an Itty Bitty Miracle

The Girl

2011-09-06T11:02:00.004-04:00

Style

2010-11-16T14:44:00.001-05:00

Birthday Time!

2010-10-02T12:20:00.003-04:00

Aurora is Four!

A fantastic celebration for a wonderful little girl. We are so lucky to have you Rory-Boo. You light up our lives and we've enjoyed every moment of your first four years.

Aurora's birthday table set up and waiting for her when she awoke

Number Four shaped pancakes for breakfast.

Scrapy fingerless mitts were one of her morning time gifts.

Ready to party!

The cake.

Birthday time pt 2

2010-10-02T12:17:00.002-04:00

Stamford Museum and Nature Center

2010-09-03T10:46:00.002-04:00

Lots of trails, a lake, working farm, animals(even river otters!), awesome old mansion, picnic places and perhaps the best playground ever. If you are local, you most definitely should GO!

SMNC pt two

2010-09-03T10:44:00.000-04:00

Recent Knits

2010-08-10T10:19:00.003-04:00

In April, my name finally came to the top of a waiting list I was on to join a Three Irish Girls (my favorite yarn!) Yarn Club!!! This made me very happy indeed. I now have amazing yarn coming to me each month, in exclusive (I love that word) colorways. A necessary indulgence. Here are some of the recent knits...

Shorties for the lil' man. TIG roslea organic merino in Oberon. I love these, but was having quite a bit of issues with the short rows- kept getting holes. I'm working on a soaker right now (Vanilla, for anyone on Rav) and it employs a different short row techniques that's working much better for me- no holes! I have some special yarn set aside for fall longies for Liam that will hopefully come out a bit better.

Another Cap Sleeved Tee for Rory in TIG McClellan DK (merino/bamboo) hydrangea. Love this pattern.

A hat (with jingle bell) and sweater set for a toy dog (in TIG galenas merino Gingerbread House from a scrap bag someone sent my way). These things are totally necessary, you know ;)

Liam's fall hat, in my favorite kid's hat pattern SMSS's Fae Folk Hat in TIG Galenas Merino Tierney... knit from left over yarn from his coming home outfit. Which led to the sweetest picture ever:

and on the needles I've got a hooded cotton cardigan to finish up for Rory, the above mentioned soaker for Liam, and the latest club colorway was aptly named Aurora in a dreamy alpaca/silk blend... I'm waiting on one more skein of that being sent to me by a friend, and then a Tiny Tea Leaves cardi is on the list for Rory.

Alive.

2010-08-06T08:48:00.001-04:00

Yes, we are indeed alive. And doing well, but the computer is in our room next to Liam's napping spot, so it just doesn't get turned on much.

I have some recent pics from our trip to the shore to share....

but first, updates.

Liam is doing great... sitting up,and just yesterday pulled himself forward onto his knees to reach a toy.... which means this weekend we'll be making the living room a bit more active-baby friendly just in case he decides to make a run (crawl) for it soon. He's started solids... and really loves avocado, banana and potato, but is also very stubborn and wants to do it all himself ;)

Aurora's doing great as well... happy, cheerful and sprightly as ever. Spending lots of time creating, both with paper and paints as well as whole imaginary worlds full of characters and friends. She's been playing 'school' a lot recently with her as the teacher. Fun for me to watch as this was one of my favorite games as a young child.

I've got a lot of knitting to share... eventually. And, 6months later, am starting to finally feel I've got a handle on what it means to have 2 children and all that that entails. Pete's doing well also. Spending lots of time in the lab (as he should be, I suppose) but really wonderful quality time with us when he's not :)

Okay... some pics!

And more at Flickr

First Stitches

2010-06-18T13:57:00.005-04:00

Knit stitches that is. My baby, ahem, I mean big girl, has been asking to learn to knit for quite some time. I wanted to start with finger knitting like any sensible mama, but she insisted on using needles. So learning she is... and quite quickly, too. She needs a bit of help holding the two needles together while she wraps the yarn... but, otherwise, she's doing it by herself!

She says she's knitting a scarf for her Nee Nee. This yarn has some sweet memories for me. It is the organic cotton I used to teach my self to knit two summers ago. I made a garter stitch scarf for Rory. I think she's picking it up quicker than I did, though :0

some updates and recent happenings

2010-06-08T10:12:00.005-04:00

Its been so long!!!!

We're all doing well... its just been busy and I'm still just so tired. Two is hard. But also a whole lotta fun.

So, whats been up?

~~We've been to the bronx zoo. Awesome place and expensive enough that a membership is the way to go, so we look forward to going a lot more. A full post on that soon.
~~Aurora got a haircut~~~ in her room, by herself, with safety scissors. She now sports a cute lil' pixie style ;) Full post on that soon too.
~~Liam is huge. A bit over 17lbs. As a comparison, Rory was only 19 at a year and still hasn't hit 30 at almost 4.
~~He's also rolling over.
~~His favorite place right now is the baby swing hanging from the beautiful maple in our courtyard. We sit out together each morning while I drink my coffee. He just sits and looks and takes it all in. And gets excited when a school bus passes. Such a boy ;)
~~I have finally got Aurora's quilt top that she designed done... just need to back, quilt and bind it.... hopefully soon. I'll put up pics when that's done.
~~Rory has also shone a big interest in letters lately, so I've been introducing them to her slowly using sandpaper letters and the Montessori method. And only at her prompting. She's loving it.... and has started writing a bit too... Mom, Dad, Aurora, Liam etc. Lots of fun.
~~I need to also post some recent samples of her art work. She's hit that stage where everything, suns, wheels, flowers etc... all have happy faces. And many sporting sunglasss.
~~We gave her her own tape dispenser, not fully realizing what we were in for, so there is artwork taped up literally all over the house. Including the fish tank (that gets taken down fairly soon) and inside closets.
~~The tiny hole in Liam's heart has closed up!!! No more cardiologists for this little man, he now has a perfectly formed heart.
~~ Aurora, unfortunately, spent two days in the hospital at the beginning of May due to an acute case of croup. It was very scary and traumatizing for all of us, and we are still recovering from it in some ways. She has an appt with an allergist soon, to see if maybe all of the bad croup attacks she's had are related in some way to an allergy.

Some recent pics:

Turtles in a half shell... Turtle power!!! (anyone?)

finally back into cloth diapering after a break through most of the month of May. My first pair of hand knit longies :)

Sweet, Sleepy babe...

Cuddling yarn that had just arrived in the mail. She's my girl ;0

Liam's beloved swing

{This Moment}

2010-05-28T16:30:00.003-04:00

{This Moment} seems like all I have time for these days, sigh
Hopefully back to regular posting soon.

{This Moment}

2010-04-30T07:00:00.001-04:00

{This Moment}

2010-04-16T13:30:00.002-04:00

12 weeks today

{This Moment}

2010-04-09T14:43:00.001-04:00

{this moment}

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

Triumph!

2010-04-07T12:58:00.003-04:00

Mister got his thumb into his mouth... and kept it there! For a good 5 mins or so. Then he lost it and got rather frustrated.... but he's on his way to mastery, and that will make our lives much easier, if past experience with Aurora holds true this time around.

Easter 2010

2010-04-06T10:51:00.003-04:00

{This Moment}

2010-03-27T16:35:00.004-04:00

{this moment}
A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

preschool art show

{This Moment}

2010-03-19T11:11:00.002-04:00

we're participating in SouleMama's {this moment} series...

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

Spring has arrived!

2010-03-17T10:33:00.004-04:00

And we are jumping for joy...

bare feet and all!

Updates on us to come soon... we are all doing okay... just still trying to learn what it means to have two, and especially one who's currently dealing with Reflux and seems to think two a.m. is absolutely the best time of day to be wide awake...

Right Now...

2010-02-24T10:54:00.002-05:00

Little Man's getting some tummy time on his sister's bed... He's got some really strong neck muscles~ he's lifting his head up all the time, just not right now...

Ahh... there he goes...
The sister's busy cooking something up in the play kitchen...
And, just as a warning to other parents, this is what happens to a 3 year old's room when you haven't been in to help her clean it up the entire 1st month of your newborn's life:
The camera doesn't even capture all of it... I have my work cut out for me.

I won't include a picture of myself right now: the clock says its 11am and I'm not showered, dressed, brushed my hair or teeth, or even finished my first cup of coffee. I *might* dress and brush my teeth before friends come to visit this afternoon. Maybe. But the shower? Maybe tonight... if I'm lucky.

One Month Old Today

2010-02-22T13:29:00.006-05:00

Time sure is flying. Liam is already one month old. On the one hand, it feels like he was born yesterday... on the other hand, hasn't he been part of our family forever?

Liam's starting to settle in more and more... he certainly recognizes his sister's voice... he perks right up when he hears her nearby. His favorite place to be is in the sling right against mama's heart, so that's where he is much of the time. That's where he is now. He sleeps like a newborn... which of course means we don't much at all. He has the cutest little smile which, I swear, is intended at least part of the time. And he also has this amazing sad little pout, with bottom lip quivering, that I know he'll use to his advantage as he gets older ;) We're overcoming a bout with thrush which, as any breastfeeding mama who's had it before knows, has been quite painful for me. Luckily we seem to be on the mend. From the very beginning Liam's also had very noisy/raspy/wheezy breathing at times, along with some gagging... this has been quite frightening for us and brought us into the doctors a couple of times. Turns out, its reflux. Rory had this too, but it presented quite differently. He's on medicine now, which seems to be helping some. He's more comfortable and while his breathing is still somewhat loud, its gotten better. We were at the doctors a week ago for the thrush and he weighed 10lbs 7oz!!! The reflux has not affected his appetite!!

Yesterday, we had an early taste of spring, so we headed out for a short walk together as a family. It ended up being a very short walk, as there was quite a bit of wind, but it was wonderful to be out all together.

Pastels-- a messy adventure

2010-02-19T15:33:00.001-05:00

WIP Wednesday...Folksy Flannels Frenzy

2010-02-17T03:33:00.006-05:00

We're joining in on the fun....

Anna Maria Horner's Folksy Flannels collection arrived on our doorstep earlier this week, and Aurora and I are in love. This is some seriously beautiful fabric... and so, so soft!
These bundles are destined to be quilts for Aurora and Liam... with Aurora designing her own. I plan to give her the precut squares and let her decide their placement... we are both excited for this new adventure into sewing. For Liam's I'll be using the cool colors bundle and, because there's quite a bit of floral motifs, probably be sticking to a fairly modern and simple quilt design... some sort of strip quilt, I think... so it's not too, too feminine.

Aurora let out a loud gasp of awe when I opened up the package and she saw all the beautiful fabric. She asked for her picture to be take with 'her' fabric. Here she is showing it some love...
And, here, she's making sure to keep it warm with her blanket. Fabric must be kept warm, you know...
The fat quarters spent the rest of the day popping up in various play scenarios.... going to the fabric store, doing laundry, repurposed as blankets and slings for her animals, and worn as (in Aurora's words) a kerchief.

As excited as Aurora is about the quilt making, I'm a bit nervous. Either my sewing machine's not very good or I don't know how to use it properly... or, more than likely, a bit of both. But, the fabric is so inspiring, as is Aurora's enthusiasm, that I'm sure that even if it's not perfect it will be just right.

Let's see if I can remember that in a couple weeks when I'm tired, frustrated and cursing at my machine because it won't do what I want it to ;)

Oh, and there's a flickr group with some gorgeous stuff if anybody's got some time to kill (or it's 4:12 am and you're up nursing your baby, as I currently am).

Happy Birthday to my Valentine

2010-02-16T12:56:00.003-05:00

Valentine's Day was my Pete's 30th Birthday!!! We didn't do to much this year... we were both too exhausted (as you can tell by our faces in the photo below).... but we did get together with our dear friends the Shorters for a delicious dinner and, of course, cake!

Little Mr. McCutie, Ian, was captivated by Liam. It was too cute.

Happy Birthday, my Sweet, I love you so very much!!!!!

Snow Day!!!

2010-02-10T12:13:00.002-05:00

Finally, some more snow has come to Connecticut!!! Despite very cold temps, we haven't had any snow since around the beginning of January... and my little one LOVES the snow. So here's to a very happy snow day!

I stayed inside with the babe, so these pictures were taken through the living room window... not the best, but they'll do.

Most of our snow accumulation forecast is still yet to come... we're hoping for about a foot or so... yay!

Our Candlemas...

2010-02-04T10:09:00.003-05:00

Candlemas was February 2nd. We celebrated last night, the 3rd. I'd like to be able to blame our belated celebration on there being a newborn in the house.... but, really, its just that I'm not all that good at getting things done on time.... oh well... Aurora doesn't know the difference, yet.

So, this was our Candlemas: rolling beeswax candles and a candlelit Pancake dinner... simple, but still very fun. We also talked a bit about Spring being on its way, and the return of the sun and why we celebrate those things with candles and pancakes. Aurora understood more of this than I had expected and commented that when Spring came, the bees would come, and we could thank them for our candles.... Oh, my sweet girl, you are always melting my heart :)

Rolling her first candle

Counting the candles... one for each of us, including Liam

Her first candlelit dinner

Our Candlemas table (we ate on our coffee/playtable, because our dinning table's covered with stuff at the moment)

And, for good measure, a picture of the babe this morning. I can.not.believe. he's going to be two weeks old tomorrow!!! His skin seems to be fairer than Aurora's and he's definitely more prone to baby acne and newborn rash... hence the redness in his face. His eyes are lighter, too, so I'm thinking they'll stay blue~ just like Daddy's :) Time will tell...

Braids!

2010-02-03T13:54:00.003-05:00

an exciting day, when your hair is long enough to braid!

One Week Old

2010-01-29T14:40:00.003-05:00

More...

Making Faces

2010-01-28T12:40:00.003-05:00

With a new baby in the house, there's been a lot of talk lately about 'feelings'. As I was taking pictures of my two littles (two! wow.) the other day, I thought it would be a good opportunity for Aurora to explore her feelings by acting out facial expressions. She had fun, and has asked several times to look at her 'happy and sad faces'~ so I think it's been helpful, too.

Aurora's Faces:

Happy

Sad

Sleepy

Angry (still looks happy to me!)

Silly

Surprised

The Very Long Photos of the Baby Post

2010-01-26T09:09:00.002-05:00

Thanks everyone for all the warm thoughts and well wishes!!! We are starting to settle in very nicely~~ Liam is more and more present every day... more with us here in this world. He spends quite a bit of time, for a four day old, quietly observing. You see in his eyes, he has an old soul. It has been quite amazing for us to watch him 'unfold', as that's what seems to be happening, a bit more each and every day~~ tiny little glimpses into his personality and who he might become. We are fascinated by our Little Man.

I haven't really spent any time editing these photos... so they're not the absolute best. But I wanted to get some more up in a *somewhat* timely manner. I've been waiting for a sunny day to get pictures of Liam in his special coming home outfit... hopefully today ;)

Oh, and for those that aren't familiar, "Nee Nee" is Aurora's very special 'other half'. A pink Bunny blanket buddy type thing that was given to her at birth by her Gran. She is never without Nee Nee, and we've come to consider her part of our family. Aurora had picked out this 'Orange Nee Nee' to give to Liam when he was born.

Liam, just arrived home. Aurora immediately brought over his orange Nee Nee for him and her purple fish. Then she bestowed on him the greatest gifts of all.... her own very special Nee Nee and Blanket.

Three Days Old

Big Sister!!

My Loves

Rory received a child sized Ergo, in the same print as ours, as an "Older Sister" gift. She loves to carry her Nee Nee and Liam's around on her back.

Nee Nee Friends: Aurora's Pink Nee Nee and Liam's Orange Nee Nee... Lovingly put to bed 'cozy next to each other' ~~ I think this is her way of showing her acceptance of Liam... Liam's Nee Nee is included in everything.

With Grandmommy

With Grandma and Grandpa

He's Here!!

2010-01-23T17:10:00.006-05:00

Liam is Here!

January 22, 2010 3:01 pm

9lbs 4.5 0z, 20.75 inches

Of course, many many more photos to come;) And, also, a more complete birth story... but, too be quick... We were induced yesterday at already 4 cms, 80% effacement and the baby at 0 station. Pitocin was started on the lowest level, 1, at about 8:15am. They increased it to 2 at some point, but couldn't go any higher because I was contracting regularly at every 1-2 minutes. The problem was, they were the same type of contractions I've had all along... painless, and not building at all in intensity. But, I was contracting, so no upping the Pit. At around 11 am, my doctor ruptured my membranes and then things finally got started... Pit was reduced to 1, and then turned off as my body took over and did it's job. Less than four hours later, and after only 15 minutes of pushing, Liam was born. It was very intense, and my little guy is a bit black and blue from hurtling through his Mama's body at such a crazy velocity, but we both made it through (drug free, minus the Pit, as I had dearly hoped), and are already madly in love with each other. My doula, Rachel, was a godsend~~ it would not have been the birth it was without her!

Liam is doing great.... I'm still incredibly sore, but recovering. And, we are all looking forward to getting home tomorrow and exploring the new parameters of our family... now 25% larger.

Welcome Home Set

2010-01-21T16:00:00.002-05:00

Sheepy Pants in TIG Galenas Merino 'Tierney' and Malabrigo Merino Worsted 'Bijou Blue'

Little Boy Blue Ribbed Baby Hat in TIG Galenas Merino 'Tierney'

BSJ Inspired Booties in Malabrigo Merino Worsted 'Bijou Blue'

Our Little Guy will be here tomorrow!! I have an induction set for tomorrow morning, due to complications relating to my past miscarriages. We were hoping he would come on his own (he still might tonight~ you never know!), but are so, so excited to meet this long awaited little fellow. Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers!

Ooohh... check these out!

2010-01-21T08:55:00.003-05:00

Geometric floor play tiles over at Mer Mag. I have *got* to make some of these for Aurora... they are right up her alley. Crafty Crow linked to them this morning.... and wow!.... didn't want to lose the bookmark (that folder is way overdue for a clean-thru)... so I figured I'd better post it here so I don't forget after the new baby haze lifts.

For the birds

2010-01-18T22:02:00.003-05:00

Watercolor and Salt Painting

2010-01-16T09:42:00.003-05:00

We did this a little while ago, but I forgot to post about it :)

The idea was that where we sprinkled the salt, it would soak up the blue paint and leave an effect looking like snowflakes.

Aurora went a little overboard with the salt application, though, so it doesn't look much like a snowscape... but turned out beautifully nonetheless. I gave her 3 small dishes of salt- fine, coarse and rock- so she could explore the differences in each. It was such an interesting outcome... I imagine we'll be trying this again!

39 Weeks

2010-01-15T15:52:00.002-05:00

We need 'time to come out now, baby!' vibes sent our way please!

Immersed in a world of color....

2010-01-11T11:01:00.004-05:00

This is how Aurora has been spending the better part of each day.....

We are loving all the artwork!! But, ummm, grandparents.... you can expect some in the mail soon, as we are quickly being overrun by all these beautiful paintings.

New Years and Epiphany/Three Kings Day

2010-01-06T20:28:00.005-05:00

New Year's for us this year was kept pretty darn simple. We had some yummy (although store bought) pastries for breakfast, switched the calendars and Around The Year book over, lounged around and then Rory and I made this special candle. We will light it on the first day of each month, and then next January, use it to light the new New Year's Candle. The idea being that we will watch it grow smaller as the year progresses. We used clay punches to punch shapes from beeswax decorating wax strips and Aurora chose where to place them on the candle. Easy peasy and lots of fun.

And, today we celebrated Epiphany/ Three Kings Day for the first time. We took down all our Christmas decorations last night, and Aurora was none too happy to see the tree go... It helped that we had this small celebration to look forward to today. Given that I am ahem rather large with child at the moment (and contracting regularly, but not enough, apparently... whole other story), this celebration was kept pretty small as well. I had originally wanted to at least bake a tree kings cake to have for breakfast this morning... but last night, rather uncharacteristically, I actually recognized my limits and decided to skip any baking/further crafting, and stick to a paper crown and the three small gifts we had chosen for Aurora. And that was truly plenty for this year. It was a very sweet morning.

Looking Back....

2009-12-31T09:41:00.003-05:00

December, 2008:

Such a little tiny bit of hair (that we were so excited about!), baby cheeks and diapers in the background that are now destined for a different little bum.

A jacket, too big then, and too small now

The thumb in the mouth has remained constant, though :)

And then, this sweet girl, just this morning.... grown up so much already:
Watching the magic of falling snow

Glimpses of Christmas

2009-12-30T16:47:00.004-05:00

I'll share more pictures of the days leading up to Christmas soon.... The baby landed me on complete bed rest the last two weeks and I didn't have an easy way of getting pics onto Pete's laptop to post. But.... I'm nearly full term now and off bed rest, so there are a lot of catch up posts to do!

We had a wonderful Christmas---- it was very much a magical time for Aurora.

More pics to be found here

Advent Day Nine

2009-12-11T11:51:00.002-05:00

Cranberry and Popcorn Garland!

A note about the lately sparse Advent posting: Santa really needs to bring some more memory for this old computer!!!! The computer has been acting up and so slow lately that I've dreaded getting on to post... because it seems that everything just takes so, so long right now. Hopefully this is something that can be fixed soon. I've also decided that really only the Advent activities and outings are post worthy, so I've left out the days that Aurora has just found a small suprise in her Advent cone... Christmas window clings, lip balm, her scarf etc....

So, anyway, our Garland: took way longer than I expected! I need to make more still for the rest of the tree. It's also much more beautiful on the tree than I had expected, so I'm thinking this is something that will become a tradition for us. I was surprised at how well Aurora did with the needle... she had a few pokes, but then quickly learned herself how to hold it more carefully and take her time. She did many, many cranberries all by herself!

Advent Catch Up

2009-12-11T11:26:00.003-05:00

Snowflakes and St Nicholas Day!!

The snowflakes went better thank I had expected. Aurora's really into cutting with scissors right now, so I knew she'd enjoy it, but wasn't sure how much she'd actually be able to do. I had a few pieces of already folded paper, with a few preliminary cuts in them, and her scissors waiting for her in her Advent Cone for the day. She did really well.... as you can see from the flurry of snowflakes adorning our door!

St. Nicholas Day was very excitedly celebrated here for the first time last weekend. I used this very simple story to introduce him to Aurora and also painted a little peg person to look like St. Nicholas (which, I'm finding I never took a picture of!) to find the morning in her Advent cone the morning of St. Nicholas Eve. That evening, she set out her shoe with some carrots for St. Nick's horse and a note for St. Nicholas. She was very set in her mind that she needed to place her shoe at the kitchen door, and then St. Nicholas would move it to outside her bedroom door when he came. The note details these instructions for the good Saint. She also drew a picture of a fishing pole for him ;)
The next morning she found that St. Nicholas had come and left her a beautiful note on rainbow paper, a small bag of chocolate coins and a special ornament for the tree. She thought the coins were quarters for the laundry and was shocked (then delighted) when I showed her they were actually chocolate. Her special ornament for this year were ballet slippers to commemorate her first trip to the ballet.

We interrupt Advent.....

2009-12-04T10:19:00.005-05:00

to bring you some breaking news:

He's a published author!!

(ahem, available now at Amazon)

Yesterday, we got a couple advanced copies of the book Pete's been working on with a Professor at Cornell for quite some time now. So very, very exciting!!!

We Are So Proud of You, Pete!!!!!!

Advent, Day Three

2009-12-04T08:42:00.003-05:00

Downtown Tree Lighting!

Lots of fun and a very magical moment for Aurora when finally lit the tree.... I wasn't able to capture it with the camera, but her expression was priceless.

Advent, Day Two

2009-12-03T09:25:00.003-05:00

Hot Chocolate and Christmas Stories before bed!

This equals one happy girl. Extra fancy hot chocolate with crushed candy canes and whipped cream and her first time hearing The Polar Express. Aurora was saying something about trains in her sleep last night... I think the book had quite an impact on her!

Advent, Day One

2009-12-02T14:45:00.003-05:00

Planting Paperwhites!!

Aurora was thrilled to take down the first cone and find the bulbs inside... she loves to garden. Hopefully, we'll have some blooms for Christmas....

Thanksgiving and the Ballet

2009-12-01T09:32:00.003-05:00

Just a quick recap of Thanksgiving.... we had the great pleasure of celebrating with our friends the Shorters, who live in our building. Maddie and Aurora are such, such good friends (and we like Clay, Jessica and Ian, too!).... so, of course, it was an awesome time. We had lots of delicious foods, wonderful pie and great company. After dinner, the girls played and Pete and I tried our hand at playing the Nintendo Wii for the first time.... it was a lot of fun! (kinda makes me wish we had a TV). Oh, and Aurora actuallly ate the Turkey this year!!! Success!
Then on Sunday we were off to the Ballet. The New England Ballet does this wonderful preformance for Littles called the Sugar Plum Party. It was a shortened preformance of The Nutcracker, (minus the scary rat army, but still with all the beautifully costumed dancers), a picture with a ballerina, a craft and refreshments. I very highly reccomend it for next year for anybody local. It was really, really well done. The ballerinas even came down to help the children with their craft project.

Aurora outside the theatre with the crown she made.

Preparations

2009-11-30T17:30:00.002-05:00

Our Advent celebration begins tomorrow!! Aurora is super excited. It's looking to be a very, very busy month.... let's just hope this little guys stays inside me until after Christmas;)
We'll be adding some new celebrations this time around.... St. Nicholas Day, Santa Lucia, and Epiphany/Three Kings Day... but to start is our Advent Calendar which Aurora and I made out of cones of Christmas scrapbooking paper we had on hand. 24 cones pinned in two rows along the wall.... each cone will hold a small surprise or project or outing to do together.

Leftover scraps from the cones became refrigerator tangrams.... which have gotten much use already.

And, despite it still really only being Autumn, we started setting up our Winter Nature Table today.

Our Martinmas Lanterns

2009-11-12T09:35:00.004-05:00

Aurora enjoyed this so much! Martinmas will now have a permanent place on our holiday calendar, I believe. And it has inspired me to to take a closer look at some of the lesser known/celebrated holidays and festivals- next up would be Santa Lucia in December.

working on her lantern (she loved the gluestick!)

a very, very happy girl

out for our lantern walk

back home, the lantern aglow on our Nature Table

St. Martin was a noble military officer who sliced his cloak in half and gave one half to a freezing beggar. He later dreamed that the beggar had been Christ, or a messenger of Christ, and was moved to give up his Military career for a life of peace and service, in God's name.

Next year, I plan to have Aurora help me gather up her warm winter clothes that she's outgrown and help me deliver them to shelter or donation center. Another way people celebrate is by having a meal in which each person has a roll or muffin that they then slice in half and offer half to the person sitting next to them.... we'll plan to do this, too.

WIP Wednesday and Martinmas

2009-11-11T09:41:00.003-05:00

Happy Martinmas everyone! This is the first year we will be celebrating.... Aurora and I will be making a lantern this afternoon (she is very excited about this) and then joining some special friends for a twilight Lantern walk. I'll make sure to share the pics tomorrow.

I'll be sharing some of the stories/poems with her and following the lantern tutorial found over at Our Little Nature Nest.

Yesterday, Rory and I went to Ikea after preschool for lunch and to pick up a package of tealights for our lantern making. You should have seen my little shopper- she took the task of picking out the perfect candle very seriously and carefully sniffed each and every candle Ikea sells. It took quite a while, but she finally decided on some berry scented tea lights. Since she is so very excited about the candles, I think we will also make a table lantern of a glass jar with tissue paper glued on to have on our dining table.

And.... the incessant knitting continues (hmm... could I be nesting?!)

I've got a sweet little baby gift on the needles now for a little guy who should be making his appearance any day now (not mine!).... but since his parents occasionally check this blog--- no pics right now....

But Aurora's sweater shirt vest thing is done- and she loves it!

Halloween and Knitting

2009-11-05T09:40:00.005-05:00

Halloween first... not too many pictures here...it's surprisingly (or maybe not so) difficult to get a three year old to stay in one place long enough for pics on Halloween. But, I did get one of her helping to carve the pumpkin:

And one with Maddie next to the jack-o-lantern just as they were about to set off trick-or-treating. Aurora was Minnie Mouse and Maddie was a beautiful princess. Rory, as you can see, was more interested in trying to rip open some candy than look at the camera.... oh, well.

And, now knitting.... I finished two hats for the babe... both with the pattern from Rory's hat... I love this pattern, it offers such great coverage around the ears and back of neck. This one was done in Malabrigo Merino in Continental and was left over from a hat I made for myself, but have yet to photograph....
and this one was done with NaturallyCaron Spa, one strand each of Ocean Spray and Green Sheen held double. The yarn is an acrylic/bamboo blend, mostly acrylic though. I don't usually like to knit with that much plastic content, but the yarn was there in my stash, pretty, soft and my fingers were needing something to knit... I made this one without the loop on the top, to see how'd it look.... I prefer the loop, I think
All this knitting for the baby has finally got Aurora interested in me knitting for her- This is my current WIP- the Girl's Cap Sleeved Shirt which is also being knit in the same bamboo yarn as above, should be easy to wash at least. I've finished more since the pic, but probably still have a good 2-3 inches to go before it's done.

~Sorry about the horrible picture... Rory's not even all in the frame- but at least she's smiling for once~

Corn Cob Montessori

2009-10-30T10:13:00.003-04:00

Oh wow, was this a huge hit!!! Removing the kernels from a cob of Indian Corn, one by one. The idea for this actually came from this great book, which is Waldorf Inspired.... but lends itself so nicely to both schools of thought. The first time I put this out for Aurora, she sat and worked for nearly 45mins and finished the whole cob! I've left the activity out, and she's gone back to it several times.... and carried the kernels off for all kinds of other activities too: cooking in the play kitchen, filling various containers, putting some into two duplo blocks to make 'maracas' (loved that one!), several have also made their way to the nature table.

I have many other activities planned to expand on this (hopefully we'll get to at least some of them before we lose steam- things have been moving pretty slowly around here):

~grinding the cobs together to make dust.... then using her little sweeper set to work on sweeping skills

~ using the mortar and pestal to grind some up. I don't think we'll get them fine enough to use in baking, but I plan to print out cultural pictures of stone grinding corn and then using some store bought masa to make corn tortillas.

~putting some in rice and then using a slotted spoon to sift them out and transfer to a bowl

~ soaking some overnight then using a blunt tapestry needle to string them into bracelets.

Any other ideas??

@ the pumpkin patch

2009-10-30T09:32:00.002-04:00

We had absolutely beautiful fall weather for our trip to the pumpkin patch last weekend! Aurora was just getting over being sick and cooped up for several days and was so, so happy to finally be outside again. Oh, that's a ladybug on her finger in the last pic- possibly the highlight of the trip for her.

Baby Update

2009-10-27T10:05:00.002-04:00

So, my uterus has been a happenin' place, as of late. Our little guy is doing pretty well... We had a fetal echocardiogram done on him because he was high risk for heart issues due to the cystic hygroma he had earlier (which you can read about in this post). Little guy does have a small pinhole between two ventricals of his heart... this is called Ventricular Septal Defect and is the most common congenital heart defect, affecting 1-3% of every 1,000 births. We will be meeting with a Pediatric Cardiologist, but, to our understanding, what this means is basically that for now he'll just be watched. It doesn't change how or where I birth (phew!), but he'll have an echocardiogram done after birth and regularly after that. Hopefully, this will close up on its own, even before birth, or not too long after. My understanding is, that unless it is causing problems, surgery won't be needed.... but it's always a possibility too.

We were thrilled to get a couple of 3D shots of him during the ultrasound!! He looks like his Daddy!

At 27 weeks, he is measuring well at 2lbs 4 oz, which puts him at the 59th %tile- yay!

The other baby news is that I spent yesterday afternoon hooked up to monitors and having tests done because I wasn't feeling *quite right* and pretty sure I was having contractions. Turns out I have what is called Uterine Irritablility, which basically means I'm having frequent, but mild, contractions (lots of fun). My cervix appears to be fully closed and long which is a very good sign, and I had a fetal fibronectin test done, which is supposed to kinda predict whether I was likely to go into labor in the next two weeks, and that was negative-- which is a hugely good thing. So, now, I'm on kind of a partial bedrest.... I can still take Aurora to school and stuff, but for the most part I have to really take it easy... I was told I needed to really reduce my activity level, which I kinda felt like I wasn't doing much as it was~~ but it's better than full on bedrest, which I really hope to avoid. Because Aurora was early, I was already at higher risk for a preterm delivery, and this certaily bumps that risk up. But, like I said, having the fetal fibronectin come back negative is a great sign... and I'm really determined to keep this little guy in as long as possible... so send us lots of 'calm uterus' vibes please!

Late Night WIP Wednesday Update...

2009-10-14T21:36:00.002-04:00

It's all done!

The Shore in October

2009-10-14T09:26:00.003-04:00

The NJ Shore becomes a very different place in October than when we are there in July. The crowds have mostly gone, and nature returns to reclaim her throne. The colors and light change, the water is still warm- but the air quite cool, and the sights that are somewhat rare in July- live horseshoe crabs, flocks of sandpipers- become common. It's a wonderful treat for all the senses.

2009-10-14T09:18:00.002-04:00

then there was this crazy thing/person flying around. He didn't really seem to have great control of it, either, so it was kinda scary. The shore in October also means that the beach patrols are gone, so anything goes, there were a few people driving on the beach too.... annoying.

WIP Wednesday

2009-10-14T09:10:00.005-04:00

It's getting there. We were headed down to the shore last weekend (that post next :)), So i cast on while in the car... and before bed that night I had gotten this far:
Then I tried it on Rory.... TOO SMALL!!!!! argh! Just barely too. I had made up a swatch... adjusted my needle size, made up another and was ready to go making the size medium to fit 1-4 yrs. I kinda forgot that Rory's always been in like the 90th %tile for head circumference. Plus, I think in the actual hat, my knitting was a little tighter than in my swatch.

So, that hat was sadly ripped out, and I'm about 60% done with the second hat, a size large to supposedly fit ages 5- young adult. Hopefully it's not too big....

But I love the way the colors in her yarn are knitting up! She's quite the little dyer, isn't she?

chalk....

2009-10-08T13:10:00.002-04:00

These are from a while ago... when I was taking a break from the blog, but I wanted to get them up here still, so I'd be sure to have captured the memory of them.

For about two weeks late in the summer, Aurora was all about the sidewalk chalk. She spent hours with it... It was quite the sidewalk, lol. What started out as just scribbles, soon turned into a closed circle shape- a big step in itself. Then one day she ran over exuberantly proclaiming that she "made a people like me! It has eyes!!!" I followed her over to where she was working to find this:

her very first person pictograph

While expressing my amazement, she set to work on another:
Then, a few days later started asking us to write the words for things she had drawn. As well as her name, again and again. One day, after Pete had written her name for her, she picked up the chalk and ...
The letter A's and people drawings have popped up elsewhere in her artwork, but never as many as those two weeks where her whole life was about the chalk.

I just love watching her developing art!

WIP Wednesday....on Thursday

2009-10-08T12:07:00.005-04:00

I love looking at everybody's WIP Wednesday (WIP= work in progress), they're always so inspirational and I have gotten so many great ideas from them. However, Wednesday is not a preschool day for Aurora, and I seem to be posting primarily on the days she does have school (hmmm, wonder why?). So, while I will strive to have the actual posts on Wednesdays, I anticipate that this won't be the last WIP Thursday ;)

We've gotten a start on Aurora's winter hat. She picked out the Fae Folk Hat pattern, which I think is so cute, and Tuesday we went to our local yarn store after preschool to pick out yarn. Being my Libra girl, she went straight to the higher end yarns. She really liked a particular color way of Noro Silk Garden Lite... and as I've been looking for an excuse to give Noro a try, said yes.

But.... this yarn is so darn thick and thin! I mean really thick and thin. It's a DK weight yarn, but parts of it were more like an chunky while others were more of a lace weight. I've seen hats done in Noro, but I could tell I was going to struggle with it, and I was worried it wouldn't be warm enough with all those thin spots....

So, the Noro is now being knit up into a lacy scarf for me, which I think its much better suited for.

And, Aurora and I got started Kool-Aid rainbow dyeing some plain white wool worsted for her hat. She had a blast!! I can't wait to see how it knits up and she is so proud. Frontier Dreams has a great kool-aid dyeing tutorial for anybody who looking for one.

And, just for fun, here's the first of the baby knits. A sleep sack in the Sheepy Sack pattern knit with Marlabrigo merino yarn.... so soft and yummy.

Welcome, Autumn

2009-10-06T10:23:00.002-04:00

Our Autumn nature table

Aurora and her sweet new Waldorf doll, Autumn, handmade by Grandmommy

the joy of Autumn leaves

cranberries cooking on the stove (wow, did that smell good!)

and Pt. 3: opening presents

2009-10-01T09:36:00.006-04:00

Then it was on to the presents

a ribbon wand for my sweet dancer girl

musical instruments which resulted in this impromptu concert (sorry it's sideways!)

Fancy dress up shoes- which had to be shown to each person individually she was so excited

and this really cool rainbow playset. As soon as she opened it, each child grabbed a piece and they all started working together to build this amazing structure. It was a spontaneous and peaceful cooporative exchange that was very sweet to watch.

And Auntie Becca sporting a balloon hat.

Pt. 2 Scenes from the party

2009-10-01T09:24:00.003-04:00

We had Aurora's party Sunday in the community room of our apartment complex. It was lots of fun and chaos and mess- just as a 3 yr old's party should be!

There were those fun party blower thingies (I got the ones that didn't make noise)

I put up an area for a collaborative sticky collage... which now hangs in Aurora's room

there were mama-made balloon animals (thankyou Youtube!)

And, of course, cake! We did the whole cake baked in ice cream cones thing.

Aurora's Birthday Celebration... pt. 1

2009-09-29T10:10:00.004-04:00

She's 3!!!! And she'll let you know it, too. We had a great weekend long celebration for Aurora and she was in absolute heaven. We heard so many squeels of pure joy and excitement from her this weekend~ melting everyone's hearts, of course.

Her actual birthday was Saturday, so we'll start there. On Friday Evening, after she was in bed, I took down our Summer Nature Table and set up a Birthday Table for her. Together, we will take this down and begin setting up our Autumn Nature Table this week. On the table we put out her favorite flowers~ roses, sunflowers and queen anne's lace, opened up Around the Year to September and One is One to the number 3, the letter 'A' placket from her flower wall cards, her birthday crown (I'll do a separate post later with how I made it and my inspirations and resources), and a few little goodies for her to unwrap right away.

Aurora sleeps in the next room and we have a baby monitor up so we can hear her in the night. On Saturday morning, I heard her stirring and her general waking up noises and then she gasped and whispered 'Is Morning! Is my birthday!' and then she called loudly to us. It was so, so sweet.
After we explored her birthday table and she opened her small presents I made her birthday pancakes in the shape of a number 3- complete with sprinkles. Sorry about the blurry pic!
We had a quiet rest of the morning as Pete and I tried to do some last minute cleaning and party prep for the next day. In the afternoon, Aurora and I had both a graduate housing bbq and Aurora's friend Blythe's 4th birthday party to attend. It was a busy afternoon! When we came back, Aurora enjoyed a special birthday Piggy Bath (foot bath), to help her calm down. She really enjoys these Piggy Baths, so one of the little gifts on her birthday table was a muslin bag I had decorated and written 'Flower Fairy Bath for Princesses' on and then filled with dried rosebuds and chammomile flowers. A little rose essential oil and sprinkling of the flowers made for a very special Piggy Bath. A also really likes to have her nails painted (which is kinda funny since mine never are), so we had gotten her a tiny bottle of glitter polish as well, and of course we did her fingers and toes.
And then it was time for her big gift from Mama and Daddy~~ a big doll house and lots of furnishings to go inside!
It was such a wonderful day! I'll have highlights from her actual party soon ;)

Sunflowers and Apples

2009-09-24T10:10:00.002-04:00

Last weekend we headed back to Lyman's Orchards (a favorite destination) to say goodbye to the Sunflowers of Summer and hello to the Apples of Autumn. It was a beautiful, crisp, fall like day~ And we all enjoyed ourselves immensely.

me @ 22 wks

how am I supposed to get those apples, way up there?!

that'll work!

We celebrated our apple bounty with the first apple crisp of the season that evening and we are so happy that this is just the start of the fall fruits/veg... so many yummies to come: apple pie, apple/pear sauce, dried apples, apple butter, pumpkin soup, pumpkin pie (!!) ....

First Days of Preschool

2009-09-22T13:16:00.004-04:00

Playing catch up here... Aurora is loving her days at preschool! We are expecting a really wonderful year. Her teachers, Sarah and Erica, are great~ very warm and gentle~ and Aurora's really enjoying the mix of kids in her class, too. She's the oldest, turning 3 this weekend, but we figured probably better to be the oldest in the toddler class rather than youngest in the preschool class. So far, she's had absolutely no problems when it comes time for me to go each day... I, on the other hand, am missing my baby!!

The all important cubby

All ready for the first day!

Checking out the house play (where she's been spending most of her time)

Flowers found on the playground

Down the slide!

Yes, we are still alive.

2009-09-14T13:25:00.006-04:00

I'm sorry we've been absent from this space for so long. We've had a roller coaster ride of a summer and, as a family, just needed the space to live it out privately. I could have come on her and just posted the bits and pieces of our lives that seemed carefree, but that would have ignored all the rest... the rest that we just weren't quite ready to share yet. So, the blog went silent. This was something that I struggled a lot with~~ there were lots of wonderful and exciting things that Aurora, and Pete and I, had the opportunity to experience this summer. Things that I typically would have blogged about... but I felt myself being compelled away from the computer. So, after struggling a bit about that, all the posts I 'should' do instead of the 'wants', I finally respected that I was going to need some space away from the blog.

So, what did happen this summer? Lots. Lots of family time, beautiful weather, the beach and lots of happiness. And then, there's the 'news'. We have some big, big news. Namely, this little guy:

Yep, little guy. He's due to join us in late January. I am currently 21 weeks along. So, why didn't I share this in this space sooner? Because, so far, this pregnancy had been a very stressful and unsure time. First, there was the anxiety that comes with PAL (pregnancy after loss), I had four miscarriages before this baby. That alone made the pregnancy horribly anxious. But then we had a nuchal translucency scan done at 12 weeks, and that didn't go well. The baby had what was called a separated cystic hygroma on the back of its neck. They gave us only a 50% chance of a healthy, live baby at birth. They were primarily concerned with chromosomal abnormalities, and in particular Turner's Syndrome which results in miscarriage/stillbirth 95% of the time. We got all this news the day before we were to leave for vacation. Of course. We decided we needed the rest and as much relaxation as we were able to muster, and headed to the shore. When we returned a CVS (chorionic villi sampling), where they stick a giant needle through my abdomen and extract a tiny bit of the placenta, was preformed. After a week of waiting, we got the results that our little one was chromosomally normal and a boy!!!!!!!!!!!! The next hurdle was to come a month later with a detailed anatomy scan--- and he passed that with flying colors, too!!!! We have a fetal echo cardiogram scheduled for later this month to take a closer look at his heart- but we were told by several doctors that they would have been able to pick up anything major at the anatomy scan.

So, we are just beginning to breathe a little easier. This little guy is a strong kicker and I am ever so thankful for that. I don't think Pete nor I will relax or fully exhale until he is here kicking and screaming, but we are beginning to dream about the future a little bit.

Aurora is thrilled. She caught on very quickly to what was 'up', despite our best efforts in our nervousness to try to keep things quiet.

I will be back soon (promise!) with all the other news and pictures of the summer (especially Aurora's first day of preschool!!).

Block Play

2009-06-02T11:06:00.004-04:00

Aurora's been rockin' the block area lately. It's by far her favorite place to play. And, as you can see in the picture below, it makes her very happy. Here, behind her, she's built a house for Nee Nee, complete with furnishings including games, a ball, and a bowl. Please ignore the rest of the clutter and randomly placed pajamas ;)

Ever since we got back from Disneyland in March, we see Micky popping up everywhere. These are Aurora's block renditions of Mickey and Minnie. As you can see, they both have the requisite ears, the block between the ears is a hat, the narrow rectangle on the wider one is a mouth, and at the bottom of course are legs.

A 'people' complete with eyes, nose, mouth, arms and legs. In looking at young children's art, drawing a large head with protruding limbs is a clear developmental step. Aurora is far from this in her drawings, but I thought it interesting to find the same pattern emerge in her block play.

Aurora very proud of her fancy block 'shoes'. To the left is another Mickey, who's wearing fancy block shoes as well.

Thought this was a pretty cool little structure.... Now, I know I'm biased being her mama and all that, but I think, architectually, she's channeling a little I.M. Pei here a la Johnson Museum @ Cornell.
I look at the above picture and marvel at the mathmatical and spacial learning taking place there. Which then saddens me as I hear that block areas are more and more frequently being replaced by desks, worksheets and computers in kindergarten classrooms. Sigh.

Now, having spent a number of years working in early childhood education, I know that if you look into the block area of just about any preschool classroom, you will generally find mostly boys there. This is a divide that occurs naturally by the children themselves, and you will find dedicated teachers working to creatively draw the girls into the block/cars/manipulatives, and the boys over to the dress up/housekeeping/art. I have full faith that Aurora's teachers will be doing this this coming Fall. But, as we all know, despite much progress in many areas, there is still A LOT of gender stereotyping that takes place in our culture. And there's a part of me that's a little afraid, that despite all our encouragement, Aurora will walk into her classroom in September, see that the girls are all playing with dolls and only the boys are playing with the blocks and somehow feel that it's not okay for her to join them. And, man, do I hope I'm wrong. I just don't want to see her passion squelched, ya know?

Ah, well, steppin' down off the soapbox now ;)

BTW, Aurora's off happily building to her heart's content in our block area now :)

Silver Sands S.P.

2009-06-02T10:39:00.003-04:00

First real day of the beach season for us. Love this state park in Milford, about half an hour from us.... anticipating many wonderful summer days spent here with friends and family. A large sand bar not far off the coast makes for very gentle, toddler friendly, shallow water play and during low tide, you can walk out along a sand bar to this really cool forested island. We've yet to try this yet, as it's a bit of a trek for Aurora, and we keep forgetting to bring the Ergo along with us so she doesn't have to walk it all. Maybe next time.

Stepping back in time...

2009-05-25T09:30:00.003-04:00

More fun this weekend at Sturbridge. We met Grandmommy there for OSV's Wool Days. Aurora, as usual, had a blast... I really look forward to doing many of the program offerings with her as she grows older... cooking and gardening classes, crafts, homeschool days...

Working on her mad spinning skills

Chillin' on an 1830's style rocking horse. She just looks terrified here, she's actually quite happy.

Churning some butter.

A sheep run down the main down the main street of the Village. This was wild to see.

More OSV

2009-05-25T09:24:00.005-04:00

There was Sheep Shearing

Aurora built a stone wall.

Ok, here she actually is terrified.

new dress

2009-05-25T09:09:00.002-04:00

An easy sew... the material came already shirred by the yard. Just had to sew some straps from some of the scraps. I gave them two rows of shirring to add some flair. And as a bonus, Aurora seemed to be genuinely excited about this dress.

Just a few...

2009-05-15T13:14:00.002-04:00

pics I wanted to get up here...

The fabric for her cupcake pants, washed and waiting to be ironed.
She said she wanted the purple polkadots 'on the bottom'. I think I'll make them capri length, with a ruffle along the bottom. Very girly for my girly girl.

playing birthday party... yet again. we got her some party hats at the grocery store. didn't want to take it off at bedtime- she told the hat 'don't worry I play you tomorrow when Rora wake up.'

Mother's Day at White Flower Farm in Litchfield

finally wearing the tutu I made her for Christmas. once.

silly girl

some simple sewing

2009-05-13T13:22:00.004-04:00

A couple of things I've been working on lately....

Reversible Pinafore dress, using this tutorial. I had to freehand draft the pattern myself, which was a tad tricky, given I'm so new to all this and my little model was asleep. There's a few alterations I think I'll make to the pattern I made, but for now it works. Aurora picked out the fabric herself... lots of baby animals.... and carried the bolt to the cutting counter herself!

The back, showing animal print side

and the front/blue side. I just used seam-a-seam for the 'applique' orange bubbles

And then, after finding this tutorial over at Indietutes for using elastic thread for shirring, I decided to give a little skirt for Aurora a try. It was so, so easy! I highly recommend this method. I measured her waist, doubled it and then measured how long I wanted the skirt to be, added hem and seam allowances, and cut a rectangle to those dimensions. Then I finished the top edge and then sewed four rows of shirring, finished the bottom edge, sewed it into a tube and voila! It was easy and quick and Aurora can put it on/take it off easily. I see a summer wardrobe full of these for Little A, and maybe a couple for myself as well ;)

detail of ribbon edging

So, turns out I have a budding little seamstress here in Aurora. She now loves the fabric store, and has taken to noticing people's clothing and mentioning what nice fabric it is, lol. Yesterday she was on her bed with her special blanket and saying how nice the fabric is, etc... and that she picked it out herself! We were also outside recently, when a friend (who's blog is here)brought out these cute little cupcake pants she had sewn for her daughter . Aurora's eyes lit up! "Mama, go to fabric store, get cupcake fabric?" Well, who can resist that, I ask?!

I've got my eye on this beautiful wooden toy sewing machine.... perhaps for her birthday (which is shockingly only 4.5 months away!).

Gracie and Aurora

2009-05-12T13:09:00.003-04:00

A couple weeks ago we had an opportunity to meet up with some good friends of ours, Diane and Gracie, at Sturbridge Village. Diane and Grace were on their way to Boston from Ithaca, and Sturbridge makes a nice stopping place for them and not too far for us. When we were living in Ithaca, I worked as a nanny for this sweet girl and her older sister and brother. After Aurora was born, I went back to work, and she came along for the ride in the sling. Grace and Aurora became very close... it was so nice for both of them... Grace had an opportunity to play the older child, and Aurora had somebody to look up to, imitate, chase. They both had been missing each other very much!

It was great to see you guys! We miss you Gracie Girl!!

Still Here...

2009-05-11T13:02:00.002-04:00

Just a quick note to say that we are all still alive... it's just kinda been one thing after another, so I haven't really been on the computer more than a moment or two. First, Pete had surgery on his leg to correct a vein problem, and the recovery was harder and longer than had been anticipated- including an all-night trip to the ER for an infection that had set in. Then Aurora came down with Roseola-- for the second time in her short little life-- which had her feeling pretty sick for a good week or so. And, now, of course, I am sick... but at least Pete and Aurora are on the mend, and hopefully me as well, soon.

Mother's Day was very nice... we went out to dinner together as a family on saturday, and then sunday we went up to visit White Flower Farm, in Litchfield, CT, to wander around all their beautiful show gardens. When we got home a nice long nap was enjoyed by all. Pete did all the dishes over the weekend and a lot of the laundry and cleaning up, which was so, so nice.

I'll try to be back very soon with more pics and goings on. Hope everyone had a wonderful Mother's Day!!

and even more!...

2009-04-22T09:21:00.003-04:00

After brunch and some more sugared playtime, we decided it was a nice day for a drive. It was only 45 degrees or so, mind you, but it was sunny! So we headed out for a drive eastward along Connecticut's sea towns and ended up at Harkness Memorial State Park.

It was cold and windy, but beautiful, and Aurora was so happy to be at the beach.

The mansion. The Harkness' summer house ;) Aurora really liked the house, even though we didn't go in, when we pulled into our parking spot at home she said "no, no, go to new house, go to new house!! All done this house!" Apparently, she wants a mansion set on 215 acres of Connecticut coastline. Go figure.

And this, is what we came back home to. It was late and we were all exhausted, so even though I had planned a big dinner (complete with ham!), we ordered pizza. We had our Easter feast on Monday ;)

and more...

2009-04-22T09:13:00.003-04:00

The morning was spent, as is typical for Aurora, in Dance. With just a little extra 'kick' in her step this time, thanks to jelly beans ;)

The Easter Bunny had hidden the eggs Aurora had dyed, along with a few special ones he had brought, all around the living room. Aurora had a great time finding them all!

The table all set out for brunch. We had a yummy blueberry french toast casserole, a fruit plate with strawberry cheesecake fruit dip and of course some eggs!

Aurora was very excited to see the fruit plate ;)

And trying on the pillowcase dress I made her.

Ok, Easter morning pics, finally.

2009-04-22T08:51:00.005-04:00

All the bunnies in our home had come out to wait up for the Easter Bunny.
We found them all still here Easter morning.

The Easter Bunny left footprints all the way from the door to Aurora's playtable!
They were rainbow colored, and we speculated that maybe he got a little messy while dying eggs.

The Easter Bunny supports handmade!! What a socially conscious rabbit he is!
He (she?) left me a note saying that this super cute bunny family was from
Imagination Kids on Etsy.

More handmade goodies!! The pillow case dress is Mama-made from a vintage thrifted pillow case, the squirrel purse and teeny felted bunny are from Beneath the Rowan Tree and the hairclips are from Lilibug.

Aurora was so excited she could barely contain herself! She set out her Easter dress the night before and put it on first thing, even before she came out.

more to come...

TSWD

2009-04-16T14:47:00.004-04:00

The Simple Woman's Daybook entry for this week (many days late):

FOR TODAY (April 16, 2009)...
Outside my window... Tiny leaf buds on the big Maple in the courtyard. The ones at the top are just about ready to burst open... I think the warmth we have coming the next couple days should hopefully do it!
I am thinking...about how to go about gardening this year. Definitely want too, but it might be a lil' tricky since the space, well ya' know doesn't actually belong to us, but to Yale. Think I've got a plan though....
I am thankful for... warmth and sunshine!
From the learning rooms...playdough making, a trip to the library, seed planting, and wet-on-wet watercolors this week.
From the kitchen...A chili and cornbread bake for tonight, and perhaps some muffin making this afternoon.
I am wearing... jeans and a green tee (Oh, my, I think that's what I was wearing last entry... )
I am creating... A reversible pinafore for Aurora, using this tutorial... just at the pattern making part right now.
I am going...To OSV on monday to meet up with some very dear friends from Ithaca-- Diane and her daughter Grace, who I used to take care of. We're very excited!!!!
I am reading... Just finished Eat, Pray, Love. Got the Singing Day in the mail, and read through that... not sure what's next.
I am hoping...for a not too bad spring allergy season. Blossoms are on the bough, though...and I started sneezing yesterday.
I am hearing... more and more Dan Zanes... which is a nice change to Raffi. Not that I don't love Raffi...
Around the house... I set up a small art desk for Aurora, separate post to come soon, so she has a place to color etc. without worry (not that she does) about getty marker, crayon, glue, paint or glitter on the floor, table, couch etc...
One of my favorite things... watching creamer swirl into coffee... seriously, one of the best parts of waking up.
A few plans for the rest of the week: lots of outside play- it's going to be warm! And our friend Jessica's baby shower Saturday
Here is picture thought I am sharing...

Easter! (the beginning at least)

2009-04-16T14:36:00.004-04:00

Our Easter Celebration actually started at the end of March for us this year, as that is when they had the Spring Egg Hunt here at our apartments. Aurora didn't quite understand the idea at first... she just kept commenting on how pretty the eggs were and naming colors. But she caught on soon...

And was then determined to find every one!
On Easter Eve, we dyed our eggs...

And set the table for Easter Brunch. The table cloth is mama-made, but apparently I don't know how to measure, so it's too short on the ends... I'll have to alter it for next year ;)
Pics of Easter Day to come soon!

Disneyland Pt. 2

2009-04-08T13:07:00.002-04:00

More Disney:

Warming up to Mickey

On the tram from parking garage to park entrance.... nearly as exciting as the park itself to Aurora.

Trying to get her thumb out of her mouth for just two seconds for a picture.

The look she gives you when you try to take her thumb out of her mouth. Why'd I even try?

Trying something new...

2009-04-07T12:48:00.004-04:00

So, I've stumbled upon this cool idea ... The Simple Woman's Daybook. Each Monday (yes, I know today is Tuesday... but I still want to start this week), you journal about what's going on in your home, life, mind, etc... And the format seems like it will be particularly easy for me to follow. This blog has been a great way to record the day-to-day memories taking place in our lives... but this will add a bit more structure, which I think is needed, while also helping me to slow down and simply notice. So, jumping right in....

FOR TODAY (Tuesday, April 7th, 2009)...

Outside my window...Sunshine! Rain was forcast, so its a very welcome suprise. Chilly though, only around 47. And pretty breezy too. Warm enough though, to open wide a couple windows and 'change the air'. Makes all the difference.

I am thinking... about the brother-in-law of a friend who passed away recently from complications related to pnemonia. He was 29. The same age as Pete. He had 3 small daughters.

I am thankful for... a healthy husband and healthy daughter.... and the many kisses, hugs and
I love you's we give each other everyday.

From the learning rooms...Oh my, has there been a lot of action in the block area recently!!! Aurora is really starting to be able to 'build' what she sees in her mind. She creates and recreates very complex scenes of houses, barns and the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse (We did just get back from Disney, afterall. Funny thing, though, she calls it goat-house! She knows full well it's proper name... she just thinks Goathouse sounds better, I guess!). I'm also seeing a lot of symmetry in her block creations which is a new development and one I wouldn't have expected to see quite yet. She also has these small rainbow cube blocks, which she forms into squares and rectangles of different sizes.... and recently she was dividing them into threes... she set up 3 brick blocks and then placed 3 rainbow cubes on each block! She will often build equally-- if she adds a block here, she adds one there, to keep it balanced. She has her daddy's spatial and linear thinking, this one.

From the kitchen... Spaghetti, meatballs, salad and bread for dinner tonight... a welcome classic. Also, trying very much to find the particular recipe for Hot Cross Buns that was such a hit last year. Where did I put it !?!

I am wearing... Brown cords and a green tee.... and slippers.

I am creating...well, I'm working on clearing off my sewing table so I can create. I have many projects in my head, though.

I am going... to Trader Joes this afternoon.

I am reading... More of Eat, Pray, Love. I had set it down for a while, but picked it back up recently. I'm waiting for the copy of The Singing Day, to arrive... possibly today... then I'll probably be reading that, I'm sure.

I am hoping...for some warmer temps soon.

I am hearing... silence coming across the baby monitor! Aurora is actually napping today! This has become the exception rather than the rule.

Around the house...General cleaning and decluttering. Our spring seasons table is coming along nicely... with the center pieces a large vase of newly leafing peach twigs, from which we are hanging one decorative Easter egg each day as we count down to Easter. Aurora is loving this and I know it will become a cherished tradition over the years.

One of my favorite things... All of the small signs that Spring truly is coming... the tiny buds on the trees, the daffodils, the herb seedlings Aurora and I started.

A few plans for the rest of the week: More getting ready for Easter... I have the Easter table cloth to sew up, Aurora and I are going to craft a small gift for her friends, and I need to decide what we're having for Easter Dinner.

Here is picture thought I am sharing...

The sun just setting over the horizon at Balboa Peninsula. A scene, growing up, I was very familiar with.... but wouldn't realize how much I cherished 'til I moved away.

Vacation Highlights... Disneyland pt.1

2009-04-02T14:21:00.004-04:00

We purchased 3-day park-hopper passes so we could stretch out our time at Disney---Definitely the way to go, as Disneyland can be pretty overwhelming to the most seasoned of Disney enthusiasts (myself and Pete), let alone a two year old with limited media exposure. This way, we could come just for the first part of the day and then head back to Gran's for a nap... or in the case of our last trip- just for the evening and fireworks. And, being only two, A was still free- yay!

Yay! Disneyland!

A very common, very cute quizzical expression of Aurora's

The requisite Mickey-shaped cookie. (took her pretty much the rest of the vacation to finish)

On her favorite ride... the Teacups

First meeting with mickey...not so sure. She was so excited to see him- till we got up close ;)

We're back! Vacation Highlights Pt. 1

2009-04-01T20:40:00.007-04:00

Well, we've been back for well over a week now...sorry about the delay, folks. We're having computer *issues*-- grrr... this thing's only two years old!!!

Anyway, vacation really started before we headed out to California. Aurora's Grandmommy very generously gifted us a membership to Old Sturbridge Village... which is a place I simply adore... Thankyou Grandmommy! So, we headed up to enjoy a beautiful, unseasonably warm March day back in the 1860's. Aurora's grandfather drove down from NH to spend the day with us as well.

These sweet little lambies were less than a week old!

Aurora was *very* interessted in the nursing mama and baby sheep.
In her very excited words: "Lamb is dink Mama milk!"

A and her adoring Grandpa :)

O.K. now for California... well the beginnings at least, it will take several posts to cover everything, for sure.

The plane ride went really well I must say...and I was quite nervous about this part. We took Aurora's carseat on the plane with us (a big britax marathon) which I believe was absolutely the right thing to do. Not only was she much safer, but she felt much more secure and at ease as well, since it was so familiar. Aurora happens to love her carseat, often referring to it as "my pink carseeeeee!". A few things we had learned from flying last year (which didn't go so well), that made things much smoother this year was a) get a seatbelt extender from the attendent as you board the plane-- sooooo much easier to install a carseat with that ... and b) this GoGo Kidz thing is awesome.

A couple weeks before we left we had gotten this DVD called Shae by Air for Aurora to watch. It follows a young girl, Shae, on her airplane journey...everything is covered: packing, waiting in line to check in, taking your shoes off to go through security and your belongings (including Shae's teddy) going through the x-ray machine, being on the plane and the noise of taking of and the "tickle" in your ears.... even not kicking the seat in front of you. I think it was really, really helpful for Aurora, who can often be very intimidated by new situations and surroundings (who's not, really?). A lot of our conversations that day included the words "just like Shae!"

We arrived very late (by our internal East Coast clocks), but Aurora, having spent the last hour or so of the flight asleep, was ready to go... of course. Luckily she had a very happy and willing playmate in Gran waiting for her... complete with cuddles, snacks and gifts.

The next morning we walked down to visit the water and sand. (Aurora's Gran lives on Balboa Island... a small man-made island in Newport Bay....so we didn't have to walk far ;) )

Here she is re-acclimating to the, um, sunshine and warmth.

After a nap (much needed by all) we went to visit my Grandmother, Aurora's Great Grandma Bowler...who Aurora continually refers to as "Grandma Bowler and the little dog". (Apparently, to Aurora, my grandmother and her dog, Tipper, are one in the same ).

Aurora had a great time exploring Grandma Bowler and the little dog's back yard. Which was so amazingly, wondrously, spectacularly lush and green, to our slowly thawing Connecticut selves.
Did I mention there was sunshine?!?!

Well, this is just the very beginning. So, stay tuned!

5th Wedding Anniversary

2009-03-06T12:43:00.003-05:00

I love you Pete, with all my heart.
Looking forward, with great joy, to many more to come.
Happy Anniversary!

Handspun:

2009-03-05T14:25:00.001-05:00

That's it. Just wanted to share :) Hope everyone's having a great day!

Naptime Productivity

2009-03-04T15:17:00.003-05:00

Art Wallet

To hopefully make for a more peaceful flight to CA.... and then restaurants and such. The crayons are triangular (and washable)... so they can't roll off the table ;)

My sewing machine and I are beginning to become friends. I won't, however, go so far as to say we're comfortable with each other quite yet. But this sewing session didn't end in tears or curses... so that's a start!!

Five things making me happy today... in no particular order

2009-03-03T12:49:00.005-05:00

Daffodils on my kitchen window sill

Beautiful hand-dyed roving (from this etsy shop) pre drafted and ready to be spun

This cheerful girl in Hanna pajammas, tap shoes and purse... gleefully announcing she was going to Trader Joe's (please disregard the yucky looking water in the fish tank... it's not that bad).

New Spring bows for Aurora from this great etsy seller, Lilibug

The Minnie clip being, of course, for our trip to Gran's house in California and Disneyland next week!
The thought of which is also making me very happy today.

pic update

2009-03-02T16:27:00.003-05:00

finished gnome with beard added and a toodstool child, from The Princess in the Forest by Sibylle Von Olfers (a current favorite of Aurora's)

One Fine Day....

2009-03-02T13:26:00.005-05:00

On Saturday we went up to vistit Aurora's Grandmommy in Easthampton Mass. We started the day with a visit to Magic Wings in South Deerfield--- it was amazing!! Aurora *loved* seeing all the butterflies all around. And it was warm....nice ;)

Aurora with Daddy

My favorite butterfly

Grandmommy was lucky enough to have one land on her back

After lunch at the Butterfly house, Aurora and Daddy went back to Grandmommy's to "rest" (A was too excited to nap, though... making for one tired Daddy, who really had needed to rest) and Barbara and I went to New England Felting Supply. I was, to say the very least, excited. Why I didn't think to bring my camera to the store is beyond me.... it was an amazing place.... and for somebody just getting started in felting and spinning, rather much like a dreamland.
I do have pics of the goods, tough...

The big bags of colored wool in the back are Norwegian C1 to use for needle felting, the greyish undyed wool in the back is core wool, the packages of smaller rounds of wool in the front- left are Merino for wet felting, the red/yellow/orange gorgeousness in the front-right is a merino/tencel blend for spinning and in front of that is a silk cap for spinning. I'm going to need some guidence for the silk cap. Anybody out there who can give me some pointers?

And this morning, I needled this lil' guy...

He is based very much on the little rainbow gnomes Lori over at Beneath The Rowan Tree. makes. I really hope she doesn't mind....what is it they say? 'Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery'... I love the look of her lil' guys and it seemed like an easy form to start with. I still got to add his beard though...

Aurora, of course, wanted nothing to do with him at first. She then decided though, that he looked enough like a 'moss boy' from The Princess in the Forest, to be welcomed into her play. The 'moss boy' served her honey and fruits of the forest this morning.

Attachment Parenting.....?

2009-02-27T13:29:00.006-05:00

Pete and I were having a conversation at dinner last night about attachment parenting and how, while I believe its the right parenting 'style' for us, it can be a little rough some times. Aurora has been attached to my hip for the past two weeks or so. And I mean attached. She follows me into the bathroom. Sits on a stool and watches me shower (and reminds me to wash my hair a minimum of 12 times per shower). Wants to be in physical contact with me almost all of the time. Especially while I'm trying to fix dinner. Normally, I'd just pop her in the sling or Ergo and go about my business, but my lower back's been bothering me a bit making toddlerwearing difficult. Pete's been super busy with school, so I just haven't had a good opportunity for some time to myself. Add to that, that Aurora's only napped 2 out of the 5 days these week (which is partly to blame for the clinginess I'm sure... she's tired), all making mama exhausted.

It's just a phase, I know. It will pass, I know. She used to play very well independently... and I know she will do so again. In general, she's always had a healthy secure attachment.... knowing we were there if she needed us, but confident to explore the world herself. I know we'll get back there. But, right now, it's hard.

And then, Aurora walked over to us with a playsilk (the turmeric one I dyed yesterday actually) and her 'white nee nee' (aka bunny) and wanted us to help her put the bunny "in Ergo, on my back".

It was just what I needed. This is the first time she's done this. She was wearing her baby. Just as I have always worn her. One of the most well known examples of Attachment Parenting. It was a good reminder that she's always watching and learning from us. Absorbing every thing and every experience around her into her inner being. She's learned, internalized, that mamas keep their little ones close. To feed them, nourish them, protect them, love them, teach them, cherish them. Because, after all, they are only small enough to carry and hold, for a very short time. The sling (or ergo, pouch, wrap, mei tai ... we have them all, lol) has always meant warmth, security and love to her. A place to center herself, ready herself to go out and conquer the world. It's very rewarding to see her taking on this role with her 'babies'.

I'm holding her, cuddling her, and yes, wearing her with a new consciousness today. And with a little more joy.

I could still use a little 'me' time, though ;)

dying playsilks with 'natural' dyes

2009-02-26T15:16:00.004-05:00

So, because playsilk dying tutorials with kool-aid and food coloring are a dime a dozen, I never borrowed to post one about the fun I've been having with dying these wonderfully open-ended play props. Also, because I was getting really frustrated with the less than stellar pictures my camera was turning out. But, boy has it been fun.

So, I knew I wanted to dye some earthy colors to add to our collection, and I figured what better way to get 'earthy' and 'all natural' than to head to the pantry?

The first step, not pictured, is to soak your silks in hot water with a splash of vinegar for 20 mins or so. While the silks are soaking, you can prepare your dyes. I used the left over grounds from our coffee this morning and ran the coffee maker again with 12 cups water (as measured on the coffee carafe). I also thought I'd give turmeric a go, so i sprinkled a bunch into the bottom of a four-cup measuring cup. How much? I didn't measure, but about this much:
I then added some vinegar to the turmeric and some salt as well 'cause I hadn't realized I was so low on vinegar. I was worried all the dye would wash out when I rinsed the silk, and I was pretty sure I had heard that salt could be used as a mordant. I figured it couldn't hurt anyhow... and I think it did help. How much, you ask again? I would guess about a 1/4 cup of vinegar and two tsps of salt or so. Then I poured in boiling water from the kettle to measure about 4 cups and stirred to combine. I put my silks to be dyed (in this case a 30''by30" and an 11"by11") into a pot and poured the turmeric mixture on top.

For the coffee silks (same sizes), I plopped them into a pot and poured the weakly brewed coffee over, with another 1/4 C of vinegar (all that was left) and some salt.
Then I put both pots on the stove top and brought to a boil. As they were boiling, I stirred the silks around pretty often to get even coverage. I meant to time how long the were on the stove, but my dear husband called right as I was putting them on, so I was talking to him all the while and lost track of time. I'd say they were probably on for 15 mins or so. Then I turned the burners off and let them cool for 5 mins or so. I planned to let them cool all the way in the pots before rinsing, but I'm simply too impatient.

They were such beautiful, and yes, very natural, earthy colors coming out of their dye baths! I was particularly impressed by the turmeric....
The coffee was a little lighter than I had anticipated, but beautiful nonetheless. I'm sure if dyed with full strength coffee, it probably would have been darker... but coffee is much too precious to me to 'waste' on silks.
I was super nervous rinsing them out that all the color would go right down the drain with the water-- but nope! It really didn't take very much rinsing either, before the water ran clear. Many people will throw their silks in the washing machine and give a rinse and spin (with no detergent), but I have community laundry and have to pay per load, so I just rinse mine in the kitchen sink and they seem to turn out just fine ;)

They're out in the living room drying now. I think Aurora will be very pleased with them when she wakes from her nap!

Naps- we all need one

2009-02-24T16:13:00.004-05:00

I think Aurora's getting a cold or something. She didn't nap today-- for the second day in a row. When she doesn't sleep that usually means she's coming down with some thing. She was also up a lot in the night these past two nights.

I really wanted her to take a nap today- could've used the break. No nap= super cranky, melt down prone toddler @ dinner prep time.

I've spiked her juice cup with Echinacea/Immunity supplements... let's hope it works!

And now, some totally unrelated 'then and now' pics:

Coming home from the hospital:

And still rear facing at two years old.

Can you believe how tiny she was?!?
Post about why she's still rear facing saved for another day :)

Tiny Dancer

2009-02-17T13:41:00.004-05:00

Aurora got a pair of tap shoes at the children's consignment store. Definitely a questionable parenting decision on my part. They are loud on our wooden floors. Not sure how the neighbors above us feel about it, and I'm not going to ask. But she really does love them and was so happy when I showed them to her at the store. She proudly carried them all the way to the check-out counter herself. Please ignore the crushed cheerios all over the floor:)
Contrary to the way it looks, she really is happy in this picture. She's just totally immersed in her Riverdance DVD that was playing on the portable player on the cabinet. Couldn't be bothered for the camera! I still need to get a good action shot. That's to come...

an Upgrade....

2009-02-13T19:30:00.004-05:00

Before:

After:

Yep, we finally took it down. With the exception of my exercise DVDs, the TV hadn't been used since Obama's inauguration. And, really, exercise DVDs aren't really enjoyable enough to need a bigger screen- so the travel DVD player will do just fine from here on out.

Eventually the newly aquired surface will be home to our seasons table. But, for the moment, we're really enjoying an unseasonal luxury: I ordered these beautiful flowers from Hawaii for my sweet husband as an Valentines/birthday/anniversary gift. Pete's birthday happens to be Valentines Day, and our 5th anniversary is in early March. So, was it worth the cost of two-day air from Hawaii? Totally. Our living room is scented with plumeria (and not from a spray bottle)-- it instantly takes both of us back to our honeymoon on the windward side of O'ahu.

*************************************************************************************

Now, onto something completely unrelated. You've gotta check out Clara's Depression Era Cooking. This 90-something great-grandmother shares wisdom and recipes from her experiences in the Depression. Her great- grandson filmed the segments (and did a great job!). Clara was a first-generation American teenager going to highschool during the Depression... she eventually had to drop out of school because her family wasn't able to afford socks. There is a lot we can learn from her! Start with the first episode- they're all about 6 mins.

The reason we've been MIA.....

2009-02-12T21:34:00.004-05:00

So, its been a full week and a half since I last blogged. I'm such a slacker.... but we haven't just been lying on the couch doing nothing- honest! We simply haven't been around much this past week because it's warmed up (temporarily, I'm sure), melted all the snow and left us with...

MUD!

gorgeous, sticky, slimy, malleable mud.
Perfect for creating a 'garden' with the other children in our courtyard. The older kids did most of this, of course, but Aurora threw in a couple leaves, and was so, so proud.

She also made (repeatedly, day after day, and in many forms) lots and lots of 'acorns' for the squirrels. She then had me hold her up so she could put them in the tree.

She was simply one very happy girl. All winter I tried to get her outside- but she really didn't care for the snow at all. No matter what we tried. The most we could get her out for was a walk around the block in the Mei Tai on my back. As it melted, and we could see the grass, we were spending more and more time outside... but it took her a couple days to really *remember* how to play. Luckily we live in University family housing and have lots of young children as neighbors to provide an example.

Yesterday, the warmest of the days (an unbelievable 60 degrees and sunny), we spent a total of 6 HOURS outside! Played in the mud, picnicked with friends, and went for a really long walk (during which we stopped briefly for me to gaze longingly through the window at all the delicious goods at the local yarn store. I was very good and didn't go in, btw). Today... well its back to winter, I guess. Although it still pales to our winters in Ithaca, for sure.

Aurora's first labeled drawings

2009-02-02T14:38:00.002-05:00

These are the first drawings A has ever given a true name to, not just copying what I was drawing, but completely her own. She worked on these this past weekend... 28 months old. Its amazing how much she is growing and learning each day. It takes my breath away.

I wish her blue crayon showed up a little better, but I'm not that great at the editing software for our scanner.

2009-02-02T09:25:00.002-05:00

It's giveaway monday over at The Crafty Crow... go check it out!