Emma's so cool, she can knit in da pool!

Emma has caught the knitting bug.  The other day, she came across a knitting kit in her dresser drawer.  She has done some knitting before now, but has always put aside her projects after a few dropped stitches or other mistakes.  However, today she completed a small project for her sister Brianna.  A sunglasses case.  I was so proud of her!  She spent several hours this morning, working on her project.  I had promised her that if she ran out of purple wool, I would buy her some more.  After a morning of knitting, she felt the itch to cool off in the pool.  However, Emmawas loathe to put down her knitting so she brought her project with her into the water.  I happened to glance outside and beheld some odd stringlike fibers floating in the pool. Apparently, Emma is even able to knit underwater!  This called for some photos, as I know that several years from now, my memory will have failed me and I'm sure that this is one story I'll have trouble believing without photographic proof.  Suffice it to say, Emma finished her sunglasses case for Breezy.  Her brief attempt to extract $2 for the case from Breezy (which her little sister, ever the dupe, would have happily given her) was quickly shot down by yours truly. If Ms. Emma thinks I'll buy her wool, while she in turn charges $ for her completed projects, she has another think coming!

My boy

With the summer fast approaching, I'm beginning to realize that I will have to do some adjusting once all six of the kids are home on vacation. Next Friday is their last day of school. Mentally, I'm preparing myself for the changes that summer will bring to our schedule. On the plus side, we will get to sleep in! No more school lunches to pack. No homework worries, no lost library books to find and no permission slips to sign and return to school. However, summer inevitably brings the one unwelcome guest with it. The big, bad, boredom bogey monster. He sits under the table, panting and drooling on my kitchen floor, looking for a willing victim to sink his hoarey teeth into. He's quiet and stealthy and my children never know that they've been bitten until they start to droop and complain of boredom, listlessness and mental intertia.

Which brings me, in a very roundabout way, to my topic of the moment. My adorable son. I am completely dotty about him. He's easy to please, plays well by himself and with others, and can enjoy being alone without feeling at a complete and utter loss. In short, he has (so far) outfoxed the boredrom bogey man. He's a joy to take shopping and is not prone to "wanna have" tantrums. Life with him is an easygoing game of give and take. He's always open to compromise and can see the sense of most rules. If I say "no", he can usually accept it. That's not to say he hasn't thrown a few wicked tantrums. But generally they are few and far between.

So I'm am genuinely enjoying these last few days of calm before the summer vacation storm. Parenting Malia and Jacob is a fun, rewarding job. I dearly love all my children, and when they're all home and playing in harmony, I can hardly contain my joy and triumph at the satisfaction of it all. But those well-oiled moments are hard to come by and make me appreciate the ease with which Jacob and Malia fit into my life. They adore each other and better yet, they appear to adore me too.

In the photo, Jacob is feeding Austin a bottle.

Avocado green

A few photos of the party:

Marlayna turns 13

Today, Marlayna had her 13th birthday party. So far, so good. So far, you say? Indeed, this party is such a mellow affair that I've managed to sneak away, start a blog and begin posting.

Marlayna chose a spa party theme. It seemed like a good idea so I ran with it. I bought foot soak sachets for the girls and then, in a fit of thriftyness, decided that the rest of her potions would be home-made affairs. So we made a hand scrub and face mask with "home ingredients". That is, items that can be easily purchased and then mashed or mixed to create instant beauty. The web is a wealth of information, especially where gooey, runny home-spa recipes are concerned but the best recipe of them all I found in a Martha Stewart Kids magazine, loaned to me by a sympathetic friend. I tell ya, I'll never look at guacamole the same again! This recipe involved mashing an avocado with plain yogurt to create a mask that "will leave your face feeling refreshed". Martha Stewart must be made of stronger stuff than I am, because I found the smell alone anything but refreshing. The girls however (troopers that they are) claimed that the mask did make their skin nice and soft.

Now, we're just waiting on pizza. I'll post some photos in awhile.

My opinion on the whole affair? This is one of the easiest birthday parties ever. The girls are entertaining themselves and I am actually finding myself able to relax during this party. Hooray for 13!