Christmas pyjamas

These are the pyjamas that I made for my boys :-) I decided to make only bottoms, because I knew I would not find time to make tops as well. They looked really cute in them!

Booties

I started knitting these when I was expecting Luke. When he got to be about 10 months old I decided I should finish them! We gave them as a Christmas gift to our baby nephew Quigley. I really enjoy knitting and especially learning new techniques. For these booties I had to learn how to make eyelet holes. Luckily I have a good book which explains all the techniques very clearly. Otherwise I would be lost!

Luke's curtains

I'm just going to go ahead and start posting about some of the projects I've done recently. A while ago I made these curtains for Luke's room. The fabric was on clearance and so altogether they were very inexpensive to make. For my first pair of curtains I am pleased with how they turned out.

Festivities

We enjoyed a quiet and humble Thanksgiving meal at home. Trev had to work that day, but I wanted to make it special. I cooked a turkey, stuffing, and various vegetables. We ate lots and lots and had plenty of leftovers! I must say, although we do not have Thanksgiving in England, it is a celebration that I enjoy and respect. It seems to be traditionally a time for family, food, and counting our blessings. Who can find fault with that?!

A couple of days ago we put up our Christmas tree. We wanted to be able to enjoy it for a couple of weeks before we go to England for Christmas. Getting the ornaments on the tree was a challenge, since Luke was pulling them off as quickly as we could put them on, but since that night he has more or less left the tree alone, and only pulled it over once. I think it gave him enough of a scare to keep him away! I'm trying to add to our collection each year with at least a couple of handmade ornaments. This year I bought some ready-to-finish plaster shapes for us to paint. But then I got impatient waiting for Trev to have a free evening, and painted them myself. He didn't seem to mind too much.

Frankenstein

I've never seen the movie, but now at least I can say I've read the book. Very interesting. Enjoyable and depressing, and completely unlike what I expected.

Any recommendations for my next read? Maybe something with less death in it...

Remember, remember...

Trev and I keep meaning to sit down and decide what we want our family 'traditions' to be. Of course, some will evolve over time, but each of us came to our marriage having been raised in families with fun and wholesome traditions. We would like to continue some of these in our own family. One thing we have decided is that, no matter where we are living, we will try to help our kids have a sense of both American and English culture.

Today is a day of celebration in England. It is 'Bonfire Night' or 'Guy Fawkes'. On November 5th, every year, families in England gather for bonfires and fireworks, baked potatoes, hot dogs and toffee (amongst other things!) Back in the day (maybe the 1600s, I'm not sure...) a man named Guy Fawkes, along with his co-conspirators, was going to blow up the houses of parliament. But he was caught and burnt at stake, hence this wonderful celebration!

Anyway, we did our little celebration today, even though we couldn't get any fireworks. Luke seemed perfectly happy with his little glow sticks!

Bonfire night has been and gone,

But thoughts of it still linger-

I held a firework in my hand,

Has anybody seen my finger?

Happy halloween, little bug!

For Luke's first halloween, I got the idea in my head to dress him as a caterpillar. I actually really enjoyed making the costume, but have to admit I was glad when it was done! I was pleased with how it turned out. Luke's first reaction when I put it on him was to wrestle with his tail, but he got used to it!

Sewing

This is a dress I started a while ago, but have only just finished it. It worked out quite well, but only barely fits me now. I'll wear it next summer, hopefully!

Woodcutters

We had a lovely weekend at the ranch. We don't get many chances to do that anymore, because Trev is so busy. But we made the most of the opportunity. It is that time of year when they are getting their stores of firewood for the stove, so we went up for a drive with them and helped/watched. It was a beautiful day and I have not been to that part of the ranch before, it was interesting. I am glad that Luke, and his siblings will have plenty of open space to run around in and appreciate the beauty of the earth.

Trev, his dad and great uncle Ferd worked really hard to get lots of wood. Isn't Ferd cute?!

We played in the woods and looked at the interesting pinecones.

What a tiring day!

Nathan Jeremy Bernard...!

Our newest little nephew has arrived! Nathan was born on Monday 20th October and is so cute! I can't wait to hold you, Nathan!

Baby steps!

This is Luke about a week ago. He seems to like being on his feet! We're really proud of him.

A chill in the air

Yesterday we had the first snow of the season. Really just a light sprinkling, but exciting. After the snow was gone, Luke and I headed out for a walk. For some reason I was excited to bundle him up in his almost-winter gear (we'll need something a bit more substantial for actual-winter!)

After our regular walk, I decided to let Luke play on the climbing-frame. To my amazement, and pride, he climbed three steps all by himself! I can't believe that my little baby is becoming a toddler. He can walk a few steps without holding on, and loves to be on his feet. I really should get a video of that, but for now, here are a few pictures from yesterday's expedition.

Inconclusive

We went to the doctor's yesterday for my routine 20 week ultrasound. The good news is that baby seems healthy and is the right size for its age, and growing well. We saw the little pumping heart and the parts of the brain. The not-so-good news is that it was facing backwards so it was impossible to get a good look at the gender. The technician said that from what she saw, she says 80 % girl. I am really excited that she said that, but am not really convinced. I mean, I'm not convinced enough to shop :-) Maybe I'll just buy a few outfits...

Now we'll just have to wait until February to find out. Whether it's a boy or a girl, we're excited!

Welcome, little Quigley!

Our new nephew, Quigley, has arrived. He weighed just 5lbs 15oz at birth. We haven't met him yet, since he lives in Wyoming, but he looks so cute in his pictures! Here he is, just a few hours old.

I love, love, love autumn!

Oh how I love this time of year! The leaves are changing colour, the weather is getting cooler (finally!) and the future months are filled with exciting things to look forward to. Usually, I see my birthday at the end of September as a marker for the beginning of this wonderful season. This year, I had the special treat of having my mum come and visit me for a couple of days.

It was lovely to have her here, and to share some laughs and memories together as we spent my birthday evening making pea and ham soup and fresh crusty bread. (Trev was working) Mum enjoyed spending time with Luke and watching him navigate himself around the living room, clutching onto the furniture. I know that she wishes she could spend more time with her grandson, and he wishes he could spend more time with her!

We played outside some of the time, too.

And here's the pumpkin pie I made, to celebrate the beginning of a lovely season. I made it from a real pumpkin!

It was actually quite yummy, and Trev has requested another one! That is always a good sign.

Stuck on you

Trev and I made some magnets for family home evening. I had seen instructions online and decided to try them, since they looked simple enough to be completed in a short space of time.

In their defense, I have to add that this picture doesn't do them justice :-) They look great on our fridge, and are useful to hold pictures, cards etc.

Basically they are just pictures from magazines and scrapbooking paper (anything you fancy) stuck onto the backs of those little flat glass marbles you get from the florist department. Then, magnets are attached to the back and voila! I have to admit that the eye one is a little creepy, but oh well.

You rock!

Here are a couple of 'crafts' I have done recently. At Trev's family reunion, many of the activities were honouring his late great-grandma, Olive Putnam. Apparently, she enjoyed decorating rocks with her children and grandchildren, so that was one of the crafts that we had the chance to try. I made a little nick nack for Luke's windowsill. It was very simple to make.

It is simply a flat stone, painted red (with acrylic paint). The letters are pre-cut foam shapes, as is the little caterpillar. I used a glue gun to attach red and green pom poms on top, and finally a pair of boogly eyes.

Very, very easy. And this would be something fun to do with children. Maybe we will be carrying on grandma Putnam's rock painting tradition! Tomorrow (or when I get time) I'll explain the magnets we made.

The 'secret' is out...

We have finally started to tell people that we are expecting again. I'm not exactly sure why we left it so long this time. I think maybe it was because Luke is still little, and I know that I personally was a bit worried about what people would think.

But, after some thought, I came to the realisation that we do not have to defend our decision to enlarge our family. Children are such a blessing (well, the one that we have is...and I'm sure the others will be, too!) We are extremely excited to be welcoming another son or daughter to our family.

The baby is due on the 25th of February. By this time, Luke will be around 14 months old. I'm sure it will be a challenge to have two tiny ones in the home, but I am ready for it. Or at least, I hope to be ready for it in just under 6 months :-) I have already started to imagine Luke and his sibling playing side by side, and what it will be like in church when they both start to cry at the same time. Oh what fun!

This summer

I know. I have been a naughty little girl. Out playing all summer, leaving myself no time to write about it. In an effort to 'catch up' and start afresh, here are a few pictures of what has been going on since June.

We looked around the Logan Arts Fair. There were many different pieces of work on display (and on sale) Some of them were stunning, and very inspiring!

Luke enjoyed playing in the large sandpit just outside our home. At first he didn't like the sand, but he is getting used to it.

We spent lots of time on Trevor's family's ranch over the summer. There is just so much wide-open space. It is lovely to be so far away from the busy streets of the city. I think that as Luke gets a little older, he will really enjoy playing in the grass and creeks.

We also camped out for a night or two. This was very enjoyable. Even Luke slept well (camping is a lot easier with an air mattress!)

We took a trip to the Salt Lake City Zoo. We loved it! Unfortunately, we didn't get to see the tigers, but we saw giraffes, bears, lions, elephants, and lots of other species, including a rare white skinned alligator with blue eyes! Luke enjoyed looking at people.

Trev had boys pack trip with his dad and brothers. Thye rode horses up into the mountains and camped for a few days. While he was gone, Sian and Luke spent a week with the girls and babies. We went to Bear Lake for the day. It is kind of like being at the seaside (but no ice-cream vans, donkeys, or fish and chips, sadly) We had a nice day. Luke managed to avoid sunburn, but mummy didn't :-(

We bid farewell to Trev's brother Jake as he left on his mission. He will be in the Arizona, Tucson mission. This picture was taken at the Temple, about a week before he left.

Just last weekend, we had fun at a family reunion for Trev's mother's side. It took place over Labor day weekend, and involved several nights of camping. We enjoyed it, although Trev was still recovering from his gallbladder surgery. Dixie's grandmother passed away about a year ago, and the metal pot in the above picture was something she used to use for canning. In memory of this special woman, Aunt Wendy was taking pictures of all the children sitting in it. So, that is Luke with his two cousins. He really seemed to enjoy playing with them over the weekend. He's having a lot more fun now he is crawling and able to stand himself up.

Trev's classes have started again and he has a busy workload. I am trying hard to be a supportive wife. One of my 'projects' right now is working on creating a more varied and healthy meal plan.

Life is great :-)