yarn along: a man hat

Once again I'm joining in on the yarn along with Ginny from Small Things. This week I took a four day break from my Shalom sweater to knit this Man Hat for Shane. Shane has been bugging me for a basic, no frills or fancy cables, winter hat for a couple months and since I was getting bored of working on the sweater I took a break to knit this for him. Doesn't he look great? Oh and I'm reading this book by Amanda Soule. The photos and project ideas are inspiring.

joy

While the past few weeks with a new baby haven't been without challenges and some bouts of tears (hello lack of sleep) they have been filled with so much joy. The transition from three to four has been much smoother than I anticipated and letting go of some of the pressure I've put on myself in the past has made all the difference. I have struggled before with hormonal ups and downs and postpartum anxiety, but this time is different. I'm mostly just overcome by sheer love for Silas and thankfulness that my life purpose is to mother. There is nothing more fulfilling than being in the midst of God's plan for your life, is there? I never would have guessed that I'd be a mother of four but here I am. And I'm so glad. On a side note, Silas is finally able to wear the little wool longies I knit for him when pregnant. I do have to roll down the waistband and roll up the legs, but they fit! I am in love with this pattern and this super soft Malabrigo merino wool.

{this moment}

{this moment} – A Friday ritual. A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.
Soule Mama

yarn along: a shalom sweater

I've been following the yarn along group at Small Things for almost a year now and decided to finally join in since I'm obsessed with knitting these days. For about a week now I've been working on this Shalom sweater for me. My hope is it will be a warm everyday sweater for home and camping trips. And I'm reading this inspiring blogging book. Can you tell I've been inspired to update the look of my blog? I started this blog originally as a site to showcase our home for a home exchange to Europe, then it became a place to update family far away with photos of what we've been up to but given that most of our family aren't really the blog reading types, I've decided to let it go ahead and be more of my crafting and life journal.

quiet afternoons

These days are passing too quickly; Silas two weeks old and already changing so fast. I am trying to hold onto that newborn sweetness and etch every moment with him as a newborn in my mind, not knowing if this will be my last. We purposely planned ahead, before he was born, to slow down during this season. Both for him and for us. Other than theater classes and our weekly homeschool co-op, little else pulls us away from home and I am glad for the time to just be instead of rushing around. These days while Silas and West nap in the afternoon the girls and I are enjoying listening to this and can't get enough of our favorite healthy snack made similar to this recipe.

this moment i cherish

You know that popular children's book, I'll Love You Forever, where the mama rocks her baby boy, then toddler, then teenager and eventually a grown up man and sings: "I'll love you forever, I'll like you for always, as long as I'm living my baby you'll be"? Well, today my sweet West actually wanted to cuddle and lay his head on my shoulder. He allowed me to rock him for a good 20 minutes while I sang to him and he laid perfectly still in my arms. What a special moment for us as I rocked my big, active and oh-so-mischievous boy and I marveled at how someday he'll be bigger than me. For now he's still my baby boy and how I treasure being his mama.

all around him

Our family room is a flurry of activity. Right now four little girls are busily crafting away. Beads, stamps, felt and fabric are everywhere and in the middle of all this busyness a little two week old boy sleeps. In fact, Silas is sleeping about 22 or 23 hours a day which is great for this tired mama.