Knitting Resumes

After a long dry spell, I am happily knitting again. Summer and the relative lack of responsibility and stress has thus far been a good match for me and my crafty leanings!

I am still working on the Alexi Cardigan, which I began before Simon was born. I now have two pieces done: the back and the left front. That leaves the right front, both sleeves, assembling, collar/button band, etc...in other words, I'm nowhere near done. But that's okay, I'm just glad to be knitting again. Simon was eager to help me display the current status of Alexi Cardigan, especially because it meant that (since it was no longer on the needles) I was letting him touch and play with my knitting!:

the left front & back--makes for comfortable sitting, apparently


detail close-up (my first real adventure in cables!)

detail close-up (my first real adventure in parenting!)


and when I was done taking pictures, rather than letting me put the knitting away, Simon was very eager to test out its usefulness as a drum...with a maraca as the drumstick...apparently it was a satisfactory drum, because he certainly enjoyed himself!

I've also started a fun new project, since progress on the cardigan is rather slow and tedious with all the cables: I am making some toys for Simon--two dolls, to start, from the book World of Knitted Toys. My first creation-in-progress is the farmer doll:

I trust that she'll look nearly as adorable as the picture when she's sewn and stuffed!

So far this is a good counterpoint for the cardigan, because rather than taking forever, this one is like near-instant gratification--knitting a little leg takes no time at all! I am learning that the labor intensive part will come with the actual construction of the doll--for some reason all pieces are knit flat, not in the round, which seems particularly silly for things like arms and legs that would be so easy to knit in the round and then not have to sew up! (After I finish this doll, I may need to do some pattern tweaking before I start the next...)

And as a non-knitting bonus, we have a video treat as well. Simon has a playdate (babysitting swap) with Zoe every Wednesday. When it is his turn to go to her house, as it was today, he is lucky enough to have new and exciting toys to play with, including a piano--this afternoon Andy caught Zoe & Simon on camera practicing a duet. We're not sure when they're planning the world premiere of this magnificent piece, but if we get either of them to tell, we'll be sure to let you all know so you can attend ;).

Master in the house

Simon and I watched proudly today as the awe-inspiring (in title, at least) degree of "master of divinity" was conferred upon Andy. Thus closes the seminary chapter of our lives--congratulations sweetie!


Of course, Simon and I weren't the only proud witnesses to this event...Andy's parents and Karlie came to the commencement, as did my parents.


Simon loved spending time with his grandparents--all four of them!--this weekend...but this weekend also meant a lot of time at large, busy events with lots of people, and lots of restriction on his activity. After the two-hour commencement ceremony this afternoon, he was finally able to play freely and was ecstatic when we let him dig in this planter while Andy changed out of his robes!

yay! dirt!

My parents came to town for the weekend, so we had a great (if short) time with them, and are looking forward to more visits with them this summer. Between various graduation events, we did manage to squeeze in a walk to the park this morning, in absolutely gorgeous weather. A few other shots from the weekend:

Simon & Grandma peeking at me through our dining room window

Simon shows Grandpa his cool bin of corn

The grown-ups enjoying a rest at the park

Grandpa decided he needed to try out this piece of playground equipment he hadn't seen before, proving that you're never to old to play :-)

MEME! ORRRR!

These are two Simon's most recently acquired words, his versions of "beans" and "corn".

Thanks to Grandpa Steve, Simon has spent the majority of the past week playing in his new sensory bins--one filled with soybeans, and one with feed corn. For several days it was the first thing he asked to do in the morning, and every time we came home from being out, and after eating every meal or snack. The novelty has worn off a little in the past few days, but it remains his current favorite activity--thanks Grandpa!

Simon has also enjoyed another new play item: his own little kitchen! We just recently pulled out the Party Kitchen:

This was originally Aunt Karlie's, who received it from her parents when she was just a toddler. So, coming from circa 1988, it is dated in some ways...most of the "new-fangled" toy kitchens on the market now have buttons to push that make noises, or light up, and microwaves are pretty standard these days too--all features the Party Kitchen lacks. But this just goes to show that classics never die, and all the bells and whistles aren't necessary: Simon loves it. It has a sink, a cupboard/dishwasher (two doors open like a cupboard, but above them there's a sticker with 'buttons' labeled as if it were a dishwasher), stovetop, oven, coffee pot, telephone, and fold out table. We have some dishes for it (also Karlie's hand-me-downs), but no cookware or food (yet). But Simon doesn't seem to mind or notice, as his pretend play isn't really that advanced yet. He likes to take the coffee pot and "pour" it, to pretend to drink from the cups, and to put the dishes in and out of the cupboard--most often, he likes to put them all in the soybeans or corn! And he will take the phone and hold it up to his ear, as he does his toy cellphone.

The only real problem we've encountered so far with our party kitchen is the same problem Simon has experienced with the toy kitchen at his ECFE class: he loves playing in water and washing dishes with us SO much, that twice now he has been reduced to tears when we "won't" (can't) actually turn on the faucet for him! But that is not the kitchen's fault, of course...thanks for the hand-me-down Aunt Karlie, and long live the Party Kitchen!

Some cuteness to share

We've been collecting random adorable/hilarious videos over the past few weeks, and it seems that now is as good a time as any to unload them on our unsuspecting blog audience. So enjoy the following video clips--may these buoy the spirits of anyone still finishing up spring semester (myself included--grading final exams tonight!):

Hairbrush (45 seconds):




I Really Love to Dance (15 seconds):




Egg Hunting (1 min 2 sec):




E-I (a.k.a. Old MacDonald) (27 seconds):

Our sensory kid

It seems that Simon loves sensory activities--playing in water (during his bath, or "helping" with the dishes), playing in the bins of various substances--sand, rice, etc.--they often have set up at ECFE, playing in gravel at playgrounds, etc.

We just had an impromptu picnic the other night and Simon had lots of fun digging in the dirt on the baseball diamond at the park, placing it on various surfaces, spreading it around, and letting it run through his fingers.

Yay for Dirt:


It took me a while, but I'm finally catching up in getting him some more access to those types of activities at home.

A couple weeks ago we made homemade playdoh for the first time (thanks for the recipe, Katie & Alex!). It was lots of fun, though I think I didn't cook it quite long enough, or something--it was a little sticky (thankfully, Simon didn't know the difference...and on later uses, the playdoh has become less sticky and more playdoh-like).

Homemade Playdoh:

Belated Post: Easter in Red Wing

We enjoyed spending Easter weekend in Red Wing this year. We spent some time playing at a new playground in town...



...had lots of time to play with Grandma, Grandpa, Uncle Peter, and Aunt Karlie, and others...



...and had fun watching Simon try out some Easter traditions--the egg hunt in the yard was definitely his favorite!