ps. we celebrated 12 years of togetherness last month … can you believe it people? Sometimes I can’t, but mostly I can’t imagine a single day without him. Not even a single moment.

Playing along with Amanda for {this moment}.

“A Friday ritual. A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you’re inspired to do the same, leave a link to your ‘moment’ in the comments for all to find and see.”

photo by Raph, early this morning. (Playing along with Amanda‘s Friday posts).

Happy weekend friends.

I haven’t mentioned too much about my knitting lately, but it is one of my favourite things … I look forward to sitting down with it at the end of the day. Talking to Raph and moving along each row. I was intimidated by the idea of so much math and counting and although I’m doing a very basic pattern, I find it a satisfying challenge. I have only to finish the sleeves, knit the collar and then assemble it. I can’t wait to see how it looks on Rem … and god help him if he doesn’t want to wear it!

Esme has been asking lately if I can teach her to knit so last week I got out Amanda’s Creative Family for some guidance and we learned to do finger knitting together. It was so much fun and she took to it like a duck to water – she now always has a little ball of wool in her pocket for making her ‘chains’. It was so cool to see the flush of success in her cheeks and her proud smile as her chain got longer and longer.

So now we’re all into knitting, there’s lots of yarn love going on in our house … just in time for summer.

Lots of things are happening in our little garden lately – our sweet peas are shooting up, the tulips are opening all over the yard, the pear tree is blooming, and my parents helped the little ones plant some new things in the garden last week. So we are now the proud caretakers of sugar snap peas, spring lettuce mix, and lacey kale.

We’ve started a cucumber and basil in the kitchen and have some cosmos sprouting as well. Although I am often done in by my desire to do it all or nothing, I am trying to remember that even small steps can bring big insights and lessons. So the focus is on things that are rewarding and fun for the kids, things that help them enjoy the idea and practise of growing our own food.

I am so excited to start some later things like tomatoes and squash, maybe some carrots or even strawberries. Right now one of the kids’ favourite requests is to bring some herbs from the garden to add to something I’m making for dinner. I love to be able to ask, and they rush out with such purpose and rush back with such fragrant handfuls. Yum.

He is joyful, funny, observant, musical, chatty, watches everything around him, and most of all is full of sweetness, a deep, calm, pure sweetness that I had not expected in a son. I remember feeling nervous of having a son, afraid that growing up with only my sister meant I wouldn’t ‘get’ a boy. But he came so peacefully and steadily into our lives  and I find myself broken open with the enormity of my love for he and Esme. I’m so glad he’s here and I relish every day that shows me more and more of who he is.

Raph had the day off so we had pancakes and bacon, took a trip to the Vancouver Aquarium, and played in the backyard all afternoon. It was a perfect day for all of us. Rem kept saying “Happy Birthday Esme” and it was really a shared celebration for all of us – we have come so far as a family, done lots of amazing and ordinary things in the last two years. It was so good to celebrate together.

Our day started with a little digging in the loosely termed ‘garden patch’,

the sun came peeking in the side window,

my little reader found the perfect spot,

we hung laundry on our new laundry line (woot!),

she was so excited to do it herself, teetering on a chair just to reach.

We woke Rem from his nap,

played in the sun some more, drew, played pony, made worm houses,

and ate dinner on a tablecloth sent all the way from Cookshire with love.

:: Hope you’re enjoying the day where you are ::

:: Esme wrote her name in spaghetti at dinner. She’s totally ready for Kindergarten .. ::

:: Rem’s “new” sweater – it didn’t fit over his head, so I added a zipper. Just need to finish the top seams and add a button or two ::

I’ve been working on a little something at night, thinking about it during the day, and I’ve finally finished enough of it that I feel like it might actually work …. you know those kinds of projects? I’ve started my first knitting project – a little raglan cardigan for Rem (potentially for his birthday, but maybe not since I don’t know how fast the two arms, two fronts and all those buttonholes will go).

I’ve wanted to learn to knit since forever and I finally pushed through my mental block and I haven’t looked back. I don’t know if I’ll be one of those people who find their heaven in stockinette and seed stitches, but damn am I proud of myself for making it this far! I had to take out the 57 cast on stitches about 9 times (I’m not even exaggerating a little for effect my friends) before I realized that not only did I not know how to either knit or purl. It was a humbling experience I tell you, but I’m super excited to have finished the back and I can’t wait to see what it looks like on. Next up, a raglan pull over for me ( I think … maybe a hat??)

Also, homemade goodies for the little ones from a Leila and Ben pattern. These super cute hats were quick, easy and turned out exactly as promised. I found the patterns (via Soulemama) at Magpie Patterns.  I used cotton for the outside and lined them with thin sweater wool which seems to make them quite warm for early spring days. They fit really well and stay on the kids’ head through all kinds of playing. Will definitely be making more of these for the summer and gifts. Thinking of trying a larger one for Raph too.

Happy weekend to you friends!

:: warm winter sun feels so healing after a few days of grey skies and rain ::

:: that crazy four and a half energy ::

:: skirts and sitting outside for lunch with Esme ::

:: crazy cute thrifted lee jeans for Rem ::

:: digging, mud, water. repeat. ::

reading to her little brother on Mama and Dadda’s bed.