The Mobile-thing Project

It's always dangerous when I start to feel crafty (as evidenced by my drawer-full of unfinished or failed projects), yet something keeps me going back to the fabric store time and time again.

This time in particular it was to get supplies for this (I took this picture with my phone so it's kinda fuzzy and you can't really see the colors, but hopefully you can get the gist):

I made it to hang from the ceiling above Lincoln's crib, but I'm not sure how I feel about it. It's certainly not the grand masterpiece I had pictured in my head, but the jury's still out. We'll put it to a family vote when Levi gets home.

Arts & crafts aside, Lincoln and I are doing well. He's making his presence well known with his regular ninja moves and I just keep.getting.bigger. I think Belle's already starting to get a little jealous - she sat by me and whined the whole time I was putting together the whatever-you-call-it pictured above. Every once and a while, though, she lays her head on my tummy so sweetly that I'm just *sure* she's as eager to meet the little guy as we are.

Hope you're all well and staying warm (it's been SO cold here!).

Weekend in Chattanooga (the long version)

Last spring Levi and I made plans for a trip to Europe as our big vacation for the year. Levi would play some shows, I would tag along, and we would enjoy traveling around the UK and visiting friends for a few weeks in late January/early February of this year. Plans were made, shows were booked; the countdown was on. Then summer rolled around and we learned that we would be welcoming a wonderful new addition to our family in early March. Even as late as November I was set on making the trip with Levi - I had even gotten preliminary blessings from my doctor to travel - with her disclaimer, of course, that "we'll have to check to make sure everything is okay right before you leave, and you'll have to get up every couple of hours to walk around on the plane, and you'll be pretty swollen for a few days when you get there, but I think it will be okay". As enjoyable as she made it all sound, I was still determined to go.

Several pounds, mounting to-do lists, and maternity-leave planning wake-up calls later my resolve started to wear down. Superficiality aside ("I don't want to meet all of your friends while I'm all waddly and HUGE") the realization began to sink in that a trip overseas while 8 months pregnant probably wasn't the wisest move. And, as great as dual citizenship would be for Lincoln, the prospect of delivering our baby in a different country with an unfamiliar doctor started to seem a little too real and scary for me. SO, yesterday morning I dropped Levi off at the airport and he left for our vacation. I stayed here - in Nashville - with grand plans to have the house all baby-ready when he gets back. I'm a little jealous (okay, a LOT jealous), but he's got a pretty crazy schedule while he's there - 10 shows throughout England, Scotland, Ireland, and Northern Ireland - so it really is better that I stayed. And, as disappointed as I am that I don't get to meet the close friends of Levi's that I've heard so much about, or visit with those that I had the privilege of getting to know during my last trip over, I think it will be that much better when we get to make the trip as a family and we can introduce them to Lincoln as well.

Anyhow... all of that brings me to this: Levi and I decided to take a spur-of-the-moment getaway last weekend before he left. Our last trip as a family of two (well, kind of - you know what I mean). We chose Chattanooga because it's an easy, beautiful, two and a half hour drive away from Nashville and there's (surprisingly) a lot to do there. After a late start and a time-zone change we ended up arriving in Chattanooga around 5:00 on Saturday evening. We went to the Tennessee Aquarium first, which has two different buildings - The River Journey and The Ocean Journey - both of which house amazing displays of fish, sharks, alligators, butterflies, birds (even penguins!), and other creatures. Afterward we decided to check out the Murder Mystery Dinner Theater across the street. The theater was, um, interesting (?) but the food was decent and we had a great time despite the Italian-Redneck wedding story-line.

Sunday we woke up late and found a local diner (Belle's Diner!) for breakfast - well, lunch really, but the chef was kind enough to special-make omelets and hash browns for us even though breakfast food wasn't on the menu. From there we drove to Lookout Mountain. We decided to squeeze two of the attractions offered into the day - Rock City, a beautiful trail up to the top of Lookout Mountain (from where you can see 7 states!), and Ruby Falls, a guided cave tour down to the largest underground waterfall open to the public (260 feet underground). We did A LOT of walking and had an absolutely wonderful time. The entire weekend was spent marveling in God's spectacular creativity and enjoying every moment together - it was perfect!

Here are a few pictures from our trip:

My favorite display

Lincoln's first shark encounter - he's so brave.

Rock City

Bridge to Lovers Leap

View of 7 States behind us

Tight squeeze

REALLY tight squeeze

Super creepy nursery rhyme cave display

Ruby Falls

See all of our pictures from the weekend here.

Weekend in Chattanooga

We had a blast! Details to come...

32 Weeks!

Crib Cave - Her Version

It happened the day before yesterday.
I broached the man-cave sharing subject.

I tried to introduce it gently: "Hey babe, want to go watch the Fiesta Bowl upstairs? Maybe we could take a look at the layout of the music room while we're up there?"

Before I continue, let it be known that I am a firm believer in the music room/man-cave. I would love for Levi to always have his own space to work (and to contain all of those instruments, various collections, concert posters, maps, and the occasional old *really old* badminton racket thumb tacked to the wall).

That said, here are a few editorial additions to the previous account of that fateful evening:

First of all, I'm afraid that the pictures don't do those lovely pieces justice, so I would like to clarify that the " some things stayed BECAUSE others are making their way to ebay" bit refers to a twenty pound lamp (minus a lampshade) that looks like it belongs in the Berenstain Bears' house - that is staying in the room (for now) in exchange for the immediate removal of the SIX FOOT TALL poster of Will Ferrell in daisy dukes. No one should have to wake up to that thing looming over them.

And, when Levi says that he "only argued a little bit about the virtues of a room that 'looked like a dorm room'" what he means is that he responded to that statement with sparkling eyes, a proud grin, and this: "Yeah. It does. One of these days I want to have one of those beds on stilts". Which makes me giggle on the inside and think forward to the day when Lincoln stands in the doorway of his bedroom protecting his loft bed in protest, "but Dad, this is MY room".

Also, it should be noted that the new arrangement of the furniture in the music/man/crib/cave is a major victory in space-usage improvement. We've opened up the room so much that there isn't really even any functional space lost - even with the crib (or, as it is right now, the empty space where the crib will be). It's an amazing transformation. HGTV amazing.

In closing, I apologize for my disrespectful interruption of the imprompteulogy. What I meant to say is that we'll see our fair friend again. The man-cave is far from gone, just temporarily (and partially) re-purposed. I have no doubt that in August, when we embark on a new, hopefully bigger home, the room will be back in all of it's glory.

In the meantime, don't worry, Levi. It's just a crib.


And a diaper genie.


:)

Crib Cave

It happened yesterday.
i began to bid adieu to my man-cave.

Existentially, I believe I am probably victim of the age old axiom of "use it or lose it". I've been touring, rather than recording, (and [sshh] we don't *actually* have internet at our house, because it's expensive, and therefore I must go to WHAT IS THIS?! WE *DO* HAVE INTERNET, BUT ONLY IF I SIT IN THE KITCHEN? thank you, generous neighbors, for luring me into hanging out exclusively in the kitchen.)

Therefore, recently, the cave has gone rather unused, and thus I feel that I have lost my privileges. As we moved things around last night in preparation for "just a crib", I began my rather disheartened eulogy.

"goodbye, man cave. I will see you in about 25 years or so... i am sorry i neglected you a little bit lately, and i will miss you, but i will see you when we are both old."

"it's just a crib.", Heather interjected, completely interrupting this sacred moment of passing. You aren't supposed to talk at a funeral unless you stand up in front of everyone.

Which I was.

Even Belle was watching. It was a moment.

"it's just a crib ...NOW." I said. "But this is just the first incursion. It's just a crib for the first year or so. And daipers. And clothes. But then he'll need a bed. and he'll have toys... He's going to need his own room before I know it. This is just the first step."

"but... this looks like a dorm room." she replied.

I think she was trying to be encouraging.

I think in her head, that sentence could also have been said "But... the aesthetic nature of this room is going to be much greater than it previously has been! it appears that a penniless beer-pong champion has been responsible for the decor, and now we have an opportunity to improve it!"

close.

in my mind, it was translated: "this awesome room that is totally functional (and awesome) and looks like it was decorated by an awesome guy that everyone would love to hang out with... is about to get BABIFIED."

i didn't cry. and i only argued a little bit about the virtues of a room that "looked like a dorm room".

All in all, i think I handled it with grace, more or less. (you'll have to ask Heather if that last sentence is actually true.)

Compromises were made. Some things stayed, other things had to go.

More accurately, Some things stayed BECAUSE others are making their way to Ebay.

At the end of the day, though. I know. It doesn't look that different now, but the trojan crib has been brought into the cave. The incursion has begun.

-Levi

p.s. if any of you happen to have lost track of your sense of humor today, let me clarify - it's totally worth it. i'm ready to meet this kid. it's just one of those things that happens, like changing diapers and not going to as many concerts. I love him already, and he's welcome into the cave and any future permutations thereof.