Weed the Gnome

For Valentine's Day, I got Blake the book A Donsy of Gnomes which has a collection of 7 gnome stories. At the end of the book, there is a section for all sorts of gnomey crafts. After reading just one of the stories, Blake was hooked and wanted to make and do all the crafts! Our first project was to make the beard. Thankfully, I had some black wool yarn and the beard was whipped up in about 10 minutes.

pretty handsome, no?
all gnomes need a bag for collecting treasures! Blake sewed this all by himself following the pattern in the book! This was his first solo sewing project and he was so proud (as was I!). I think he did such an awesome job.

Here he is putting some treasures in his bag. Next on the to do list is a hat!

Mama Made

I've never considered myself a very creative or crafty person, although the desire was there. I remember my grandmother making clothes for my sister and I when we were growing up, but other than that, it just wasn't present in our home. Even after having 3 kids, I still really didn't make things for them. It always seemed easier to just buy it. However, this all changed once I discovered Waldorf education. It really is more than a method of learning, but a lifestyle as well. There is a large emphasis on creating with your own hands (whether this is art, toys or cooking!). I have been slowly improving my crafty skills and pushing myself to learn new (and at sometimes, intimidating) things. So....

meet Elizabeth! Last fall, Blake announced to me that he wanted a doll for his birthday. We have several friends in our co-op who have babies and bring them on their adventures and I think after all this time, Blake finally decided he needed a baby of his own. Of course I was more than happy to oblige! However, it couldn't be just any baby. Children view dolls as an extension of themselves and I wanted to give him something that could "live". She is made with wool interlock and stuffed with carded wool therefore, she is soft and can cuddle and is warmed when held. Her face has very subtle features so that she can have any emotion that is imagined. Her hair is made of mohair and can be brushed/styled when needed.

She was not easy to make. This was my first sewing project since 8th grade home ec class! I learned so much though...including how to crochet! Countless hours of love went into making her and boy does she show it. When Blake opened her up his birthday morning, he just kept saying over and over how much he loved her! She goes just about everywhere with him and he sleeps with her every night. It makes this mama very proud! Now, two more dolls in the works for some very impatient brothers (thankfully, I have time before I need to make one for Kenna!)

When I was several months pregnant with MaKenna, I learned how to knit. My only completed project during that time was a small gnome that seemed to take forever. My pregnancy with her was pretty rough and so I put the needles down in favor of coma inducing couch potatoing. After we survived the "colicky months", I decided to jump in and knit a pair of longies. Did I mention that I had just learned to knit??? Once again, I pushed myself and these darn longies just about killed me. But I finished them and my knitting skills have improved dramatically (not to mention my confidence). Now I have a pair of shorties in the works ;-)

Love that cloth diaper butt! Oh and for those who may wonder, these were knitted up in Cascade Wool using the Aubrey Doodlepants pattern (a very good "beginner" longie pattern).

Eight times around the sun

Last Saturday, my first born celebrated his eighth birthday! There are moments when I look at this boy and can see the little toddler that once was. In other moments, he seems so grown up. I look at him and think when did this all happen! He had a wonderful day spent with family and friends and a smile that never disappeared.

blowing out his candles on his "custom" football cake!
birthday presents waiting for him in the morning

opening his gifts from Granny and Gramps (a camera!!!!)

a pocket knife that belonged to Grandpa Barry, his namesake

Elizabeth!

We all had such a great time and thanks to everyone who helped to make this such a special birthday! We love you Blake!

Sibling Love

Love is in the air

We had a wonderful Valentine's Day! I woke up to sweet kisses and whispers in the ear of "I love you mommy, you are the best mommy in the world, and Happy Valentine's Day" (not to mention that Kenna only woke up twice that night!!!). What a wonderful way to start the day!

Here Kenna is enjoying one of her gifts...a new playsilk, perfect for playing peek a boo!
The boys creating with their new window crayons

This is how I left the table for them to find in the morning. I had sewn up felt heart pouches and put a few pieces of candy inside. I also created secret valentines by writing a message on cardstock in a wax crayon. They were supposed to paint it to discover the message, but Daddy told them to color it (shows how much Daddy listens to Mommy, ahem). It turned out okay and they got the point. They drew lovely pictures for me on the back.

"recycled" heart crayons...I melted some broken, old crayons in heart molds. The boys LOVED these!

There were lots of exchanges of hugs and kisses throughout the day, special meals, and an evening topped off with some game playing. It was a great day and it also reminded me that these sorts of things should happen throughout the year, not just on holidays. The kids enjoyed it so much!

A bit of spring in the middle of winter! Parker helped Daddy pick these flowers out for me. They are soooo beautiful and you can't help but smile just looking at them!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Valentine's Day as well!

Let it Snow!

Late Friday afternoon, we were fortunate to get our second snow of the winter season! This time, it was not followed by ice and we actually got close to 4 inches. The boys were extremely excited and couldn't wait to go out and have a snowball fight with Daddy!

It came down like this for hours which made for a beautiful winter wonderland.
The boys were out early the next morning to make tracks in the fresh snow and of course, throw more snowballs.

And lets not forget all the taste testing ;-)

Everything looked so beautiful dressed in white.

Here is one of my angels.

This snow storm was a pleasant surprise and greatly welcomed, but just as quickly as the snow came, it melted and not much was left by Saturday afternoon. All that remains is the cold...brrr.

Snow Day

Last weekend, we were treated to the first (and probably only) snow of the season! The boys were so excited and immediately bundled up and headed outside as soon as the flakes began to fall. We didn't get much snow, maybe about 1.5 inches to 2 inches and it quickly was covered with a nice thick layer of ice, but the boys enjoyed it nonetheless. They spent the entire day outside with their friends ice skating on the roads and sledding in make shift sleds.

Kenna at 8 months

We have had so many changes in the last weeks! She regularily says "mama" now, LOVES to eat (and boy can she eat!), cut her first tooth and now can get up into stand with no need of anything to grab onto! She wants sooo badly to be able to walk, but still can't quite figure out how to make those legs move the way she wants them too. She is such a happy baby and literally squeals and wiggles with delight...almost like she is so happy she can't contain it! She loves to be outside and in fact, that is our cure for the grumps ;-) Daddy loves that she will still fall asleep on/with him and I must admit it makes me a little jealous. We love this sweet little girl! And by the way, she is starting to have the tiniest of curls in the back...reminds me of Parker!

Little House

Blake and I have been reading the Little House series and we both have been LOVING them. I was able to get the set I read as a little girl from my mom at Christmas. Blake said to me that "at first I thought they were going to be boring, but it is so good!". Usually, I will read a chapter before bed, but have been talked into reading a couple of chapters at a time. Reading about life in simpler times has influenced his play as well. One morning, he decided to build a log cabin and even showed me which room was for Ma and Pa and which room was for Mary, Laura and baby Carrie. He was very proud of his work and I thought he did a great job!
You can see Ma and Pa under the porch.

Chitter Chatter

MaKenna is quite the talker! I think having older brothers makes her feel like she has a lot to say. Lately, she has been making these high pitched squeal-like sounds that puts smiles on all our faces. Here she is "talking" and licking the chair...something she does on a daily basis.

For Grandma

Thanks, grandma, for my awesome new hat!

The Tooth Fairy Cometh!

Look who lost his first tooth (and two more will soon follow!)

Creekside Academy

I realized that while we are a homeschooling family, I really haven't mentioned much about our days! I am not sure how that happened, but I am hoping to include more of our lessons, etc. for my own future reference. Here in North Carolina we are required to register our school with a name. I had chosen Creekside Academy based on how much time we spend at the creek at our local Nature Preserve. Some day, I hope to live on a piece of property that has a creek, but for now we will settle for a 10 minute drive. Anyways, we just finished up our 2nd language block of the year. In Waldorf education, subjects are presented in a block. We rotate through Language Arts, Math and Science, each block lasting 3-4 weeks. It is during this block when new material is introduced, so for example, this last language arts block we read the novel The King of Ireland's Son, covered vocabulary and created our own reader based on the novel. No new math or science material is presented (although we do review material in the form of movements and games!). This allows the material to "rest" and live into the child. We will do a week long Winter Nature block and then proceed into our 3rd Math block of the year.

Here we are doing one of our favorite winter crafts...paper snowflakes!
wet on wet watercolor painting. We are exploring the color blue at the moment. I am telling winter themed stories prior to them painting for inspiration.

Here is a pillow Blake sewed for his doll (more on that later!). He was having a difficult time knowing where to place the needle until I remembered a great tip I read on another blog...I used a sharpie to mark where he needed to sew and he had it done in no time. He was able to then stuff it with wool and finish sewing all by himself.

Handwork in progress

Morning Lesson Time: Blake is working on his vocabulary while the other boys are drawing pictures. They are free to join us at the table or to go off and play as they will. This is when I wished we had a seperate table for school/arts & crafts. I must clear the table at least 5 times a day of various crafting supplies/debris just so we can eat. I love how much creating occurs in our home...something that wouldn't happen in a traditional school setting!

The result of our snowflakes (we painted them with glue and sprinkled with sea salt for the glittery effect).

One of the wonderful things I love about the Waldorf philosophy is the delay of academics. Formal learning is not begun until the child is near 7 years of age. Up until that point, play is the main form of learning. Even once formal learning is begun, there is a sort of "easing" in to academics with a focus on approaching academics in a holistic manner. I have seen what a positive effect this gentle approach to learning has had on Blake (who ended is Kindergarten year in public school stressed and showing signs of anxiety!).