On the way home from our snowy adventure, we stopped at a craft store where Noah picked out some yarn for a new 'non-itchy' hat, and Curtis picked out buttons for a little waistcoat for Isaac that has been awaiting this finishing touch for some time now. I picked up the yarn for this little vest in a yarn shop on a little side street in Sienna, Italy because the color reminded me of Isaac's eyes. I was worried I wouldn't have enough yarn if I included both pockets (and could not exactly go back for another skein!), so there is only one, but it is just the right size to stash a favorite little toy to keep it away from a big brother.
Last week on our nature walk, Isaac found a lonely cob of corn in a corn field, brought it home, and carefully plucked every last kernel off the cob, placing them in a little container in his kitchen. These kernels have been the favorite plaything of the week at our house. They have been food for his doggy (and probably the real dog as well), eyes and nose for a play dough snowman, and most recently, a shaker (when placed inside an empty oatmeal drum or honey container). "I love my corn, Mommy."
That would be the sidewalk to the right of our fence, under about 3 feet of snow.
This is Isaac's 'stop taking pictures and get me back in the house and out of this suit' look. Amazingly, he was actually able to crawl to me and then stand up in his puffy suit, with his little arms sticking straight out to the sides. I wish I could have taken a picture of that, it was pretty cute!
Today the wind chill is in the single digits and we are staying tucked inside where it is nice and warm. Hopefully we won't be getting any more snow for a while, because I really don't know where we would put it!
We had a quiet, simple Christmas this year. Because I prefer to give handmade gifts, my gift list was kept short out of necessity. Somewhere in those hours between the boys' bedtime and mine, I finished just a few gifts this year: a scarf for Curtis (
A green gnome for Grandma.
Upon returning home after a week away, it was lovely to settle back into our familiar rhythm. For the past week or so, the days have been filled with wonderful play as a few new toys were introduced to old favorites. The tree blocks have been a big hit.
We brought along a small sled to pull Isaac in and he was happy as long as we kept moving along. Of course, Noah also wanted to ride in it before long.
Alas, there was only room for one bundled boy in the tiny sled. And with neither of them able to move very well in their puffy snowsuits, Isaac soon toppled head first into the snow...
Curtis did a fabulous job cutting down the tree while I warmed up Isaac's nose with kisses and Noah had a small meltdown because he fell down and couldn't get back up. We had a good laugh while dragging the tree back toward our car when Curtis asked Noah if he was doing alright, and Noah, who answers "Yes" to almost any question, said without hesitation, "NO!" We managed to get our tree back to the car and tied down tight (and by we, I mean Curtis. I stood in a barn with the boys warming up). On the way home, I think I saw a look of longing in Curtis' eyes as we passed the Christmas tree vendor in the church parking lot with all the trees pre-cut and lined up, snow-free and ready for purchase. Between the cold noses and toes, and some minor meltdowns, I was beginning to think my idea to cut our own tree had been a flop. But then, as we got home and piled out of the car, Noah said, "That was fun!" And that right there, made it all worth it.
In our winter book basket:
Happy winter reading!
