my other baby is going to college

My sister Bri and my little E

My "first" little baby, Bri, is headed off to college today! This is crazy! Obviously she's not my real baby...haha. Some of you know, but my sister and I are 9 years and some months apart in age. :) She is like my little baby! All grown up and going off to college. Woah. I feel old now. It sounds cliche but it's true! We spent a lot of time together as kids. When it was time for me to go off to college, I chose to stay closer to home (UC San Diego) so that I could come and visit and remain a part of her life. I'm glad that I did. She's grown up quite a bit since then, and it has been great to see how she is being shaped and molded into a woman of God. She has a heart and passion for the lost and she loves Jesus! I know that God has great things in store for her. My prayer is that she will continue to glorify God in her pursuits and be bold to not only proclaim the gospel but live it out daily. 

Matt, Me and Bri at Eleanor's Birthday

I'll keep this post short and sweet. I love you so much, my special seester! I'll be seeing you ;)

love love love,

Meg

handmade with heart: a few Christmas gifts

Eleanor and I were sick the week before Christmas and a few days after, so blogging and updating on crafts and life stories hasn't been a huge priority :)

Eleanor passed out in my arms when she was sick...this rarely happens!

We are feeling much better, although Eleanor still has a runny/stuffy nose. We joke that "maybe her teeth are coming in" every time her nose is runny or if she randomly wakes up in the middle of the night. Still no teeth here. :)

There has been some scooting/army crawling action going on over here though.

She got herself situated under the recliner. This was the happy face before she realized she was stuck.

On to the real post with handmade gifts...here's a little snapshot of a few of the things I worked on for a few of the Christmas gifts. It was so much fun!

Crayon/Art Pack-handmade by me

Inspiration found via Pinterest (Hope Peterson)  

I looked online for free patterns, but only came across this blog that was selling a pdf pattern. I decided to make my own pattern and just "wing it" :) and this is what I came up with. I wanted to make a crayon holder for my niece who is 18 months old. On Christmas morning she opened lots of presents (Grandma definitely spoiled ALL of us ;) she even got a rock band Elmo! When she went to open our gift, I thought she'd just open it and toss it aside to get back to Elmo and Grover...but she didn't! She loved the crayons and paper and went straight to coloring...everything! Good thing those are washable crayons :) (you're welcome Jaime...haha). I loved the way this turned out and am looking forward to making more as gifts in the near future.

Owl calendar

I also made an Owl Calendar frame for all the grandparents. The photo above is Eleanor with Mister Owly and a monthly calendar print from My Owl Barn. For the last two years, the My Owl Barn blog has been creating these cute calendars. There are over 40 artists who participated this year, each contributing their cute owl drawing to the collection. When you go to the website you can select any of the drawings for whichever month you like, and then print! It's super easy, and super cute! I love this! I should probably have one of these printed for our house too...ha! Check it out if you get a chance!

Last up! Crochet-knot headband for my lovely special seester

Found on You Seriously Made That? blog

The DIY tutorial was free and easy! You can't go wrong there :) I think I'll make a few more, with more chains to make it a little bit longer. I also visited youtube to get a little help with re-learning how to crochet. I've had some great friends help me along the way already (Lindsey, Ang, Alysia). Can't wait to crochet again!

So there you have it...a few of the handmade (with heart) gifts from our Christmas! I may post a tutorial (if anyone's interested) for how I made the crayon pack. 

We had a great time celebrating the birth of Jesus with all of our families. We visited the Nativity Scenes on Euclid, ate amazing food and desserts, opened way too many presents, and enjoyed time with loved ones. I was definitely blessed just to have Ryan home for so many days in a row (he had 3 paid days off from work!). 

Christmas with the Ransoms, Moos & Mullens

Now it's 2012! I can't believe it! The time flew by so quickly! We rang in the new year with some close friends, watching Tron and raving with glow sticks and champagne. What a night :)

I'll be taking some time to reflect on the past year. Maybe I'll post some of those reflections here. We shall see ;) I'll also be posting some "What's for dinner?" recipes and the monthly photo/letter with miss Eleanor...so come back soon!

for a special seester, on her birthday

On this day, in 1994, the world changed forever. Brianna-Nicole -"Lewis"-Bebop-Pikachu-Bockman entered the world.Yep, that was the name you were born with ;)

Mom and Dad rushed to the hospital in the middle of the night and I remember climbing on my bed to peek out the window and watch as they backed out the driveway. Matt and I woke up the next morning, and Auntie Bodo took us to Denny's..."your sister is coming today!" We ate breakfast, and then waited. And waited. And waited some more. "Is she here yet?!" Couldn't this whole birthing a baby thing happen any faster? We really wanted to meet you! Finally, we made it to the hospital. You had arrived. Just in time for Christmas! Well, a week early, to be exact. When we entered the room, Matt rushed to the comfy chair and demanded that he be the first to hold you. I was pretty upset about that. Mostly because he bragged about it for the rest of the night. Ah well :) I still got to hold you, love on you, and take care of you. You were and still are my sweet, dear  little sister.


I am very thankful that God blessed our family with you. You have been a great friend and "special" seester.

I hope this  year is blessed beyond belief! Soon you will hear back from colleges that you've applied to and be preparing to head out into the great big world! wow! It seems like just yesterday, we were holding you in the  hospital, and stuffing you in that great big Christmas stocking :) You have grown up so much and it has been amazing to see how the Lord has been growing you into a woman of God. You are smart, sassy at times ;), and beautiful-just the way God created you. 

I love you dearly and just want to wish you a HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

(Ryan and Eleanor wish you the best too ;) 

much agape,

Meg,your not-much-older and oh-so-wise sister ;)