Category: Traditions

Advent, Candles, children, christmas, Forts, http://schemas.google.com/blogger/2008/kind#post, Parenting, quilt. Quilts., stories, Traditions

Tuesday Family Update- All Growing So Fast

Olof

Yesterday I spent the day going through my kids’ clothes. They are all growing so fast and it was time to get the shorts out of the closets to make room for sweaters and long sleeve shirts.

Alex still hasn´t gotten up this morning for more than a diaper change and a feeding .

The sad thing is that Alex is growing so fast. He is 8 weeks old today and he is growing out of some of his 9 month clothes. He is BIG. I wish he would slow down. He is my last baby and I´m really trying to remember to enjoy it.

We built forts yesterday and the new quilt came in handy while a quilt my mother in law made a long time ago served as the floor in it. I love these things that are made with love and hope that one day my grandchildren find my quilt well used and worn somewhere.  

I´m looking hard for things to make this December special for my 2 older kids.

I just ordered an Advent Wreath and Advent Candle Set. Advent is a Lutheran, Icelandic thing and I look forward to lighting the candles on Sundays with my children this year. Also candles are just very Christmasy for me.
I also just ordered Advent Storybook: 24 Stories to Share Before Christmas and can’t wait to read these with them.

Óðinn is 4 this year and it is the magic age. Christmas is a magical time and I look forward to trying to make it as magical as possible. I remember lighting the candles with my family and watching the flame and knowing that with each candle that got lit we were one week closer to Christmas.

Óðinn trimming the tree when he was 2 and a half

Plus in Iceland we have 13 yule lads that start showing up 13 days before Christmas leaving small presents in the children’s shoes that are left in their windows. But only if the child has been nice and gone to bed on time. I will be sharing these with you in December. 

Icelandic Yule lads

What are some of your holiday traditions for making December special? I’m always open to new things to try.

Family night, Holiday knitting, http://schemas.google.com/blogger/2008/kind#post, Snowbird Cardigan, Traditions

Saturday Personal update.

Olof
So I started my long list of Holiday to dos so that I could get going on the knitting and crafting that needs to be done. So I will be knitting a lot of gifts in the near future. We will also be making wine, soap and I might do some painting. What are some of your favorite holiday gift crafts?

I have been working on my Snowbird Cardigan. Finished the sleeves and I´ve started on the rest.

and knit a little more on the See and Feel blanket.

I´ve also knit a few hats and dish clothes for Christmas. I will be posting pics of all of this later.

Friday night we had family night with pot roast, homemade cake, played shoots and ladders and after dinner we gathered in front of the TV to watch a family movie together and eat homemade popcorn and some candy too. The boys were super excited. This will become our new Friday night tradition but with homemade pizza instead of the pot roast.

Boys eating treats while watching family movie.

Everybody helped picking up and cleaning after dinner before getting cake and the living and dining room were nice and neat and everybody was just able to sit back and relax once the movie started.

Now since I didn´t know we were staying in Oklahoma this fall I didn´t apply for Pre K for my oldest so I´m trying to find some activities for him this fall. Going to try to get some riding lessons for him (my brother has horses) and maybe a group sport of some kind like soccer. I do feel like I failed him because he asks about going to school all the time. Doesn´t help that mamma is too pregnant to do anything with them other than arts and crafts and watching too much TV while mamma drifts in and out of consciousness on the couch.

I´m now 37 weeks pregnant. I have never been this pregnant before. My belly is so huge that I´m starting to have a hard time putting my own underwear on. A sad state. My hips hurt, I walk at a snail speed, and my hands are swelling. When I look in the mirror I can´t but laugh because the sight of me is such a state that if I didn´t laugh at how ridiculously pregnant I am then I would cry about it. So far put on 45 pounds. Last pregnancy I put on about 50. Lost 22 pounds at birth and then another 11 in the week following my birth. So a week after my birth I was about  17 pounds heavier than I was before getting pregnant that time. I´m hoping I get that lucky again this time and loos 33 pounds just in the first week. I know a lot of this weight is water retention. It´s still hard since I had worked hard to loose weight before getting pregnant this time.

On a lighter note, my parents are on their way to visit and I can´t wait. I´ve been doing some getting ready for baby stuff and been nesting. My 52 weeks will have to go on hold for now. I´m having a hard enough time keeping up with the normal stuff. OK this was suppose to be a lighter note. LOL oh well. One of the things I decided to learn while being stay at home this time around is to learn my limits and come to terms with them. 

So from now until a few weeks after birth I am only posting when I can and not sticking to my schedule. I´m sure you understand.

How are you doing this week?