Family, Football and Fiber

After the NFL lockout and questionable forecast for the new season, we were definitely ready for some football!  Even more exciting was the call that our nephew, who had recently graduated from the University of Texas, had been picked up by the Seattle Seahawks and would be playing in their first pre-season game in San Diego... a mere 3 hours from us!
Football and Family in one fine day?!  One word... Awesome!

We got there early to watch John warm up.  Poor guy... we shouted and waved when he came on the field as if he was taking the field for his first Pee-Wee Football game.  He obliged us with a polite nod. 


And the proud Texas papa who was ready and willing to trade in his UT burnt orange for some Seahawks pride.  :) 



We had great seats in the 4th row!


Everyone had a fabulous time.


And you certainly can't let that nacho cheese go to waste! (Especially at stadium prices!)



My 17 year old brought along his sweet girlfriend.  (I love having a girl around!)


But then things got a bit confusing/stressful/exciting in the second half.  See, our nephew was supposed to play the 2nd half of the game.  (Still great.)  However, the Seahawks decided to score every time they got the ball in the 2nd half except once.  And thus the inner conflict.  See, we have been fans of our nephew much longer than we have been Seahawks fans... and, if I'm to be honest, we were a bit more interested in seeing John punt than seeing the Seahawks win.  But you can't actually root for your team to not convert a 3rd down... you can't actually want them to get stopped and forced to punt.  Can you?  Well, deep down inside, yes.  Apparently you can. 

But on bright side, we got to watch John play in a professional football game and his team has a 1-0 record for the pre-season.  Not too shabby. 

Our greatest disappointment was the absence of our oldest son who couldn't make it due to his own football practice.  Hopefully he'll get a chance to catch another game this season.

I worked on these socks on the way...


And am now about to wind yarn to start on my Camp Loopy Project 3 tomorrow.


I can't wait!

Camping! No, really!

I haven't been camping in years... at least 6.  But in a moment of what I can only describe as profound forgetfulness, I exclaimed to one of my friends (who just got a new tent trailer), "Hey!  Let's take the boys camping next week!"  And within 24 hours she had managed to snag a spot at one of my favorite local beaches.  Favorite, in this case, meaning two things... very local and one of the only places I've ever camped.

So Monday morning we took her 4 boys and my 2 youngest on a grand 14 mile trek to the local beach campground.  It's actually a beautiful site because we camp nestled in the mountains.

 With lots of shade and oodles of kids.

Yet just a skip, hop and troll through this tunnel...

and you're at the beach!

The water was the most amazing blue!

And while some of us (my youngest and I) don't care much for the sand...

This little guy loved it!

It was also educational.  For example, we learned about Stinging Nettle...

which causes a stinging, itching rash upon contact.

I was reminded that cool breezes do not negate the need for sunscreen.

And my creative friend Keri showed me how to start a campfire using some Fire Starters she'd made using dryer lint, melted wax and an egg carton!  You simply stuff dryer lint in an empty egg carton, then cover with melted wax (she may have even used broken up crayons, I can't remember... but just google Egg Carton Fire Starter and you'll be set).  When they are dry, you just light a couple and stick them in the fire pit under the wood.  And voila...

 

you are ready for s'mores.  Which help them forget about the Stinging Nettle.

While the boys splashed and explored, I read Shanghai Girls on my Kindle (excellent read by the way), knit dishcloths and worked on my 2nd Camp Loopy project...

BFF socks from Cookie A's Knit. Sock. Love. for this month's cable theme.

So, overall, I'm glad I forgot that I'm not a camper at heart and enjoyed a couple days at the beach.  Who knows... maybe in about 6 years I'll do it again.  :)

Who's Building Whose Character?

"Character Building"... the great parenting buzzwords. 

Last night we watched our oldest son graduate from high school.  It's been a week of emotions and reflection for me.  As a homeschooler, I feel a bit of pride/relief that he successfully transitioned to public high school after 8 years of homeschooling.  I hadn't ruined him.  Yay!  As a mother, I'm feeling incredibly proud of the young man he's become... and continually amazed at his hard work, dedication, and determination.

Next year we will graduate son #2 who chose to stay homeschooled along with his 3 younger brothers.  It might seem like at this point in my life I should have some wisdom to share with moms of young children.  You know... wise words about character building and such.  But I don't.  And not only because anyone who knows me personally would laugh out loud if I tried, but mainly because I've found raising these boys has had at least as much impact on my character as I hope I've had on theirs.

So my advice to you... don't miss out on the lessons your kids can teach you!

1.  It really starts when they are born... the sleepless nights, the spit up on a new sweater, or the colic that keeps us walking and bouncing for hours.  From their very first days, they are stretching ( think of this as exercising or growing) our patience, compassion, and ability to hide our frustration behind grace.

2.  Our children will disobey.  They will challenge us, disappoint us, and ignore us... and they will each do it a bit differently.  We learn quickly that what works with one might not work with another.  So we evaluate and learn to respond accordingly.  And if we are lucky, we learn to see these qualities in others and learn to appreciate and relate better to people in general.

3. This is a tough one... but the trait that annoys you most in your child, is most likely your own worst attribute.  Nothing is worse than the moment you realize that, in the worst way, your child is just like you.  But this gives us a chance to grow along with our child as we learn to adapt our behavior or attitudes to better coexist in society.

4. Then there are the qualities that we see in our child that are completely contradictory to the way we function.  My instinct was often to "correct" these qualities or "mold" them.  But I urge you to take the time to appreciate these qualities and learn from your child!  I have learned so much about perseverance, compassion, mercy, hospitality, and confidence by watching my children in their young journeys.  I can honestly say that they have made me a better person.

5. Your relationship with your child can teach you more about God than any book on the shelves.  Our love for our children gives us a glimpse at God's great love for us... and really, who better to keep us in prayer than our children?!  I still remember clearly an incident from my early years as a parent...

I had given a 4 year old a bowl of cheerios to nibble on.  He didn't want to share with his 2 year old brother.  This caused great grief and misery for all.  I urged him to share (because sharing is right, right?) and explained to him that he could have more when these were gone... in fact I had more cheerios than he could eat in a week in the box in the cabinet if he could just share what he already had.  He didn't care.  I finally had to pull out the box and show him just how many there were. And it struck me... God has more grace, generosity, mercy, strength, and good gifts for us than we can possibly imagine... if we would just seek Him.

Nothing is too much for Him.  And it is His grace and love I see in the lives of my children as they mature into fine young men.  Because I'm pretty sure that praying over them without ceasing is the only thing I've done right as a parent so far!

Time Flies When You’re Going Crazy!

So, it's been a while. But I realized a couple of things earlier as I was perusing some old blog posts… (1) I'm a complete dork at least half the time, and (2) I have recorded a wealth of history and photos here. Since I'm not into journaling, scrapbooking, or even photo album-ing, this blog is quite the treasure trove for me. 
For example, here's a photo of my oldest snapped not long after I started the blog 6 years ago. Here's a photo of me sending him off to prom last month.

He will graduate high school in two days and we really couldn't be any prouder.
Another example, here's a group photo from about the same time. And here we are following D's baptism this past winter.

 As you can see, I've shrunk.
I continue to knit like crazy and homeschool the other four who will be entering 12^th, 9^th, 7^th, and 3^rd next year. I'd like to get back in the swing of things here and see where it takes me. Ideally I'd like to share not only my knitting (and I have lots to share!) as in the past, but my homeschooling adventures, favorite TV shows, and books I am reading. (Currently I'm thoroughly enjoying Anna Karenina, although I could do with less time on the farm.) So… We'll see how It goes J

We Survived!

We hopped a train to Santa Barbara for the day and had a blast. Beautiful weather, lunch on the pier, a tour of the oceanography museum (with plenty of hands on exploration)...



and then to the beach for some real life exploration.

Wyatt had the most amazing find of the day...



Vertebrae! The scientist said they were either from a dolphin or a seal, but the really cool part is that they were still connected by cartilage! Of course the coolness of this is relative... "ooooh!" or "ewwwww"... your choice. But Wyatt thought it was all kinds of awesome as he is passionate about science and wildlife.

Daniel found a treasure as well. A treasure perfect for him... but of a very different nature. It was some sort of military belt which he was quick to imagine had survived WWII only to end up on the sandy shores of Santa Barbara.

So just when I'm thinking how great it was that they each found just the right treasure, Josiah emerged with his find...



An airplane liquor bottle.

Fortunately it was empty... as was the syringe they found a few minutes later.

Ahhh... you gotta love a city beach.

I would show you a close-up of the vertebrae, but to pretty things up I'll show you the Uptown Boot Sock from Favorite Socks that I started the other day with Handmaiden Casbah in Peridot.



And now I get to sleep without worrying about train tracks tonight! Yay!

Hey!

It's me. I'm still alive and kicking... just not blogging. Most days I can't decide if I want to keep blogging or not so I don't blog at all. Plus, finding the time is hard... taking decent pictures is a skill that still eludes me... and typing with a youngster who never (ever) stops talking isn't easy.

Truth is the whole internet experience has soured a bit for me as well. When I first started knitting and blogging I was a total internet noob. I barely knew how to google let alone how to upload a photo. And the only internet forum that I had been involved with was a homeschool message board which I eventually started avoiding because of a particular someone I'll just call Babs who thought she knew everything and was constantly telling everyone else why she was right and they were wrong. The nerve! Little did I know then that EVERY internet forum has its own Babs... and they are usually the least of the problem because, hidden behind their lap-top, some people are just plain mean.

However, I have made some wonderful internet friends who have blessed me in ways that far outweigh the negative impressions left on me by those who have left me extremely disillusioned so I'm not quite ready to give up yet. I think. Well... we'll see.

Anyhoo... let's see if I can catch up here....



We've had a birthday.



A fire... or two or three.



Lots of football.



Check out that form! My oldest has taught me a thing or two about perseverence I'll tell you that! I never knew I would love Friday Night Lights so much!



Lots of goofy crazy boys. I would tell you that they were all just singing along with Taylor Swift but my oldest would kill me... so forget I said anything.



And even some knitting. These are Loksins that I knit for a friend out of Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock. Very fun pattern.

I also have a shawl on the blocking board and at least one other knit to post as well.

Now I must get things settled before our Big Night of TV begins. House (of course!), How I Met Your Mother (which we record during House), then Big Bang Theory and Castle (a new find).

About House... I love the way they've shaken up the show this season. They've managed to take a seasoned show and make it unpredictable again. I love that! What do you think?

Irwindale

It's hard when you have a large family with such a wide range in ages to find things you can do together that are age appropriate for all and not too expensive. As a result, we tend to do things in smaller groups. I'll take the younger boys to the movies... while the older boys tend to do the movies with their buddies now. Or maybe I'll take a couple of boys to an amusement park and leave the younger ones with friends. My husband takes a boy (or 2 or 3) on hunting trips occasionally and has been taking one along to the Irwindale Speedway to watch his buddy race every once in a while for the last couple of years.

Now he always invites me to come with him to the Nascar races, but there just always seems to be something else I need to be doing... like laundry... that holds me back. However, a couple of weeks ago was Family Night at the Speedway and kids 15 and under were free. So, failing to find an appropriate excuse and really wanting to do a family event, we all piled in the car and headed to the race track.

I was told that we needed to leave at 3:00 because the gates opened at 4:00. This would give us plenty of time to visit the pits and see the time trials before the races started at 7:00. Oh... boy...

As it turned out though... arriving early wasn't so bad.


(Just ignore the little shirt mishap.)

And all the kids had fun... from 6 to 17. They got to meet the drivers and get autographs (and candy). Then we watched four different races... trucks, funny cars...



faster cars (which my husband's friend was racing in)...



and, my favorite although I don't have a picture, the figure 8 track in which you watch cars almost crash while screaming "woooooo" a lot. Trust me... it was fun. Really.

I never knew I was a Nascar fan, but what's not to love about family, fast cars, knitting and a cold beer? Good times.