Summer is over...

Summer is over...for us that is to say.  They boys started back to school and are now in 1st grade.  I can hardly believe that they are actually full grown kids and no longer babies!  There are lots of firsts this year.  First year they will be at their new school, first year not in the same class, and of course, 1st grade.  They both did fine on their first day of school yesterday and were very excited about the day's events.  We'll see what the second day brings.  :-)  This is them posing in front of their new school on their first day.  They've got goofy expressions on their faces because the sun was in their eyes and by the time I had taken this picture, they were at their wits end with posing for me.  :-)

Now that school has started, I will, again, have two whole free days to myself, a week.  That means more time for knitting, cleaning, and...blogging!  Yes, it's been awhile and I've been quite lax in my efforts.  I have a lot of projects on the needles (quite unlike me to do so) so I should have plenty to blog about in upcoming weeks. 

Kindergarten Graduation

Yes, there's a graduation ceremony for that, too.  At least we didn't have to have one for pre-school.  I say that, not because I think they're silly, but because these things wreak havoc on my emotions!  Last night I attended the first school program for my children.  It was so sweet.  They sang, performed...and graduated.  They are now officially grade schoolers.  I have to admit...I did cry...but I didn't blubber.  :-)

Their before and after.

(Can you tell my gauge on Seamus's vest was a little tighter than Ronan's?)

6 Year Olds in the House!!!

I now officially have two six year olds living in my house!  The boys turned six on May 19th.  People say it all the time, but I really cannot believe how the time has flown.  I just love watching them grown and become their own little selves.  The future holds a lot of changes for them.  As first graders, they will be going to school all day, attending a new school, be in separate classrooms, and wear uniforms.  Wow!  I hope I can do a good job of easing them into it all (at once).  Here are some pics of them before and after (becoming six year olds).

Before...their last night as five year olds...getting into bed.

After...the night of their birthday...finally getting to blow out candles...before bed.

In the past we've typically had a week long (or so) of celebrations and activities surrounding their birthday.  This year is a bit low key.  But fear not..there will be more to follow!

Yo! Yo!

Our first accumulation of snow this morning.  Perfect timing for Ronan and Seamus's winter hats that I finished sewing the buttons on last night.  Every year it's a struggle to find a hat pattern that all of us (me, my husband, and the boys) like.  For me, it's a struggle finding a pattern that I really want to knit.  For my husband, it's finding a hat that won't look too crafty.  And for the boys, it's finding a hat that they will actually wear.  After (only) one evening of searching and deliberating, I settled on Stephen West's Piece Out hat pattern.  I always want to cross my arms in front of my chest and holla "Yo, yo!" when I say the pattern name.   :-)  Anyway....  This is my first project in Malabrigo Rios.  Heavenly!  It's really soft and the colors are so rich!  I have the same colors in the Malabrigo's Merino Worsted base and it's just not as vibrant.  Ha!  Not like that will get me to stop using it, though.

Piece Out by Stephen West

Yarn: Malabrigo Yarn - Rios

Color: Paris Night - 52, Lettuce - 37

Ravelry

And on to other knitting news.  I'm really frustrated with the number of WIPs I've got going on right now.   I'm hoping to get two more finished up before the weekend starts...because I'm gonna be adding two more WIPs!  :-)  These hats were a nice reprieve from all the test knitting that I've been doing.  I do love test knitting...it gives me the opportunity to knit something I otherwise probably would not knit.  (How's that for sounding passive?)  :-)  But I do enjoy it...and hopefully, I'll be blogging more about those in the upcoming month.

Brothers?

Unequivocally.

Seamus and Ronan - their new haircuts make them look so much alike!

Aaahhh...this is the life!

Spring is finally here...

Are you there, Spring? It's me, Amy.

This has been one of the coldest and longest winters that I can remember.  Today was such a nice reprieve with temperatures in the 50s (Fahrenheit). And the snow has finally melted off the flagstone patio out back.  To celebrate this reprieve, the boys (and girls) and I took a nice long walk on the path behind our house.

 Soon we will be able to enjoy this area every morning.

The girls posing after a nice dip in the creek.

 

The boys making discoveries as we plod along on our adventure.

  
And finally, a picnic in the back yard.
  

Rib-A-Roni

I needed a break from sample knitting. So I whipped these hats out in one day! The boys did not wear the hats I made for them last year because they were too scratchy. So when picking out yarn for this year's hats, I decided, first and foremost, it needs to be soft. On a recent yarn crawl to northern Colorado LYS, I found some Berroco Vintage Wool at Woolen Treasures in Loveland. The colors were right and the yarn was soft. The only downside to the yarn was the acrylic/wool content of 50/40. I would have been happier if it were the other way around (which is a me issue, not a "boys" issue). I had been scouring Ravelry for just the right hat pattern. When the father is involved in the choosing of a pattern, it always seems to be ten times as hard.

We finally agreed on the Rib-A-Roni, by Jane Turner (Ravelry link). This pattern was super quick, really easy to knit, and a well written pattern. I love how the crown decreases turned out...such nice clean lines! We'll have to see how the yarn holds up but I'm very happy with the colors and how well they look together. I knit the Youth size for the boys' 20" heads, started the stripe at two inches from cast-on row, and started the crown decreases at five inches from cast-on row.

Hermit Park

In front of our cabin at Hermit Park
Ronan, Tim, Amy, Seamus

Last weekend we camped at Hermit Park again. We stayed in the same cabin and camped with the same family. This time the weather was nice enough to actually sit by the campfire and enjoy cooking without freezing and huddling in the cabin. Seamus and Ronan actually had plenty of time to "explore" the surrounding area and do lots of climbing. There was one incident that was pretty scary. Seamus was climbing on a log up on a rock and all of the sudden started screaming. After having to scale the rock I found Seamus standing on the log with giant red ants covering his feet and ankles! It was like something out of a horror movie! Seamus was screaming, I was holding him under the armpits, trying to get his shoes off, and swipe all the ants off of him, and Tim was trying to get both of us off the rock. All ended well but shook us all up.

When I was a kid, on some camping trip - Girl Scouts or 6th grade camp - I remember baking cookies on the campfire. Keep in mind I've camped maybe five times since said camping trip. So I thought the kids would enjoy the same experience of baking cookies on the campfire. We started with a tube of Toll House chocolate chip cookie dough, a box, and aluminum foil.I cut the box top flaps off, covered the outside and lined the inside of the box with foil, and finally, added dollops of cookie dough to the inside of the box. The first batch went fairly quickly and tasted ok. The second batch took forever! And then something started to come back to me. I could vaguely remember covering the opening of the box with another foil covered flap. Wow! After that it was like a real oven! The cookies baked in the recommended 7-10 minutes. There was some technical difficulty. Apparently, I left a crack in the foil which was enough for the box to catch on fire - under the foil!So, though the cookies had a hint of smoke flavoring - they were enjoyed by all!

Bat-MAN!

This was the overwhelming theme of this year's birthday celebrations. Ronan & Seamus turned four years old today. Can you believe it? Their birthday cakes, decorations, and toys all reiterated their current enthusiasm...Batman. There was a family birthday party on Sunday and today was the birthday party that consisted mostly of our friends and their kids at The Hop.

Their birthday is always bittersweet for me. For those of you that don't know, all three of us almost died on their birthday. So it is on their birthday that I always feel especially grateful for my family and our good health. I leave you with the last picture of them on their birthday before bed.

Cheese!

Say 'cheeeeze'!

Another sock brings another FO

So I finished my second pair of socks last night. Much to my dismay - the second sock was almost an inch shorter than the first sock! Ugh. I considered ripping it back and joining the ball back to the sock and knitting it longer - but after seeing Seamus so happy and thrilled with the socks, I figured - no need! He loves 'em! He was all smiles while he was running around in them. He started calling them his golf shoes (go figure). Plus, it's not like he's going to be wearing out in public (with shorts on). :-)

Now on to my Rusted Root...

Happy ending to a Happy Birthday

Just one last picture of the boys from their bath tonight. The goggles were birthday gifts, too! (Seamus in green and Ronan in blue)

The boys turn 3 today!

So bittersweet as the boys get older. I love the people that they are becoming and at the same time lament the loss of the babies that they used to be. The birthday party was actually yesterday. Tim and I took the day off to spend their birth day with them today.

We went to the pediatrician's today. Ronan is 39 1/4 inches tall (90%) and 30lbs (40%). This is a huge jump for Ronan - he's never been above the 10% in weight! Seamus is 38 1/8 inches tall (70%) and 31 1/2lbs (50%)! This is a big up and down. Both the boys were at 95% for height at their two year appointment so Seamus is slowing down in growth. Seamus is starting to pack on some weight - how? - I haven't a clue since is he is mister, go, go, go! They were very excited to go to the doctor's office today so that they could ask if they could have peanuts now! :-D They were cleared for nuts! I'm crossing my fingers the boys love PB&J! That would make my life so much easier!

Of course, you rack your brain trying to figure out what would be a good gift (and they're only three!) - and you think you've got it (see below)...
...and this is what they fell in love with...

...miniature trash cans and a toy garbage truck purchased on eBay for a total of $17!

Let's get this started!

Well - I'm already a bad blogger. I decided, for lack of a better place to start, to begin with posting pics of my works in progress. Details are in my projects on Ravelry.

This is my first textured sock pattern. I love it! These will be gifted a little late as they were supposed to be a Mother's Day gift for my mother-in-law. This is the Froot Loop pattern.

This Cabled Bag will be for me (eventually).


Though I love this sock - I'm finding it difficult to finish the second one. The pattern is pretty basic. This is a toe-up pattern. I learned (a) the Turkish Cast-on and (b) how to knit a sock. I have to give a shout out to my model - Seamus Patrick.