Winter II

Winter

(See goosebumps? I should have extended these further up my arm!)

Birthdays

Last weekend we enjoyed the beautiful weather out on the peninsula with our good friends to celebrate their 9 year old's birthday - can't believe how these kids grow. It's fun to see them grow up together.



And this week our oldest turned 11 - huh? really?

Play-doh!!

Cousin Visit

My youngest said of his 18 month old cousin, "He's harder to watch than I thought!"

Knit This

Missing

This little fall cardigan is missing from my 2009 finished object parade - I think I finished it some time in October or so.


What I was really noticing though are my daughter's teeth. This is what they looked like a few months ago.


This is what they look like now.



This tooth fairy is going to be broke!

Her Own World

Once all the Christmas anticipation and hubbub had settled, my daughter's anticipation shifted to finding out what characters her class would be in the Big Dance Recital in June. Her ballet teacher announced their parts on Tuesday and tomorrow she will find out what her part will be for her tap class - again much excitement and squeals of "I can't wait!" It's so fun to see how much she loves dancing and also how natural her ability is. Good to find something in which she excels where she is not in Older Brother's shadow.

2009 FO Parade!

I was noticing I didn't really post many knitted finished object photos in 2009, so here is a parade of 2009 FOs in no particular order. (There is however a color theme going on here - see it? Wonder what my subconscious was trying to work out through my yarn color choices...)

...12th day of Christmas

So I feel okay posting one last Christmas related picture but then I promise it's back to (mostly) knitting.

Fun outing with the cousins to see the Nutcracker - I think the girls, who both dance, were much more enthralled than the boys, but from the smiling and clapping and bobbing around trying to get a better look at everything I think everyone had an enjoyable time.
(There was, however, some snickering at "Mr. Big Butt" - the nutcracker/prince in tights was too much for the boys to resist making a few comments - uncultured little buggers!)

The Heart of Christmas

My parents were up here visiting for Christmas and while on a little post-Christmas jaunt my daughter asked archigrammy (who is a cardiac ultrasound tech) what a heart looks like. This pear and some coffee stir sticks became the model for a nice little circulatory system lecture there in the middle of the coffee shop - my mother is a funny one and I love her.

Blur

Beautifully blurry lived in moments - that's what we have.

2010!

Nice to have friends who are willing to have this sort of thing happen in their home!

New Year

A picture a day? We'll see...



(Moebius Cowl in Berroco Ultra Alpaca - fun, easy knit!)

Really?

Mommy: "I can't believe you're a big kindergartner already! How did that happen?"
Youngest: "Well mom, you know, time goes by so fast....
and also, life isn't fair."

It Could Be My Fault

I think my youngest son may be allergic to wool. 4 years of creams and ointments and food elimination and itchy burning skin and duh! mom! WOOL!
I don't think it's the only trigger for his eczema, he definitely has some food sensitivities as well, but after reading about lanolin alcohols and what not I think we may have found an additional culprit for his skin flare ups.
I haven't researched enough to know if being in contact with someone (me) who has been in contact with wool would cause a reaction in someone (son) who is allergic, but if that is the case I will gladly get rid of all my wool yarn.
His latest outbreak was especially severe and my looking into the wool thing led me to find that the ointment (Aquaphor) that I just started using on him, at the dermatologist's suggestion, contains lanolin alcohols! Hello, not only am I knitting on a wool sweater and a wool/alpaca shrug right now, but I am also slathering him in lanolin thinking I'm doing him a favor! Poor, poor baby - how I wish I could just trade skin with him until this flare up subsides.

Swift

One of my excuses for having so much unused yarn is that it is a hassle and potentially hazardous tangled mess for me to try to wind up the yarn by hand.
Well, no more excuses - Look at this fantastically cool swift that my husband and kids crafted for my birthday - and to complete the package my husband hinted to my mom-in-law that a ball winder would be the perfect accompaniment.





I'm so excited and have already begun churning out beautiful little yarn cakes - yummy - my favorite kind of birthday cake!

SUMMER

First full year of classroom school - DONE!
Lots of new friends and adventures, lots of good learning, some not so good learning, parties and projects and speech meets and spelling bees and speed drills; driving back and forth and back again - all in all a successful year of transition for us, but definitely looking forward to the unstructured days of summer!

Perspective

Today I did a 3 mile run as a "running buddy" with a program called "Girls on the Run". It's a program that empowers girls by teaching them healthy eating, exercise, relationship, etc... strategies.
Part of the program is an approximately 2 month running training that culminates in the girls running a 5k in June. A "Running Buddy" is an adult woman who runs with a girl and provides encouragement and motivation throughout the run. The Buddy job is very simple and doesn't involve a big time commitment, just running 1 practice 5k and the actual 5k with the girl.
I had so much fun chatting with my girl as we ran/walked. Speed was not an issue as we are supposed to go at the girl's pace. It was a completely enjoyable 3 miles and as each pair finished we were cheered on by the coaches and then we all stayed at the finish to cheer on the groups that were still running. And the girls had so much fun running - happy to finish whether 1st or 5th or last.
I need to remember this is why I run. To be healthy, to feel good, to encourage others - regardless of my speed compared to other people.
3 miles slow and happy - priceless.

12 miles

I have a chronic condition.
It is called "Never able to appreciate one's own accomplishments without comparing self to others and feeling inadequate and stupid". I mean see how long the name of the condition is? It's got to be bad with that long of a name.

I ran - well jogged, plodded, and walked might be better verbs here - 12 miles for the first time yesterday. I waved at several other runners and walkers. I smiled and nodded at 3 white bearded Sikh gentlemen. I marveled at Mt. Rainier. I fell, scratched up my hands and knee, got up and kept going. I tried not to cry after that. 5 minutes later I cried. I walked backward up some inclines. I watched the sun come then hide behind clouds then come again. I finished the 12 miles that were my goal for the day and was still not satisfied. Because even though my goal is to simply finish this 1/2 marathon, it drives me nuts when I look at my average speed and see how painfully slow I am. But what frustrates me most is not the slowness but my inability or unwillingness to accept that I'm not a natural runner nor am I training hard in enough to see times that would seem respectable to me. And "respectable" of course means what this or that other person can do and therefore what I "should" be able to do. My own goal becomes worthless.

There is a woman slower than I am. I have seen her often as I chug along. A beautiful ebony woman in colorful skirts. And she sings as she walks slowly along. She sings - hears angel songs - songs obscured by my own heart pounding in my head. She sings and smiles to herself and doesn't fear - or sings the fear away.

Oh how I wish I could embrace that goal. To know the joy of going her speed.