Craft Update

I have been able to get a few projects in, even with new baby (who isn't so new anymore, sniff). Here is a little of what I have been up to:

I am in that stage of life when everyone I know is having babies. Although, judging from the amount of baby presents my mom is always making, I'm not sure when that stage ends. In any case, when I was pregnant with Fredrick my mom bought me this adorable book of booty patterns. So I have been making lots of those.

Speaking of babies, I always make the same present for my friends/family who have babies. It isn't especially creative, but it is something that is incredibly useful to me, so there you go. I sew and then crochet an edging around a receiving blanket, a couple of burp clothes, and then make a set of flannel bibs (my mom came up with the pattern for the bibs, and they are the best ever). It is a fairly fast project so I can keep up with all the births (5 of LeGrand's siblings had babies in the past year, as well as two of my favorite cousins--one of which had identical twins!) The blanket above is for one of my dearest friends who just had her second. She does read the blog, so sorry to spoil the surprise, but it should get in the mail this week. :o) If I'm lucky she will be too busy with her newborn to check blogs for a few days.

This is a project for the boys' room that I started while I was pregnant with Fredrick. I got bored with all the knitting I was doing, and I wanted to learn something new. I turned out to really love it--I want to make something again sometime.

This was Fredrick's Christmas present. I got the pattern off of Susan B Anderson's blog--she is such a genius. I need to get some of her books. I'm eyeing the new one she has coming out soon.

I made this little guy from leftover yarn from Fredrick's blanket, and he is very snuggly. I am really happy with how he turned out.

Lastly, I made this set for a special lady. I saw the free pattern for the scarf on the Purl Bee blog, and fell in love. Then in a moment of "I should be working on Christmas projects but I'd rather work on something just for fun" I started this scarf in some extra yarn I had lying around. The color and the pattern reminded me of this friend who was going through a rough patch, so I ended up making it for her. Then I saw the hat pattern on the Never Not Knitting blog, and I couldn't resist. So I ordered another skein of yarn to match.

Up next? I ordered enough beautiful yarn for a sweater coat from a Christmas gift card, so I am excited to be knitting that. I also have a couple of blankets I want to make, a birthday stocking for my Fredrick who turns six months next month (for all his half-birthday surprises) and I have a dress pattern and a shirt pattern I've been dying to make. Then my super talented sister in law Casey posted a link for a cute toddler pant pattern I want to try for my skinny Wesley (that boy has no booty!) . . . so I have enough to keep my busy. :o)

Christmas '10

This December our stake had a community nativity festival at the stake center, and as one of the attractions they had a live nativity out in front of the church, complete with camel, donkey, and a couple of sheep. They asked our family to be the characters of Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus. It was an amazing experience, having had a baby boy a few months earlier, to reflect on that moment in history that means so much to us all. Fredrick was a trooper even though it was FREEZING (you may notice the unusually chubby appearance of the characters . . . we were wearing layers under layers) and slept the entire two hours.

The girl in white was a rather belligerent angel--her mom made her do it :)

This isn't a particularly Christmasy picture, but I just love it. Apparently he wasn't getting it fast enough from his little individual sized yellow bowl . . . He gets that from his dad (Joy knows!)

Our little Wesley is obsessed with the Disney/Pixar movie Cars. Here he fell asleep reading one of the books about the characters. Also, how cute is he tucked in with that giant stuffed pig?
It is great having two such fun sets of Grandparents. Christmas Eve morning we had Christmas #1 with the Weatherspoons.
We came over bright and early in our Christmas jammies (all but LeGrand who had to go to work that day . . . boo!)
Santa Baby!
Opening up stockings.
The picture just doesn't do justice to the pure joy on this kid's face. His favorite presents weren't anything big--they were three toy cars in his stocking. Doc Hudson, Lighting McQueen, and Sheriff (from the movie Cars). He wouldn't let those cars out of his sight for months. He still sleeps with them. Did I mention he likes that movie? There is a sequel coming out in a few months, and I am excited to take him to see it. As a general rule sequels usually stink, but it will be fun to take him to his first real movie. Too bad his favorite character, Doc Hudson (Paul Newman) died a few years back so he won't be in the film.
I love kids at Christmas!
Naughty grandpa also taught him a trick with his new Cars underpants. Unfortunately now he calls them "hats." Thanks dad!

The next morning (mid-day, let's be realistic about our skills as morning people) we drove up to Federal Way for Christmas with the Johnsons. It was too quick a trip, but it was all the time off that was available. Double Boo. It was so fun to see Ben, Casey and their family (minus Molly. We miss you Molly!); Joy, Matt and their fun boys; Joe, Mandy and their adorable guys; and Mom and Dad Johnson. I didn't get pictures of that visit because I'm lame and I'm used to having events photographed for me! (My mom is a great photographer. We wouldn't have pictures without her!)

It was a fun season, and hard to let it go. But with our anniversary, LeGrand's birthday, Valentine's day and then my birthday in quick succession, we had lots of fun things to look forward to.

The End of Youth

Tomorrow I turn 30. I'm not sure how I feel about this. Part of me feels it is the end of something, that I'll really never be successful because everyone brilliant makes some kind of mark on the world before they are thirty. I know this is completely irrational and looking back I have no real regrets. I am a different, I think better person than I was ten years ago and were it not for the experiences I had, I would not be here today. I have two beautiful sons and a handsome, wonderful husband who for all his silliness is my best friend. I would not trade what I have now for grad school, or a PHD, or time spent writing a book. My days are spent reading Dino Baseball and The Little Blue Truck ad naseum, instead of Lorraine Hansberry or Gloria Naylor. I'm lucky if I have the brain power to work out a few lines of poetry, let alone think about the book that has been shelved pretty much since I was sick and pregnant with Wesley. And that is okay.

I have found a lot more peace in my life as I approach 30 than I had a decade ago. Then I was very thin and addicted to being so. I was confused about what I wanted, in myself or anyone else. I was at the time a history major (second in the line of three majors I declared while in university) but I was unsatisfied with my classes. When I see pictures of myself from back then I almost don't recognize myself, so much has changed in my life since then.

Things I think I have learned: to be more at peace with my body. After having two kids I am no longer the size 2/4 I was when I got married, and that is okay. Beauty is so much more than a number, it is the kind of person you are as well as taking care of yourself. I work out six days a week but never step on a scale, because the perfectionist still in me has a hard time negotiating numbers. But I feel healthy and strong and attractive, so that is enough.
I have tried to learn to look for the good in people, to be understanding, to have a kind heart. It is hard when people really are ridiculous not to poke fun. I still fall short and am not always as forgiving as I should be, but I am trying.
I have learned that sacrifice is an important quality.
I have learned most surprisingly that I can survive (although not happily) on very little sleep.

I am still very flawed, as I'm sure you are all quite aware, so thank goodness thirty isn't the end. And thank goodness for a kind husband who took the day off tomorrow to spend with me as I mourn my lost youth :)

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Burrito baby

Cutest. Fredrick. Ever

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