Cub Scouts are Hooked on the Blues

The boys are really having fun in the new pack. The latest adventure was the Scout Night Camp Out at Harbor Yard. We caught a double header with a Scout parade between

Welcome to Brown Gables!

Since the economy needed a little boost, we thought we'd do our part and buy a new vacation home.

Andy and I are reading "Anne of Green Gables" so we thought it appropriate to name it Brown Gables.

After a test run in the back yard, we packed up and went up to Webb Mountain Park. The boys really had a blast hiking, mountain biking and making s'mores. We also took a trip down the road to the Webb Mountain Discovery Zone. Seriously COOL place. We hiked the short loop (about a mile) and plan a couple of day trips for the other two loops.

We picked Andy up after day camp and drove up to Webb Mountain. It is about a half hour from us and 3 miles from my parents. We stayed 2 nights and I think that was just about the right length for our first tent trip. We hiked them till they dropped then had the grand-parents over for dinner. They slept early and solidly. The best part... they slep in!

The older two already have a trip scheduled with Daddy and Papa in MA next week. They are also asking to go back to Webb Mtn too, so at least one more trip before school starts.

Camp - the kids' perspective (photo heavy!)

I gave Andy and Ryan each a disposable camera (yeah.. the kind with film. now you know why this post took so long!)

The highlights from Andy's perspective (I'll spare you t he dining hall, the rock and the puddle!)

our Cabin:

at the beach:

From Ryan's Perspective:
self portraint:


Andy from the treetops:


Look closely, there are people swining on ropes in those trees!


I took these of the boys on the low ropes course.

What did I do at Camp? Well, I found a few minutes to knit here and there and started some longies for Colin. I'm calling them the "HiRock Longies" (Ravelink here ) because the colors reminded me of the trees. see (wooden tree painted by Ryan at Arts & Crafts):

Proud Mama!

If you know us at all or you've been reading this blog for a while, you know that Andy has had lasting effects from the trauma of the fire. At first, when we were rebuilding, we could see leaps in improvement as he saw construction progressing. Since we've been home, things have leveled off. He's tested out of ST and it has (thankfully) been so long since his last episode of night terrors that I'm not sure when it was. However, he is still afraid of his own shadow. He wouldn't try new foods or take new adventures. we had to practically bubble wrap him to get him to get him to learn to ride his bike without training wheels.

Something has happened this summer. I picked up some Chinese take-out for dinner and he asked me if he could try some. I know for most kids this is no biggie, but for Andy? HUGE!

He continued to amaze us this summer. Our first night at camp, I had to tell him to stop jumping on the rocks. He was jumping from boulder to boulder - next to the camp fire. not. safe. but I was proud of his bravery.

Then he asked to do the low ropes course (yeah.. I know... photos coming next week..) and tackled it like a pro!

Next up? WATER SKIING!!!

yes, this is the kid who won't swim without a kick board AND a life jacket... in the shallow end.

We ran right to the office to get him a pass and enlisted the official family photographer (Grandpa) to take pictures.

First, Eric worked with him on the dock and showed him how to "stand up" on the skis.


Then, they got in the boat and went out to the center of the lake (where his cousin, Jessica was skiing circles around him - literally!). Eric plopped him in the water and gave him some more pre-flight instruction.



and off they went!



he never really got up, his arms aren't quite strong enough, but he is ready to try again next summer when he is bigger and stronger.


I was so proud of him when I stood on the dock watching him. It is almost like we've got our "old" Andy back. I know he'll never be quite the same, but I just hate to see him living his life in fear. I don't want him to miss out on life's wonderful opportunities.

Wounded

We're back from a week at camp without injury (more on that when I get the pictures). 24-hours at home, and we ended up with a trip to the ER with Colin.

We took the big guys to see Clone Wars and dropped Colin off for some quality time with my parents. we got home at about dinner time and all 3 boys were hungry, so all 3 boys headed for the fridge. Ryan closed the door of the fridge not noticing that Colin's thumb was between the handles of the 2 doors.

After about 3 hours of waiting, it wasn't broken, but the nail is and it will fall off. It is a bruised bloody mess. to make matters worse, he won't keep a bandage on it! So please pray it doesn't get infected. Toddler fingers are NOT know for their cleanliness.

The doctor did consider removing the nail and cleaning up the nail bed, but since he won't keep a bandage on, he felt it would do more harm than good...

Like any good mom-blogger, I took a picture while we were hanging out in the ER with Toby and a baggie of Triscits (btw- it takes a LOT more than that to entertain a toddler in a hospital waiting room. Fortunately, there were lots of people for him to talk to.)

The Prodigal Socks

I know all of my blog readers aren't yarnivores, so I'll give you a bit of background. Hand knit socks are almost a higher plane of knitting. Many knitters think they could never accomplish such a challenge. The thin yarn and teeny needles intimidate many a knitter. Throw in the fact that you are knitting in circles- well, actually a spiral and then "turning the heel" and it seems like the Everest of knitting. BUT once you knit your first pair and put them on (assuming that they fit human proportions) you never want to wear store bought socks again... and you are addicted!



My Grammy was both a knitter and a crocheter. Every fall, she traced our hands and feet for new mittens and socks. We usually wore them right out before spring, but Grammy was happy to make us more. As the years got on and we got bigger, it became harder for her to knit, so I was more careful with my hand knits. After she passed in 1992, I was darning and hand washing my socks, hoping they'd last forever. I do still have them, but by 2005, they were no longer wearable and there wasn't enough left to darn.



Grammy taught me how to crochet when I was very little, but I never asked her to teach me to knit. I used to be mad at myself for not asking her when I had the chance. Now that I think about it, she had such little patience that I don't think that would have gone well. At one point I did try to teach myself to knit with a book and a baby blanket pattern, but I got bored long before it was even swatch-worthy. BUT, once I was out of hand-knit socks.... I knew it was time to try again. So, yeah, I finally learned to knit - with socks!



My knitting habit started around the same time as this blog actually. One of my first entries was my first pair of socks. You'll notice that was in April of '05. I only wore them a couple of times and put them away for the summer. I (apparently) brought them with me on our camping trip that August. It (usually) gets cold at night up in the mountains. shortly after that... they vanished....



Fast forward to this weekend. I pulled out the sleeping bags to air them out.





Imagine my surprise as I find MY SOCKS. My FIRST SOCKS!



After 3 years, the Prodigal Socks have returned. Last year there were record high temps and I ended up sleeping on TOP of my bag (which I evidently neglected to air before the trip and didn't bother after since I didn't use it). The year before, I skipped camp, being 9m pregnant and all (worked out well since Colin was born while the big guys were still at camp with the ILs...).

Now, these are not the prettiest socks - or the best socks I ever knit. not even the most comfortable. But they are my FIRST socks. They are a rite of passage and a symbol of my becoming a Knitter.

Random Recap

A) I wanted to respond to Diane's comment on the last post:

Calling it "why don't I own a knitting machine?" instead of "why didn't I decide to knit socks for someone with smaller feet" is probably a good thing. lol
it isn't the socks that are never-ending mind-numbing stockinette hell. it is a giant pioece of fabric to be felted into a batting/backing for a collaged art qult. the socks are moving along well and should make nice commuter knitting - which brings me to..

The shawls look great. How you manage to do all this with so many little ones in the house is amazing.

I am starting a new job soon, so I am home in the interm. the big guys are in school and the baby naps about 3 hours a day. I can also knit while he plays most of the time.

B) I finished my "Library Challenge" block. The theme is "What is on your Library shelf?"

my apologies for the crappy lighting. All of the blocks submitted will be assembled into a quilt. the names of all the guild members that submitted a block will all go into a hat and the winner's name will be drawn. YAY!

C) Ryan has decided to move into a tent in the living room.

I am now shopping for "bed tents" for the big guys so I can have my living room back.

D) Remember the collage quilt I talked about last time? well, mom started hers. Andy is fascinted by it. I found it hard to believe, but Andy didn't know what a collage was. I explained that Eric Carle's illustrations are collage. He is a HUGE fan of Eric Clarle's work - HUGE! so.. he and I are making a quilt based on Carle's work. pics to come next time!