I snapped a few shots of a friend’s son. Noah is a few months younger than the babies and has such a charming smile. I used this as a chance to use more of the actions from Amanda Keeys. I am so enjoying the ability to click once as opposed to doing all the adjusting manually. Anyway here they are!
Oh yes…also snapped a shot of Avery the older sister.
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So yesterday the twelfth was the twins birthday. They received no gifts or cake only extra kisses and many salutations. They did however get a chance to play in the mud and get their pictures taken. The pictures of Evan are after his mud bath, which he gave himself. The pictures of Fiona were taken later by our friend Karley Mase. We will have a celebration for them tomorrow including gifts and cake and many more kisses and hugs. I cannot even begin to express the delight I find in my children. The twins have been an enormous blessing as well as a bit of work. I so enjoy watching their personalities bloom as they begin to walk and talk. I am so looking forward to the next year with them. I apologize for the brevity of this post but I hope to post more tomorrow along with more pictures of messy faces.
I used actions by Amanda Keeys on these photos. I am enjoying the Lightroom actions immensly and am looking forward to checking out her Photoshop actions.
Here are the photos Karley took.
So much has happened since I last blogged about the kids. The twins are almost eleven months old and getting SO big. I feel as though I am keeping my head above water (just barely) and at the same time enjoying every minute.
Fiona has seven teeth and Evan cut his first a few days ago and is working on his second. Thus the appropriate nicknames Piranha Face and Gummy. Piranha also fits Fiona because she eats everything in sight, and I mean EVERYTHING. Also because her smile is so toothy and fierce!
I am constantly avoiding being gnawed on. The other day at the Dining Hall (cafeteria of sorts that gives me a break from cooking) an older woman tapped me on the shoulder and kindly asked, “Did you know your daughter is eating the napkins?” Embarrassed I turned to see Fiona shoving paper napkins into her mouth by the fistful. I ended up having to extract a large wad of saturated napkin from her jaws with my finger. I will not delve into the many other things that have found their way into Fiona’s mouth. However, a few of her latest favorites are baby wipes and diapers (even if they are still on her twin brothers bum).
In spite of her frenzied desire to put anything she touches into her mouth Fiona is an amazing daughter. She growls, smiles, and loves to be held and talked to. She is already trying to sing and is standing on her own terrifyingly well. I enjoy her more and more each day.
Evan is delightfully happy most of the time and adores his older brother and younger sister. He is the favorite of the girls because he loves to cuddle smile and giggle in delight when smiled at. He is also stubborn and has a bit of a wild streak when kept up past his bedtime. Evan is sensitive…so much though that one day he was sobbing and I couldn’t figure out why. It was then that I noticed him staring at the towel wrapped around my wet hair with a frightened look. I quickly removed the towel only to have him calm down immediatly. The same sensitive boy loves to be thrown up in the air hung upside down and tossed onto a bed over and over.
Corin is learning to use the toilet like a big boy and is doing a wonderful job. He can communicate very well and loves to pull various visitors around the house and tell them everything he knows.
Summer on a whole is going amazing. I am sick and worn out but I love our new house and how it has allowed us to open our doors to anyone who needs to escape from camp or life.
More soon.
So here are pictures of the two beanies I have designed of late. The first you already saw a picture of but here it is again and also from the side. I bought that yarn I had been drooling over…the hand spun georgous green stuff…mmm. Anyway I tried to make another of my patterns with it and it didn’t work out. So I designed a hat that fit the yarn and I am pleased with how it looks. The first will be up for sale in a week or so in my etsy store and the second will be off to the test knitters in a few days. Weird having all these pictures of myself…anyone up for modeling hats?
So I am looking for test knitters right now and then I should be getting this pattern up on etsy. It is a great hat for summer because of the knit pattern. It allows for a lot of air flow but it also very warm in cold weather. I will post once it is up and for sale. I also may sell the finished product as well for those that do not knit.
So Chester and I were invited to Mauii at the end of summer by another couple. Between not having to pay much for a place to stay or a car to rent they made it an irresistible opportunity. Thus we are tightening our belts (financially) more so than normal. The cause is worth it considering that we are on month 8 of winter (sigh).
So, I am getting a vacation with Chester and two of our dear friends, also I am getting a week in the sun (which is SO needed). WE are going August 18-25th. The wonderful thing is while on our trip we will have our 5 year anniversary!
I am wanting this AMAZING hand spun yarn from sheepingbeauty’s etsy store
But with tightening our budget I can’t really afford to spend that much on yarn as tempted as I may be 
I will just look at it every day until it sells.
And I am in the process of making several new knitting patterns which I will post pictures of later and this scarf I found on a japanese clothing site. I didn’t want to pay the shipping and taxes so I thought I would try making it.
So I haven’t been able to blog as much lately because I have been desperately trying to keep my head above water. LITERALLY So much snow and then life on top of that. It snowed today on the 23rd of May. We have been moving into a new house and trying to prepare for a summer that seems as though it will never come.
The great things are we now have room to stretch, have guests, and sleep WOO HOO! I actually have to look for Corin from time to time because he can be in multiple places causing trouble. We have a wonderful deck on which to grill and sit in the afternoon or evening.
I am selling lots of patterns, more than I thought I would. It is fun having people create something using my directions. I have definitely learned a lot in this first pattern designing experience. I have a few more patterns I am working on. Hopefully they will be finished soon.
I will post more with pictures soon. Fiona is working on her third and fourth teeth so we haven’t been sleeping as much as we would like. I will try to get a picture of her new toothy grin.
So I have posted my first knitting/crochet pattern online. It has been a great learning experience. I gleaned wisdom from those who would share it. The most helpful advice was from one of my favorite bloggers, an amazing photographer/mom/knitting pattern creator. Amanda Keeys
So here it is. You can check out my new Etsy store also if you would like. I don’t have much of a stock yet but I am knitting more headbands nightly so keep your eye out. I am also formulating some cuffs that I will be selling the pattern for eventually.
Here are some pics of the pattern.
And just in case you can’t live without it…ENJOY!
So this post is a little late. The twins turned six months in the midst of a horrible flu that hit our house. Right after that our dear friends, April and Cliff Carey, lost their baby girl Elyse. She was ten and half months old and one of the brightest sweetest baby girls I will ever meet. I am amazed daily by their faith in the midst of such a tragedy. Chester and I went to the memorial last Saturday and it was sweet and beautiful. Cliff got up on stage and read a letter to his little girl. I don’t think I need to tell you how moving that was. In case you want to read it yourself Cliff posted it on his blog.
I couldn’t get the link to work so here it is, sorry you have to cut and paste!
http://blog.cliffordcarey.com/2010/02/my-little-girl.html
I got pictures of the twins but in all of this I haven’t felt up to doing much of anything…well journaling (the old fashioned way). I thought I would post a little preview of the pictures I took of the twins. Hopefully I will have more soon along with pictures of the kids all in one room.
I know what you are probably thinking…”a preview?! If that is a preview I am never reading this blog again…too many pictures.” I should clarify. I want to get more pictures of Evan as there are a lot more of Fiona at the moment. Several shots that I really wanted to turn out a certain way aren’t what I had envisioned. I want to get better at capturing what is in my head so that is why I may have more later. I can hear that Corin is in the crib with the babies so I am going to go sneak a few photos of that to post later.
No pictures today. I can’t justify sitting at the computer editing photos when Corin has the flu and my house is in shambles. So we have been fighting the stomach flu. YUCK! So far the babies Chester and I have not come down with it…just Corin. He crawled back into bed this morning at eight and fell asleep. I think that fully explains how horrible he feels. Of course this happened right in the middle of us moving all the babies into the larger of our two bedrooms. I have painted Chester and my new room a light gray and will post pictures eventually. Chester put the bed in last night and started laughing because nothing else will really fit in our room now. The important thing is the babies have space and will be able to sleep in a crib (for the first time) and not a pack-n-play. Last night was their first time all sleeping in the same room and it was a complete success. I do not assume that it will be this easy from now on because they are babies, after all, and babies are prone to waking up screaming in the wee hours of the night. I will, however, say how blessed I feel that my children have done so well thus far. More later on the room switch. Evan is screaming so off I go!
I have been going through photos of the past five years. Which means early dating and married photos. Here is Chester about a year after we were married. He was born in the 70s (barely) need I say more?
Corin asked me to take some pictures of him and Evan. The first one turned out cute and the next few went progressivly downhill. Corin’s idea of a fun photo shoot was NOT fun for Evan. Probably because Corin’s idea of playing right now means mauling, poking and biting. (sorry babies!)
Here are some other pictures I have taken over the last week or two.
I have been getting my camera out a lot more lately. It is fun to have so many pictures of the kids. I am hoping to do a 6 month photo shoot of the twins…we will see if time allows for it.
So I am terrible! I still don’t have a wedding book made up. We had a close friend take the photos for our wedding (4.5 years ago) and he did a great job. He sent us the RAW images and we said we would do the editing. So 4.5 years pass…we now have three kids and I have not processed a single photo. Well that is not true I have processed two photos. I am going to take a few at a time. Then when my two year old starts screaming and throwing a fit in the living room behind me I will take a break and do a few more the next day. Here are the first two photos. I love Photoshop, maybe I will post the pre-processed for you so you can see the difference.
So four and a half years later and I love my man a hundred times more. We escaped our house with the baby monitor and used the neighbor’s couch, living room, and flat screen the other night. Afterwards I told Chester, “Sometimes I forget how much I love being with just you!” I guess that is why people say to keep dating after kids. More wedding and kid pics to come.
Corin is 2 years old today. I can’t believe that much time has passed already. He is so much fun, and I have enjoyed the last two years so much. I don’t know how much time I will have today for a Birthday post so I am doing this quick one just in case I don’t get a chance to write more. Corin amazes me daily with his vocabulary and understanding of the world around him. We are having friends over and he preceded to explain “Hudson, over…Tanner, over…Isaac, over” “Knock, knock on door” “Come in!” “play” “sit down watch movie” etc. I can’t believe his comprehension some times…and then some times I don’t know how he doesn’t understand not to bite his friends…sigh. Hopefully more pictures later. Here is my little man.
I was trying out a picture with rounded edges but my blog posts with rectangular borders. I will fix it later.
There are often people over…whether for my own sanity or Corin’s. My close friend Amy Geer and her son Hudson come over a lot and the boys love to play. Here are some pictures I took of Hudson.
Another good friend Bunnie Gerber also comes over a lot…this time to bring me Trader Joe’s goodies from down the mountain. She brought her son Isaac who is the same age as Hudson and Corin. I snapped a few quick photos just because the lighting was good and he is so darn cute!
Enjoy!
I have many friends here at Hume and I feel so blessed to be here. They are helping me to survive three kiddos under the age of two (I can only say that for one more week). I am working on a post about the twins who are now five months old, so that will be coming soon.
1/22/2009
This morning Corin was commemorating the anniversary of his birth by crawling around the house shrieking with delight. I cannot believe he is one year old! Yesterday he started repeating (or trying to) words that I would ask him to say. He managed “mama” “dada” “nana” (banana) “baa” (ball) and “ama” (grandma?). Corin is getting very good at walking but most of the time he chooses to crawl.
He has been devoting more time in perfecting his ability to climb. He can now climb into the tub and believe me that is impressive when you consider that the rim of the tub is about an inch above his bellybutton. He hooks his foot over the side and then pulls himself up on the rim, shifts his weight and lowers his foot into the tub. My emotional response to it teeters back and forth between fear and pride.
I have enjoyed this year more than I could ever express, Corin is a total delight. His laughter and rambunctiously-sweet personality makes every day a joy.
The last few days Corin has been pushing every boundary we have put into place. If he throws his food on the floor and I say “no!” He looks at me and very slowly lifts food off the tray and then drops it on the floor. It is a fascinating thing to watch a small child discover the world one “no!” at a time.
We are having a birthday party, a couple weeks late, for Corin and another little boy Jaron. The party is on February 7th. Jaron turns one on February 14th. The party will be themed Planes, Trains and Automobiles. I am excited to have Becky Ferreira (Jaron’s Mom) to help me plan the party.
On a non-baby topic, I have taken up knitting. I started with simple things like hats and worked my way up to fingerless gloves. I really enjoy the versatility of knitting and am looking forward to more complicated projects like socks, and maybe some day even a garment. I have been using a wonderful beta site ravelry.com . It has hundreds of thousands of free patterns and is set up to let you keep track of your needles and projects. It has been helpful to have pictures and records of the projects I have given away.
I will post pictures of Corin and Jaron’s Birthday party after the fact. For now here is an invitation. Come if you can!
Corin is now 6 months old and growing fast. He is wearing 9 months clothes and growing out of them quickly. I will soon be pulling out the 12 month outfits even though he isn’t even close to a year old. The last few months have flown by with the fast paced summer life up here at Hume and the several visits away from Hume. I have so enjoyed watching Corin grow and learn about the world. He seems to have an imagination already! I will give him some toys and set to cleaning the kitchen and soon I hear him babbling away. He will be talking very quickly to whatever he is playing with. It is so much fun to watch! Corin is hopping up on his knees and rocking back and forth. I don’t know how much longer until he crawls but I am told that is an integral part of crawling. Chester and I did a photo shoot of Corin yesterday and I posted the photos to my gallery you will see the link along the side titled 6 Months or you can just click on the link I will leave below. I hope you enjoy them. I will try to post more in the coming months… Will things ever slow down?
Here is a schedule of Corin’s moods…
Wakes up
Happy (talks laughs and plays with his giraffe)
Complacent (plays with his giraffe)
Tired (complaines to giraffe about how bad day is)
Takes a Nap…Wakes up and the cycle begins again.
Here is a video of Corin complaining to his stuffed giraffe (favorite toy at the moment)
I sat with Corin against my knees yesterday taking his picture. I was amazed at how he always looked right at the camera. Perhaps it was seeing his reflection in the glass of the lens. I can’t believe how blue his eyes are. It would be fun if they stay that blue but time will tell. I am wrapping up my trip to San Diego. It has been delightful, fun, and full of delicious coffee. I have had a wonderful time making cappucinnos on my Dad’s new espresso machine. Here are some pictures of Corin’s lovely blue eyes.
and Corin on Grandpa’s lap…
Six weeks to go! Chester and I have now moved the bassinet and changing table into our living room. The snow is falling and we are packing bags for the trip to the hospital. After spending all of my pregnancy waiting for the 30th of January it is strange to be told it could happen any time and to be prepared. It snowed up here at Hume the last few days and there is close to a foot of snow on the ground in some places. Before we could travel down the mountain yesterday Chester had to dig the car out, a time consuming process. We have a lot to learn about snow management! My family is coming up for Christmas, it will be our first year having Christmas at our house. The bassinet and changing table will most likely move to the storage shed to make room for, family, food and presents! We are looking forward to a white Christmas and New Year! Merry Christmas everyone!