July 3, 2006 / March 16, 2010

The kids were wanting to see photos of themselves when they were little, and I found some real gems from the pre-blogging days of our kids and friends. (Did you know that Katelyn and Tess were IDENTICAL as toddlers?? true story.)

So I think I'll post some over the next few weeks as I dig through the archives.

finished

Lily's shirt is officially off the needles. It's not blocked yet, so it's still a little "homespun", but aren't they all.  Because I adapted it from a long-sleeve pattern, I wish I would have decreased a little more when it was time to make the sleeves. They're still a little on the big side. It would be easy to fix, but I'm going to say it's good enough and just file that away for next time. Unless it really starts to bug me, then I guess I'll fix it. But right now I'm casting on a very special baby blanket for a family member who has waited a long time for her first baby, so I'm really excited to get going on that. It's a lace pattern I've never tried before, so it should be interesting.

OK, you can wake up now. I'm done talking about knitting.

yummy

I just posted the (very easy) recipe to one of my favorite breakfasts on Shauna's blog Run and Not Be Weary. If you're interested in healthy eating you should check it out. Especially if you're like me and you feel perpetually stuck in an endless loop of spaghettios and top ramen, amidst the wretched shreik of it's the only thing my kids will eat! 

I'm not promising they'll eat this either, but at least you can feel good about eating something other than the dregs at the bottom of the mac and cheese pot. (I know you've been there.)

my girl

The boy wouldn't sit as well for me. I had to settle from a more candid (and, let's face it, more appropriate) shot from the day.

bubbles

My neice's husband Jeremy took these bubble pictures at my in-law's house. His work is amazing...especially his landscapes. Thanks Jeremy! (I tried to link you to some of his work, but I couldn't access his Flickr account...Jeremy are you out there? Give me a link!)

remembering the sunshine

We've had such odd weather. Today I sat inside my cozy house, listening to the rain, wind and hail just outside, and thinking about how odd it is that I have a sunburn from spending 3 hours at the park just two days ago. In any event, it's good to be reminded that sunny days are sure to follow.

Here are some spring-time reminders for all of you in my neck of the woods (desert) who are listening to the hail...you may see someone you know:).

I kept hearing Tess behind me saying, "I love you", so I turned around and snapped this...so cute.

That dog can be so pesky.

Hey Megan. What's up.

This girl is so photogenic, no matter which perspective.

Hello Isaac.

Her hair was so stuck to her face. It reminds me of how I met my best friend, April. She got a blow-pop stuck in my hair in the 7th grade girls bathroom. We've been best friends ever since. Stuck together by the bonds of cornsyrup, bubble gum, and artificial sour apple flavoring. It's a charming tale. Ask me about it sometime.

Mentors. Yes, I'm frightened too.

We thought it worth mentioning that just our group of friends and children took up the entire park. No one else was there. This is why we don't all get together in our homes that much anymore.

Beautiful Juliette.

The Bum Bum Brothers. Self-christened. I feel I should make mention that this is not the male answer to the Vagina Monologues, which I have never seen, and  to which Alex, and I'm sure Seth, has never been exposed. 

And finally for something totally unrelated, here is a little something I'm working on for Lily. I've already taken it apart twice because I'm having more difficulty accepting mistakes in my knitting now that I've been doing it for a while. I'm not able to let myself forgive "blemishes" in the name of "handknit charm and character". It's quite annoying, really.

And finally, finally, thanks Megan for helping this grandma figure out how to update her Blogger account so she can post pictures easier. Since it's already apparent that I don't know how to weed out photos, it's nice to know that the process of posting is now much less painful. However, I have not yet figured out how to spell check. So feel free to make fun of me and my inability to spell.

As She-Ra Princess of Power says, "bye for now!"

spring showers

Refusing to let the torrents of rain and snow (relatively) ruin our spring break, we braved the elements and went to the park for a little puddle-splashing. The kids are so excited about their new umbrellas, courtesy of Grandma. Aren't Grandma's the best?This is my handsome boy who just keeps looking more and more like his dad every day. I have comparison shots I want to post soon.Showing us her cookie...unprovoked. I suppose she's more and more like me every day.Look at that smile!The best part was swinging over the puddles...and then landing in the puddles, and then splashing mom in the puddles. Then we went home.Actually, the real beast part was the look on my kids' faces when I told them it was OK to play in the puddles and get a little wet. I'm sure they wondered what kind of strange alien had possessed their mother's body, but they didn't ask too many questions...or seem all that concerned, for that matter.

We baked cookies. These pictures might be slightly out of order.
So much for posting more often with fewer pictures. I guess the problem here is not with frequency, but with my inability to sort and weed.

scenes from my life...part 497

I've been a giant blogging slacker, and I figured in Honor of spring cleaning and what not I'd get some photos off my camera and post a few to this here online journal-thingy. So as to remember the time I cleaned behind Alex's nightstand...

And found this little gem...I'm glad I had the foresight to add a date

Took down all the masterpieces Alex had taped to his wall. The guy with the giant head is saying, "H". As in..."GASP" That orange guy with the mask and fangs does look pretty scary. And I'm pretty sure there are a few decapitated heads in there. Now I'm scared for lots of reasons.

I FINALLY sorted through the kids books that were spilling out of their bookshelves and filed them away. (Thanks for the inspiration, Megan.)

Jake's mom and dad took the kids overnight just because (yes, they are the BEST in-laws ever!), so I went running at 9am, which is unheard of. I usually have to go early before everyone wakes up. But Jake can get his own breakfast, so I got to skip out. While I was running I stumbled upon some volunteers setting up for a bike race, and they were nice enough to supply me with an orange. I realize that was quite the set-up, but that's why the orange picture...

The sky was like a giant soft box the next morning. So I took some pictures of my yard. Why not?

These are the 3 pomegranate plants we got from my in-laws. (didn't I say, best ever?) We are hoping they shall form a hedge which shall be the start of my very ambitious garden. I'm hoping that with Amy Hummel as my neighbor, I'll be able to be coaxed through this process of learning and discovery.

Buster staring into the sun.

Technically a diptych is two photos side-by-side, but I'm going to go out on a limb and say this qualifies.

Lily's room gets all the light in the morning, and I sometimes feel bad that Alex's room looks so dreary compared to hers, but by mid-morning it all equals out. Such is childhood.
One of the many faces of Pine Valley Mountain.

A little something for my Lily. She says it makes her a princess. I say I'm the luckiest mom in the world.

Right now we're fastening it with a charming safety pin until I find the right button for it.
This girl still loves her blanket.

I tried to sneak a picture of Alex and Kate out of his bedroom window, but Kate spotted me right away. I swear she has camera radar. Must have something to do with her home environment.

So I gave up on the sneaky paparazzi shots and stuck the camera right in his face. Sort of a not-so-sneaky-paparazzi move.

This is Alex trying to build himself a fort. Sad. I really need to get some plans together for his play set.
pink milk. Yum.

Dinner candles. We've been lighting them at dinner all winter, and it's been a really fun, unexpected way to get the family to all sit down together at dinner. At first we just did it for fun, but we're almost ready for our third set of candles now because it's become a tradition. I don't know if it will continue on as the days grow longer and the nights stay light, but we'll definitely keep them around. I love this little ritual.

So there are the last 3 weeks, or so. I vow in the future to post fewer pictures more often, because I could tell a story about each picture individually. Besides, I like to tell stories. Posts like this make me feel like my life is getting mundane, but there is a soul in each moment of our lives here at the Brackens, and I want to let that soul out. I know I won't get each one, but I want to catch as many as I can.

sayonara.