Almost 2

I can't believe my baby will be 2 in April, but there it is.  Then, she'll actually be a "toddler", so to speak.  But, she'll always be Mommy's baby (even when the idea of that completely embarrasses her :-)  Here are a few magical moments with her over Christmas that were just about perfect . . . except for the missing hand in the picture which was covered up by her coat sleeve. 

Wordless Wednesday 1-25-12

My Little 3 -Year-Old Sweet Pea

Wordless Wednesday 1-18-12

Photo courtesy of my hubby and his photography.

Ever Increasing Apetites

I remember the days, not that long ago, when my children were all either babies, toddlers, or hadn't even been born.  At that point, I thought how amazing it was that our grocery bill was fairly unaffected by the small amount of food the children ate.  I could cook up 8 oz. of noodles and it fed 2 adults and a couple of small children easily.  Well, times have certainly changed!  We have progressed to a new stage in our family with 3 elementary school children and 2 toddlers and feeding 7 mouths 3 times a day is a chore, not to mention an increase in the grocery bill.  Above is a picture of our fruit bowls which we try to keep filled (and are at present empty, so we will shop today to resupply) and that gives you an idea of the growing apetites of my girls.  I hear from friends that have boys that their sons eat a lot, but I would wager that my girls can keep pace at this point, especially with all the calories that they burn every day after school - biking, scootering, swinging, climbing, and going on adventures around the yard (of course when they are teenagers, I'm betting those boys will out eat them 2 to one :-).  I also supplement the grocery store runs by baking about 4 to 5 loaves of bread each week for school lunches, toast, and snacks.  I find this all rather fascinating and definitely am not complaining.  In fact, as I muse on this, I think how blessed we are to live in a land of such plenty that not only do we have jobs and money to feed our children, but the food is so readily available at our fingertips and we never even think about starving and going hungry.  With so many others in countries around the world going hungry daily, not only do we have much to be thankful for, but also the responsibility to do whatever we can to give to those in need with the bounty God has supplied us with.

My Knitting/Crocheting Bug

I've enjoyed knitting and crocheting off and on over the years; mind you, I don't really do patterns or anything complicated, but I enjoy making simple projects, nonetheless.  I made each of my girls a baby blanket when I was pregnant with them and they call their blankets, "special blankies".  It's special watching them love and use their blankets so much!  I've been wanting to make beanies, but just hadn't given it a shot.  Talking with a friend recently, she suggested I try winging it on making a beanie or two since I am not the best at following patterns - I guess I'm just a little more free-spirited in my yarn projects.  So, over the Christmas break in Oregon, I brought along a sewing bag of supplies and tried my hand at a few beanies for the kids.  I had a lot of fun, am learning along the way, and the kids are pleased with the results, too!  So, it's a win-win situation all the way around.

She loves striking a pose!

I used the same yarn from her "special" blankie that she loves so much.

This one turned out to be a little more of a slouchy beanie on top.

Pretty cute!

The other beanie I made was for my oldest with wool and I lined it with fleece because the wool is itchy.  We went to Walmart and found some cute buttons - she chose one that says "Be Happy" and is affixed to her hat.  Now, I'm working on matching scarfs.  Fun stuff!

Recent Moments of Hilarity

We were in Target a few weeks before Christmas and the girls asked what we were buying.  I rattled off a list that included toiletries.  Isabella then asked me what exactly toiletries were.  After I explained it, she said, "Oh, I thought you were talking about Toilet Trees."  Of course, this threw me into fits of laughter just imagining such a thing.  Apparently she was imagining a tree on which toilets just grow for individual use, kind of like the old explanation money not growing on trees given by our parents.  I love that her 8-year-old imagination still runs wild!

We were riding in the care not too many days later and talking about the kind of cake Selah would like for her birthday in January when she told me, "I don't really like the frosting on cakes from the store.  It tastes like it has ear wax in it, to me."  Ah, even the palette of a 6-year-old can detect the shortening in store bought frosting as opposed to butter, half-n-half, and powdered sugar in Mommy's homemade frosting.

And finally, another quote from #2, again . . . Selah, completely deadpan, the only child still awake in the van later in the night on the way home  - "Mom, I really think you need to stop at Starbucks and get me some coffee so I can stay awake."   What???

Happy New Year - 2012!

I'm back!  Vacation was great and very rejuvenating!  We spent a whirlwind week and a half in Oregon with my in-laws just chilling out, doing Christmas activities, and with 4 adults attempting to keep up with 5 energetic little girls.  But, now we are back home and back in the ususal swing of things - school started today both for the girls and for hubby (teaching 2nd semester). 

It's also a big day for our #2; she is turning 7 and couldn't be more thrilled that her birthday fell on the first day back to school.  Last night she made her own cake and frosting (which I helped assemble after bedtime) and she organized all the sisters to assemble small gift bags for her friends at school.  After seeing Selah sick and in the hospital at the end of October and then still sick for the following month on several rounds of antibiotics, it is great to see her doing better and more of her happy, sweet self; this is a New Year's blessing in itself. 

With the New Year already a few days in progress, I will be working towards being a little more organized at home, being less lazy in general, reading plenty of books in 2012, keeping up my re-found love of handmade goods, drinking my fair share of great cappuccino's, getting back to running, drinking nice glasses of wine and eating dark chocolate with the hubby, and above all, loving God and my family with a whole-hearted purpose!  May 2012 be a great year for you, me, and all those we love!