A wife, mom, and knitter...

Moving my blogs

2010-05-25T10:31:00.002-05:00

You can find me now at Living and Learning my new Wordpress blog.

The joy of mud.

2010-05-18T07:00:00.000-05:00

These pictures don't need much explanation. I let Zane enjoy some time playing in the mud last week. It was so much fun watching him explore.

Zane was screeching at me because he wanted to go back outside and I thought he needed to come in and get dry and warm.

A quiet afternoon, ahhh...

2010-05-12T13:14:00.005-05:00

I am enjoying a quiet afternoon today. Two little ones are napping and the other two are enjoying a video. I am enjoying the smell of my afternoon coffee brewing and apple chunk bread baking in the bread machine. My quiet moment could end anytime but for now I will enjoy it. I thought I would take a moment to update my blog with some recent moments with the kids.

These pictures are of Annika helping me make waffles. I finally got a waffle iron a few months ago and Annika likes to flip them over and help me make them.

Jude really enjoys throwing the frisbee in the yard.

Zane likes to smack the ball with his hand and then crawl after it. He is starting to take more steps and I think he will be walking soon.

I can never resist taking a picture of Zane's smile :)

I'm excited to see his eyes are going to be deep dark brown like Annika's.
Jude with some crazy hair and his trains, he recently got his hair cut so he is looking a little more polished these days.

Annika watering flowers and trying to get herself wet.

She loves flowers and was so excited to have her picture taken in them.

What can I say I have a tree climbing princess here. She did not know I was watching her and it was so funny to see her throwing her arm out and posing, I had to try to get a picture.

White Bean and Kale Minestrone

2010-04-26T06:00:00.000-05:00

I was thinking recently how I used to post recipes on my blog and I miss doing that. So I have decided I am going to start posting some of favorite recipes again.

My first recipe is from the book Feeding the Whole Family: Cooking with Whole Foods. I absolutely love this book and highly recommend it. This recipe along with a video is on their website Cookus Interruptus. They have some great recipes on this website and their videos are fun. This stuff is super delicious and quite simple to make. To make the meal complete we serve it over brown rice and add a salad. Notes on changes to the recipe, we use grated parmesan cheese instead of the pecorino cheese and I use about a 1 1/2 tsp of rubbed sage instead of the fresh sage leaves. I prepare quite a few meatless meals in our house and this is one of our family favorites, with the exception of Jude who has had an aversion to anything green since birth but that could be a whole another blog post ;)

Yummy

Zane after filling his belly

Growing and Discovering Each Day

2010-04-21T15:24:00.007-05:00

Although I miss Zane's snuggly newborn days it is such an exciting time watching him grow and discover more in his environment every day. Zane loves to clap and move his body to music. He is having fun discovering the sounds that the different instruments make and he loves me to sing to him and tries to sing too. He loves to play in the yard with sticks, leaves, and balls. He is working on saying some words and likes to imitate anything we do. He is such a happy little guy and graces us with his beautifully cheesy smile frequently. His big brother and sister love to include him in their play and you can tell he takes it all in.

Exploration with instruments.

Tasty tambourine

Somebody left some chalk out

A nice big stick

Zane has fed himself since he started solids with the exception of yogurt. He is now starting to learn to use a spoon on his own. Here he is using the hand and spoon method.

I love the yogurt beard he is wearing :)

Best Friends

2010-04-19T21:19:00.004-05:00

If you ask Jude or Annika they will tell you that they are best friends. Here are a few pictures of them having fun together.

They were doing some imaginative play here, something about the sea I think. Maybe he was rescuing her.

Then there was wrestling.

Then there was chasing.

Annika's Birthday, the pictures

2010-04-14T06:00:00.000-05:00

Her actual birthday
Annika was very excited to finally get the fairy I had been knitting for her. The first time she saw this in my knitting book she asked me to make her one. I gave it to her in the morning and she was thrilled!

She also got The Princess and The Frog dvd and leapster game.

Celebration with Grammy Gayle

This was one of those spontaneous Annika modeling poses

Zane's Birthday, the pictures

2010-04-12T21:53:00.003-05:00

Can't go wrong with a train

A typical family picture

Tasty car wheels

Now for the fun

I would say that he enjoyed his cupcake

The leapfrog walker that Jude got on his first birthday is now being enjoyed by Zane

Gratitude

2010-04-11T21:26:00.002-05:00

I could go into more detail but the short version is we found out this week that the state was going to require us to have ground cover under our swing set for our daycare and we had about 30 days to get his done. Jason and I began talking about what to do about this because it was yet another expense and we had just paid a large amount of fees for the daycare when we moved into our current home. Since I only have two daycare kids and I am not making a huge income with the daycare we were talking about closing and figuring out another way to earn this income. We were really torn with what to do as I have been caring for these two children for over a year and there is a strong attachment with them. I had found out the week before that one of these boys was going to be leaving at the end of the month to be at home with his mom. I wrote a letter to these families and told them about our situation. The family of the one little boy that I was still going to be caring for talked to me and they were very upset about the thought of losing me as their son's daycare provider. They told me how they had not been happy with his other providers before and how grateful they were for me and the care their son got while he was with us and offered to do the work needed. We talked to them about this Friday and here it is Sunday evening and the work is done. The little boys family came this morning and his father with Jason assistance laid out the landscape timbers and 80 bags of mulch later the work was done. I made lunch and we ate together, it seemed like a small thing I could do for such a generous act. We talked and the gratitude goes both ways, they feel it is a small act for having such a good place for their son to be. I feel humbled once again by the kindness of others and pray that God will allow Jason and I to be in a position in the future to give to others.
Before

After

She's 4!

2010-04-08T07:33:00.006-05:00

My sweet Annika came screaming (loudly) into my arms 4 years ago today. She is my very sweet, energetic, friendly, spunky little girl and I love her very much. Happy Birthday my sweet Annika Renae!
Newborn

1st Birthday

2nd Birthday

3rd Birthday

My 4 year old

Zane's elephant

2010-03-31T06:00:00.002-05:00

In February I started knitting an elephant to give to Zane on his first birthday. Here are some pictures of the finished elephant and my attempts to get Zane to pose with it. It was very funny, every time I handed it to him he threw it, I think we were playing catch with the elephant.

Sewing: Finished Projects

2010-03-30T13:43:00.007-05:00

I have not been sewing much the past several months because my main focus has been school but I made time this month to do some sewing projects and it has been great. I have finished an Easter dress for Annika and an apron for my niece for her birthday. I also have another dress pattern and fabric cut to make Annika's birthday dress and I have fabric ready to make a matching apron for Annika.

Here is the apron I sewed for my niece for her 7th birthday. I'm excited to give it to her this coming weekend. This is my review and details about the pattern. The fabric Annika picked out last year when I was at Joann's together, I bought it was a 50% off coupon, I love Joann fabric coupons :)

Annika modeling the apron.

For Annika's Easter dress I used the same pattern from last year. This is just a different style from the same pattern. Jason got to pick which one I was going to make. Annika requested purple so I found some cute lavender plisse fabric. I'm not much for frilly lace and found some ribbon lace and thought it would be the perfect trim. It turned out just like I hoped it would. I learned a few things doing the pattern again and I had her try it on and adjusted the elastic for the neckline since it was very wide last year. I finished this last night and she was thrilled to see it done and try it on this morning. She loves when I make her things and well she also loves dresses!

Finished dress

Showing her new dress

Here is a sneak peak of Annika's birthday dress.

Another note for others who sew sewing pattern review is an awesome place to read pattern reviews and see finished projects before you invest your time and energy. I have found this to be a great resource anytime I'm planning a project I always go there first.

Zane's 1st year

2010-03-25T06:00:00.002-05:00

It it hard to believe it has been a year, it has went by far too quickly. I tried to soak in all the moments of Zane being a baby. I've enjoyed snuggling him, nursing him, wearing him, and kissing him a billion times. I love that Zane is so expressive and doesn't mind letting you know when he is not happy and he also is great at sharing the best smile that will brighten your day! It's been fun watching him with his older siblings and I could not be more proud of how great they are with their baby brother. I am looking forward to this next year and all the new milestones we will experience together. I am truely blessed with a wonderful family!

My squishy newborn Zane. Zane arrived last year a few minutes before 8:00am. It was a long night and I was glad to spend the day at home snuggling him after her was born!

The sweater I made Zane

Growing

Becoming more expressive

Perfecting the smile

With his big brother and sister

The signature finger sucking

The award winning smile

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MY VERY SWEET BOY!

A year ago...

2010-03-24T06:50:00.004-05:00

I woke up that morning having no idea I was in for a sleepless night :)

The final belly shots I took.

Zane and the lemon

2010-03-16T11:25:00.004-05:00

After we made a lemon cake this morning I noticed later that Zane was reaching for a lemon wedge on the table and decided I would see what he thought of it. He kept eating it despite the faces. The only time he spit any out was when he bit off a piece of the rind. So like any good mommy I took pictures.

Rind yuck!

Thanks mommy for letting me try this.

Siblings

2010-03-16T07:50:00.003-05:00

I will say it again but I am truely blessed to have children that play so well together. Jude and Annika are best buddies and they are great about including their baby brother into their games. He gets all sorts of things created for him.

Here is Annika picking up Zane she loves to drag him around and he usually enjoys it.

Zane was watching Jude play trains, he seemed fascinated.

And Annika with "Lamby" just because they are cute!

Room decorating

2010-03-09T14:55:00.004-06:00

Jude and Annika share a room and I finally got their room decorated. Inspired by my friend Elizabeth's post about wall decals we decided to get some to help personalize their room. Jude loves his Thomas trains and his train table so we decided that Thomas train decals would be perfect for around his train table. Annika of course loves bright colors and flowers so the flowers and butterflies were perfect for around her bed. The kids both helped direct me where to place them and put some of them up themselves. Annika was very excited and told me she had hearts in her eyes after we were done, funny girl! They both love it very much and Jude told Annika her flowers were beautiful, always the sweet big brother.

Pictures

And not to leave out the cute baby. A snapshot of Zane after he enjoyed some of mommy's delicious black beans.

11 months old

2010-02-25T14:15:00.004-06:00

Yep that's right, my baby boy is getting very close to his 1st birthday. Look what he discovered this morning, there are really cool things in the kitchen cabinets. It kept him very occupied while I cooked pancakes, yay! I told Zane I have enjoyed every kiss and snuggle of the past 11 months and thanked God for allowing me to be Zane's mama :)

Pictures that make me smile

2010-02-22T06:49:00.007-06:00

The other weekend I got to babysit my neices and nephews and it is so great how well they all play together. The older 5 play so nicely and they are so fun to watch. Then of course the youngest two, Zane and my neice Adelle have each other to "play" with too. They are so cute together they poke at each other, grab toys back and forth, and crawl over each other. Neither one of them gets distressed with the other. Not to mention they are soooo cute!!

Here is a picture of Zane and Adelle after my attempt to keep them out of the kitchen. They both wanted to chew on the baby gate. Issy with her beautiful smile watches too.

Zane looks particularly mischievous in this one.

These pictures are from one the spring teaser days last week. Looking forward to more of these days soon!

Zane munching on a stick

My handsome big boy

A picture of my Annika, entertaining us!

Another mischievous Zane picture, he is getting so big.

Ready for Spring

2010-02-16T07:01:00.003-06:00

It hit me last week, I'm done with winter. The kids are bouncing off the walls these days and I'm ready to be able to escape and enjoy being outdoors with them. I am grateful that we are able to use our sun room to ride bikes and run around but it does not replace time in the fresh air. But we will trudge on and make the best of these cold days.

Here are a few pictures of recent activities.

The kids playing with my bowls and spoons, never underestimate the fun of real items for play.

Jude and Annika making heart mosaics for Valentine's Day.

Annika took this picture of Zane, she wanted a picture of him chewing on the book.

Knitting projects, a sneak peak...

2010-02-09T16:56:00.003-06:00

I have started projects for Zane's and Annika's upcoming birthdays. Here is a sneak peak. The patterns are from Knitted Toys.

The Elephant

The Airy Fairy

The best thing about these projects is they will be made from stash yarn.

Candlemas 2010

2010-02-03T06:45:00.006-06:00

For the Presentation of the Lord also known as Candlemas we had a fun celebration. We bought a new candle for our family altar and I taught the kids to sing This Little Light of Mine, there is a cute version here. Then inspired by these cookies at Catholic Cuisine we make our own candle cookies. This was such a fun activity and it was great because Jude and Annika are old enough now to make these all on their own. Jude and Annika waited for Jason to get home after class and Jude gave Jason the candle cookie he made for him and we enjoyed them. The kids sang the first verse of This Little Light of Mine for Jason, it was very sweet.

My notes on assembly, we used food coloring to color the sugar, I did take a knife and hollow into the jelly part of the cookie to stick the wafer cookie in deeper, make sure you make the icing thick enough to hold the cookie in well.

Our ingredients

My cookie creators

Tasting ingredients as you work is necessary

Our finished cookies

Enjoying The Snow

2010-01-30T10:52:00.005-06:00

Jude and Annika enjoyed the most recent snow. It is a joy to watch them play!

Jude made a Thomas snow train. The carrot is the nose and the various craft sticks are eyes, coupling rods, funnel, dome, etc.

Week of Productivity

2010-01-21T08:00:00.005-06:00

This past week I was very busy every day working to finish getting the house organized. With Jason back in school and me trying to spend much more time on my school, good organization is a must. So with all my organizing and taking care of the kids it was a very busy week. I feel good about all I accomplished!

Here are some recent photos of the kids, who are all growing so much...

Best Friends

Jude mixing up some pretend brownies for me. Jude plans to be a chef when he grows up and tells me that I will not have to cook any more when he gets bigger :)

Annika reading to Zane

Zane pulling himself up to standing and trying to figure out how to climb the stairs.

Zane proud of his ability to work himself out of his pajamas.

My cuddly boy

The smile

Ephiphany Celebration

2010-01-06T21:18:00.004-06:00

Over the past year we have been enjoyed adding more celebrations for Church feast days into our home. Last fall I purchased the book The Big Book of Catholic Customs and Traditions and have been using this as a guide for planning our celebrations. This has been a great way for Jude and Annika to actively learn about our Catholic faith. This year for Ephiphany we made felt crowns, Annika particularly loves hers, and we baked this Crown Cake. We also read a book about how different cultures celebrate this day. The kids really enjoyed our celebration and I look forward to this next year.

Jude and Annika decorating the cake. The gumdrops were the jewels on the Crown Cake.

The cake all done

Happy kids ready for cake

Wearing their crowns

And we can't leave out the baby, although sorry no cake for you!

Mommy Son Time, The Movies

2009-12-28T07:30:00.003-06:00

Since I posted about my time with Annika at the skating rink I must post about my time with Jude to the movies. What movie would a 6 year old boy pick, the Chipmunks of course. Jude said it was "awesome" and we had a good time. Jude has an amazing ability to consume tons of popcorn and I was prepared for this. I enjoy that Jude still likes to hold my hand when we walk places, he is such a sweet boy :)

Here's a recent picture of us, this is Jude's camera smile.

Christmas 2009

2009-12-28T07:17:00.003-06:00

We had a lovely Christmas this year. Zane has found his voice all of sudden and is loud and entertaining. Annika is always excited about everything so Christmas is no exception. Jude told me he had the best Christmas ever, even after his miserable Christmas Eve mass experience, sorry Jude. We had a very relaxed Christmas day at home and the kids got to enjoy playing. We spent the day after Christmas at my sisters house and we all had a great time.

The trio that keep me very busy!

Zane with Grammy

Jude and cousins

My two sweet girls Anna and Annika

The world's best sisters

Mommy Daughter Time, the roller rink

2009-12-21T07:01:00.003-06:00

My little Annika has been going through some challenging behavior over the past few months. There has been lots of deep breathing on my part to get through the day. Annika has always been a very happy, energetic, and stubborn little girl. I have no idea what people are talking about with terrible two's. Jude and now Annika have had the terrible three's during the later half of their third year, of course Jude's was very mild compared to Annika's. So with frequent trips to time out for Annika, who apparently does not have to follow any rules, I find myself frustrated frequently and the positive side of our relationship lacking. Did I mention I love how she repeats over and over "I didn't mean too" when she gets caught doing something she shouldn't be, apparently her body has a mind of its own. Anyway, I had been thinking about a mommy daughter outing that we could do to enjoy some fun time together. When Jude was younger we had frequent mommy son time and that usually was to a book store or the library. I know from experience that these are not the right places for Annika, she is much to high energy. After some brainstorming I decided I would take her roller skating. I spent many hours roller skating while I was growing up and have always loved it. She was a little timid at first about it and told me she was "too shy to skate" but once she got going she did really great. She loved all the cool lights they have during the music and this was a big motivator for her to keep going back onto the rink. She even was ready for mommy to let go of her hand on the rink by the end. When she was fall she was say in an enthusiastic voice "that was fun", oh my little daredevil. I'm looking forward to more of these trips with her. Next week some mommy Jude time to the movies.

Lights at Botanica

2009-12-13T16:25:00.004-06:00

My very sweet mother in law has been taking us to Illuminations at Botanica for the past few years and we brought the camera this time around. We love this tradition!!

Jude always likes the train.

A visit with Santa, where Jude surprised us by talking to Santa and telling him his name. Annika would not talk at all.

Zane got his picture with Santa too.

Jude did a dance back at the dancing trees, it was very cute.

Another cute picture.

Lots and Lots of fun!!

Christmas Decorating and St. Nicholas Day

2009-12-09T13:33:00.008-06:00

Jude and Annika spent the first few days after we moved constantly asking when we would be putting up Christmas lights. So a few days after we moved I got out our Christmas decor and we decorated. It doesn't matter that we have a garage full of boxes it makes it feel much more warm in the house with the Christmas Tree, Jesse Tree, Nativity, and other holiday decor. I let my kids and daycare kids decorate the tree this year, I did a very minimal amount of decorating the actual tree. I only added a few ornaments to the top and moved some up from the very bottom. They were very excited and it was a lot of fun to watch them.

Here is the tree.

Here is the nativity.

Here is our collection of singing holiday toys. I normally have a rule of no singing toys or toys that have "on" switches during daycare hours, but I make an exception this time of year. It is great fun to watch them start the toys all at once and sing and dance along.

Zane enjoyed the singing tree named "Douglas Fir".

Last Saturday night St. Nicholas made a visit to our house and left books and few treats for Jude and Annika and a teether toy for Zane.

Our Jesse tree and new prayer space. In future years I plan to make felt ornaments for the Jesse Tree and replace the paper ones but for now these are working great and the kids enjoy adding an ornament each day.

St. Martin's Day

2009-11-17T06:56:00.010-06:00

Last week as we have done the past two years we baked Weckmann for St. Martin's day. Jude and Annika have been looking forward to this for awhile.

Here's our pictures:

Shaping the dough

Decorating with raisins

All Baked

Enjoying with hot cocoa

Love this one, such attitude

And here is a look back at our Weckmann from 2007 and
2008.

What Zane eats...

2009-11-12T10:34:00.004-06:00

When we introduced solids about a month ago Zane was not very interested. Over the last few weeks he has started to show some definite interest as long as he is feeding himself. Zane gets really mad if I try to spoon feed him, Annika was the same way, and really it is so much easier when they can just feed themselves. So Zane's menu right now is mostly chicken, peas, and peeled ripe pear. He has also eaten avacado and white and sweet potatoes. Zane really does not like apples or bananas.

Here are some shots of Zane working on his food.

My baby is 6!

2009-10-24T09:00:00.000-05:00

It's hard to imagine that 6 years have passed since I held my first baby in my arms. It is amazing how motherhood has changed me in ways I could never have imagined. Jude was the baby we waited for and were blessed with after 5 years of marriage. Jude is such an amazing little boy. He is so loving, silly, imaginative, and the most amazing big brother, his siblings are very blessed. Happy Birthday to the little boy I love so much.

A look back at Jude-a-buddy!

My baby

1 year old

2 years old, I loved his curly hair

3 years old, the year of don't take my picture

4 years old

5 years old

My 6 year old

My knitting projects

2009-10-22T07:59:00.006-05:00

It's been awhile since I have posted about my knitting projects. I have not knitted as much since my little Zane was born and now that I am taking my online classes this consumes much of what used to be free time but, I still try to get in knitting time when I can.

First here are a few finished curly purly soakers I made for Zane recently.

These are the projects that are currently works in progress, some of them have been in the work in progress state for awhile :)

This is my most recent project that I started Turtle Butt soaker for Zane. I am enjoying this project, I've wanted to make this one for awhile.

Next is the Rusted Root Sweater that I started last November? for a friend. Hopefully I can finish this up soon. Just need to finish the body and sleeves.

Someday these will be socks

Slippers for Annika, just need to make the other one.

I put this scarf on hold over the summer, need to finish this beautiful scarf for me.

Lone mittens I started last year, just need to make their mates.

The kids take pictures too...

2009-10-17T07:35:00.005-05:00

Both of the kids are getting better at using the camera. We have had this camera several years and its not the most kid friendly because it is a little heavy and pretty big, but the kids are getting pretty good with it.

I like these two pictures Jude and Annika took of each other.

I like how Jude bent his head.

Annika's new pose is hands on hips, oh my attitude!

Jude took this one of me wearing my Peekura with Zane.

I took this one of Zane and I

Annika asked me to take a picture of her and Zane playing. Since Zane has gotten bigger, Annika loves to roll around the floor and roll him onto her chest. She is very physical with him and he likes it a lot!

The group photo...

2009-10-05T20:00:00.006-05:00

I decided I would try to get a photo of the three together in their Halloween shirts. Trying to get the three of them to pose together is usually an entertaining experience and this was no exception. I like how these turned out.

What is this stuff?

2009-10-05T16:28:00.005-05:00

I honestly expected Zane to be a bit more interested in solid foods then he has been. I have made him some sweet potatoes and tried bananas this morning, he does not seem real impressed. My other two loved food from the first time the tried it.

This face sums up his feelings.

I think he preferred his fingers to the sweet pototoes

Showing off those teeth

The bib was tasty

Zane has been enjoying his cup

Zoo Day

2009-09-28T19:17:00.004-05:00

We enjoyed a nice afternoon at the zoo last weekend. We rode the tram, something we don't normally do. When we got on and the tram started moving Annika put both arms up the air and yelled like she was riding on a roller coaster, funny girl!

He's a few pictures.

And a few pictures of Annika playing with Zane.

The Zoo and Entertaining Zane

2009-09-05T10:06:00.005-05:00

Jude and Annika were busy playing while I was working on school the other afternoon and made a zoo. (If you like to see what else we were up to this past week you can see here.)

This was their ocean with a whale, stingray, shark, and lobster. The beans were their food.

This is the dog house.

Their zoo also had an "ice age" with a penguin (the penguin looks like he slide down the ice)

Zane was in his bumbo seat the other day on the kitchen table and starting to get grumpy, I needed to get a few more things done and asked Jude and Annika to go in there and play with Zane. This is what I found, they moved the booster seats to the top of the table and were sitting there entertaining him, he was a happy boy!

Pictures, just for fun!

2009-08-31T20:10:00.001-05:00

Well my blogging has been lacking lately because I have been busy getting everything ready for our new school year. If you want to read more about it you can here. I do have some upcoming sewing projects that I plan to blog about soon. For now here are a few pictures.

Jude and Annika showing off their zipper pouches I made them for school.

Zane in his super cute owl jammies. From the smile on his face I'd say he likes them.

Zane got pictures with the baby dolls again, Jude joined in this time.

Annika and the Butterfly and Big Bro Little Bro

2009-08-13T13:35:00.005-05:00

A few days ago Annika made a butterfly friend. It loved her dress and kept coming back to sit on her. She was really excited, and her big brother said with a distressed look on his face "I want a butterfly for me".

Cute Baby Smiles

When I came into the room I was struck with how much my 1st baby boy has grown. Jude is such a loving big brother, he was talking to Zane about something, I think trains :)

More Pictures

2009-07-31T20:32:00.004-05:00

I am keeping myself busy these days. I am amazed everyday how much all the kids are growing. I just love watching them interact with each other. I am very thankful to God for blessing me with them.

My kids really love to play with stuffed animals. Jude and Annika will play for hours with them together. I love listening to their dialog. Here is Jude playing with a few.

Jude thought Zane needed some stuffed animals. I'm not really sure what Zane thought about that, he seems a little bewildered.

Annika with a book, my kids also love to read and we make frequent library trips.

Jude, Annika, and their cousin Richie. They love to play in the sprinkler. We will really miss Richie when school starts back next month.

My little finger sucking guy, he loves his hands a whole lot.

And another attempt at a family photo, a work in progress.

Eleven Years :)

2009-07-25T18:33:00.005-05:00

The last eleven years of marriage have been quite the adventure. I can't wait for many more years with my husband and best friend.

From Today

Looking a little younger

Brothers

2009-07-21T21:38:00.004-05:00

Jude got his new issue of the Thomas Train Magazine yesterday and wanted to show it to Zane. I set up the Bumbo for Zane so he could see, he seemed very interested in the colorful pictures and enjoyed Jude telling him about the trains. They are so very sweet together and Jude is very protective of his baby brother.

Cute Pictures

2009-07-13T07:31:00.004-05:00

Annika wanted me to take her picture, I'll call this one poison ivy. She has had a bad case of poison ivy the past few weeks.

Jude is pretending he is swiper the fox in this one.

Another fun family photo ;)

Zane showing off some new woolies.

Zane was having the evening fussies and being naked often helps with this so I had Jason put him on his blanket naked. Jude decided he would read his Thomas Train Magazine to Zane and Annika played with her fairies on Zane. Some editing done in this picture to protect Zane's privacy :)

Zane enjoying some nibbles on Sophie the Giraffe.

So after all the effort to his suck his thumb Zane changed his mind and decided he will be a finger sucker instead.

Happy Boy

I could not resist this picture. We often sit Zane on the table with us during dinner and he had dirtied his outfit. I love the little fat folds of skin and the expression on his face was priceless.

Brothers and Zane meets the Bumbo

2009-07-02T07:04:00.003-05:00

I realized the other day that I did not have any pictures of just Zane and Jude so here are a few I got of them. They are both in jammies for the night.

I got out the Bumbo seat the other day to see what Zane would think he seemed pretty excited about it.

I like this one he is really checking out his feet.

Three months old...

2009-06-25T21:16:00.003-05:00

Zane is already three months old. Zane is finally mastering the thumb sucking and it is making him a much happier baby. Happy baby = Happy Parents!

Jude and Annika had some sort of pretend play going on and Zane joined them.

Our growing baby

2009-06-16T19:55:00.003-05:00

Zane will be 12 weeks in the morning, these weeks have went by fast.

Here are some pictures of happy Zane

Here is a picture of silly Jude wearing a girly bucket hat, underwear, and bowl on his head

I like this picture of Annika it looks like she has lots of hair and it is such a pretty smile

A few bibs and some shorts

2009-06-16T19:18:00.000-05:00

I've done a few simple knitting and sewing projects over the past month, simple is all I have time for these days :)

Zane has already started doing some drooling so I used this books bib pattern and sewed up a few simple bibs with cotton and flannel scraps I had.

I also knitted a bib from Mason Dixon Knitting. This was super easy and I plan to make a few more.

And I knitted another pair of shorts for Zane for summer.

Knitting and Sewing Projects

2009-05-27T07:20:00.000-05:00

I have been able to get in a little time this month to finish some knitting and sewing projects.

First off is this tank top that I got finished for Annika.
Super cute modeling pose.

A few months back I purchased some Thomas Train print cotton on sale and Jude requested shorts from the material. I quickly sewed them up Saturday so that he could wear them to the Thomas Live show the next day. Thanks to his Grammy he has a really nice Thomas shirt to go with them now.

Zane is already outgrowing some of his wool stash so with some very fun yarn Erin gifted me I made these shorties.

Zane likes his new shorties.

Look what Zane is up to.

2009-05-26T06:49:00.004-05:00

Zane has decided that tummy time is no fun unless he is scooting himself across the floor. I tried to get a few photos of him in action. When he is naked and not impeded by clothes that little guy can really go. He uses his feet and knees and fists to scoot where he wants to go. Here are some photos of my little guy in action.
Hi everyone

Here I go

Taking a break to suck on my hand

This looks like a good spot

Some fun pictures

2009-05-22T12:54:00.004-05:00

Jude playing with a plastic container on his head and sock puppets on his feet.

Serving up some playdoh.

Reading his magazine.

First pigtails ever, she finally has enough hair and is very happy about it.

Zane is still on a mission to suck his thumb

I have been stocking Zane to get some pictures of his smile here are a few close ones.

My personal favorite the crossed eyes.

Mother's Day

2009-05-11T18:41:00.007-05:00

I had a lovely Mother's Day. We spent some time at the Riverfest Art and Book Fair and got to pick my Mother's Day gift there.

Trying to get a picture with all three kids is fun.

I love this picture, I love how Zane is looking at me, so sweet.

I have a photo like this with my other kids as babies.

Feeling the babywearing love in my Mei Tai this time.

Okay I love the next two of Jude and Annika, they are so funny to take photos of.

Okay and on a side note I am wearing the Juliet cardigan that I knit for myself when I was pregnant and Annika is wearing the dress I knit her last year for Easter, it still fits :)

It's picture time again!

2009-05-11T18:30:00.004-05:00

I like this picture, Zane was really checking out the elephant that Annika put by him.

Zane's first parade, he slept most of the time.

Here is the look on his face after the parade, too funny!

Family picture, minus Zane. The kids really enjoyed the parade.

Zane enjoying the outdoors with me. Did I mention I love babywearing :)

More Zane Pictures

2009-05-02T18:57:00.003-05:00

Don't give me a binky mom my thumb is what I really want.

I really needed to get the dishes done and Jude bounced the bouncer until Zane fell asleep, what a great big brother.

Sleepy baby

My spunky girl and her little brother

Zane is already 4 weeks old, here's some pictures.

2009-04-25T17:45:00.000-05:00

Wow my little guy is already 4 weeks. He went to the doctor on Monday and is already up to 9 lbs from his birthweight of 7 lbs 5 ozs. He is a very sweet little guy and loves to look around at everything. Jason was there the other night when Zane gave me two huge smiles, these were the first awake smiles I have seen him make.

Zane already has established a comfortable spot in our bed (yes he is a tummy sleeper, gasp).

Here he is enjoying some time in the bouncer.

Here is his big sister loving on him.

Neighborhood Walk

2009-04-15T08:23:00.007-05:00

With the weather being so nice yesterday we decided to take a walk around the neighborhood. I put my handsome little fellow in my favorite wrap carrier and got out the jogging stroller. Annika and Jude took turns in the stroller. Jude and Annika strapped on their backpacks for the "adventure". Jude's back pack carries all his Thomas the Train books and Annika put in her princess and fairy dolls. Jude and Annika looked for animals and took pretend pictures of various bird, butterflies, and flowers. It was a very nice walk, I got some sun/exercise and enjoyed listening to the kids discoveries, and little Zane got a nice nap.

The kids getting ready to embark on the adventure

I decided to teach Jude how to use the real camera and he did really good considering its a big camera.
Here's a couple pictures he took.

We discovered that we have a neighbor that has a couple tree stumps carved into bears. Annika went running up and hugged the bear and then posed for this picture.

On our adventure

Back at home

A few Easter pictures

2009-04-14T09:16:00.005-05:00

Here are a few pictures from Easter. I love trying to get Jude and Annika to pose for pictures, they crack me up!!

Finished Sewing Projects

2009-04-14T09:02:00.004-05:00

Angelina Ballerina Summer Dress for Annika

From my previous post here is the finished Sun Dress for Annika. This was a pattern that my sister gave me from when he kids were little. This was a easy dress to make and I did much better with the zipper insertion on this dress.

From a previous post.
One of my upcoming sewing projects is to make the Wear Anywhere Yoga Pants from the book Sew Everything Workshop. I got some really nice linen to do these in and they really are a super simple pair of pants with a drawstring. These will be super nice for after I have the baby and I think they will look really great with the Juliet Cardi.

Here I am modeling my finished pants and my Rusted Root sweater that I knit. These pants were super simple to make and I really like how they turned out.

Finally here is Annika's Easter Dress. This was made from Simplicity 5695. This was super easy to make and I love how it turned out. I used a simple quilter's cotton for the dress.

Annika is 3!

2009-04-09T08:05:00.000-05:00

We celebrated Annika's 3rd Birthday yesterday. It was a really nice day. Jude and Annika helped me make this Strawberry Cake. Annika had been requesting strawberry cake for weeks. The cake was very yummy and I think Annika was more excited about eating the cake than anything else. I managed to finish Annika's Angelina Ballerina Sundress in time for her Birthday and she was thrilled with it and is wearing it again today. It is hard to believe that Annika is already 3, she has grown up so much over the past year and is such a joyful child.

Helping make the cake

The finished cake

Annika taking a nap on the couch before dinner.

Annika opening her dress

Happy Annika

Annika is finally getting some hair, just in time to turn 3 :)

Jude and Annika really love their Grammy as proved by these pictures

Baby Pictures

2009-04-09T08:00:00.000-05:00

Here is our little Zane showing off his monkey outfit that I made him. I was excited to get some pictures with him awake.

Enjoying our little guy!

2009-04-07T13:03:00.004-05:00

Here are some pictures of us enjoying our new addition. He is such a sweet little guy.

Annika is completely in love, asking to hold her baby Zane frequently. Zane has also been added to her list of very best friends.

Annika likes to watch Jude play on his Leapster and Jude thought Zane might enjoy this too.

Me and Zane

Zane modeling a mighty cute outfit.

Pictures and Zane's Birth Story

2009-03-31T11:30:00.006-05:00

Here are some pictures from the past few days. I am feeling really great and enjoying every minute of snuggling with our new little guy. He is definitely more mellow then Jude or Annika were as newborns, so far :)

For those of you who are interested in the details of Zane's birth I am posting his birth story.
Tuesday March 24th started as most days do. I had all my daycare kids and had a pretty typical day. I did have the kids help me knead some bread dough and made some yummy whole grain bread that I had made the starter for the day before. That afternoon I noticed that my normal Braxton Hicks contractions seemed a little stronger. I mentioned this to Jason before he left for class that evening. Jude and Annika were playing well that evening and I decided to fiddle around with some sewing, planning to hem a few onesies into shirts for the baby. I noticed during that time that I seemed to be having some pretty consistent contractions. I managed to get one shirt hemmed, the toys cleaned up, and the kids to bed,and after jotting down my contractions I realized they were 10 minutes apart and pretty regular. When Jason got home from school shortly before 9:00 pm I mentioned that my contractions felt stronger then usual and were pretty consistent. Jason did not say much about this and started getting ready for bed. I realized Jason did not get what I was saying and told him that I’m pretty sure I’m going into labor. I called my midwife shortly after 9:00 pm and told her what was going on and she said to try relaxing in a bath to see if the contractions would continue or not. They continued and I called my sister Erin while in the bath and told her that her nephew seemed like he was not going to wait for her arrival into town in a few days. I laid down in bed for about an hour and then got up because I wasn’t able to sleep. I think around 11:00 pm I had Jason come out and chatted with him and had him do some hip squeezes during my contractions. Things were not progressing very rapidly and my contractions were manageable so Jason fell asleep on the couch. I watch several infomercials on tv; one about a juicer, the magic bullet, and an exercise one to keep myself entertained during labor. I called my midwife again around 1:30 am and gave her an update and then called at 4:15 am and told her I was ready for them to come. I was starting transition shortly before the midwife arrived. I headed to my room I think around 6:00 am, where I planned to birth and labored in my bed on my side for about an hour. Annika woke up during the next hour and Jason told her that I was having the baby but she did not want to see me so he got her breakfast. By 7:00 am I was complete and ready to push. Jason went to call my daycare parents to tell them the daycare would be closed because I was having the baby. My contractions were pretty spaced out and not as effective as I would have liked and it took some time and effort for the baby to come out. I was still very calm and relaxed between contractions. My patience was gone after pushing awhile and I just really wanted him to come out. I remember with Annika too that I was very impatient during the pushing stage, I think its because I knew I was so close and just want to see the baby. I tried several squatting positions and a few minutes before 8:00 am with some loud screams from me Zane Andrew made his appearance. It was so exciting to finally see the baby that I carried in my womb and labored into this world. Zane enjoyed nursing for an hour with me in bed shortly after his birth. By that time Jude and Annika were both awake and came to meet their baby brother. They both were tentative at first but then Annika was really excited and did not want to leave my side. That day was spent snuggling in bed and enjoying a few visitors, a perfect start for my baby boy.

Zane Andrew Has Arrived

2009-03-25T19:41:00.004-05:00

I just wanted to share a few pictures of our newest addition. Zane Andrew was born at home March 25th at 8:00am at 38 weeks. He weighed 7 lbs 5 ozs and was 20 inches long.

Here's a few photos of our little guy. All of us are doing great! Birth story to be added at a later date.

About Wool Soakers and Updating My Etsy Shop

2009-03-23T19:36:00.001-05:00

So I often talk about wool soakers on my blog as this is why I was first interested in learning to knit so I could make wool soakers for my daughter. I realize that not everyone knows what they are and I came across this blog post that did a great job explaining using wool for diaper covers. So if you didn't know what the deal is with wool now you do.

And here is a shot of my wool stash for the baby. He will have a very nicely covered tushie :)

I have kept myself busy this past week by knitting up some wool for my Etsy Shop. I managed to stock three new listings.

Sweetheart Roses Shorties
Ocean Waves Soaker
Lilac Blooms Soaker

Granola Baking

2009-03-23T19:25:00.000-05:00

One of the things that I have been baking consistently this pregnancy is granola. I love to have it with milk or vanilla yogurt, it makes a really nice snack. I thought I would share with you the best recipe that I have found for granola and the changes I have made that I find yummy. Here is a link to the Granola Recipe I use. I like that it gives you the base recipe and then options on different combinations. It is fun to play around with your own.

This is the base recipe and I have put in my changes.

2 cups old-fashioned oats
1/2 cup wheat germ
2 Tbs. dark brown sugar (I used unrefined sugar)
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup Extra Ingredients (see complete list below)
1/4 cup maple syrup
3 Tbs. flavorless oil, such as vegetable or canola (I use virgin coconut oil it gives it great flavor)
1 Tb. water
Flavoring (see below)
I love adding all sorts of nuts to mine for the extra protein and my favorite dried fruit combo is a mixture of golden raisins and cranberries.

Here's a shot of my latest granola. Yummy!

Finished Sewing Project

2009-03-22T20:01:00.003-05:00

I finished this set for our soon to arrive little guy. I love how this turned out. This was my first plunge into sewing with knits and it went really well. I read up on some tips online on sewing with knits and these were really helpful. I know sewing with knit fabric is not recommended sewing for a beginner sewer but I am approaching beginning sewing like I did with knitting and diving into whatever interests me and learning as I go along. This approach seems to work well for me. I used the pattern from New Conceptions called Baby Essentials and this is a really great pattern. I have plans for another set in the next size up with shorts for the summer. I can't wait to put this on our little guy!

Some Kiddo Pictures

2009-03-22T17:57:00.004-05:00

I have been pretty busy lately working on some projects and preparing for our little guy's arrival. My daycare is open for two more weeks and then I will be closed 3 weeks. I'm hoping the baby comes the weekend after I close the daycare but we shall see, these babies tend to have minds of their own about these things.

I wanted to post a few pictures of the kids. They are growing up so much and it is so fun to watch them play together.

Annika playing with Playdoh

Jude and his stuffed animals. Annika and Jude have been really into playing with their stuffed animals lately, they are so funny to listen to with the animals. They both have quite the imaginations.

Annika playing with couple of whales.

Today I wanted them to pose together. Here is what came of this.

A few projects Sewing and Knitting

2009-03-11T18:40:00.006-05:00

These are a few finished projects and upcoming projects I need to complete.

This is one of my finished projects the Juliet Cardi. I am in love with how this turned out and can't wait to wear it after I have the baby. It was a really quick knit too.

One of my upcoming sewing projects is to make the Wear Anywhere Yoga Pants from the book Sew Everything Workshop. I got some really nice linen to do these in and they really are a super simple pair of pants with a drawstring. These will be super nice for after I have the baby and I think they will look really great with the Juliet Cardi.

For my soon to arrive baby boy, I decided to dye a couple of side snap tees to match the soaker sacks I had made for him. I plan to put him in one of these sets after he is born.

I also have some knit fabric I bought to make a few special outfits for him.

I have a few more items on my project list but these are the immediate ones.

Welcoming my last month of pregnancy

2009-03-11T18:20:00.005-05:00

Normally when I'm pregnant I tend to grow my hair longer and it looks great. My hair was not looking so great this time around and I was tired of hair clips and headbands so I got it all cut the other evening. They took 4 inches off the back of my hair and I am just thrilled having a nice new cute hairdo before the baby comes. I am feeling more and more ready, the diapers are washed, the wool covers are knit and lanolized, the clothes are ready to go. There are few more projects that I will post about but the essentials are done. My birth supplies are all assembled, now it waiting time to see when this baby will make his appearance, preferably at the end of the month when his Aunt Erin comes to support me through another delivery. I am very excited to meet him and get to know him, he sure is feisty in the womb. My belly is larger this pregnancy then in my other ones and I would say I am more eager this time around for the actual birth.

I talked Jason into taking a picture of me, I say talked into because I'm picky and I make him to pictures of me over and over until I deem them to my satisfaction, annoying I know.

Here I am at 36 weeks.

Diaper Sewing

2009-03-07T19:14:00.005-06:00

If you were wondering where I went we have been having computer issues for the better part of the last month and were without a computer. I won't bore you with the details but lets just say it seemed like bad luck was in the air with us getting a new computer only to have it need repairs after having it three days.

Being off the computer did give me time to finish lots of projects to post about. One of the projects that I have been working on is sewing up some diapers for our little guy. I have some infant prefolds that I will be using but I like fitted diapers also. I used the leftover flannel from Jude's jammies and used this free pattern for the first couple I sewed up. These are a one size diaper that you can adjust by folding down and then they are closed with a single diaper pin. Then you can stuff with what you have available.

Here's a few pictures.

I folded these so you could see the size difference when folded.

Then I used this tuturiol to come up with a small pattern and used old t-shirts to make some diapers. I love how these turned out. I also did one of them in some cute monster flannel I had.

Here's some pictures from this.

Baby Boy Knits

2009-02-04T08:20:00.004-06:00

Here is a set I just finished for our upcoming baby boy. This set was done in some wonderfully soft and natural organic cotton yarn.
Kimono, Booties, and Hat. I love this set :)
I plan to pair this with some cotton rib pants.

Wool Diaper Cover from the yarn I dyed.

Wool Sleep Sack, doubles as a diaper cover, making nightime diaper changes super easy.

Jude's Jammies

2009-02-02T18:37:00.003-06:00

Well a few weeks ago I finished Jude's PJ top and finally got the pants done over the weekend. These turned out much better then the first pair I made. I made the shirt longer as the other one I made the shirt was a little short. I love the bears on these so cute. Jude was really excited about them. He didn't mind taking pictures for me although he was very tired and ready for bed at the time.

Yarn Dyeing

2009-01-27T19:07:00.005-06:00

So I have been inspired recently to do some yarn dyeing of my own. I decided to play around with food coloring and came up with a cool combination of colors. I was playing around with what shades I could create with the primary colors.

Here's the yarn

All knit up in a soaker for the baby.

I decided the other day that the baby had a lot of blue yarn and I wanted to create a colorway with shades of green. This is what I came up with, I really like how it turned out and can't wait to knit it up into a soaker for the baby.

Yarn before dyeing

Cooling in the sink

Drying the yarn

Wound in a skein

Wound in center pull ball

Some yarn to use for the new baby.

2009-01-24T13:47:00.004-06:00

So I went yesterday for a sonogram and now I know what yarn I should be using to knit baby clothes with.

Here's a shot

Yep its a BOY!! Jude had really wanted a baby brother. The baby looked great and all is well. Now to have fun plotting some handsome knitting/sewing projects for this little one. We have a list of about 4 boy names so I guess now we can get those narrowed down :)

What to wear for snow...

2009-01-20T20:53:00.003-06:00

Annika got herself ready to go out in the snow last week.

This is what she thought would be appropriate attire.

Here she is giving the big brother some love.

One sewing project down.

2009-01-06T13:42:00.006-06:00

I finished the dress from this pattern. I would highly recommend this pattern for any beginner. This pattern is very easy and turns out so cute it makes you feel good :)
The dress.

Annika always comes up with some fun modeling poses.

Thanks to Dana, this cute fabric came from the box she gave to me, very cute!

Next up, Jude's Jammies!

Upcoming Sewing Projects

2008-12-31T12:52:00.003-06:00

So nesting this pregnancy has made me want to organize, knit, and sew. Here are a few of the sewing projects I have planned. I also have 3 knitting projects on the needles right now :)

Angelina Ballerina Summer Dress for Annika (I'm making the red one)

Etsy Dress Pattern in hearts for Annika. She already has black leggings and a turtle neck that will work great for this dress.

Another pair of PJ's for Jude. I love this print, Jason picked it out. Did I mention that Jason is really useful in the fabric store and helped me pick out the trim for Annika's Christmas dress :)

Some flannel for cloth diapers for the baby. I also have leftover flannel from Jude's jammies to use to make diapers. I figure I will make both boy and girl prints and then we'll see what we get! I'm enjoying all the flannel sales right now.

Outdoor Fun

2008-12-30T18:39:00.003-06:00

We have been enjoying some warmer weather the past few days. We went to the zoo on Sunday. The one thing at the zoo that was unusual was that the Rhinos were actually entertaining. Normally they just stand there but they were frolicking in muddy puddles of water, very funny!

Yesterday Jude and Annika decided to play with the water in the bird bath. Annika was cold since she had taken off her jacket but they had lots of fun.

Our Christmas

2008-12-26T20:31:00.005-06:00

We had a very nice and relaxing Christmas. We went to Church on Christmas Eve and let the kids open there presents after Church.

Here's some photos.
I love this one because Annika looks like her ornery self.

Here's a nice shot of me showing off my baby belly.

Jude enjoyed his new Thomas Train set and Annika enjoyed her fairy doll. The kids both played their Lets go fishin game for hours yesterday and really love it, thanks Grammy :)

Annika is wearing her new tutu and fairy wings. I made the tutu using this tutorial, this was very easy and inexpensive.

Sewing Project: Christmas Jumper for Annika

2008-12-21T19:47:00.003-06:00

Well I finished the jumper I was making for Annika for Christmas. It was a bit of sewing marathon this weekend to finish this. I have learned a lot over the past few days about sewing and I am starting to understand some of the language used in the patterns. I got to do a zipper, use bias tape, and work with facing the yoke of this dress. It is so not perfect, but I think is really good considering I have never done any of this before and I am very happy with it. I really like sewing and seeing how the garment comes together. Okay enough rambling now for the pictures.

This dress was done in corduroy with a cotton trim at the bottom.

The zipper turned out wonky and that was after redoing it but my seams were a little uneven which made it a little tricky. At least I know what I'm doing now. The bias tape around the armholes was also little fussy and I figure I can improve on this.

Annika really wanted to cheese it up for the modeling pictures and was leaping around the living room exclaiming "my dress, my dress".

Sewing Project: PJ's for Jude

2008-12-20T16:10:00.002-06:00

Well I just finished my first sewing project that I used a pattern (Simplicity 9853) for and I made some PJ's for Jude. I had a difficult time understanding the instructions for the ribbed neck band but I did manage to figure it out. After reading a review of the pattern apparently the neckline is a bit fussy to figure out. I think overall these turned out really well. I learned a lot in the process of making these. I have some more fabric for another pair and plan to make the shirt a little longer. The shirt was a little shorter then I would have liked. I think the next pair should go much smoother.
Jason picked out the flannel and if you can't tell from the pictures the white circles are actually golf balls, go figure :)

Here's a picture of the finished PJ's.

Jude was gracious enough to model for me last night before he wore them to bed. I'm not sure why Jude as holding his hand out in the pictures, I'm sure he had some reason.

Kiddo Pictures

2008-12-16T17:52:00.006-06:00

Here are some of the fun things the kids like.

Building with the cardboard blocks, these are used almost daily and quite the creations have been made with these.

Flour is fun to play with on a cold blustery day.

This is my tired princess, this was taken the day after Thanksgiving.

Fun in the snow today

Yarny Projects

2008-12-16T17:39:00.004-06:00

Erin gave me a soaker for Annika and I redid the leg cuffs because they were too snug. Here is the finished leg cuffs. I did crocheted ruffles, they had a rolled cuff before. Funny thing now we are now back onto the potty learning again. Here is the finished soaker and Annika modeling.

These are recent wraps I have made for Baby T. With the exception of the hot pink and brown wrap the others are gender neutral I will have to gift the hot pink and brown one if this baby is not a girl but I figured I would make a little of both since this newborn/small size wool is quick to knit. I need to sew on some touch tape to these still to a couple of these.

I crocheted one too just for fun.

Random Pictures

2008-11-24T19:55:00.004-06:00

I'm taking a quick moment to post a few cute pictures recently.

Leaf Play
Annika was laying down and making leaf angels

Annika snuggling up with Jude while he plays his leapster. Those two are so sweet together.

Some Knitting

2008-11-15T21:58:00.004-06:00

Annika's new winter hat. I also made a fun scarf too.

Jude wanted some blue mittens.

Also if you check out my Etsy store I found a really cool vintage wire hat display for the hats I'm selling.

St. Martins Day Weckmann

2008-11-15T21:49:00.005-06:00

As we did last year we made German Weckmann and enjoyed them with apple cider on St. Martin's day. Jude has been looking forward this for awhile and it was fun. Jude did the decorating of the Weckmann this year. Here is the recipe these are very yummy!

My Etsy Store

2008-10-31T20:59:00.004-05:00

I have been enjoyed adding to Just Peachy Knits over the past two weeks and I just finished this custom order. I really enjoy this and I have plans for more inventory. I do like doing custom orders and hope to get more custom work.

These are some new yarns I got for hats today.

Happy Halloween!

2008-10-31T20:39:00.004-05:00

Jude and Annika's pumpkins they got and decorated at Botanica.

My knitted pumpkin from Curly Purly, this one was gifted to one of the toddlers in my daycare.

My kids showing off their pumpkin masks that they made.

My two cuties!

Showing off their suckers, thanks Grammy!

Jude's 5th Birthday

2008-10-31T20:23:00.005-05:00

Jude turned 5 last Friday and we celebrated on Friday and then again on Sunday with family and his cousin who turned 6. It is hard to believe that Jude is 5 already, its so much fun to see him growing and changing. I feel very blessed that I get to be home with Jude during these years.

Here are some pictures from his Birthday. Jude's favorite thing is Thomas the train and he was happy to get more trains and tracks for his Birthday.

Birthday breakfast of Apple Coffee Cake, yummy!

Jason getting a workout...

2008-10-14T17:33:00.003-05:00

Annika likes to do this at dinner time

Jude and Annika enjoying quality time with daddy.

My Rusted Root :)

2008-10-08T15:25:00.003-05:00

Saturday night I commited and finished my Rusted Root. I started this last February but did not start working on it until recently. It actually is a pretty quick knit if you work on it.

Here's the pictures. I made Jason take pictures of me modeling it. It fits great and even works with my baby bump.

Knitting and Just Peachy Knits

2008-10-02T20:41:00.005-05:00

I have been working on giving my Etsy store a boost this past month. I had a few sales this month and it has motivated me to add more to my store. I have a few things in the works.

This yarn will become Wool Longies for the store. The colors seem perfect for fall.

This yarn is begging to be knit for the store but I can't quite decide what to knit yet. Any suggestions?

On my personal knitting, if I would just work on it I could get my Rusted Root finished in a few days. Just a little left to do, I need to get it done so I can wear before my belly expands too much :)

It's October

2008-10-02T20:27:00.004-05:00

Wow so my blogging has been not so much lately. What can I say I'm busy during the day and even lack the motivation to blog in the evening. We are keeping busy here with my Playschool and we are still advertising for a few more kids. I had a little boy start this week and he is a sweetheart. We have been enjoying the weather and love wearing our jackets when we go out in the cool morning. Jude and Annika have been wanting to play outside a lot more. I am enjoying watching both of them grow. They are so different and they get along so well, it just works. With Jude's 5th Birthday approaching it it amazing to see how much he has grown lately. He loves to help me when I need it and feels very proud of himself for the things he does. Annika is just a fireball of physical activity and its amazing to see her energy.

Here's a picture of my Jude doing one of his favorite things

Here's Annika doing one of her favorite things.

Adventures in Idaho

2008-09-06T18:07:00.006-05:00

I have been back a week now and I finally decided it was time to post some pictures of our trip to visit the Marney clan in Idaho. It was a really great time although I don't think I will be up for a road trip like that anytime soon. I did enjoy getting to spend plenty of time talking with my dad on the road and the kids enjoyed their grandpa. The kids had a great time seeing their cousins and Annika and Liam were fun together, the power of two year olds combined. I was surprised that Jude liked to hike so much since he always complains about bugs whenever we venture to nature trails here. Annika was quite the fireball on our hikes. Jude got his first bee sting right at the end of Old Faithful going off at Yellowstone he was a real tough guy about it and 5 minutes after being stung you could hardly tell where he was stung so I guess we don't have to worry about a bee allergy. It was great getting to hang out with my sis again and to see the kids together. We missed Jason on our trip but look forward to many more visits.

Now for the pictures:
Mesa Falls

Hike in Teton Canyon, the kids enjoyed throwing rocks in the water

I love this one of Annika and her big cousin Issy

My little hiker

Pose together please

Cousin picture, Jude was not interested

I love this picture there will not be many more of these times for wearing Annika as she is getting so big

Grandpa and Liam

Enjoying a fire

Sisters, aren't we cute :)

Jude and Annika a picture for mom please

Kiddo Pictures

2008-08-19T20:10:00.002-05:00

These are just some fun pictures

Jude did not want to take his picture, but I got him.

Annika was showing off the beads she strung today. It was the first time she got all the beads on without them falling off. She has a bit of a silly face because she just ate a carrot dipped in ranch.

Playing with crochet

2008-08-19T20:06:00.002-05:00

So I decided after crocheting two wash clothes that I would try a hat and I found a pattern for a newborn hat. Well the hat came out cute but it fit Annika. It is 100% cotton so I could shrink it but I think Annika wants this one.

What a silly gal!

Changes are coming...

2008-08-19T19:50:00.005-05:00

I used to really hate change but I definitely have learned to embrace it in my adult life. Change is going to happen and the transitions in my life can be easy or hard depending on my attitude. My attitude towards change and life is something that I have control of (yes I like control). My prayers and trust in God's guidance makes all of this much easier. So the changes that are coming. Jason starts back at school this Thursday for the next few years so he can get his CPA. I will be changing as I grow baby #3 that is coming in early April. I also will start working on a program to become a Medical Transcriptionist and planning for this change. Jude and Annika of course will be changing and growing and we will be embarking further down our home schooling path at the beginning of September. I look forward to the year ahead but maybe next year we will take a break from having so many changes!

Little Hands Playschool

2008-08-06T19:50:00.003-05:00

Well when I started my daycare last year I could not think of a name for it so it officially has a name and now a website. I have been working on my website the past few days because in another week I will have three openings because I have 3 of my daycare kids who will be in school. Please take a look at my site and let me know what you think. It is still a work in progress and there are other things I would like to add but its a start. If you know anyone who might be interested please pass the link along :)

Little Hands Playschool

I'm still around

2008-08-02T20:29:00.003-05:00

The last few weeks have seemed really busy. I am ready for the transition of school starting and my trip to Idaho. When school starts I will lose most of my daycare kids and will be starting fresh in a lot of ways and I am looking forward to this. I have managed to keep up my running schedule and I am enjoying it very much. I also have been knitting more lately and will have to post pictures soon of my current projects. That's all for now. Sorry no pictures today :)