Purling Sprite

Sleepless in Utah

Little Benny has been sick since last Friday which means one thing for everyone in the house: no sleep! The no sleep unfortunately turns us all into crabby monsters. Today, I woke up tired, crabby, sleepy and frankly I was ready to throw in the towel so into the doctor's we went. Thankfully they had an opening at 9:20am which gave us enough time to get Wonderboy to school and then into the doctor's.

The verdict: Little Benny has ear infections (on both ears) right one not so bad but the left one is about to go pop! Uggh, just what I feared. No wonder she has been so crabby and crying non-stop for days.

We got medicine and now we just need to wait it out and hopefully it will start working by tonight...maybe tonight we can all get a good night's sleep.

Zzzzzzzzzzz

Working Hard or Hardly Working?

That's what Grandpa Phelps would say. My boys are putting their heart into our little garden spot. What was once a mound of dirt, it is now becoming the little corner that will provide fresh vegetables for our family during the Summer months. As the economy gets worse and worse and prices just keep going up, we are putting an extra emphasis on our little garden patch.

When we moved into the house, we didn't have a spot for a garden, the entire back yard was landscaped which was nice, except for the fact that hubby grew up having a garden and I have gotten it my head that we need to be a little self-sufficient. Consequently, we started planning a way to get a garden. In one of the backyard corners, we had a huge downhill that was a pain to mow, then new neighbors moved to a house behind ours and they started to dig a hole to extend their basement patio, divine! The dirt they were getting rid off was what we needed, so we moved it over to our downhill corner and thus our garden patch was born.

When we moved the dirt last year, we didn't have a chance to plant a garden as it was a bit late in the year, but this year we have started a little early and whenever the weather permits, hubby goes out there and works on spreading the dirt and getting the dirt ready for planting. We have Grandpa's tiller and we are almost ready to to plant...now if the weather cooperates this Saturday we will be planting peas.

Besides getting a little bit of produce from our garden patch, I have seen that the best part of it all is the relationship that hubby and Wonderboy are building. Wonderboy eagerly waits for dad to come home so that they can work together on the garden. With a little shovel and "normal" side shovel, side by side they work. If bricks need to be moved to build the retaining wall, Wonderboy puts his muscle, heart, and soul into the job and brings daddy a brick. Hubby always talks about the lessons he learned while helping his Dad work on the garden, my dream is that one day my son has the same type of memories about his time with Dad.

The retaining wall that they boys are building is sure cute! We are going to plant the peas and beans around the outer edge so we do not have to bend down to pick them, pretty neat (hubby thought of that). My farmer boy is sure happy working on his garden...now we just need a cow in the backyard and a few chickens and we can definitely be self-sufficient...alright, not really!

More pictures of our garden patch...little Benny is happily dancing around moving her tush for the pictures. I'll have more pictures of the finished project by next week...the wall is almost complete, 40 more bricks and we should be set.

Soccer Days are Back!

Besides the arrival of warm weather, Spring also brings to us a new soccer season. As a family, we love watching soccer, especially when Wonderboy is part of the game. Most of his teammates are the same age as him, 6 years. Although they are the same age, size varies considerably, Wonderboy is one of the smallest in his team (again) but we cannot expect much with his "giant" lineage (LOL). Some of the kids in the other team towered him by as much as 4 to 5 inches but his little legs made up for his vertical limits. That boy can run!

I am so amazed at how fast he is and his endurance. The kid can go for 45 minutes without stopping...as long as there is a ball that he has to chase from one side to the other. Even the coach noticed his little legs moving as fast as a locomotive! One of the other Mom's reminded me that he was even "recruited" last year by the T-Ball coach. I had completely forgotten about it!

He gives his 100% during each of the games and he doesn't stop until the whistle blows. During his first game on Wednesday he scored 4 goals, but they only counted 3, and he almost got it in at least another half-a-dozen times. I am such a proud Momma Hen! He is a great little player and a great sport too! We have another game on Saturday...it is going to be fun! More pictures to come...we are going to be the blue team.

Picture above: Wonderboy teammates, one of them (the one with the ball by his foot) is one of his best friends--together they rule the soccer field! Wonderboy is the runner and chases the ball then he passes to C who scores lots of goals.

More pictures: flicker collage, to see the pictures bigger, click on the collage.

In other news: Chubbette has been updated almost daily with my training for the half-marathon and for the up-coming cycling season. The half-marathon is in 4 weeks! Yikes! I am running a 10 miler this Saturday...sounds scary.

Eggstravaganza Day

On Saturday, we were able to attend a little party that our friend Jo put together for her son's birthday. The  party was an Easter Eggstravanganza for the kiddos in the neighborhood. About 14  families in total and about 30+ kiddos (that's a lot of kiddos!). Usually, Easter weekend we have a little bit of warm weather and flowers are shyly coming through to welcome the kiddos, this year though temperatures were a little chilly and there were no flowers nor green grass. A little sad looking but it didn't stop the fun the kids were having. We were supposed to bring a picnic lunch with us but I was too lazy and instead opted for McDonald's quick take out; the kids didn't mind it at all!

After lunch time, there was a little trail walk arranged for the little tykes--anything to take the wiggles out! While some of the parents walked with the kiddos, others stayed behind to hide the eggs. My children loved the walk--anything that lets them out and run around like crazy makes them happy! Wonderboy just took off both on the way there and on the way back! He is such a great little runner. Little Benny stayed by me the entire time. She likes to hold my hand and walk alongside me and talk my ear off! She is full of stories about her friends and the many "boyfriends" she has. Speaking of boyfriends--this girl is boy crazy! She has a crush on all of Wonderboy's friends. Everytime they come over, she tells them, "you are my boyfriend but I have many boyfriends, I have eight!". The little boys just run away from her shaking their head. Crazy girly!

Anyways, after our little 1/2 a mile walk we came back and let  the kiddos find their eggs. They had such fun! I had first tricked the kids and told them that the purpose of the outing was to find a rabbit so we could get it and eat for dinner. They were eager to find a rabbit for dinner! Ha! I am so evil! Since they couldn't find a real rabbit they settled for chasing their friend who was wearing rabbit ears! It was hilarious. Little Benny kept running behind him and when she got close to him she tried to bite him. Loved it!

The entire day was a fun filled family date. The children picked up a dozen eggs each and they are still eating the candy. Little Benny believes that chocolate makes a good breakfast, we tend to difer but I am letting her have her way with her pickings. She is only little once.

A few more pictures from our fun-filled day. I have included some pictures of our friends.

 

Disney on Ice: A little girl's dream come true

As a child, I remember staying up nights dreaming of having a little Tinkerbell of my own. I would dream that she would be my special friend and grant me wishes. My constant wish was to have a family of my very own. Someone to love me and care for me. I also wished for silly things like having my skin a different color and baby blue eyes. In my child mind, I believed that if maybe I was a different color that my parents would have loved me and kept me. My own Tinkerbell would make all these wishes true and with them I would be happily ever after. As you already know, there are no real Tinkerbells and life sometimes hands you lemons and you have to make the best out of them, some of us dwell in their tartiness while others decide to make a yummy lemonade and yet others go farther and decide to make lemon pie. I would have to say that I made lemon pie out of my lemons. I don't have a Tinkerbell but I have the chance to be someone else's Tinkerbell, my childrens.

What can I say about them that you probably already don't know. They are great kiddos, energetic, bouncy, mouthy, sometimes they are pests, but they are my pests! I love them!! I am their Tinkerbell. They tell me their dreams, their wishes, their fears and I help them along. I don't have a magic wand but I have magic kisses that make their hurts go away. My power is little hugs and reasurances that I will be there for them when they need me the most.

This last week, we had a special day, Disney on Ice was on tour here in Utah and like (most) little girls on this planet, my little Benny wanted to go. She saw the first commercial about it about three months ago  and I saw her little brown eyes lit up every single time the commercial came on tv. She would dance and sing along with the princesses and when the commercial was over, she would sigh and say that her dream was to go to this event. In her innocent and lovely mind, she believes that the world is full of love and every girl out there is a princess. As adults we know the reality of this world (and how it is going to pot!) but I want her to believe that the world is love, that every little girl out there is someone's little princess. She is my little princess and maybe if I am there for her she won't need to dream of her very own Tinkerbell like I had to.

The show was fantastic! The skater's talent was superb and both Hubby and I enjoyed being able to witness this talent. The children had a ball! Even little Wonderboy, his favorite part was the one where Prince Phillip from Sleeping Beauty fought the dragon. A super cool dragon that breathed fire--terribly awesome! Little Benny kept waiting for Cinderally to come to the stage and as you may imagine she was the very last one. Cinderalla's presentation was magical: she arrived in her magical pumpkin coach and dance away with the Prince. Little Benny's eyes were lit up all through out the event. She clapped, giggled and jumped along every scene. Every time they would say "your dreams come true" she would look at me and smile and say, my dream came true. It made me want to cry. She is so innocent and lovely. She felt so honored to have seen the princesses in person and I felt so great to have been able to give her that little magic. We are only little once, I hope that I am doing my best to provide them with a loving, caring, and fun childhood where they feel secured and loved.

A few pictures from the show: they were taken with the little point and shoot camera as Disney has a policy that cameras with detachable lenses cannot be used during the show. The policy kind of sucks but we got to follow rules...darn it!

First Signs of Spring

It is almost here, I can feel it. I can't wait for it! I am so psyched! Unfortunately, I managed to get sick over the weekend, yuck! I think I know how it happened too. I went to a swimming party Saturday (indoors), everything went great. The kids swam: meaning, little Benny stayed by the side of the pool dipping her feet while Wonderboy tried to learn to swim with me.

The evening was uneventful, other than a 35 lbs child jump to me on the 5 foot deep water and considering that I am only 5 foot 2 inches, when the little girl jumped, she sent us both down the pool! There I was trying to get her to the side of the pool while trying very hard not to sink in. I know how to float very well but when she jumped, I barely had a chance to put my arms up to grab her. Anyways, that was nothing. At the end, we are getting the kids dressed, hubby goes out to the bathroom to get Wonderboy dressed and little Benny stays by the pool with me, while I got my t-shirt on and pants (didn't get a chance to get this one). I sit her down, I look to the pool and there are two little kids playing around. The first one jumps in the pool and the other follows. Well the first one knows how to swim, the second one doesn't. So I see him struggling, arms flapping, head sinking, his little eyes in terror, so I instantly jump in, t-shirt and all! Grab him by the chest and push him to the outside of the pool. His Grandpa (I think it was his Grandpa) runs to him and makes sure he is okay, thanks me and they go to the side (where I am sure the little kid got a small lesson about jumping in). Anyways, my dry clothes got soaked. I ended up going home with wet clothes. I didn't spend much time outside with them on but apparently the few minutes was enough to get me a bit under the weather. I guess, a cold is not a bad trade off.

The pictures above are from our weekend. Signs of Spring are popping everywhere. Even the birds have started to chirp around our homes. I am so excited! I love warm weather. I can do without the snow and the cold. What signs of Spring have you seen where you live? Post pics on your blog of First Signs of Spring around your neighborhood, let's make it a pre-Spring photo shoot!

Bittersweet moment

I woke up this morning and put on my exercise gear. My loving husband last night came to bed and hugged me and held me tight. I didn't know why, sometimes he just needs a cuddly teady bear. Then this morning as I was leaving, he said to me. I want to tell you something before you go, I don't want you to hear it from someone else. President Hinckley has passed away. It happened last night. Tears rolled down my cheeks. The sadness struck my inner core like a ton of bricks. Then a moment of happiness and love filled my heart. I was happy. Happy for him as he was once again reunited with his lovely wife, Marjorie.

I knew him very little but the little I knew made me want to be a better person. His gentle smile and charisma touched my heart and the heart of millions. I am sad that I never got to meet him in person, but I am so very happy for him as I know that he is once again with his beloved companion.

Thank you. Thank you for the wonderful messages, for the smiles, for the encouragement, for believing in all of us and in our potential. We love you and we look forward to the day we meet again.

One of my favorite quotes by President Gordon B. Hinckley

"Civility carries with it the essence of courtesy, politeness, and consideration of others.  All of the education and accomplishments in the world will not count for much unless they are accompanied by marks of gentility, of respect for others, of going the extra mile."
Gordon B. Hinckley

Happy Birthday Beautiful Boy!

Tomorrow is my big boy's birthday. He will be 6 years old!! I can't believe how fast time has gone by. I still remember the day he was born as if it had just happened yesterday. The huge snowtorm we got, the fact that we had to walk about 2 blocks uphill to our apartment coming from the hospital because our lame car couldn't handle the hill with all the snow. Hubby carrying the carseat with one arm and trying to pick me up with the other. The cozyness and warmth of our little apartment with our third little person there. The countless times that accidentally my little new guy peed on me...we are talking face, hair....and on time even my mouth!

Mr. B, you have been our little boyo since you were in my womb. You will always be my little boyo. I love you and on your sixth birthday I hope you have a most wonderful day. You are our joy and our little ray of sunshine.

A little video of our little boyo, this video shows his personality 100%. He is sweet, caring, loving, and with more energy than 3 people combined. He loves to dance. His dream right now is to become a watercolor artist :). He was three at the time of the video :). He was soooo little. I love you little boyo.

Please, feel free to leave your wishes to him. He is learning how to read right now and he can read by himself words that have up to 5 letters, 3 letter words are easier and then 4, and then 5. :).

The P word-milestones!

Our house has reached a new milestone this last week. I had a goal of P-otty training my youngest, little Ny, right after I finished with my book work. My little one needed very little help. She was ready. Apparently, all she needed was someone to pay close attention to her and someone to be there to sing Hip Hip Hurray for her after she went pee. Today, marks 7 days straight of her using her pretty princess panties. In all 7 days, she has had only a few close calls. Even when we go out, she quickly comes and tells us when she has to go. I just feel so proud of her.

We followed a different p-o-t-t-y approach with her. With our Wonderboy, we tried so hard, we push him, and placed him on the pot for weeks on end. His body wasn't ready and we tried so hard to make him understand. At the end, we ended up all frustrated and we finally gave up and let him do it on his own time. When we found out that we were having a second child, we had made up our minds that we would not push him or her, we would just let them do it on their own terms. The second child came and we did just that and to our surprise, it has worked! Hip Hip Hurray for Ny!

We have reached a few milestones this year: she is no longer in nursery at church, which means that I have no children in the little classes nor I have any little ones going in. My children are growing! Both of them are in primary (at church) and now I don't have any of them in diapers! My oldest is in school and my youngest will be entering pre-school in the fall (had to pre-register her last week). What does all this mean? I am getting old!

Another milestone we have reached: My desire to knit has returned. We have a Chevron scarf in progress. The yarn: yummy Koigu. The pinks was given to me by Mom when we went to Rhinebeck in 2006 and the other I bought to go with the pinks. I was hoping for a more neon green but it is a bit more subdue than what I saw on the screen, but it looks good with the pink. The scarf is making nice progress right now that I am down with a nasty cold/cough.

Picture of Ny: she is wearing her Dad's snow boots and Dad's hat!

wishing you a very merry holiday

We bring you a little cheer during this holiday season via a little video of my little ones singing some holiday songs. May your holiday be full of happiness and love.

The Purling Sprite & Family

Purling Sprite's Costume

A Purling Sprite in full swing! I finally brought to life the wonderful depiction that Cynthia had for me...don't I look just like my banner! It matches almost perfectly. Who knew that almost two years later, I would find the perfect costume to match my banner. When I spotted it on eBay, I thought to myself...hey, that is such a cute outfit, when it arrived at my house and I saw it, I realized that it was meant to be!

(click the picture to see bigger)

I had to do some minor alterations, which would have taken a professional seamstress a minute to do but it took me two days. I made a skirt--so I wouldn't show my legs and bottom! And, I also put some sleeves (so it wouldn't be see through on the sleeves section). The hardest part of it all: the sleeves. I had no idea how to make them and no idea how to attach it to the costume as the costume has sequin trim which made it difficult to sew directly onto it. In a moment of desperation genius, I grabbed a baby blue bra and sewed the material to it. It worked like magic! Now, if anyone wants to borrow the costume, they would need to fit into the bra first! hehehe.

Overall, Halloween was a complete success. Our house was raided by about 100 little ones and we almost ran out of treats (Kim, tell R to send the candy over). This year for the most part, instead of candy, we gave away trinkets that I got from Oriental Trading, when we started running out trinkets, I started putting pop-corn packets in the bowl. We figure that most children get candy so we decided on a little toy.

Our kiddos made out like bandits too! They collected enough candy to feed a bear and my costume scored me a few chocolate bars and a yummy caramel apple (nope, it wasn't poisoned).

Hope your Halloween was a happy one too!

First Day Glimpse

Our first day of school went without a hitch! Got up on time, took a shower, remembered to have breakfast, and took off just in time to get to school.

School is now in session! Momma better learn to wake up early every day...eek, where is my alarm clock?!?

Totally random: I have been playing a little bit with Photoshop Elements and what it can do. Yesterday, I toyed a bit with layers, the picture below and yesterday's picture of N were the product of my playing. What do you think?

Through their eyes

 

While they play and go about their day, I go around trying to capture a little glimpse of their day. Today is my boy's first day of school. Apprehension and excitement fill my heart. I have to let go. I have to let him use his wings and see how far he can fly. When he was born, my life was filled with light and love. When he turned 6 months and his newborn clothes didn't fit him anymore, I cried for the moments that were passing by...I cried because I knew that one day, he would go to school and find other friends, friends more fun than me. I cried because I knew in my heart that one day he would feel too big to receive a kiss from his Mom. Today, that day is getting closer. But tonight as I write this, I cry not because of sadness but of happiness because his life is just beginning...the door to wonderful worlds is opening to him and I am thankful that I have life this day to see him go to his first day of school. Good luck little guy...your little sister and I will miss you while you are in school.

Weekend wrap-up:Half-marathon and socks!

At an hour-and-thirty minutes after setting out on his course, hubby reaches the finish line of the Top of Utah half-marathon. Saturday, he joined a bunch of other enthusiastic runners in a course that will take him through 13.1 miles of Cache Valley roads. He placed 4th in his division and he was 37th overall! In my book--he rocks! His brother, whom ran the course with him, placed 4th in his division too (they are in different age divisions) and ended up in 27th place overall. Both of them have been training for the Top of Utah marathon and the half-marathon is a little-trainer to get them ready for their full marathon that is coming up on Sept. 15th. Hubby makes me so proud--he sets such a great example for our little boyo (I know it sounds sappy, but he truly rocks!). Boyo is already thinking of running marathons and races one day...maybe one day, I will be watching father and son run a marathon together, and maybe even our little Princess will decide to be a runner too. In the meantime, we'll watch Dad do all these wonderful races and we'll cheer him on from the sidelines--good luck Dad on the marathon next month! 

In my quest to shed some poundage (and keep up with hubby), I started running a bit more and I am now running 4 miles, three-to-four times a week. It would be nice if next year, I could join hubby in the half-marathon, but I first need to build my leg muscles and my calf muscles--they are quite weak and I get tired very fast. Oh--but I must report, do you remember my issue with not sweating when exercising. Well, I have found the fix. I need to drink regularly while I exercise, so in my runs (even the really short ones) I take a little bottle of water with me and I drink frequently, it has helped greatly and my headaches (body heat induced) have completely gone away! Over the weekend, I ordered a belt to wear around my waist that holds two little bottles of water--it will help me greatly keep hydrated and most importantly to keep the heat down. Poundage wise: I haven't lost much, but my clothes fit wonderfully and today for the first time since I had my little Princess, I was able to fit into a single digit skirt size! It felt great! Now, I am waiting for the day when I can go from a DD back to a B....sigh.

Pictures: The lovely socks are another pair of Monkeys--they have the picot edging and five pattern reps on the leg area. I love this pattern! So easy to knit and remember...and surprisingly it goes super fast! The socks are ready to be shipped to their destination--I hope their recipient likes them as much as I do. Below are some bonus kiddo pictures.

Next on my needles: a pair of pink Mini-Monkey socks done in Koigu!

 

Sock blockers and family pics

I have been wanting a pair of sock blockers that fit my sockies, something to make my socks bloom! Hubby came to the rescue and made me a pair of sock blockers with my exact foot measurements! To add that extra special touch--we put sparklies on them.

You probably notice that the socks on the blockers don't match and I am afraid my lazyness is showing through. I went through my UFOs and I found 4 socks without mates! I am so terrible! 2 of the socks have the mates half done, if I just sat down and finished them, I could have 2 pairs of socks finished in about a day.

Exciting School days coming up: Boyo had his open house yesterday and we met his teacher, and took a tour of his future classroom. He is so excited about going to school. I hope school is everything that he has imagined and much more. He has his assessment on Monday...I think I am more nervous about it than he is. His first day of school is officially Thursday of next week...since I don't have my license yet, I will be walking him there.

Speaking of license, I have been practicing. I drive to the supermaket, or to the movie store, or whenever a short-ride is required. I make my hubby nervous but he is extremely supportive and he hasn't screamed (yet!), rather he is always praising me and telling me that I am doing well. My hope is to have my license before December but if I don't feel ready, I'll just renew my permit and keep practicing--there is no rush. We did go see some used cars today and tested a couple, found nothing, but it was fun looking. It is so exciting! One day, I will have my own car (squeeeal!).

Below is a slide of the pictures from our last weekend at Hogle Zoo. The albino alligator was in exhibit and the exhibit was open--lucky us! He was an interesting animal, passive, just kept blinking at us. According to the exhibition handler, there are only 10 albino alligators (recorded), all of them male. There were 16 in total (14 male, 2 female) but 6 of them died. All the remaining 10 alligators are in exhibitions around the nation. Due to their skin condition, they are unable to survive in the wild for different reasons:

1. they will be easily spotted by predetors

2. since they are cold blooded, they need the sun to be able to move around, but if they get sun, they get sunburned

3. since they can't move fast (see #2), they are unable to catch food and therefore they will die of starvation

I hope there are more of them than the ones they have recorded...hopefully there are some hidden in the jungle somewhere and they are making little allies.

Slide: Some of the animal pictures were taken through the glass, so they are not the best quality, but I hope you enjoy them. Our little weekend getaway was a lot of fun and the children enjoyed it to the fullest!

On a trek!

The last days of summer are here. School is starting. My first born is going into Kindergarten and although I should be sad, I am happy for him and for all the new discoveries that are ahead of him (not to mention, the 2 hours that I will have to get a few chores done). Since the end of summer is upon us, we have been trying to get as much fun into our days as possible.

One of our latest adventures involved going on a little expedition to see an old grave. The grave of Old Ephraim-the grizzly bear, it is one of the major attractions in Logan (Cache Valley). The bear was a giant--it stood about 10 feet tall and weighed about 1,100lbs. It loved to eat, especially sheep and cattle. It is said that it could break a cow's back with just one single blow of his paw! Definitely a terrifying adversary!

The picture to the left shows the monument that was erected in Old Ephraim's honor. The slab of stone stands 10 feet tall to demonstrate his height. It is important to note, that although it is called Old Ephraim's grave, his remains do not reside at this place, the whereabouts of his remains are unknown.

All the kiddos in the picture are our little neighbors--as you can see, there are plenty of little friends for our kiddos, all of them around the same age, give our take a few months.

Here is a picture of the Conquistadores! They believe they have conquered this patch of land--boyz!

Our trek had a little eye candy for me too...now where are my shears!

Today we are taking our last expedition for the summer: a trip to the land of tigers and bears...and even an albino alligator will be spotted!

The fair came this weekend to town and like every year, I took my kids to it. We have a small fair tradition, every time it comes or we go to one, we have to have a funnel cake. Hubby doesn't really enjoy the fairs nor he enjoys the funnel cakes but every year he takes us out and endures a few hours of being dragged around. At the end of the day we close with a stop to the funnel cake booth and we get a funnel cake for all of us (although, I can foresee that next year, I'll have to get 2 funnel cakes for us).   

Little Benny is still too short to ride most of the rides and she gets the short-end of the stick when it comes to the rides. Wonderboy got to ride on a few more than her...and he is already dreaming on riding some of the most dangerous rides...I told him when he turns 20 and he doesn't live under my roof he can go on those. Kids! They definitely want to keep me on my toes and with my heart on my throat!

For now, I'll enjoy watching them ride the little ponies (clickety to see them bigger--can you see Little N sticking her tongue out?).

Picture above: we had a short rainstorm yesterday and in the middle of it, amidst the thunder and gray skies, we had the most beautiful rainbow arching from one mountain to the next, I tried to capture its beauty but I am afraid the picture doesn't do it justice. It was beautiful!

Thankful for being a Mother

In this day, I am thankful to be celebrating Mother's Day and for the wonderful opportunity that I have been given of being a parent. Today, I am thankful for my two little ones. I am thankful for their little kisses, for their hugs that squishy me (it is a saying around our house that you ask the kids to squishy you when they give you a hug), I am thankful for their little hands that caress my face, and I am so ever thankful that they believe me to be the best Mom in the world. Hearing them say "I love you" makes my day and my life worthwhile. I am thankful that they love my cooking and that they believe that making Mac & Cheese is the greatest thing in the world. I love you kiddos and I am so glad that you came into my life so I could celebrate this day with you.

I love being a Mom, most importantly, I love being your Mom little ones.

Happy Mother's Day all around.

Happy Anniversary!

It has been fun! It has been real! It has been real fun :)! Six great years and counting...looking forward to an eternity together.  Malhakita :).

Proud Mama Moment--Go B go!

We had our first soccer game and it went splendid! Despite the fact that our team lost, we still had the bestest time watching the kiddos and seeing them swarm around the ball. My Wonderboy even managed to score a goal! But what made this Momma proud was the teamwork of this little group of bees. They all gave their best and they tried so hard to get the ball.

Of course the funny moment that all parents have to face was seen--you know it, the moment where all the kids swarm around the ball and they score--except they score on the wrong side of the field. But, even that didn't stop all the fun we were all having--parents and children were all excitedly screaming encouragement to all the little ones. For many, this is their first time playing as part of a team so for most of the parents this is a big deal. For us--one of the best family moments ever! Check my boyo in action!

This is the very moment when I wish I had my dream camera...my camera stinks when it comes time to shoot many frames in a few seconds. Kimmy send me your camera for a couple of months...or better yet, hop on that private plane and come take some professional pics for me :).

On the knitting front--let's not go there. Let's just say that my Rusted Root is not even half-way there and my other two projects: one is done and the other had to get frogged. I have until the end of this month to complete them.

Building Memories

A few days for us...building memories and getting rosy cheeks and noses. The snow has come again to the valley and this time around we are fully prepared to enjoy it: red sled on hand, mittens for everyone in the family, hats, and even some yummy treats that Dad picked up just for us--chocolate covered marshmellows--yuum! Even Mrs. Snowman came by--she is modeling the latest knitwear: a pink ribbed hat and a garter stitch scarf, she requested a pair of mitts but the designer couldn't find a spare pair.

Stop by tomorrow for a great Loomy surprise--Loomy friends you don't want to miss the post, it is of mighty importance--I am so excited! Oh, and also a contest is around the corner as I am nearing my 3000th comment....I may hit my 3000th comment at the same time of my blogiversary, exciting indeed!

Happy Birthday Wonderboy

 

Wonderboy is 5 year old! I can't believe time has gone by so fast. It seems like it was yesterday when I spent 15 hours trying to bring him into this world. It seems like it was yesterday when I woke up at 5am with a terrible back pain and I thought for sure that I was going to die, so I jumped in the shower because I didn't want the doctor to see me dirty. But, I was so unsure of what was going on that I left my hubby sleep. As I showered, I kept singing to myself and as tears just rolled down my face, the pain was unbearable, but I was sure that the warm shower would do my back good and the pain would go away.  It didn't work. I got of the shower and the pain was still there but it was still only 5:30am, there was no way I was going to bother the doctor by calling him--I had heard plenty of stories of women being sent back from the doctor's to wait at home a few more days--I refused to be one of those women. So, I endured a bit more and decided since I was already up that I should do the dishes, wash one cup then double up in pain, wash another cup and again more pain, washed the plates and even more pain. All the dishes were done and the pain was still there so I decided that I should move a bit more, maybe a bit more movement will stop the pain. I cleaned the kitchen and tidy up our little apartment. But the clock still only marked 6:30am but by then my clanking of pots and pans woke hubby. He watched and asked how I was feeling and I paced back and forth murmuring under my breath about the bloody pain! Blood and ashes the pain was not ceasing.

As soon as the clock marked 7am, I rang the doctor's office, they quickly got him on the phone and he only needed to hear my voice to let him know that I was in labor. But I wasn't holding any high hopes, I knew that it was only the beginning. I had heard that first time Moms spent a good 12-24 hours in labor. Blood and ashes, I wasn't ready for that and sure enough, labor was terribly long. Getting to the hospital just made me more irritated as I felt like a caged lionness dressed in a stupid robe that for some weird reason let my bottom open to the air so I had to hold it and try to walk the stinking halls followed closely behind by my hubby. Waited hours after hours to get dilated so they could give me an epidoral, when 8 hours had passed and not one bit of dilation occurred the doctor decided to help me along by breaking the water and that my dear friends brought me from a 1 to a 5 in 60 minutes and with it sweet drugs! After the drugs were in me I didn't care how long it took, I felt good...really good, although I was a trifle hungry. A couple of hours later, the fruit of my labor decided to come and say hello. He was beautiful, the most wonderful thing that had ever happened to me--my little Wonderboy.

 

It still seems it was yesterday when he was small enough for me to cradle him in one arm. Now, he is running, riding bike, learning his ABC's, and talking back...but he is old enough to come and give me a hug and tell me that he loves me and that he is sorry that he touched my knitting stuff. He is my other man in my life...and I love him! Happy Birthday my little Baby B, because you will always be my baby even if you are 60 years old, and if I am around, I will still put a car on top of your birthday cake just to see you smile :).

 

Hellooooo, anybody there...The Phone Call Part 2

I did it! I did it! Yay for me! I called my Dad on Tuesday and I got my sister's phone number. I got his number off the Mexican White Pages--gotta love the Internet! I spoke to him for about 15 minutes, at first it was a bit awkward--I didn't know if I should call him Dad or by his first name, at the end, I ended up calling him plainly Papa. The conversation was so pleasant and I felt like I was talking to a friend. He asked about my children and he even got to talk to them on the phone--Little Benny said "hi grandma" to which he said, "I'm not grandma, I am grandpa!". It felt sooo good inside to hear him say those words. I plan on calling him again...soon, as soon as I establish a long distance plan with my phone service.

My Papa gave me my sister's phone number and yesterday I was so caught up with thinking about the phone call to my Dad that I decided to call my sister today--actually, I called but no one answered, so I just decided to try today.

Talking to my sister was like talking to an old friend--we chated for about an hour! We laughed and talked about the things we like and dislike. She loves reading fantasy books just like me! She says she loves to cook and she is pretty good at it too! As you know, I am not that good at that and I told her but she didn't believe me. She invited me to come over and visit her and she said she would take me out to the beach and we can take long walks on the beach and just get to know each other while our children play in the sand. She was so interested in knowing about me and what I have done with my life and I was asking questions non-stop that we barely had a moment to catch our breath. It was so amazing! We talked about simple things like how tall we are, how tubby, how many scars we have, color of hair, eyes--we are getting to know each other like little children do. Oh and guess what, I am the aunt of 7 little tykes, she has 3 little girls, my other sister has 2, and my other sister has 2 too.

Right now, I am bursting with happiness--I know I have a little brother to talk to all the time, but it is so great to finally have a relationship with my sisters--to be able to talk to them and get to know them is so joyous. I am feeling very blessed at this point in my life...I feel like a void inside of me is filling up little by little.

After talking to my sister the other day, I told hubby that it would be so great if I could go and meet my sisters this year. It would be so wonderful to see them after 23 years, to touch them, give them a hug and to laugh together or cry together. After thinking for awhile about the possibilities of going to Mexico, I went to Travelocity to price tickets and I came to the realization that it is a dream, a very expensive dream. But, I have my heart set on going to see them...I have to! As a result of this, I have decided to cut down on my yarn purchases--I am going on a yarn diet (the yarn I bought last week and hasn't arrived doesn't count as I already bought it). I am going to start a little piggy bank "Isela's Dream Piggy" and put all my pennies in there. I was saving for a fancy camera, but seeing my sisters is more important than a fancy camera. It is going to be difficult raising the money as I don't have a regular job but I will be placing all the monies from my patterns and any video donations into my Dream Piggy...so far, I have about 5%...only 95% to go.

Pictures: I am knitting the Hedera socks right now. I have about half a sock completed...the pictures were taken this morning.

Writing Style: I know that it probably reads like a kid wrote the above but I feel so bubbly right now, I hope you can forgive my writing.

Good tidings all around and The Phone Call

Little Benny is doing great! My little princess has gained all her health back--temperature is still around 99 but it is not going above 100 which is very good news for us. Thank you everyone for your prayers/good wishes/good karma and for the overall love that you sent our way. The past two days have been a bit difficult but your emails and phone calls let us know that we were not alone. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts...we needed the support and you all reached out to us and touched us.

I just don't understand how something so important could have fallen through the cracks of my brain--Febrile Seizures, I think I shall have a serious talk with my pediatrician next time I go visit him. I think first time Mom's should be told about something of the kind. Although the doctor's claim it doesn't have an impact on the child's future, it for sure has an impact on the parents, a little preparation would have been appreciated on my part. It really scared us to death...at least it did me.

   

I am still watching every move she makes--I am not leaving her alone climbing the steps nor am I jumping in the shower for a quick cleaner-upper. The experience left me with a bad taste and  it will probably stay with me forever.

But, let's leave the unpleasant experiences behind us and focus on more happy things...like yarn, or in my case my phone call.

Today at around 11pm, I had a phone call. An international phone call to be exact. It was my sister. You may recall that she emailed me about a year ago and then she never emailed me back nor responded to my emails. Well, she called. She called me at the most unexpected moment and it brought so much happiness to my life. She spoke to my little Benny too. It is the first time that I have heard her voice in over 23 years! It was wonderful! She was laughing, I was laughing, and I could hear my voice in hers...my squeaky-mouse-like voice. I didn't cry because I think I ran out of tears over the weekend, but my heart was jumping from joy at hearing her voice. We talked about my other 2 sisters, her children, and their children, my children and how her baby was sick recently and about little Benny going to the ER. We connected! We were so happy chatting that she didn't realized that she didn't give me her phone # and her phone card finished when we were in mid-sentence. I tried calling back but the phone number that my cell phone had was from the phone card. Bummer!! Very big and absolute bummer! But--I got online and I found my Dad's phone number. I will be making the awkward phone call to him tomorrow morning and see if he can provide me with her number. Who knows, I may even get to have a conversation with my Dad.

My heart is full of joy: my little ones are safe, my dear sister called after an entire year of waiting for her email and she said my other sisters would like to talk to me, and I may even get to talk to my Dad. Dare I dream and wish that I may go to Mexico and see them again...how wonderful a meeting that would be.

Febrile Seizures are a b&^%#!

Today was a day that I don't wish to anyone. I could have definitely gone without this experience and I am sure my little one could have gone without it too.

She woke up fine, she way playing, running around, she felt a little hot but not to the point to worry me. We were playing, I was laying down on the couch downstairs, she got down to pick up her blankie and her zippy cup, she reached out for me and I picked her up to lay her down next to me. As I picked her up, she just looked out into space. I layed her down next to me and she didn't respond. I got so scared...my baby, my little one was not responding. I hugged her, I called her name. Her little eyes just started rolling back, her little body got all rigid. My baby...I was so scared. I gave her to my husband and he just started talking to her while I called the doctor's office. The doctor's office just said to call 911 all the while my little one was unresponsive. She couldn't move...her tiny little body was just so rigid, her little lips started going blue. The ambulance took what seem to me a lifetime...a lifetime when my little one's life was in their hands. By the time they arrived she had gone completely unconcious and she got lethargic, she looked so peaceful as in a deep sleep--which just sent my mind racing for an answer and to find away to bring her back to me. The paramedics took her temperature, pulse and she had some oxygen. She started slowly waking up, looking around.

She started to come fully awake while in the ambulance on our way to the ER, with tears just streaming down my face I tried to talk to her and ask her questions, at first she didn't respond just looked at me and cuddled next to me. Slowly she started squinting her little eyes and she started talking. The paramedic was trying to get her to talk a bit, he took out a little stuffed animal just for her, my sassy one took it and said forcibly "NO". That moment was one that I would cherish forever--she got sassy which meant she was all there again.

At the ER tests were done to make sure that the fever was not caused by something that needed antibiotics. They all came back negative which means that it could just all be a viral infection that needs to come out of her system. The experience at the ER was not pleasant at all for her as she was wide awake and responsive to everything. She just wanted to be held and cuddled. My little one was with me again.

She is home with us, fever is up and I am up keeping an eye on her and trying to keep her cool.

She is okay--Mom is not--but she is okay. I am watching her like a hawk, if she does anything I am there with her. Although picking her up to lay her down on the couch is not something I want to do--my brain connects it to this morning's event and I don't want that to happen again. At first I thought it was something I did, maybe the way I picked her up, maybe something I gave her to eat...my mind can't really understand what happened.

The doctor's call it Febrile Seizure caused by a quick rise in temperature in the body. Little ones deal with the rise in temperature by shutting down their system and "re-setting" it. Only about 30% of children get it and only 30% of those who get it will have a repeat episode before their 5th birthday. The convulsion followed by the lethargy and then tiredness seem to be normal according to the doctors. Me, I call it: wake up and realize that they can be taken away from you in an instant. No book that I ever read on children told me or prepared me to today's experience. I really thought that I was losing my child and it hurt, it hurt so badly. I wanted someone to do something for her as I couldn't, I felt so powerless...I reached out to my husband and I pleaded to him to bring her back to me, to do something for her, to stop whatever was happening to her. My poor husband...he is my rock...he is there when I am weak and he holds me and lets me cry a river on his shoulder.

And my little one...she is safe...a little hot...but she is with me and I will hold her tonight and tomorrow and God willing the days after.

Note: There will be no Loomy Q & A day this weekend.

Post Christmas--an FO and the Loot!

We had a wonderful, loving, non-plushy Christmas.  This year, we have added a new tradition to our Christmas holiday. Hubby is a busy-body and he has a hard time staying still for long periods of time. Weekends when he doesn't have anything to do is like looking at a cage lion--he pases back and forth, back and forth. We decided to make him happy and take the holiday break to do "honey-dos" around the house. He gets to do something and I get a pretty house ;).

His task this holiday was to paint our receiving room. We wanted a nice neutral color and we first picked a safe off white shade, but at the end we threw caution to the wind and we brought home a Turtle Green--looks great with our light colored couches. We also replaced the chandelier, the old one didn't give off enough light and the new wall color made it a tad too dark in there. So off to Lowe's we went and we found our new chandelier. 

(Picture: left side picture-final look. top right--in progress; right middle--previous look; right bottom--new chandelier)

Overall, I like the new look, I think as time goes by it will grow on me even more. At first, I hated it--it reminded me of a swamp, but once the 2nd coat of paint went on and the furniture, and the cute new lamp, the room became more appealing. It took us a total of 2 days to complete, the hardest part was reaching the vaulted ceilings, being vertically challenged has never been more bothersome!

 

(Picture: Christmas morning with the loot)

It is the first major project that hubby and I have worked on--besides making kids, and at first I was too over critical of our work, but after I took a break and went down to my craft room, I realized that we had a great bonding time. The paint job is not the best and we have a lot of little places to cover up with white paint as the green somehow jumped to the white, but it is not the paint job that is important it is the time we spent together. Overall a wonderful Christmas!

California here I come...

Almost there...I am leaving to California tomorrow morning, I am so psyched! The step-outs are almost done, I have only a couple to go. I had to take a bit of time off on Monday to make birthday cake and celebrate little Benny's birthday. Checkout the cake: chocolaty goodness...I was so proud of the darn brown thing--my first real birthday cake, frosted and decorated even! The little darling got a Bitty Baby as her birthday present. She is so adorable for a few weeks we have been getting the American Girl catalogue and every time she would sit down and look through it, then she would arrive to the page of this baby and she would point to the baby doll and say "me, it is me". Gotta luv the little Benny!

She is sporting the little Nippertails hat I made for her when she was only a wee little one. I can see a Bitty Baby Nippertails in my near future.

After the celebration, I had to get back to work on my step outs, I am almost ready...still need to pack for me and the kids. Oh, I didn't tell you, we are all going! We are driving to Cali and if weather permits and I don't have any last minute knitting to do for the show, I would love to go and see Mickey in his house ( a childhood dream, to see Mickey and Minnie).

Checklist....

• "Golden Nuggets" almost memorized and I am taking a cheat sheet just in case I forget them.
• Got a haircut,
• Primped my nails and even reinforced the fingernail tips...doing things like dishes is a bit necessary and reinforcing the tips was a good option.
• Got a couple of tops as alternatives for my regular black tops...getting something other than black was a bit difficult.

I am feeling a bit undeserving of being a Knitty Gritty guest, all the other guests designers are famous, fabulous bloggers, authors, knitters, dyers, and then there is me--a loom knitter. I feel like an insignificant speck next to all those big names...I am very grateful that I have the tips of my fingernails reinforced...cuz I feel like chewing them off.

I am not nervous about the taping (they can cut and paste before their air the episode, hehehehe), but mosly about feeling out of place and feeling that my subject is so different from the knitting mainstream. I am excited though about meeting my superb producer Sonya who always makes me feel so special and like a superstar! Superstar!!! hehehe. I am also looking forward to meeting the Knitsters: I believe none of them had ever loom knitted before and I want to know their thoughts/reactions towards the knitting looms.

Checking out for now...need to get some more step-outs done and pack up.

Happy Birthday my Sweetheart

Happy Birthday my darling little munchkin. Today, she turns 2 years old...where does the time go? The nine months waiting for her seem to have taken eons, and yet from the day she was born, the time seem to have passed as quickly as when you turn a page in a book. I remember as if it was yesterday that you were born and the first words from the doctor--"oh, she is a feisty one"-- he was right--she's got spunk!

She brings us love and joy to our home. Every day she wakes happy with a shining smile and the first one who sees her gets a very tight embrace....sometimes hubby and I even get out of bed and race to her bedroom to see who gets her first hug of the day, even Wonderboy sometimes gets in the race too--when this happens, Dad and I lose the race as she highly favors her big brothers hugs...we all love you little one.

We love you my darling baby girl...you will always be our little baby girl. Happy birthday my love.

Mamma loves you very much....malhakita.

He loves me, he loves me not, he loves me, he loves me not....

HE LOVES ME!!!

Hubby came bearing gifts today. He came home with the most wonderful birthday present ever! He made it all himself. I am in love!!

It is a little keepsake box.  It is made out of mahogany wood.

He has been wanting to make something for me for the longest time (something other than knitting looms) but he never had any time, there was no time today either, but he decided to put everything else aside just for me.

His question to me: "what are you going to put inside?"

My answer was easy: a small knitting project! It is big enough for 1 skein of yarn (sock yarn, hehehehe) and the little 5" needles I use for my socks.

Malhakita Sam....I love it! Best birthday present :).

We're back....oh, so tired!

Too tired for a real post (I don't know why no one warned us of the perils our limbs would suffer if we were to carry 2 toddlers around the streets of Manhattan for 5 days straight! Silver lining: hubby got a workout!).

Happy Halloween!

Kids Say the Darnest Things

I spent his first year wishing that he would talk, now, I am re-thinking that wish. I love the little stinker--even if he makes me look like a doofus.

On Pumpkin Pie minus the Pie

Wonderboy: Mom--I love pumpkin pie, but please take out the white bread stuff

Me: But that is what a pie is--it has to have the white bread stuff

Wonderboy: Mom but it is crunchy and I can't just swallow it. I have to chew it!

Me: Bangs head agains the wall--I spent so long trying to make it perfect and yet he only wants moosh!

 

On Getting in Shape

Conversation between hubby and I on my exercise routine and helpful Wonderboy jumps in to chat:

Me: I just want to be in shape.

Hubby: Yeah, I know, you are doing good, you are getting there.

Wonderboy: Mom--what shape do you want to be? Square, triangle, circle, rectangle?

Me & Hubby: Laughed out loud--well, I guess I am already in a circle shape, let's shoot for a rectangle at least!