Family Photo Shoot

So, we are our own photographers.  Today, after church, we went to the park and took some family photos. The boys just looked so sweet in the outfits from Chloe's wedding, so we thought we'd take advantage of the sun and go for it.  Here's the best we got.  Enjoy!

Pine Cone Theif!

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Someone, or something, has stolen our pine cones!  Eli is horrified, and can't figure out who would do such a heinous thing.  All his hard work, gone, taken from us, right under our noses!  We went outside, just two days after we put out our treats for the birds, and this is all we found.  All three peanut butter-birdseed glories were ripped from the strings and vanished.  Eli wants to call the police, knowing that they help find stolen things.  I have a sneaky suspicion though: there are some mischievous squirrels around, and I think they have pillaged our backyard!  Perhaps they heard me say how scrawny they were, compared to the monstrous squirrels of Michigan.  Maybe they have a thing against Winston, and wanted to punish us for the acts of our dog.  Possibly they are stricken by the recession, like everyone else, and just can't feed their families, so have resorted to lives of crime. In any case, I guess Eli and I have a project for tomorrow: we are making pine cone squirrel feeders!

Feeding the Birds

My first indication that we had a problem was when Eli started climbing up the stairs chanting, "Who's the cat? Who's the cat? Who's the cat?"*  I knew our troubles had escalated when I went around the corner in front of him at the grocery store and he cried out "Ca-Caw!"*  I decided I needed to take action when he was playing with Silas, who started to cry, and Eli said, "He's broken, I don't want to play with him any more."*

Then, my friend posted a link to a documentary on marketing to children, Consuming Kids.  It was all over.  I knew it was time to turn the television off and find something else to do with our days. 

So, out came the artillery.  I needed ideas, and I needed inspiration. I pulled out this book, called my mom for ideas, and made a list of things I want to do with Eli.  So it began: we put the DVDs in the closet, pulled out the double stroller, and went out to gather materials for our first morning of our new regime: we are going to fill our days with creative learning experiences, not movies!  And this is what we came up with:

There is a house down our street with an enormous pine tree in front of it.  From that pine tree hundreds of big, beautiful pine cones have fallen.  So, off we set down the road to collect some of the pine tree's offerings.  Eli went through several for every pine cone he picked.  Some were too small, some were too poky, some were smashed on one side, some were too big.  Finally he had picked five ravishing cones, and we were off to the grocery store for more supplies.  We needed peanut butter and bird seed.

We got home with everything we needed to make our little bird friends in our yard a snack. 

I wanted Eli to feel like he could do it himself, so I changed his shirt, gave him the spoon, and told him to dig in!

Silas watched from his Bumbo.

Eli enjoyed the peanut butter as much as the birds will, I'm sure. 

After we covered the pine cones in peanut butter, we rolled it in the bird seed, tied some wool yarn around it, and took it outside to hang for the birds.

We dropped the rest of the seed on the ground for the birds to eat, and went in to clean up. 

All in all, it was an incredibly successful day!  Eli didn't even ask once if we could watch a movie, and after it was all done he napped, without question, for two hours. Now, if I can just keep it up, our house will be littered with beautiful artwork and crafts made by Eli, and the ceaseless movie quoting will end!  Please feel free to comment with any brilliant ideas you may have for me! 


*Madagascar
*Robots
*Toy Story

Ten Things

Many blogs I read randomly do lists of 'ten things...' I like the idea, so here's my first list.  I'll keep it simple:

Ten things you may not know about me:

1. One of my biggest insecurities is my name.  Jenny is the 6th most common name in America.  Ever!  I have this great fear that people will meet me, but because my name is Jenny, they will promptly forget me.  I hate calling people that don't know me well, or don't know my last name, because I always feel I have to explain exactly which 'Jenny' I am.  It's awkward, trust me.

2.  I love to write and edit essays.  Yup, boring old school papers.  I will jump at the chance to proofread any college student's work. Sometimes I write essays on topics I'm researching just for my own personal pleasure.  Need an essay on my thoughts on birth? I've got one.  How about one on First Nations literature?  Got one of those too.  I LOVE essays. 

3. I've made my own saddle.  It's true, a real, full blown, western, horseback riding saddle.  It's one of my greatest accomplishments. (Adrienne will laugh, because the reason you may not know this is because I have never ridden in the saddle that I made.  I've already got two other saddles, and only one horse I ride, so I don't want to make the one I made dirty for no reason at all!) 

4. We use family cloth. 

5. I dream of one day living on a sustainable farm.  I want a big ol' garden in the summer, and greenhouses in the winter.  I want dairy goats for milk, and cows and chickens for meat and eggs.  I want to learn how to spin so I can have sheep and make sweaters from their wool.  I can't wait!

6. I LOVE rollercosters. 

7. My dream vehicle is a truck.  A big truck.  One that can haul horses all over the country side.

8.  If I could change anything about my body, it would probably be my toes. If you know my toes, you know what I'm talking about.

9.  I tandem nurse my boys.

10.  The first night I was reacquainted with Jared after I got home from college and he was back from his mission I wrote in my journal, "Tonight I hung out with Dave Lancaster.  He is roommates with Jared Wiebe, who I knew from the youth dances.  Jared wants to be a lawyer.  I think I will marry him."

When Three Became Four

The moment that Eli was placed on my chest (my arms were still strapped down to the table - what a wonderful memory) will forever be etched in my heart as the most emotional, wonderful moment of my life.  The primal instinct in me roared.  Despite the surgical birth we had just gone through, I didn't want anyone else to touch, or even look at my son.  I abruptly told Jared that he was not to worry about me, but that he wasn't to let our baby out of his sight.  I felt that every experience I had ever had culminated to that very instant, and that being a mother was all that I was ever meant to be.

I never felt the huge transition that some people say becoming a parent brings.  I don't know if I was blessed, or if the craziness that was my life when Eli was born didn't allow me to think much about it, but he and I didn't have much problem adjusting to each other. I felt prepared to take on the roll of motherhood, full throttle.  As the months since Eli entered our family have flown by, I have rarely felt overwhelmed or unprepared.  Sure, there have been moments of stress and worry, but in general I think I have handled it all pretty well.

Then came number two.

Who knew that this would be so much bigger of a transition for me, physically and emotionally.

In the first few days of Silas's life, I was dealing with, dare I say, disappointment of his birth, postpartum hormonal changes, and, most affecting, the emotional needs of my sweet two-year-old.  Up until the moment of Silas's birth Eli had been my best friend, my constant companion, and, other than Jared, my number one concern.  But suddenly all the rules changed.  He couldn't jump on the bed, because the baby was sleeping, nurse when he wanted, because the baby was nursing, scream, talk, stomp, or do so many things he had been allowed to do just days before, because of this new little creature we had brought home.  To be honest, I couldn't blame him when he asked us to take the baby "back to the hotel."  I found myself dealing with some of the same growing pains: never mind the surprise that the middle of the night feedings were, I wasn't prepared for the guilt and emotional exhaustion I would experience. I felt torn between the bonding that I wanted to do with my new sweet baby, and spending time letting Eli know that he was still just as important to me as ever.

Yet, here I sit, with my sweet, precious, wonderful baby boy sleeping beside me, and I can't imagine our family without him.  I feel like I have had to learn a whole new set of rules with him: he sleeps differently than Eli, nurses differently, plays differently, but each change is exciting and fun.  Juggling naptimes, bedtimes, nursing, meals and meaningful play has been an adjustment, that's for sure.  But, when Silas gently wakes us all up with his coos and smiles, and then Eli squeezes in between us to make him laugh, I know why we so badly wanted another child.  The joy that Eli's pronouncements to Silas that "if you see any bad guys, you tell your big brother, and I will get them for you" are worth more than I can express.  Silas's giggles when I run my hands across his back, or his squawks (for that's really what they are) of joy when he splashes in the bathtub, or his happy leg kicking every time Jared comes home from work bring so much happiness to our lives.

Sure, I just don't have time to spend hours staring at him, memorizing every feature of his face and recording every thing he does, but I am so grateful for the relationship that we do have, and am eternally happy that we didn't give into Eli and bring him back to the hotel.

Stuff on Sticks...

... and Hooks, and Under the Needle...

I have a doll, a little knit doll, that my Nanny made for me, affectionately called, My Nanny Doll. I love it.  Apparently my nanny was quite the knitter, and she passed those skills onto her daughter, my Grandma Betty.  As long as I can remember Grandma Betty has knit things for us: hats, mitts, scarves... She has even made "Nanny Dolls" for both of my sons.

I love to make things too.  Love it!  I love the accomplishment of creating something with my own hands.  I love the connection with other women that crafting seems to create. When I wanted to learn how to knit, naturally I asked my Grandma Betty.  I feel that our relationship has grown closer because of this. My Grandma Jackson bought me the fabric for the first quilt I ever made.  And since, my mom and mother-in-law have both spent hours quilting with me.  I love these memories, and the product that comes out of the good times!

So, right now, I've got a lot of projects on the go!  Knitting projects, crochet projects, quilting, sewing, painting, decorating...  Like I said, I like to make things!  Here's a few of the things I'm working on right now:

 Just a little something that Eli and I have been working on for his girlfriends back in Michigan.  Shhhh... don't tell!

Ever since I made Eli's friend, Ruby, a crown, Eli has been begging for one himself.  So... I am making 4!

Megan's Christmas present, from last year.  I have promised that I will get it to her before next Christmas.

A hat for Jared.  Too bad it's not cold here in Spokane.  My motivation to get it done left just as soon as we arrived.

 This one's a secret, but it's almost done!!!

The blessing gown for when we have a baby girl. Another one that the motivation has left. I pick it up when I'm pregnant, and put it down both times I've had a boy.

This is the closest I've ever come to finishing a knit garment.  I am almost done, and have to finish it before it won't fit Silas anymore. I started it 2 years ago for Eli. Oh well.  It's so beautiful!


Well, there you go. That certainly isn't the complete pile of things I want to do, but it's what I'm working on right now.  Jared is good to me, because there is usually one or two spread out in our living room, reminding me to keep going.  Maybe I will finish that hat for him, after all.

This boy loves his daddy!

My darling husband is just about finished law school... just about.  Right now he is doing an internship with the Spokane County Prosecutor.  Basically, much to Eli's joy, he spends his day in front of judges putting 'bad guys' behind bars.  Yeah!  But, like most legal interns, sometimes he has to bring his work home.  Last night he came home with a trial to prepare, and told Eli that he would play with him just as soon as he made a few phone calls.  He then barricaded himself in the 'office.'  Well, I was preparing dinner, so I told Eli not to bother his dad and went about my business.  A few silent minutes later I went looking for our little super hero, and this is where I found him:

He is staring at the door, behind which his daddy is making those important phone calls.  When I asked him what he was doing, he said, "Waiting for Daddy; we are going to wrestle."  I just love how much he loves his dad!