(So, these pictures are completely unrelated to what I’ve written here today, but they sure make me smile.  I love that my basement is Thor’s motorcycle course.  I love that Ian has all his clothes on backwards.  I just love it so much I can hardly stand it.)

It’s the end of the first day of the year and I feel like I need to just sit and write something. 2011 was good. I grew a baby, fell deeper in love with my husband, watched my children grow into more of themselves. I feel privileged to be here to witness it all.

I’m also feeling like there is more growing I need to do, like I’ve been in a state of stagnation, like I need to push a little deeper and grow into more of myself. I’ve never been one for New Year’s resolutions (generally because I’m horribly inconsistent and not super good at following through on things) but I do believe there is power in putting things in writing so I’m just going to make a list of things I want for this new year.

• I want to read more– to have meaningful things to think about.
• There are three things I want to do just about every day– scripture study, yoga, and writing.
• I want to design fabric.
• I want to feel like I’m using my time just as God would have me use it– to end each day with no regrets.
• I want to stop comparing myself to others.
• I want to stop worrying about what others think of me.
• I want to feel confident that the relationship I have with each of my children is just what it should be. I want to feel confident that there is no doubt in their minds how much I love them.
• I want to organize and decorate my home with beauty and intention– filling it with things that are beautiful, meaningful, and useful.
• I want to be a source of inspiration for someone- to somehow make another’s life better by something I say or do.

I’m sure I could go on. There is always so much room for improvement. I have t his mantra I often repeat to myself

Be content and reach.

Be happy with the place you’re at, but always, always keep trying to be better.

How about you? What do you want for the new year?

I thought I’d share some of Hunter’s new moves.  He’s figured out how to find the songs he likes on the iPod in the kitchen.

Now it’s time for the weekend.  I spent my day mopping my floors for the first time since Eva was born.  I’m trying to get ready to bring out the Christmas stuff, but I feel like we need to do some major organizing and decluttering first.

What do you have planned for the weekend?  I’m hoping to wander through the Holiday Handmade craft fair, get books put on the proper shelves, and maybe Christmasify the mantle.  Oh, and get a post or two together about our Thanksgiving trip.

Have I mentioned that my 2 littlest boys are like little tiger cubs– constantly chasing and pouncing and wrestling each other?  Running and squealing and slamming doors?  As happy as I am that they love each other so much, it is exhausting trying to keep them from doing real damage to people and property, and the hugging and kissing of bonked heads, fat lips, and squished fingers is near constant.

We spend lots of time outside.  They wade for hours in their little inflatable pool on our back deck where I can watch them from the comfort of my air conditioned kitchen.  But everyday I’ve tried to have some mom-made activity to keep them calm and absorbed for an hour or so.  Lately that’s been painting.  Usually with watercolors,

but they use them up so fast (it’s all about the process for them, not the finished product) that I decided to try making some paint the other day instead.

I used the recipe found over at Small Things.  It made a lot of paint!  I’ve got four 8 ounce jelly jars of it in my fridge.

It’s at the ready so I can have an hour or so of peace…

until clean up, at least.

It’s time for the weekend!  Barry is taking all 4 boys on our church Father-Son camp out, so Brenna and I are going to have some girl time…

Hope your weekend is a good one!

Today was a day I’m thankful I don’t send my kids to school everyday.  (The oldest 3 just go on Mondays.)  The school year is winding down, so there were class parties that needed treats prepared for, teacher gifts to remember, and the regular making of lunches, nagging to get shoes on, and feeding and clothing the littlest boys in order to get in the car and to school on time.  I am not a person that thrives on busy-ness and, quite frankly, getting 5 kids ready to get in the car is not my favorite thing to do.  Believe it or not, these little people all have minds of their own, and as much as I’d like them to immediately follow my every command when we’re trying to get out the door and somewhere ON TIME, they don’t.  By the time I had got them to school I was tired out for the day– but I had one appointment after another ahead of me.

And so Hunter and Ian and I were go, go, go until the big kids got home.  Then it was driving to karate, picking up from karate, Dad working late, wrestling matches in the family room gone awry (with at least 3 kids screaming like they were dying at one time), trying to figure out something for dinner, and feeling unsettled by the whirlwind of papers and toys and pillows and blankets strewn about the house.

I thought– there are people that do this every day– that have every minute scheduled, rushing from school to lesson to appointment to hectic meal where there is no real time together because those brief moments are spent hurriedly trying to get things done so you can all move on to the next thing.  And then I was overcome with gratitude for this path that I’m on where, for more days than not, we can go at our own pace, be intimately familiar with each other,  and the kids can draw and draw and draw and read and read and read.  I thought of these pictures of Hunter

who can spend all the time he wants intensely making his 2 year old “space men” and “lightnings”, who every minute has big brothers who draw with him and for him

and with their big brother magic (and some paper and tape) turn him into a “lightning space man”.

I’m thankful for all the unscheduled time to just be, to be real, to be really together.

I’m thankful for time to breathe.

So, that present Hunter was opening was this little sweater.  I used Knit Picks Swish dk yarn.  Hunter sat on my lap as I ordered it and I let him pick his favorite color.  It’s pretty bright!

The pattern is the Child’s Placket Neck Pullover from Last Minute Knitted Gifts.  I made a 2-4 year old size with a bit bigger gauge than called for so that is would fit for a while.  A lot of Ravelers said it seemed a bit small made as written. I think it fits just right.

I also took him on a trip to the Fancy Tiger to pick out a button.  He fell in love with the little wooden panda.  The bonus is that it makes him want to wear his sweater all the time!

His other favorite gift of the day was this “crocagator” from Barry’s sister and family.  It RROARS a lot– and made me realize that in my reluctance to add to our collection of stuffed animals he has never gotten one of his very own.  He really loves it.

I love the finished product of knitting- and watching the magic unfold one stitch, one row at a time.

And I love when my handmade gifts are well received.  I wish I had taken pictures of my mom while she was here.  She wore her Christmas sweater constantly!

Oh, this baby of mine, this rambunctious, adorable, hilarious, busy, fuzzy, chubby little person had a birthday.  If you ask him how old he is he says, “numbuh doo.”  Saying it any other way is just not right.

He is obsessed with snowmen so he naturally wanted a “mo-man cake,” so we gladly obliged.  The siblings did the decorating.

Though he really is the center of attention most of the time I think he was happy to be the center of it for his little party.  Granny was still here from our weekend away.  (Why do I not have any pictures of Granny?)  But all he really needed to make everything special was a cake with a candle to blow out

and some ice cream.

I love 2!  I think it is the funnest, cutest stage.  He can talk– but still in his own way.  He plays interactively with his siblings.  He makes me call him “Big Mo-man” or “Good Guy” or whatever it is he decides to be.  He asks one word questions and the question mark is the look on his face.  It’s just fun and cute all around.

Happy birthday bub!

(There’s something hand made in that present I’ll show you tomorrow.)

So, the other day I discovered that Hunter knows his colors.  He was driving his lovely rainbow of cars around and saying the color name of each one.  I wasn’t sure if it was for real, so I asked, “Hunter, can you drive the green one?”  and he got the green one!  Then I asked, “What color is this car?” and he answered “ornge” (one syllable).

Since then he has been really interested in color– the color of the cup he’s drinking out of, the color of shirt he wears.  I thought I’d build on that interest and make him a little school activity.

Inspired by all of the color sorting activities available at this shop on etsy, I ordered some mini acorns and bowls from Casey’s wood products.  I used water color to paint them and the beeswax paste we have for our table to seal them.  I wish I had ordered larger acorns, but still I really love how they turned out.

It’s fun to watch how Hunter, who is almost 21 months, uses this material.  He grabs a handful of acorns and puts 2 or so in a bowl, looks at them, and then takes out any acorns that don’t match.  Sometimes he’ll pick up a bowl to look at it closer to see if it matches the acorn in his hand.  He spends 5 to 10 minutes working, then walks away.

I certainly don’t think activities like this are a necessity for teaching young children– all of my kids have learned the colors, shapes, alphabet, and letter sounds in a very natural way through everyday life.  But, as my family grows and older children need my attention and toddlers need something to do other than climb on tables and empty drawers in the kitchen, Montessori inspired activities that are engaging and matched to the child’s current interest are proving invaluable for a happy day, happy children, and a happy, sane mama.

Joining in again.

“Ornge fast, fast, fast, fast…”

taken by Jonah