I'm Engaged!

I had definately been having a "Friday the thirteenth" kind of day. Nothing really bad had happened, it was just that things didn't exactly go right. I had about fourty minutes left before I could close the store when he came in, a glass rose in hand.

"How did you know I needed this today?" I said, reaching up to hug him.

"There's a card." he said. I dropped my arms from around his neck and looked down. There was a red heart tied around the stem that said "I Love You" and when I opened it the words "will you marry me" were written inside.

"Yes!" I wrapped my arms around him again and tried to fight back the tears. I could feel him struggling to pull something out of his jacket so I reluctantly let him go. He pulled out a black velvet box with two rings in it.

"You have to pick one." he said.

"Their both beautiful. How do I choose one?" I choked out.

"Is she crying?" Cana said from two aisles over.

"Yes" he said and I nodded. We were both shaking so I suggested we go outside. We held each other for a few minutes more before I could see Cana being swamped by customers.

"I have to go back in, I'll see you at home." I kissed him and went back into the store to be of no help at all. It's hard to work when you are shaking. I managed to push a broom around and call my family before we locked up and I rushed home to be with my fiance'.

A Really, Really, Really Long Night

I recently mentioned Boo's new talent for opening doors but last night he took his talent to a whole new level.  He managed to escape from his room at least five times between the hours of one and five last night.  I know I may sound like a bit of a whiner because I didn't get any sleep but I am mother to two wonder children who almost always sleep through the night, I'm just not used to this. 
It all started shortly after Travis came home from work.  I was working on the last of my Christmas knitting and waiting for the dryer so I waited up to spend a little time with him.  Shortly after our heads hit our pillows we were out.  A little while later I awoke to the sound of our bedroom door opening and my giggling little man pulling me out of bed to come help him turn on the Wii. 
Now, I don't know about you but I'm a bit frighted that my not quite two year old is able to do the things he can with all the electronics in the house.  By the time he dragged me out of bed he already had one of the Wii remotes out and turned on along with the Wii console and the TV.  When we got into the living room he handed me the remote to the TV so I could help him switch the signal to hook up to the Wii.  After I picked my jaw up off the floor I scooped him up in my arms and tucked him back into bed. 
My suspicions that it was going to be a long night were confirmed about an hour later when I was again yanked from sleep to the sound of our bedroom door opening.  It was Travis' turn this time.  I elbowed him in the ribs and he whisked Boo back to his room and deposited him in bed.  We took turns doing this at least three more times.  I'm a little hazy about all the details but I do clearly remember after the last time I put him back to bed I laid my head down on my pillow while snuggling back into the covers only to hear the sound of my dreaded alarm. 

Milestones

There are so many times as parents when we praise our children for their different milestones and accomplishments, then take a breath and realize how much harder our lives are going to become.  For example: "Yay!  Look he's crawling... ah dang, he's mobile now." -or-  "Woohoo!  She just took her first step... crap, now she'll be even harder to catch." 
We just ran across another one of those milestones at our house.  Boo has learned how to open doors, and not just the ones with the lever handles, but the regular, old fashioned round doorknobs.  You might wonder why this is such a big "Oh No!" moment for us so I will explain. 
Travis and I, like most parents today have full time jobs.  I am the General Manager of a retail automotive parts store and Travis is a diesel mechanic.  I work fifty plus hours a week and he works at least forty.  Travis works the swing shift from 4pm to midnight and generally has the same days off.  I write my own schedule but it is never the same from week to week.  With our weird schedules we don't see a whole lot of each other but we are primarily the ones raising our kids and only have to have grandma babysit a couple times a week. 
Herein lies the problem with doorknobs.  Travis gets home between two and three most days and is still sleeping when I leave most mornings.  Boo has always been a great sleeper and even when he did wake up early he would grab a book from his bookshelf, crawl back into bed, and read or play quietly until he heard someone up and about.  Now there is no rest for the wicked.  He gets up, starts giggling as he is opening his door, runs across the front room, and makes his way into our bedroom.  We didn't know how good we had it until that fateful morning about a week ago when we looked at each other with sleepy disbelieving eyes realizing he had just learned how to escape. 
Writing about this makes me wonder what the next milestone is going to be.  What new wonderful yet horrible things are we in for as parents?  I guess only time will tell.

Christmas Must Have Come Early

I was surprised to find that Christmas must have come early when I was picking up the kids from Grandma's house after work today.  Apparently Nana and Great Grandma and Papa visited while Travis and I had the plague; during their visit they came bearing gifts.  Peanut and Boo both got new hats from the Great Grandpartents.  In the middle of our modeling session Boo made quick use of his new Wyoming Cowboys hat and gave chase to a neighborhood bunny.  I was impressed; he made it to within about eight feet before spooking the bunny.

Nana came bearing gifts from her recent trip to Las Vegas.  They both made out like bandits with gear from Disney's The Lion King at Mandalay Bay.  Boo got a new t-shirt and matching hat and a stuffed animal.  Peanut got a new t-shirt and a stuffed animal.  They both also received Hallmark books recorded by Nana.  It was perfect timing as Boo and I just finished reading The Lion King as our bedtime story.

What Was I Thinking?

I love daylight savings in the fall.  I got to sleep in yet still get up early enough to get a jump on the day.  Boo and I crawled out of bed, got dressed, kissed Daddy and Sissy goodby, then went to the store.  Early morning grocery store visits are excellent opportunities to teach Boo how to behave while shopping.  With fewer people comes fewer distractions.  If it's not busy I can let him walk with me instead of strapping him into the cart; we can have fun together while he learns how to be a gentleman.  Today he was quite the little helper.  He helped pick out the groceries and put them in the cart.  It was quite the shock when he showed me how tall he has gotten by putting stuff in the cart all by himself.
When we got home from our shopping excursion we made super easy monkey bread bread using Pilsbury cinnamon rolls.  This is a great recipe to use if you are ever in need of tricking someone that you can actually back.  It looks beautiful and requires very little effort.  Boo and I changed the recipe a bit this morning by using the orange rolls and craisins as opposed to regular cinnamon rolls and nuts.  We'll have to make them that way again, the craisins mellow out the super sweet orange rolls perfectly.
Later in the day after Dad had gone to work I decided Boo needed a trim.  I am not entirely sure what I was thinking, but I think it went a little bit like this... "His hair is getting really long... Travis has trimmed it before with out too much trouble... I'm a female and a Mom, I should be able to do a better job than he has done... It's just trimmers, it's not like I am going to cut his head off... He does really good when we take him to the hair dressers..."  Needless to say, Boo is no longer sporting his mohawk but is completely bald.  We started out in his highchair in the middle of the kitchen.  As I drew near with the clippers he started giggling uncontrollably.  The tighter I held his head the more he moved and soon the giggling turned into cries of "Noo way!"  After a few minutes of this I decided to try moving him into the bathroom to use the mirror as a distraction device.  This tact started out a bit better but quickly spiraled out of control and ended with him playing in the sink, me throwing my hands in the air, and Boo looking very much like his favorite cartoon "Caillou."

Finished!

Peanut's footie overalls are finished!  The best part is they aren't too small and she should be able to wear them for a while.  She has been getting so big I was a bit concerned she would never get to wear them.  I knit a whole lot of love in those itty bitty stitches and would have been a little bummed to see them wrapped around some someone else's baby. 

I found the pattern Pepita on Ravelry.  The instructions were well written and very easy to follow.  I found the stockinette stitch knit in the round to be relaxing in the evenings after a long day at work but they worked up quickly enough I didn't find myself bored.  The one piece design with built in socks stays put and doesn't ride up while baby is squirming and the densely knit fabric is warm and soft.  The yarn is Baby Bee Sweet Delight in Sunny.  It is a nylon, acrylic blend which is able to be washed when needed, a must for busy mommys.  I wish I had enough time to make a few more but I am sure she will have grown out of them by the time I finish. 
  

The Downhill Pull

Peanut's Footie Overalls are nearly finished.  I have finished one leg and foot and am about halfway done with the second.  When that's finished all I have to do is graft the crotch and find some cute buttons. 

The other day while I was knitting Boo decided to climb up into my lap.  He sat very still so I decided to chance it and picked up my needles and continue.  Due to the size of the leg, I was knitting on two circular needles.  When I started knitting with the front needle one of the rear points flipped into prime toddler reach.  Before I could move it back out of his way Boo grabbed the needle and began gently moving it around in much the same way I was moving the needles in my hand.  I couldn't believe it; my little man was 'helping' me knit.  It didn't last long but our knitting session was wonderful.  It seems I may have a future knitter on my hands.