{For Daddy}

Yes, he's covered in dinner, and yes those are {still} boxes waiting to be emptied in the background. {We're almost done...almost.} I couldn't resist those cheesy cheeks after dinner this evening...and I was just talking with my hubby about how Nomi is always napping when he calls, so I thought we'd do one for the Daddy. 

To Daddy~

Love you babe, see you in just a few more weeks! xoxo

To everyone else~

Be sure to come by on Monday, I'm pairing up with a lovely etsy shop for my first giveaway!

A Sweater Tale...

Once upon a time...there was a mama and aspiring blogger who had a plan. She was going to knit a soft and fluffy shirt for her soft and fluffy baby. And so she did...row by row, nap time by nap time, late night by late night, she knit away until at last it was finished. Usually this mama put off blocking her knitting projects, but not this time! She was so determined to get this soft and fluffy shirt on her soft and fluffy baby that she blocked it before the week was finished! It fit!! It was exactly what she had pictured! She squished her squishy baby into the fluffy shirt and {despite loud protests from the fluffy baby's older siblings} she took *only him* outside to take a few pictures. She had visions of a few quick clicks and a content baby combining to make some cute blogable pictures. Oh what a silly mama she was! That baby was so excited by the outdoors...but what is this?? He did *NOT* like walking on grass. Not even one little bit. And so every time the mama set up her camera for a picture, he would toddle to her and try to stand on her feet to get off of the grass. Then the mama realized she hadn't gotten lunch off of his face, in her excitement to take his picture. It was about this time that the mama heard great wailing and gnashing of teeth from her older children...the ones with their tear streaked faces pressed up against the window by the door for the world to see. Their faces had lunch on them too. And so the mama picked up the squishy, fluffy baby and carried him inside and a great scrubbing up party began. Life went on as normal, eventually the mama uploaded the pictures and realized that toddlers are very hard to capture with a camera (or anything else), but that his cuteness would make up for her lack of photography skills. Then chaos took over their life and they moved to an adorable farm house in the mountains and the mama forgot all about the pictures, and the blog and for a while, even the shirt. Until today that is...because she is once more knitting something for that very same squishy baby...something that she will be blocking before the week is out...and she is once again determined to get some blogable pictures... The End *wink*

Ravelry details are Here, and I found the yarn Here!

A little of everything, including my kitchen sink...

 In a flurry of spring cleaning I recently scrubbed down the sink area in my kitchen from ceiling to floor. The shiny happiness is so much better...and actually being able to see through those big beautiful windows is lovely. I have re-purposed a darling sugar and cream set so that I can see them every single day, and I like using beautiful things for my everyday needs...it helps us remember that everyday is special. Above this picture (but not in it due to the sun) I hung a small crucifix and a small icon of one of my patron Saints (particularly for this year), St. Michael. Our dishwasher has been out of commission for a while now, and even with a reduced number of dishes I spend allot of time here...it's nice to have the reminder to offer it up!  

The other day was GORGEOUS...think 65, breezy, sunny...and after that stomach bug we needed some fresh air! However due to certain attitudes (this always comes up after a big illness, like they forget the rules while they are sick? Or just want to check that they are still there? Please tell me this happens at your house too!) I knew I couldn't chase after the big two while carrying around that giant love of a baby... enter the car picnic. A basket full of nummy lunch stuffs, water bottles and our new read aloud and we were ready! The town park was the perfect spot, we parked by a tree full of birds, rolled the windows down and spent the next hour+ munching, reading, and watching a man practice his uni-cycling skills. My children have both requested we get one...I told them maybe we should start with tricycles...(I know, boring). We are loving the read aloud time each day...I haven't gotten the hang of being super consistent with it yet but we will get there. Right now we are reading Redwall, which is certainly a bit above their usual attention level but so far so good. I am very slightly editing on the fly some of the more thrilling adjectives regarding the bad guy...I think they get the idea just fine and I wont have to answer so many questions about blood, guts, and such. I love that the story has such clear heroes and villains but, I mean, they are still 5 and 3. :) We will now skip ahead over the part where I left the headlights on the entire time and had to call my brother to come jump start my car...*ahem* Yes, we shall skip over that and I will distract you with delicious baby pictures. Nomi hasn't quite gotten over his baby aversion to the way grass feels (neither have I...) so in order to get him to pull his legs out of his neck, we put him on a blanket...and there he (for now) stays.

 Grass may not be this guy's favorite...but outside in general is totally The Best!

Oh, and because I couldn't resist, here is a picture of the ISS (International Space Station for those of you with me in the "not in the know" category)...the brightest speck there...rather SE of center? It was SO cool to get to see it and has prompted requests for LOTS of library books about astronauts and what they eat.

St. Valentine's Day

This year, I found myself in need of a valentine for the first time in many years...despite Joe being gone for work I was determined to make the most of this oh so delightfully pink day. So I called up a sister and made some plans...because really I will take any excuse for a girls night! Olivia picked up "Crazy Stupid Love" and "The Help" from Redbox and brought her laptop with her (we have no sound on our current computer and no other way of watching movies)...and we got busy with a proper girls night in....

Gluten free pizza, thanks to the Bob's Red Mill mix, it was very good and I will certainly be using it again, most of their gluten free mixes have corn in them, which makes them not really an option for us, but this one is really really good. Yummy sauce, orange peppers, chicken breast and cheese finished off this amazingly yummy pizza. The movies were both really fun, I was so excited to finally see "The Help"! I read the book last month, and while I do prefer the book, the movie was really excellently done. 

 {Beautiful Sister}

 Next morning we had a festive breakfast of gluten free banana bread and freshly squeezed orange juice. The freshly squeezed juice is really something that just slipped in...Bobby LOVES oranges in all forms, and asked me so sweetly for a "Juicing thing to make orange juice", how could I say no? However he learned that despite being the biggest almost-four year old I've ever seen, his hands were not quite up to the task. So now I make us orange juice and oh my is it delicious! Three oranges meet their end every morning, we each sip our 4oz with delight, and I wonder how on earth I wound up squeezing oranges every morning. ;) I'm pretty sure it has something to do with this face...

I mean, you'd make that face orange juice too...

 {Roses for Miss Olivia}

Our breakfast table, due to all of the painting and room moving around we actually haven't had proper meals at our table in quite a while, so it was nice to get back to normal with a meal all together. Olivia was nice enough to offer some atmosphere with her 80's power ballads pandora station...my children were very impressed that I know all of the words...

This little fellow on his first St. Valentine's day...he really should have been asleep, but I think he could tell something exciting was going on because he kept fighting those long blinks...his favorite teething toy right now is this lemon, and it leaves him smelling delightfully fresh. I leave you with extra pictures of His Plumpness...hope you all had a great day yesterday!

 <3

{this moment}

<3

{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. ~Inspired by SouleMama

One last bad picture ;)

My little Lovey in his new hat...playing with the drill. ;) Have you ever seen such squishy cheeks?? Or fluffy hands? Don't get me started on the belly...and the legs!!!!  {Ravelry link HERE}

Happy Thought

This is from October I think, if you can believe he is far more "plump" now! The beautiful background was my birthday gift from my amazingly talented grandmother...it just doesn't get better than a homemade quilt!!

~ Fall ~

Just wanted to share a few pictures on this rainy first day of fall...lots of knitting happening here lately! This is our first year of homeschooling, with Miss Jenny in kindergarten and Mr. Bobby busy doing preschoolish things...trying to find some sort of rhythm but soaking up the craziness at the same time. :)

booties for my Little Lovey

My first color work! (a kangaroo vest for Dominic)

Who has become very rolly-poly (5 months tomorrow!!!)

something for me, with yarn my sister dyed...

Mr. Incredible himself, sporting his pixie hat <3

: teething :

{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.

p.s.) I've been gone for a while because we still haven't replaced our camera and I'm very uninspired to write posts without pictures. We've been marching through a busy, crazy summer and I'm hoping to work out our computer and camera problems soon! Hoping to be back in this space before fall :)

It's A BOY!!

Dominic Karol was born on Saturday the 23rd!!!! After a very long week of trying every natural option (most of them several times over...) we decided this one just wasn't going to be born at home and it was time for the big guns... Two nights later we headed into the hospital for my old friend pitocin. Just shy of 12 hours of labor, and with only 12 minutes of pushing later, he was born into the hands of the person who is really The MIDWIFE for my family...having delivered several of my siblings and one of my nieces. (how cool is that??) I am surprisingly at peace with the change of plans...my wonderful midwives and I tried everything to get this little one to be born at home and it didn't work...I'm just trusting that for a reason unknown to me, this is just how it was supposed to be. I'm so lucky to have been able to transfer so last minute; I feel very blessed to have had such excellent care...and I can't wait to introduce this little guy to my other midwives! They have after all known him for 9 months now :)

Just an hour or two old here...just barely squeezed into the hat I made him!

He was another big boy, at 10lbs. 3.7oz. and 21" long. His head wasn't quite as big as his brother's though, measuring a "mere" 14 3/4" ;) Of the three though, his labor and delivery were by far the easiest! Joe and my mom were fantastic support and I made it all the way through without any pain meds!

I was delighted to find that my baby dreams were right on the mark when he was born with a full head of dark hair...however I have never been more surprised than when Joe announced it was a boy! This is the first time I've been able to hold one of my babies right away and it is a moment I will never forget. It took me about 4 seconds to name him and about 4 seconds less than that to fall completely in love with him. :)

My Mama was there all through my labor and delivery this time! She remembered I had wanted roses for while I was in labor and brought this beautiful yellow bloom in a tiny little bud vase for me...it made such a difference!

We are all home now, just starting to figure out what life with three kids will be like...the older two love him, and I think they will adjust well. My milk is coming in and with it the brain zapping hormones, so I'm sorry for how disjointed this all is...off to try to get some sleep and love on this sweet little BOY!! :)