice to quit my job at the  newspaper where I worked since 2006.  Now I'm  in the process of figuring out what the heck to do next to earn our little family some supplemental income.  Nate is blessed to have been hired at the City of Westminster and has a job he likes and now it's my turn!  I'm loath to leave our baby at a daycare when it's so expensive (financially and emotionally) so am currently seeking work-from-home options... let me know if you have any ideas! 

Here are some pics of my little sunshine:



I'm baaaaaa-aaaackkkkk!!!

Where did this past month go?!  I mean, whatthe?!?!  I have been baby-baking and onesie-washing and cankle-nursing and before I knew it another month had flown by!  All of the sudden I'm less than two weeks to D-day!  BOY HOWDY!  Here's a lovely pic for all to enjoy:

Soooo, I haven't been crafty lately but other people HAVE been crafty so I'm sharing their lovelies.  This is the sweater and hat that my Mom knit for Mo which will have him looking like a stylish Nepalese baby!  

And here is the lovely blanket my Mom knit for Mo, it's super soft and cozy and it matches Mo's room which will be in browns and greens:

And here is a very special quilt that Mo's Grandpapi Tom had made out of Grandma Terry's clothes so that Mo can feel her love from heaven.  I love how bright and happy it is!

Here's a pic of Mo's dresser and all of the fun stuff we've collected for him so far:

And here's all of the stuff I need to find places for -- babies need a lot of stuff!  People have been SOOOO generous and I'm feeling really prepared, it's amazing!

And lastly, here's Mo's pack and play which we have in our bedroom and we're using it like a bassinet:

Oh, sweet sweet baby times are a-coming!  C-section is scheduled for April 21 so we're really getting close!  I'M SO EXCITED TO MEET THIS LITTLE MONKEY!!!!!!  AAAAAAHHHH!!!!!!   :) 

In like a lion...

I finally finished my little cubby hat for Mo!  I'm thinking it's more lion cub than bear cub because of the beautiful gold color but either cub, it's adorbs:

I can't wait to put it on his little head!  I don't have to wait TOO long since he's due in 51 days!  Here's a pic of my massive belly:

My friend Erin said I remind her of a snake who's digesting a big meal, like a rabbit or something.  :)

Ooh!  And I found this lovely, soft and sustainable bamboo yarn to make washcloths with:

I love this washcloth pattern because you can knit one washcloth in a little over one 2-hour-long American Idol episode. 

And how do you know Spring is coming?  My lawn boy (a.k.a. Loving Husband) has updated our landscaping!  He built and hung a trellis for some Carolina Jessamin and put our beautiful Agaves into the earth along with some other pretty things like Canna Lilies and Bi-color Iris.  Yea for Spring!!!

It's February already? Where did 2010 go?

It feels like this year is on the fast train to Babyville!  I can't believe it's already the middle of February and our wee spawn is due to exit his warm womb of a home in a mere 67 days.  He's been kicking and hiccuping and poking around in there quite a bit lately, I think he's gonna be a "big 'un"!  When I was back in Colorado this past weekend plenty of people commented on how big my belly was. 

It's really fun to be "large and in charge"!  I weigh more than I ever have and I feel SO happy to be blessed with this miracle inside of me.  In crafty news, while in Colorado I made Mo a babyhat out of super soft washable baby yarn:

I used two of my favorite colors, turquoise and gold and plan to use the gold yarn to knit the babyhat with ears next.  I can't wait to see this little hat on his head!!!! 

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I got home from Colorado on Valentine's Day and wouldn't you know it, my Valentine went ALL OUT!  Nate made his Pasta Natalio which is the dish he made for me the night he asked me to marry him (aaaawwwww) and spinach salad and baguette with vinaigrette dipping sauce.  It was heavenly! 

Maybe if we're nice Nate will give us the recipe for this dish, it's made with farfalle pasta, tomatoes, white wine, cream and basil.  YUMCITY!  

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And here's a pic of the sweet fuzzy babies all chilling together on the couch:

They'd better start getting ready to make room for baby!  :)  

We still don't know where we'll be living when Mo arrives so keep us in your prayers that soon we'll know whether Mo will be a Texan or a Coloradoan!  xoxo

Happy Monday!

I had the house to myself this past weekend while my babydaddy was in Vegas so I tried to make use of the time to be productive and ended up with a couple projects completed but still TONS more I want to do.  Thankfully Mo isn't due here for another 76 days (!) so I have plenty of time to make more softies and bibs and most importantly a babyhat with bearcub ears.  I did end up making a little babyblanket in monkey print with yellow on the back... and two matching burp cloths:

And then of course I could not neglect The Land of the Bootie so made a second pair of booties for Mo out of the speckly yarn in one size bigger than the first pair.  It's just too easy when you can knit up a pair of booties from kick-off to the end of the fourth quarter during the Super Bowl!  Here are the two side by side:

Badorbs!!!!

That's all I have for now but this weekend I'm blessed to be visiting my family in the Rocky Mountains and plan to spend the time in front of the fireplace knitting and sewing!  I'm hoping to have the babyhat knitted up and most of a diaper bag sewn.  I'm excited to use the fabrics my brother brought back for me from Togo... Mo will definitely have a one-of-a-kind diaper bag!  

Happy February!  Spring is almost here!!!  Woot to the MAXXXX!!!!

My First Softie

So, I'm sort of a freak when it comes to reduce/reuse/recycle and I ADORE using old things to make new things and I very much dislike throwing things away.  You may have noticed that what with the tshirt yarn rug and coffee ground body scrub I've blogged about... one person's trash is another's treasure!  So, I've decided to make "softies" for Mo using fabric remnants and Nate's old tshirts.  This is my first attempt and it looks a wee bit wonky but in all honesty, I didn't want it to look too perfect or typical, I wanted it to have a little personality: 

I used a super soft baby fleece remnant for the light gray body and the dark gray tummy is from one of Nate's tshirts.  I guess it's kind of a pillow/softie because I made it big and flat so he can lay his little babyhead on it.  When I was little my mom made me a patchwork dog pillow and I adored the stuffing out of it - I STILL have it and am very careful to keep it from disintegrating.  That sweet dog pillow/softie was made from little squares of fabric remnants my Mom had from dresses she'd made me... her craftiness definitely inspired me to try this little bear pillow/softie. 

Lucky for me the fleece remnant was larger than I'd thought so I made a little matching fleece blanky for Mo -- if we are in Colorado it will get a lot of use as a blanket and if we're in Texas then it will be nice just to throw down on the floor or couch to lay him on:

My Sis taught me this technique of cutting slits and tying knots to finish the fleece edges -- I'm thinking it will be perfect for little babyfingers to grasp and hold. 

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So, since Mo's room will have a Noah's Ark / Jungle theme I decided I'd splurge on this awesome animal "totem" from Hobby Lobby (plus the 40% off coupon was a nice incentive):

It's made of metal and will look cool hanging on his wall... I'm really hoping Nate will let me either paint huge leaves on the walls or at least maybe I can find some giant leaf decals... I really want it to feel jungle-y and fun in his room.  I have no idea how old he'll be before he realizes what sort of decor his room has so I guess for a while the room will be decorated for me and Nate to enjoy.  :) 

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Oh, and I made another pair of little booties, this time out of a natural-colored yarn speckled with mustard and teal flecks... they're a gift for some tiny babyfeet but I can't say for who because they just got dropped in the mail today and I want them to be a surprise!  :)

Aren't they sweet?!  So many booties to make, so little time!  This Spring there will be some serious babyfeet pitter-pattering around our families' houses.  With my sister-in-law's due-date just six weeks behind ours we're going to have some majorly excited grandparents and aunties and uncles around!   I CAN'T WAIT!  I've reached the third trimester (gulp) and feel like this pregnancy is flying by!  I'm just sooooo freakin' excited to meet this little boy. 

Tuesdays with Mo-baby

Well, I finished Mo's first pair o' booties with the new pattern from a really cute book, Simple Knits for Cherished Babies, a gift from Grace's Mom.  The yarn I used is the color "Teddy", a soft pale brown... I couldn't resist it:

These booties are SO DING DANG TINY!!!  This is the smallest size and the pattern gives directions for two larger sizes so I plan to make more booties in the bigger sizes too, can't have too many booties around!  :)

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So I went out on a limb and went to a glass etching class/party that our pastor's wife was hosting.  There were about 25 women there, of whom I knew two, and I learned to etch the chemical way.  It was pretty cool!  It's easy and there's a lot of room for creativity and it could be a really great idea for gifts.  I kept it simple and made votive holders.  For these first three I cut long strips of contact paper and made the swirly design then painted the etching chemical over the entire votive holder, I think they turned out kinda cute:

For these two votive holders I used a "T" stencil and just etched the top half of the glass so there would be the contrast between smooth and etched (frosty parts):

These are sort of hard to see but I didn't have anything to put in the bottom of them to lift up the votive yet.  Today at Hobby Lobby i picked up some cool orange beads that I'll put under the candles then the "T" will be better illuminated - but you get the idea.   I saw the etching chemical at Hobby Lobby for $8.50 and it would last quite a while for small projects, I recommend trying it! 

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Lastly, today Nate received an email from one of his Mom's old bosses from when she did some modeling and the sweet guy attached this picture of her modeling a "business woman".  I've decided she had a tawdry romance novel hidden behind that Wall Street Journal and was trying to keep a straight face:

For some reason this picture of Terry reminded me that essentially we are all here on this Earth to love each other... so let's get to LOVIN'!  xoxo  :)