Reading Teepee

Toby will soon move into his new room! We turned our guest room into a 'big' boy room. One thing I was determined to make was a reading teepee. He really enjoys reading books, and I thought it would be a good place for him to 'get away'. I thought I took lots of pictures and notes while making it, but it turns out I didn't or just can't locate them. Here is a short tutorial of what I did.

Supplies Needed:

9 x 12 canvas drop cloth (bought at Home Depot for ~$25)

6 - 1 x 2 8 ft cedar boards

Rope

4-5 yards of fabric

Drill

Sewing machine

Tape measure

- I started by having my very helpful husband :) drill holes in each cedar board 12 inches down. Then we strung the rope loosely through and stood the teepee up in the room so I could space it out and measure the distance between each board.

- I wanted the teepee to be large enough for adults to comfortably fit inside, but not cover up the window that it would sit near. The measurements I went with were 32" between each board except for the entrance. I made the entrance 43". 

- We cut out five giant triangles from the canvas. The base was 34" and the top was 4". To measure the top, I drew a dot at the half way point - 17", then drew a dots 2" on either side of the dot and used a measuring tape to draw a straight line from each base corner to the corresponding dot.
- I cut the opening triangle the same way, using the 45" base. Once the triangle was cut, I cut off a few feet of the base to replace with two pieces of fabric for the door.

- Next, I sewed the six pieces of canvas together with a 1/2" seam allowance.
- I didn't measure the gray fabric for the doors, although I should have though because I had to add some extra green pieces to one side and the bottom. The two pieces still don't quite touch. I folded the fabric twice over and sewed to make a clean edge,then sewed those to the short triangle and the two adjacent sides. I pinned the rope ties to the canvas before sewing gray fabric on to make a tie to hold the 'door' open.
- Once we slide the finished canvas over the boards, we weaved the rope several times between and around the boards to make it secure.

It was a lot of work, but well worth it. He LOVES to play with his favorite toys in his 'tent'. 

Truman James

We have a new member of our family, and we couldn't be happier about the delivery and this sweet addition! He arrived on May 26 at 12:44am in a smooth and speedy fashion.

Birth Story
After having mild contractions the evening of May 25, we officially started timing them around 9:00pm. By 10:30pm we were certain he would be here soon, and we called the birth center. Our friend came over to stay with Toby, and Matt and I left our home arriving at the birth center at 11:40pm. After taking me inside and talking with the midwife, Matt rushed to unload the car. He came inside to help me through a few contractions before I got into the very warm bath (which immediately took the edge off the pain). About 10 minutes in, I felt the urge to push, and within 10-20 minutes he was born in the water. The midwives were so helpful and encouraging, and the water made it so much more pleasant. He came out at 20.5 inches and 7 lbs  11 oz. We stayed at the birth center just long enough for the midwives to perform their routine checks and received permission to leave around 3:00am. I really wanted to fall asleep in our own bed and be able to be there when Toby woke up!

Andy and Michelle drove down that afternoon and helped us during the first few days. We were so grateful for their help!

Toby Turns ONE!

We had a wonderful time celebrating with family and friends this past weekend. Matt's family drove down from Iowa, Andy drove in from OKC and my cousin, Elizabeth flew in from Portland to make his birthday extra special. His party was Milkaholic themed since Toby only wanted milk for the first nine months. He was a little hesitant to dig into his cake, but once the attention was diverted, he thoroughly enjoyed himself. 

The past year has been lots of fun, and we couldn't be more thankful for the joy and blessing that he is. 

Toby's First Haircut

I was so sad to see the curls go, but his new hairstyle makes him look so much older! Toby was very well behaved and didn't make any fuss. He got to play with trains, ride/sit in a taxi car and watch TV which were all great distractions! Although it was quite the experience, we may need to take a lesson from my brother, Alden, so we can cut his hair ourselves because it could really add up. :)

Joys of Teething!

We are so excited that Toby has his first little tooth. Matt noticed a little white patch in his gums last week. I wouldn't have guessed he was teething by any symptoms until after it was pointed out. Now that I know, of course, I 'see' the signs :) 


Toby's been enjoying his swimming lessons. He'll be up to three seconds under the water this week. Matt and I take turns being in the water with him at his lessons. Matt says that the teaching is just as much for mommy as Toby - I just get so nervous sometimes!

We love this little guy so much! 

Road Trips and Family

In the past month, Toby has spent time with 30 of his extended family members - grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, great aunts, second cousins...

- The end of May, our little family took a road trip to Iowa to spend time with Matt's side. We had a good time relaxing, introducing Toby to his Iowa family and enjoyed a fun evening with the Vickers!

- The day after our return Granddad came to visit. He stayed a few days, drove to OKC for a long weekend trip and drove back to spend a little more time with us before flying back to PDX.

- We road tripped down to Austin to see the Zimels and Charley over Father's Day weekend. Andy and his girlfriend, Michelle, met us there. From there, we all went to San Antonio, where Toby and I kept Matt company during a conference and enjoyed the luxuries of the resort.

- Alden bought tickets for Niki and the kids to fly down on a last minute adventure, and we loved hosting them in our triple digit heat. I think they took a few degrees back with them, although you'd only know by looking at the thermometer. Uncle Andy took vacation time and came down for the fun too! We spent lots of time in the pool, played games, played baseball, watched movies, JFK memorial and the boys went to the Rangers game! Toby was so sad when he woke up and didn't have his cousins at his beck and call to entertain him. 


I have said this before, and I'm certain I'll say it many more times, but the age Toby is at now is my favorite! He is so interactive and getting more independent everyday. We feel like he's grown up so much just within the last week! He now eats food, although he has skipped the pureed and likes tiny pieces of whatever we are eating. His favorite are those little baby puffs that melt in his mouth. And he drinks from a straw! Hooray! This is a huge accomplishment since he has refused the bottle. He pulls himself to standing position and alters between army crawling and bear crawling around our house. 

So Grateful!

Toby had his six month birthday today, and to celebrate, he ate avocado yesterday! I'm not sure what he thought of the taste, but Matt and I are having fun with the new milestone. Toby loves being outside, being lifted high in the air, taking naps with his momma, splashing in the bath, evening walks with daddy, being on his changing pad, watching the trees blowing in the wind, iphones, and chewing on everything he can reach. His little giggle instantly melts my heart. He goes to bed around 7pm, and Matt and I freely enjoy our evenings, since he sleeps straight until 6am. We go to bed taking turns talking about all his cuteness.

Matt really enjoys his job and all his co-workers. Everyone thinks so highly of him, and he's proving to be very successful in sales! I am finishing up my part-time position at RemitDATA. I will have been with them for nearly four years, and I am so thankful for this slow transition out. I'm excited to be solely a stay at home mom and see how we will fill our time.

We took pictures of Toby this afternoon in our HOA park. It's hard for me to just post a few, so here are some collages for you to enjoy!