A Quick Update

Ethan and I have been busy knitting these past few weeks. I have a few finished things to share. The monkey socks are done!

They were really a fun pair of socks to knit. The pattern has made me want to experiment more with knitting lace.
Adah was in need of new slippers. I found this really cute pattern and had to make her a pair.

We have been getting a lot of snow here. So I have been baking. Adah has been interested in "helping" me bake.

Chloe is starting to scoot around, it has been fun to watch her explore.

What Happened To November?

November has flown by. I am having a hard time believing it is December and Christmas is just a few short weeks away. I have noticed that since Chloe was born my life has been in extreme fast foward mode. So here is a little recap of the past month...Adah was a ladybug for Halloween. We went to my sisters house to trick-or-treat. Adah had a great time and wanted to eat all her candy when we got home.

I have done some knitting. I made a berry hat for Chloe.

I have been spending a ton of time on Ravelry . Ravelry is a website that you can organize all your completed knitting projects, works in progress (wip) and things you want to knit. Plus it allows you to keep track of all your yarn, needles, patterns and books. It is also super cool because you can meet other local knitters and see how others have knit a project that you have completed or want to do. It truly is an amazing thing.
We were able to spend Thanksgiving in Pennsylvania with Ethan's family. We had a really fun time. So much fun we didn't take any pictures!! Ethan's brother Hiram just released a Christmas album, Word>>>Flesh. Everyone needs to check it out it's really worth it! Here is an article written about him and the album. The album is avalible on itunes, just search Word>>>Flesh.
Ethan has been on a plant kick. I don't really mind; I think it makes the place look really nice especially since winter has kicked in. He recently made hanging window shelves for the plants.

It has been so nice to look at them with the mid afernoon sun coming through the windows.
We have joined the local YMCA. I have been really enjoying it. They offer a wide variety of classes. I have been taking spinning and yoga classes. Adah took a swim class and loved it. She practices blowing bubbles, kicking and "reaching and pulling" in the bath tub.
The girls keep us entertained on a regular basis. Adah was showing us how she "knits".

Adah loves being a big sister and Chloe watches Adah's every move. Having them has been an amazing learning experience, it is challenging at times but it is totally worth it.

Yum!

I love trying new recipes. I tried this buttercup squash and apple recipe yesterday. It is so good and easy. I wanted to share this recipe with everyone to enjoy!
I have been trying to get back into bread making. Since our recent move and Chloe being born I haven't found much time (or I should really say energy) to bake bread. This is my favorite bread recipe book. Tonight I made pita bread and a whole wheat honey bread. While baking the pita bread I was doing laundry and I realized that the oven temp dropped dramatically - about 150 degrees too low. I discovered if I'm using hot water in the washer and the stove is on there is less gas going to the stove. Not a good situation when trying to bake bread. So the pita bread became naan which is ok. Moving two times in the past year has made finding all the quirks in each place amusing.

We are preparing for Holloween here; Ethan carved a pumpkin, I think it looks really cool.


This is going to be Adah's first year trick-or-treating, She is going to be a ladybug.

Isn't she cute!

Chloe

It is amazing how fast time is flying. Chloe is already 5 months. She has been growing and surprising us everyday. It has been really amazing to see Adah and Chloe interact. Chloe is watching Adah's every move and Adah wants to hug and kiss Chloe every chance she can get. Here are a few recent pics of Chloe, she is such a happy baby.

Autumn Outing

We went apple picking today, at Outlook Farm, just down the road in Westhampton. Very fun, we ate lots of the sweet, crisp fruit, and we took some pictures to boot! If you want to see more photos, check them out at our Flickr account. Adah had a great time once we found some trees with apples within her reach. She is mighty tall for a two year-old (95th percentile,) but still not THAT tall.
The drive to the farm was lovely, with the foliage coming into its Autumn splendor. Every once in a while you see trees that just don't look real, they're such fantastic colors.
We're really enjoying trying out the local produce, and discovering new veggies together is one of the things that Ethan and I really love. Since coming to the East Coast, with it's distinct seasons, we've been discovering squash! Today we picked up a Pumpkin to carve (and for seeds), three Buttercup squash (our favorites discovered last Fall) and a new variety to try: Sunshine squash. Bright orange and very sweet, we really enjoyed this type for dinner baked, with some sauteed sausage, onions and green peppers. I made some pumpkin muffins with the leftovers, which are delightful.
So now we're hanging out, listening to the Red Sox game on the radio (game 6 against the Indians) Go Sox!

Bobo

Bobo is Adah's sock monkey. Ethan and I made it for Adah for her birthday(I can't believe she is 2!). It was really easy and fun we found the instructions here. At first the monkey was a little scary to Adah, but we named the monkey Bobo from a favorite book Hug and now she thinks Bobo is pretty cool.

Some knitting news...finally

I have finally finished my Winter Thermal. I started knitting this at the end of April and finished it mid September. I think it went pretty fast since I had Chloe in the middle of May!
For Adah's Birthday I made her a pair of colorful socks. She loves them and wears them around as much as she can.


I am currently working on socks for myself. Monkey is the pattern. I am knitting them in opal sock yarn. I am almost done with the first sock. The pattern is really fun, I haven't done much lace knitting I am really enjoying making these socks.

Tea for Two

We are drinking tea tonight. Just the two of us. And dreaming of moving to Italy. The girls are asleep upstairs, which is great! Thanks Dr. Weissbluth! Babies that sleep from 6pm to 7 am are a parent's dream.

Ethan has been scanning old pictures to our computer, so it's been funny looking back at the pre-baby years. That was a whole different world, and it seems so long ago! Here's a picture of the two of us in Alaska, when we were young and in love... as opposed to now, when we are a little bit older and in love.
And here are our lovelies on the couch. Adah is learning to be gentle with Chloe, and Chloe is learning to fear her big sister. (Look at Adah's hand and mine in the picture above: that's my girl!)

Happy Birthday!

Today is Ethan's Birthday. He is at a Modest Mouse concert at Pines Theater. We are having a family celebration this weekend. We are finally sort of settled onto our new place. This will be the first weekend here that we have no plans but family time. We can't wait.


This is an old pic of Chloe but I thnk it is cute. I will be posting more up to date stuff soon.

July 2007 family update

What follows is our latest family update, sent out today, the 4th of July (God bless america)

I suppose it's something to start with.

Hello Everyone!

Things have been happening quickly with us, and since we are coming up on some more transition, we wanted to mark it by getting in touch with you!

Our last big thing was Chloe's birth, and it continues to be a significant adjustment, as we get to know her, and as Adah learns to be a big sister. Chloe has been sleeping very well for us, which has been great, since we appreciate every bit of rest we can get our droopy eyelids on.

Adah is heading for age two with a vengeance, determined to make the most of every opportunity she comes across, which usually translates into climbing expeditions up all available objects, and a wildly messy living room by the end of the day. Thank the Lord for active children! She's just started saying "no" which is pretty funny, because she says it at the oddest times. Usually she has been saying uh-uh to refuse things, but she seems to really relish the word no, saying it sort of randomly, pronouncing it loudly and with a gleeful smile. She really cracks herself up.

Chloe has started getting interested in us, smiling and wrinkling her nose, and trying to eat our faces. I guess since eating is pretty much all she knows how to do, that's her only non-crying option in terms of a response to us. It's pretty cute.

In mid-June, Ethan started working for the Center for International Studies, a third-party study abroad provider based in Northampton MA. As Program Coordinator, he works with students and overseas Unis from the time the students apply, through the time they return to the US. To learn more about CIS and what Ethan does, check us out here
While the 9-5 desk-job nature of the work is taking some adjustment, he's been enjoying the new challenge, and is learning a lot. Ethan has been commuting about an hour each way, which has been a big drag, but will end on the last weekend in July, because we are moving to that that area!

We have found a nice little townhouse in a family-friendly area of Easthampton, which is about 4 miles from work. We will move there in stages, starting in Mid-July, and ending with one big move on the last weekend of the month.

Amy has been staying at home with the girls, and has been doing a great job. She has been doing bookkeeping part-time for her former boss at the Slow Fire Cafe, though that will end when we move. She's also been knitting a waffle-stitch sweater in a beautiful aquamarine colored wool/silk blend yarn. She has completed the body and is now starting on the arms. To see what the sweater will look like, go here
(it's actually the same color as the one shown.)

We have also been taking some pictures of us and the girls, and putting them up on Flickr.com, so if you'd like to check them out, click here


In case you don't want to go there, I've attached our most recent family photo for your enjoyment. It was taken in front of Amy's father's house about three weeks ago, which means that Chloe looks completely different now.

Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers, as we go through all of this transition. While it has been exciting and wonderful, we are finding that it really has been draining. Please pray that we would find time for ourselves and each other, and that we would be drawn closer together even as we get pulled in so many directions.

Feel free to drop us a line, or if you're in town, stop by!

Lots of love to you all, and blessings.

Ethan, Amy, Adah and Chloe.