I'm not good at this growing up stuff

Eli lost his first baby tooth on Sunday, and I somehow felt like I lost a bit of something, too.  There goes a bit more of my baby, you know?  It was exciting though. It happened just as we were trying to rush out the door like mad men, because Jared was speaking in church; but, you can't rush a moment like that.  So, we stopped for a minute to celebrate, we carefully put the tooth in a safe place, took a quick picture of his new gaping smile, and then rushed like raging lunatics to get to church.  Jared walked up to the pulpit just as the meeting began.

Seeing as this is my first child's first tooth, we don't have a lot of knowledge of the comings and goings of tooth fairies.  We didn't want the tooth to get lost under his pillow, or for the tooth fairy to wake Silas up, whom Eli shares a bed with, so we put the tooth in a jar on the bedside table.  Then Eli decided he had better write her a letter to leave with the tooth, just so she knew who's it was and how appreciative he was that she would give him money.

He's getting so good at writing, and is always excited for an excuse to write anything.

On the inside he wrote: "I wish I could see you."  So sweet.

 And, when he woke up in the morning, not only did the Tooth Fairy leave him money ($5!!!) but she also left behind something magical blue and sparkly in the tooth jar, and a tiny note, just for Eli.  We knew she came in through the window, because there were sparkles all over the window sill with tiny foot prints in them. 

On the back of the note it said that loosing your first tooth is a special thing, and that's why this time he got five dollars.  What a lucky, toothless boy!

Seven Months - A Knitting Pattern

I've had this little gem ready for quite a while, but just haven't had the chance to publish the pattern.  This tunic was knit as a direct response to the years of stuffing huge fluffy dresses into snowpants, as a child. It never turned out well.  And, with at least seven months of snowpants weather in Canada, there were a lot of opportunities to crumple my favourite party dress long before I got to the party.  With this tunic, any little girl can look darling, without having to worry about being cold or under-dressed.  

The pattern is written for girls 18 months to 10 years of age.  It has options for sleeveless, 3/4 length and full length sleeves, and for tunic or dress length. It was test knit by 11 amazing women across the globe.

As usual, it can be purchased from Ravelry, or you can purchase it right her, right now, but clicking this little button:   You can also check out all the other projects made from this pattern right here:

Catching Up

I started blogging almost three years ago. We were living in Spokane, Washington, in a dirty little duplex, for only four months. We drove home to Calgary almost every weekend while we were there (because compared to Michigan, an eight hour drive to make Sunday dinner at Grandma and Grandpa's was nothing).  We didn't unpack anything.  We lived out of boxes, with our mattress on the floor, and folding chairs and a plastic table to eat upon.  It wasn't as bad as it sounds. Spokane is really a lovely place.  I met some incredible women and we had a lot of fun while we were there.  Still, I did find myself with a bit of time on my hands, and so this blog was born in my boredom.

Last night the boys and I spent an hour or so checking out those early posts, gooing over how cute Silas was as a baby, and how much Eli has grown.  It's no secret that I don't handle my kids aging with much grace, so it was actually a little sad for me.  Still, while I've become one of those annoying bloggers who never updates, I sure am grateful that I have documented what I have, because my journal writing and scrapbooking and any other memory keeping skills are even worse than my blog skills these days.

It did make me think about all the moments that have passed in the last few months that I have not documented anywhere, that, if I don't get down somewhere, will be lost forever.  Like, for instance, the rest of our Summer Adventure Journal.  Adventure we did! I even took pictures to prove it.  I need to write it down so in three more years we can look back and enjoy it all over again.  Or, when Jared was called to The Bar and became a real lawyer.  Or, when the Calgary Temple was completed and I got to take so many of my friends through the open house to learn a little more about what I believe, and when I got to go through with my boys and Jared and sit together there and get a glimpse of what heaven will be like. Or when Jared's parents left on their mission in Halifax, and how exciting it is for us to talk about them, and pray for them, and learn from their great example.  I can go on and on, but instead I'm going to try really hard to catch up on some of these important events, the things I want to remember, the things I want to be able to look at down the road and enjoy. So bear with me for the next bit while I play catch up.  It won't take long, and it might not entertain much, but get over it, this is my blog!

On the First Month of Christmas...

What? Christmas is over?!? But did you know what? It's now only 12 months away.  Did you hear me people? 12 months!!!

Every year I hit November and realize how much I want to get done for Christmas and don't ever have enough time to do it.

2013 is going to be different. This year I am going to think ahead, prepare, do things differently. 

So, for the next 12 months I am going to finish at least one thing for Christmas every single month.  I have more than enough unfinished, untouched crafts in my basement to fill all 12 months, but more than that, I am going to try to get presents finished, planning done, and even a little money saved so that when Christmas comes around again I will be ready!

So, on this, the first month of Christmas, I competed one lovely Christmas decoration which will so beautifully deck my halls next Christmas season:

Here's to the next 12 months of merriment and joy.  I've got plans for a beautiful season next year, and a whole lot more room in my craft room as I clear out all the half finished and broken decorations. 

Merry Christmas to all in 2013!

Merry Christmas from the Wiebes

I can hardly believe it's almost Christmas!  I really meant to send out an actual Christmas card this year, but despite having all my presents bought before December, and a pretty lax calendar, somehow I have been too busy yet again.  I did, however, convince my darling sister Chloe to take pictures of my family, so I didn't completely fail in the matter.

In any case, let me tell you about what a wonderful year it's been, and how blessed we are going into this Christmas season!

We started out the year living in a new home, pregnant with our third child, and Jared deep into his articling year.  In April we were blessed with our third boy!  Atticus Booth was born at home on April 11, 2012.  It took us almost five weeks to name him!  He has been such a joy in our family, and we are grateful for him every day. In his eight months he has mastered breastfeeding, rolling over, sitting up, and in the last month has become completely mobile, crawling all over the home, wreaking havoc as he goes. His brothers love him completely and he is never short for entertainment. 

Silas is three years old now, and has really blossomed in the few months since his birthday.  He was wearing 18-24 month clothes in the summer, and now he's wearing size 4.  He is his own little man who insists on the whole world slowing down just a little, as nothing and nobody can seem to hurry him.  He is very independent, happy to go on any adventure he can find.  He went to his first art class this fall, and loved it. He also loves his nursery class at church and playing lego with Eli.  He is honestly the sweetest boy on earth.

And my darling Eli: he continues to amaze us with how clever and charming he is.  He mastered his bicycle this spring, well before his 5th birthday, and his world opened up.  We spent hours and hours this summer following him around on his bike as he explored the neighbourhood. He has taught me that as the mother of boys I may as well get rid of everything in my home but Lego, because Lego is all there is! We are homeschooling the boys, and so Eli is, in theory, in kindergarten. We spend our days doing art projects and engaging in a lot of creative play.  He is learning his letters and how to write.  I am so lucky to spend my days with him!

As for Jared and I, we are often surprised when we sit back and look at our lives and realize that we are not young marrieds any more.  We've got three children, two mortgages, one dog and all sorts of responsibilities.  Not that I'm complaining, I'm just often surprised by the fact. 

Jared is a lawyer, not a law student, not a student-at-law, a lawyer.  After a year of articling, in October he was admitted to The Bar and is now a full fledged lawyer, the real McCoy!  After 8 years of marriage to a student, we are glad to be where we are at.  He is working as an associate at a firm in Calgary, and enjoying what he does.  He still enjoys music and is determined to spend more time pursuing it this year. He works with the young men at church in the Scouting program, and loves it. 

Life as a mom of three boys is far busier than I ever dreamed it would be.  Don't get me wrong, I love it, I'm just exhausted most of the time, no big deal. I'm homeschooling the boys, teaching a language arts class, knitting up a storm and pretending to be a horseback rider, although I don't often get out to visit my horses. I have put my Doula business on hold, as I can't leave Atticus any longer than his next meal, but I still am immersed in the natural birth world. I am dreaming of moving from our tiny condo to a home, and eventually to some land where I can have chickens and goats and horses and lots of room!   

And there you have it. The life of the Wiebe family in 2012.  We have had a fantastic year and expect the same for 2013.  We know we have been blessed immensely by our Heavenly Father and are mindful at this time of year of our Saviour, Jesus Christ. May all who read this feel his love as we have felt it, and be blessed by it in the year to come.

Merry Christmas to all!!!

 

All photos taken by Chloe Taylor Photography, 2012.

Thankful November 30

And, after a month (and then some) of "Thankfuls," today I can't help but be thankful for the opportunity to be grateful.  If I could find the time, it would be easy to come up with something I'm thankful for each and every day of my life.  The list would go on and on and on.  I remember once in a freshman religion class at  BYU my professor challenged us to ONLY give thanks in our prayers for an entire week. While humbly asking for blessings from God is certainly not a bad thing, for one week we were to only look for the things which we were thankful for.  I still remember, after a few days of struggling to give meaningful prayers full of thanks, walking to school and seeing a tiny pink bud peaking out of an otherwise brown bush; the beauty of it did not escape me, and I thought, "Wow, what a blessing Heavenly Father has given me in that little bud." And, as I continued on the blessings around me just flooded to my mind: the cheerful chirping of the birds, the friendly smiles from unknown students, the young men who held doors open for me...  That night I had no trouble filling my prayer with gratitude. And, after a month of thinking of things I am grateful for, I feel the same way, like I could go on forever about all the things I have been blessed with.  As I am so close to Christmas, I hope I can carry those feelings of gratitude into the season and share my blessings with others.  

Thankful November 29

Today I am thankful for kind strangers, the ones who remind me what it means to be good.  I went shopping with my sweet nieces, and a woman totally unknown to me walked up and gave us a bear from Build-A-Bear.  We weren't looking particularly dejected or poor. We were happy to be out on a Christmas shopping date, in fact. But, this kind woman was looking for a good deed to do, and so gave us a teddy bear. Moments like that remind me to be just a little more generous, a little kinder, and a keep my eyes a little more open for opportunities to serve.  If you haven't read my letter to strangers just like her, check out this post, as it expresses what I'm thinking today much more eloquently.