Never a Dull Moment

May and June are crazy months. It seems like every weekend there's something -- band concerts, proms, graduations, first communions, weddings, etc., etc., etc. Things are no different in our house, except that the craziness extends into mid-July, when we have one big blow-out party for all three of our kids' birthdays. They're actually all within a week of each other -- Molly & Austin share a date, of course (July 15th) and Emma is July 7th, so we have a big backyard pool/hot tub/barbeque party.

But I'm getting ahead of myself. Let's start with the most important stuff... I've actually gotten some knitting done lately! Emma has a good friend who's a sock fanatic (also known as a "knitter's enabler"). I've gotten a bit bored by slogging along on the Sugared Maple socks, and my yarn for Mystic Meadows KAL hasn't arrived yet (even though the first chart comes out tomorrow!!), so the only logical thing to do was to drag out some quick and easy sock yarn and make some socks for Erica.

It's Lion Brand Magic Stripes in the "Bright Spring Pattern" colorway. What can I say...it was on sale. I'm not a huge fan of self-striping yarns, but it makes a cute sock for a teenager, and it knits up quickly and simply in the most basic sock pattern ever. Just what I needed!

As for why I've been so busy, here's a quick peek into my family's recent activities. Emma attended the Semi-formal dance recently (which is sort of like a "mini prom" for the freshmen and sophomores). It was really nice to see all the kids dressed up in jackets and ties and cocktail dresses. This is such a funny age -- one day they look like little kids, and then they dress up and put on a bit of make-up and zing! you have a young adult. Amazing.

(By the way, that hazy kind of romantic effect in the picture is not a filter or software effect... it's a result of letting my little ones -- with sticky fingers -- use my camera!)

Speaking of Molly and Austin, we recently attended the "Wax Museum" at their school, which is just the coolest tradition ever! Each spring, the kids in the 5th grade class each choose a character from their American History book to portray. They need to do an extensive research paper on their character and a poster that highlights his/her accomplishments. Then they write a short speech in the first person and dress up as their character. The kids are positioned all around the cafeteria and they strike a pose until one of the parents taps them on the shoulder to "bring them to life." Then they begin, "My name is George Washington...." or whatever, and give about a one-minute speech as their character. It's a fantastic way to get them to do a very involved project, and it's really amazing to see what some of them come up with.

We had Molly as Amelia Earhart (that was a match made in heaven -- I can't think of another historical figure whose spirit Molly embodies more)...

... and Austin as Paul Revere.

(Did you notice Mom's sewing ability on that one? Who knew you could sew a tri-cornered hat?")

That's it for now...the laundry and cooking and all that other fun stuff doesn't go away just because it's crazy time everywhere else!