On my Needles this week

Just in case you were wondering what I've been knitting this week...

A few newborn sweaters out of extra yarn in my stash.  This one I knit for a designer.  It was so fast and super cute.  If only I had a newborn girl to try it on!

Another sweet sweater I made to use up the yarn from the sweater and hat set that I made for Silas.  

And this darling hat I made for Adrienne, who bought me the yarn and told me to knit her something pretty.  I think it's pretty.  I've never worked a fair isle pattern before, so it was a learning experience.

There you have it.  Just in case you were wondering.

Don't wake a sleeping baby

I don't know why, but Silas has been a miserable sleeper lately, being sick and all, so when he manages to fall asleep, I don't mess with the magic.  I love my Si-Guy. 

This one's my favourite.

Chicken Box Party!

I've been searching for 4 years, and finally I found it: the Chicken Pox have finally infected my children. For three weeks we've been talking about it, we've gone to two different houses to ensure exposure, sucked on suckers and popsicles, chowed down on cookies and traded pajamas.  It's really been quite fun.

Until the spots showed up...

That's him trying to be sad.  He really was, but he's too much like me to not smile prettily for the camera. 

Once the thrill of actually having the pox wore off he began begging for a "Chicken Box Party" of his own so that he could give the pox away.  Even in his misery he is so cute!

So, we did what any good parents would do, we threw him a party to celebrate his Chicken Box, with something that hasn't been in our house for over 3 months: macaroni!!!!  (Don't worry, it was organic... in case you were wondering.)  I'm not sure what Eli was more excited for, the macaroni, or the idea that we weren't "doing a raw diet" anymore.  He was really excited.

Although Silas wasn't really sure why we were spoiling him so, he was pretty pleased as well.   

They were both just as excited about the raw chocolate dessert as they were about the macaroni.

I remember when I got the chicken pox my Aunt Liz brought over a felt story book.   I don't remember the misery of it, although I'm sure it was miserable, but I do remember that book.  Maybe tomorrow I need to sneak out of this sick house and buy Eli something special, even more special than the macaroni!

Mayhem at our House

I love my family.  I love that all of Eli's cousins live near.  On Sunday night Shannon and her five kids stopped by on their way home from Hillspring, and for a few hours our hows was absolutely crazy.  With my two, Alice's four and the five Evans', it made for a full house. They played outside for a long time, and then they brought the madness inside. It was so loud, and I AWESOME!

Even Silas and Nixon were in on the action. 

I can't get enough of watching my boys play with their cousins.  And I'm so glad they come to play as often as they do.

Dear Blogger,

When we first met and you whispered the word "free" into my ear I fell hard.  I was convinced that you cared about me.  That you understood about my lack of disposable blogging income.  That you were truly interested in my ability to share my intimate details with the world. That's how you sucked me in, convinced me to commit, how you lulled me into a false sense of security.  And then, just like the schoolyard drug dealer, right when you knew I was hooked, really dependent, you pulled the wool from my eyes!  You tell me that there are limits to our relationship.  You claim that you love me, but only so much (1 gb, to be exact).  You try to convince me that our relationship means something, and that if I will only give you a little something, we can carry on as though this little change of rules never occurred.  Well, you know what, it worked.  The crack you slipped me, with all the promises to go along with it, has taken it's hold.  I can't stop.  While I may like to think I can just walk away, leaving you with over a year of memories together, I can't.  I will pay your little fee.  I will give you what you are asking for. And then? Then I will upload all the pictures I want, and I will shove them in your smug little face! 

Kindest regards,
Me

Pickle Money

If I had a magic genie to grant me a wish, I would wish that my boy's lives would be video taped (and put to music... if he's a good genie) so at any time I could go back and watch the moments that I have loved so much. 

For instance, this week when Eli was freaking out over wearing a t-shirt instead of a button-up shirt and I asked him why he didn't want to wear the t-shirt, and he said, "Because, Mom, my head is bigger than my neck, and if I grow while I'm wearing it I won't be able to get it off!"  Very concerning. 

Or, when he gets to the telephone before me and answers with a "Hi," and then proceeds to tell whoever has called exactly what he is doing with his day, even if that involves his elimination.  We are working on phone manners, and now when they ask to speak with someone he asks, "Would you like to speak with my Mommy?"  Go ahead, call us, see how cute he is.  But, don't leave a message, for it will be forgotten before he hangs up the phone. 

Right now the most wonderful thing that is going on is Eli's new found desire to work and save money. A few weeks ago he decided that he wanted some finger skateboards, just like the Russells.  When he asked if we could go buy some, he wouldn't take no for an answer.  We told him if he wanted to do some jobs and earn some money he could use that money to buy the skateboards.  He has almost been helpful for the last two weeks.  He wiped half the mirror in the bathroom.  He picked up two piles of dog poo in the back yard.  He threw all the toys in our room (plus one bra) into a bucket and called it clean! Really, I have had the greatest little helper, and his rates are pretty cheap!  Yesterday he finally earned enough money to buy the skateboards that he wanted. We carefully counted it up, took out 10% to pay tithing to the church, took out another 10% for his Missionary fund so that one day he can go on a mission, and headed to the toy store with an old pickle jar full of cash.  It took him a good half hour to decide which of the plethora of skateboards he wanted, and which track he wanted to go with his precious boards.  Oh, the decision making of a three-year-old is something to behold.  He then dug out his pickle smelling money and handed it to the cashier.  We brought it home and he hasn't stopped playing with it since. He even called Andy this morning and asked, "Andy, I was wondering if you wanted to come over to my house and play finger skateboards with me?"  Oh, he is so cute!

So, if anyone is feeling the need to push around a two inch long skateboard, come on over, you'll have a very willing play mate!

If money weren't an issue...

I would definitely go to this:

Three days, in London, knitting!?! Heaven on earth, I tell you. Perhaps there I could feel less guilty about the amount of time I spend knitting. Perhaps there I would actually feel good about it, because I'm sure there are others worse than me. Perhaps there all of my dreams would come true.  Perhaps.

While you may all think that I do nothing but knitting (which may or may not be true...) life at my home has been wonderful... and... I've been knitting.