Spring Break - Day 1

Spring Break began a little later than I intended this morning. I forgot to set my alarm last night, so we all overslept. Fortunately, we didn't have any place to be, so it didn't really matter! I just rearranged a few things & we still had a great day.

The highlight of our day was meeting my dad for lunch here:

Tyson really wanted a green Blizzard (mint oreo).

After that, we ran some errands and then came home to relax. Tyson & I watched last week's Knight Rider (I know, I know... but he really likes it) while I knitted a bit. T2 is growing! I think I've still got a good three to four more rounds, but it's getting there. I really like the colors; they're very "baby." More importantly, I think the recipient will enjoy it as well.
I also did a little light housecleaning, and then Tyson & I went to pick up Riley from day care. After having a giant salad (with chicken, mandarin oranges and dried cranberries... yum) the day ended with a wagon ride for the boys. We all enjoyed it, though it was quite a workout for me. The wagon weighs about 25 pounds, the boys weigh about 65 pounds together and we live on a slight hill. Phew!
While we were on our walk, I saw this definite sign that spring is here:
~~~~~~~~
And, in other news...

I've been busily planning Riley's first birthday party. Yes, he will be 1 year old at the end of the month, and I can hardly believe it! Since he has taken on the very appropriate knickname "Wild Thing," we are having a "Where the Wild Things Are" party. I made and mailed the invitations over the weekend. Here's the front:
...and here's the inside:
Also last week, Matt had knee surgery. He's recovering super-quick. He walked out of the surgery center under his own steam, and started PT the very next day. He's feeling fine and is anxious to get back onto the tennis court and into the hockey rink.
I bought this lovely plant last week at the grocery store. The label said, "Bulb Plant," but I don't know what kind. If you can identify this plant, please let me know. The flowers grow really funny... almost upside down.
Happy knitting!

Signs, Signs, Everywhere the Signs...

I've been thinking a lot about signs lately. The obvious ones, and the not-so-obvious ones. Now, I have to admit that I do believe in signs. I think I've mentioned before that I think of my life as a journey... down a brick road. (Dorothy's was yellow... mine is purple. What else would you expect?) I believe that God has a route all planned out for me, and that I can choose to follow this route or not. I know by now that life is always easier when I just go where I'm told... although this does not always means that's the choice I make. (I am a stubborn woman and occasionally make bad choices just for the sake of rebelling...) I think God has a specific destination in mind for me, and that there are certain attractions, events, and wonders that he wants me to experience along the way.

Sometimes, when I'm not so sure about which path I should choose, I try to quiet my inner monkeys and just... listen. I look for the signs... those around me and those in my heart.

But don't let all that stuff I just wrote make you think that this is a heavy or serious post in any way. I just wanted to talk about some of the signs I've experienced lately.

Some signs are obviously placed in our path to purposely manipulate our behavior. Here's one I pass every day on my way to Riley's daycare. I usually notice it because it seems so very unnecessary. It is on a stretch of road that nobody in their right mind would attempt to park on. There is no shoulder here, and cars/trucks/buses go zinging by at speeds that not only break the law, but quite possibly the sound barrier as well.

This is a common enough sign. It tells us to stop and look for oncoming traffic or pedestrians. (Of course, if you've never driven in St. Louis, you should know that the STOP signs with the white border are considered to be optional. This sign is more of a suggestion... though I would definitely not exercise the "option" with a patrolman sitting nearby! *wink*)

This is a double... it not only tells you that you should be going painfully s l o w (for no apparent reason), but also that you are driving painfully slowly through a St. Louis County Neighborhood Watch Area. (This means that if you look closely at the windows of the homes, you could very well see an older woman dressed in her housecoat, peering out a slit in her curtains, staring at you with her Bushnell binoculars... just smile & wave.)

Sometimes we come upon signs that seem not to be put in our path purposely (although we all know that Someone has to put them there...)

Take this one, for instance. The Cobra sitting in the driveway (instead of covered up in the garage) is a sure sign that Spring is almost here! Definitely a good sign.

The fact that behavior modification materials (which I had to make) for Tyson's school currently litter my kitchen table serves as a sign that my "Little Angel" is having some difficulty in school. Not a good sign.

Here is an interesting... strike that. Here is an ALARMING sign:
This is a sign that says: (A)I'm a much worse knitter than I previously thought; (B)This yarn really sucks; or (C)I've got a bit of a pest problem and they've been feasting on my handknits!!!
That sign lead to the following action: From now on, all of my handknit socks will be kept in Ziplock bags in my closet (and also will not be allowed to fall behind the dryer, which is where the pink ones became an all-you-can-eat-buffet. Please do be more careful, Matt...).

Here was another sign I experienced last week. This was actually several small signs, all pointing to the same outcome. I didn't get a picture of the first sign. It occurred when my boots (which I originally purchased while in junior college) fell apart while I was wearing them... in the middle of my work day. I took that as a sign that I needed to look for some new boots, so I headed to the closest shoe retailer: DSW.

I saw some great boots, and noticed that they were originally out of my price range. I took the fact that this price was marked out as a good sign.
Then I saw the alternate price... and realized they were having a sale: 30% off the colored sticker price! Another good sign. Much more reasonable, but still, I have trouble spending money on myself...
Then, I noticed the brand name of these boots:
As you all know, my name is kelly... I have a sister named katie. (I actually have three sisters, all of whom I love dearly, but for the purpose of this post, katie's name was particularly important.) How many times have I heard, "Kelly&Katie," as though our names had somehow been squished into one long word? Well, here they were... squiched together into one long word. That was the final good sign. I bought them & put them on in the car. They are super cute and super comfy. (And my receipt says that I saved $109.00 off the original price.)
See what wonderful things can happen if you just follow the signs?

Life Moves Forward

I started a new sock. With two baby blankets on the needles, I needed something quick and portable. And, I wanted something that I don't really have to think about too much. This sock yarn has been chillin' in the stash for a while, and with springtime lurking right around the corner, it needed to come out of hibernation.

I don't have a lot done so far, but that's a seed stitch band there, and I don't know about other knitters, but it seems like seed stitch takes me forever!!!
Oh, and check out the foreground in that photo... my irises are starting to come up!!!

I've also been knitting away on T2 (my second trinity baby blanket). It's coming along nicely, and I am confident that, barring any injuries or really shiny distractions, I will have it done in plenty of time for the recipient's arrival.
There have been some other new & interesting developments and event in our home as well.

The first (& most important) is that Sweet Pea is almost ready to walk. He has figured out how to push his big brother's giant truck up and down the hallway. He's taken 1 or 2 steps a couple of times, but usually prefers to just throw himself at whatever he's trying to get to. Nani and Popi have started calling him "Wild Thing" And they are so. right. He has two speeds: Mach 3 and asleep.
I'm craving spring so badly right now, that I'm looking for anything to brighten up our lives. Last weekend I made purple pancakes. (I didn't get a photo because Matt & the boys ate them before I could grab the camera!)

I also changed the biggest item in the upstairs bathroom. Here's the old one:
It's okay. It's pretty. (Pretty old... we've had this shower curtain for about 7 years.) But I wanted something bright & pretty. So, much to Matt's chagrin, I bought this one!
I wanted to repaint and everything, but we're hoping to put in new flooring this summer, so I figured I'll wait on that.

I've also begun to transition into our spring/summer menus. I was cooking the other day and happened upon an anomaly of nature...
See those little green peppers? I found them inside the red pepper. There were a bunch of them. They all tasted fine... they just grew funny.

One more quick note. The oddity of motherhood never ceases to amaze me. Sometimes it's terrible, like the first time you have to take your baby's temperature... rectally. And sometimes it's awesome, like the first time your baby gives you a hug or fantastically sloppy kiss. And sometimes it's just... well... weird. Like when you go out to dinner with your family, sit at a crowded table, and are forced to put your things under the baby's highchair... and then later discover half of his meal (french fries, grilled chicken, tomatoes & cucumbers) in your purse!
Life definitely moves forward.

I'm Working On It...

The boys are still sick. We took the boys to the doctor today. Riley is better, though he has an ear infection. Tyson's fever is still hanging on, and I can tell he's feeling awful. It's 9:30pm right now, and he has been in bed since 4:00pm. He completely missed dinner. I feel bad for him. He has an unusually high tolerance for pain, and we know he's feeling bad with a capital B when he skips dinner and takes to his bed. He's staying home from school again tomorrow. Hopefully he's going to be feeling better tomorrow... and will be able to go back to school on Wed.

I'm feeling better, though not completely back to normal. I still haven't got my appetite back yet. It's frustrating, because I haven't eaten very much for the last 8 days, and yet I have only lost about a pound. Illness sucks, but in an effort to look at the bright side, I usually try to enjoy the weight loss that inevitably comes with it. This time, there's no weight loss, so there's no bright side. Just me, not feeling great, trying to get back into the swing of life...

In the mean time, I have been doing some knitting. And I made a minor improvement to our bathroom upstairs. I'll show pictures later this week when I get a chance to dump them off the camera.

For now, I'm going to bed.

I am not ignoring you.

I spent Sunday through Wednesday being held hostage by the flu. It was terrible. High fever, body aches, sore throat... I tried to spend as much of the experience in a NyQuil-induced coma as was possible.

I started to feel human again mid-morning on Wednesday. I even took a shower and went to the store. Since I hadn't been eating, I indulged in a TV dinner. I came home, microwaved it, and sat down to enjoy. I took two bites... when the phone rang.

It was Tyson's school: he has a fever of 101.3. please come and get him.

So, I left my much anticipated lunch to collect my poor boy who felt so awful that he could only huddle in the back seat of the car, whimpering pitifully. I got him home, checked his temperature (it had climbed to 102), gave him Motrin, got him in his jammies & tucked him into bed. He started to drift off to sleep, so I went to the kitchen to get him some juice... when the phone rang.

It was Riley's daycare: he has a fever of 103.4. please come and get him.

Holy crap on a stick. Seriously? Okay.

I got a very crabby Tyson out of bed, bundled him into his coat and put him into the car. Again. We drove to the daycare where Riley was "quarantined" in a swing and none-too-happy about it. I bundled him up in his jacket and got both boys home (carrying each from the car to the house) at which point I found myself being pulled in many directions at once. Having two sick kids is much more challenging than having only one sick kid.

I eventually got them both fed, watered, medicated and into bed, where they remained for the better part of the afternoon. By the time I got back to my lunch it had cooled to the point of having an odd, undescribable texture. Since TV dinners are barely acceptable when heated once, I decided to avoid risking a reheating and trashed it. I ate a bowl of cereal and four Wheat Thins, which was fine because I still don't have my appetite back.

I went back to work today while Matt stayed home with the boys.

I was just heading to lunch... when the phone rang.

It was Matt: I have a fever. Please bring soup home.

Sigh. I have begun to develop a slight eye twitch at the sound of any phone ringing.

Now all of my sweet boys are sick, and they will all probably miss Valentine's Day. Matt & I were planning to go out to dinner (sans kids). Tomorrow is Tyson's first official school Valentine's Day party. Saturday is Riley's first Valentine's Day ever. I feel so bad for them. They're going to miss all the fun.

Happy Valentine's Day!!!

Oooo.. A Mid-Week Post!!!

Don't get too excited. It's just a meme. I've received this one a few times, but have never taken time to actually write it. This was harder than I expected. Here we go:

100 Random Things About Me:

1. I used to have six pairs of Chuck Taylor sneakers.

2. I gave them to Goodwill when I graduated from undergrad because I thought I was too “grown up” for them.

3. Ten years later, I still regret getting rid of them.

4. I have a significant anxiety problem.

5. I am afraid of almost everything that is not in my normal routine.

6. People often mistake my extreme shyness for being snobbish or uninterested.

7. In fact, I am usually very interested in talking to other people; I'm just afraid to do so.

8. I do not drink alcohol. Ever.

9. I often believe that people do not really like me and are just being nice.

10. I talk to myself.

10. I pray all the time.

11. I have a terrible memory.

12. I am convinced my bad memory is from having babies.

13. I have two little sisters.

14. I have a cousin who is only 10 months older than me.

15. I call that cousin my big sister, even though she is quite a small person.

16. I do not easily trust people.

17. I love chocolate, peanut butter and spaghetti (but not all together).

18. I only wash my jeans when they start falling off me because they are so stretched out.

19. I make sure my family eats dinner together every night.

20. I cook from scratch as often as possible.

21. I make all of my baby's food from scratch.

22. I spend a lot of time in my kitchen.

23. Although I was raised in a somewhat religious family, my road to Christ was a long and tough one.

24. I was not baptized until I was 24 years old.

25. I annoy my husband by singing small snippets of irritating songs over & over & over without realizing that I'm doing it.

26. I hate to talk on the phone because it inflames my anxiety.

27. I was robbed at gunpoint when I was 19 years old.

28. That event totally messed me up for about 6 years.

29. I am still afraid to go out after dark.

30. I am a behaviorist and am sometimes not popular with other music therapists.

31. I do not like dogs, even though we have two of them.

32. We have the two dumbest, most irritating dogs on the planet.

33. Mostly they irritate me because they shed hair everywhere & always seem to be underfoot.

34. I secretly love our dogs and will be very sad when they are gone.

35. I am becoming desperate to lose the weight I gained during my two pregnancies.

36. I love Pepsi, which is one of the reasons the baby weight is still hanging on.

37. There is only one person in my life who has ever given me a knick name, and I used that knick name in the title of my blog.

38. I lack self discipline.

39. I am a conservative, but not a republican.

40. In my family, deer season is a two week holiday

42. I love to freeze my ass off while sitting in a tree with my rifle in the middle of nowhere on the off chance that a deer will walk by.

43. I have two rifles that my Dad completely refurbished and customized especially for me.

44. I am very close to my Dad.

45. I am sad to know that my big sister will never live in the same state as me.

46. I do not like to be stuck in traffic on a bridge.

47. I drive across a bridge on my way to work every day.

48. I “rewrite” the ends of sad movies by stopping them before things get sad and pretending that the ending is a happy one.

49. This annoys my husband.

50. I fear failure.

51. I fear success.

52. I love the fall and the spring because temperatures are mild and the weather is unpredictable.

53. I am looking forward to being completely off work and doing the “stay at home” thing with my boys this summer.

54. I am secretly afraid that I will dislike or fail at the “stay at home” thing.

55. I do not drink coffee (blech), and only drink hot tea when I am sick.

56. I am consistently surprised when people compliment me on my singing voice.

57. I feel uncomfortable when people compliment me on my singing voice.

58. I did not choose or create my singing voice; God did.

59. I have been with the same man for 15.5 years.

60. I met my husband while we both worked at Six Flags.

61. I love to laugh.

62. I am not as embarrassed about my ugly stretch marks as you might think; I believe they are a small price to pay for such beautiful children.

63. I am utterly overwhelmed by the blessings God has placed in my life.

64. I do not think I am an attractive, pretty or cute person.

65. The best thing I have done just for me was to get braces and fix my teeth.

66. I had braces for over three years, and still forget that I don't have to be embarrassed about my smile anymore.

67. I wear retainers 24/7, unless I'm eating or brushing my teeth.

68. I enjoy a good political or current event debate with someone who is respectful of my views.

69. My next door neighbors are liberals and atheists; we have very nice debates.

70. I listen to audiobooks or conservative talk radio when I'm in my car.

71. I often feel inferior to other people.

72. I have a tattoo of the Hand of God on my left forearm.

73. I was 32 years old and visiting my big sister in Maryland when I got that tattoo.

74. I got tattoo'd for me – It's a symbol of my surrender to God's Will for my life.

75. I sometimes fail to follow where God is trying to lead me.

76. My life is much, much easier when I just go where I am lead.

77. I love cookies and hate vegetables.

78. I used to race mustangs in autocross.

79. The farthest from home I have ever been is to Vancouver, British Columbia.

80. I love inspiring, meaningful songs.

81. I feel guilty whenever I spend time doing anything I enjoy.

82. Later, I will feel guilty for taking time to write this.

83. I feel guilty when I go to the gym, even though I know that this will keep me healthy so I can spend many happy years with my family.

84. I taught both of my children to use sign language long before they could speak.

85. I can speak some Spanish, but only what I learned in 8th grade.

86. My 8th grade Spanish teacher would be surprised to discover that I remember anything from her class, since I failed 8th grade Spanish.

87. I love to knit, and get cranky when I don't get a little knitting time each day.

88. I am a music therapist.

89. I am an applied behavior analyst.

90. I like the music therapy part a lot better.

91. My favorite color is purple.

92. I am easily embarrassed.

93. I have been called a prude, but I am not bothered by this.

94. I am freakishly talented at identifying people's voices after hearing them only a few times, but am terrible at remembering people's names, even after hearing them several times.

95. I think I might be a good wife and mother.

96. I never think my house is clean enough.

97. I love to read mysteries and political/cultural books.

98. I have a certified, autographed copy of “The Christmas Sweater” by Glenn Beck.

99. I function best on 8.5 hours of sleep, but never get that much.

100. I am a perfectionist when it comes to my behavior, but not when it comes to the behavior of other people.

Snow!!! ... And a Knitting Tragedy.

First, let me just say that life can be so difficult when one is small in size & lacks the ability to think through the consequences of one's choices and behaviors:
Riley managed to extricate himself from the music table. There was some fussing involved, but he eventually figured it out.

Now, on to the knitting! My friends found out on Thursday that they are going to have a little baby girl! Needless to say, I wasted no time in purchasing the yarn & casting on. I'm doing another Trinity baby blanket. The first one was quite a lot of fun, and the family loved it so much, I just had to make another. This time, I'm using larger needles for a more lacy, open look. Oh, and I finally get to do a baby knit with lots of pink in it.
I have also continued to work on Riley's new blanket. So far I am not sick of making these hexagons. They go pretty quickly; I can knit one in just about an hour & a half or two hours, depending on what's going on around me. I have seven pieces so far, and I have a whole lot more to go, but I'm hoping it's not going to take too long. I haven't yet figured out yet how I'm gong to arrange them, but I'm thinking about doing stripes. I've only got two colors, so my options are limited. Any other ideas are welcome. Just leave a comment.
ALERT!!! This is a Knitting tragedy alert from the Knational Knitting Service.
Yesterday, while cruising around Michael's in his stroller, Riley managed to gnaw a hole in the Sweet Pea Blanket. We all remember this blanket. It has been a cramp in my ass since I first cast on. There was the issue with the foam donught. There was the issue with the yarn being so splitty. There was the issue with it getting snagged on everything. There was the issue with the tails and ends unraveling right before my eyes. Yesterday, I made the executive decision that I will repair Sweet Pea's Blanket (if I can figure out how), will then hand wash it, and will put it up in his closet. He can have it back in a year or so, when I'm more confident that he will not eat it.
It has just been such a labor of love (despite it's many problems) and while I expected that it would be well-worn from lots of love, I didn't think that part would happen for a couple of years.

On to happier news... I love a good buy. Seriously. And yesterday I got this book, which has a couple of cute knits in it, and was originally priced at $27.99...
...for 50% off this price:
And I found it at my local supermarket. Yay!

So, I promised some snow photos. We awoke on Wednesday morning to this:
I took the boys out to play in the snow.
Rather than making a snowman, Tyson really wanted to make a snowbunny. I have no idea why. It was a good, wet snow & very sticky, so we managed to get something that sort of resmbles a rabbit.
Unfortunately, Riley wasn't able to enjoy the snow as much as Tyson. Life is rough when you can only crawl. But, he was definitely fascinated by it.
We had a really fun day!