It seems almost impossible, but today is Oliver’s SECOND birthday! I can’t believe how the time has flown.
I had planned to have a photo montage to post for today, but the gods of technology have said otherwise (I’m blaming misplacing the cord to my laptop cord on them!).
So here is Payten and Brayden singing Happy Birthday to Oliver.
And then Brayden’s own special rendition.
Our tourguide: Adele
Who’s more interested: Oliver or the cows?
The Three Stooges: Payten, Oliver, & Brayden
Looking for some manure to shovel
Poco is trying to hide under his hay
Payten & Brayden balancing on the feed trough
Heaven is spelled: T-R-A-C-T-O-R
Mooooo!
Not so much!
Kid kisses
Brayden catches a fainting goat (no really, they faint! They were bred to faint so and were kept with expensive cashmere goats. Then when a predator would threaten the flock, these poor things would faint and the predator would get them instead of the more expensive goats! So sad!)
Here horsey horsey…
At the top of the hay pile with Payten
In a big John Deere
Eating snow (not the yellow stuff though!)
Throwing rocks into the pond with Auntie Adele
In the swather with Payten and Brayden
Of sorts…
The Wednesday before Thanksgiving will always be special to me because it’s when my doctor told me I was in COMPLETE REMISSION!
One year down and one to go before I’m considered to be out of the woods (most cancers require 5 years, but the form of lymphoma I had is most likely to come back within two years, so if it doesn’t chances are it won’t (knock wood!))!!
We’re going to spend the day motoring (because apparently Mini Cooper drivers don’t drive, they motor!) to Denver to spend the weekend with special friends.
My little Einatein. He’s saying lots of words. Like cookie. And please. And Papa. And cracker. And… Agua…
About a year ago we started renovating our tiny little garage, which is more of a shed than a proper car-storing garage, into a creative space for me. Prior to that I was set up in our office, but it was right next to Oliver’s room and because he is such a light sleeper, I’d often wake him up if I was sewing. So it ended up that I would be afraid to use my space. Off to the garage I went.
Since then I’ve received a few emails requests to see the final renovations on my Studio and about the machines I have and use.
This is a before shot looking into the garage from two doors that swing open.
Looking deeper into the mess garage.
After tearing out the messed up drywall on the upper walls and ceiling and having it repainted.
A closer look at the curtain that divides the back (a 6-foot or so section with shelving for storage of gardening equipment, bikes, etc.). I used an Ikea curtain and inserted the patchwork panel from Amy Butler fabrics. (Word to the wise: don’t trust that the curtains are on-grain and use the fabric is the guide to insert the patchwork or you could end up with crooked curtains just like me. DOH!)
My main work table which was made using the old desktop from the office, cut in half lengthwise and propped up with filing cabinets. We installed kitchen cabinets from Ikea above for more storage. The quilt on the wall is a gift from my dear friend Joansy. We installed mirrors on the back wall to give a sense of space, for more light, and for me to be able to keep an eye on Oliver even when my back is turned to him. (Notice the Evil Eye thingie in the entrance? No bad spirits can enter here!)
Looking in from the side doors. These are currently solid doors but will someday be French doors. The rods hanging from the top of the doorway are to hold hangers (on the left) and freshly ironed shirts (on the right). My cutting table is just inside the door in front of my ironing table. To the right is an antique Chinese apothecary-type chest.
Looking out from the back of my studio to a small patio area. Behind the green (bouganvillea) is Oliver’s Jungle Gym.
A shot out the side doors into our garden. I was quilting my birthday present from Joansy.*
This is my combo embroidery and sewing machine, a Brother PC 8500. I got it last year from an Angel.
This is my serger, given to me by my dear friend Joansy. It belonged to her mother so it’s very special to me.
I don’t have a photo of my other two machines, but my backup machine is a Husqvarna Lily 545 that I bought a few years ago (actually, 7! Just as Dear Hubby and I started dating). My backup backup is a POS Singer. Don’t buy new Singers, they suck (which is why it’s the backup backup!).
And that my friends is my creative space!
*Speaking of my birthday present, here’s a shot of it on the daybed in our office along with a couple of matching pillow cases I made. There is one more pillow done and many more in the works to make it into a comfy, loungy space.
I’m sure it will come to no surprise to most of you (especially those who have had children!) but I’m absolutely amazed at Oliver’s increasing ability to communicate with Daddy and Papa (and, well, any one who will listen!). A while ago I blogged about him grunting words that sounded close to airplane and helicopter. In the six months or so since then, his words are becoming more and more clear, in both sound and meaning.
Ours is a bilingual household: Papa speaks to him almost entirely in French, and obviously I speak to him in English. Add to that the Spanish he hears at daycare, and he’s receiving a total of three languages on an almost daily basis.
One of the drawbacks to learning more than one language at this age is often a delay in a child’s expressive language abilities. I don’t recall the specifics from my language acquisition classes, but I do remember that it takes their wee developing brains more time to assimilate the various languages and hence more time to begin verbal expressions. But when they do start look out because they do it quickly and at full force.
At just under two years old, Oliver is doing a lot of vocalization (using sounds to make nonsensical words to express himself) and is just beginning to make identifiable words. Some of the words we’re able to identify are “hello” (which he pronounces “hewo” and LOVES to use, especially when he’s peering at you through the crack under a door! or otherwise enters the room), “bye bye”, “agua” (he’s been using this one for a few months to signify when he wants something to drink), “pain” (French for bread”, “Daddy”, “Papa”, and “Mommy” (which he uses to call to any adult in his near vicinity).*
For a while now he’s been able to say, “Diego” (proof that he may be watching too much TV in daycare!) and as evidenced here.
And his newest word, one that he surprised me with as I was reading to him before bedtime:
* I am leaving out his use of “No” given that he’s been using it for so long and with so much gusto for quite some time now!
Wow, what an end of the week and weekend!
Much of last week was spent preparing for my first cake order since I my cancer-imposed hiatus. Luckily I had, um, some help to make things easier.
Speaking of which, this was from the first time he helped Daddy bake cakes!
The good part is now he can help with cleaning up (while watching TV!)!
Of course that still leaves me the job of cleaning HIM up.
Then on Friday we did a dress rehearsal for Halloween in the new cowboy shirt Daddy made him (and almost didn’t live to tell about! Faux suede is NOT FUN!).
Saturday Oliver and I delivered the scary (in more than one sense!) Halloween birthday cake.
And after a short nap, it was time to walk the horse and prepare for the Trick or Treaters!
This year Papa spooked-up the fountain by adding some dry ice. Oooooh…
And Daddy sported red-eyes to give add to that scary, Halloween look.
And Oliver did well at distributing treats with the exception of to those wearing masks, which freaked him out too much.
Sunday was a mellow day which ended with us eating the top tier of our wedding cake to celebrate our first wedding anniversary!
(This isn’t the top tier, it’s the whole cake!)
Frank Notes 