What are you working on Wednesdays!!

     The Alistair lion!  This pattern was a little harder for me and his eyes turned out a little crazy.  I think it was harder for me because my mind was so busy while knitting it and I expected it to go a lot faster then it did.  I knitted this during my good friends jaw surgery.  It was supposed to be a surgery that took two hours tops and it ended up taking 8.5.  I kept having to call her mom with updates who lived in another state and her mom was so worried.  The doctors kept ensuring she was ok but man i think i got two ulsers because of the whole ordeal. Everything turned out fine though!
     I don't think I was probably knitting in my normal state which is why it turned into such a frustrating project for me.  It was a straight forward knit and her instructions for how to make the loops was spot on!  I didn't even need to look up a youtube or anything.  I have some left over yarn from this and I am going to make Fisher another pebble with it, which hopefully I will be showing you soon.  I thought this yarn was just ok.  Good for the price and like that it is machine washable.  
     I finished Duck Commander Family.  I liked it a lot more then I thought I would.   If you like the show I would recommend the read.  I liked reading about it since my family runs their own family business.  It was interesting to see how other families run theirs!
     Please join Ginny and the other lovey ladies over at Yarn Along today.   

Physical therapy

About two weeks ago I started physical therapy.  Having three kids in just a little over three years was very hard on my back and hips.  I have a long road a head of me but I am so excited for it.  

As part of my exercises I have to get in the water everyday and do some walking.  This has turned out to be such a blessing.  Everyday I get in when Fisher is napping and Harper and Huck come and join me.  My exercises take about 20 minutes and then we just get to play together.  It has been so fun to get outside everyday and enjoy the water together.  We went today in the rain( no lighting or thunder).  Although we were all a little cold it was fun none then less.  Sometimes it is good to be forced to do things you don't really want to. Swimming in the rain, turns out, is full of a lot of laughter 

 

Nervous

I drop my kids off for vbs tomorrow morning.  If I am being honest I am nervous for this.  I have never dropped them off somewhere like this.  If I have to go somewhere without them, they are always with family or very close friends and never in a public place like this.  Here is the silly thing, my good friend is their teacher, she will be with them the whole time.  Baby steps are a good thing.  Harper is excited Huck says he doesn't want to go if I am not there but I know he will be fine once he gets there.  

I vividly remember  going to these as a child.  My neighbor and I would hold our own in her backyard year after year, where my poor little bothers had to endure our made up curriculum and activities. 

Baby steps are good.  Huck took some major baby steps with the chickens this year.  He started off not even wanting to be very close to them.  Day after day he would get a little closer, then he started touching them and out of no where this weekend he stated loudly and very proudly "I want to hold Tornado!"  He was so proud of himself and I was too he was so brave!  Just like I told him baby steps are important,  tomorrow will be a good baby step for me (even though I feel like it is huge right now) 

Simple Saturday

His choice of outfits always floor me.  I hope he never conforms.

Develop

At just fifteen months old, I am amazed at how much Fisher understands.  Ask him to go take a bath and he runs up stairs to the tub saying bath.  Tell him you are going bye bye and he goes and gets his shoes.  I am always amazed at how quick kids develop at how quickly they really understand stuff.  I think they know and are capable of much more then we give them credit for.  I think they understand even more then we know.  I have a friends kids who snowboards at the age of two and they aren't bad.  I feel like most kids are capable of this type of stuff just that most parents don't give it a try.  We tend to limit our kids along the way.  Sometimes for very valid reasons, sometimes for fear of them getting hurt.  We taught the kids to skateboard this summer.  At first I found myself saying "be careful" a whole awful lot.  I think I was making the whole experience more stressful then it needed to be.  What was I afraid of?  I don't really know, they both wear helmets.  What is the worse that could truly happen?  A broken arm at most, which would be horrible but does it really help to have me yelling "be careful, slow down!" While my stomach is in knots?  I think not.  I just think that fear often holds us back so much as parents.  Not just in teaching your kids a certian sport or activity that could cause hurt but in lots of areas.  Maybe it is just me but I always take it to the worse case when I worry about my children.  When Huck skateboards he bends his knees, puts his arms out and enjoys the ride.  Isn't that what we should do in all things?  Put your arms out when needed for balance but most importantly enjoy the ride, let go and watch them grow.  Our children are amazing, my biggest hope is that they grow up to be exactly who they are supposed to be and that we as parents don't get in the way to much.  That we, as parents, just let them enjoy the ride. 

Just being

Sometimes the best option of the day is to go to the park, play in the rain and pick some beans.  

What are you working on Wednesdays!

I made the in threes a baby cardigan. for Harper.  This pattern is truly one of my favorites.  Simple, sweet and very versatile.   I made this for Harper last year and it is still big on her.  I kind of Jerry rigged it and put the buttons on one side and kind of crossed over the two layers to make it fit a little better.  I found some elephant buttons which was perfect for Harper,as at the time she was obsessed with them.  Harper asked me to make it pink so I found this awesome rose pink yarn from Debbie bliss.  I think she had a much brighter pink in mind and rarely wears this.  This was when I really realized she is fully in control of what she wears and from now on she will be choosing her yarn with me at the store.  I am hoping that she will start to want to wear it and I can easily add length to it to make it grow with her.
Today I also made my mom her birthday cake from scratch and it was so good!  I made the cake from here and the frosting from here. It was a big hit, so yummy! Alex even says he wants this to be his new birthday cake.  It is a few extra steps to make this but that frosting is fun to make.  Watching it get fluffier and fluffier with time was fun the kids for sure loved watching it.  They thought it was magic!
Please join Ginny and the other talented laidies for yarn along.

Random bits

I want a lot of tattoos this one  and one my mom is going to design.  So I guess it is true you can never get just one.

I am reading this book  right now.  I am only so far into it, it is good.  I would probably like reading a book about most families though.  

I was oddly excited that Kate had her baby and a baby boy! I thought it was a girl,  I didn't even know I thought that until I found out it was a boy and was surprised.   I don't know why I care she is a fascinating person I feel like she is so graceful and cool but still let's loose and she re wears dresses and that is cool.

Those shingle commercials terrify me.

I am obsessed with this  sunscreen It works so well and you get a lot for your money.  A little goes a long way I think our one can will last through the summer and I put it on Harper daily.  She has such sensitive skin and always has a rash from things especially  sunscreen.  She loves it and always asks for her "Special sunscreen". I really like that it is in a jar and not a squeezable tube because natural sunscreen is super thick.  It rubs in super easy too.  Most importantly is, I know what every ingredient is.  What is in that other stuff? 

I came from cleaning to Harper clipping her own finger nails saying "I am finally getting a hang of it mom."  She is four.

Huck told me today that he needs to drive a taxi because people give money to taxi drivers and he needs money for some new toys he wants.  He is three,very resourceful and has never been in a taxi before.  I have no idea where he learned this. 

I was knitting some mittens for a friend and they turned out huge!  They are to big for even Alex.  I saw a guy downtown this weekend who was so tall with huge hands and my first thought was "I wish I had those mittens so I could give them to that guy."  Expect that I only have one.  If it wouldn't be so weird I may have gotten his address and sent them to him.  I'm odd that way.

The picture below is the perfect summer night.  The type of night memories are made of

The house

It's not going how we planned.  Patience is a virtue.  Patience is lame.  

Simple Saturdays

He woke at 2 worried about the baby goat and if his leg was ok.  It seems his brain never stops and most of the time he is thinking of others. 

Weekend

Weekend.  Family, baseball, swimming.  Yes please!

Personality

It is funny how each kid you have can be so different in their  personalities.  Fisher has really been becoming his own little person,  needing moma less and less and starting out own his own.  Huck is becoming so brave about things it catches me completely off guard.  This weekend he was holding all of the frogs.  Last summer he refused to even touch one because he thought it was going to jump in his mouth.  He wanted to go on the jet ski with me and was yelling "faster!  Get that wave!"  When we would get air off of a wave he would yell "awesome" and when we finished he said "let's go jet skiing everyday!"  He notices the small things.  Will alway point out if someone gets a hair cut, comments on their shoes or my personal favorite " i like your nail polish on your lips Auntie." (Meaning lipstick) he is a talker always has been and always will be.  Harper is my passionate one.  Lover of animals swimming and dance.  She has a specific style and is starting to really wonder about things and how they can be.  She asked me how Santa gets through our fire place glass when it is sealed shut.  I promised myself to not lie to the kids ( a promise that has proven be much harder then I ever thought)and I felt so stuck.  I didn't expect it she was only 4.  She is analytical though, she thinks things through.  She is my dare devil ( although fisher may end up showing her up in this... My poor stomach) she is quite when you first meet her but will not stop talking once to you Get to know her. She loves arts and crafts and is right by my side when I am making anything.  Same gene pool, such different kids.  

When I had Huck I thought I had a upper hand because he was my second and we had things figured out.  I learned the hard way that what works for one most likely doesn't work for the other.  I often say that Huck came to teach me that I know jack squat about parenting.  I am so thankful for this crazy ride, thankful they are ever changing and not all the same, that would probably be boring.  

What are you working on Wednesdays!

Oh the Baby sophisticate!   Every little boy needs one right?  Little grandpa sweaters on little boys are just plain adorable.  This was actually the first sweater that I made.  It was a great, fun, fast pattern.  I made the adult version as well (which I will show you at another time).   Fisher is happy with this sweater (or so it seems) he just won't sit still for any pictures, my wild boy he is.  We alway say the quote "I'm a wild man I can't drive 55!"  A quote I am sure not many know but it is from this cheesy cartoon from way back when.  Fisher is a on the go type of boy.  He is always getting into everything,  he is outside a lot where he can roam free and can't get into to much trouble.  He is like his sister in this way.  It just seems everything is a little bit better for them when they are outside.  Both of them as babies would calm down right away the second we would step outside.  Like a internal switched was flipped.
 I think that it will still fit him this fall.  If not I will probably make him another one as they are too cute to pass up.  That or maybe the  Wonderful Wallaby another adorable option that I have yet to try.  What do you think?   I keep thinking of making one of these for everyone in my family but that thought is easier said then done.

Please join the lovely Ginny  and all the talented ladies over at yarn along today.

Hello lovely's

Farm. Fresh. Eggs.  Oh my!  

(More to come, rest is needed right now)

Right now

I am watching Harper twirl around the living room pretending to be a princess.  

I  listening to Fisher sing his favorite new (and first) song over and over again.  Hot dog, hot dog, hot diggty dog.  

Am Hoping the storms aren't as bad tonight as they were last night. 

Missing my hubby.  

Nervous about our house being on the market and hoping it all goes ok. 

I am wondering if I need anxiety meds/vitamins or if it is normal to feel like this during times of big transitions.

Have a feeling I may have a couple of littles in my bed with me tonight and am 100 percent ok with that.  

Thinking of getting a king bed so all of said littles fit in bed a little better when it is needed. 

I am not even knitting, not one bit this weekend and it feels kinda of weird. I always feel very off balance when I am not creating something.  I have not been able to do that much lately.  I have been busy trying to get us set up for a different kind of life.  I guess that is still considered creating something I just don't have something tangible to show for it yet.

Simple Saturdays

Deep sea dives, catching a little guy promptly named pinchy, family naps.  That's better.

Done!

Last night at about midnight our house hit the market!   All of our hard work is done and now we just wait and see.  In the afternoon Alex and I decided we should go to the lake.  We left last night a 7 and got here at 11.  We are excited to spend some time as family, play in the sand and go for a deep sea dive!    Now I must go and play marbles with Harper!

Today (giveaway!)

Today.  Today was one of those days where to be honest bed time can not come soon enough.  I know I probably shouldn't say that.  I try and keep this place positive and thankful but today was just hard and I wouldn't be 100 percent honest if I came on here and just pretended that everything was just hanky danky.  It wasn't anything specific, just a day of a lot of lost tempers and a lot of tears.  We are going through a lot of change and hopefully soon we will get in our grove.  This too shall pass.  In some ways it makes it the good days even better but man that was a tough one!

   Enough about that now to the giveaway!  I am going to randomly select one person to win the Emma tunic tiny sizes.  It is a great fun pattern that I loved so much I feel like every little girl I know should have one of these.  Whenever I make something that I really love,  I always hope that I run into someone who is wearing the same pattern and I can talk to them about it.  This has yet to a actually happen, maybe it is weird?  

    All you have to do to enter is leave a comment, telling me what your favorite knitting pattern is or your favorite thing to make is. I am always looking for my next project!  

    Please note that I am in no way affiliated with the creator of this awesome pattern.  I just like it and want others to  get the chance to knit it as well.  Good luck!
     

The Emma tunic tiny sizes.

What are you working on Wednesday!

I am done with the Emma tunics and I do love how they both turned out.  This is a awesome pattern.  The collar was a tad confusing but I think that was my lack of fully paying attention.  I love the fit and versatility of it.  It fit Fisher (large 15 month old) like a cute dress and  the same one fit Harper (4 going to be five) as a vest.  So I think they will last a long time!  I made both of these for other people's little babies.  One for a good friends first birthday and the other for a baby due in a few months.  I hope they get the larger pattern out soon.  Until then I am going to make the larger one as a vest for Harper (it has to be pink with purple stripes  she declares!) Be sure to tune In tomorrow as I am going to give one Emma tunic pattern away for one winner.

My Ravelry  notes are here if interested.  Please join Ginny   and the other talented ladies over at her blog today for yarn along! 

Finding time with the kids

Between the move and running back and forth between houses, it has been hard to find time to play with the kids.  My parents backyard is awesome and we spend most of our days out in it.  I am loving our mornings here.  Today we put up Harpers reading tent that I made her for her birthday. (This  Is the tutorial that I used, also forgive the crazy banner, it is just safety pined on I keep meaning to go back and sew it on.) The kids made a duck pond, saying sometime soon we will have real ducks to play with.  Not till next year kiddos.  With all of the chaos and the often wondering "are we doing the right thing?"  It is these moments where I realize yes, yes it is.

Comfort

Please excuse my being brief today.  We are all under the weather.  I heard a quote once that says "comfort is the killer Of will."  I am understanding that more then ever right now and hoping the upcoming changes are worth it. 

Simple Saturdays

The end is near.  (Humming bird nest)

4th of July!!

This has become one of my favorite holidays.  Just a relaxing day to spend with friends and family.  Camping, homemade ice cream, cupcakes, swimming and a lot of fun.  This is what memories are made of.  Thanks to all those who work hard serving our county to make his a possibility.