whee!

Whee!

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!

time to breathe

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

drawing

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


paper and tape is all you need

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.

a birthday sweater

the panda button

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!

new sweater posing

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!

raaaah!

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.

the collar view

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

Child's Placket Neck Sweater

Dad climbing

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!

He’s “numbuh doo”

cheese

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.

mo-man cake

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

number 2

and some ice cream.

Oh, 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 handmade in there

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