Picture Post

I finally uploaded a bunch of pics, so here are some of them, in no particular order:


Breakfast

Bottoms up!

Pretty Girl (in one of the sweaters I knit her)

Crackin' Herself Up

I love the look on her face

Leg Warmers!!

Voila! The finished product, modeled by Ella Jo:

Rainbow Brite, anyone?

Baby legs

Cute lil' diaper bum

I made them big so she can wear them for awhile. I also learned that knitting stripes while knitting in the round can be tricky. Since knitting in the round is actually knitting a spiral, when you change colors for stripes, you get a little "notch" or zig-zag from where you picked up that new color. I didn't do it in this project, but next time I'll go back with a crochet hook and pick up a stich from a couple rows below the zig-zag and correct the error. Oh well, Ella will never know the difference :)

Mary Poppins for a Week

Ok, so I WISH I were Mary Poppins! The accent, living in London, looking like Julie Andrews, singing like Julie Andrews, having Dick Van Dyke as a friend, that sweet carpet bag....oh, and the MAGIC would be awesome, too.
I say this because I have been watching Gracie (7 yrs) and Oliver (4.5 yrs) since Wednesday afternoon. Their parents are in NYC until late Sunday night. And I must say, taking care of two around the clock is HARD, even though they're school-age and can do many things on their own. I think what exhausts me the most is the school schedule: get Gracie to school on time, get Oliver to pre-school on time, pick up Oliver at one, pick up Gracie at 3, then off to either ballet or Tae Kwon Do. Mostly, I'm not used to it, but I think it'd be okay if I were used to it. The kids do incredibly well with it, though, and they have one extra-curricular each, which is only one night a week. Tonight will be nice, since we can come home straight from school and either go to the park or take the dog for a walk. Then dinner, baths, and movie and popcorn. And if they're good they can stay up until 8:30! They're really good kids, though, and have been doing very well with their parents being gone. They call them every night and mom and dad left a couple little presents for the kiddos to open throughout the duration. We have fun things planned for this weekend, which gives them things to look forward to. The weather is supposed to turn crabby, so we're going to see the new Veggie Tales movie, have a play date (so I can go to my knitting class), and go to the zoo after church on Sunday. Fun fun!!

Baby Ella and her mom are in L.A. this week, so I get Monday and Tuesday as a weekend, and I'm just going to sleep and read. That's it.

Sick Baby

Ella is sick. She and her mom got sick this past weekend. Both had fevers Sunday, Ella's peaking at 103.9. Eeek! Her fever subsided Monday afternoon and she's been super tired and congested ever since. She's clingy, fussy, sleepy, hardly eats anything, and has a diaper rash to boot! Poor little punkin. It's so hard to see her sick and hear her little cough. Her sweet little voice is all husky and low. It's a joy when she does smile and giggle for a little - yay for small triumphs throughout the day! Next goal: pumping more fluids. That and getting protein in her (actually, ANY food) is challenging. I can't wait until she's better and goes back to being the little champion eater!

Leg Warmers

Here's my current knitting project: leg warmers for Ella!
I'm hoping to get them finished this week, before my sock class starts Saturday morning.
I'm using dpn's for this project and LOVE it. Why haven't I used them more?!
I'll be sure to post the finished project, modeled by Miss Ella!

Nap Time

Oh, how those words are music to my ears!
Ella and I are now trying to figure out making it through the day with only one nap. She's 15 months old today and we all think it's time. Her parents (and even the dog!) were zombies when I arrived this morning. Apparently Ella really fought them last night and didn't fall asleep until around 3am. Poor Chad and Jina! (I'm so glad I'm not a live-in nanny!!) She slept until 10:20 this morning and then I kept her up until 2:30 this afternoon. Poor, tired little punkin! And I am under strict orders to only let her sleep for an hour.
I don't know how this will work. It's going to be interesting.
Any and all advice is welcome!!

2008 Reading List

(drum roll, please...)

2007 was definately the year of re-reads for me, which I found to be delightful! I'm on to some new books this year - with an occasional re-read for good measure - and have decided that I'll try to choose the majority of the books I read from the list of Pulitzer Prize winning novels. Once I finish my current book (a 2007 Newberry Honor winner), I'm going to start Marilyn Robinson's Gilead. I'm not sure where I'll turn afterwards, so stay tuned...

Long Update...Part Deux

What else has been going on...

Well, I finished out 2007 having read 44 books. My goal was 50. Eh, close enough. I do recommend the book Labyrinth, by Kate Mosse. Check it out - it's really good.

This coming year is going to be one of big changes. I'm currently updating my teaching placement file and researching school districts in Alaska. Teaching up there has been a dream of mine for the past 5 or 6 years and now is definately the time to head up there. I've seen God's hand in this decision over the past four or so months and I know it's the right thing. Now the job search commences! I've narrowed down school districs by geography: basically, I'd like to go near or around southeast Alaska. Kodiak Island is my first choice, followed by Juneau, Ketchikan, and Skagway. There are others I am researching, too. Southeast AK's climate is similar to that of Seattle's, yet they do get good snow. It'd be tragic to move to AK and not get any snow! I'm also planning on applying in Anchorage and Fairbanks, even though they are hundreds of miles apart. Anchorage, Fairbanks, and Juneau all have universities where I can work on a professional certificate and eventually my master's, which will most likely be in reading and/or literacy.

"Why Alaska?" is now the most FAQ I get from people. Well, many reasons. I've always desired to work with native cultures, as my mom's side of the family is Native American and it's an integral part of who I am. I also want to go where there is a great need for teachers. The turnover rate for teachers in AK is pretty high, which I admit makes me somewhat nervous, but the need there is so great and I hold fast to the belief that every child deserves a quality education. The chances of me finding a job in the greater Seattle area are slim-to-none, almost the same as my chances of finding a teaching job in MI. And then there's the sweet perk of the salary in AK. They pay really well, have amazing healthcare, and once you're a resident, you get paid to live there!

I do admit that I am growing restless. Don't get me wrong - I LOVE Seattle and my life here. Waking up on a perfectly clear Christmas morning and seeing both the Olympic and Cascade mountain ranges from all sides was pretty stinkin' amazing. But I have this adventurous streak that runs through me that is yearning for another adventure and completely new place. I'm getting very excited about everything and do pray that the right job opens it's arms to me. God has always been faithful, and God's timing has always been perfect. I'm excited to see how all of this will work out...

Ella is wonderful. It's hard to think about leaving her this fall. Jina and I went and looked at a daycare this morning. It's sad to picture her in daycare, but I also know that there are some really good daycares out there where she will be loved and taken care of. I'm trusting God with this, too, even though I get really emotional whenever I think about it. That child has become like a little niece to me and I love her dearly.

Ok, changing subject....

Knitting. Well, a resolution for last year was to knit socks. Oops. I am, however, signed up for a sock knitting class that begins on the 19th. Right after that class ends I am taking a color class, where I'll learn how to knit Fair Isle patterns. Fair Isle socks for everyone this Christmas! I also need to get going on an afghan for my friends Andrea and Michael. They're getting married in June. I found a pattern for a neat cable-knit afghan, so now all I need is yarn and an idea of what color to knit it.

Wedding plans...for Andrea, not me! Heavens no, I'm not ready to get married! (an incredibly independent streak runs parallel to that adventurous streak) I'm heading to Grand Rapids in March for a whirlwind of a long weekend so I can help out with wedding plans. I'm Andrea's maid-of-honor and am doing my best to help with the planning whilst living 3,000 miles away. It's difficult. That weekend will be good, though. We'll work on making stuff, shop for shoes, start to plan out a bachelorette party, etc. Her aunt is also throwing her a shower and is adamant that she throw it when I'm in town. I'm flattered and very thankful. My goal was to make it to at least one wedding shower.

Aye. It's 11 out here and I am tired!

Here are some pictures of Miss Ella Jo:

Long Update...Part Un

I just realized that I didn't post at all in December. Oops. Sorry about that.

The holidays were great! I was at all three of our Christmas Eve services at church (none of which had skits - hallelujah!!). Chad, Jina, and Ella came to the 5pm with me and then we went out to dinner. I was in choir and did flute stuff for the 8pm and 11pm. It was a loooong day, but a rich, meaningful one. I spent Christmas day over at Ella's. We opened gifts in the morning (all morning! the grandparents sent tons of gifts for that precious child!), which was tons of fun. Ella got lots of fun books, toys, and clothes to last her quite awhile. We've been having lots of fun playing and dressing her up these past couple weeks!

One thing that was terrific about Christmas day was that it started to snow! First it was just slushy and I was reminded of the falling grape slurpies that the French peas threw over the wall of Jericho in that Veggie Tales movie. But then the snowflakes got big and puffy and the snow actually started to stick, even though it was 37 degrees. Jina and I took Ella and the dog for a walk in the snow that afternoon. The flakes fell on our eyelashes (mine and Ella's as Jina claims she just has "Asian stumps" for eyelashes) and Ella's little cheeks got all rosy. Lovely.

The days following Christmas were low-key, aside from the drama with my car getting new brakes. It's a really long story, so I'll just leave y'all with this bit of advice: NEVER GO TO FIRESTONE FOR YOUR CAR. The service was terrible, to say the least, and the whole experience has left a bad taste in my mouth. Thankfully, my car wasn't fixed by Firestone (they just did a diagnostic that was terrible), so Chad and I got my car to Les Schwaab, where we had exceptional customer service at a price nearly $500 lower than Firestone!

Well, this is the end of Part 1 of my long update. I need to head to the gym before they close!

More later...