Busy, Busy, Busy

This past weekend our good friends, Martin and Becky (and Lillie, of course) came out to visit. We had a great time! It had been almost a year since we'd seen them. Last July, I was pregnant with Natalie and now Becky is pregnant (with another girl, I think).

We had a great time and Elaine and Lillie seemed to get along.

Saturday, we just sort of hung out around town. We went to Beau Jo's in Idaho Springs for lunch and spent the afternoon trying to get the little girls to nap, which never happened.





Sunday, we were in Fort Collins with Phil's family. Natalie was baptized at their church.









Monday, the dads took the 2-year-olds to the park and the moms (and Natalie) actually got to go out to Starbucks and to a yarn store. So nice!

All in all, a great weekend and we were sorry to see them go. But we did need the rest.

More Knitting

Today, I finished the first baby sweater that I started. It required a lot more work in the blocking because I had to stretch the sleeves. As a good knitter (which I'm not yet but am slowly becoming) will tell you, it's very important to do the gauge swatch before starting a project. It's annoying to do because all you really want to do is start your new, exciting project. But trust me, you need to do the gauge until you get it right - even if you have to do it several times. I did a gauge swatch for this sweater twice till I thought it was close-enough. (I've only ever before knitted or crocheted scarves, blankets, etc. where the gauge wasn't extremely important.) When making clothing, gauge is important.

But I managed to fix the sleeves enough in the blocking that I could actually sew the sleeves in and finish it up today. I love it! I may end up moving the buttons farther from the edge so it closes tighter. But overall, I'm very pleased. Now I just have to wait till this fall when Natalie is big enough to wear it!

Knitting

When I was a kid, my mom led a 4-H group. We learned how to sew, cook, and knit (among other things). The sewing didn't stick - I'm really bad at it. But I did enjoy knitting. I made potholders and countless afghans over the years. Then in high school/college, my sister taught me how to crochet. I decided that I liked that better so again, I made several afghans.

But late last year, I decided that I wanted to take up knitting again. Maybe I was just nesting (I was in my third trimester). Anyway, I have made some scarves and hats recently. Then I decided that I wanted to learn to make clothes. So I made a baby sweater (actually I've done 2 but one of them isn't quite finished yet - it still has to be sewn together). Here it is. For my first real clothing project, I think it turned out pretty well!

It's Time

Yesterday was my seventh wedding anniversary so I have been looking at wedding and honeymoon pictures. Yes, I've aged some and my hair has changed a lot (thankfully) but the one thing that stuck out the most is how much weight I've put on. A good 30 pounds probably and I wasn't at my skinniest when I got married.

So it's time to get serious about getting into shape. Since I do have a 2 year-old and an infant, going to gym isn't going to fit into my life. So I'm going to try to get some exercise at home and start eating better. I'm posting this on here because, now that I've declared it to the world, I'll have to actually do it. And you, my friends, have to help keep me accountable. So here goes, Day 1!

And One Year Ago Today....

I found out I was pregnant.

When we got to Los Angeles on March 21 (2007), we bought some supplies - diapers, juice, etc. I decided to buy a box of pregnancy tests too (don't ask). I took a test right away but I was so sure that I wasn't pregnant that I didn't even wait three minutes to see the test results. It initially showed negative so I threw it away.

At my friends' wedding though (see previous post), I began to wonder if I might be pregnant. So the next morning, as we were getting ready to leave California, I decided to take the other test in the box. I did the test and then I got in the shower. I convinced myself that I was just stressed from the long trip and the wedding - all with an 18 month old. I got out of the shower and glanced at the test on the floor and thought - yep, it's negative. But then...is there a second line there? I picked it up and it was positive! I was shocked and excited.

And nine months later...my sweet little Natalie was born. Now she's 16 weeks old.

One Year Ago Today

Two of my favorite people were married. Phil and I were honored and privileged to not only attend their wedding but to be a part of it. Congratulations, Denise and Matt, on your first year of marriage!

Happy Easter!

Yesterday Elaine dyed Easter eggs for the first time. She did surprisingly well - without a lot of help. She thoroughly enjoyed it and wanted to dye eggs all day long.


Today, Grandpa and Grandma had an Easter Egg Hunt for Elaine at their house. It was all chocolate eggs and jellybeans and she had a great time. (She picked out a duck basket a few weeks ago.)







Here are my two girls - in matching dresses.