Family pics from Cape May

Getting everyone situated takes a while...

But finally almost everyone is smiling for the camera. Evelyn is hiding on my lap. In future years we will probably look at this picture and say, "Oh this must have been the year before Evelyn was born."

Several years ago we took a really cute picture like this of all of us kids. Now there are too many of us that are the same height. 

I accidentally uploaded the wrong one for this shot. There is a better one...just in case you were worried.

All the girls...

All the guys...

This last picture cracks me up every time I look at it. I suppose William decided it was his job to keep Michael quiet. I love how everyone else, except Dad, is still smiling determinedly at the camera. 

The many accomplishments of Nate and Evie

Just so I can later recall all of this...

Nate is growing up so much! He is saying lots of new words, a few new ones are added to his vocabulary every day. I love how clearly he enunciates two-syllable words, like "crack-ker", with a significant pause between the syllables. We have been watching the "Your Baby can Read" dvds and he loves them. Just in the last couple days he clearly said several words when they appeared on the screen, but I'm not sure if he is actually remembering the word, or simply the order in which they appear. 

He adores Evelyn, and is so sweet and gentle with her. When she is sleeping, he will tip-toe around and whisper. He gets concerned if anyone makes a loud noise near her and will remind us that she is sleeping by whispering, "ssssss". 

Cars, trucks, tractors, bikes, bugs, dogs, cats, spiders, horses, and birds all fascinate him. Essentially, anything that moves. Recently there have been some really neat spider webs spun in our back yard and we have enjoyed finding them and talking about the spider in the middle. Now he sees them first and points them out to me. 

Yum...oranges!

Evelyn is now 6 months old!! She has recently become mobile and scoots faster and faster every day. I love seeing her personality develop. She is opinionated and attention-loving. She has a particular squeal that means, "Hello!! Remember me over here! Come play with me!" If I sing to her, she cracks up every time. 

She has also recently become interested in our food and dives at our plates while we are eating. I have been trying for several weeks to feed her baby-appropriate foods, all the typical ones that Nate ate for a while. Oatmeal, bananas, avocado, sweet potato, applesauce. But for the most part, she wants nothing to do with mashed baby food. She wants our food and makes that clear. After one bite of baby food, she tightly closes her mouth and refuses to eat another bite. But spicy potato soup, creamed spinach, or chili that mom is eating, she gobbles down! So now I am trying to cook things that she can eat too. 

Also, her first tooth just broke through her gum! Actually, I am thankful that it has taken her this long to get a tooth...the longer I can go without being bitten, the better! =) 

It is incredibly difficult to get a good picture of her because she never stops moving. When she smiles, her whole face contorts with joy and she launches herself backwards, waving her arms and kicking her legs. Almost all of my pictures are just a blur. At least they are blurs of adorableness. Here are a couple of the better ones. 

Knitting Evelyn's milo

Before I collapse into bed, here's a knitting update. I have really enjoyed making this little vest for Evelyn and cannot wait to finish it so she can be adorable in it! Actually, I have to admit that I cheated a bit and tried it on her yesterday while it was still on the needles. =) My excuse, to myself, was that I needed to see if it was long enough. 

Just a few more rows and then the binding left! This is my first sweater-like knit and first time knitting a cable as well. I did not have a cable needle, but there are some good you-tube tutorials explaining how to knit cables without one. 

I already have yarn to knit another Milo for Nate. This is quite a popular pattern on ravelry, and for good reason. Check it out! http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/milo-3

hurray for freezer meals!

Poor Evie developed a fever sometime in the wee hours of the morning today. As of this moment she is sleeping in her bed. Until now she had insisted that she sleep on my chest. Whew! My back is tired! On days like this I am particularly thankful when I have planned ahead and have a meal ready throw from the freezer into the crockpot. Not quite literally "throw", but almost. 

How does 8 crockpot meals in 1 hour sound?! I thought it sounded pretty good when I found this a couple weeks ago. I made the black bean taco soup, chicken broccoli alfredo, maple dijon glazed chicken, and the cilantro lime chicken with black beans and corn. The first three were quite tasty, especially the black bean taco soup, and though I cannot yet recommend the fourth recipe, it currently smells amazing cooking in my crockpot. These are very simple recipes that pretty much anyone would enjoy. I loved how handy it was to just print out the recipes and get it all done at once. It was also simple, though of course added to the time, to make them healthier by substituting such things as homemade alfredo sauce. 

I will definitely again make several crockpot freezer meals sometime in the near future. It saves valuable time! And money...on those days when somehow there is no food in the house, you would rather do anything than go grocery shopping (or maybe you don't hate grocery shopping like me), and then of course you end up eating out! 

While we are on this topic, I will mention that the pumpkin snickerdoodles, from the same website linked to above, six sister's stuff, are AMAZING! I made them last night=) 

CM in September

Sun...waves...laughing children...delicious food...old bikes...sand traipsed in by many little feet

Cape May was gorgeous the first week in September. Sunny and warm all day, but cold enough in the evening for bundling into sweatshirts. It was a nice relaxing time with family. Ella is talking more every day and listening to her encouraged Nate to try some new words too. Ella, and everyone else, loved squeezing Evelyn. 

I was able to knit with mom a little bit, but not nearly as much as I had envisioned. However, we spent time at the beach almost every day. I have many more pictures of beach fun coming soon! 

monday morning...

I have composed many blog posts over the last couple weeks, but they have never been grabbed from the swirling of my brain and typed out. I intended to post many pictures from our lovely vacation in Cape May, blog about my sorrow over Patience moving back home up north, and record other little stories or silly happenings. Nate is truly learning to talk!! And Evelyn does not want to be left behind for a minute so she is rapidly improving at scooting.

I am battling the greyness of this Monday morning. Brett kissed me goodbye in the darkness and I am on my own for the week. Evelyn has decided she must nurse every couple hours all night. I feel like we have regressed back to the newborn sleeplessness stage.

So I am going to get up and make some waffles for breakfast....Nate's favorite. And turn on some encouraging music...and dance some with the kiddos. And enjoy this day that we have been graciously given together.

This is my resolution to blog every day this week. I want to get some pictures up from the last month. Brett being away gives me more time in the evenings for things like blogging. =)