Comin' Right Up!

A few months ago, I got the much-sought after invite to Ravelry, a knitting and crocheting community. That is where I heard about "amigurumi" (ah-mee guh-roo-mee), the Japanese art of knitting or crocheting little people, animals, and objects. I admit, some of the little creatures are a bit over the top for me. What I really like are the different foods. So does Stephen. Enter in a challenge: Can I make a basketful of these things in time for his birthday, with a sojourn to MA between now and then?

I have been staying up way too late creating these things. Some are from patterns, and some are made up by me on the fly.

Here are a few pics of what I have done already:



Fried Egg pattern by Ana Paula Rimoli, bacon by me. :)




Acorn pattern by June Gilbank.


I look forward to making more of these in time for his birthday. In the works are cookies and cupcakes from Ana Paula, and possibly some veggies like corn or a tomato. The little faces on them are what make them special. A lot of amigurumi have little plastic "saftey" eyes, but since Stephen is still so fond of putting things in his mouth (aarggh!), I have to sew faces on them with yarn. It is safer in the end, no matter whose mouth they end up in-LOL!

Tasty

Rachel has now had her first bites of solid food. No, I didn't give her picante sauce! I have been waiting to use that picture for ages!

She gave the requisite squished up, confused face as I spooned rice cereal into her mouth, but now she opens her mouth like a baby bird. She has also had bites of pureed sweet potatoes and those, too, have passed muster.

This is always such an exciting time. It reminds me how quickly she is growing. The sleepers that fit her just a few weeks ago are now strained at the toes. Her belly laugh is deeper and richer. Her hair is growing a bit more. Her bright little eyes don't miss a thing. Who could get tired of this?

Quirky

Kids are funny. They all develop little quirks that last such a short time, but are so intense. Here is Timothy's latest thing:




Anytime he wears a shirt that has a hood, he MUST put this wee bunny in the pouch and carry it around all day long. The bunny even sleeps in there during nap.

Baby Cleaning

Rachel always starts out so calm, as if she is asking herself what on earth she is doing in this thing full of liquid...



She really likes baths, even though she has totally outgrown the bathroom sink!



She always goes out with a bang, though! Here is Dave, trying to stop her from kicking up a storm. All around the sink and the floor was wet after that bath! :D

Rachel is Growing Up... Too Fast!

It is hard to believe that in a few days, our little girl will be SIX months old. Where did the time go?! It seems like the more children you have, the less time you have to sit and watch their every move. Not to mention, you're busy with the rest of the kids and the house and all that comes with that! Before you know it, boom! The baby is grown and off to college! :)

I thought family might like to see "the many faces" of Rachel. :)

Painting the Day Away

The boys usually use paintbrushes to paint on their paper, so when I brought out the finger paints and suggested they use their hands, they were a bit leery at first. As you can see, it didn't take them long to like the idea, though!

Krafty Kids

To take the boredom out of the seemingly endless days inside on account of bad weather, we have been doing quite a few crafts. Since our store-bought playdough was looking quite lame and dried up, we decided to make a few new batches. We used a recipe where the dough has to cook up on the stove, and the boys thought that was pretty neat. Pity the fool that thinks playdough only comes from the store!