everything He gives

Noey’s day (5!)

January 5, 2018 MarthaKimballLeave a comment

DSC_0003 (1) DSC_0016 (1) DSC_0020 (1) DSC_0025 (1) DSC_0030 (1) DSC_0033 (1) DSC_0039 (1) Oh my sweet son. I’m so very proud of you. Five years old feels like a big deal and seeing you reach this milestone—one whole hand—it squeezes my heart a little bit hard. I’m happy and excited to see you grow, but mostly just feel like I’m grasping at sand slipping through my busy fingers. How to really not miss a moment of these fleeting days? So often busy with necessary work, with hurdles in front of us, with decisions to be made and mundane things that preoccupy. And then here you are, my once quiet snuggly little man child, now all long and tall and losing all that baby chub. It’s so wonderful to have a boy in the home–all the pants with holes in the knees, the stinky boy breath, the noise and cars and the way that everything morphs into a weapon. Also to see the special bond and understanding you have with your daddy. The way he knows just what treats and toys will light up your world. The way you two love to run errands together and have little pockets of man time. It was a special memory for us all this past summer when he took just you for a long weekend to the beach to visit with your Baba and Nain. I don’t think you’ll ever forget all the fun you had together. This past year was the year you quietly and without fanfare asked Jesus into your heart. Your little spirit is coming to life, delighting in Jesus, asking to pray at most meals, loving to learn about God and His Word. Can I tell you, there really is no greater delight for a parent than to share my greatest delight with you? To see Him at work in you, growing and shaping you. You’re learning how to be a little gentlemen, too, with so many ladies in the house to look after and take care of. I love to see your bond with your sisters, the way you are learning to gently care for them, to use your strength not to harm or hurt but to protect. You take joy in being the one to hold open the door for us, and I see your delight in using your strength to serve. We have our hurdles at times, son, of course–but

Your favorite foods are pizza (in your daddy’s footsteps), applesauce, cereal and pancakes, chips and popcorn. You are still addicted to your dee-T (blankie) which is fine by me. Rue the day you outgrow dee-T! You are sensitive, careful, a tinkerer, loud and wiggly, bouncy and giggly, a lover of music (drums especially) and riding bikes. You can’t wait to grow up and have a “real race car with a trailer behind it.”

This was maybe the most fun birthday we’ve had with you yet because you were actually excited about opening presents and didn’t mind us singing happy birthday to you since it was just us. When you opened your playmobil “trash truck” (recycling) you said, “Yes!! Now we can go trashing all day!” You held it up at the window for the trash men to see when they went by the next day, and they honked at you and gave a thumbs up. It was a treat to see you build your lego airplane with daddy and I think you’re finally at the age where you really enjoy legos and playmobil. It always surprises me how much you love your hand knits, and you wanted to put your new birthday sweater on right away. I’m just glad it actually fit well! You reminded me all day that you wanted a chocolate cake with chocolate icing and that you wanted cereal for dinner. I made spaghetti, which is another of your favorites, hoping to entice you with it, but in the end relented and let you have cereal.

I look forward to the adventures we’ll have in the coming year! Welcoming a new baby with you as my big boy helper, spring and planting our garden, fall and your official start of school. So many new things to come! Your daddy and I adore you and thank God for you. Happy 5th birthday!

Love,
Mom

yarn along

January 3, 2018 MarthaKimball8 Comments

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I cast on these socks on Christmas day as a little treat to myself (the yarn was a Christmas gift from me Brandon) after a long stretch of gift knitting. It’s only my second pair of socks for myself that I’ve ever made, and they are going to fit so much better than the first pair I made, which ended up far too big. So I’m on the foot of the second sock and should be done with these in the next couple of days. I discovered yesterday, to my dismay, that one of the kids had sat on my knitting bag and my size 1 wooden knitting needles were all in shards inside the stitches. I thankfully have this one pair of size 1 circulars, but I have always knit socks on DPNs so it’s taken some getting used to. I’m enjoying it though! I still have so many upcoming projects on the brain, many little baby things I’m excited to cast on. I have some yarn leftover from these socks and may knit up a few pairs of baby socks to match for our little girl coming next month. (Ahh! Next month! That sounds so strange and sort of terrifyingly close.)

I’ve also just started reading Five for Sorrow, Ten for Joy per Ginny’s book recommendation list, in the spirit of wanting to read more fiction and more classics. I’m not sure what I think yet, not quite hooked yet but I will keep at it.

I’m so so excited that Ginny has started up this yarn along again! I’ve missed it and all of you lovely knitters out there!

Linking up with Ginny of Small Things and Nicole’s weekly Crafting On.
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winter rose

December 28, 2017December 28, 2017 MarthaKimballLeave a comment

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Christmas morning dawned beautifully here. The light did somehow seem different–rosy pink, fresh, full of new life. The children were up not too early, mostly their usual time, while I was busy making coffee and grain-free cinnamon rolls. I had saved a little frosting from Phoebe’s cake to put on top of the cinnamon rolls and they were heavenly. We opened stockings first, giving them our usual things–socks, underwear, toothbrushes, candies and dried fruits, some purple sock yarn for phoebe, a toy car for noah, a bath toy turtle for philippa. Just little items, over which they took such joy! (As I’m typing this I just now remembered I forgot to tuck one little gift into Noah and Phoebe’s stocking! Ahh! My poor brain. Lately I really feel worn down, brain tired. It doesn’t bode well for starting school back up with phoebe next week.) After stockings, we had breakfast and read the Christmas story from the scriptures, and then commenced opening gifts under the tree.

We told the children in the fall that the play gym we were working on for them would be their big christmas gift. I had bought each of them a coloring book and a chalkboard slate (really actually need these for school), but otherwise we didn’t have presents for them to open Christmas morning. They had a couple gifts from grandparents to open, and their Hape Mine Mountain train toy was a huge hit! Brandon gifted me a Fringe Supply project bag which I love, and some sock yarn that I’ve been eyeing for awhile. I bought him a warm Carhartt coat for work. I did manage to finish knitting his beanie at midnight on Christmas Eve, just in the “nick” of time, as they say. Brandon and I had been talking about getting a family gift of a kitty for the kids, but kept going back and forth about the timing and whether or not we really could afford to take on a pet right now. It’s been years since we’ve had any pets and I admit, it’s been so nice! I kept imagining a little white kitten in a box under the tree, and a few days before Christmas Brandon visited a local shelter and adopted one. Some kind friends cat-sat her for us until Christmas Eve, and we kept her hidden in the sunroom while the kids slept. We had them each open a part of the family gift–a set of bowls, a cat bed, a cat toy–and then they opened the box she was in. Their reaction was quieter than we expected, I think they were shocked that there was a real live animal right in our living room. Slowly the giggles and glee and squeals took over! It’s been such a joy the last few days to see them interact with her, care for her, figure out how to pick her up carefully or get her to play with them. We don’t know much of her backstory, but she is 3 months old and the shelter had named her Belmont, but the kids have decided to name her Winter Rose, and mostly are just calling her Rose. I am slowly warming up to her, too, kittens are just irresistible. I am, however, holding to my position that she be an outside cat come spring.

After Christmas morning we had a small lunch and then headed out for a hike instead of putting kids down for naps. It was absolutely freezing here, but I was especially craving some time out on the quiet parkway nearby, so we drove a short way up and hopped on the Mountain to Sea trail for a bit of a hike. Despite my bad back pain (which has been the worst this pregnancy) it was still so nice to be out breathing fresh cold mountain air for a bit. We came home and Brandon helped me make a simple Christmas dinner just for us–baked ham, scalloped potatoes, and a salad of mixed greens, citrus + pomegranate. I had hoped to make a cherry pie for Brandon, but just didn’t have the energy to pull it off. I will surprise him with one soon, he’s been waiting for one since Thanksgiving. I’m feeling really weary after all the kid’s birthdays, holiday celebrations, and I’m looking forward to the next couple months which will hopefully be more quiet until baby comes in February.

It was a simple day spent together, and there was some quiet ache in the midst of all the beauty–the longing for things we can’t quite name that always seems to be stirred up on Christmas day. The children were happy and we were tired and happy with them. I think our Advent season this year was one of my favorites–as they get older, it is so rewarding to see them learn and understand and process. It’s sad to let it go, and today I think I’ll begin packing away some of the decorations. But our hearts are full from the time together and our minds are turning now to the new year and whatever hopeful things may be in store for us in it.

I hope you had a lovely Christmas and are enjoying these last few days of 2017, and that the year to come is full of hope and promise and joy for you! I’ll be back to share pictures from Noah and Phoebe’s birthday soon.

first snow

December 22, 2017 MarthaKimballLeave a comment

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The “first” everything in this home is special, as we are still finding our way in these four walls. Decorating the house for the Christmas season is new, finding new homes for old favorite decorations.

I’ve been looking forward to our first snow in this home for a long time, really since before we bought the home. Last February we were out of our rental, living temporarily with my parents while waiting to close on this home, and we drove over one day to drive by the house on a snowy day. The neighborhood was transformed, so quiet and pretty and white, and we couldn’t wait for the day when we’d be building snowmen in the yard and tracking footprints all over the yard in our own fresh snow.

The snow began early in the morning before the kids were up, and it just kept coming and coming, all day long. We had a playdate at a friend’s house and had a blast playing in the snow together with them, stayed through lunch and then realized the roads were quite covered and we had better hurry home. We slid around all the way, but made it safely. I had the kids rest briefly but then we couldn’t bear to not be out playing in it all. Daddy came home from work early with milk and a couple other provisions and we prepared to hunker down for the weekend. We were prepared to lose power, as some other folks around us had, but miraculously we didn’t. Church was canceled on Sunday but our roads were relatively clear by then, so we headed instead to our very favorite pottery place in a nearby town, where we have gone every Christmas season since before Phoebe was born. They have an open house the second weekend of December usually, and you can get a free small pottery mug (per person) and they have hot cider, snacks and treats, live folksy music, and crafts for kids. We often buy a little christmas ornament or something there to support them and it’s just one of the most Christmasy feeling things we look forward to doing during the season. So festive and fun. We try to get a picture every year in front of their cheery red door.

Otherwise, I’ve attempted to keep our December still and quiet. Advent readings and Christmas hymns begin and end our days. We’ve made yummy grain-free Christmas cookies (though I never got around to making icing for them) similar to these. We decorated the tree one evening and remembered all our favorite ornaments. I treasure the junky kid-made ornaments, especially the ones from last year that Phoebe made while in the hospital in Winston Salem waiting for her endoscopy procedure. My, what can change in a year’s time. Phoebe has been practicing for weeks at church to sing in the Christmas children’s choir, and she requested a solo. They sang last Sunday and what a joy it was to see her do so well, and to see her making new friends at our new church home.

This week is busy with birthday celebrations and today will probably be our quietest day until after Christmas. Phoebe turns 7 tomorrow and I still have a few things to do to prepare. Mostly, I just can’t believe that teeny tiny baby girl has gotten so big, grown-up, sophisticated and smart. Sob. With little ones, our lives are filled with change even as we try to nail a few things down around us.

I hope your December has been cheerful and meaningful thus far, and that you are enjoying these last few days before Christmas. If I don’t pop in here before then, Merry Christmas to you and yours! May you find Jesus to be enough for you, the very fulness of joy, and every other good merely the overflow of His grace.

yarn along

December 19, 2017 MarthaKimballLeave a comment

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Who else is still gift knitting?! I finished Noah’s sweater a couple nights ago, blocked it early yesterday morning and hoping it finishes drying today so I can wrap it up tonight. (His birthday is tomorrow). I bought this yarn for Brandon for a beanie (his most preferred knitted item) awhile ago and have been keeping it a secret knit, so I can only work on it during the day when he’s not here. I typically knit at night after the kids are in bed, so it’s harder to fit in daytime knitting but I’m squeezing in little bits here and there and hope to have this done by Christmas eve! (I plan to put it in his stocking). I made two beanies from this pattern before for my sister and brother-in-law, and Brandon really liked the fit of it, and he loves sort of a burnt orange/brown color, so I think this will be a hit. There are a couple other small knitted items for Phoebe that I want to make, but if it doesn’t happen before Christmas it’s really not a big deal. I thought she’d enjoy opening a hand knit sweater for her American girl doll, and also we are giving her her first (real) bible for her birthday and I wanted to knit a special bookmark for it. Also, she’s been asking for a bonnet for a long time and I found a free pattern that I think would work with the yarn I have leftover from her vertebrae cardigan, but again, that doesn’t necessarily have to happen before Christmas. Phoebe is the most fun to knit for, as she truly appreciates my hand knits about as much as I do!

I’m still reading and enjoying Housewife Theologian (affiliate link). I don’t anticipate much reading happening this week, as we are entering a busy week of two birthdays and then Christmas.

For whoever else is still trying to wrap up those last hand made gifts, cheers to you and I hope you enjoy every minute of making! Tis the season.

Linking up with Nicole’s weekly Crafting On.

one special thing

December 13, 2017 MarthaKimballLeave a comment

Photos from the first week of Advent. A tree hunt at several local roadside stands ended with a car full of disappointed children and no tree–they were twice as expensive as our little favorite tree farm! So the next day we made a special trip back out to “our” farm, even though it was a bit of a drive, and cut our own tree as we’ve done for many years now. It’s way more fun, anyway. I guess I stupidly assumed roadside tree stands would be cheaper. Anyway, the children were so happy to bring that tree in the house and make room for it.

We’re trying to do one special thing each day of Advent, whether it’s something as small as pulling out one more Christmas decoration, or something a little more time-consuming like dehydrating orange slices to sew into a little garland, or an act of charity/kindness to a neighbor. On December 6th, St. Nicholas Feast day, we watched a little educational movie about St. Nicholas and colored pictures, and the children had set out their boots by the door the night before and woke up to find their new pair of knitted mittens. Phoebe and I worked on finishing up her first semester of school, both of us feeling weary and needing a winter break.

yarn along

December 12, 2017 MarthaKimball2 Comments

I did in fact visit my favorite local-ish yarn store last week and picked out yarn for noah’s sweater, and cast on. I am skeptical that I’ll have this finished in the next week, but I am doing my best! He asked me yesterday if I’m making him a sweater this year and when I’m going to start on it, so that’s a good sign that it’ll be a worthwhile endeavor. 🙂 I’m knitting the “tot lot #10” sweater, using Shepherd’s wool in I think the Shepherd red color way. Really liking it so far, just a simple knit. It’s knit from the bottom up, so I’ve finished the body (up to the yoke) and also the first sleeve and now am onto sleeve number two.

I’ve been reading Housewife Theologian, which is a book I’ve had for a few years now and finally getting around to reading. I’m enjoying it so far.

Linking up with Nicole’s weekly Crafting On.
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yarn along

December 5, 2017 MarthaKimballLeave a comment

I finished the Advent mittens for the kids, but decided to give them to them tomorrow for St. Nicholas’ day. I’ve printed off some coloring sheets and we’ll make some Christmas cookies as we learn about who St. Nicholas was. I thought it would be fun for them to have a little something to open on that day.

I need to get started on Noah’s birthday sweater, as his bday is quickly approaching, but while I wait to get the yarn I cast on some mellow shorts for baby girl. I’ve been dying to cast this on and all I want to knit is baby knits! 🙂 But Noah has asked for a red sweater, and he truly enjoys my hand knits so I can’t resist making him something for his birthday. I just visited my favorite yarn store today to get yarn for him and will hopefully cast on sometime later today/tonight.

Also, the needle case pictured was a birthday gift from Brandon (though I picked it out) from the etsy shop Pea Pod Thread and I love it. My only complaint is that I can’t really fit my fixed circulars in there, and definitely no DPNS so I still feel like I need another case for organizing those. My knit picks interchangeable needles are very happy, though, to have a new home, after the plastic case they came in was completely torn.

I’ve been really enjoying the first week of Advent readings from this book, Hallelujah, by Cindy Rollins. Her book, Mere Motherhood, has been one of my very favorites. This one journeys through the scripture and music of Handel’s Messiah, which we have been doing together in the mornings. We still spend evenings in Ann Voskamp’s Unwrapping the Greatest Gift while the kids color corresponding ornaments to decorate our little wooden Jesse tree. I grew up listening to Handel’s Messiah every Christmas and it holds a special place in my heart, so it is exciting to share it with the children, even if it may be a bit over their heads.

Joining with Nicole’s weekly Crafting On.
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a big girl

December 4, 2017December 4, 2017 MarthaKimballLeave a comment

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The day before Thanksgiving was Philippa’s third birthday. Being that all of our children thus far have birthdays around the holidays, we often struggle with how to celebrate both Christmas and birthdays reasonably, simply, and economically. We’ve tried different things each year, it seems. This year, we’re making a bit more of birthdays and planning a lower-key, less-gifts sort of Christmas.

Philippa woke on her day early, and it’s the first birthday where she has really talked about it for weeks before her big day, and both girls woke up eager for birthday fun (Phoebe enjoys other people’s birthdays just as much as her own). Phippa really can’t wait to be “a big girl.” We had to wake sleepy Noah up a bit early that morning so birthday girl could open a few gifts before daddy headed off to work. Usually we let the birthday child decide the meal plan and activities for the day, but her only real request was for chocolate cake with blueberries. A girl who knows what she wants. 🙂 We gave her a few gifts in the morning–a hand-dyed play silk from my favorite blogger, Ginny, and her lovely little handmade shop. It smells heavenly and is simply gorgeous. Ginny generously sent along some stickers (made from her own nature photography) as well for Philippa, which was such a treat (though I was tempted to keep them for myself). She also sweetly worked hard to get Philippa’s gift to her on time, which meant a lot to me! We let Philippa open her birthday dress and her toy, which was a wooden stable with horses. That was a huge hit with each of the kids and they all played with it all day.

I made a grain-free, dairy-free and refined sugar-free chocolate cake from the Celebrations cookbook (sidenote: amazing cookbook!) for Philippa, topped with the vanilla buttercream from the same cookbook. I did something funny/wrong with the frosting so I had to play a bit with it to get it to spread on the cake, but it ended up being delicious.

We had a fairly regular sort of day otherwise, school and cleaning and playing outside. Daddy came home with a balloon for her, which she loved. After dinner my parents stopped by with their gift for Philippa and we let her open the rest of the gifts before cake. We gave her her own “journal” (from Michaels) and her first real set of colored pencils. I found a really cute handmade pencil roll-up case at this etsy shop, and it happened to have foxes on it, which Philippa loves. I wasn’t sure if she’d be too young to appreciate it, but she has treasured this little gift every day since, and has used many of her stickers from Ginny to decorate her journal, too. She seems to feel quite grown up with own little set of pencils. My parents gifted her a sweet new dress and pair of pajamas, and a tiny little mini mug. She opened my hand knit sweater for her and promptly tossed it aside, as she did with the rest of the clothes, but the next day she was eager to try everything on and wear it. We also gave her a ukulele, and it has been okay, but I didn’t realize it wasn’t real wood and sort of wish we had gotten this one for her. Still, for our music-loving kids, it has been fun for each of them to have something to play together (Phoebe, her violin; Noah his drums, and now Philippa her little uke).

A couple days later Philippa agreed to let me snap some pictures of her in her sweater that I made (ravelry notes here), and I’m super proud of it. I feel like it’s the first one I’ve made that has fit how I wanted it to. It’s a cropped sweater, so the body is supposed to be short on it, and it looks darling over dresses. She seems to really like it, too.

It was a fun day, even though there were some usual hiccups and challenges along the way. Her hair did briefly catch on fire while blowing out candles. 🙂 I remember Philippa’s second birthday being hard, her being out of sorts and unusually grumpy and strung out, and she was a bit like this on this birthday, too. All the attention is a bit much, even though she loves it at the same time. Although in reality, their birthdays make me feel a bit strung out, too, trying to make it a special day. Simple is always best, right?

We are pretty thankful to get to know this precocious, funny and darling little girl. Lately she keeps coming up to Brandon and I and rubbing our arms and saying, “I lus you daddy” or “I lus you momma.” We live for those sweet little unexpected moments.

Philippa’s first birthday here, second birthday here.

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a (late) birthday letter

November 30, 2017 MarthaKimballLeave a comment

hey baby girl. can it really be? you’re finally three. i look back on those early days with you–oh, how happy they were. you were born in laughter, and you were your strong-natured unique and spicy little self right from the start. you were born just days before Thanksgiving and with everyone busy with family and festivities, we had a quiet few days alone together at home enjoying new you and the sleepy early days.

this past year with you has been fun and full and hard, a bit, too. being two is hard, and maybe being three won’t be much easier. but i see you growing and changing and learning, and i’m proud of you! you began talking up a storm this year, and hearing more of your little thoughts and funny words for things has kept us laughing. You call your bottom your “bawnos” and your fingers “fing-wey” or “fing-wa.” hugs are “squishees.” you call my yarn my “kninning” and my needles “neenles.” i love the way you run, little arms down and flapping back and forth. you love “moomies,” get excited about anything phoebe and noah are excited about, and you still love to be the family clown and make everyone laugh.

you can be bossy and head strong but also so sensitive, and a harsh word can easily send you into tears. this year we worked on potty training, and it was a long, long road–with still some hard days here and there, but you’ve made great progress and how you’ve loved your new big-girl status.

you and noah are inseparable, the very best of friends. often when i’m busy in the mornings doing school with phoebe, you two are off playing together somewhere and, boy, do you love to laugh together. i hope your bond stays strong all of your days.

often you ask me how the baby is doing, and you seem so excited to be a big sister and not the littlest one anymore. i think you’re going to love it and be a very good big sister.

sweet girl, you have a tender and joyful spirit. i still love our evening sings and prayer time, just you and me. watching you grow up is a delight. seeing you become more interested in our morning family time in scripture, and your interest to always try and answer the questions. to sense in you a love for God and to hear you pray is a blessing. i pray for you continually to love Him, to walk with Him all your days, to know the joy it is to grow up in the shadow of His wings, facing all your days with Him. He has a great plan for you life little one, and i’m thankful we get to be a part of it.

happy third birthday, philippa ruth. i love you so ❤

mommy

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