Father's Day Diorama

Let's get the baby business out of the way here. Yes! We're pregnant! Yes! It was planned! (This has been, by far, the most commonly asked question as soon as people find out we are having our (gasp) third child.) We are expecting our third little blondie to make his or her appearance around Christmas.

Well, it feels like it has been so long since I've spent any time here in this space, and that makes me sad. I use Cicada to sort stuff out, record it, make sense of it, let it go. It's one of my most favorite selfish hobbies, but the truth is that I am just plum tuckered out. Bela and Mae's bedtime has traditionally been my most productive time of day, when I start typing, when I start knitting. Lately, however, baby Strong #3 has been sending me to bed soon after the girls are asleep. Have I ever been so tired in my life?

But life marches on, and we have been busy. There is so much I'd like to record in these pages so we never forget: Berries were picked and jam was made; the tooth fairy visited our home for the first time in 30 years; our green Honda disappeared into the hands of a thief; I spent three hours wheeling and dealing at the Mazda dealership and drove out with a replacement; and Chris and I spent a fantastic weekend in South Carolina full of family and food, fishing and fun.

Because we were away from the girls on Father's day, we did not get a chance to honor the Dad in our family in the way that he deserved. In fact, on Father's Day I caught a plane from South Carolina to Chicago while Chris drove on to Tennessee and Virginia for a photo shoot that lasted several days. This time away did, however, prove to be useful.

The girls and I had been working on a special project for Chris for weeks, but we had not finished.  We would mention slyly to him every once in awhile that something was in the works, but they were sworn to secrecy and they did not let me down. My ultimate goal in this endeavor was simple: tears. I wanted him to like his present so much that he cried.

And here it is, without further ado, our first annual Father's Day Diorama:
(please excuse the poor quality photos. Believe it or not we found ourselves at home tonight with only the cameras on our phones)

We carried this box into the kitchen and he was visibly puzzled. Front view. 

The back view with the battery box only caused more confusion. 

And here he is at his finest: Chris the fisherman, with his trusty blue and white hat and the orange bucket he takes on all excursions fish related. 

A close up: Doll's body is felted wool. I machine sewed a pair of jeans for little Chris and glued on his hat, stripe by stripe. The  girls drew his face and then we attached his fishing pole. The orange bucket is an old spool of thread wrapped in felt with a wire handle. The foreground lake is coiled, knitted i-cord. 

When we have an opportunity we will photograph it in all its glory, with battery powered stars in the pre-dawn sky (yes, all those wires have a purpose).

We all giggled with excitement and I actually found myself clapping uncontrollably and jumping up and down. As he took in the details his back was to me, but when he turned around I had confirmation that all our work had been worth it. Real live tears, from a man who never cries. Who knew it only took some paint, some glue, some moss, and a whole lotta love. We love you Chris Strong! Happy Father's Day!