New Toy

The hubs bought me a present that I neither needed nor really deserved. It was just an oh-so-giant WANT/wouldn't this be a convenient thing to have/sometimes I get lost and need GPS?

I am pretty darn excited about the oh-so-great camera, but then I realized I can't take a picture of the phone WITH the phone... insert grainy Photo Booth picture.

So, splurge of the year. I really feel spoiled and not like it is quite justified... mostly because I spend most of my time at home and I have internet at home, do I really need it on the go, too? I feel very first-world, non-minimalist. (Not like I was kidding myself before - I love my modern appliances and my laptop and my car, but there is something about a smartphone that is so non-essential, for ME.) But I needed a new phone, regardless. My old phone kept having what I lovingly termed "pregnancy moments" - I would tell it to do something and it was like it couldn't remember what I had pressed.

I'm so excited about the camera/video camera. There are so many little moments I would love to capture (and sometimes tried to with my old phone and its terrible camera) but I don't always want to pull out my giant camera. I LOVE my giant camera, don't get me wrong, but "convenient" is not exactly a word I would use to describe it. I will bring it if we go someplace like the zoo, but it's hard to camera-wear AND baby-wear, and I'm always so worried about bumping it around. Hopefully this will allow me to capture more of the very ordinary moments I want to remember.

so my big camera is probably way more convenient than this thing... I guess it's all relative, isn't it?

Brian downloaded some apps he thought I might appreciate. Facebook, Dave Ramsey, Pandora, Hy-Vee... My Fitness Pal!? Hahaha. I can pretend to be offended but I did use it a lot on the old iTouch. I'm not actively using it now (They've been sending me "Colleen, we miss you!" emails.)

psst: I added a "Follow Me on Pinterest!" link on the right toolbar up towards the top -----> Who would have thought this girl would be able to click "Add HTML/JavaScript" on a Blogger gadget and actually know what to do? With help from Google. :)

Sicks

I just realized I've only taken pictures one time this whole year so far. January is slipping through our fingers!



We have the sicks around here this week. Andrew's cold has been ongoing for weeks and weeks now. I FINALLY took him to the doctor Monday. When they asked "how long has he been sick?" I couldn't even answer the question! That sounds terrible. He has just had some chest congestion and a runny nose for the longest time. At first I thought it was a cold, and then maybe teething... but from a conversation I looked back at on Facebook, it appears he's had this for a full month. Well, two ear infections and bronchiolitis! Poor baby. He is SO SO good-natured though, and really has been sleeping pretty well, there was no way to know it was really more than just a cold! I always hesitate to jump to antibiotics, but we had been doing home remedies that were not helping. We went ahead and did them, and he is FINE now. Within 2 days his chest was completely clear. This happened with him before, over the summer - so I have to wonder if it really was more than just a virus, and actually some kind of bacterial infection.

I feel like my babies always get sick really young! Nate had chicken pox at 2 months, Ben had a BAD case of bronchiolitis and we had to do a bunch of breathing treatments (and he still has problems with constricted airways when he gets sick because of that), Andrew had an ear infection & strep at 4 months and we did breathing treatments over the summer, and he's been sick so much since then. I guess they build up their immune system a lot that first year... they are pretty healthy as toddlers, so?

One of the hard things about being a parent that I never really thought about before having kids is that YOU make the judgment calls on these kinds of things. All of them. Do they need to go to the doctor? Does this cut need stitches? Is this ER-worthy? I hate making the final decision! I always worry that what I decide will be the wrong thing - either I should have taken him in earlier, or I overreacted. But usually whatever we decide ends up being the best thing. There is something to that "mom gut." (not the literal kind.) Moms know! Usually.  (And yes, I usually do call my mom and ask her what she thinks.) :)

this is from Christmas! he is always so cheerful and pleasant. always.

So Andrew is on the mend. But Ben. Oh Ben! He has had a bad case of the grumpies lately, which is unusual for him. I should have known something was coming. (And he says at least 47 times a day, "OH, I have a boo-boo! Kiss it!" with a sad face, sometimes tears. But that is normal.) He has had a fever on and off now for a couple days. Tonight he was pretty pleasant but his temp was 101.6.

Nate did not nap today (a pretty normal occurrence lately!) Normally around 7 he utters a "Oh Mommy, I'm tired..." tonight it happened at 5:30. He stayed up WAY too late playing in his bed last night so I wasn't surprised. But then he went from acting totally normal to acting sick. I took his temp and it was climbing. He acted like he really did NOT feel well so we gave him Tylenol (not really for the fever, it wasn't super high yet). Before Brian had even pulled the dropper all the way out of his mouth he said "OH, I feel really better now!"* and then went up and laid down in bed and crashed.

So, we'll see what tomorrow brings. Maybe they will both wake up fever free? I know several people who have had a random fever day and then, fine. I also know some people with the flu (although I don't *think* we have been exposed to it), so this could go either way.

* The whole reason I started to write this post is because I wanted to remember this incident. SO cute and funny. Medicine is like magic to him. I caught him with the (empty) dropper one day. "Mom, I have to take this medicine so I can feel better." I love him.

Writing in my Diary, v.3

:noticing God's glory: We spent our last Sunday at our current church, as our community is getting its own church (which will eventually become an official parish). I am so sad to leave, because this church holds so many wonderful memories for me - including the church where we were married and where all of our children (so far) have been baptized. Our new church is nice, but it will just not be the same. We remodeled an existing (Protestant) church building - and they just don't build them like they used to. ;)

:listening to: A kid's Christmas CD over and over in the car. Obsessions: I Saw Three Ships, Here We Come A-Caroling. They sang We Three Kings at church today and Nate seemed pretty impressed that they knew "the song from the cd." Now that it's Epiphany, think I can get away with switching it out for Hug Me, Jesus? Or will we listen to Christmas music til March?

:clothing myself in: I think I wear my blue skirt 6 days a week. Sometimes 7. Wearing it right now. The waistband is just so... forgiving.

:thinking: About all the pretty things I found on a new blog today. Buying a house. How I am desperately yearning for a playroom/dedicated play area. How I'm excited to paint. White walls for almost 5 years = ready for color!

:pondering prayerfully: End of the Christmas season. Lent is in 5 weeks...!?!? Sort of a lull right now, but thinking about starting some kind of novena.

:cultivating rhythm: What is that? We are so out of whack. Too many sweets, too many shows, too many meltdowns and so much mom-and-children-tiredness.

:creating by hand: Thinking about making a felt food lobster for Ben, since he's really into the play food right now. And has this thing about lobsters (not that he likes them, but he's kind of fascinated by them and freaked out at the same time.)

the little people order I fulfilled around Thanksgiving - exciting!

:learning lessons in: humility, again? Mass meltdown today.

:encouraging learning: Still obsessed with calendars (thanks to our chocolate Advent calendar!) And now, days of the week. We got a few new games for Christmas - Chutes & Ladders, Dominos, the Lotto Game - will be playing those quite a bit.

:keeping house: It really isn't terrible. I just get to that point where the Christmas decor, as lovely as it is, become a nuisance. The tree is dry and needles are everywhere, and the pretty Christmas cards hanging on the wall start to make it seem cluttered - I am ready for a "fresh start." Packing it up this week, figuring out something clever to do with the cards so I don't have to pack them away.

:in the kitchen: Quite a bit of frozen pizza and simple meals lately. Cooking is not my favorite thing to do these days. I got this personal blender for Christmas and it actually works REALLY well, so I've been making smoothies with frozen berries, yogurt, and a little grape juice for myself. And "It's a mommy drink" seems to be a satisfactory answer when little people ask for a sip. (I rarely DON'T share!)

       the turkey cookies I made on Thanksgiving. Why won't this center?

:loving the moments: Our (very recent) new after-dinner routine is to go downstairs and play. Nate is very into the Wii. He doesn't play, but he holds the remote and acts like he's playing. He loves Wii Play games - the shooting; he announces which level is coming up next - "the targets!", "the grown-up drinks!" (the soda cans you have to shoot - haha), "the aliens!". He also likes the tank game, which daddy is great at and mommy stinks. Mario Kart is a new fave as well. He spends most of the time watching, while Ben serves us play food and Andrew crawls around in the toy area. We usually only play for 20-30 minutes, but now as soon as dinner is done it's "time to go downstairs!!!"

:planning for the week ahead: Catholic Sistas editorial board meeting, doctor's appointment Tuesday, new Bible study group meets Thursday - more on the calendar than normal! Also, GOODBYE, CHRISTMAS TREE.

:funny things: Last week we drove past the apple orchard and I explained that since there is snow on the ground, it's too cold for apples to grow this time of year. Today Nate said "Oh look, the snow is melting, it must be almost time to go apple-picking!"

:new years resolutions: I did not really make. I feel like my head has been a fog for the last several weeks. They would probably have had something to do with eating better exercising more praying more cleaning more being a nicer mom and wife. That's about as far as I got. Trying to accept this fog I'm in and do the best I can for now, in hopes that my sanity will return. :)

I am not in a creative mood today! This post feels super boring and like I'm forgetting a lot of details.

I'm thinking about changing my blog name... but I don't want to start a new blog, so would that mess things up? I would probably change the URL to go along with it. hmm.

Writing In My Diary v. 2

:noticing God's glory: A gorgeous, a little chilly but not COOL fall day yesterday.

:listening to: Not YET because it still hasn't arrived, but I pre-ordered the Benedictines of Mary Advent CD and am so excited for it. Not sure when it is supposed to come, since it was released last Monday; I ordered it from their site and not from Amazon. So, hopefully today?

:clothing myself in: A cute new shirt from Gap! It's actually dark gray, not pink, and I paid less because I got it at the outlet, PLUS I had a gift card. I never used to like the cowl thing but this shirt is really flattering. And SO soft.

:thinking: about Cyber Monday and how I should check out the deals. Nate needs some church pants, plus I need to get together what they are wearing for Christmas. Also, some Christmas gifts...

:pondering prayerfully: "Hail and blessed be the hour and moment in which the Son of God was born of the most pure Virgin Mary, at midnight, in Bethlehem, in the piercing cold. In that hour vouchsafe, I beseech Thee, O my God, to hear my prayer and grant my desires, through the merits of Our Savior Jesus Christ, and of His blessed Mother. Amen."

I must, must, MUST do the St. Andrew Christmas novena this year. Especially now that I have an Andrew!

:cultivating rhythm: Today is the start of a new week. I plan to nestle in deep, do some crafts and lots of reading with the boys, some cooking, some napping.

:creating by hand: I am working on a painted peg people set (my first ORDER!) and some Our Lady of Guadalupe and St. Nicholas dolls. Also, not exactly by hand, but, our wedding album. Finally putting it together on Blurb and will be ordering it this week, hopefully! And our Jesse tree ornaments. Maybe not by hand... I have 6 days to figure out what I'm doing there.

:learning lessons in: The importance of a gate for our stairs.

:encouraging learning: We did some fall/turkey crafts last week, and have been discussing east/west in the car a lot, mostly in relation to where the sun is because if the sun is in our eyes, we throw fits. ;)

:keeping house: We had a pretty tidy house, even with Thanksgiving craziness! A little messy today, but we'll put things back in order. The laundry is all caught up and the bathrooms are decent.

:in the kitchen: Cute turkey cookies for Thanksgiving. I took a picture but haven't uploaded it yet, of course! I'm planning on doing a little freezer cooking this week. Twice-baked potatoes are definitely on the menu. We've also been really into Alfredo Pizza, our own little knock-off from the Olive Garden one (which I had on our last date and LOVED.)



:loving the moments: We finally moved Nate out of the crib and into a toddler bed. He really is ready for a twin, but for the sake of not having to buy something new right now, we did the toddler one. He was SO cute when he saw it. Just finished night 2 and I don't *think* he has gotten out of bed at all! Even in the morning, he yells "Mommy, I'm awake!" and doesn't jump out until I open the bedroom door.

:planning for the week ahead: Jesse tree, Christmas photo for cards, Advent starts Sunday! We need an Advent wreath, still!

:funny things: My parents sent their cow away to be bred and she ended up having a calf while she was there!? Apparently she got in with a bull some time in February, unbeknownst to everyone.

Andrew still sleeps in the pack and play in our room, but will be moving to the crib in the boys' room shortly. Since he is so easily distracted when trying to sleep, we have always tossed a blanket over the side to keep him from seeing us. More often than not the last few days, he has sat up, pulled the blanket down, and grinned with anticipation while waiting for us to notice him.

We are on a Cinnamon Chex kick lately. Right now Ben is picking out ONLY the cinnamon pieces and leaving the plain ones in his bowl. "I like cimmon."

Every time we pass a Holiday Inn, I get requests to go to Indiana. They don't understand, though, that Indiana is actually a different state... to them, the Holiday Inn IS Indiana, and they only want to go there for the elevator.

Chevron Baby Blankets

I fell in love with the knitted chevron blanket idea ever since Dana of Made posted a link to The Purl Bee's baby blankie. She was going to knit one of her own for the baby in her belly. I had a baby in my own belly, and thought I would make one too! I hit a roadblock, though, because I don't knit. At all. So she gave birth to a baby that was welcomed into the world by one of the most beautiful blankets I have ever seen, and my baby came into the world to a JoAnn Fabrics' bag full of skeins of yarn. I made a few sorry attempts at crochet, but I couldn't get it right.

Then a few months ago I stumbled across the blog Hopscotch Lane (thanks, Pinterest!) and her own version of a chevron blanket. CROCHET. With a link to a pattern! A simple pattern that a novice like me was actually able to read.

So I whipped up my own crocheted chevron blanket. And I copied her color scheme because I am unoriginal like that. And used her yarn suggestion - I Love This Yarn from Hobby Lobby. (I did use a slightly different shade of yellow - a more buttery, pastel shade rather than a bright hue.)

I was extremely happy with the way it turned out! And I love, love the colors. When I first started the project, I wasn't thrilled with the yarn (it didn't feel "soft" enough), but once I got it all together it felt nicer. I would definitely use it on a newborn after a couple washes to soften it up a little more.

I then decided to make another one for a friend who just had a baby girl:

Like my chair, splendidly modeling my handiwork? I thought it might look pretty to take a picture of the blanket hanging over the rail of a white crib, but when I went to prepare the shot, I thought that a chewed up crib rail with chipped off paint may not have been as visually appealing.

This one is made with Caron's Simply Soft, a recommendation from my sister-in-law. VERY soft and perfect for a baby. Originally I thought this was a strawberry-ish color scheme, but the more I worked, the more apparent it looks more like a watermelon!

The blankets measure somewhere around 30" by 30" (they are folded over in the pictures). And I have already bought enough yarn to make at least 3 more. Because I'm a hoarder of all things craft-supply-ish!