November Photo Dump

Rockin the head control

A photo from the guys setting up the Christmas tree at work

She LOVES her Dakota

Happiest baby ever
(unless she has a wet diaper)

I savor these moments when we snuggle right
before she goes to sleep

#friends

LOVE watching the birds out our kitchen window

Every morning these two snuggle nose to nose
No matter where I lay Lucy she squirms to get nose
to nose with her dad

Lucy is finally interested in holding a few toys

This smile melts my heart

The night before Lucy's appointments at Gillette Children's
we stayed at Uncle Cubby & Aunt Al's house

Pintrest success: Onesie Dress

Wherever the baby is Dakota is
#slumberparty

The is the face I got while we were reading goodnight moon

She thinks she is funny when she sticks her tongue out

She loves her dad

I can't believe she is 4 months old already

2014 4th Annual NICU Charity Challenge by Sunset Family

Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine the first month of my sweet Lucy's life to be spent in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. I saw this challenge on facebook and decided to join in the fun. The goal is to make 12 hats for newborns and/or preemies between November 20th and January 6th. So I am a little behind the 8 ball, but little hats are made fast. I was going to donate them to the NICU where Lucy spent her first month of life, however, they don't accept homemade donations, so I am going to take them another NICU nearby where babies from our area often end up. I am excited about joining in this cause to donate hats for such sweet little babies. I understand the challenge of those early days when spent in a NICU, although some families are there much longer than we were and have many more health concerns than we did. Alas cute crocheted hats are bound to put a smile on people's faces.

The perk of this challenge beside the obvious joy of giving and making ridiculously cute hats is you get twenty free patterns for newborn/preemie hats for free! To sign up go to the sunsetfamilyliving blog for more details and to join the fun!

Anyone want to join the fun?

Happy Thanksgiving

HAPPY THANKSGIVING from me to you!




My list of things I am thankful for is long and so today I focus on giving thanks and rejoicing for all that God has done and has given us this past year. Most of all I give thanks for Lucy as well as my family and friends. I give thanks for all of those who are such a gift and a blessing to my life. I give thanks for the ways in which God continues to work and move in the world around us and am blessed to be a part of it.

"Give thanks:

• for each new morning with its light
• for rest and shelter of the night
• for health and food
• for love and friends
• for everything thy goodness sends"

                              -Ralph Waldo Emerson

Thanksgiving Plans

One of the challenges of where Marc & I live (with really no great solution of where to move to lessen this problem) is that Marc and I live in the middle of our families (which is great), except that it makes the drive six hours to the east or six hours to the west to get to our families. So we started the tradition that we go to Wisconsin and South Dakota for Thanksgiving every other year. This year is our Wisconsin year.

The new challenge of course is traveling with Lucy.
In years past Marc and I have each taken our sleeping bags and a backpack with everything we need. This year, however, we have a lot more pack.
PLUS we have one JUMBO box of cutout cookies and one printer box of cutout cookies.
        Took Marc 11 HOURS to bake these things - now to not break them.

Dakota is spending the holiday at one of the pet boarding places here in town.

I have to help with the Thanksgiving Eve service here in town at 7:00pm tonight, soooooo we aren't leaving tonight since it wouldn't be until after 8:00pm. We are planning on leaving tonight to head down to the Twin Cities to stay with my brother - we probably won't arrive till 10:30ish or so but it will be massively helpful in the morning - I would MUCH rather drive late night than have to get up and leave by 4:00 or 4:30 tomorrow morning. Lucy is a wildcard. She HATES riding in her carseat and six hours is a long ways for her to ride. We figure we will have to stop about every two hours to feed Lucy and to let her stretch - stopping at my brothers will definitely help some. I wish we weren't going so late but with work I don't really have many other options.

I am going to have to use disposable diapers on Lucy which I am not thrilled about - they just don't hold everything in as well as her cloth diapers. However, we don't own enough diapers to make it through the trip and won't have any access to washers and dryers.

We will be returning home on Saturday because I have to work Sunday morning - which while I am a little sad the trip will be ridiculously fast I am glad that we shouldn't be in the madness of fighting a ton of people who are returning from other places on Sunday. Plus this should give me Sunday to get caught up on everything: laundry, clean out the car, and get prepped for the next week without having to run around like a chicken with my head cut off.

Random fact that you don't care about:
I have discovered that (when possible) it is easiest to pack for Lucy, Marc, and I all in one Rubbermaid tote rather than having three separate bags. It makes it easier for us to only have to carry one bucket that fits everything we need: diapers, bottles, and clothes for the three of us. Since we know we will be sleeping on the floor we also are taking our sleeping bags and airbed as well as a pack n' play for Lucy.


What are your Thanksgiving plans?
Are you traveling for the holiday?
How do you feel about traveling during the holidays?

Christmas Cutout Cookies

 I know I mentioned it yesterday in my weekend recap that Marc made a ton of Christmas cookies, but when I started looking at my pictures I decided this needed it's own post due to its massiveness. Sooo many stinkin cookies. I really can take minimal credit for what happened in terms of the Christmas cutout cookies for the day after Thanksgiving. Marc gets about 90% of the credit minus that while he was focused and working I was on baby entertainment duty. I did make the dough for Marc last weekend - while it would have been nice to make it last week but due to the nature of the recipe and it's requirements to have the dough chill for 72 hours before using it as well as needing a bajillion cups of flour and soften butter and and and and and and and and blah blah blah I needed to get it done last weekend due to our nutso schedule this past week. As noted in a few of these pictures Lucy is currently our photo prop for sizing purposes (yes, she is small, but still works well for size comparisons). Lucy really didn't sit on the island and watch Marc roll out cookies for more than about two minutes and then she was over it - plus a part of me was slightly nervous she'd babble and spit all over the dough or for the first time in her life projectile vomit all over the dough.

 

Marc worked for ELEVEN HOURS baking all of these cookies between Saturday and Sunday. I cannot imagine working on cookies for that long. Hanging out with Lucy was a MUCCCHHHH better deal. All of the cookies the Marshall's use are one of two shapes (I am not 100% certain why the lack of diversity in shape of cutout cookies for Christmas, but according to Marc this is the way they have ALWAYS done it - so I just quit asking questions) they use a Santa head and a full Santa carrying his bag shape. The Santa heads get cut out WAY faster than the full Santa shape - it is a fine balance to get them both cut out semi-evenly when the desire is to just cut Santa heads.

This last picture is purely for size comparison - look at how many stinkin cookies this is! I really have a couple concerns:

• How to transport them to ensure they don't break during our seven hour drive?
• How long is it going to take everyone to frost these? Don't get me wrong I like frosting cookies as much as the next person but uffdah!
• How are we going to manage to get these frosted with 2 toddlers running around and 2 babies?

There will be a frosting post coming after Thanksgiving - I am sure I will have tons of pictures from that ordeal.


Does your family have any traditions around Thanksgiving every year?
Do you like frosting cookies?

Weekend Recap

Ahhh I can't believe how quickly I am already forced to write this - I would like to request extra days for the weekend (wait wouldn't we all?!) - as well as extra days that I plan absolutely nothing. I want days that we aren't allowed to schedule anything. Is that possible?

Friday night we had a dinner with a group of friends from church - can't go wrong with friends, taco bar, and ice cream bar :) - let me not forget to mention that Lucy was loved on the entire time and she soaked up all the love. Which go figure I didn't manage to get a single picture of - apparently I actually was into whatever we were going on an didn't even bother to take out my phone to grab a picture.



Saturday was wonderful: laundry, snuggling on the couch, a good run for me, a walk with Dakota (it is pretty cold and a bit slippery here, so no running outside for me), some packing for middle school gathering, and Marc began the great cookie baking process for the day after Thanksgiving frosting party at his Grandparents house.
Saturday night I spent out at a local resort with 597 of my favorite middle schoolers (28 from my own church) and we had a marvelous little retreat. Lucy spent her first night alone with dad. Word on the street was there was much snuggling at home and Marc realized he can't bake cookies and entertain Lucy - so they snuggled the night away. Lucy slept in our room in her rock and play because Marc was a little worried about not hearing Lucy when she woke up in the middle of the night - but they both did fine and I heard Dakota got promoted to sleeping on my spot on our bed. It is rough to be the beloved golden retriever at our house. 

Sunday Lucy came out to the Middle School Gathering so that Marc could continue baking cookies as soon as he got home from church. Lucy was in heaven - EVERYONE wanted to hold her and snuggle her. The kids were fascinated by her and she had a great time. Thankfully I brought our Beco babycarrier along so that she could curl up and get in a good nap without being ridiculously over stimulated. So in the midst of LOUD worship she slept peacefully (thankful for the baby carrier and for a baby who can and will sleep just about anywhere without even blinking an eye). Welcome to the world of two working parents Lucy, you get to come on all sorts of retreats, lock-ins, meetings, and who knows where else you will be toted around due to my crazy work. She loved it so that helps. She really is a great baby as long as she is being held.




After the kids all left, a few of my good friends, who also are local went swimming at the resort before we left. (The Packer vs Viking game on was on as well in the pool area - that game was a BIT too close for comfort - we drove home during half time so we could finish watching the game at home) It was great to have the pool to ourselves and to enjoy a little swimming after everyone left. Lucy LOVES the pool and loves kicking around and splashing. She thought it was great. The only major tears of the pool came when it was time to get out of the pool and go home. We get the same response when we take her out of the tub too, so I am not surprised.

When we got home, we finished watching the Packer game while helping Marc finish the cutout cookies - note the HUGE box full of cookies (I put Lucy in the picture for size comparison) as well as the printer paper box mostly full of cookies. UGGGG sooooo many cookies. Now to keep them from breaking while we drive to Wisconsin on Thursday morning. Here's hoping and praying we can get them padded well enough and they survive the journey. I wish it was our job to bring the frosting so that I wouldn't have to worry about this.

After the Packers game and cookies were done I had a wild hair idea to call up on of my high school kids to see if she'd watch Lucy so Marc and I could go see Mockingjay. Thankfully she said her homework was done and she'd love to. Tarin was officially Lucy's first babysitter.
Mockingjay was good, but I do love the book more than the movie. They took quite a few artistic liberties and some were not for the better. I had hoped since they broke Mockingjay into two parts they would be able to keep some of the details, but alas they weren't able to keep many that I had hoped for. Still worth watching though.


How was your weekend?
Have you seen Mocking jay?
How do you feel about cutout cookies?

NovemberTraining Log

I am going to attempt to put up some training updates each month rather than a week by week update - mostly because I find training updates boring to write about (and I don't have fun pictures to go with it) - however, I do need to be accountable for what I am doing.

I am a bit nervous about the upcoming triathlon, mostly because it is a bit out of my realm of reality at this point. I have been massively focusing on the biking aspect. If I am truly honest I am a bit nervous about the entire next season, I feel sooooo out of shape at this point. Uggggg.

• Running
• I am averaging about 3 runs a week
• I am no where near the distance that I would like to be at, but slowly but surely I am building my mileage back up - while I have been able to log lots of miles outside - I am fearing these days are numbered and the treadmill and I are about to become bffs
• I REFUSE to run on ice. I hate running on ice, I hate the fear of slipping and getting hurt, I hate how nervous I am when running on ice and don't enjoy my runs when on ice - so I just don't do it
• I currently go the the local YMCA to run on the treadmill - Marc and I have discussed using some money we have been saving up to buy a treadmill and think we will probably bite the bullet and get one so that we can have one in our basement.
• The YMCA isn't bad currently, however, at some point they start to become strict about the half hour per machine rule and that drives me nuts
• Biking
• I have been putting in a TON of time on the bike
• my legs are feeling it too
• I have been attending one or two cycling classes a week
• my first few classes I am fairly certain I was about to die several times throughout class - that is a ridiculously good workout
• We also have a bike trainer in our basement
• we are able to hook our road bikes up to here and bike in the basement - it has been fun to be able to go downstairs while Lucy is napping and ride for an hour or so and get a good sweat happening
• I think this will be super handy in the winter months
• Swimming
• Honestly, I haven't been focusing much on swimming - why, because it probably is the one aspect that comes most naturally to me, thanks mom and dad for putting me in swimming lessons before I could even walk, and the distance required is not that far for this triathlon - 600 meters
• I also feel like this is not where I will gain that much time, yes, I have ways in which I can improve upon my swimming (I am no Michael Phelps), however, in terms of gaining time my best option for cutting time on race day really is on the bike. Yes, I can swim faster and run faster but due to their short natures, the amount of time I will cut is not at the same level as in the biking
• Not to forget I am now back to teaching swimming lessons (this is bitter sweet and I have a love hate relationship with it) - which means that I am hauling around the pool 30 to 70 pound children for an hour and a half every Tuesday night and this is a RIDICULOUSLY good workout - if you doubt it you go tread water and semi swim while lugging around a child, particularly one who is afraid of the water.
• Nutrition
• I have been logging what I eat in the myfitnesspal app in hopes of getting a better look at what I am eating and where my calories are coming and that has been helpful to point to where my needs are
• In the app I also have been able to log my water intake (which had been severely lacking) and I am finally coming back around to decent water intake (at least 100 ounces a day)

Getting back in shape is hard work, and results always seem so slow when at this point, however, I know the perseverance will pay off. I find myself jealous of my husband at times, he trains for a couple days and starts to see results and loses weight and what not. Ugggg boys. But slowly but surely I will get back at it.

Weekend Shenanigans

Weekends FLY by - I can hardly fathom that it is already Monday and I have to wait several days before my next one. Being a pastor the idea of weekend is always a little bit of a weird one - I get Fridays off (in theory) and Sunday I have to work (now I may work just the morning or it may stretch into the afternoon, and some evenings I have to work as well. Being a pastor is a little strange in terms of work and when I have to work - however strange it is it is becoming a little bit normal and our family is adjusting and is making it work for us. Fridays for me are traditionally my get my mountain of laundry done type of day as well as clean everything that I didn't get to in my weekly rotation - I try to clean something/somewhere every day during the week, and some weeks this goes amazingly well and other weeks I can't seem to get any of them done. In theory it works well if I actually manage to get it done. I must admit that I love a clean house, I love a house without stuff stacked here and there, I love a house where everything has it's place and stuff isn't just laying around aimlessly. I am weird like that.

This weekend we also got to hang out with some friends of mine. Several years ago we would get together every couple of weeks and create things, craft things, and crochet things, now on the other hand between the three of us we have five kids all under the age of four. Oh how times have changed, now we get together, drink coffee, and let the kids play while we exchange conversations between interactions with the kids. The youngest three are all within a few months of each other (8 months, 4 months, & 2 months) - Lucy is still the peanut. It will be fun as these guys get a little older and can interact with one another a little bit more. 

Marc and I do spend a lot of time at the local YMCA working out, however, with Lucy it has gotten a little bit more complicated.  We do have a bike trainer set up in our basement and I feel like both of us have spent a ton of time downstairs on the bike trainer, Dakota usually protests and lays next to us, I imagine dreaming of warmer days when we could take her for long runs outside. 

If you follow me on instagram you know that I have been crocheting quite a bit lately in attempt to use up all of the little balls of yarn laying around my house. This weekend's project was a Zebra by Repeat Crafter Me. I have REALLY been trying to work on my ability to add things onto hats, my preference by FAR is to just put the design into the hat and not have to do much if anything afterwards. If I am truly honest I don't even really like doing ear flaps, however, I tolerate them as I need to because I think they are RIDICULOUSLY cute on little kids not to forget I find them practical. This was my Zebra, and the first time I have done stitching with yarn rather than with thread, it is a little tricky, but I think I like the way it turned out, and the mane made me a bit nervous as well, but I will take it for sure.

Of course there was lots of playing on the floor, Lucy continues to be fascinated by this super random hanging/dangling toy thingy by infantino that she got as a gift, we love it and we have even attached a few rings and some extra toys (note the square hanging in the background as well as the Minnie Mouse in the front). She loves to have the music going on the elephant which spins the butterflies, she actually will lay there for quite a while before she gets frustrated and wants something else or to be picked up. Dakota has learned that she can wiggle under the toys and get right up next to Lucy, naturally I have yet to capture a great picture of this happening, but trust me it is wicked cute.

We also went to the dog park for a bit in hopes of letting Dakota run and play and get out her crazy. I feel bad for Dakota in the winter on several reasons:

• It is cold, so we can't be outside as much 
• Her paws get cold eventually
• Her walks are shorter due to the ice that laces the ground
• we don't just hang out outside like we do in the summer
• currently it is hunting season, which means we have to be extra careful on where we walk and what time we walk and we have to leave her on her leash a little bit more than we normally would when we are in certain areas that she would usually get to run free 
• she misses summer and swimming in the lake but does love rolling in the snow

On Saturday Marc went to Dumb and Dumber 2 with a couple of his friends (he had offered to find a babysitter so I could go, however I had ZERO interest in going - I would rather save that money and go to another movie or just netflix it when it comes out - I have no need to see it right now), so Lucy and I worked on making the cutout cookie dough for the day after Thanksgiving frosting party at Marc's grandparents. I didn't think I would have time to actually get the dough made with enough time for it to chill for 72 hours before baking, sooooo it is chilling now in our fridge and we will bake it next Sunday after I get home from work.

Sunday we also watched the Vikings lose (whoop whoop) and the Packers win. We are die hard Packers fan. Lucy was surprisingly delightful all game and spent most of the game drooling and blowing spit bubbles and smiling at us. It was a good ending to the weekend. Sunday night we also prep everything so Monday morning isn't such madness.

How was your weekend?

Did you do anything fun?

• I am a little jealous of everyone who got to run races this weekend, especially those who got to run the RunDisney Avengers run. I am so ready to get back into the race seasons.

Adventures in Cloth Diapering

We went for it.
We made the plunge, we are cloth diapering this baby.
I was a little nervous.
I have some amazing friends who cloth diaper who are showing us the ropes.


We are using Best Bottoms diapers as well as a few BumGenius Freetimes (for night time), and a couple work at home mom diapers. So far..... we love it. Seriously.
We ordered from Nicki's Diapers and they have been marvelous to work with, we have been ordering a few a month since January to build up our stash so that we could spread out our cost so that it wasn't one lump sum all at one time (thanks for the tip Lindy).
I also have a small collection of cloth wipes that we use, I figure if I am doing all the laundry anyways, what is a few wipes in the mix.

We didn't use cloth diapers while Lucy was in the NICU or the first couple days at home, we used up the ones that they gave us and as those were running out we use a newborn cloth diaper rental for the early days when she was still a bit too small for the ones that we owned. Not only are they ridiculously cute but we have other reasons as well......

My reasoning for wanting to do it:

• primarily it is environmentally - I just can't stand the idea of millions of diapers going in the waste when I have beautiful alternatives 
• I don't think I would be doing it if the cloth diapers were still the old school ones like my grandparents used (heck I doubt my grandparents used cloth but that were available when they were diapering my parents and aunts and uncles) - something about a squirming child and having to properly fold a diaper AND then stick pins into said diaper without poking a baby/toddler scares the daylights out of me - so we are going with the snap version of Best Bottoms
• Yes, I know some people still use the prefolds or flat diapers and use the safety pins/diaper pins, but it just isn't for me 
• Yes, I know the Best Bottoms are a little more expensive than the flats or prefolds, but frankly I don't care
• other reasons:
• I hear there are many health benefits for babies who use cloth (I am not anti disposable and we use disposable for sure when we are on vacation most likely because I can't quite fathom how I would make cloth diapers work on vacation - but who knows we'll see how it goes)
• financially - I can't lie the financial side of it did play a slight role in our decision making but wasn't the main reason
• low low reason - seriously how cute are babies in cloth diapers

I am sure as Lucy gets a bit bigger and starts eating real food the challenges to cloth diapering will change, but so far, we love it. The extra laundry really doesn't phase me and the amount of money we are saving as well as the amount of diapers we are keeping out of the landfill warms my heart.

Pintrest Projects

I. Am. An. Addict.
I. Love. Pintrest.

I love the joy of pinning things to my wall.
I love the joy of looking at the projects and debating my skills and if I have it in my to give it a whirl.
I love looking at the variations that other people have created with the same directions.
I even have a board dedicated to the projects that I have done.
                                        And I am fairly certain I have missed some on there.

I make it my mission to actually do some of the things I pin, to try the recipes, to create the crafty things, yes, yes of course I have a board just full of quotes, and a board filled with my dream board if I had millions of dollars laying around and I could think of nothing else to spend them on (such as paying off student loans, buying copious amounts of Disney Vacation Club points, saving for Lucy's college years, solving world hunger etc.), and a board filled with photography tips and photo ideas. I LOVE PINTREST.

Lately I have had some decent successes on pintrest and not many pintrest fails surprisingly, which probably means I am overdue for one here soon. Butttt anyways thought I would share a few of my successes. The first one my mom actually found the original pin and then brought the supplies to create this wreath for my stairwell, it looks awesome. My second success that I never actually thought I would need was a place to hang/organize Lucy's hair bows/headbands. They were driving me nuts in the bottom of her drawer and I could never actually find the headband that  I wanted (she doesn't really have enough hair for bows yet) and so I found a way to organize them that works for us. REALLY EASY, all it took was a picture frame, some ribbon, some hooks for the bottom to hang headbands from, and a staple gun (you can't go wrong when a staple gun is involved). The third is that I am LOVING handprint/footprint art. With such teeny tiny handprints/footprints I can't help but use them and turn them into fun things, Lucy and I created these kitchen towels for both of her grandmothers for a fun fall surprise.

2015 Race Season

 After being pregnant last race season (& miserably pregnant at that) I raced ZERO races all season. UGGGG. That's annoying to me, but I can't fathom how I would have pulled it off. Marc and I have been doing a bit of dreaming towards this upcoming season - as this does have an impact on our winter training plans.

Marc is planning on racing three triathlons, two sprint distances, and one Olympic distance. He also is going to run the Wine and Dine Half marathon with me. Marc is also running the Sour Grapes Half Marathon in Brainerd.

I am still working on my schedule for sure, however, here are the current plans:

• Run for the Lakes
• they have a half marathon and a 10k - I am debating doing the 10k
• April 25, 2015
• I am not registered just toying with this race
• I do need to get at least a 10k in prior to August 1, 2015 so I have a qualifying time for a corral for the Wine and Dine Half Marathon so I don't end up in the last corral
• end of April runs always make me nervous due to the chance of lots of snow still and/or rain
• Graniteman Clearwater Triathlon
• Sprint Distance
• July 11, 2015
• registered
• scared out of my mind
• Wine and Dine Half Marathon
• 13.1 miles
• November 7, 2015
• registration opens March 17, 2015
• jazzed beyond all belief

I think I would like to run a couple other races - perhaps a half marathon before Wine and Dine, another 10k, and perhaps a 5k or two (because there are some super cheap 5ks in our area). There is a small piece of me toying with running the Sour Grapes run - only doing the 10k which would mean Marc and I could run the first loop together (it is a two loop race - which is why I won't even consider running the half) - however, I don't love trail runs. We'll see.... however, I have some serious training to do for the Tri.

My goal for the tri is to just not come in last. Seriously. There are some fast women who raced it last year, I want to finish in a decent time. The swim and the run will be okay, its the bike portion that I am nervous about.

I am logging way more miles on the bike this year than last because we do have the bike trainer set up in the basement and I have been able to sneak away while Lucy naps or after she has gone to bed or when Marc is home. I also have gone to a couple cycling classes (talk about ridiculously good workout) and hope to continue.

Wine and Dine Half Marathon 2015

Lucy. How I love thee and always will.

She messed with my race schedule (as well as totally shifting my life in many ways). I wasn't able to run last summer like I had wanted to, I missed out on many of my favorite races and as motivation to get myself off the couch back into - I have convinced Marc to run a runDisney (his first and what will be his longest distance) race with me, we are going to be running the Wine and Dine this coming November, I have been talking about this race since I found out I was pregnant and realized that this sweet baby girl would wreck beautiful havoc on my race schedule (yes, there are far more important things in life, however, I do still love to run). Originally I was hoping to do the Tower of Terror 10 miler however, since they aren't running that race in 2015 it was off the list for this year, hard to run a race that isn't happening.

I am jazzed about the November race on several levels:

• I won't have to be putting on crap tons (yes, this is a technical distance) of miles on the treadmill in the winter months, I will get to train all summer/fall (where hopefully we will still be snow free come early November)
• Who doesn't love runDisney races?!
• My parents are coming along to hang out with Lucy while Marc and I run
• Who doesn't love Disney?!
• I am not as jazzed about the late evening time slot, however, I will adjust and be just fine - Suzi and I ran the Wine and Dine a few years ago and I MUCH prefer the before the crack of dawn time slot over the late evening time slot
• HOWEVER, I am WAYYY less nervous about running ridiculously late (okay not really ridiculously late for most people, just people like me who like to go to bed early) than I was before the Wine and Dine having done it before
• I love Disney. End Story.

365 DAYS from today I WILL be running the Wine and Dine Half Marathon..... let the countdown begin and the training continue!

Crocheted hats

   My library on Ravelry is longer than I can imagine. While I was in the hospital with Lucy and on bedrest before her arrival I had my Ipad and I apparently put a TON of patterns in my ravelry library and in my ravelry que (thankfully 99% of those patterns are free) and I have a mission to test out some of these ridiculously cute hats. I must admit that I have my go to hats, the ones that I ALWAYS make, because I love that I can almost do them from memory, I know that they will turn out (as long as I don't pick ridiculous colors), and can whip through the patterns quickly. However, I want to expand my repertoire and improve my crochet skills this winter. One of the arenas that I really am not all that good at nor do I really even like to dabble in is putting things on hats (I like when the design is built into the hat so I don't have to attach copious amounts of extra stuff) - soooo I am forcing myself to work on this. I saw that I had put this adorable hat Minnie Mouse Hat in my library from Repeat Crafter Me. My only problem was that I really like having ear flaps on hats for Lucy, so I combined the Minnie Mouse hat with the pattern for the Penguin that I also had in my library (fear not at some point this penguin will be made as well) and I knew I had something going for me.

    I like the way this hat turned out, I have a few things I would probably do differently next time, minor tweaks, like not mixing all the yarn colors on the strings but rather making each strand of the braid one color. I wish I had left myself slightly longer strings to attach the polka dots on the hat at the bottom. Live, learn, and stand corrected next time. I made this hat in the 3 to 6 months size in the hopes that it will fit my 4 month old soonish - she is now just popping out of the preemie sized hat I had made her. She does have a newborn size hat that we leave at daycare all of the time (because I don't want to be the parent who consistently forgets to send a hat to daycare with my kid - plus it gives me an excuse to have two hats for her).  I have a plan to make a bunch of hats this winter using a wide variety of patterns which excites me and makes me a little nervous, however, here goes nothing. I am going to get all these little balls of scrap yarn used up so I can buy new and start fresh (there is something glorious about that in my mind).

 

Next up, I think will be a ladybug hat.

I am sure you will get copious amounts of pictures of hats and crochetedness (I am sure that is a word - I am at least going to call it one) on the blog this winter. 

AHHHHHHH..... I have missed this....

I thought for a while I was going to just ignore this blog, and I did. I knew life would be a mess however I didn't quite anticipate how the arrival of our daughter would happen. Lucy arrived 6 weeks early by C-section at 3 pounds 1 ounce and spent roughly the first month of her life in the NICU. Life has been a whirl wind, and I thought about blogging here and there, however, it didn't happen - as you well know and for a little while I toyed with the idea of deleting the blog all together, just get rid of it, and so I let it rest for a few months (or four) and lately, I have been thinking about how I actually miss this space, there is something here that I actually really enjoy, I like the chance to write and tell stories, I like the chance to post photos, I like the way it allows me to interact with a wide variety of people who I otherwise wouldn't be able to interact with.

I suppose the question is then what form will the blog take? What will I write about? That is a GREAT question, however, it always has been a blog about life and the things I give thanks for, so I suppose it will continue, I still hope to write a bunch about my sweet puppy dog, Dakota, who has a new little human bff, and the stories of the two of them already are endless. I am sure there will be stories about my birth into motherhood and the ways in which my husband and I are figuring out how to do life with a newborn/a preemie (who has her own sets of challenges), a dog, six chickens, work full time, and still love the madness we now call life. I am sure I will continue to write about races I am running - which I just sat down and figured out my race calendar (mostly) for next year, it is intense, I am not sure I am ready or if I have bit off more than I can chew. I am sure it will continue to hold some crochet projects, because I still LOVE to crochet. I am sure this space will be filled with ridiculousness and picture overload. I guess I will just continue to morph and see where this space leads me. Welcome to our madness that we call life. I hope to continue to do a monthly photo dump, and some race/fitness updates - uggg did pregnancy ruin what fitness I had and this winter needs to have some serious commitment to getting back in shape. However, falling out of shape was totally worth it - look at all these sweet baby pictures.

I am sure it will include some stories that are really only interesting to me and Lucy's grandparents - but welcome to the madness that we now get to call life. Fear not there will still be some Disney as well (I maybe going twice in 2015! Yes, it is all falling together in a little bit of a nutso way, but it will be good for sure) - so be prepared for that. Yes, we are taking Lucy with us. She has already been on many adventures including: several hotel stays, several six plus hour road trips, a four day camping trip at Itasca State Park, and so much more.

I make no promises as to how much I will post, I have no intent of posting daily but a couple or a few times a week maybe do able at this point, we will just see is really the memo. Thanks for coming back to visit. Leave me a comment, let me know you are still around, I am guessing I lost most of my followers, but slowly I will regain some people hopefully. Thanks for bearing with me in this new stage in life. 

The last two pictures are to show you how ridiculously cute Dakota is with Lucy, seriously they love each other and I often pose them in all sorts of positions to take pictures, however, Dakota does ALWAYS know where Lucy is when she is in the house and Dakota is rarely more than a few feet from her, Dakota loves to lay next to Lucy. If you follow my instagram feed (sathomson) you have probably seen most of this cuteness, however, if you haven't I am obsessed. Photography has become so much more fun - however now that she is starting to move a bit the challenge is definitely increasing.

Thanks for coming back. Hope all is well. Welcome back to the chaos and beauty of my life.