Yarn Along

    Each Wednesday the blog Small Things does a series of posts called Yarn Along where she, and other participants, post what we are currently knitting and reading.  Here is where I am:

    I've been trying to get so many knitting projects done lately that it has taken the fun out of it. I have made the kids each a winter hat and was planning to move onto a pair of mittens for each of them next but when Grace asked me to make her a blanket for her doll I couldn't so no. =) Its a simple blanket that I'm making without a pattern, first time doing that, so we will see how it turns out. I started to read Auschwitz: A New History but had to stop after the first chapter because the print is so small I had to strain my eyes just to read it. I've been meaning to have my eyes check, I just need to get around to it. I think I'll read another classic next.  I've been reading a lot of those lately.

Stretchmarks

    I loved being pregnant but I used to hate my stretch marks. I didn't feel attractive in the least. Then perspective hit me. Without meaning to my thought process changed. I realized I was looking from the wrong angle. I learned to love my stretch marks, every one of them. This is why:

    Around 4 month along in each of my pregnancies is when I would start to be able to see major changes in my body. I loved it.  Just knowing a baby was growing inside of me was amazing. I loved measuring my belly and seeing how much I grew, knowing my baby was growing in strength and size as well. Each extra inch from the last measuring made me excited. I loved having James read to Grace every night, before she was even born.  He would kiss my belly and tell her he loved her and goodnight. Every Night.  I loved having Grace rest her head on my tummy and get excited to kiss my belly when I was carrying Eli. Pregnancy is beautiful and something to cherish.

   Pregnancy is NOT something you just have to suck up and get over with until baby has arrived. I understand some people have very hard pregnancies, while others can't get pregnant, and others yet who have miscarriages and I am not demeaning these things. One out of four pregnancies end in a miscarriage. 10-15% of couple are unable to have children. Though most people don't know these statistics they do know, before attempting to have a child of their own, there is a chance, however small, of not having a completely smooth pregnancy. We know we are at risk of heart ache but there is a reason we take it. We desperately want to have a little one of our own. To us, it's more than worth it.

    After thinking about all these things over the past few days I realized something. My stretch marks represent something. My children. I would give up my life for my kids but complain about the very stretch marks I was given to receive my children? Sounds silly when you think about it. I would give so much more than just stretch marks for my children and anymore God chooses to bless me and James with.  My Stretch marks a symbol of my love and oh what I would do for more of them...

{James with Eliot}

Tidbits

Tidbits: tid·bits, noun

1.) Random moments of life preserved in pictures in an attempt to blog at least once a week.

{Grace watching her favorite soccer player}

{Eli about to give me a bite}

{Go Buckeyes!}

{Such a sweet sleeper}

{Eli wanted to get ready too}

{Playing at our churches singing}

{Measles, day 5}

Stockmar Crayons and Lyra Colored Pencils

     On our quest to have quality over quantity we have tackled the kids art stash.  Admit it, how many boxes of crayons do you have laying around? You know, the ones that at least one breaks every time you color?  We were keeping ours in an old wet wipe box and it was getting to point where it was getting difficult to close.  WAY too many crayons, but not just that. Even the Crayola ones weren't even holding up well. With some uncertainty, because of the high price, we replaced them with a couple sets of high quality Stockmar crayons (Block Crayons, Stick Crayons) and threw in a set of Lyra Colored Pencils.  They are pretty pricey but they last a very long time.  These don't just hold up well but we're loving the vibrant colors.   Here is a video of these bad boys in action:

Bug Hunt

    Grace is a bug lover. She loves them so much she used to cry when we would kill spiders or mosquitoes. Thankfully she out grew that one. Last week we took the kids on a bug hunt. I quickly drew up what I thought would be the most likely bugs we would come across on a paper for Grace to compare to the real bug so she could match them up when we found them. Surprisingly, we only found three out of six but also found a lot of others too. I plan on using these pictures bellow to make a little chart that I can laminate for next time, that way we can use a dry erase marked to check off what we found.  This was our favorite summer outing this summer so far.

{Dragonfly}

{Tiny Cricket}

{Butterfly}

{Cicada skin}

{Another Dragonfly}

{Fly}

{Ant}

{I know they aren't bugs but aren't these ducklings cute?}

{My cute little flower child. Shortly after this picture I found 

an ant in Grace's hair from the weeping willow branch, how fitting.}

{We concluded our bug hunt by splashing around in some muddy water.}

Full Bellies

    I love to watch my kids eat. It's weird, I know. I love when they are trying to figure out if they like a new food. When they take a bit of something with a new texture or temperature for the first time. When they taste something and and start laughing because they like it so much. I would have to say the absolute best part of watching my kids eat is knowing they are nourishing their bodies. Now every time they eat, I'll admit, they aren't always nourishing their bodies.  We eat way too much popcorn and dairy products around here.  Here is a little peek into the kids meal time with a video of Grace eating an apple at the end.

{Lunch}

{Plain organic Greek yogurt mixed with raw honey and diced peaches. 

Then I froze the mixture in silicone molds, found here.}

{Eli is always so serious when he eats}

County Fair

    Earlier this week we went to the county fair with the kids.  There were rides to be ridden, animals to visit, food to devour, and so many other things to keep us well entertained.  We ate way too much unhealthy food, lunch and supper.  Surprisingly the kids did really well without any melt downs, Grace hadn't even taken a nap.  Eli seemed to have fun but Grace is at an age where she really enjoyed it.  Grace and I went on a couple rides together but the last one made me too dizzy to risk going on another.  I still can't believe we were there for about six hours.  I wish I had a picture of them before they were washed up.  Between Eli's sticky face/ dirty finger nails, and Grace's smeared painted dog face they were filthy.  I can't wait for Eli to enjoy it next year as much as Grace did this year.

{We started our morning with a farmers breakfast.}

{Bacon is a rare treat, as you can see from this excited face.}

{Major Bed Head!}

{Can you guess why Grace is hanging on to me for dear life?}

{She was terrified of the sheep.} 

{She livened up at the rabbit and poultry barns}

{Little man ready for bed}